Author's Note: I've been writing this story for almost a year now and just can't believe how much fun I'm still having with it! I also wanted to give a thank you to all the people who have favorited this story and keep coming back week after week to read each new chapter. Hope everyone is happy with the progress so far and that you will keep with me through the madness to come.

Marken: Gen can be one scary man for sure, but I doubt Shin-Ra tower would still be standing if he was angry all the time...

Beta Readers: Pixie, Kiza, and Discord.

I do not own FF7 or any of its characters. Talin, Unit 28, and some other side characters are mine.

Enjoy and please R&R.

Chapter 36

After seeing Sephiroth's Cadet safely back with the SOLDIERs, Director Lazard rapidly returned to his office and mobilized every resource at his disposal. Someone pulled Talin's electronic medical records, another gathered video from any unedited source, and a team worked tirelessly to compile a listing of all medically trained staff in the Shin-Ra building that day. That list alone was substantial and jumped from dozens to hundreds when you included anyone with the basic skills needed for the injections given to Talin.

The morning after the abortive training session, the Director met with his three Commanders and their Cadet. While he was surprised at Sephiroth's absence, Lazard wisely didn't bring it up, knowing the likelihood that the man wouldn't have been the best company after his recent mission. He instead walked them through the information they'd acquired before shifting focus to Talin for more details to narrow their search. The amount they'd managed to gather so quickly was impressive, but then their momentum hit a wall.

Try as he might, Talin couldn't recall the woman's face beyond strawberry blonde hair and glasses. The drugs she'd used to knock him out and the concoction of Mako had blurred his memories of that day entirely. Even when shown several photos of women fitting that loose description, he couldn't make a positive identification.

Worse still was that much of his memory from the day was hazy at best. He remembered leaving Zack's, being on his way to the cafeteria when she came to him, the ruse of the blood draw, and the painful jab of the stun gun, but that was all.

"Perhaps that lack of recall is for the best..." Genesis had said privately to Angeal later. It slowed them down in finding the culprit, but it did spare Talin from a few more nightmares.

Eventually, as they were piecing together what facts they did have, Zack sat bolt upright and let out an exclamation that startled them all. "Wait! Your friend! Callian! He was with you that morning. He came running after Angeal and I to tell us what happened so he saw the lady too!" The 1st's excitement had the man up and running from the room to track down the other cadet before they could even respond.

Cal was more than able to give a full description, he picked her out of a lineup of over thirty photos. Her name was Kera Meray and she wasn't a nurse or even in the medical field, but a low-level office assistant in one of the accounting sections. The only reason she'd been on their list was an expired certification to administer emergency injections for allergic reactions and the like.

Her full record was pulled and caused a flurry of activity due to the stamp across the top of the first document. It was a transfer order sending her to Fort Condor the same day as the abduction. All the documents were there, all stamped, and her departure time had been confirmed by her signature, but she never made it.

"I'm sorry, Sir. I don't have any records of a Kera Meray being sent to us. In fact, we haven't had anyone transfer over in the last three weeks..." They could all hear the woman's flustered and apologetic tone over the call, and each fought in their own way to stifle their disappointment and frustration. Director Lazard thanked her for looking before hanging up and closed the file in front of him. They knew there wasn't any point in looking further.

Either she'd been paid enough to leave and disappear into the vast city or she was just gone. It didn't happen often but, when someone vanished like that, you weren't likely to ever find them again. The Director promised to keep searching for anything that might lead them to answers, but none were hopeful. No one had been in the little white room where they'd found Talin, all the charts that had been on the walls and in the computer lacked a signature, and now their one lead had vanished into thin air.

…

After the day of dead ends and frustration, Angeal asked Zack to entertain Gen while he fulfilled his promise to Talin. He'd noticed the teen's shifting thoughts in the meeting, had watched him struggle to keep his mind from drifting to painful recollections, and knew their Cadet needed to do something that would occupy him completely.

Talin found out firsthand why Zack had given up on aura training after learning the basics. As quick a learner as he was, he still found himself struggling through the lesson. Taking shapes or holding a shadow figure wasn't hard, and he could move and change forms with ease, but that was like learning to crawl. Forming barriers was like learning to fly without wings.

At length, Angeal moved on to teach him how to 'see' from his shadow's eyes. It was still difficult but, with much practice that night, Talin was able to finally open the eyes of his specter and saw Genesis' blurry figure. The Commander had an odd level of control of his mental body, not fully solid but not the loose gas/liquid either. It made it near impossible to link with him since there was nothing solid to 'touch' but Gen could still feel when someone reached out to him and who it had been. Talin worked hard to perfect his sight that night and only ceased when sleep claimed his tired mind.

Angeal worked with him daily, even if he couldn't be in the same room as the Cadet. Talin had been surprised to feel the gentle brush against him one day when he knew the 1st was in a meeting. ~I'm bored to tears with these political dramas that have nothing to do with us.~ Was his answer when the teen asked if he'd skipped. ~I can multitask, and I'd much rather teach you than sitting here twiddling my thumbs.~

The meeting was a long one, and by the time Angeal walked into Gen's apartment, Talin was starting to get the hang of creating tiny, palm-sized shields. It was by far the most difficult skill to learn but the Commander didn't let on to that fact. Tell someone that it's hard, and they will believe you. Present it as the next step, and they might just rise to the challenge.

To be honest, it should have been about step twelve or twenty, but Angeal knew it was going to be important for the teen. While his position as Sephiroth's trainee gave him a great deal of protection, it also put a target on his back. They'd been careful so far, keeping him away from most SOLDIERs outside the ones they knew would accept and welcome him, but they couldn't do that forever. At some point, he would make it into the general population with the 2nds and 3rds and there could be trouble.

For that reason alone, the Commander could understand Sephiroth's choice to keep Talin's aura a secret. It was an amazing tool, great for communication on missions (or during meetings you're bored of), but until fully trained, it was also a weakness. Without some kind of protection, the teen would be open to attack from others with the ability.

The appointment of a cadet as Seph's trainee, instead of an established SOLDIER, had ruffled more than a few feathers among their ranks. Although no names had yet been mentioned, enough grumbling rumors had been heard to make them cautious and had made Angeal push the training faster. Talin was as excited to learn something so unique as he was proud of his growing aptitude.

Now that he understood how to pull the shields together, forming them from the void space into solid constructs, Talin found them fascinating. They could be made any way he wanted so long as he could picture the structure, and the small-scale versions he'd started with quickly grew. It was hard work, and he found himself worn out after each attempt but, after almost a week, he was able to raise very basic shields that took and deflected Angeal's attacks.

...

The offer Genesis had made for him to stay the night was converted to an offer to stay as long as needed, and the teen readily accepted. As attracted as he was to Gen, and vice versa, they hadn't done anything beyond affectionate cuddling and sleeping together at night. For that, the Cadet was thankful. The Commander was willing to wait, and Talin... well, he was just happy for the uncomplicated affection from his lovers.

At first, he'd felt bad and worried that he was intruding on the man's privacy and private life too much. That thought flew out the window when Gen came back one afternoon, hair a wild mess and a glow to him that said he'd very recently enjoyed the company of one of the other 1sts. The teen had laughed and helped him fix the tangled strands while the Red Commander told him of his conquest.

...

In the week it'd taken Talin to learn to shield, he'd fallen into a new routine that he was going to sorely miss when he went back to classes. Mornings were slow, often he would wake with Gen still curled around him asleep, and he would watch the city below as he had that first morning. After breakfast, he would check his phone for class assignments that were emailed to him and settle back in the large bed with his course books to study. If he didn't have other work to do, Genesis would lay with him, reading his own book or stealing one of Talin's to see what his Cadet was learning.

After lunch, much like before, the teen would head to the training room, but now the General was conspicuous by his absence. His teacher might be missing, but his training was as brutal as ever. Mostly Angeal and Gen would work with him, but Zack was commonly his sparring partner to give the hyper 1st something to do instead of just sit and watch. Today's lesson was especially harsh.

"C'mon Red! You can go faster than that!" Any other day, Zack's taunt would have spurred the teen on, but after almost four hours of intense training, Talin didn't have much left to give. When Angeal told him they were going to play tag, Talin hadn't expected to be handed two daggers and then ordered to chase the puppy. This wasn't any kids game, it was a SOLDIER favorite.

Now he ran, jumped, spun, and cursed as he tried to catch Zack with one of the sharp blades to score a hit. He'd been assured that, if he could ever land a strike, his insanely fast partner would be fine. This game was never played without a stock of potions and healing spells at hand.

Talin knew he was running out of time as he dashed after Zack. Their rounds were only one to two minutes long because of the breakneck pace, but if he could land a hit, maybe Angeal would finally let him go lay down.

Zack was sprinting towards the far corner of the room and the Cadet saw his one chance to catch up. Using a boost of Mako, Talin changed direction, took a running jump at the wall to his right, used his speed to run up it a short distance, and kicked off to dive down on the Commander from above. Zack had just stopped near the other wall and turned to face the plummeting teen, a surprised expression filling his bright blue eyes.

Got you!

Bare moments before Talin would have landed on the SOLDIER, his look switched from shock to mischief and the man jolted to one side revealing the weight rack he'd been standing in front of. Unable to alter his headlong dive, the teen braced for a painful impact. He hit something alright, not steel, but muscle.

Zack had no intention of letting Talin crash, but he did need the knives he held to be out of the way. Soon as the redhead had raised his arms to protect his head, the 1st charged back in to catch him. The impact of the teen against his chest hardly moved the 1st. He'd locked his arms around the Cadet and held him effortlessly as Talin's mind processed the sudden change from impending pain, to a warm embrace.

"Time!" Angeal's call from the other side of the room had a laughing edge to it as he ended their match. The younger Commander grinned down at the dumbfounded teen before shifting his hold to let him back down to his feet.

"Damn it," Talin cursed, ignoring 'Geal's usual reminder about his language. He was exhausted and kept a firm hold on the arm still around him as he tried to catch his breath. Zack was more than willing to hold him steady, nuzzling against Talin's temple while burning muscles protested the Cadet's command to stand and walk. Blessedly, Angeal allowed him a five-minute break to rest before his and Zack's next, and last, round.

"You ok, Red?" They'd walked to the bench by the door and Talin wanted nothing more than to fall asleep as soon as his back hit the vertical surface. He nodded and was glad when his head was lifted to rest on Zack's lap. Fingers brushing his sweat-damp hair away from his eyes drew a sigh from the worn-out Cadet and they sat that way till Angeal called them.

Talin did an internal review as he walked back to the center of the room. His body ached, he had bruises everywhere, and his Mako levels were low. Really low. In his trial-and-error training months ago, they'd concluded that he could deplete to about 5% before he crashed. He was at maybe 10-15% remaining. Enhancing his speed would chew through some of that, leaving him with enough for several good bursts of strength or a few larger ones.

"Ok, last round with Zack for today Cadet. Are yo-" Angeal stopped mid-sentence, his gaze snapping to the doorway behind the teen, but it hadn't opened.

"'Geal?" Talin's confusion doubled when the 1st's eyes jumped back to his and he felt the insistent push at the back of his skull. They'd trained so much together that he accepted the link instantly but wasn't ready for the usually warm and relaxed voice to be suddenly that of a Commander on a battlefield.

~Breathe.~ He was about to question that one-word order when the door hissed open.

Talin felt his spine and shoulders go rigid, eyes go wide in alarm, and the air caught in his throat. ~He's... ~

~Gen's taking care of it, now, breathe, Cadet.~ The redhead's thoughts were racing, but he felt the weight of Angeal's mind against his, radiating that ever-present sense of calm. With mild effort, Talin fought down his rising anxiety about having the General at his back and finally took a breath.

Genesis had gone to intercept Sephiroth, keeping his voice light, but only a fool would miss the warning in his eyes. "Seph?" When the silver SOLDIER moved as if to continue past him, the Commander's hand shot out, landing firmly on the man's chest.

"Am I not allowed to see the progress of my trainee?" The General was both surprised and yet not when his lover moved between him and the others. He was, however, more amused than upset and let it show on his face.

Genesis cocked an eyebrow at the almost teasing look accompanying the question and pushed the taller warrior back a step. Mentally, he smirked at the easy acquiescence. Missing us, are you? The red Commander couldn't help the small, slightly seductive smile that curled his lip as he pushed the General back another step. "If you want to watch, do it from here, they're in the middle of a session." Seph's eyes danced with amusement as he felt his back hit the wall. If this was how they wanted it, he would play along. For now.

While Gen worked to keep Sephiroth away from them, Angeal tried to keep Talin calm. Seph's voice had provoked a change in the teen, and it wasn't for the better. Hands that had been holding the knives in a white-knuckle grip, suddenly loosened. The shoulders he'd watched relax, slowly tensed again, but not like before. More like a snake, coiled and preparing to strike.

~Don't even think about it.~ The sharpness of the tone cut through Talin's thoughts and he returned the Commander's slightly glowing gaze. His hand's itched to throw the extremely sharp daggers, but Angeal wasn't about to let that happen. ~Cadet!~ It was a growl in his mind and left no room for disobedience.

The power behind that one word made Talin almost dizzy. He dropped his challenging gaze and took a slow deep breath trying to steady himself. ~Now is not the time or place. Focus on your training.~ It was no longer a demand, the man's tone was once again even, having slipped effortlessly back to an encouraging rumble in his head. The mental whiplash disoriented the Cadet more and he gave a slight shake of his head as his thoughts spun.

"Ready Cadet?" Angeal asked aloud even as he felt the teen's mind scrambling to regroup. If he could get him moving forwards again, the redhead wouldn't have time to think about anything but chasing Zack.

Anger tugged at Talin. Part of his mind, bruised and still bleeding from too many betrayals, urged him to take it out on the General, but Angeal was right. He needed to focus on his training, not the man watching him who made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Feeling a bit more energized by the spike of adrenaline, he shifted into a fighting stance and nodded before looking squarely at Zack.

Angeal gave him no time to change his mind. "You have one minute. Go!" They were off with the scuff of heavy boots across the metal floor. Zack was restricting himself to the half-speed Angeal deemed appropriate for today's training but, even with that handicap, the redhead was hard-pressed to keep up.

Talin cursed silently as another of his attacks missed by centimeters. Irritation at his continued failures, anger at the owner of crystal green eyes he could feel following his every move, and wanting nothing more than to collapse ASAP, had him pulling more from his dwindling supply of Mako. Funneling it all into his legs for speed, the teen threw himself after the slippery 1st, and their game kicked into high gear.

Sephiroth was watching. With great interest and slight concern. The SOLDIER found himself unable to look away from the Cadet who always brought such a unique flair to any fight. He certainly gave Zack a run for his money when it came to creative attacks, but what the teen didn't have yet was the stamina of the veteran 1st.

The General had worked with Talin for months, had seen him at this level of exhaustion many times in the past, but they'd always ended the session at that point. Early on, Talin had to tell him he was close to out of Mako, but later Seph was able to gauge just by looking at the Cadet. Seeing him now, continuing to push forward with his attacks when they both knew he must be at the edge of burnout, was worrying.

They were all counting down in their heads as the seconds ticked by. 10... Talin was nearly desperate to land a hit. He didn't really want to hurt Zack, but not having scored a single point in four hours was embarrassing, even if his opponent was a 1st.

8... Not wanting to pull more Mako, Talin used what he had near endless quantities of. Anger. He let it flood him, using it as a tool while keeping control of himself, and his adrenaline spiked again.

6... Pushing hard, he followed close on the Commander's heals as they ran. Their knives clashed together, the sound ringing loud in the otherwise silent room. Every strike from the teen was blocked or dodged, but the last Zack countered with a shove that wasted precious seconds while the Cadet caught back up.

3... No time left for finesse or strategy, Talin charged back at his partner with a growl full of the anger he couldn't vent on his preferred target. Instead of going high, he went low, and when he saw the SOLDIER jump to go over his head, he twisted up to follow. Slashing out with his blade, arm fully extended, Talin thought for sure he could reach, but only felt the slightest catch along the blade and heard the rip of fabric.

He'd known he wouldn't be able to stop his momentum into the wall and that, this time, Zack would be moving in entirely the wrong direction to catch him. The fact that he failed just added insult to injury as he slammed into the unforgiving surface and crumpled to the floor in an exhausted heap.

Having twisted to try to catch his escaping opponent, Talin had smacked the back of his head on the wall just hard enough to make things spin a bit and closed his eyes as he lay there. He groaned in both pain and irritation between panting breaths, ignoring the worried calls from Zack and Angeal till he felt hands helping him slowly sit up.

None but Genesis saw the General take a half step forward when he'd calculated the impact to be unavoidable and the small wince Sephiroth gave when Talin crashed into the wall. Since he didn't make any further move to intervene, Gen remained quiet and just watched the man from the corner of his eye. We all know you care Seph, now what are you going to do about it?

Zack cuddled Talin to him as the Cadet recovered from the slight dizziness and helped him stand when it finally abated. Angeal hadn't moved from his position at the side of the room, watching the two with a thoughtful expression. He was concerned for Talin, but he was also irritated by the teen's rash actions in the last few matches. A hail marry attack was fine now and then, but when one had put him in direct danger of injury, and the next resulted in injury, it was just reckless.

Seeing the Cadet finally regain his bearings and recover his breath, the Commander stepped towards the pair. "Ok, Cadet. Now that you're back on your feet, come on over for your last match."

Talin just looked at him dumbfounded. "Wha- But you said that was the last round."

"No, I said that was the last one with Zack. Your final matchup is with me." Angeal had intentionally planted that thought in the teen's mind with his prior wording, had wanted him to push himself, thinking it was the end of the training. "You don't always get to go lay down after a fight you thought would be the last for the day. Sometimes you have to keep going."

The big SOLDIER had positioned himself between Talin and the doorway so that, when the redhead reluctantly moved to stand opposite him, he could see the General over Angeal's shoulder. Their eyes met for the barest moment before Talin felt a push at his mind. ~Focus on me, Cadet. Finish this round and I'll make us something good for dinner.~ Even though he wasn't smiling, the teen could hear it in his mental voice.

~I don't have anything left, Angeal...~ Talin grumbled as he took another measure of what Mako remained. He wasn't lying, his fight with Zack had run him dangerously low. He probably had enough to enhance his speed like before but anything beyond that was going to be risky.

~Then you better get creative.~ Again Talin heard a hint of laughter behind the mental touch. "Ready?" He asked aloud while playing with the dangerously sharp dagger Zack had given him. The other 1st had moved to the side to take up the role of timekeeper.

Trying to keep himself from looking past his current opponent, Talin gave a strained chuckle as he lowered himself into a fighting crouch. "If I say no, would you go easy on me?" That drew a smirk from Angeal at last.

"Not a chance. Three-minute round. You land a hit or take me down, you win. I land two hits on you or time runs out, I win." The Cadet about choked at the length of the match but didn't have time to argue before Zack started the fight.

"Ready! Go!" Not taking the same defensive tact as his former student had, Angeal charged, immediately putting Talin on the run. The teen didn't even have time to sever their mental contact as he blocked and jumped to avoid the assault. At the back of his head, he continued to feel the soft pressure of the 1st's aura against his own but thankfully it wasn't distracting.

Talin quickly found himself in an increasingly difficult situation. Every time he would try to get some distance from the SOLDIER, he would be instantly charged and attacked ferociously. Realizing he wasn't going to need to sprint after his foe this match, he switched the flow of Mako to his arms to help block the heavy strikes.

Guarding against another series of hard blows, Talin almost missed the leg that was sweeping towards his own and sprung back on instinct to avoid it. The 1st followed, coming at the teen low as he'd done to Zack. With a quick diversion of Mako as soon as his feet hit the ground, Talin launched himself into a high backflip hoping to get high enough to be out of range. He wasn't. Fabric tore, and he felt a line burn along his left calf. It wasn't deep or very long, just enough to hurt and bleed a bit, but it still made him wince as he landed.

"C'mon, Cadet. You've proven you can block and run; now show me you can fight." Angeal's words were slightly taunting as he slowly circled the redhead like a predator who knew his prey was wounded. Talin's mind was racing. His eyes were wide as he heard similar words echo back to him in a different voice. "Now prove to me you can fight..."

"You better up your game Cadet, one more hit and you lose." Eyes that had lost focus snapped back to Angeal, but his mind still swam with conflicting thoughts. He'd fallen into a defensive posture and now started moving opposite his opponent, keeping him in line of sight while he tried to think. He couldn't keep this up, there was too much time left...

Angeal saw as Talin tried to piece together a plan, watched his eyes flicker over every action he made as they circled, and saw the moment he settled on a course of action. Now or never T, show me what you've got. The SOLDIER was surprised, and slightly disappointed, when the teen came straight at him. The pale glow in his eyes said he'd pulled what little mako he had left for the attack, but it wasn't going to be enough.

Deciding to at least end the match quickly so Talin could go rest, Angeal moved in, aiming to land a glancing scratch to the Cadet's shoulder. Just as he closed the gap and went to make that final blow, a shock of electricity and firm mental shove startled him enough that the 1st faltered, instantly searching for the source of the mental attack. That momentary break in concentration was all Talin needed.

The Mako he'd pulled hadn't been used. It'd been sitting, primed and ready, making his eyes glow, but he hadn't been sure where he'd need it till just then. He hooked Angeal's outstretched arms with his own, careful of their knives, and funneled all that mako to twist and slam the Commander to his back.

Angeal blinked up at Talin who was now crouched over his chest, one knee pinning his knife-hand while the Cadet's own blades were crossed like scissors above the man's throat. A slightly pained smirk spread on the teen's face as the glow died from his eyes. "Got yoou." His words slurred as he looked down at his current teacher.

"Ya, you did." The SOLDIER chuckled and then reached out across their still touching auras. ~You know that trick won't work every time, right?~ The stillness across the link was the first warning, second was the knives slipping from Talin's hands as the teen slumped to one side. Before Angeal could reach out to catch him, the limp form was already being pulled away.

Sephiroth hadn't intended to move, didn't even realize he'd used his enhanced speed till he felt the weight of Talin landing in his arms. Now that he was there, he gave the Cadet a quick once over, looking for other possible injuries, as he knelt next to Angeal and waited for the exclamations of surprise to end.

He'd wanted to stop the fight when he saw how pale green Talin's eyes were, the only outward sign of him reaching what they'd termed 'burnout', but he'd held back. The game they were playing was one he'd watched often enough among 3rds and 2nds, but something about seeing his trainee take the cut to his leg had him bristling. Then, that last charge, when he'd seen the watered-down, pale glow in the teen's eyes, he knew Talin had pushed too far.

"What happened?!" Zack had come to a skidding halt next to them and was tense as he watched the General curl the teen more securely into his chest and stand with him.

"Seph?" Angeal had sat up, neck scratched from where the blades had fallen on him, and now looked up at the silver SOLDIER.

"Burnout." When the others looked at him in confusion, he explained. It wasn't something he'd expected to need to tell since Talin had been so good at avoiding it. Even in the most exhaustive training sessions, he knew how far to go, how much he could pull before hitting the line. So what happened?

"Depending on how far he went past his limit, he most likely won't wake till late tonight if not tomorrow morning." Sephiroth continued, hardly noticing the weight of Talin in his arms but very much aware of the warmth that radiated through his leather coat and gloves. "When he does, he'll need to eat to rebuild the lost Mako, but he should be fine by tomorrow evening."

When Angeal stood and put his arms out to take the unconscious Cadet, the General hesitated only a moment. For that single second, he'd had the urge to take the redhead and just walk out with him. Talin was supposed to be his trainee. His to instruct, to care for, to guide...

The thought struck deep, twisting a knot the great SOLDIER didn't realize had formed. Even more unsettling was that, as the teen's mentor, he'd had the chance to do all those things... and lost it. Knowing Talin wouldn't wake from rough handling didn't make Sephiroth any less gentle when transferring him to the other 1st.

"Is there anything else we should know before we continue training?" Angeal's words weren't an accusation as Zack's would have been just then, but an honest request for information. Seph shook his head, glanced once more at the young fighter, and excused himself from the training room. The impulse to take Talin back prodded at him from the moment he'd let go, but he refused to submit to the compulsion. It was just such a dark whisper that had caused this in the first place...

His apartment was lit only from the glow outside as he entered, but the man didn't bother turning on any lights as he found himself making a straight path to a small cabinet for a drink. Glass in hand, Sephiroth was about to sit when his enhanced sight caught a glint of red in the dim illumination from the city. Looking closer, he found one shining red strand of hair that had tucked itself into a strap of his coat. Having already removed his gloves, Seph carefully pulled the hair free before sitting down in a chair overlooking Midgar.

He held it up turning it this way and that to see how the soft lights changed the color from glittering ruby to a red so deep it was almost black. "I used ice against a firebird, and then I wondered why he hated me..." He said, near silently as he sipped his drink. Still playing with the hair between his fingers, his mind drifted to a poem Genesis had read him not long after Talin became a regular part of their daily lives. A line stood out to him and he winced as he recalled it.

Then, did the Phoenix know sorrow;

Bitter, painful, dimming the light of tomorrow.

Then, did the Phoenix know anger,

With wrathful thought to linger.

And with determination did the Phoenix fly

Into the realm where darkness lie.

Careful so as not to lose it, the General laid the strand down on the side table and took another burning sip of his drink as he looked out at the darkening landscape.