With a gesture of his hand and a shimmer of his glow, Val willed the portal closed; the magic of the summoning circle swirled into blue mist and returned to Val's hands. Adrien chose to sit on the bed; he hoped Val would join him at his side - and he did. Adrien closed his eyes, searching within for the right words to say. He knew that whatever he would find wouldn't be enough to hold all his wishes on its back, but it would have to try.

"All this time", he whispered, "all this time I thought it had been me. Just me and me and me. Everything within me. Feelings to fight, to destroy -- all me. If I had looked outside of myself, if I had just seen you...".