Dawn’s first light crept through the twisted branches of Umbra’kor’s dark forests. Drusniel slipped from the family mansion, his steps silent as death. Years of assassin training had taught him well. He made his way to the secret grove where he and Annariel had practiced forbidden magic since childhood.

Annariel stood in a small clearing, his face scrunched in concentration. A few weak sparks sputtered from his fingertips, then died. He sighed. “You’re late.”

“By seconds,” Drusniel countered. He glanced over his shoulder. “Shyntara’s been watching me. Had to make sure she didn’t follow.”

Annariel nodded, wiping sweat from his brow. “The Duskborn Trials’s coming. If they catch us trying magic without Venemora’s blessing…”

“I know.” Drusniel’s jaw clenched. “That’s why we’re here. Now, let’s work on that mind-reading technique again.”

For hours, they practiced. Annariel strained to produce even the smallest magical effect, while Drusniel focused on penetrating his friend’s thoughts. Sweat beaded on both their brows.

“Think of a number,” Drusniel said, his eyes closed in concentration.

Annariel complied, his face a mask of focus.

“Seven,” Drusniel said after a moment. He opened his eyes, a mix of triumph and confusion on his face. “It was seven, wasn’t it?”

Annariel nodded, eyes wide. “How did you do that?”

Drusniel shook his head. “I don’t know. It only seems to work when we’re together. But it’s something, right? A chance at passing the Duskborn Trials?”

As the moon climbed higher, they rested against an ancient oak. Annariel’s voice dropped low. “Heard a rumor about Zaelar.”

Drusniel’s ears perked up. “The drow who never comes underground?”

“That’s the one. They say he has his own dungeons beneath his tower. Whispers of torture chambers, of victims who never see the light of day again.”

A shiver ran down Drusniel’s spine. He forced a laugh, but it sounded hollow. “You believe that? Probably just stories to keep us in line.”

Annariel’s eyes flashed. “Maybe. But Zaelar’s power is real enough. Best not to draw his attention.”

Drusniel nodded, his thoughts turning inward. The idea of magic through divine blessing sat uneasily with him. He’d read of mages who commanded power through will alone. It was a dangerous thought, one he could never share with his parents. They’d sacrificed too much for the old ways.

To his family, Drusniel was training to be an assassin like Shyntara. It was a path to wealth and influence. His father often said a clan of shadow-killers was a formidable power in Astalor’s political landscape.

But as they resumed their practice, Drusniel felt a pull towards something more. The drow moved freely through Astalor now, feared for their role guarding the barrier. Yet he sensed greater mysteries waiting to be uncovered.

Weeks passed. Their training intensified. They pushed themselves to exhaustion, honing skills that barely seemed to improve. Still, Drusniel felt something was missing. He pored over ancient texts, seeking hints of magic’s true origins, of the time before Venemora. The more he read, the more he doubted the official stories.

His preoccupation didn’t go unnoticed. One night at dinner, his father fixed him with a piercing stare. “You seem troubled, Drusniel. What’s on your mind?”

Drusniel hesitated. “Father, do you ever wonder about life before the barrier? How our ancestors lived?”

His father’s face hardened. “Those times are gone. Our duty is to the present. To the barrier and Venemora’s will.”

“But what if there’s more?” Drusniel pressed. “What if we’re capable of more than just being Venemora’s servants?”

Shyntara snorted. “Careful, brother. That’s dangerously close to blasphemy.”

Drusniel bit his tongue. But that night, lying in bed, Shyntara’s words echoed. Was he blaspheming by questioning? Or was he simply seeking the truth that had been hidden for so long?

The answers, he knew, wouldn’t come easily. But Drusniel was determined to find them, no matter the cost. And if his small success with mind-reading was any indication, perhaps there was hope for unlocking the greater mysteries of magic after all.