He's quiet for a very long few moments before exhaling, and now there's sadness in his voice. "If anyone chooses a cage for themselves, they can have it. All I ask is that they not try to drag others with them. I fear she will. That's her powerbase, mages under her. And with so many afraid to hope for fear of it being taken from them again... They're vulnerable. They've lost everything before."

There's a lot his terrified of. Vivienne's angle is one of them, snatching mages' hopes away before they can even start to dream.

"And I fear you're wrong. I see it in the eyes even of those who are willing to work with me. There will not be forgiveness, and I've no right to seek it. I'll do as I can for what time I have left, but there will be nothing gained by it on my account." There are some things he must cling to for his own sanity's sake, that more were saved that night than died, that he helped free mages by it, but he cannot say it was the right thing to do. With Justice gone he has lost his certainty.

"I'll work on the future. I need to. I'll encourage mages, help them figure out how to stand on their own, what it means to be free, and I honestly believe that will cut down on the number of blood mages dramatically. I do believe that you've seen many who attacked. But I wonder how many of those acted out of fear and desperation, because of the armor you wore, rather than out of a desire for power or harm. When there are options rather than corners and cages, blood magic is no longer a last hope. The risk of using it becomes greater than the risk without it."