lineage. Assassin's Creed Valhalla In Assassin's Creed Valhalla, it is revealed that when Desmond sacrificed himself in December 2012 to save the Earth, only his physical form was killed, as his consciousness was transported into a computer simulation created by the Isu known as "The Grey." During his time there, Desmond forgot his original identity and was transformed into a being of pure light called The Reader, whose task is to analyze various branching timelines to determine ways of preventing future cataclysms. In 2020, the Assassin Layla Hassan enters the Grey via a supercomputer from an Isu temple in Norway in an attempt to slow the magnetism of the global aurora borealis device, which was activated by Desmond when he died. Here, Layla meets the Reader and shows him more possibilities and calculations based on timelines he had not explored. The Reader then tells Layla she has a minute to live, as the radiation from the chamber where the computer is located is killing her body. Layla accepts her fate and decides to stay in the Grey with the Reader to help him explore more timelines. Additionally, the player can find and listen to two audio logs of Desmond on Layla's computer, recorded shortly before his death. In the first, he talks about his life as an Assassin and his lack of choice in the matter, which he finds ironic given the Brotherhood's advocation for free will, and expresses his belief that the Assassins have become more dogmatic and stagnant in time, as most have stopped thinking about the actual meaning of the Creed; despite this, he still believes in the Assassins' cause and considers that people sometimes need boundaries, as the complexity of life can prove too much for anyone to handle. In the second log, Desmond talks about his ancestors and how he feels overwhelmed after having relived so many different lives in a short amount of time, as well as how he doesn't consider himself special for being descended from the Isu and that anyone can join the Assassins and make a difference in the world. Reception and analysis Desmond received mixed reviews from critics, primarily due to his uneven characterization and development. He was voted the 20th top character of the 2000s by Game Informer readers. PlayStation Universe rated him as one of the PlayStation 3's worst characters, saying: "While voiced admirably by the ubiquitous Nolan