So he had hurt people, as far as she was concerned. There was clearly more to his story about leaving his village than she'd initially thought. It made sense, considering she'd only heard his side of the story, but it was still disappointing.

But he didn't seem like he was hiding anything from her now. And he was telling the truth, and he at least seemed to be expressing regret for his actions. Besides, given the stigma against magicians in his society, he could very well have been acting in self-defense. And he did seem like he wanted to help out here.

She didn't quite smile back, but she shook her head. "You can prove yourself here. There are plenty of magic users in the institute. We're all in this together, and it seems narrow-minded and stupid to turn someone away because they have unusual powers."