"Yyyyes, I did feel something of the sort, upon arriving here."

He hasn't had time to do any significant probing of the oddity he's felt around the edges of his aether, mind. But he's aware that it's there, like a weight he's been asked to carry without entirely knowing why.

"And it does make sense. The weaker someone is made to be, the more difficult it is to for them to overthrow those who would rule over them."

It's perhaps not comforting to be on this side of the equation for once in his long life, but it does make sense.