: Or, as I've always interpreted it, it's Thoth who is responsible for
: initiating the main character's jumps across timelines, as every jump is
: always preceded by the imminent activation of "the S'pht AI"
: (that never gets a name in Infinity, but is clearly meant to be the same
: one Durandal dubbed "Thoth" in M2).
This is not true. In Prologue, it is explicitly clear that Durandal and the main character never explored or set foot on Lh'owon, and therefore Thoth could not have been activated (unless you've got evidence that the Pfhor did it).
In Chapter 3: Rage 2, there is no mention of K'lia, Thoth, a "S'pht AI", or the S'pht'kr. So, from a literary analysis perspective, since there is no reference to these things in the Text, then that means they aren't present.
So, in those two Chapters, Thoth isn't activated and yet we still shift to different timelines.
: (And suddenly a new theory occurs to me, thinking about the cryptic terminal
: that sends you back in time from Ne Cede Malis: could Thoth be Yrro? And
: K'lia itself doesn't have the power to warp through space, but rather gets
: warped about by the space station of Aye Mak Sicur, on which we encounter
: an entity that appears to be Yrro himself -- referencing "my old
: Pthia" -- who also seems like the same entity we encounter at the end
: of Ne Cede Malis.)
No. The main character needs to be present on Aye Mak Sicur station in order for S'pht-Durandal to be able to take control of it. The station's warping abilities can only be activated by the main character.