Kaina knelt beside her grandfather's bed, in the middle of the gloomy night, wondering if he was okay. He was growing weaker and weaker with every day, and somehow the despair in the house grew too with Kaina's grandpa's weakening. Kaina's grandfather was dying of some strange disease, never heard of. His sight was gone completely, and now he was starting to become deaf also.

 

Kaina's grandfather's heartbeat was becoming weaker. He needed to be looked after at all times. It had been determined by the doctors that he was too far from help by medicine, and he could die at any minute now. This news was so heartbreaking, to Kaina and her family, that they decided to take care for him, since Kaina's grandmother had died already four years ago, so Kaina's grandpa had been living alone for a long time in his mansion. 

 

Now, Kaina was nearby, watching her grandfather, as he desperately struggled against the disease. Each breath he took was strangled. Kaina could only watch, her eyes showing her sorrow and agony. Suddenly, he moved a bit, and grasped Kaina's hand. "Kaina, granddaughter," he rasped to her. "Yes?" she asked.

 

He said to Kaina, with great effort since his weakness,"You are my favorite grandchild, and I hope that you will live longer than even I have. I wish for you to move to my mansion to live, when you are old enough." Kaina felt like protesting against this. She wasn't worthy for a mansion such as Grandfather's. Kaina's grandpa sucked in a deep breath before continuing,"You will..." His voice trailed off suddenly.

 

Grandfather's eyes widened in fear. Kaina followed his glance, past my shoulder, to the shadows behind her. Somewhere an evil presence could be felt by me. Kaina thought she saw a dark shape of a lion, where the presence was. Kaina involuntarily shuddered. Grandfather's breaths became even more strangled, and he choked out his last words,"The Shadow Lion, the evil among us. Don't let him get me..." With that his eyes closed, and he died.