"Yes," says Cole. "You are very bright. Too bright. I had a friend who was too bright, but he was just a person underneath. You're much more. Too much to see." He shifts his weight, fingers fiddling restlessly with each other. Corypheus was powerful like this, but dark, hard, sharp and red inside. Cruel power, harsh shadows, overwhelming want. Gabriel is sad, soft, tired. He wants to go home. They all want to go home. But Gabriel does not belong here more than the others. He should not be tethered to this body, this earth.

"I felt like this for a while," he murmurs on his own train of consciousness. "Caught, confused and cowering, not in the Fade and not in the real world. Then my friend helped me become more human. But people still forget me here. It's like I've gone backwards." His eyes land on Gabriel once again, refocusing. "You remembered. I knew you would."