Night was creeping in through the dirty basement window, spilling silver stains on old books and boxes. Simon lit the torch, once again casting a defiant glance at Natalia. - 'Are you sure you want to do this? - She asked in a whisper, her voice trembling with emotion. She held in her hand a dusty card with strange symbols on it that they had found in his great-grandfather's library. - I want, we need to know what's on the other side. 'Since my great-grandfather didn't find out, we can,' Simon replied, feeling the adrenaline speed up his heartbeat. Behind the old bookcases, in the very corner of the cellar, there was a perfect circle in the wall, as if carved with a sharp tool. The glare of the torch reflected off the metal frame, bringing mysterious signs to light. Ever since they found the card here with the inscription "Zero Gate - passage to Sequena", they couldn't stop thinking about it. Natalia knelt by the portal and inserted the card into a slot in the frame. They heard a quiet mechanical rasp, and the centre of the circle glowed with a cool, pale blue light. Simon went numb and felt the air around him become heavy, full of electrifying anticipation. At first, all they could see in the portal was a grey mist, then indistinct shapes outlined themselves - slender towers against a backdrop of stars, flared lights, paths winding among alien trees. From inside the portal came a murmur reminiscent of a human voice, but completely unintelligible. - 'If we're not back in five minutes, take the card and close the passage,' Simon said, trying to hide his uncertainty. Natalia nodded and grabbed his hand tightly. They jumped through the portal at the same time. For a split second they felt as if they were falling into infinity, then they landed on a glassy, cool surface. Above their heads, an unfamiliar array of stars appeared, and in front of them stood a figure - tall, with its face hidden in the shadow of a hood, holding in its hands an object emitting a pulsating light. The figure moved closer, and the air around them seemed to vibrate from some quiet, powerful voice: - I have been waiting for you. For a very long time. And before they had time to react, everything began to whirl like mad....