Magic was a word he knew, not as an actual thing, mind, but as a concept and it at least gave context to the word spells. One thing was dead certain. If this was an illusion from the Tal Shiar they had gotten creative. Or maybe it was a fever dream and he hadn't actually gotten away before the explosion. He rubbed at his forehead. Not directly looking at her, because doing so both confused him... and still made him angry, and that one didn't even really make sense. She couldn't help it if she was illusion or dream or whatever after all, and if she wasn't why should he be mad at her? Because maybe his mom and hers might have been alternates of each other? Because it sounded like that version was awful and maybe his would have been too? Or because maybe it meant there was some weird possibility he wasn't entirely Rihan and that idea... rubbed him wrong?

"I think I should have stuck with calming animals," he grumbled, almost half to himself, wishing that even one of them had stuck around after he'd gone to ice. Roj would have. But Roj had transported away with his friends while that was still possible. Enki had been the only one to stick around long enough that the gateway had been the only option.