The Headmaster’s office was small, almost quaintly so. Large bookshelves lined the walls, with thick texts occupying each shelf. The man himself was currently seated in the ornate leather chair on the far side of the mahogany and oak desk from me. The chair I was in was less ornate, but still fairly comfortable. The Saw-Spear was leaned against my leg, as the back of the chair wouldn't have let me keep it in its normal location strapped to my back. The Headmaster was calmly sipping on tea as he studied me from behind half-moon glasses, his purple eyes watching me intently. I had received a mug of bitter, strong coffee as I entered - even though I hadn't asked for it. I drew in a deep breath, smelling the potent brew, as the other man watched me quietly. When he finally spoke, breaking the silence, it was almost sudden enough to surprise me.

“You are more.. Man, than automaton. The Ansari who left the academy seven years ago would never have tried to warn those children, tried to encourage them to reach out to new options. He would have ignored them as unimportant to his hunt.” Headmaster Tryvain’s words were calm and soft. I took a slow drink of my coffee, closing my eyes as I worked out how to respond to the unspoken question.

“Huntsman Ansari might very well have walked past them. Hunter Kiljarden, could not.” I heard him draw in his breath sharply. I opened my eyes, to see that he had nearly dropped his mug of tea as he stared at me in open shock.
“You - you remember? You're back?” I rolled one shoulder in a shrug.

“I - do remember. Bits and pieces come back to me, some things return sooner than others. I didn't remember you until I saw you, for example, but now I can recall that you like your tea with just a faint splash of salted honey because of a run in with a creature that damaged your body’s ability to process salts,leaving you craving them. Ri always made sure we had some mixed up just for when you would come by.” My voice had caught as I mentioned my dead wife, and I could see a flash of pain on Tryvain's face.

“My friend.. I am so happy to see you back with us.” Tryvain set his mug down and drew a deep breath. “I tried, hard, to find a way to break the block on your memories. But none of us could get close enough to you. And - I can't blame you for keeping your distance. Galain and I never did find out who it was that had actually called that damn magic hunter group on your family. But it had to be one of our group.” For a moment, the older drow sagged, and he looked every year his age. Then the moment passed, and he had steeled himself again his back drawing straight as he locked his purple eyes on my silver ones.

“Do you know who did it?” I clenched my fist, fingers cracking the ceramic handle in my hand, and I shook my head. The voice was naggingly familiar, like I should remember it but couldn't. It danced right outside of my memory.

“No. But the only people who knew about Ri and Ky'lin being magical were you and Galain.” My voice was cold and hard. I was staring at one of two potential traitors to my family. Tryvain met my glare steadily.

“Peace, my friend. You know both of us were at ease with Ri’s magical heritage. But - I fear Galain might have told someone else. He always did have a problem with loose lips when around friends and drink.” I turned my gaze down into my coffee cup, one foot tapping its toes against the bottom edge of his desk. He - wasn't wrong. Moon, we’d joked about it in the past, that if you ever wanted to plan a surprise, not to let Galain in on it, as the scientist would spill the first time he took a drink. At the very least, he was keen enough to only do that when he was around trusted friends. But that - that still meant there were only a few people who might have called the damn mage hunters on my love and my child. And I still couldn't remember who it was.

“Your house was kept up. We - did our best to preserve things, after.. You came to us without your real memories.” Tryvain’s voice was quiet as he spoke. I turned my eyes towards him. “You - should go home. Get some sleep. It might spark a memory or two.” I shook my head sharply. I - could not. Not yet. I couldn't go back to that house. Not - not today.

“N-no. I.. Should sleep in the dorm if you've room, or at an inn. I.. The shadows of my past are a bit too much for me right now, to face alone.” His eyes softened as Tryvain nodded in response to my words.

“Right. Well. We can indeed set you up in dorm wing for a night. But - you will. Have to abide by my request to give a lecture while you're here.” My old friend was trying to give me something else to focus on, and I appreciated it. I sat back and looked around the room, breathing in deeply.

“I - can do that. Thank you, Tryvain.”