The current oldest man of the danovuses was none other than Virdar, who was so old that he himself had seen the world that was before the Shadow World was formed. When the souls of the dead had just disappeared into nothingness, when all terrible things and harmful creatures were locked in the Stornix, when dragons still roamed freely in the world and humans were exposed to much greater danger.
This was the time when the danovuses were born, and Virdar himself was one of the first danovuses. He was still born as a human, but he has not remembered that life for a long time. His first memories are from the time when he was already a danovus. At that time, he did not even know what to call himself, he only knew that he was different from the others.
He desired blood and only felt the hunger leave his stomach when he drank it. Then the more he drank of it, the stronger and faster he became. He was different just in that, unlike most of his kind, who went crazy with hunger and went wild. It was a different world back then, even today it's not safe to go out into the world, but back then it was worse.
Then everything changed when Merilla, the witch, appeared. She was the one who embraced Virdar's race, who when she first saw a danovuses didn't see them as a threat, but as sentient beings like her and who decided that she would help them start a new life, so that people would accept them. That's why Virdar decided to side with her.
Since Virdar was good at communicating with people, he was quickly able to become the witch's right hand. However, this position also had its negative sides. There were times when he had to leave the witch alone to meet other people of his race. That might be why on that fateful day, when the hero of the humans, a certain boy named Teike, and his group appeared in the castle that was their headquarters, Virdar was not present.
Or rather, he had just returned when the Teike boy left the palace with that piece of flying shit at his side. Virdar could only thank that he had survived that day by hiding from the departing pair, who were just heading out.
"Are you sure you want to stay here?" Virdar held his breath and pulled himself behind the pillar. He did not recognize the voice that spoke, but since he was sure the flying piece of shits could not speak, it was likely that the Teike child had spoken.
"This is my place. Thank you for letting me travel you until now." Another voice spoke, making Virdar's blood run cold.
"What should we do with the other cibős?" The first voice asked. And Virdar grimaced involuntarily, he never liked that name for his kind. This name is just a stamp on them.
"Leave them to me. I will teach them to control themselves. The witch had good intentions, but she could not teach them what to do. I will succeed. You go and do what you must do." The other voice said.
"May the nature spirits be with you, Holden." The human bid farewell.
"May the nature spirits be with you, Teike." After the farewell, there was silence in the castle for long minutes. "You can come forward, I will not hurt you." Virdar was so scared of speaking that even the color disappeared from his face, but finally he just stepped out from behind the pillar.
"How long have you known I am here?" He asked the question in a commanding tone.
"Since you've been there." The figure named Holden shrugged.
"You're one of us!" Virdar was surprised, and the other just smiled.
"Yes. Let's wait together until your masteress returns, and in the meantime I'll help you create a home." He promised what seemed impossible.
However, the nature spirits smiled at their kind. They were given a new name after the man who promised them a new life, from then on they were no longer cibős, but danovuses. The years passed in a flash, the Shadow World was created and, unlike the witch, Holden really managed to give the danovuses a new life. Then another big day came in Virdar's life.
"Okay, now we're all okay. We have a home, we have a place where we can live by our rules. It's time for me to go to bed for a good night's sleep." Holden announced with a smile.
"What? And you're leaving me here alone?" Virdar's eyes widened.
"You always wanted to be a leader, didn't you?" The danovus chuckled, who over the years turned out to be the first of their kind.
"But not like this. I don't..." He started to argue.
"No excuses, little Virvir, I'm going to sleep. I'll see you when I wake up!" The first danovus turned his back on Virdar, then left him alone in the palace of Szelevu.
And the danovus had no choice but to take the title of leader and stand at the head of their race. After that day, nothing interesting happened, the danovuses continued to multiply and live in peace with humans. Thus passed a thousand years, then two. Of course, Virdar was not surprised that his new master slept longer than humans usually do. They had noticed this before Holden had even gone to sleep.
However, a thousand years was a frightening amount of time even for Virdar. The only reason he didn't panic more was because Holden was still breathing in his sleep. That didn't mean he wasn't relieved when Holden finally woke up, he just didn't expect that the father of all danovuses, instead of becoming the leader of the race again, had taken his leave and left the island of Szelevu to find someone. Of course, he didn't tell Virdar who this someone he wanted to find was.
At first, the danovus had waited for Holden back on the island. He thought that he would reappear after a hundred years, at most two. However, this didn't happen, the years just passed, Holden was nowhere to be found, and Virdar was starting to get tired of the young people's constant quarrels. Sometimes he thought that he should go see the world too, but he never brought himself to do it. Holden told him to wait here. And he would not contradict his master.
Today had started out as boring as all the others, the years had already merged in his mind. He had only listened to the conversations with one ear. Some danovus woman had come to meet them today, who had long since left the island and wanted some kind of peace treaty. Virdar had not really been interested in the matter, not even when the woman had announced that there would be war.
He had seen war before. Not one, there was nothing new about it. No, that was not what had jolted Virdar out of his thoughts. No, what had woken him from his half-dream was the other voice, not even the voice, since it was much younger than the one he knew, but the address he had used. 'Little Virvir', there was only one person who had ever called him that and he could hardly believe his ears when he heard the name again. It could only mean one thing: Holden had returned.