As the campfire flickered in the night, casting long shadows across the ground, Ashar, Elara, and Kaelen sat quietly, each lost in their own thoughts. The events of the past days had left them all pensive. But it was Ashar's lingering gaze on his mark that caught Kaelen's attention.

"Something on your mind, Ashar?" Kaelen asked, his voice low but commanding.

Ashar hesitated, glancing down at his mark. "Yeah… I've been thinking about these powers." He looked between Kaelen and Elara, uncertainty clouding his gaze.

"Kaelen, you have blood abilities. And Elara… you mentioned something about spectral abilities."

He paused, unsure how to continue.

"But me… I don't even know what mine really are. The mark only showed me names earlier… but I don't understand them."

Kaelen's expression softened slightly as he nodded.

"That's natural. The mark grants us our powers, but understanding them takes time."

His gaze grew intense, and he looked directly at Ashar.

"Your abilities whatever they are, will define how you fight, how you survive. My blood powers are rare, yes… but shadow abilities? They're something unheard of."

Elara's eyes widened as she looked at Ashar with a mix of surprise and curiosity. "I didn't know shadows were even… possible," she murmured, almost in awe.

Kaelen nodded thoughtfully.

"The shadows are mysterious. Few, if any, have ever controlled them. If they've chosen you, Ashar, there's a reason."

Ashar took in Kaelen's words, the weight of them pressing heavily on his shoulders. He couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. What did it mean to have these abilities, especially ones so rare?

The conversation shifted, but Ashar's thoughts remained on the shadows and the names that had appeared above his mark earlier. His mind was filled with questions he couldn't answer, and as the others eventually drifted into sleep, he stayed up, restless and unsettled.

Finally, after some time, he moved away from the campfire, slipping into the deeper shadows of the forest. Standing alone in the quiet darkness, he focused on his mark once more, willing it to reveal its secrets. The feeling of the shadows tugged at him, almost as if they were alive.

Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and focused, trying to let himself merge with the darkness around him. But as he did, a strange sensation overtook him. It was as if the shadows were pulling him in, consuming him bit by bit. Before he could stop himself, everything went black.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself in an endless void of darkness. There was nothing around him, just an oppressive, inky blackness stretching endlessly in every direction. His heart began to race as he looked around, trying to make sense of where he was. A chill crept down his spine, and he felt the presence of something… or many somethings.

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Suddenly, shapes began to form in the darkness. Shadows twisted and swirled, circling him like predators around their prey. They made strange, low sounds, dark, guttural noises that filled him with dread. The shadows seemed to close in, surrounding him completely. Panic rose within him, and he took a step back, feeling trapped.

"What… what are you?" he whispered, his voice trembling.

But the shadows only circled faster, their noises growing louder. And then, before he could react, they surged forward, rushing toward him and slipping into his skin. He felt them entering his very being, filling him with a strange, cold energy. His vision blurred, and he gasped, clawing at the air.

Then, suddenly, he was back in the forest, gasping for breath. He was lying on the ground, his heart racing, his body trembling. He reached instinctively for his arm, where the mark had shown him those mysterious names earlier.

With a shaky breath, he focused on the names—Veil Shift and Shadow Clone. As he concentrated, the words seemed to come alive, shimmering above his mark. Slowly, almost reluctantly, descriptions of each ability began to appear before his eyes.

{{Veil Shift: Teleport short distances by stepping into one shadow and emerging from another, effectively vanishing and reappearing almost instantaneously.}}

{{Shadow Clone: Create an ethereal duplicate, a shadowy form that mimics the user's movements and actions.}}

Ashar stared at the descriptions, barely able to believe what he was reading. His mind reeled at the possibilities, but confusion quickly replaced his wonder. He had no idea how to actually use these abilities. They were merely words and concepts, foreign and unfamiliar to him.

The sound of a twig snapping nearby pulled him out of his thoughts, and he instinctively tensed, glancing around. But it was only a deer, which skittered off into the trees, leaving him alone once more. His heart was still pounding, but he forced himself to take deep breaths, calming his racing mind.

He returned to the camp and lay down, his thoughts still whirling. The discovery of his abilities filled him with a mix of excitement and fear. What if he lost control? What if these powers weren't a gift, but a curse?

But he knew he couldn't ignore them. Whatever the shadows were, they had chosen him. And somehow, he would have to find a way to master them.

As he finally drifted off to sleep, he resolved to speak to Kaelen again in the morning, hoping his mentor might have some answers.

The next morning, Ashar woke early, still feeling the weight of the previous night's revelations. He found himself near Elara, who was quietly going through some herbs she'd gathered for healing.

In a moment of hesitation, he glanced at her, wondering if she ever felt the same confusion about her own powers. Clearing his throat, he decided to bring it up without making it too obvious.

"Elara… about these abilities," he began, choosing his words carefully.

"Do you… do you ever feel like they're more trouble than they're worth?"

She looked up at him, her expression thoughtful.

"Honestly… yes," she admitted.

"I know I have spectral abilities, but they're nothing as impressive as Kaelen's or… even yours, really."

She hesitated, a shadow crossing her face.

"Sometimes, I think they're almost… useless."

Ashar shook his head.

"I don't think they're useless. Your abilities are unique, and they suit you. You just have to find how they work best."

A small smile appeared on her face, and she nodded.

"Maybe. But it's hard not to compare, you know?"

He gave her a reassuring look, understanding her doubts. It felt good to know he wasn't alone in his struggle to understand his powers.

As they prepared to set off for the day's journey, Ashar couldn't help but glance back at Kaelen, who seemed deep in thought. His mentor had hinted that they were headed somewhere important, and Ashar felt a strange sense of anticipation building within him. Soon, he would have a chance to test these new powers in the real world,

and perhaps find some answers to the questions that haunted him.