Dorian hesitates, hearing the weight in the Bull's voice – and he wonders, briefly, if it's judgment. If it's disapproval. There the 'Vint goes again, Dorian's imagination helpfully supplies, showing off what a selfish bastard he can be.

Thankfully, good sense – or, perhaps, a bit of ego-preserving denial – reminds him that it's more likely that the Bull is focused on his own pain, on his own discomfort, on their frankly shitty circumstances. The world does not actually revolve around Dorian and his poor life choices, as much as it probably should.

"He all but abandoned his responsibilities in the Magisterium, dedicated all of his time, effort, and resources to curing Felix of the Blight. I suspect that's what drove him to ally with the Venatori – the vain hope that the ancient magic they were studying might unlock some secret to Felix's sickness."

Dorian pauses for breath, lets that familiar, ugly wash of guilt flow through him. If Dorian had swallowed his pride earlier, if he had only returned to Alexius the moment he had realized how ridiculous he had been and begged forgiveness, maybe Alexius wouldn't have abandoned all of his ideals to serve Corypheus. Maybe he and Felix would still be alive right now.

"I'll never know for sure. In the end, the Venatori killed them both – Alexius for failing them, and Felix for helping me."