Even before starting the next chapter and getting Dick's interpretation, I had assumed is was Magnus. I never had the impression Magnus was there for Dick, or even aware of Dick. My impression was that the figure was "shadowy" to Dick, and only visible to Dick, because of the overlap in times (the "real" past, Magnus's trip and then Dick's trip). It was an odd arrangement that I felt was there only to satisfy those readers that wanted explicit explanation for Magnus's fate. (This was my moment of seeing authorial overkill.
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