Raising her gaze from under her hood, the girl looked at the white Sovereign Tower. Her eyes could not clearly see the top of this structure, but she had no doubt that the one who called her to him was looking at her from there.

After spending several tens of minutes climbing the winding stairs, she entered the top floor, leaving behind a huge door made of solid gold.

- You came, granddaughter. – the old man's voice was a little tired, but she did not attach any importance to this.

- Of course, how could I not come, you yourself invited me, grandfather. The girl bowed her head.

The old man's eyes scanned her frail figure, dressed in a white cape with a hood, after which he spoke:

- Let's take a little walk. I have a conversation for you. Having said this, the old man went up to her and took her by the hand.

The girl, not daring to utter a word, followed him. When they reached the balcony, the old man, calmly stepping off the edge, stepped straight into the air, pulling her along with him. Slowly, like a lone autumn leaf, they softly reached the surface of the earth. The girl hurriedly pulled a wide hood over her head, which caused bitterness in the old man's watchful eyes.

- My girl. Do you love this country?

Hearing such an unexpected question, the girl did not know what to answer.

- Grandfather ... - she hesitated and, after falling silent, did not say anything more. She simply continued to stand, lowering her hooded head.

I haven't told anyone yet, but my time is running out. – Feeling how his hand was squeezed tighter, Vladyka lowered his gaze to the girl's face, on which there was sincere concern. “There is not much time left before my body begins to disintegrate from the power within it. So we need to talk about a lot.

Ellaila was silent, listening to the words of the old man, but tears involuntarily began to gather in the corners of her eyes. The person standing next to her, if one could call him that, was not her own grandfather, and she knew about this from an early age. The girl did not need to talk about it, because it was obvious that she was not his granddaughter, however, just as she was not the daughter of her father ...

But Vladyka never treated her differently, because she was not his own, he loved her like his own granddaughter, trying to surround her with warmth and care.

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But Dakstarial was not such a heavenly place that nonhumans could live in it. It was for this reason that she had to wear a hood to hide herself from the contemptuous glances of people and not to see them herself.

“I didn’t tell you anything about how you came into the world, but at the end of my protracted life, I must do it. - the old man's calm voice reached only the ears of the girl standing in front of him, and no one else.

“Nineteen years ago, a woman asked to see me. The incident seemed quite ordinary, but it was not. She was in the middle of a pregnancy, less than a week remained before the birth of the child, but the unfortunate woman understood that she herself would not be able to give birth, because such is the nature of your race. - placing his hand on the girl's head, Vladyka gently stroked her, putting all his care for her into this gesture.

- She could only choose one life out of two, and I spent a lot of effort to save her.

- Ellaila, before she died, your mother gave you only two things. The first was your precious life, and the second was your name. Continuing to stroke the girl on the head, Vladyka spoke again. She knew well that she would die if she chose to keep her child, but there was not a shred of doubt in her eyes. That's why I promised this woman that I would take care of you, but it looks like I'll have to leave sooner than I thought.

- D-grandfather. Her voice trembled as tears rolled down her beautiful face.

- Don't cry, Ellie. Gently brushing away her tears, the old man spoke again. “From this day forward, you will spend most of your time with me. I have many things to teach you before my time in this world runs out.

Taking a deep breath, Ellaila suppressed another flash of sadness and asked:

- What things?

There was even more sadness in the old man's eyes as he spoke the following words:

“The Guardian of Dakstarial must be strong in order to be able to protect the country from any threat, and I have dealt with this for over six thousand years. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he continued. - You will consider my decision wrong, but it will be you who will become my successor.

Ellaila's eyes filled with sincere incomprehension when she heard the old man's words.

- You have power. It hasn't fully developed yet, but it's in your blood. My task is to help you master it and subdue it.

The girl wanted to ask a lot of questions, but did not dare to interrupt the Lord, continuing to listen patiently.

“But more importantly, you have a pure heart. I know it was hard for you, but you did it. I understand that you don't feel attached to these people, but in the end they will accept you. Because it will be my will.

- I only hope that you will fulfill my last request. It is very painful for me to shoulder this burden on your shoulders, but for so many years of life, the worthless old man has met too few truly worthy ones ... - a flash of pain made him break off in mid-sentence. Ellaila noticed this and immediately rushed to her grandfather.

- I'm fine, Ellie. I just need to get some rest. Will see you tomorrow. - Having said these words, Vladyka let go of her hand and, trying not to show pain on his face, turned away.

The girl only managed to take one last look at the figure, which in a few moments soared, starting to climb to the top of the tower.