Tirriniel Ille L’aerthé is the ruler of the Dark Forest and the most powerful elf on Liar. Or rather, he was that—until an incurable illness struck him. His only hope is the son who renounced the throne—his heir, whom he once personally cut off from the family line. But there are almost no chances for the heir to return. Other claimants to the throne are weak. In the absence of a strong ruler, the Dark Forest faces catastrophe… but then, at the edge of the forest, an elf appears—unknown to anyone—at the sight of whom hope awakens in Tirriniel again. The last mage of the ruling bloodline, a direct descendant of Izia(r)… except the young elf doesn’t need the throne at all. And to persuade him, the ruler of the Dark Forest is forced to take extreme measures.