During his transformation into an illithid, he of course lost all his scars and does not get new ones very quickly. 😔

And then... then he began to cut his own body.
He enjoyed the sensation of warm blood flowing from his wounds. However, all the servants of Bhaal did so; Xal was simply the most diligent servant.

Even now, when he has become an Illithid and his mind has changed irrevocably, and positive emotions have increasingly been replaced by negative ones, it is still both warm and painful for him to remember her.

cringe time

I wrote the continuation for three months for exactly the same reason.
I don't like writing a lot, because when I write a lot, I feel like I lose the point of what I originally wanted to write, lol. I have too many ideas that I try to fit into places where they don't belong.

His new Illithid mind requires him to learn continually.
He has once again acquired some knowledge of diplomacy and politics, but still prefers magic, alchemy, and his evil laboratory to all of that.

His familiar paladin rescued him from this state, and Xal slowly began to learn how to live again. It was difficult, painful. Perhaps it was the hardest part of his training.
He continues to study it to this day. Now he has once again immersed himself in the study of magic, forbidden knowledge.

After his release, Xal tried to study and find teachers, but he had no money, and on top of everything else, he started drinking every day. This did not help him study. Prison broke him, and his lively, tireless mind began to decay.

Soon, his entire family was killed, and he himself was imprisoned in the Gith laboratory-prison, where, of course, he could only learn how to survive and endure incessant pain, both mental and physical.

After his rebirth, his education did not go smoothly.
His adoptive parents were quite wealthy merchants from Damara who owned several merchant ships, and they were able to find the best teachers for Xal. He studied only at home because no one wanted to see the Drow at any of the schools.

After signing a contract with his Patron, Xal began to learn from it.
Or rather, following his Patron's vague and often incomprehensible hints, he began to search for things from which he could learn something new.

However, his education was not limited to magic. He was also well versed in the slippery diplomacy of the Drow, although he always hated it. He was excellent at reading and arithmetic. Xal was from a noble Drow House and had received a proper education.