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Talpa stands over Dannin. He sees the burns, the smoke still coming from her hair. "I see you have done well, Dannin of the Bright Flame. You will be rewarded richly for your deeds this night! Now, rest your body, for I will have another mission ready when you are healed."

Somewhere, in the shadows, Badamon lurks and watches.

Talpa and Badamon steal away, going to a dark place where they can talk alone.

"My lord Talpa, you wished to know about the blue spirit?" Badamon asked.

"Yes, tell me, Badamon, what was it that came here?" Talpa inquires, thinking of the warrior previously charged with guarding Dannin.

"It was the spirit of a warrior, recently dispatched, saying farewell to the mortal world," Badamon explained. "I would keep a close eye on the warrior Saberstryke, my lord Talpa. He and the spirit are connected in some way now."

Talpa's eyes flare red. His voice thickens and he says, "I do not care for intruders into my camp." His eyes fade from behind his mask and he considers something for a moment. He turns away from Badamon and continues, "Make sure that Dannin does not awaken to her self, Badaon. It is vitally important that we keep her as she is."

"Is there not something else, Lord Talpa?" Badamon asks, looking at the array of swords on Talpa's back.

"Yes, there is someone else who possibly might be a thorn in my side. He comes from an ancient clan, I do not know the name of it." Talpa crosses his arms over his chest, still showing Badamon his back, reminding the Netherspirit master that he is in control. "There is a girl there, her name is Kayura, I am told. I want you to bring that girl to me and bring her under my control the same as you have for Dannin of Bright Flame."

"Yes, Lord Talpa, it is my duty to serve," Badamon says before disappearing.

Saberstryke wakes up, puts his feet on the floor, rubs his face with his hands and says to himself, "Worst night of sleep I ever had. Spirts...ghosts...blather..."

He stretches, readying himself for the new day.

Saberstryke, aware that he is no longer dreaming but awake, realizes that the person poking her head into his tent is the woman he guarded last night, except that she is many years older. Saberstryke, understanding what happened, says, "I am awake. Are you being treated well?"

"Please, come in," Saberstryke says to Dannin. "There has been something on my mind. You see, I think I may have see myself dead."

"I cannot say, either, for I was asleep." Saberstryke says, then decides to ask Dannin what is on his mind. "Do you ever remember seeing a warrior with a scar on his chest? He had, I think, a green cloak."

"That warrior," Saberstryke responds, looking at the woman sitting on the ground in front of him, "I think he may have been me. Some form of me, some part of myself that I didn't know about. I don't know how that's possible, but I know that it is so. The person you killed was named Saberstryke, as I am."

"I am saying," Saberstryke said, "That I am not. The person you killed, well, I don't understand how he could be me. Perhaps the Netherspirits have found a way to make duplicates of people. I don't know. I want you to think back...was there anything odd about the person. Anything he said that..."

Saberstryke trails off. He doesn't really remember his dreams anymore, and he knows that he might be looking foolish. Only- he knows he is right.