Home Sweet Home

"We need to go home," Charles Bridgerton announced on the late morning of the next day.

Jenkins had long since trudged home (his wife set a timer for how long he was allowed to be out of the house), so the house was free of guests. But speaking of general cleanliness as such, the place was quite dirty.

"If you really saw the sign, then we should probably get on the road," Harold agreed, wiping off the leftovers from yesterday's plate.

Charles still didn't feel like eating, so the old man decided to locate all the necessary items and start packing everything together. Later, once the items were stuffed together, the friends ventured to visit all the cherished spots they had been to over the last few days.

Entering the basement workshop, the scholars extinguished the torches that had been left burning for some foolish reason. For some reason, Charles also took the violet book and stuffed it into his already overcrowded bag. It was a sort of supernatural force—an instinct—that compelled him to take the book.

Now everything was done, everything was finished. And now both scholars stood in the corridor, in the very middle of the house, thinking about the impending journey home.

"Don't worry, we'll be back one day," Charles reassured his friend as he began to hear him sniffling.

And with heavy hearts, they pulled themselves out. The doors were closed again for a long time, and a hidden lock was secured where no one would find it. Walking to the end of the stone street, the friends walked backwards so they could enjoy the nostalgic view a little longer.

The sun shimmered, the melodies of little birds filled the air, and in the distance, the air could be seen warping from the heat. This was perhaps the hottest day of summer! Charles couldn't remember a time when he had sweated as much as he was now! Harold at least seemed to be faring better, for his body was sturdy and his skin—entirely porous.

The friends marched through the city's big and small streets with expressive strides. They both stopped by the old Jewish cemetery to lay flowers at the memorial of the founder of the Jakobstadt Jewish community. He had once been a wise and talented man, and Harold and Charles were fortunate to have been his students. After leaving the picked flowers from the garden by their former teacher's grave, the scholars continued on—past the Orthodox Monastery of the Holy Spirit and onward towards the right bank—Kreicburg.

The scholars had heard from the old Jenkins that the bombed synagogue had recently been restored. But the thing was that there hadn't been any wars or unrest for hundreds of years. A vivid image of a raider flashed through Charles's mind. He shuddered, hoping that the raiders wouldn't be so evil as to blow up sacred places.

Anyway, the good friends quickly threw a glance at the nice building and finally set off for the station. They had tried so hard to postpone that, walking in twists and turns, but now it was time.

Jakobstadt station loomed before them, grand and majestic as always. Bridgerton began to slowly climb the long stairs to the entrance, truly savoring each step. He had to stop abruptly when, looking at the glass entrance doors, he noticed the silhouette of a raider…

It seemed to come not from the inside, but rather from the outside. Charles froze completely. He glanced back, searching for where Harold had gone—he was still jumping up the stairs. Turning his head back to the door, Charles still saw the repulsive figure. But wait! Bridgerton was a hundred percent sure that he saw the raider turn his head back to the front as well. This meant that the black knight had also looked back, just as Charles had done only a second before. The scholar began to feel quite uneasy, so, closing his eyes, he decided simply to rub his eyes (which, of course, is not healthy).

Finished rubbing his eyes, and having opened them again, the scholar noticed no silhouette of a raider anywhere. In the place where it had stood just a second ago, only Charles remained. As it happened, Herald had finally climbed up, so Charles had no time to dwell on this strange incident.

"Are you okay?" Herald asked seriously, looking up at his best friend. "You look like you've seen a ghost!"

"Eh, it's nothing. I'm fine," Charles smiled.

"Are you sure? Well, okay."

Moving on, upon entering the station, the friends didn't waste any time purchasing tickets home with the last of the money they had on hand. The train to Berlin would depart in about an hour and a half, and since it had already parked at the train platform, the scholars decided to board it right away. The train was standing there early because it was a direct route, meaning that it began its journey in Jakobstadt and ended in Berlin, without any unnecessary stops.

This time, the ticket collector was a man of about middle age. He looked like the kind of guy who wouldn't want to talk much. Anyway, climbing up onto their platform, the old friends decided to read the local newspaper a bit. These days, they didn't have much free time for such trivial activities, as they were now fully-fledged senior scientists. Therefore, they eagerly read the thrilling stories, savoring every word. They continued doing this until they fell asleep.

***

Charles woke up in a forest. The ground was bluish-green, the moss was yellow, and the trees had violet foliage. It looked like an abstract painting. Where was the train? And Herald?

With these questions buzzing in his head, Charles struggled to get to his feet. His head spun, but soon the ground settled back into place. The scholar looked around with genuine admiration and confusion. Nothing in this place indicated anything familiar or even earthly at all.

Realizing that there was no escape, Charles decided to explore this strange environment. Stumbling forward, his legs tangled in all sorts of unreal vines, fungi, moss, pebbles, and debris. It seemed that no one lived here and certainly hadn't lived for at least the last hundred years.

Then, suddenly, he could hear the sound of a stream or waterfall nearby. The scholar began to move in that direction. He couldn't see anything clearly. But as soon as the scientist emerged from the thick underbrush, an unexpected sight appeared before him.

There was a waterfall cascading down from the top of a hill, where, in turn, an interesting wooden cabin stood. It looked as if it was woven into the surrounding environment, and all signs indicated that someone lived there, some special person… if they were even human. After lingering there for a moment, Charles decided to approach the strange structure cautiously.

Arriving at the entrance, he placed his trembling hand on the mossy door handle. Pushing the door open, Bridgton looked inside the cabin with an anxious gaze. One corner looked like a kitchen — some pots were simmering. Shelves and cupboards creaked along the walls, piled with all sorts of junk and artifacts. Further ahead, directly facing Charles, there was something resembling a half-corridor, more like an indentation deeper into the house. And to the right stood a half-collapsed staircase leading to the attic.

Hello! - Bridgton accidentally slipped away.

I'm coming! - unexpectedly, a muffled voice responded.

Charles looked around in horror - who would greet him in this strange place? Suddenly, one of the corridor doors swung open. Out came something Charles hoped he would never see in his life again - a raider!

It started to stumble heavily toward the scientist. Charles couldn't think of what to do. He only felt a cold bead of sweat trickling down his hot forehead. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that there were some plates on the lunch table. Not thinking too much, Charles quickly grabbed the nearest plate and, as hard as his old hands could manage, threw it at the raider with all his might.

The plate shattered, and the only sign that the raider had felt anything at all was a small whimper beneath his helmet.

Hey! I just made that recently, - the raider lamented, clutching his head, - Brother, it seems you could use a little relaxation.

When Charles said nothing, the raider decided to remove his muffled black helmet. Charles wasn't really expecting him to do that, let alone what was hiding behind the mask. It was a kindly looking humanoid creature with bluish-green and somewhat tousled skin, and in place of a nose, it had two narrow holes, like a fish. Growing on its head were what looked like moss or fungi, in the same color as its skin, only a bit lighter. It looked at Charles with wide eyes, its mouth forming a kind smile.

Here, sit down at the table, - the creature commanded him, - I will explain everything shortly.

Charles only nodded silently. And before he realized it, he found himself comfortably settled. He also understood that in the meantime, he had managed to drink some unknown brew (Charles hadn't studied alchemy, so he couldn't determine what the drink was). The scientist lifted his gaze from the nearly empty mug and turned to the unmasked raider sitting across from him.

So, Charlie, let's start everything from the beginning. Despite how it may look, I am not a raider, but rather their Most Powerful Wizard, - the creature paused for a moment, keeping its eyes fixed on Charles, to give him a chance to process this information before continuing, - Actually, uh… maybe I should start over… so I am not a raider, but I collaborate with them, and as I mentioned - I am their Most Powerful Wizard! And my name is Scheidis, nice to meet you. And there is this little thing, which few know, and which you must keep quiet about… I am part of a secret resistance movement that is specifically aimed at the annihilation of the raiders. And, as you may have already guessed, you are dreaming. Berots (who is the leader of the resistance movement) sent me a command to send you a dream that would allow you to learn everything you need to know about the Last Battle, if there is to be one…

Alright, - it seemed that Charles, possibly from the drink, had become a bit more rational in this dreamlike dimension, - Then go ahead and tell me, but wait, you mentioned some battle? Hasn't this crazy adventure already come to an end?

"Now you speak sensibly, that drink must have helped. I'm not sure about the battle, but I advise being vigilant. And perhaps the adventure has only just begun," - Sheidi thumped the wooden table with his hard fist, - "But now it's time to get down to bread and butter. As I mentioned, let's start from the very beginning. Ahem, once upon a time in a faraway world, there was a time of peace and prosperity, a kind of golden age. But here, there was also a cursed pit that stretched unknownly deep into the earth, where dark creatures ruled and lived. It was quite a pit, if you knew, about the size of some village. Anyway, everything was peaceful until one day, unexpectedly, a truly evil beast crawled out of the pit - Farox, the god of raiders (may his dark spirit be destined for a painful death). But this beast had a very sweet tongue, capable of fooling anyone, even a respectable sorcerer like me! And so I found myself on the side of darkness. I was the one who helped to create the raiders, for they were nothing more than walking armor; their hearts, brains, and lungs were a mixture of dark and lifeless magic. Farox promised me a grand plot of land once he and his mighty army of raiders had conquered, or as they called it, "united" the world. In short, they ruthlessly devastated both near and distant lands, and their mission was successfully accomplished. The raiders had conquered the entire world, and now they had to look further…

"Wait," - Charles interrupted, - "Did they really conquer ALL of your world? All the continents and every little island?"

"Uh, no. In reality, Farox didn't have enough common sense to remember the islands. He only conquered the entire Continent, but those islands wouldn't give him much anyway. By the way, where was I? Oh, right! When the entire Continent was conquered, the empty-headed Farox decided that the next rational target would be the conquest of other worlds. And, um, oh, I forgot to mention that when he crawled out of that deep pit, his two brothers also emerged with him. And then, when the time came to explore other dimensions, Farox sent forward his most trusted brother (who was a bit younger than him). This happened because his brother was, as you would call it, a four-dimensional being, but we call it a super-sentient being of the highest order. Anyway, you probably know what that is, right? A four-dimensional being is higher than us three-dimensional beings because they have the ability to move through the time dimension. Such beings can literally step into the past and step into the future! And so, Farox's second youngest brother, who, by the way, is called Berots, was…

"Wow, did you just say what I think you said?" - Charles asked again, wondering if he really heard that the very brother of the raider god was Berots - the benevolent adventurer.

"Yes indeed! More about that later. But for now, Berots's abilities were put to use. I had to separate part of his abilities and add them to Farox, for to open a portal to another dimension, two force bearers are needed. That's how it works, to ensure mutual access to the portal - so one can go inside the portal and then come back; otherwise, it becomes a dead end. But yes, that was done. And so, in short, the raiders arrived in your world."

"Ahem, that's simply a fantastic narrative, but how does it really relate to me?" – A curious expression adorned Charles's face.

"Quite simply," – Shady's expression turned serious, – "You are the one who will save your world from complete raider devastation. You are the one who will send all those rascals back home. And you are the one who will restore balance everywhere. Do you even realize how important this task entrusted to you is?" – Shady raised an eyebrow, signaling for Charles to start speaking.

"But why me? Can't you do it? And what about Berot?"

"No, I'm too old for that. Besides, Berot is imprisoned – in a time prison. His four-dimensional essence has turned into a three-dimensional one. And he can only give us instructions on what to do, or provide records that we strategically scatter everywhere. And you, Charlie, truly possess all the knowledge, passion, ingenuity, and honor. You have already achieved so much! By gathering each fragment of the puzzle, you have created lines of power across Europe – the raider paths have been disrupted, and they cannot reach their master – Farokh. He no longer has reinforcements, and his abilities are weakening, while the shackles of Berot's time prison are loosening. You are almost there..." – Shady's final words faded into a deep whisper.

"So the raiders have been hindering us all this time because they tried to stop us from drawing the lines of power? And they wanted to maintain their influence and not lose their honor? And they knew I was a formidable man, which is why they attacked and imprisoned me?" – Charles's voice grew louder with each word.

Shady simply nodded in agreement. The prolonged conversation seemed to have come to an end. Charles's mind began to cloud again, swirling in vague thoughts – the effects of the potion were wearing off. Shady kindly escorted the young friend towards the door. The sage, opening the door, realized that he was not stepping out into an enchanted forest, but that he was once again on the platform of "Jakobštate - Berlin."

***

His eyes slowly opened, and the vaguely bright light transformed into clear objects and people, at least as clearly as Bridgton's old eyes allowed.

He didn't remember what he had dreamed, but he knew he had dreamed something. And later, the knowledge he had acquired would come to him at just the right times, though he of course didn't know that.

Somewhere at the front of the train, he could hear battle cries and banging. No one in the station was panicking, so the sage concluded that these were just sounds echoing from his dream.

Charles nearly fell asleep again but jolted awake as something crashed heavily against the front inter-carriage doors – the carriage at his end. Then something hit the doors again. The third time the door decided to give in. Bridgton stood with his mouth agape when he finally understood what was happening.

A few raiders had entered the platform, and Charles realized that they had just initiated the train robbery, as they aggressively emptied everyone's bags and luggage. Apparently, they were looking for something – but what?

The scientist's thoughts began to race as the raiders approached closer to his and Harold's seat with each aisle. Harold, having come to his senses, also just realized what was happening. Somehow, Charles managed to quickly formulate a plan. His plan was to run through this group of raiders and then somehow get to the train's control cabin, as the battle cries that had sounded before were coming from that direction; it would only make sense that during a train robbery, the black armored men would try to rob the ENTIRE train, and that could only be fully accomplished by breaking into the control cabin and taking control of the locomotive.

Charles suddenly realized that the raiders were already rummaging through the front compartment. It was time to act! He quickly grabbed his friend by the hand and pulled him along, along with all his belongings. Herold seemed to grasp this part of the plan, and he immediately jumped in among the raiders' ranks. Old Charles had to shove and push a bit. He made such a strong thrust that both raiders—on either side of the compartment—toppled over onto the dissatisfied passengers. That was quite an embarrassment for them!

Bridgton looked back. A joyful expression involuntarily crossed his face when he saw the raiders' mishap. But there was something else— the raiders didn't even attempt to rise because all that was left of them were their armors. Then, suddenly, a clever thought struck Charles's mind—he had the force lines in his bag, and as he moved forward, he pulled the force line along with him. This was indeed a pleasant discovery.

Be that as it may, they had to keep running forward because the raiders in the control cabin wouldn't wait. Then Charles remembered that he had seen another raider enter the platform when the robbery of this carriage began. Turning his head forward, he realized that the third was right in front of them—he was guarding the door to the next carriage!

Herold decided to act without consulting Charles. The sock successfully started to weave around the raider's torso, tangling around his legs, and when the knight tried to grab him with his merciless hands, he ended up hurting himself. Thus, when Charles finally made it to the inter-platform doors, the black knight was already lying defeated. The two friends slapped five.

"We need to get to the control cabin and hand back the train control to the driver," Bridgton immediately clarified.

"Yes, I figured that out," Herold boasted about his knowledge.

"Ready?" Charles asked Herold this question only when special attention, ingenuity, energy, strength, and speed were required.

"Yes!" The fire burned in Herold's eyes, "Let's roll!"

Bridgton cautiously opened the carriage doors, and soon both friends were in the next platform. They would have to cross two platforms, including this one, to reach the locomotive's control room.

There were more raiders in this carriage than expected. But thanks to Herold's high fighting spirit, this didn't seem like an impossible mission. The sock dashed into the raiders' swarm with mighty force. He weaved with perfect precision and agility right between the startled bodies of the raiders. All of this took place in just a few seconds, but to Herold, it felt like it lasted a solid few minutes. In slow motion, he saw the black knights reaching for him, but he was much, much faster, and the raiders only hit their own teammates. It was like a domino effect—raiders toppled over one another while swords, stolen belongings from passengers, and even arrows flew through the air!

Reaching the very end of the line, Herold heard metal debris crashing behind him. His friend Charles deftly leaped over the fallen raiders to stretch the force line that would indeed break them. The friends, meeting again at the end of the platform, slapped five once more. Only one platform remained, and then they would be at the control center!

In the next carriage, it was Charles's turn to prove himself. He (as an outstanding basketball player) decided to try throwing his bag over the whole group of raiders, hoping that the force line would do its job. There were even more of them in this carriage, so he had to take the risk. Harold, startled, opened his eyes wide because he wasn't sure how much Charles remembered from his basketball days.

Bridgton, with cool sweat dripping from his forehead to his chin, swung his rusted scholar's hand, which was more used to writing scientific articles than throwing a travel bag. In an instant, he thrust his right hand forward, and the bag flew like an arrow. At incredible speed, it zoomed over all the astonished and bewildered raiders. Charles felt he hadn't forgotten his basketball days after all. His hopes faded when a skilled raider's hand shot up from the black crowd and made contact with the precious bag. However, he only brushed against it, and the bag's movement was not hindered, successfully landing on the other side of the group of evil knights. It was only at that moment that Charles realized he had been holding his breath the entire time the bag was in the air.

It was epic to see how the once lively and hostile raiders transformed into nothing more than empty armor. The clang that resonated as the armor collapsed into a heap was significant, making ears ring for a while after.

The scholars, stepping over their fallen enemies' armor, approached the valuable travel bags. It looked like everything was in place. Then the friends, once again having bumped fists, gazed at the doors that loomed threateningly in front of them. They led to the main control cabin. They could expect anything there! Charles was the first to dare take fateful steps toward the unknown. Harold followed closely behind. Bridgton, deftly pushing aside the golden sliding doors, entered the small corridor that led to the train's control center. The tension was further heightened by the miraculous fact that there wasn't a single sound in this locomotive compartment—there was an eerie silence and a spooky cold, which was very uncharacteristic of a tidy locomotive like this one.

The two friends approached the doors at the end of the corridor with heavy, cold steps. The door had a kind of small window, but it was so fogged up that they couldn't see anything. These doors were considerably heavier than all the others before, so Charles gratefully accepted Harold's assistance.

They quickly slipped inside, and the ironbound doors closed heavily behind them, echoing through the room with a mighty reverberation. The friends carefully looked around the dimness that had filled this space. They could discern large gears turning and glowing hot furnace grates as chunks of coal were automatically tossed into them.

The scholars were beginning to think this was all there was; that there wouldn't be any more raiders. But then suddenly, they both noticed a bright figure that they had somehow overlooked before. It was a raider, but instead of black armor, he wore white armor (Charles and Harold had seen this type before); it was the talking raider!

"I was already waiting for you," stated the white raider, without turning toward the newcomers, emphasizing his words.

"Can we help you in any way?" - Herold shouted, trying to subdue the attacker.

"The question is not about what you want from me, but rather what I want from you," the raider melodically hummed, "Where is our book?"

Charles immediately realized what he was blabbering about, and the scientist began to stutter nervously.

"I don't know what book you want, but we definitely don't have it!" - Herold retorted.

"So, common sense won't compel you to be honest with yourself and with me," the white raider spoke through complex phrases, "Then we will have to impose honesty and grace WITH FORCE!"

The white raider yelled the last sentence, and then, from nowhere, two hefty raider fighters landed on the floor, one on each side of the cabin. The speaking raider then turned around, and, due to the darkness, only part of his otherworldly face was visible (because he had his helmet open). He pointed with his long, armed finger at the scientists. At that moment, both metal behemoths charged at them.

Bridgton and Rimnia's first reaction, for some reason, was to throw themselves right between the two giants. This action would likely have killed them, but miraculously they emerged unscathed. The heavy giants collided with each other, creating a kind of crash.

Bridgton began to panic, as he didn't know what to do. How could they defeat such elephants? But then he had a sudden flash of mental clarity, and Charles realized he had just pulled himself forward. Looking back, he noticed that it had not been the case at all. During the quick maneuver, Charles's bag had likely slipped from his shoulders, and now it was trapped between the two massive raiders.

There were two raiders — the scientists were also two, so no significant sneaking out would work here, as the opponents were evenly matched. Before any of the friends could come up with a plan, the raider giants charged at them again with an immense force. The raiders were bulky, while both scientists were agile, and they managed to half-jump, half-roll away from a possible collision.

Charles, running as fast as he could along the room's semi-circular wall, reached his precious travel bag. He quickly strapped it over his shoulders and immediately began to run again, as he felt the raider giant on his back running hot on his heels. After two unsuccessful charges, both giants were a bit worn out and couldn't fly as they did before. And when the positions of the raider and Bridgton shifted such that the raider was further east than Charles, the sound of crashing armor could be heard distinctly. The other giant raider met the same fate shortly thereafter.

Now that both giants were downed, it was time to turn to the white raider, who had been merely watching the events unfold this whole time. You might think he was putting up some resistance, but in reality, he immediately surrendered without any conditions.

"Well, well, well," - Charles counted, holding one of the raider giants' swords pointed at the white raider's neck, "What are you doing here? And who sent you?"

After a long moment of silence, Bridgton reminded the raider that a sword was aimed at his neck, which would not only pass through his armor but would most likely sever his head immediately (as the blade of the enormous sword was quite wide). After this threat, the speaking raider, letting out a long and heavy sigh, began to speak.

"Alright, alright. I was sent by Farokh to carry out the last mission, or at least to delay you."

"Farokh? Who is that?" - The Herald asked.

"Sounds familiar… Wait, is that not the raider god himself?" - Charles suddenly remembered.

"Yes," - the white raider simply replied bluntly.

"And um… why do you, as a raider, have white armor? And why can you speak?" - Charles had a feeling he already knew the answers to these provocative questions, but he couldn't recall them.

"Raiders in black armor are created from dark and lifeless energy; in short, they are not alive. They can be created and destroyed at will. But raiders in white armor are specially chosen living beings. White raiders serve both as speakers and as generals of ordinary raiders," - the revealed raider, staring at the floor, thoroughly explained everything.

"So what kind of hierarchy exists among the raiders?" - Charles found this question not very interesting, but it was useful.

"First are the black raiders, led by the white raiders, who are, in turn, commanded by the raider captain, and they are commanded by Farokh. Of course, any of the higher ranks can influence any of the lower ones; there is no need to adhere to direct hierarchical order," - the white raider now raised his gaze to Charles, as if hoping the questioning was over.

"That's all clear, but what is your name? What is your story?" - The Herald now also joined in the questioning.

"I am Umberg. I volunteered for the raider army just before we arrived here," - the raider now stood up, signaling that the questioning was over, - "Uh, actually, I am part of Berot's resistance."

This revelation came like a cold splash of water. The friends were left in stunned silence. Charles dropped the mighty sword from his hands. Both sorcerers offered deep apologies to their new friend.

"Why didn't you say that right away?" - The Herald pondered aloud, - "Why did you even participate in this operation?"

"You see, I didn't have much choice. If you want to keep your life, it's better for no one to know you work for Berot," - Umberg explained, - "I had to at least pretend to play my part."

"Is that why those big raiders were so inexperienced?" - Charles asked again.

"Yes. I had asked our wizard, Sheidy, to use less magic on these two."

"Sheidy... What?" - The Herald looked completely bewildered.

"I'll explain later," - his friend whispered in his ear.

"Anyway. You should put the train operator back in his place because your destination is approaching rapidly," - Umberg casually remarked, - "Well then, see you on the other side."

When the raider said this, he instantly pressed some sort of button he had in his hand, and in a moment he vanished like a hologram. The friends, who now felt as if they had just discovered a very close relative, did not hesitate for a moment. They quickly found the train conductor, who had been stuffed in a cupboard, and put him back in his place. And thus the locomotive successfully arrived at Árbolville station.

***

The two friends were filled with awe, and a new strength surged through their limbs as they saw their countryside home in southern Germany again. Charles happily went ahead and pushed open the front door that led to the porch. In the meantime, things had changed a bit - the flower beds had become overgrown with weeds, small tiny apples were already beginning to appear on the apple trees, and there was something in the mailbox.

Not a moment passed before, having entered their home, Charles immediately collapsed onto his messy, stuffy bed, and he stayed there for a good few minutes. He let out what might have been the longest sigh of his life.

Ah, how good it is to be home! - Bridgton exclaimed with indescribable relief.

Yes, as they say, there's no better place than home! - Herald accidentally said in another language, but Charles seemed to understand.

Wait, I just understood all of that. Maybe returning home has cured my language amnesia? - Charles' mood improved.

Next, the friends thoroughly explored every room in their little house. The bathroom was as always shiny, the history room was as always historical, and the lounge was as always peaceful. Then they finally entered their kitchen, where, at the dirty breakfast table, all this long and unforgettable adventure had begun. A crumpled note lay scattered on the table.

I don't remember leaving that here. Herald?

No, it definitely wasn't me!

The note read - Face me (outside). Both friends were puzzled, because wasn't the adventure already over?

I guess we have to go out to the yard then? - Charles looked at his friend.

Perhaps. But I don't know whom we could face.

Having gone outside in the spacious and green backyard, both wise men squinted their eyes as much as they could. Nothing. Nothing suspicious caught their eye. The only thing they saw and heard was the birds singing in the apple orchard.

It was starting to seem that nothing would happen, and the friends had begun to slowly turn around. But then unexpectedly a small tremor began, and from below the ground of the yard, a powerful, violet pyramid rose up. It grew and grew until it took up almost the entire yard. The structure was laced with hundreds of neon-like veins through which a mystical energy flowed, and it all seemed to pulsate a bit. The entrance was 5 meters from the friends.

How did we not notice that before? - Herald almost shouted in surprise.

Well, yes. I really don't know, I really don't know, - Charles shook his head.

The friends slowly approached the entrance. They examined it carefully before deciding to go inside. There were no doors at the entrance, and a long corridor began immediately. The corridor was filled with a gentle darkness and dampness. As the wise men walked deeper into the darkness, it began to seem like it would never end.

How much longer? - Herald whined.

Wait, I think I see a door further ahead! - Charles exclaimed happily.

It was indeed a door, but it was quite peculiar. It had neither hinges nor handles, and the only thing that indicated it was a door rather than a wall was a rectangular cavity at the top of the door. It looked like something could be inserted there, and possibly the door would open.

Did you say door? I see only a wall here, - Herald stared at the cavity in the door.

It seems that they can be opened as long as something is placed in that flat cavity, - Bridgton pondered.

For example, I don't know, fones? - Herald casually mentioned.

Exactly! Herald, you are a genius! - Charles exclaimed, and, having said that, he ran back to the house where he had left his bag with all the fones.

The scientist had been gone for quite a while, and the sock was starting to get scared. The mystical temple atmosphere created a sort of evil premonition. Just when it seemed that they would have to go after Charles, he arrived, bringing all his belongings. The friends had decided that they would need to assemble something like a puzzle. But the fones were not ordinary puzzle pieces; these were triangular, and each of the three sides had protrusions like a key. This meant that there could be infinitely many combinations from just 9 puzzle pieces. The friends fumbled around in the dim light for quite a while until Charles suddenly pulled out a mechanized torch from his pocket to see better.

"What the heck! Why did you have a mechanized torch in your pocket?" Herald asked, bewildered.

"Just in case," Charles replied curtly.

Now Rimni had to hold the torch while Bridgton attempted to assemble the impossible puzzle. Perhaps an hour went by, and then the friends decided to switch places. Nothing, and nothing. Just when it seemed there would be a significant connection, it suddenly turned out that the fragments were all put together incorrectly. After a long struggle, finally, the entire puzzle was assembled, but the friends immediately realized that it was the wrong way around. So, they had to take it all apart and start over again. But now, at last, it was here!

"Is that… is it a map?" Herald pondered aloud.

It indeed was a map, a map of Europe. Both friends quickly grasped that. Furthermore, they also realized that all their destinations were marked on the map — all connected by a golden line. This golden line sparkled enchantingly after a few moments, and the door split open in front of the friends, thereby opening.

On the other side awaited a creature. It resembled Pikachu a little, but this one was amber-colored, with large wings, and it was literally stubborn.

"What is that?" Charles wondered as if to himself.

"Hey, it looks familiar," Herald said, glancing at the disassembled puzzle. "Look! The golden outline forms that creature that's in front of us."

Once Bridgton understood everything he had heard, he decided to bend down and pet the creature. It pleasantly purred, almost like a cat. Then the animal ran a little further down the hallway in front of them, as if urging the friends to follow.

"It seems we need to follow, alright, we're coming! - Charles announced, - Wait, what are we going to call him?

I think... little Bridgton! Or Bridgton Junior! - Herald suggested.

Okay, let it be, now we'll follow little Bridgton.

The wise men, following their new pet, were led deeper and deeper into darkness. Further on, the path branched out, but little Bridgton seemed to know where to go, or at least that's what the scientists hoped. It was like a labyrinth - left, right, straight, right, right, left, and straight again.

Then, from the darkness, emerged what looked like a waiting room. There was nothing special about it, except that right in front of the friends were huge half-open iron doors, illuminated by glowing arrows that seemed to invite them to discover what was hidden behind them. The little creature ran up to the doors, sniffed, and quickly slipped inside.

Alright, stop, let's take a step back. So, a large black pyramid appeared in our yard, which looks, to be honest, like it's from another dimension. Then we went inside, assembled a super complicated puzzle, and an unusual creature appeared that isn't described in any animal book. And this creature led us through winding paths in a completely pitch-black labyrinth. And now we stand in front of doors as large as a house, with glowing arrows pointing at them, - Herald expressed.

Yes, exactly, what's the problem? - Charles said.

Doesn't all of this seem a bit strange to you? - Rimnija's voice became quite high-pitched when he said the word "a bit," - Maybe these are traps!

No, little Bridgton would never do anything like that, and besides, are we really going to leave this huge structure in our yard unexplored? - Bridgton raised an eyebrow, - After all, we are scientists!

You might be right, - Sock stated after a long moment of silence, - Let's go!

And so, both friends, with sweaty hands and trembling legs, slipped through the crack of the door (since the door was too heavy to open wider). Inside this new space, the darkness was even greater than in the labyrinth.

Finally, - a deep, expressive voice spoke from the far end of the room, - I was expecting you."