Rehtul watched with mild interest and not a little bit of amusement as the girl rushed toward the sunlight. His merriment was short lived, however, as she collapsed to the ground and began to cry. He held out a hand but curled it into a fist and looked at his hand in disbelief. What words did he have to comfort someone who had spent what probably felt like ages trapped in something like that? It was... inhuman... almost demonic.

In his mind's eye, he saw a sad smile as a woman slightly older than himself walked out of an inn's door, out of his life and into infamy before flashing to the bright white smile of a well dressed older man, a smile hiding enmity and dark ambitions. He had used her, then discarded her, thrown her aside and ripped her away from the only family she had, all for his sick twisted games. The shadows of the setting sun threatened to reach out and strangle the young girl now lying before him. Would he be unable to help her, either? Would she be lost, travelling the darkness alone because of the man who had used her?

His vision tunneled as his pupils became little more than dark specks in a sea of glowing blue. The air around him began to move, shifting to and fro with abandon. A thin layer of magical light floated across the surface of Rehtul's skin and clothing, cloaking him in a deathly cold chill.

Another monster, just like Ciato! If he weren't dead already, I'd kill him MYSELF!

Fingernails dug into fleshy palms as the cold light began to pick up in intensity, rising from the mage's body like bright azure fire. The hood of his jacket flapped in the updraft and his glasses fogged over. His breathing quickened, coming in rasping breaths and his back hunched over. Tendrils of ice crept along the floor and ceiling around him as his power manifested.

Don't worry about me, little brother, I'll be fine.

The words, only barely remembered, echoed through his head and snapped him back to reality. With great effort, the ice mage straightened his back and held a single hand out through the open door to the storage room. The ice from around the room gathered in front of his hand as a giant frozen shard, easily as long as he was tall and almost as thick. He breathed in and out slowly, trying to get a grip on his composure. With a thought, the shard of ice flew through the door and stuck into the very back wall of the building, buried at least half a meter into the wall.

"My... apologies, young one. I fear I let your situation remind me of another, one that happened to someone quite... dear to me," Rehtul said as he came down on his knees. "However, unlike her situation, I think I can help with yours. You're going to need somewhere to call home, are you not? You can stay here as long as you like. I'll help you hone your skills and get used to being... well, what you have become in the meantime."

Rehtul's eyes betrayed no hint of the malice he bore the girl's supposed grandfather as he held out a hand to her.

"If you want, that is."