The wind jerked the sails of the boat, and the fjord seemed deeper than usual that June night. Leif stood at the edge of the wooden pier, letting the cool breeze play with his fair hair. He was sixteen and had just returned from his first solo cod fishing trip. He felt strong, proud - until that moment when a glow of light emerged from among the mists over the opposite shore. Vierka, his peer and best friend, approached quietly. "Are you daydreaming again?" - she poked him playfully with her shoulder. Leif pointed to a pale glow spilling over the silent woods. "Can you see it? There, to the west? That's not a fisherman's campfire." Vierka furrowed her brow. There was a slight sound coming from the distance - as if singing or groaning metal. They were joined by Knut, the youngest in their pack, who had just returned from the watchtower. "I have notified the elders," he said quietly. "But they think it's a mere illusion." The boys and the girl looked at each other. It wasn't an illusion. Something hung in the air - as if Odin himself was watching from above, waiting to see who would be the first to dare to cross the boundary of the known world. Without a word, they set off towards the moss-covered boats. They agreed that the three of them would sail before the elders realised that someone had disappeared from the settlement. They shuffled between the houses, feeling a growing tension: should they trust their instincts or listen to reason? As they bounced off the shore, the fjord changed beyond recognition. The fog thickened, the lights in the west pulsed ever more intensely. A long shadow suddenly appeared on the water - as if some ship, different from all they had seen so far, was passing silently through the black mirror of the water. Leif tightened his hands on the oars. Knut looked at him pale. Vierka tried to recognise the shapes of the misty silhouette. In the silence, only their quickened breaths and the splash of oars could be heard. Then they heard a sound - a metallic thump, as if someone was sharpening an axe against a rock. The glow shone blindingly, casting strange shadows on their faces. The boat stopped a few fathoms from the shore. Everything froze. Steps. Breaths. Even the water seemed to stop flowing. A figure emerged from the darkness. She carried something on her shoulder that looked like a dusty banner with a symbol they had never seen. The figure stood at the edge of the forest, indistinct, surrounded by a light that seemed to come from out of this world. Leif felt his heart beating harder than ever. He tried to see the stranger's face, but the silhouette remained blurred - as if the air was vibrating around it. All it would take was one movement, one word.... But no one moved.