The fog had fallen low over the city as Lena slid off her bike to the edge of the old forest. She was thirteen, but her curiosity about the world had long since outgrown the confines of ordinary childhood. That afternoon she had no adventures planned. She was actually walking home when something flashed among the bushes just off the old path. Curious, she walked closer and saw an old brass compass lying on the ground. It was rusty and its needle was twirling restlessly, as if it wanted to break out of its casing. Lena picked up the find, feeling a shiver down her spine. As soon as she touched the cool metal, unfamiliar symbols appeared on the dial. The compass pointed in a direction deep into the thicket, where no city dweller was likely to venture. She knew she should go back, but something was drawing her back. She stepped into the forest, carefully squeezing between the spreading roots. Soon she was surrounded by shadows and the whisper of leaves that seemed to speak in an unknown language. Suddenly, the compass began to pulsate with light, and Lena came to a stop in a small clearing. In the middle lay a huge stone with the same symbol engraved on it as on the compass. Suddenly, a boy about her age emerged from the bushes, with dishevelled hair and a strange, glittering cloak. He held in his hand a staff tipped with a crystal. - Can you hear him too? - He asked, looking her straight in the eye. - Did the compass speak to you? Before Lena had time to answer, the stone glowed with a mysterious blue light, and a muffled rumbling could be heard from deep in the forest, as if something huge was about to approach....