Rehtul listened in silence as she explained what had happened to her. She was vague, careful not to share too many details, or perhaps not able to recall many details. It didn't really matter, though. Apparently what was done was done, and there was no reversing that. He couldn't help but frown a bit, the lines forming on his face causing him to look far older than his years for a terrible moment.

"A curse of your genes, huh?" he asked as he looked down as his hand. He clenched it into a fist as he gritted his teeth. "I think I might understand ever so slightly what you're going through, though your curse is far more physical than my own." With those words he produced a small dagger from within a sheathe on the sash around his waist. He brought it to the center of his palm and sliced. There, in broad light, seeping from the middle of his hand, was blood as deep and blue as deepest stretches of ocean between Corone and the main continent.

"Blue blood... the mark of a Mystic," he turned toward the window and looked out over the city of Radasanth with, eyes darkened with emotion. "As if being a part of that bloodline is some kind of blessing. Don't make me laugh. The Mystics are a bunch of inbred, feckless fools without the slightest idea of what it means simply not to be who they are." He turned toward Felicity and shook his head.

"Not that I can bring myself to rise above them," he stated. His hand had already stopped bleeding by this point. "My race is home to a number of unique gifts. My father and each of my uncles specializes in a different aspect of knowledge. Together the family's combined ability rivals that of the best and brightest of the entire world... and what do they do? They shut themselves in the family estate, venturing out only when there's sufficient need to propel them forward."

"Only Sei was willing to move beyond that at first, but even he... he..." Rehtul balled his hand in a fist and swung it at the nearest wall. A loud twang echoed through the room as a deep blue shard of ice embedded itself in the wall. "He betrayed me... betrayed us," he quickly corrected himself, not wanting to seem overly selfish in front of the young woman.

"My blood runs blue, but... my family has been more of a burden as of late than they've been any kind of blessing. They're motivated purely by self interest. I didn't see it for years, but that's what it boils down to. I finally understood that after what happened leading up to the dissolution of the Ixian Knights... to a number of them being slaughtered for even being Knights. My uncle, the 'Hero of Radasanth'? It's a bad joke. He agitated for war with Corone's duly appointed officials and brought the full force of the government down on our heads. It was by sheer coincidence that the entirety of the Knights hadn't been killed, myself and Sei included."

Shaking his head, Rehtul looked at the young woman with a half smile.

"Be that as it may, I am still an individual and capable of making my own choices. The same can be said for you. No matter how limited those choices may appear at first, I'm sure..." he looked out the window. "I'm sure there's some path out there that leads to a happier place, somewhere we can't see right now." He sighed and rubbed his eyes with the back of his sleeve once more.

"I am sorry, perhaps that was a little much. What I mean to say is, even if you're burdened by this curse, the path you choose is your own. I suggest travelling it alongside those who you can trust to rein you in when you need it."