[ Curling up, he drops his head on to his arms. The image of his old friend in the cavern's hot spring yet remains fresh in his mind. Though he realises now the danger he had been in, he craves the illusion. That's why he rebuilt Amaurot's facade and populated it with ghosts. That's why he's so afraid to lose Hythlodaeus.

Illusions are all he has left.

His fingers dig painfully into his upper arms. His voice is thick and muffled. ]

Tolerate it I must, for I lost my battle against the Warrior of Light I know and that means the future is yours to shape, as I have said. But that won't make it any easier to bear. 'Tis a future I and my people have no place in. We who were caretakers of the star and who cherished and nourished it...

[ He falls silent, throat seizing up. He tells himself fiercely that he isn't going to cry. ]