My hands trembled as I stared at Zara across the dim training hall. The evening torches cast dancing shadows on her face, making it hard to read her expression. After weeks of keeping my secret, I'd finally decided to tell her everything. But now, standing here, my courage wavered like a flame in the wind.
"Nedu," she said softly, "what's so important that we had to meet after curfew?"
I took a deep breath, feeling the warmth of the dragon scale against my chest where I kept it hidden beneath my training tunic. "You remember that day when you said there was something different about me?"
She nodded, her archer's eyes sharp and attentive. "You've been improving too fast. No one goes from barely holding a sword to matching second-year students in three months."
"I'm about to show you why." I pulled out the scale, its iridescent surface catching the torchlight. "But you have to promise to keep this secret. If the wrong people find out..."
{System Alert: Trust levels with ally increased. New ability unlocked - Share Sense}
The familiar tingle of the system's notification ran through my mind, but I pushed it aside, focusing on Zara. Her eyes widened as she stepped closer, drawn to the scale's ethereal glow.
"Is that what I think it is?" she whispered.
Instead of answering, I let the power flow through me. The scale grew warm, and suddenly the training hall exploded with new sensations. I could hear the heartbeats of the sleeping students three floors above us, smell the lingering traces of dragon fire from today's training exercises, and feel the vibrations of the mountain fortress around us.
"Give me your hand," I said.
Zara hesitated for just a moment before reaching out. As our fingers touched, I channeled the ability the system had just granted me. Her gasp told me it worked – she was experiencing everything I could sense.
"By the First Slayers," she breathed. "This is... this is how you see the world now?"
I nodded, letting go of her hand. The connection broke, and she blinked rapidly, adjusting back to normal senses. "That's not all," I said, and proceeded to tell her everything. The scale's discovery, the system's emergence, my growing abilities, and the strange connection I felt with dragons during training.
When I finished, Zara was quiet for a long moment. My heart pounded as I waited for her response. Would she report me? See me as a freak? Run away?
"This explains so much," she finally said. "The way you always seem to know when the practice dragons are about to strike. How did you avoid Kain's ambush last week." She paused, then asked, "Have you told anyone else?"
I shook my head. "You're the first. And maybe I'm crazy for telling you, but..." I struggled to find the right words. "Something's wrong at the academy, Zara. The smuggling, the whispers, the strange meetings in the lower levels. I can't figure it out alone."
"The dragon eggs," she said, surprising me. At my startled look, she smiled grimly. "You're not the only one who's noticed things. Two nights ago, I followed Master Krane to the old storage caves. He was meeting someone – a woman I didn't recognize. They were talking about 'the clutch' and 'maintaining optimal temperature.'"
Excitement coursed through me. "That matches what I heard in the eastern tunnels! And there's more – I think some of the senior instructors are involved."
{System Alert: Investigation Quest activated. Reward: Enhanced Dragon Empathy}
Zara's expression turned serious. "This is bigger than just smuggling, isn't it? If dragon eggs are being brought into the city..." She didn't need to finish the thought. We both knew the devastation a single dragon could cause in our underground haven.
"Will you help me investigate?" I asked. "I know it's dangerous, but—"
"Of course I'll help, you idiot," she cut me off with a grin. "Someone has to watch your back. Besides," she added more softly, "I've seen how you are with the dragons during training. You don't just fight them – you understand them somehow. Maybe... maybe that's something we need more of."
Relief and gratitude washed over me. For the first time since finding the scale, I didn't feel alone with the weight of my secret.
We spent the next hour planning. Zara knew the patrol schedules and blind spots in the academy's security. I had my enhanced senses and growing abilities. Together, we might actually have a chance at uncovering the truth.
As we prepared to return to our dormitories, Zara caught my arm. "Nedu," she said, "thank you for trusting me. But promise me something?"
"What?"
"Promise you won't let these powers change who you are. I've seen what happens to people when they get too strong too fast. They forget where they came from, forget who their real friends are."
I looked at her earnest expression and felt a fierce surge of loyalty. "I promise," I said firmly. "Besides, you'd probably shoot me with one of your arrows if I started acting like Kain."
She laughed quietly. "Damn right I would."
As we snuck back through the darkened halls, I felt lighter despite the growing complications in my life. I had a true friend now, someone who knew all of me and stood by my side anyway. Whatever challenges lay ahead, I wouldn't face them alone.
{System Alert: Friendship bond established. Passive ability unlocked - Enhanced Team Coordination}
I smiled at the notification. For once, the system's alert only confirmed what I already knew in my heart. Zara and I were in this together now, for better or worse. And somehow, that made me feel stronger than any power the dragon scale could grant.
The mountain fortress creaked and settled around us as we made our way back to our rooms, and in the distance, I could sense the faint echoes of dragon calls. Tomorrow, we will begin our real investigation. But for tonight, I was content knowing I'd finally found someone I could trust completely with my secret.
As I lay in bed later, watching the system's status window float in my vision, I realized something important: true friendship might be the most powerful ability of all.