The chapter opens with a soliloquy in which Volger compares himself to a "stunned rat" . Volger tells us that he's already suffered a blow to his Achilles tendon in the battle with Kilik, and that his "career as a warrior" is "long over." Volger says that if he were a phoenix, he'd "rise from his own ashes" , but that's not going to happen. He also says that the flame from his fire is going to go to the "takeuchi brothers," and that this is a good opportunity for Volger to get in touch with his family if he overhears them talking. He says that since they've been doing this together, the whole "eternal fire" thing has been a thing of the past, and he doesn't want to be a part of it anymore. He adds that the "fire" that falls to earth is still a fire, even though it's fallen to the ground. This is why Volger hates "teaming no way," he says, because he can't defeat "the flames of time."