Today…

BOOM!!!

Jake rolled aside, narrowly avoiding the debris flying in all directions from the explosion. The golden eyed Illithid floated  down to the stone floor and raised his hand again, uttering a single world. It was in Abyssal, but the lad understood it too well: „Die!"

Jake's legs flared green as he used his psionics to propel himself away, just as the purple psionic pulse blasted the floor where he was sitting just a moment ago. „Saren! Mia!" he cried, running behind the closest pillar. Soon after the call, an arrow flew from behind another pillar and struck the Illithid in the shoulder. „Curses!" he hissed and threw another blast at Jake, then turning towards the source of the arrow.
„Won't anything stop him??" Jake thought as he ran away from the pillar, but…

SLAM!!!

A particularly large rock hit the boy in between the shoulder blades and knocked him down. Jake hit the floor flat on the stomach, knocking his breath out. „JAKE!!" he heard a familiar voice of his sister as she ran to him, readying a healing spell, but he slipped into unconsciousness.
„How… how did this happen…?" was his last thought.

---

16 years ealier…

A young woman named Crystal was walking down a narrow path through the forest. She had a sack full of food over her shoulder and just wanted to reach her hut before it got dark. Her light green dress was fluttering around her feet as she picked up her pace, her sandaled feet kicking up small clouds of dust. Finally, she reaches the groove she always passed through when going to and from her hut, but something felt wrong. „Huh?" she looked to her left and saw something in the grass. „What's this?" she asked no one in particular as she looked closer… and recognized it as a body!

„O-oh no! Are you alright?" she dropped her sack and ran to the wounded person to offer assistance, but once she got a closer look, her face went pale and her blood ran cold. Lying before her in the grass was a Mind Flayer. Its eyes shot open, as she approched, and lunged at her, tackling her down. „EEEEEKK!" Crystal screamed as the monstrous creature pinned her down and stared at her with its large, silver eyes. „Daepoot, kapoola, aetoonpag. Lemool?" it spoke in its native language as the girl could feel that it was probing her mind. „Lemool… I've learned your language, you should be able to understand me now. What are you doing here?" it then spoke in clear Basic.

„I-I… I live nearby… I was just headed home. P-please, don't kill me…" she started sobbing. Shockingly, the Mind Flayer's face softened and it took its clawed hands off her shoulders and stood up, allowing her to stand up too. „W-huh… why…?" the girl picked herself up and brushed her dark brown hair from her face. The shocks kept coming as the Mind Flayer spoke again with its deep voice. „I deeply apologize for that, human. I was wounded in a battle and… ugh…" he gripped his shoulder and fell on his knees. Crystal gasped and ran to his side, despite her previous fear.

„You look terrible. Come with me, my hut isn't far from here." She said, helping the Mind Flayer stand up and then walking over to the sack that she dropped. „But…" his four mouth tentacles fluttered as he was going to respond, but Crystal stopped him. „No buts. You're badly wounded and you spared me, so nothing you say or do will make me do otherwise." She said sternly as she picked up her sack and they set out for her hut.

The Mind Flayer heaved a sigh and then asked „What is your name?"
„Crystal, that's my name. Do you… do you have a name?" Crystal replied, looking at him.
„I am Mordan… it is a pleasure, Crystal…"

---

After a short walk, they arrived at Crystal's hut. It was a rather average hut, built of stones with a wooden roof. Crystal opened the door and led the injured Illithid, as he explained his race was actually called, inside and helped him into one of the two beds there.

„Now just relax and I'll try to find the right herbs for you." The girl said as she walked over to her medicine cabinet and gathered several herbs into a bowl and started to crush them into powder. „You are full of surprises, Crystal. I did not expect a simple woman to know so much about herbalism… no offense meant." He mentally kicked himself for insulting her like that.

„None taken, I hear that quite often. Now, can you tell me what exactly happened to you, Mordan?" Crystal replied as she walked over to the bed and removed Mordan's tattered, black robe and began applying the healing powder on his wounds. The Illithid kept his cool on the outside, but was hissing in pain at the inside. „Ah! It is a long story. And not a happy one." He said, his tendrils rippling in agitation.

„My life wasn't a happy one. I'm sure I can stomach one story." Crystal smiled lightly as she placed some cloth on the wounds and powder and stored the rest back in the cabinet.

„Sigh, very well. How much do you know about the Illithid culture? About our legends and traditions?" he first asked, to which Crystal could reply „Nothing, I'm afraid."
„Then listen…"

---

„I was born in a colony only a few days travel from here. When my larva devoured the sacrifice brought in by the warrior and evolved, I immediately felt the warm essence of the Elder Brain. But for some reason, I also experienced strange flashes of experience that weren't mine. I shortly realized that they were memories. But what was more strange, I was naturally opposed to consuming brains of other beings, especially innocent ones. This of course warranted distaste of my peers..."

„But wait, how did you survive without draining brains? I thought it kinda... defines being an Illithid."

„It is an ability of every Illithid, to maintain themselves with only their psionic power, but unfortunately, most of them stay true to the traditional way."

„Fair enough. Go on…"

„As I was saying, I was experiencing flashbacks that weren't mine. I realized they belong to whoever my larva ceremorphed to create me. But this was unheard of before, so when it was discovered, the council and the Elder Brain immediately likened me to the prophecized Adversary…"

„What adversary?"

„Ahem, I'll explain that soon. For now, let me finish my story, please."

„I'm sorry."

„They decided that the risk of me being the Adversary is too great, so I was to be executed before I could turn on the colony. But I was saved when a group of well armed adventurers attacked the colony and slaughtered most of the council, including the Elder Brain. I seized the opportunity and escaped, but some of my kin pursued me. I was mostly able to stay ahead of them… until recently.

---

Two days earlier…

„Mgeb doop!" echoed through the forest in Abyssal. Mordan was stumbling between the trees, clutching his arm, which was bleeding. He turned briefly and threw a white psionic burst against his pursuers, hitting one square in the chest. „Namgnoooot doop!" another voice called and a pink lightning flew at the already wounded Illithid, shocking him and making him fall into the grass.

Soon enough, four more Illithids marched over to him, staring down at him. „Oom da gaoog?" asked one of them. „I am inclined to think so. That charge was enough to incapacitate a dragon." Replied a much more sinister voice, belonging to a different Illithid. His six tendrils rippled as he leaned over the body, his tendrils probing the body for any signs of life.

„It seems we have succeeded. Let us return." He spoke again and the group turned to leave, but the strange Illithid turned toward Mordan one last time and threw a small, pink spark at him and it disappeared in his back. Then they left.