"I wonder if they're - someplace like here.  Not here.  You would have noticed.  Maybe somewhere better than this, maybe somewhere worse.  Maybe they're in worlds that allow magic and mindcalling.  Maybe we could find each other, all the people like me, the Lost Dead of dath ilan.  I'd - I don't know how we'd find each other, under rules like the ones you have - but I know the names of some Lost Dead who died after history's curtain closed, and mostly ones older than me.  Maybe they know somebody older than themselves, and older, and we can breach the curtain and find everyone who came before, friends who knew friends who knew friends, touching hands across some gap of which we know nothing.  It would be a larger and far more dangerous project than building a portal to dath ilan if that were possible, and dath ilan itself is not nearly old enough or powerful to attempt such a thing, let alone Earth... but someday.  The stars are much older than us, and they will go on burning for a while."

"I wonder if they're - someplace like here.  Not here.  You would have noticed.  Maybe somewhere better than this, maybe somewhere worse.  Maybe they're in worlds that allow magic and mindcalling.  Maybe we could find each other, all the people like me, the Lost Dead of dath ilan.  I don't know how we'd find each other, under rules like the ones you have - but I know the names of some Lost Dead who died after history's curtain closed, and mostly ones older than me.  Maybe they know somebody older than themselves, and older, and we can breach the curtain and find everyone who came before, friends who knew friends who knew friends, touching hands across some gap of which we know nothing.  It would be a larger and far more dangerous project than building a portal to dath ilan if that were possible, and dath ilan itself is not nearly old enough or powerful to attempt such a thing, let alone Earth... but someday.  The stars are much older than us, and they will go on burning for a while."

"I wonder if they're - someplace like here.  Not here.  You would have noticed.  Maybe somewhere better than this, maybe somewhere worse.  Maybe they're in worlds that allow magic and mindcalling.  Maybe we could find each other, all the people like me, the Lost Dead of dath ilan.  I don't know how we'd find each other, under rules like the ones you have - but I know the names of some Lost Dead who died after history's curtain closed, and mostly ones older than me.  Maybe they know somebody older than themselves, and older, and we can breach the curtain and find everyone who came before, friends who knew friends who knew friends, touching hands across some gap of which we know nothing.  It would be a larger and far more dangerous project than building a portal to dath ilan if that were possible, and dath ilan is not nearly old enough or powerful to attempt such a thing, let alone Earth... but someday.  The stars are much older than us, and they will go on burning for a while."

"I wonder if they're - someplace like here.  Not here.  You would have noticed.  Maybe somewhere better than this, maybe somewhere worse.  Maybe they're in worlds that allow magic and mindcalling.  Maybe we could find each other, all the people like me, the Lost Dead of dath ilan.  I don't know how we'd find each other, under rules like the ones you have - but I know the names of some Lost Dead who died after history's curtain closed, and mostly ones older than me.  Maybe they know somebody older than themselves, and older, and we can breach the curtain and find everyone who came before, friends who knew friends who knew friends, touching hands across some gap of which we know nothing.  It would be a larger and far more dangerous project than building a portal to dath ilan if that were possible, and dath ilan seems not nearly wise enough or powerful to attempt such a thing, let alone Earth... but someday.  The stars are much older than us, and they will go on burning for a while."

"I wonder if they're - someplace like here.  Not here.  You would have noticed.  Maybe somewhere better than this, maybe somewhere worse.  Maybe they're in worlds that allow magic and mindcalling.  Maybe we could find each other, all the people like me, the Lost Dead of dath ilan.  I don't know how we'd find each other, under rules like the ones you have - but I know the names of some Lost Dead who died after history's curtain closed, and mostly ones older than me.  Maybe they know somebody older than themselves, and older, and we can breach the curtain and find everyone who came before, friends who knew friends who knew friends, touching hands across some gap of which we know nothing.  It would be a larger and far more dangerous project than building a portal to dath ilan if that were possible, and dath ilan seems not nearly adult enough to attempt such a thing, let alone Earth... but someday.  The stars are much older than us, and they will go on burning for a while."