One may be confused as to why Salthalus appears to be aging rapidly as this comic progresses. One would be justified in this puzzlement, and therefore need to be reminded of a rather glazed-over fact revealed when Salth was introduced, that her normal appearance is actually a magical ruse she uses to make herself look younger to people inexperienced with magic.

The reasons for this will be discussed much later; however, suffice it to say that the spell she uses to do this is extraordinarily weak for reasons which will also be discussed much later (say, Chapter Five). Anyone with even a small amount of experience with magic can see through it to her real appearance. Obviously, Alex can see through it. Matt can as well; after all, he lived with Alex when she was learning magic, so he got a bit of an eye for it over the years.