On that note...
Arin sighed. 'Fine, we'll leave worrying about what that healer wants for when he actually asks for it. I just have a few more questions, and then I'll be out of your hair for today.'
'...Will you?' the man tucked a long, white strand behind an ear, appearing somewhat distracted by the strange phrase.
'Yeah, sure. Firstly, do you think the officials will be any more trouble?'
'Not unless they have reason to suspect you were lying. They'd much prefer to not needlessly bring such matters up again.'
'Great. I don't think a woman of madam Seren's conviction will go back on her word, no matter the consequences. She'd already shown that with how she helped sir Grif keep things covered...' Arin paused. 'So... that should probably be fine, then?'
'Next, do you think... uh... the old maid and the headman...'
'If things are still done as before, those people shall never be heard from again,' the tower master said.
...
'Got it,' Arin nodded.
He'd thought as much.
'Then, can you tell me more about that illusion tool you gave me? The most I've used it was while I was still dreaming, so I'm still a bit fuzzy on the extent of its magic in the real world.'
The white-haired man smiled gently. 'Would it not be far more interesting if you were to find out -'
'No, it wouldn't! It would, however, be terribly exciting - positively thrilling, in fact - if you were to just tell me straight-up, right now,' Arin said flatly.
The tower master didn't lose his smile. 'Then, if you are certain... How much do you remember about illusory magic?'
Arin sat up a little straighter. 'It covers the manipulation of light in its simplest form, but can extend to manipulating even the tangible aspects of perception if the, uh... soul?... has a particularly powerful talent? Like yours?' he rattled off.
'Good,' the man nodded. 'Everything that you currently see and feel is because of my talent.'
And just like that, Arin was once again suddenly very aware of the fact that everything in this room, from the warm glow of dusk glimmering through the windows, to the soft, plush couch bedding underneath him, to even the perfect visage of the pleasantly smiling man before him, was a result of all his senses being manipulated in tandem by a powerful magic.
By now, he already knew for certain that this man wouldn't hurt him. There was no reason for him to feel any fear.
This was nothing like the very real possibility of death he'd faced while hiding from zombie-villagers in Lullwater, or fighting against sir Grif within the distortion.
He knew that, and yet, a small tremor ran down his spine.
It was a primal sort of fear. Much like what one might feel on an airplane going through a particularly rough patch of turbulence, or upon learning that a large tornado was headed their way.
It was in those kinds of moments that one could fully appreciate just how small, weak, and completely and utterly powerless one truly was, in the face of absolute might.
The charming, kind man before him - whom he'd rolled his eyes at, and already started speaking with casually and treating as a confidant - could crush him like a bug if he so wanted.
...
When Arin finally snapped out of his thoughts, he noticed the white-haired man still smiling at him, his beautiful red irises locked knowingly onto his face.
'What were you thinking about?'
'...About how I could be sitting at the edge of a precipice, or underneath a dangling sword, or something, and I wouldn't even know when I'd end up dead.'
The tower master blinked. 'Where would I find a precipice inside the tower? Or bother with constructing such a thing as a dangling sword...'
'No, yeah, I get that. Still, it's kinda jarring how easy it'd be for you to kill me.'
'But I'd choose a far simpler, and cleaner method. For instance, making you believe you were trapped within a coffin, devoid of light and air, until your lungs collapsed.'
'Until my...!?'
'If I could make you believe you were in such a position, without allowing for even a shred of doubt, you'd suffocate even while sitting outside in an open field. The mind is a fascinating thing.'
Arin huffed. 'Thanks, dude, for driving home the point. That's great.'
The tower master tilted his head curiously. 'Do people not kill one another in your world?' he asked.
Arin was taken slightly aback by the childishness of the question. 'On purpose? They do, of course,' he answered.
'With?'
'Bombs and guns... uh, weapons, usually.'
'Weapons that anyone might access?'
'No, not really. Not in most places, anyway. But there's other ways, like strangling someone, or bashing their heads in, I guess.'
'And, do you feel frightened every time you are in the company of others? In your own world, I mean.'
Arin blinked. 'No. Of course not. I'd trust that the people I encounter are sane enough to not want to kill me, Or anyone, for that matter,' he said.
'Well, then, why would things be any different here?'
Arin blinked again. 'The first time we met, didn't you pretty much tell me I'd be killed for just being here?' he demanded. 'That's not normal where I'm from. We usually just say, 'hello, nice to meet you.' In just the few days I've been here, though? - I've been threatened and attacked multiple times!'
The tower master shrugged. 'All in relation to the strangeness of your circumstances, and the nature of Rin's trade. You are a tower magician, after all. A regular person wouldn't have to face such things.'
'Y'know what?' he finally nodded at the man's words. 'Fair. I guess there are certain professions that are more dangerous, even in my world. So what you're saying is that I need to lighten up, because most people here aren't out to kill me, even with the most spectacularly dangerous talents. Like whatever that Mira lady had, back in Silvershade.'
'I doubt that was a spectacularly dangerous talent, Arin. Anatomy magic covers things such as healing, or physical enhancements. A related aspect is control over the alteration or movement of the flesh.'
'It may be utilized as part of healing, of course, but is typically unsoothing, and weak enough that only a small part of the body is affected. What it lacks in power, it makes up for in precision. For an individual like the miss Mira your speak of, snapping a nerve from the brain, or severing a section of the spine, might only take a moment. But of course, that is not something she would ever think to do in her everyday life, under ordinary circumstances.'
'Think, similarly, of the young lady you met in Lullwater. She could very well make use of her elemental talent - fire magic - to combust the air within your lungs. But, as an ordinary woman, she has no reason, nor interest, in wanting to do such a thing.'
Arin didn't respond immediately.
He was wondering how the tower master, who'd clearly started off with trying to console him, had somehow managed to make him feel worse.
He'd understood that, much like the people in his own world wouldn't indiscriminately choke or bludgeon him, most people here (the ones that he wasn't in active conflict with, anyway) wouldn't hurt him.
But, back home, he'd at least have been able to fight off a potential assailant, or even do a little damage - get in a few hits - before he was ultimately zapped.
Back home, he'd at least have had a chance.
Here, without a talent of his own, he was going to always be as helpless as a newborn baby.