Surviving abuse leaves no soul unscathed, and this is especially true of Ptielieren, an elite elvish bodyguard involuntarily integrated into an aversive-heavy culture. Strength can exist absent a ringing victory and weakness does not signify defeat.
Bloody hell, talk about leaving the reader hanging. It's no small feat to start in the thick of action and keep it gripping and concise at the same time, while laying out such intriguing, world changing mystery. But Andre has done it beautifully.