-What is going on? What have you found?
The father of the girl asked nervously, seeing Paul's expression.
-She's a half-blood.
Paul finally said.
-She is. What does that have to do with anything?
The assassin commander asked.
-Is her mother an elf?
Paul asked.
-Yes.
-Then send someone to my mansion to bring Elaina here; she might know what's going on.
Your daughter is transforming or evolving, but lacks the power to complete the process, and I need to know what is going on before I can try to help her.
The father immediately sent a servant.
It didn't take long for the servant to return with Elaina in tow.
-Why did you call me here?
She asked Paul as soon as they arrived.
-This girl is a half-blood, and her mother is an elf, so I want to know what's going on with her, as it looks like a transformation, but it makes no sense at all since she lacks the power to complete it.
Paul explained.
-Is this a joke?
Elaina asked, not believing what she just heard.
-No, it's not.
-But she looks like she's eight or nine, this is impossible.
Elaina stated.
-Can you explain it to me?
The father asked.
-The simplest explanation is that there are no half-elves in this world, and the reason for it, is that they all go through a transformation when they are four or five years old.
This transformation defines their future, as they can become either a fully blooded elf, an human, or in extremely rare cases, they can turn into a Dryad.
-Then what happens to them if they can't transform?
Paul asked.
-Their life force is drained, and they die.
Elaina answered.
-Well, this child survived this long, thanks to the healers who used life and nature magic to heal her.
Paul said, surprising the elf.
-It could work if her energy was replenished, but if that's the case, why hasn't her transformation ended by now?
Elaina asked after thinking for a moment.
-That's what I called you here to find out.
Elaina nodded and approached the girl, sending some of her nature power into her.
She discovered the same thing as Paul, but unlike him, she knew what it was.
-You sure have a talent for finding unique people and trouble.
She said, once she saw the seed inside the girl's heart, which was exactly the thing that drained her energy.
-So you know what it is?
Paul asked.
-Yes, it's a golden seed of an elder dryad, which explains a lot.
This little girl can become the first Elder Dryad, since the humans killed the last one in this realm tens of thousands of years ago.
Elaina explained, still barely believing what she encountered.
It seemed that around Paul, she could encounter mythical and legendary beings like they were common.
-The problem is that the moment the other humans learn of her, if she even survives the transformation.
They will try to hunt her down and either capture or kill her.
-Why would anyone want to hunt her down?
The father of the girl asked, once he got over the shock of finding out that his daughter was a mythical being, or at least could turn into one.
-Because Elder Dryads can be used to concoct pills that improve anyone's physique and prolong their life by ten thousand years.
It is also said that their blood can revive the dead, even if their bodies were destroyed.
But I have no clue if it's actually possible or not.
Elaina explained, and both humans were shocked.
-Yeah, that would put a target on her.
Paul finally said after a moment of silence.
-So what you're saying is that she'll either die, unable to completely transform, or she will be hunted her entire life, if she survives and becomes this elder dryad?
The Assassin asked, slowly starting to get over the shocks he experienced in the last few minutes.
-More or less, but there is a way to let her transform, and maybe even to keep her safe.
-How?
The father asked, ready to do anything, to save his child.
He might be a ruthless assassin, but he loved this child more than anything and was ready to do everything in his power to protect her.
-To complete her transformation, she needs a lot of nature element power.
More than Paul and I are capable of supplying, but in my clan, everyone has this kind of power, and my people worshiped Elder Dryads before they got wiped out, and the Draconia fate took their place.
Additionally, as a dryad, she won't be able to live in a human town; she will need a forest, and the bigger the better.
The lands the elves live on are protected by the empire, and they are mostly giant forests, so this would not be a problem.
Also, my people would protect her and keep her existence a secret, so as long as nobody learned about her existence, there would also be no one looking for her.
Elaina explained.
-Alright, what's the catch?
The father of the girl asked.
-Well, you would not be able to see her, or at least not often, since you're coming and going, could attract unwanted attention, and my people don't like humans in general.
-So my choice is to either let her die sooner or later, but be with her, or allow her to be taken to the elves territory and most likely never see her again?
The man asked, and Elaina nodded in confirmation.
-I know this is a hard choice to make, but that's the only thing that I can think of that would allow her to grow up and be safe.
She added.
-No, the choice is not hard at all.
The man shook his head.
-It's the consequences that will be hard.
As her father, I want the best for her, and more than anything, I want her to live a long and happy life.
So if the price for that is to never see her again, I'll pay it gladly.
The assassin said, but tears streaked down his face.
-Elaina, how far away are the elves forests?
Paul asked.
-If we use transportation spells, we should arrive within three days at most.
She answered.
-Can I go with you?
The assassin asked.
-You not only can, but you need to come with us.
The elders will want to ask you some questions, and I'm sure that your child would be afraid if she woke up in an unfamiliar place, among strangers.
-Then, when do we leave?