The summer was exceptionally hot this year. Four friends - Lena, Dawid, Bartek and Kalina - were spending their summer holidays in an old forester's lodge in the Masuria region. Every day they explored new paths, bathed in the lake and in the evenings sat around the campfire, talking about dreams and plans for the future. One afternoon, just before a storm, Lena noticed something unusual in a thicket of ferns. A metal arch covered with incomprehensible symbols glittered between two centuries-old oaks. It looked like a gate that had not been here before. The others quickly followed her, driven by natural curiosity and a flutter of hearts. "This must be some part of the old estate," David stated, looking at the engraved signs. Bartek tried to move a section of the structure, but it was cold and immobile, despite the hot air all around. Kalina, who loved puzzles, began to examine the patterns and repeated them in whispers, as if searching for a hidden meaning. As the sun began to hide behind the tree line, the archway quivered with a soft light and a silvery mist flashed in the centre. The air around them thickened and became electrically charged. The friends looked at each other - no one spoke the question that hung in the air, but the answer was obvious. Bartek was the first to take a bold step forward, touching the surface of the portal with his fingers. Before he had time to step back, he was drawn into a whirlpool of luminous particles. The rest moved after him, too intrigued to retreat. A moment later, they were all on the other side - on a rocky path, surrounded by a blue-purple forest. The trees had twisted branches from which crystal leaves dangled, and a draughty sound like the ringing of glass came from the distance. Above their heads floated luminous beings, resembling glowing butterflies, which danced through the air, leaving iridescent streaks behind them. Lena turned around, trying to find the portal they had passed through, but there was not a trace of the arch among the trees. Fear and excitement clashed inside her as she tried to understand where they were and how to get out. David pointed with his hand towards the strange city visible in the distance - its buildings glowed with their own light, and between them flitted the shadows of creatures whose shapes seemed to change with every blink of an eye. Suddenly, the ground beneath their feet began to tremble. Someone - or something - that looked like a hooded figure with white, gormless eyes emerged from the path they had just walked down. There was a soft glow from its robe, and the voice that echoed around it was both gentle and piercing: "Why have you crossed the Twilight Gate? Every newcomer must make a choice..." For a long moment, no one dared to move. In this strange new world, anything seemed possible - and dangerous. All four held their breath, facing a being who seemed to know the answers to questions they hadn't even thought of.