Outside the windows of Veronika's cottage, the Whispering Forest whispered quietly. Although she had grown up in this village near Przemyśl, she had never ventured off the trodden path through the scrub. Her grandmother used to say that the forest was alive: sometimes it laughed at night, sometimes it cried, and sometimes... it tempted those with courage. But tonight was a special night - the Kupala Night, when the summer solstice opens the door to all that is unexplainable and wild. Veronica sat on the steps with Matthew and Daria. The grassy courtyard smelled of fresh smoke and a bonfire. Someone of the adults was telling legends, but the three of them were barely listening - they were now at a crossroads between childhood and something new. - Who will be the first to find the fern flower? - joked Matthew, throwing a pebble towards the darkness. - 'There's no such thing, it's just the talk of the old ones,' replied Daria, although a shadow of excitement sounded in her voice. Veronica glanced up at the darkening sky. She had long wanted to go deeper into the forest, but had always been held back by her fear of the unknown. However, today... today she felt she had to try. - Shall we go? - She asked, looking at her friends. Matthew shrugged his shoulders, smiled and set off first. Daria sighed, fixed her braid and followed him. Veronica looked once more at the lit bonfires in the village, then set foot on the path. The Slavic night whispered something just for her. The forest greeted them with a chill, though the air was stifling. Underfoot the mulch creaked and the leaves trembled, though there was no wind. The shadows of the trees lengthened and the moonlight brushed the ferns, creating a silvery feminine. The deeper they walked, the fewer sounds from the village reached them. Instead, they heard quiet whispers, as if someone was whispering their names. Suddenly, right next to them, something flashed - as if someone had scattered particles of light around them. Matthew knelt down to take a closer look. In front of him, amidst the ferns, a soft, golden light pulsed, becoming clearer with every heartbeat. - See... - he whispered. Veronica and Daria knelt down beside him. In the glare of the light grew a tiny plant, whose flower was slowly opening, revealing an interior full of flaming heat. As the girl stretched out her hand, a shadow suddenly rose from the fern - an indistinct silhouette that cut through the air right in front of her. For a moment, she had the impression she saw huge wolf-like eyes and a smile that belonged to no human. In that instant, the glow around the plant shimmered with strange signs, and the path behind them... disappeared as if it had never been there. Silence fell deep, heavy and ominous, broken only by the breathing of the three teenagers. Something - or someone - moved in the thickening shadows right next to them. Veronica gasped for air, ready for whatever was about to happen....