• Memory • A Matter of Science

[Sor'ren]

119th of Vhalar, arc 714

It was a rather long journey from Viden to Rynmere on such a small boat, and yet it passed so quickly for Sor'ren, like he left his current home a break ago. He spent the entire time reading through several books. These dreams he was having, he needed to explore them further, not just physically by going to Strosdyn, there must be a cause for them, and he needed to find it.

They were staying in Rynmere for a trial or two, so Sor'ren, to put it simply, decided to walk outside. He carried no weapons nor armor, which was, according to Authoi, better than getting caught carrying the said weapons and armor. People don't like strangers in their city, especially not armed strangers. For some reason, the thoughts about those dreams of the jungle kept bugging him. He couldn't let it go, no way, he needed to find the answer.

"Hey, do ya know if there's any..how to say it.. really smart people anywhere around here?" Ren asked the first sailor he could come by. The man was ugly, with a messy beard and two missing teeth, but he'd serve the purpose. The point of this conversation wasn't looking at the man, but finding someone who could help Ren with his dreams.

"Sure thing pal, there's a hole University full o' smartypants'. Whatcha, not from around 'ere?" The man said. Sor'ren only nodded, not bothering to answer the man with pointed ears. He was biqaj, no wonder he was so messy and out of line. A lack of rules can do that to a man, Ren thought. Still, the man served his purpose, and he could now be gone from the half-Eidisi's life.

Where the biqaj sailor pointed, Sor'ren went, in hopes of seeing the University from far away. And so it happened. A huge building of four towers appeared a hundred or two meters away from the man. As he closed the distance through the crowded streets, Ren wondered whom he should ask about his issue. Having come to a conclusion of asking the first person he sees that appears smart enough, the man looked around at the beautiful University and the grounds around it. It was quite an amazing thing, it was strange he had never heard of it during his time spent in Viden.

He opened the front door, and with paying absolutely zero attention to the woman sitting by the front desk, he delved into his thoughts. Would have it been better to ask someone in Viden about the dreams? No, the Eidisi are purely rational creatures, and they would most likely not believe that there was something more about it all in the first place. He did a good thing right there, in his opinion.

Not trills had passed, well, not for Sor'ren at least, for the world, it may have been bits, and he managed to catch with his eyes a man walking towards the teacher's offices. He looked well-dressed, and rather classy, so undoubtedly a professor, and there was, for some reason, a vibe coming from him, a vibe that gave Sor'ren the opinion that this man could prove useful.

"Excuse me sir, if you're not in a rush, I'd like to discuss a topic that's been bothering me for some time." Sor'ren said, without much attention being payed to manners and etiquette. Those things wouldn't get a man what he wanted, those things would only slow him down. He was basically running after the professor, hoping the man would notice him and turn around.

[Doran]

It had been almost a century since the Mortalborn had last set a foot in the only kingdom in the world Idalos, during a time of great unrest. Malcolm Luther had just been crowned king. The citizens had not been happy that a man that was not from the Andaris line had ascended the throne. Buildings had been burned down, and people had been killed, but in the end the kingdom had recovered, as it always had since its foundation.

Another stranger sat on the throne now, a boy whose voice had not fully broken yet and who played with things that he was unlikely to fully comprehend. That a child held such power filled the Mortalborn with great unease. He did not need his father’s gift of prophecy to realize that history would soon repeat itself. Rynmere needed a strong king, now more than ever, and not somebody that had been in diapers but a dozen arcs before.

Part of him thought it best to leave again before the kingdom descended into chaos once more, but he could not bring himself to doing so. Andaris was where he had been born and where his roots lay, where his family had been buried. Sometimes he spent entire decades in other countries and other cities, among other races and cultures, but something always drew him back in the end, a deep seated need he did not fully understand.

When he had last been in Rynmere, he had acted as a private tutor to a child from the Gawyne line that was long dead now, but this time he had applied for a position at the University of Rynmere, masquerading as a scholar from Ne’haer so as to better continue the research he had begun in Viden decades before. To his delight, he had been accepted.

He had spent the past couple of trials familiarizing himself with his surroundings. A lot had changed since his last stay in the city. Almost all of the scholars he had interacted with back then had passed away. Only a handful of Eidisi remained, most of them already quite senile. Those that had replaced his old acquaintances seemed so young to him and were still ignorant in a lot of ways. And yet they considered themselves to be above the rest.

As Sor’ren entered the university, looking for somebody that would be able to help him, he was just on his way to his office, walking at a brisk pace. He needed to devise a new lesson plan. The one that his predecessor had left him was sorely lacking. He did not know how the man could possibly have thought it a good idea to let his students experiment with potent substances so early in their studies. Had he been trying to kill them?

He had almost reached his destination when he heard footsteps behind him. Somebody was running after him which irritated him to some extent. For a moment he considered ignoring them for his work was without a doubt more important than whatever it was that was bothering them, but then he decided to stop and turn around after all. It would be unwise to alienate his colleagues and students so early on. He locked eyes with the man for a moment, noticing the color of his skin and his hair, a clear sign of mixed blood before he pulled his gaze away.

“Are you one of my students?” he inquired, thinking it was likely considering the half-blood’s age. Unlike Sor’ren’s, his manners were without a doubt flawless. He held himself completely straight, and the tone of his voice was, while a hint cool, perfectly polite. “I have work to do, but I may be able to spare a few bits for you nevertheless. Walk with me to my office and tell me what is bothering you. And tell me your name. If I am to sacrifice a part of my time, I would like to know who I am talking to.”

[Sor'ren]

For a quick moment, Sor'ren lost his words. His brain was just that far ahead of his mouth, as he was considering what to answer the professor. The fact of him being a student could easily be checked, especially if this man was supposed to be one of the professors. Ren knew he didn't look like a kid anymore, so he presumed the man was new to the University. The half-blood surely couldn't just tell the truth, because if he told him the truth, he doubted he'd ever leave Rynmere. People usually weren't prone to liking assassins in training.

"Actually, I am not. I am not even from around here, to be honest." He said, with curiosity flowing through him, though it was practically invisible to outsiders, considering his eyes never gave any of his emotions away. This man seemed interesting. New to the University, and yet he seemed to be pretty comfortable in it. Shouldn't a new professor be a little bit more confused. Perhaps the man wasn't so new as Ren thought. "My name is Sor'ren, and I'm from Viden." The half-blood said, walking alongside the man towards the offices.

It took him several moments to truly figure out how to phrase his concerns, as most of them would simply lead back to the truth, in which he was training to become a cold-blooded murderer. Sor'ren was fine with the truth, he did not feel regret for his decision to train for the Skarr Kol, he just felt that the world was better of not knowing. "I've had these dreams, and they seem completely normal, besides the fact that they're always the same every night, and that I can remember them perfectly when I wake up." He said, not paying too much attention to the man besides him. He was unimportant, his knowledge was what Sor'ren needed.

Trying to expect an answer that may or may not come, the half-blood prepared himself for some odd questions, as it surely would be strange to anyone who had knowledge of Viden how the man came all the way to Andaris to ask the question. Most would believe how the Academy at Viden would be a better place to start, especially because it has focused on magic before. Prepared to brace for impact, Ren closed his eyes briefly, not really understanding how rude that might seem to someone who holds themself in such a high regard like this professor. No, nothing. The dreams only appeared in dreams, not in darkness.

Taking the time he had before the man said anything about Sor'ren's question, the blue man drew himself to look around. The hallway was nicely decorated, with several plants on each end, placed so close to randomness, it took the observing eyes several tries to figure out the pattern. There were around five meters between each plant diagonally, and depending on the width of the hallway and on the obstacles, the plants weren't really placed in a perfect line. Whomever decorated the hallways had one hell of a mind, and not in a good way, Sor'ren thought.

[Doran]

As Sor’ren informed him that he was not from Andaris, the Mortalborn nodded curtly. He could not help but wonder what the man was doing in the university when he was neither a student nor employed there, but he decided not to pry. Such behavior would be unbecoming of a man that had lived for centuries in his opinion, besides it was highly likely that the half-blood would reveal the reason for his visit soon enough. Mortals had a tendency to talk, sometimes too much, especially when it would be wiser to be quiet.

“My name is Doran, Doran Thetys”, he replied as Sor’ren introduced himself and then continued, “I am familiar with Viden and its inhabitants. I lived there, for a time.” That was all that he said on that matter as his past was none of the man’s business, for now. Sor’ren seemed to be struggling with how to phrase his questions, he observed as the man fell silent for a few moments. The Mortalborn decided not to urge him, but waited. He had time after all.

As the half-blood finally explained why he was there, he could not hide his surprise entirely. “Dreams?” he asked and raised an eyebrow for it seemed strange to him that Sor’ren would approach a man like him about such a matter, but as he continued to speak, the tone of his voice was cool once more. It was a manner of speaking he had acquired when he had lived among Eidisi that were often apathetic and somewhat emotionless.

“If they are the same every night, they are unlikely to just be dreams”, he spoke confidently as if he dealt with such issues every trial. “Dreams are chaotic by nature, and confusing. They rarely repeat themselves. It is likely that you are receiving a message, that you have visions, that your subconscious is trying to tell you something.” He looked at the man for a moment, trying to gauge his reaction, but of course his face revealed little.

“Tell me about your dreams and why you left Viden to come here, of all the places in Idalos”, he asked as they walked down the hallway with its plants that had been arranged in such a strange and confusing pattern. Whoever had been responsible for decorating the university seemed to have disliked scientists, people that valued logic and order, the Mortalborn thought. Another man might have commented on it, made small talk, tried to loosen the mood, but Doran simply observed that Sor’ren seemed to be just as bothered by them as he was. It made the man more likeable.

“I am somewhat familiar with such matters”, he said as he opened the door to his office and gestured for Sor’ren to enter before he closed it behind them. The half-blood would notice that the professor’s office was extremely clean and orderly - and elegant, in its simplicity. Everything was in its assigned place. The room was dominated by a desk made of dark wood, and shelves that were filled with books that dealt with various branches of science as well as history lined the walls. There were no flowers, sculptures or other silly decorations.

“I am an alchemist and a chemist first and foremost, but I have a certain interest in such phenomena. My sire is something of a seer, although I doubt that you have heard of him”, he continued, a small lie. It would be unwise to reveal the truth of his origins to a stranger, besides Sor’ren would be unlikely to believe him if he told him.

He sat down behind his desk and gestured for Sor’ren to take a seat opposite of him and start speaking.

[Sor'ren]

It was strange to the half-breed. This man was a professor at an University, and he came from Viden, and yet his name didn't sound familiar at all. Sor'ren had heard a lot of names of professors on the Academy during his days in the frozen city, and neither Doran nor Thetys had ever entered his ears.

As expected, the man was surprised with the question, but who could blame him. It was probably his first time ever dealing with mystical dreams and such things. Not many University professors, especially not of his age, dealt with those things. Most that Sor'ren knew would simply back away, saying a dream is a dream, and brand the half-blood as "borderline insane". The blue man knew the voice of reason and rationality, and yet he knew the voice of freedom and magic too. The latter would rarely come out into the reality, and yet it rested deep within the man's heart.

Sor'ren nodded at the man's response. Somehow, he seemed to know what he was talking about. Which kind of subject studied in Rynmere deals with dreams, the half-breed had no clue. Could this man be a mage? Or just some wacko that was fantasizing about magic? Surely the University wouldn't have accepted a wacko as a professor. But still, wacko or not, Doran appeared to be familiar with the topic, and that made him useful.

"These dreams. They are of an island south from here, and I was on my way there, this city is just a quick stop. " He said, while walking through the open door. The office was much different than the rest of the University. The building seemed to be decorated tirelessly by hired artists, while Doran's office was just there. Simple, and yet neat, from what he could gather, this professor reminded the half-breed a lot of himself.

There weren't many alchemists rolling through Sor'ren's life, nor did he hear of many of them in Viden. They were a rare phenomena, an anomaly. Alchemy wasn't exactly accepted by most unintelligent dirt-loving peasants, so the need for alchemists was way lower than for chemists. The blue half-breed would bet both his eyes that the professor learned chemistry because there was no alchemist job available anywhere, and chemistry was just across the street from the man's interests.

Taking a seat opposite of Doran, Sor'ren took his time adjusting it so it would be befitting to his liking. He got comfortable, and shortly after gazed through the man's eyes, attempting to breach the carefully-set wall to his soul. The seers were extremely rare in Idalos, and from what Ren knew, they wouldn't likely have an emotional relationship, much less likely a child. There was something bothering about the professor. Something resembling true intelligence, and yet a cold heart. He didn't shine, like most people the half-breed had seen in Andaris, he wasn't smiling, nor did he have a peculiar accent. He wasn't exactly, Rynmere-born-and-raised, if it was up to Ren to deduce.

"Dreams, yes. He said, pretending to have forgotten the reason of him being in Doran's office, sitting at Doran's desk. It was very bad acting, and Ren knew it, he practically did it with the purpose of entertaining himself, and trying to dig deeper into the professor's personality. His reaction would surely help the assassin in training with determining who and what he was. "I see myself. In a dark forest. I just know it is in an island down south, but north of Desnind. I feel like I am waiting on something, or I'm being waited upon. The trees are also very high, higher than I've ever seen, so I presumed I was looking from somewhere close to the ground."

[Doran]

The half-blood’s behaviour was fairly unusual in the Mortalborn’s opinion. He spoke readily about his dreams while many others would have been worried about being labelled insane, but at the same time he did not reveal what had brought him to Andaris. It was as if he were hiding something, trying to keep some aspects of his past under wraps. It was a kind of behaviour that was familiar to the Mortalborn. He was not exactly forthcoming with information at the best of times and guarded his private life closely.

Besides that, the question as to why Sor’ren had approached him and whether he knew more than he let on still remained. Had he somehow found out who he was, that he had abilities that no normal man should have? For a moment he allowed himself to be paranoid, although his face revealed little of his thoughts and feelings, but then he decided that there was no reason to be concerned just yet. In nearly four hundred arcs he had only been found out twice. Besides, he wanted to solve the mystery. The half-blood’s problem fascinated him. It had been a while since he had truly been challenged.

“An island south of here? Do you know its name?“ he inquired before he waved his hand dismissively. “No matter, I think I know which island you are speaking of.“ Having said that, he rose from his chair abruptly and approached the shelf that stood to the right of his desk. He removed a thick leather bound book from it, returned to his chair and opened it in front of Sor’ren. The half-blood could see a map of Idalos.

“You are travelling to either Strosdyn or Ivorian, am I correct?“ he asked and pointed first at an island that was located directly to the south of Rynmere and then at another one slightly to the south-west. The first was labelled 'Strosdyn' and the second, larger island 'Ivorian'.

“Somebody is waiting for you there, I think“, he guessed and raised his head to meet the half-blood’s eyes. While Sor’ren’s eyes were pale blue, the Mortalborn’s were of the darkest blue imaginable, but they were just as empty as a full-blooded Eidisi’s. Eyes were often called the windows to the soul, but if they were, then his were closed and barricaded so that it was almost impossible to take a look at what was inside. There was only darkness.

There were other things about him that Sor’ren would without a doubt notice as well. He sat completely straight. His hands barely moved, he didn’t gesticulate, and he didn’t fidget. He didn't appear to be nervous at all, but was completely confident and at ease, at peace with what he was and where he was which was strange for a man that hardly appeared to have seen three decades.

“Perhaps the two of you are waiting for each other.“ It sounded much like the stories he had heard of those that had been marked by an Immortal, but he had the feeling that the half-blood had not been chosen by his father’s kind. Perhaps it was unfair of him to think that, but Sor’ren did not strike him as somebody who had made great scientific or political accomplishments so far, although he did seem to possess some intelligence and might possibly make a name for himself in the arcs to come.

“Tell me, Sor’ren, are you half human or something else?“ he carefully asked as something occurred to him, an idea that might very well not lead anywhere. In the nearly four hundred arcs that he had walked the face of Idalos, he had met all kinds of races. Some had the ability to take somebody’s sight, others could transfer energy, and yet others could fly, like birds. Could it be that some of them were dreamers, that they could see things without having his father’s blessing?

“What kind of man are you, and how much do you know about your ancestors? In order to help you make sense of your future, I need to know about your past, even though there are some things you may be reluctant to share with a stranger.“

[Sor'ren]

Strosdyn.. That name rang through the half-breed's mind, echoing and bouncing of his skull and back again, only to be engraved there forever. He was heading to Strosdyn, and there was no doubt about it, so he decided to put his thoughts into words, seeing how this man on the other side of the table might just get something helpful from that piece of information. "It is Strosdyn, I'm sure of it."

Sor'ren could see great wisdom in the man in front of him, for some reason. He was a professor at a University, but that wasn't the wisdom the half-blood was thinking about. A professor would've been smart, most definitely, intelligent, very likely, and yet, for a man so young, Doran seemed almost too wise and experienced. The first question that came to his mind was regarding magic. What if the man was using some sort of magic to stop aging, and then pretend to be as young as he looked like for the rest of eternity. Unlike most, Sor'ren wouldn't judge that, as he himself wanted to be immortal and forever-lasting. If it was the man's trick, the half-blood needed to know how he did it, so he could replicate it.

"With everything I've known in my life, I've come to the conclusion I'm half Sev'ryn. I was born and raised in Desnind, the city of trees, before I was sent away. My life had been.. complicated, you could say that. Besides that, I cannot tell you anything about my ancestors, since I haven't exactly had anyone to learn from." The topic of his non-existent parents wasn't an emotional knife like it would've been for most people, Sor'ren actually liked talking about it, much to everyone's surprise. He wanted to learn what he could about them, from anyone that could have known them, and yet he had no luck so far.

"I know your name, and you know mine, I wouldn't consider us strangers, as we haven't had the time in our lives to develop things one could learn about another." He said, talking about the presumed age of the man in front of him. Ren had hopes that the man's wisdom didn't transfer into cleverness, but for a man that might have lived since the beginning of time, Doran's true capabilities were beyond unknown to the blue man.

If he slipped somehow, and let Sor'ren in on some of the information about his life, the blue man wouldn't have done anything spectacular about it. He wouldn't have even acted like he knew what he had learned, only kept going with his observation. Sor'ren didn't care about embarrassing the man, nor about blackmailing him, nor about any of that stuff people could give their entire lives to usually. He was just curious, and he let the curiosity drive him forwards, like always.

[Doran]

“I doubt it“, the Mortalborn said in a somewhat dry tone as Sor’ren spoke about how his life had been complicated. For the first time since they had met the corners of his mouth twitched a little as if he were amused, although the look in his eyes did not change at all. Mortals, he thought, were strange, despairing over things that mattered little in the long run, calling issues that would easily be taken care of complicated, thinking themselves special even though there were thousands of others just like them.

For a moment he could not help but wonder how Sor’ren would fare if he were living his life, if he were the son of Ziell, if he had his powers and faked his death every other decade, but pondering such matters was a moot point, wasn’t it?

“Your life only seems complicated because you don’t have anybody but those ordinary people around you to compare yourself to, the farmers and the shopkeepers that do exactly the same things every single trial and have no idea what the world is really like“, he spoke somewhat condescendingly. He sounded as if he were criticizing the half-blood, as if he were lecturing him to some extent, but another part of him found the conversation to be of interest, more so than trying to correct the woefully inadequate lesson plan that his predecessor had left to him at least.

“In reality it is not complicated at all, and your problems can be easily solved. I have never heard of Eidisi having such strange dreams, and thus it only seems logical to research Sev’ryn. I am sure that there are books on them in the university library, although it is not as comprehensive as the Atheneum in Viden, books that will reveal whether your ancestors have any unique traits. Tell me though, why did your people send you away? Was it because of your mixed blood?“

Most people would have been hesitant to ask about such a potentially emotional topic, but the Mortalborn cared little about people’s sensibilities sometimes. He was a scientist first and foremost and not a doctor or a psychologist that comforted people and took care of them. He wanted to get to the bottom of things, to understand, and not play the part of the Good Samaritan.

“Perhaps“, he remarked curtly as Sor’ren said that he would not call them strangers, and then, after a moment of silence, he added, “What would you call us then though, if not strangers? I still know very little about you, besides your first name and that you are suffering from unusual dreams that made you seek me out. What do you think we could possibly learn from each other?“

If Sor’ren was waiting for the Mortalborn to slip up, to accidentally confirm his suspicion that he was older than he appeared to be, he would be disappointed for Doran did no such thing. He just continued to sit there, completely straight, and regarded him with some manner of curiosity.

[Sor'ren]

From Doran's point of view, the blue half-blood was just another mortal standing in the never-ending line of those who thought they were special, and Sor'ren would be able to understand that, if the professor gave him an opportunity instead of keeping secrets constantly. There was no doubt in the blue man's mind, the professor had his secrets, much like the half-blood, and yet the man didn't seem to intrigued by what could have been going on with Sor'ren's life, not nearly as much as Sor'ren was about the professor's.

With the half-blood's eyes blinking every time the man made an unusual movement, he could clearly notice the small displacement of his lips for just that little part of a trill. And so the proof came. The professor wasn't a lifeless doll made by magic, he did have emotions and thought processes. That was good to know, because beings with emotions were beings with weaknesses, and Sor'ren would eventually find that weakness.

"I suppose you are correct. But then again, the case is same with you, isn't it? You are either the teacher that does the same thing every trial, and has no idea what the world is really like, or you are right now comparing yourself to them. So, what's the case?" The man's views weren't so hard to predict, not in Sor'ren's opinion at least. He would surely refuse to accept that he is just like one of the two classes listed, but he was in fact the latter. It was all the half-blood could get from the man, just the fact that he was special in some way, and wiser than he should be. Not like the professor gave him any clues to solve the mystery wrapped in an enigma that was his life. He only did the same thing all of the time, as if he had been practicing it for centuries.

And then, the words came to the blue man's ears. Why did they ever send him away? The memories of the Sev'ryn were so distant he could barely remember the city, much less the faces and conversations within it. It was possible that his race was the reason he was sent away, and yet something just didn't add up within the endless fields of his brain. "I'd like to presume so, but I cannot be sure, as I was only 11 when I left Desnind." As most people would've froze in that moment, mostly from the emotions that would've overwhelmed them by talking about their place of birth, Sor'ren took his time to look once more into the eyes of the professor. The two of them weren't the most people. They weren't ordinary, emotional mortals that cried from pain and smiled at luck. Luck was made out of chances and possibilities, and since Ren could understand those chances and possibilities, luck meant nothing to him. He gazed once more into the dark blue abyss of the man's eyes. They were still the same, showing absolutely no care for the half-blood's miserable past.

"For I am sure you know a lot more than just my name about me, I'd say we were acquaintances." He said, deducing how the man in front of him had the same, even better observation skills than the half-blood. Sor'ren wasn't exactly mysterious with his choice of words, at least not nearly as much as he usually would've been, and so he presumed that the professor managed to deduce at least the simplest of things about him. " In my opinion, we can never stop learning. So, what brought you to Rynmere, Doran Thetys?" As he was clearly new to the University, Sor'ren took the liberty of guessing he was knew to the entire country too, and the reasons behind a man's current whereabouts could usually tell so much about the man himself.

[Doran]

“I am not one of the former“, the Mortalborn replied. He found it interesting that the half-blood had decided to ask him what the case was with him rather than being offended by his statement, as most people would without a doubt have been when confronted with the fact that their problems were comparatively minor in the long run. It made him wonder about the man again. He seemed, in a way, to be a kindred spirit, despite all the things about him that didn’t make sense.

“I am of the opinion that doing the same things every single trial, going about life exactly the same way and never broadening one’s horizon is detrimental to one’s personal development, but comparing yourself to those around you is inevitable. We don’t exist in isolation, but become who we are through interaction with others and striving to be like them or different from them.“

Having said that, he paused for a moment and simply regarded Sor’ren thoughtfully. He found his manner of speaking and looking at the world to be of some interest. Was he a scientist, like him, somebody who sought to find out how things really worked?

“Racism and focusing on what are mostly external factors rather than judging somebody by their views and their actions does not make sense to me“, he remarked as Sor’ren spoke about why he had been sent away. “It seems especially cruel and unnecessary to exile a boy that has not had a chance to prove himself.“

Whereas most people would have been outraged and obviously emotional upon hearing such a story, the Mortalborn spoke in a matter-of-fact tone and barely batted an eyelid, although the things that Sor’ren had said had not left him entirely untouched.

“Acquaintances then“, he agreed and offered Sor’ren the barest hint of a smile before he turned to answer his question. He had prepared a story for such occasions a long time ago, a story that was at least in part based on the truth as such stories tended to be the most credible ones.

“I decided that a change of scenery was in order. I had been managing an apothecary in Ne’haer for a few arcs as well as furthering my studies of chemistry and alchemy, but eventually found the academic conditions in my former home to be lacking. Upon finding out that the university had a job opening, I thus relocated to Andaris. Andaris is not Viden of course, but the people here tend to be much more approachable whereas Eidisi are sometimes reluctant to interact with somebody that is not of their race.“

“And what about you, Sor’ren?“ he asked, deciding that now would be a good time to broach the matter that he had been wondering about since the man had stepped into his office. “From what you said, I have the impression that you are not only a half-blood with a somewhat unusual problem, but also a man of learning. Which subjects do you study though?“