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The Thieves Guild

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by Jake Kerr

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(instrumental music plays) . Episode 116:

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The Southern Gap.

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The valley was smaller than Mailer expected.

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It looked like a small gorge that was formed from
a river that exited the

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mountain. And indeed, there was a cave entrance in
the distance, and a

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flat road that emerged from it that could easily
have once been a riverbed.

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"There are the guards." Prosper pointed to two men
in red armor standing

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to the left of the cave entrance, and a woman in
similar armor in what looked like a

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ledge higher up to the right.

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"Only three guards?"

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"The ghosts of Dragon Pass are usually guard
enough.

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They are here to make sure no one enters out of
curiosity, not out of an assault to get through."

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Prosper nodded to Catrina, who unslung her bow.

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"Still, they are Red Guards, and will have strong
magic."

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Mailer looked around. She didn't know if three
guards was too few or

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too many, but she felt Prosper wasn't looking at
the defenses with enough

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attention. She had infiltrated too many places to
assume that

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what you see is all that is there. "Catrina can
handle them," Prosper

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added with pride in his voice. Mailer was about to
warn them to do more

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assessment of the defenses when Catrina let loose
an arrow.

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The woman guard let out a cry and fell in a heap.

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Darla seemed surprised at the rush to attack, and
quickly unsheathed one

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of her throwing knives. Mailer continued to check
for more defenses

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while the guards on the ground raised their hands
and looked around.

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The four of them were hidden behind boulders about
100 feet away.

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Catrina let loose another arrow, and it similarly
hit home.

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The guard clutched his chest and fell to the
ground, an arrow protruding.

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"She is deadly with a bow," Mailer thought,
appreciating her skill even

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as she felt uneasy about the slaughter unfolding.

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There was a cry, and then a clatter, and Mailer
looked to her right.

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Catrina was on the ground holding her left
shoulder, which was bleeding.

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"Another one on the left," she said as she
clutched her wound with her other hand.

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Prosper let out a cry of rage and stood.

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Mailer was transfixed. His face was twisted in
rage

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as he pulled his arm back, and then thrust it to
his left.

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Mailer followed the motion. It led to a Red Guard
who had been hiding behind other

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boulders not 20 feet from them. Prosper made a
fist and the man

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cried out in agonizing pain. Prosper lifted his
arm, and

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Mailer almost couldn't believe what she was
seeing.

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The guard was lifted into the sky with nothing
holding him or lifting him.

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Prosper threw his arm to the right, and the guard
flew across the gorge and

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slammed into the mountainside with a crunch.

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The other guard looked shocked, but just as he
lifted his own arm to presumably

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cast a spell, Prosper made another fist and lifted
his arm.

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The guard cried out as he, too, was lifted into
the air, and then thrown to the

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same rocky wall of the mountain. There was a thud,
and then he landed

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next to the other guard.

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Mailer knew she had just witnessed offensive
magic, and she was both

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horrified and impressed. What could possibly stand
against that in

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battle?

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Catrina cried out, and Mailer looked over to see
Darla treating her

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wound. Prosper practically tossed Darla to the
ground as he reached

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Catrina and took her in his arms. "My little bird,
are you

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okay?"

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Prosper was crying, and seemed utterly distraught
as he tore Catrina's tunic to

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tend her wound.

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"It is okay, my love. The arrow passed through.

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I do not even think I am badly hurt other than
this cut."

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Prosper ignored her and began his healing spell.

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Darla walked over, stood next to Mailer, and said
quietly.

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"Sorry, but I don't think I love you that much."

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Mailer smiled and replied.

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"I don't want you to love me that much."

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She reached out and took Darla's hand.

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Darla squeezed it in reply as Prosper continued.

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Catrina kept her eyes closed until Prosper snapped
his hand shut into a

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fist. "My little bird is healed." Catrina took
Prosper's fist in her

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hands and pulled it up to her lips. As she kissed
his hand,

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Prosper cried out in deep anguished pain.

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"No, I have lost our first years." He shook his
head and said.

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"No, no, no.

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I promised myself I would not let it take our
memories.

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I would rather die than lose that."

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"How much?"

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"My first memory of us is celebrating the new year
in our tower quarters.

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We were so happy."

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"By the gods, my love, you have lost our first
three years."

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Mailer was completely lost as to what the
conversation was about, but

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Prosper's response was clear enough.

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He broke down in deep sobs, falling into Catrina's
arms.

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Catrina stroked his back as she held him.

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After a few moments, Prosper stood up, his face
grim and dark.

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"We must go. We don't know the guard rotation
schedule." And as Mailer looked on

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trying to understand what was happening, Prosper
took Catrina's hand, pulled

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her up, and the two strode toward the cave
entrance.

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Mailer looked at Darla, who shook her head.

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Neither of them knew what was going on, but they
didn't have much choice.

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They followed Prosper and Catrina in the dark cave
entrance of the Dragon's

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Teeth.All four of them traveled in quiet,

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navigating what Mela was now convinced was a dried
river bottom that flowed through the

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mountain. She was grateful, as pulling the wagon
was quite easy and

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it was a clear path, requiring them to only use
one torch

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at a time. They had traveled for hours when Mela
broke the silence.

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"How much longer until we cross Dragon Trail?"

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"I don't know," Prosper replied, not looking back
but

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striding ever forward.

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"You don't know? Do you know if this even leads to
Dragon Trail?"

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Dala retorted. Prosper stopped suddenly and spun
around.

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"There would not be guards if this didn't lead to
Dragon Trail.

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I may not know how long the trip is or where this
meets it, but meets it it does.

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If the unknown scares you, take a torch and return
to Ness."

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He, of course, meant his ness. Mela put her hand
on Dala's

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shoulder. Prosper was disrespectful and rude, but
fighting over his

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personality seemed unwise. They just had to make
it through to the other

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side. Dala didn't respond to Mela's hand, but she
didn't say

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anything in response either.

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Hours later, Prosper stopped and looked around.

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"I'd been hoping we would find water or wood, but
it appears we will have to use our stores for this
night."

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He then proceeded to walk back and grab a single
log of the pile they had

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stored in the wagon. As he placed it to the side,
he added-

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"We shall rest here tonight."

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Before Mela could reply, he had used a spell to
light the log.

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"It is a long journey," Dala replied.

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"We should make more progress before resting."

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"You don't know the length of the journey.

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We will rest."

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Dala looked like she was going to object, but
finally looked over at Mela,

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shook her head, and went to unpack their bedrolls.

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Later, the log was a mere ember, but Mela couldn't
sleep.

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Neither could Katryna, apparently, as she sat next
to Mela, staring at the

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fire.

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With Prosper snoring, Mela used the moment to ask
about their odd

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conversations about memory and magic.

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"Back in the valley, Prosper said he lost an
important memory.

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What did he mean by that?"

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Katryna slowly turned and looked at Mela.

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She stared at her for an uncomfortably long time,
as if sizing up the risk

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in sharing the information against her desire to
share it.

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Many centuries ago, back in Old Ness, someone
somehow discovered the secret to

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magic. It is an exchange, or fuel, if you prefer.

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You provide the magic a memory, and the power is
given to you.

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The greater the power, the more important the
memory.

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"What do you mean, provide the magic a memory?"

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I know not the details, but when a magician casts
a spell, their

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teaching gives them some control over the source
of the magic.

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But the source itself is always a memory.

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When you cast a spell, you lose a memory forever.

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You may remember what happened before or after,
but the specific memory is erased.

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"So-"

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Yes. Prosper cast two powerful spells to defend
us.

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Each guard was lifted and thrown a great distance.

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The price Prosper paid in casting those spells was
the memory of our life together at the

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beginning.

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He can no longer remember how we met, our first
kiss, the first time we made love, our

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betrothal. None of it exists for him.

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By the gods.

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I can relay him what happened, but it isn't the
same. It is never the same.

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To hear someone explain a memory is a pale
imitation of the real thing.

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The emotions he felt, the small details he would
have remembered that I wouldn't know to

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share, and of course those times when he had an
important moment, but was alone.

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That sounds terrible.

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It is a curse. The wizards are evil. They kill
their most cherished things for power.

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It is a one-sided exchange that they refuse to
admit.

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But Prosper?

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I would never say these things to him.

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He is a noble man,

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a hard man, but a noble one. He sacrifices with
the knowledge that it costs him, but

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he accepts the cost. Not because it brings him
power, but because it helps others.

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Mela reached over and squeezed Katryna's shoulder,
who turned and

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gave Mela a sad smile.

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There is more.

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I believe, but have no proof, that the loss of
memories changes the person.

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Prosper was not always so hard on others, but as
he loses the foundation of who he is to magic,

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it changes him and makes him bitter. And, as I
said, harder.

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But he's a good man.

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Mela once again squeezed Katryna's shoulder.

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There was a pause as Katryna once again turned her
attention to the

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dying embers.

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Until the magic makes him a bad one.

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(dramatic music)