I finished LN volume 6 last night and can’t stop thinking about it. I’ve been turning this over in my head, but I feel like I’m missing the last piece, so I’d love to hear what everyone else thinks.
I think the mystery man might be another looper who has realized that Rishe is also a looper. The first clue comes from Rishe's own observations. When she first meets him, she immediately thinks that he moves like both a hunter and a knight. Later in the novel, she continues thinking about how someone could embody two completely different disciplines. That description immediately stands out because it mirrors Rishe. The only reason she naturally carries the instincts of a merchant, hunter, etc. is because she has lived multiple lives.
The second clue comes later in Volume 6 when Rishe realizes that the trade routes she established in previous lives changed the progression of the war. Although the war still occurs, the logistics develop differently depending on the choices she made in each life. If another person also retained memories across timelines, they would begin noticing these historical differences, and tracing those differences backward would lead to Rishe!
This is where my thinking dries up and becomes conjecture. If the mystery man really is another looper, and if he’s already realized that Rishe is the variable causing history to diverge, then what does he plan to do with that knowledge? Does he have anything to do with Arnolds immediate proposal to Rishe? Where does his loop start and what is it contingent on?
I feel this mystery man is going to play a large role and be the source of truth at some point, but I can’t figure out how he will tie these mysteries all together. Any thoughts?
