"How so?" I ask when it's clear he's waiting for me to continue—gently forcing me to participate in whatever this is.

"Paranoia. Fear. Distrust. It runs deep in both races. They both feared what your kind could become. See… there was once a powerful unbound who discovered the true potential of your affinity. When they saw what he was capable of, they lashed out. They hunted your kind down to the last. Elementals and humans worked together to exterminate the unbound. There was no mercy. No quarter. And as far as we know, they succeeded. But I’ve been searching for your kind for quite some time now. Fruitlessly, until today."

I lick my lips tasting fear and curiosity in equal measure. "Why would you still be looking for unbound if they were supposed to be gone?”

"Because the proven bloodlines were destroyed, yes. But the nature of affinity is a natural thing. An evolution, if you like. It was only a matter of time before it manifested again. A phoenix from the ashes." he gestures with both hands toward me, his smile warm. "And look how you rise, Nessa Thorn."

"I'm not sure I understand…"

"That's alright. I only wanted you to come today to introduce myself and establish a line of trust. I know what you are, and I have no intentions of speaking with anyone about it. There are, as you've clearly intuited on your own, many who would see you dead if they knew. I don't want you dead. I want you to flourish, Nessa. I have access to texts that Empire itself doesn't know still exist. Call it a perk of my position. Since I was a young boy, I've taken a special interest in unbound. You could even say my fascination with your kind led me to taking this position at Confluence. And now, I'm happy to offer you all the help you could want in understanding your powers.”

Iick my lips, trying not to let it show, even as I feel hunger. Longing. The answers he’s promising. I want them so badly it hurts. Not just for my own survival, but to become strong enough to protect myself and the people I care about. “What can you tell me?” I ask, tone carefully neutral. I’m still not sure if this is some kind of trap. Some elaborate scheme to get me to admit more than I should.

He smiles, pleased to hear me asking questions, I assume. “Your manifestation. I could help you unlock it. I’m guessing you don’t know what that means.”

Thanks to Bastian’s book, I actually do, but I shake my head all the same. I’m not going to offer up more information than necessary. I’m also not going to implicate Bastian if this is all a trick.