Julka, Maks and Lena knew every corner of the forest behind the school - at least they thought they did. That afternoon, they decided to try something new: using an old map they had found in the library, they wanted to find the place marked with a golden star. Intrigued by the drawing of nine trees arranged in a circle, they set off on their expedition. The sun was shining brightly and the air smelled of moss and pine needles. After more than an hour of walking, exchanging jokes and analysing the faded lines of the map, they arrived at something that resembled a magic circle from children's stories. In the middle stood a huge, twisted oak tree with roots sticking out in all directions. Lena noticed something suspicious: under one of the roots was a wide, flat stone with strange signs carved on it. - It must be a runic alphabet! - whispered Maks, who was passionate about ancient languages. Lena knelt down and began to gently push away the moss. When they all touched the stone at once, the ground trembled and the air around them thickened as if before a storm. A deafening murmur came from within the trunk, and purple lines glowed among the roots, forming a spiral. Julka stretched her hand into the centre of the swirling light. She felt a sudden, unfamiliar warmth and a slight tug, as if someone was trying to pull her in. Before they had time to think about it, all three of them collapsed downwards - not into darkness, but into a kaleidoscope of bright colours. They landed hard, lifting themselves carefully onto the alien soft ground. Above them stretched a sky in colours of purple and green, and trees with silver leaves grew all around them. The forest seemed strangely quiet. In the distance, something moved - a tall figure with a face hidden by a mask of wood. - 'Is that... someone saw us? - whispered Lena, clasping her hands on Julka's shoulder. The mask slowly approached, and the ground beneath the heroes' feet began to pulsate with light. At that very moment there was another sound, as if millions of whispers were trying to warn them of something unusual....