Strigorov’s Forest

By Tomislav Takac

Three people have disappeared in Central Park over the past two weeks, leaving no evidence behind. The three victims seem to have nothing in common, so investigators have trouble finding a motive or pinpointing a suspect. Twenty-nine-year-old policeman Tomo Mihajlovi is especially frustrated until it appears he gets a break in the form of an invisible woman.

After he is bumped by something he cannot see, Tomo uses his camera with infrared and, shockingly, spots an unseen female in a dress. Of course, Tomo follows her into Central Park. Tomo saves her from two bandits, and his heroics transport him to a world of magic and creatures beyond belief.

He is in a universe parallel to ours on a Alternative Earth called Agulsa. The woman he saved is Erena Geneza, the youngest daughter of a famous sorceress. Always the investigator, Tomo explores this new, unfamiliar place, but there are still questions. For instance, why are people going missing in New York, and who plots to capture Erena?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Jan 30, 2022
• ISBN: 9781665716406

Tomislav Takac

Tomislav Taka was born in 1988 in the city of Subotica, Serbia. Since early childhood, he has been fascinated with everything strange, and he eventually became something of a walking encyclopedia. He started writing novels and short stories five years ago and hasn’t stopped since. He currently works in a women’s sock factory.

Book preview

Copyright © 2022 Tomislav Takač.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Archway Publishing

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.archwaypublishing.com

844-669-3957

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 978-1-6657-1639-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6657-1640-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022901839

Archway Publishing rev. date: 01/28/2022

CONTENTS

Chapter 1 The Sorceress and the Gunslinger

Chapter 2 Reaper, Woman in Red and Albino Bambino

Chapter 3 Operation Rabbit Hole

Chapter 4 Lord of the Valley

Chapter 5 Fantastic Frank

Chapter 6 Goodbye, old friend

Chapter 7 The Wrong Side of the Rainbow

Chapter 8 Heart of the Storm

Chapter 9 Black Swan Island

Chapter 10 A Forest Full of Evil

Chapter 11 Fairy Circle

Chapter 12 Two Sisters

Chapter 13 Sunflower Castle

Chapter 14 Bormos

57985.png

CHAPTER ONE

THE SORCERESS AND

THE GUNSLINGER

T hree people had disappeared without a trace in Central Park over the past two weeks. They’d left no message. One of them was thirty-six-year-old Elizabeth Johnson, a prosecutor by profession. One fine morning, she went jogging in the park, and that was the last time her husband saw her. The last person to see her was a tourist who was walking with his wife and children and saw her crossing the overpass around seven in the morning. She was the second person to go missing that week. The first was a certain Billy Timothy, a sixty-two-year-old retired postal delivery officer who had gone to visit a friend who worked at the Natural History Museum. One member of the cavalry police, a certain John Johansson, saw him around nine in the morning near the lake, and that was the last time they saw him. It happened six days before Elizabeth’s disappearance. The third missing person was thirty-nine-year-old taxi driver, Drake Jensen. He’d disappeared without a trace three days ago.

These thoughts went through the head of twenty-nine-year-old police officer Tomo Mihajlović, who was working on Elizabeth’s case. As he questioned her husband, friends, and relatives, he realized she knew neither Bill nor Drake.

He had been a police officer for five years and had seen everything and anything, but this case was the most complicated. He had no clues. Elizabeth had no enemy, no one who would want to harm her or kill her, although she was a prosecutor. Colleagues were no luckier either; the other two missing persons lived honestly and did not hang out with suspicious people. They did not go to the same restaurants, libraries, and cinemas. Elizabeth, for example, loved epic fiction. Billy and Drake did not go to the cinema. Drake had a DVD player. He mostly watched westerns and adventure movies, while Billy watched crime and detective movies on a video recorder. They weren’t even of the same faith; Drake was a Catholic, Elizabeth was a Mormon, and Billy was a Protestant. The tourist helped little either, because it was all new to him, and all the bridges looked the same to him. Not knowing what to do next, Tomo sat on a bench and fed the pigeons. He went home, as he doubted he would find out anything. He got up slowly and headed for the hot dog booth. Someone suddenly hooked him with her elbow; turned to apologize, but no one was there. He continued on, but out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the grass bending strangely along the path, as if someone were walking on it. Thought he was seeing, so he pinched himself to see if he was dreaming. He remembered a small camera in his pocket that had infrared mode, turned it on, and started filming, trying to spot something. He saw a silhuete of someone walking slowly toward the forest, with their back turned, about ten meters from him. Followed that person, and after zooming in, he realized it was a female person wearing a dress. She had a backpack on her back, a stick in her right hand, and a hat with a large brim on her head.

My God, what’s going on? Tomo muttered to himself. He dropped his camera and looked in the person’s direction he had just seen. He saw just some twigs moving. If he didn’t run into that person, she could make it through the entire park unnoticed. Suddenly, she took something from the backpack. Holding it for a while, she returned it to the backpack and continued in the same direction. Slowly, Tomo continued to follow her, not knowing they had both fallen into an ambush.

Two bandits were sitting hidden in the treetops.

Ragni, prepare an arrow with stunning poison. Remember, we agreed to catch her alive. Wait for her to find what we need, and then we’ll catch her. Aim at the shoulder or arm; if you accidentally kill her, I will skin you alive, said the bandit with the black hood and metal mask.

Urgan, calm down. l have only one eye, but I’m very precise. How are you going to stop her from attacking us with magic if she accidentally frees herself when the effects of the poison pass? a lower bandit with a gray hood and a bandage over his left eye said.

In response Urgan pull out a leather necklace with a metal clasp with many multicolored crystals on it from his pocket. Ragni started laughing and asked him, Are you planning to win her heart?

No, fool. This is a special necklace that blocks any magic in someone when you put it around someone’s neck, regardless of whether it is a druid, witch, wizard, elf, or a warlock. There are only a few of them in the world, and it was very difficult to get ahold of these.

How do you know it works? Ragni asked.

Do you remember I wandered almost two weeks before we came here?

What about that?

I tried them on witches, wizards, and an elf. Of course, after that I killed them all so that they would not know that I had a necklace. It’s a real blessing that I got it.

Where did you find it?

In a little town on the coast. There we met some weirdo; it turned out that he was from a noble family and had an interesting collection.

How come I didn’t see that collection?

You went straight to a brothel drunk as soil, and I met you the next morning. Did you at least have fun?

Ragni interrupted him, pointing at someone. They saw a man following their target from a distance of about ten meters. What are we going to do with him?

Kill him, but first let’s get her, Urgan said and patted his pocket where he kept the necklace.

Ragni and asked him, How many gold coins do we both get from that Jerapi? Five, six hundred gold coins?

Seven.

Don’t worry about that idiot in blue pants. We’ll kill him before he realizes what happened to him.

Finally, I found it! said the young sorceress. She stopped in front of a large rock that in no way stood out from the surroundings.

The yuong sorceress name was Erena Geneza. She was the youngest of three daughters of Linera Genesis, the most famous sorceress from the area. Erena was nineteen years old and had green eyes and blonde hair. She was still a student and had about half a year of magic school left. She was very smart and brave, but above all, she longed to return home to her dear Aaron. They had promised each other that they would get married as soon as she finished school. Erena slowly pointed the stick at the rock, on which appeared a magical symbol that her ancestor had left there four hundred years ago, along with a coffin.

It shone brighter and open like a huge seashell. Tomo watched and filmed all this, trying to understand what was happening. After the rock opened, Erena pointed her left hand at some kind of wooden box, which floated in front of her feet.

"Jesus, what twilight zone did I fall into? ordered Tomo. The rock closed, and the symbol disappeared from the crack as if it wasn’t even there.

As he was thinking about what to do, Tomo felt a powerful blow to the chest and then rolled into a small ditch behind him. Erena heard something happening, but before she could do anything, an arrow hit her in the shoulder! In an instant, she felt her arms and legs tingle, and she collapsed, unable to move anything but her head. She didn’t realize what had happened until she saw an arrow sticking out of her shoulder and two men approaching her. One had a small crossbow in his hand. He was dressed in black and had a hood and a wrought iron mask with purple lenses. She realized it was a special alchemical glass, which allowed anyone to see magical beings or people, even when they were invisible. How many gold coins did he spend or how many people did he kill to get hold of those lenses? she wondered. Urgan interrupted her flow of thoughts when he took out the necklace. Her reaction caught his attention.

You understand what this is? Then you know only I can take it off, and any attempt by you to do that would be a waste of time—a painful one. What’s the point if she tries to take it off?" Urgan asked Ragni.

She’ll feel indescribable pain—so much so that she can’t do anything but scream.

When suddenly someone shouted, Hands up! New York Police! Are you deaf?

Ragni and Urgan turned; Ragni prepared the crossbow, and Urgan drew his sword. When they saw the newcomer, they realized it was that fool in a yellow jacket and blue pants. He was standing a few meters away from them and was threatening them in his strange language, holding something like a small crossbow in his hands. What could that thing do? If it’s a weapon at all, thought Urgan, then it’s the poorest weapon I’ve ever seen.

It’s yours, Ragni!

Excuse me? Oh, OK. He targeted Tomo’s neck and fired an arrow, but Tomo dodged it. The bandit took a small ax from his belt to chop him into pieces, but then he heard a bang and felt a blow to the head. He did not know that this blow was actually a 9 mm bullet. He fell to the ground, dead.

It took a few seconds before Urgan realized his friend was dead. He approached his body, turned it over, and noticed a small hole in the back of his head. He turned slowly to Tomo and drew his two swords. Get ready to die." Tomo has not understood a single word he spoke nor understood why the fool not surrendered after his friend is killed.

TWO MINUTES EARLIER

The pain woke Tomo. What is it?. He began to himself. He straightened up and noticed a broken arrow protruding from his upper right chest. Fortunately, he always wears a bulletproof west. Who uses arrows?" He pulled out the top and noticed that it was just a piece of iron. His forehead hurt. It was wet,and looked at his fingers - it was blood. Realized he had hit his head on something and cut his forehead. Got up, took his pistol out of the holster on his belt and started sneaking towards the stone. He heard three voices. One belonged to a crying girl, and the other two were male voices, but he could not understand the language they spoke. He realized he had forgotten to call reinforcements. The only advantage he had was the element of surprise, because they thought he was dead.

PRESENT

Urgan ran to Tomo to cut him to pieces. Tomo fired three rounds, but not a single one pierced his armor,just dent it. With the sword he held in his left hand, Urgan knocked Tomo’s gun out of his hand, while with another he tried to cut his neck. To avoid a fatal blow, Tomo stepped on a rock and fell on his back. Angry because he missed, turned both swords toward Tomo to stab him. He avoided it by rolling to the side. He got up, and the part of his chest where the arrow hit him hurt every time he inhaled and exhaled. His forehead burned and blood flowed into his left eye,so he shoved his hand into his coat and pulled out his revolver.

Urgan was in no hurry… He noticed the opponent pulled something bigger out of his coat. It looked different: instead of a small hole in the front and gray, it was black, had a long tube, and a barrel in the middle Ha! thought Urgan. That is a small thing compared to a military crossbow or hunting bow whose arrows pierce the armor! It looks like a toy! He went on Tomo. He raised both swords and cut off his both hands.

Tomo, aimed at bandit’s chest and pulled the trigger. A thunderous bang was heard and Urgan paused, felt a powerful thump in his chest and noticed in disbelief that there was a hole in his armor out of nowhere. Unfortunately for him, Tomo’s revolver is Smith & Wesson 500, whose bullet passed through Urgan’s armor as if it were made of cardboard. Before he collapsed dead, he used his last breath to ask his killer:

Who are you? What are you…?" Tomo put the revolver back in its holster and pick up his pistol and headed for the girl to see how he was.

In the meantime, the poison partially weakened, Erena moved her hand to some extent. She straightened into a sitting position to see a man in a strange yellow jacket who just saved her from the bandits. He killed them; she didn’t understand how, but she knew they were dead. Tried to thank him as he questioned, but she didn’t understand what he was saying. Realized he didn’t understand her either. She remembered an old spell that made it possible to transfer language skills to another person so that she could communicate with us. She rested her hand on his left hand and began to slowly utter the magic words as he watched in amazement. Totally confused, Tomo felt a slight tingling sensation by her arm where she had placed hers. He suddenly realized that he understood her.

Do you understand what I’m saying? Erena asked him slowly.

Yes, but how come I didn’t understand you five seconds ago? ", He ask her, surprised.

I used an old spell, which I found out about in the library of the magic school. I transferred my knowledge of my mother tongue and some others so that we could communicate," Erena answered him.

Are you kidding me? ‘Are you saying you’re a sorceress? Am I losing my mind or what?"

Sorry if you’re scared and confused; you’re not crazy. And thank you for saving me from these bandits. We have to wait for the poison to stop working.

Poison?

Don’t worry, it’s not deadly, it’s just paralyzing. Their intention was to catch me alive, to sell me as a prostitute or a… slave.

Well, you’re welcome. Do you know how long the action will last?

It should only take an hour or two, so I ‘ll be fine.

He grabbed her hands and handcuffed her. She looked at him confused and asked him what that meant:

Why did you put me in chains?"

I don’t know who you are, what you are, and I’m taking you to the police station to establish your identity. If everything is fine, if you have not committed a crime and if your papers are in order, we will release you.

But I did nothing, either! Erena replied angrily.

Look, I’m a police officer and I notice when it’s not suspicious, and this is incomprehensible. Something like this has never happened to me before," Tomo said.

Before she could answer, a dozen FBI special forces suddenly formed, pointing their laser-aimed MP5 and M4 carbines at them. Tomo got up slowly, pulled on his raincoat so that he could see the badge on his belt. He raised his hands in the air and said:

I’m from the New York police. Why are you here?

Thank you for your cooperation Sir, you can go. This is our case from now on. It is a matter of national security. Do you have a camera that you used to take pictures of or record something? If you have something, could you give it to us?

Tomo handed over his cell phone and camera. After examining him and determining that nothing had been recorded or photographed, the agent returned the disassembled phone to him and said:

That’s it, sir, you can go home, we’ll take over from here.

One of the SWAT team slowly lifted Erena, whose legs were no longer paralyzed, took her with him, while the other agents gathered her things, and two in protective suits carefully picked up the strange engraved wooden box that was in the rock, put it in a protective steel box. And took it with her. Soon Tomo heard the rotor of a helicopter, and a second later, two Blackhawk helicopters flew over them and landed in one small clearing that could be seen through a sparse grove. They brought Erena into the first helicopter, while they took her belongings and the box to the second.

Not a minute has passed since he assembled and turned on the phone when someone called him. He immediately recognized the voice of his boss: Well, where are you? I’ve called you six times . We have received a call from the FBI that they are taking over the case, that we need to withdraw all the officers from Central Park and that they are taking over all the investigations related to that. Boss lowered his voice and said a little more calmly:

Tomo, go home., you have nothing more to look for here. As for this case, you’re done. Tomo’s only desire is hot shover and some sleep:

See you tomorrow, goodbye, and interrupted the call.

Headed for the path that led him to that part of the park, but turned to see how the helicopters would take off. He noticed a commotion in a helicopter and Erena leaning against the window and looking at him sadly, disappointed, most likely thinking that he had left her in the lurch. He watched the helicopters until he completely lost sight of them and then slowly started down the path that led from the park. His faithful steel-blue Yugo Coral 55 was waiting for him in the parking lot. He headed to his one-bedroom apartment on Eagle Avenue and arrived there in about an hour. He parked, locked the car, entered the apartment and locked behind him. His cat Djole was waiting for him. He started cuddling around his legs, so Tomo went to the kitchen cupboard, took out a large can of cat food, opened it and shook it all out. He poured milk into his bowl, took off his coat and lay down on the couch. In about two minutes, he was already asleep - fatigue quickly overcame him. He woke up around half-past two in the morning, shaved, spread it and lay back in bed. He got up, as always, at 7 in the morning, and we heard the voice of a local radio operator on the radio: ‘’ Good morning, New York! Today is June 11, 2018. A beautiful summer day, and according to the weather forecast, the next five days will be sunny, warm and clear. Perfect for going to the park! And now some music! And Just another ordinary day begins .

Tomo got up slowly, even prepared a breakfast for himself, started making coffee and then he heard someone ringing the doorbell. He looked through the peephole and saw an agent who took away his camera and phone yesterday and only returned his phone. Sir, can you open it? He unlocked it and opened the door and asked the agent what he needed.

We need your help. Tomo raised an eyebrow at this in surprise and asked:

What can I do for you?

I’ll explain everything to you when I walk into your apartment, as it’s a little complicated, the agent replied.

Tomo said sarcastically: A little? And let him into the apartment. He offered him coffee, but the agent refused.

If you’re going to have breakfast, finish it, drink your coffee, and I ‘ll the way you explain everything.

They shake hands.

"Didn’t get to know each other. I’m Agent Morris. I already know your name, so let’s get started. First, we can’t communicate with her. The language he speaks is a complete enigma for us. It is like Latin, but when we tried Latin, we realized she did not understand us. Second, it keeps repeating your name. Is there something you kept quiet about?

Well, she took my hand and did something.

What?

She gave me some knowledge of her language, so I could understand her.

How well do you understand? The agent asked.

It’s like he’s my mother language, Tomo replied. Agent Morris slowly removed his sunglasses:

Jesus, why didn’t you tell us right away? - we’ve been trying to communicate with her for last 12 hours, and you know her language!?

Foremost, I thought I was out of my mind, that you were going to send me to a mental institution or something,

You know, after watching the video footage from your camera after and the analysis of some of her stuff and the content of the mysterious wooden box, we know you’re not crazy. Believe me, everyone in the lab thought that not all their boards were numbered while they were watching the video and analyzing the objects. After several hours of analysis, we determined that none was a scam. Third, we don’t know who she is or where she comes from. No ID, passport, etc.… Fingerprints do not match any in the database. Neither camera at any airport noticed she had arrived. Not one taxi driver in New York has registered her as a customer. You know how long it took us to get in touch with all the 12,700 taxi drivers? 9 hours!

How does she know my name? I didn’t introduce myself to her… ", Tomo asked him:

Uh, that’s a mystery we don’t understand, either. Are you sure you didn’t forget you accidentally told her the name?

No, I’m pretty sure I didn’t introduce myself to her, Tomo replied. Oh my God, maybe she saw it in my head, because I saw her memories.

The agent asked confusedly:

What do you mean by memories?

Maybe she saw some of my memories and found out my name by accident, just like I saw some of hers, Tomo replied.

The agent took began rubbing his temples: "Oh Christ, this is getting crazier and crazier. I feel like in a stupid episode of some low budget science fiction TV show .To this Tomo will:

You’re not the only one. How long do I stay where you take me?

"I don’t know. Bring the most basic, we will get everything you need. This situation is getting more complicated and weirder every minute. We’ve already talked to your boss, so he has given you an indefinite leave to cooperate with us on this investigation.

Does my boss even know what’s going on?

We just said we needed your help, and I don’t think he would believe us, anyway. He definitely wanted to give you a day or two off because we took you off the case. You have ten minutes to get ready.

Tomo put on his coat, brought only a toothbrush, some ammunition for his revolver, four additional beret frames, a Swiss Army knife, and left a message for his neighbor to take care of the cat. Out the front of the building and moved to the agent’s car. They headed for the port of Morris. There a Blackhawk helicopter met them, with rotors that worked heavily, ready to take off. Tomo and Agent Morris immediately sat back down. The crew member closed the door. The helicopter took off immediately after that. Tomo asked them:

Where are we headed, if it’s not a secret? Agent Morris told him they were on their way to Musketeer Island.

That island is inaccessible to ships and boats? Tomo asked.

That’s why we go by helicopter. It’s the easiest way to get to the base, Morris replied.

Does the base have a name?"

Fort Pen .

Fort Pen (pencil)? You gave that name to the base?

It’s only been two years, not what we had to think of instead of numbers, Morris said. "No one has seen it, but people know it exists. It is a military-medical research complex located 50 meters underground. Above the ground, there is only one heliport, a protective fence, a couple of barracks with guards. The base itself comprises seven floors underground. It is also a bunker.

Wow, what do you need seven floors for!? Tomo said in astonishment.

You will only have access to the first three, so you don’t have to worry much about the other four. There, as a civilian, you are denied access. Our guest is on the second level, so you will see her soon."

After a relatively quiet flight of an hour and 20 minutes, they saw a small island the size of a square kilometer. They immediately spotted Fort Penn - it was just as Morris had described it. It comprised four barracks, a heliport, a guardhouse, and three Humvees and two smaller trucks were parked there. In the middle of the base, just opposite the last barracks, was the entrance to the base itself. Six soldiers armed with M4 carbines were waiting for them at the heliport. A man in his fifties, obviously of a higher rank, was standing in front of a soldier, with his hands on his back. When Tomo and Morris got out of the helicopter, he introduced himself as Major Marzano and addressed them:

They told me that a special guest was coming. Which of you was that? Tomo slowly raised his hand and answered:

Sir, it’s about me. I’m that ‘special’ guest. And Marzano says:

It could have been worse.

Worse?

They could have sent us some geek with 16 diplomas who is afraid of his own shadow. Somehow you don’t seem like that to me,"

Sir, I’ll take that as a compliment, Tomo replied. Marzano turned to Morris and addressed him.

You must be the agent I talked to on the phone?

Yes, sir . Morris offered him his hand: It’s an honor to meet you in person.

Marzano held out his hand to Tomo and shook his hand. Then he pulled a small plastic card from his pocket and handed it to him.

"It gives you access to the first three levels. Follow us to introduce you to our guest. Although, I heard that you two have already met, in a way. As they walked towards the entrance, six soldiers accompanied them - three on one side and three on the other. Tomo asked Maurice,

You haven’t come here before?"

No, and I haven’t seen her since yesterday, when they packed her and brought her here together with her things.

Did she introduce herself to you? Her name is Erena Genesis,I faintly remembered her name from her memories" asked Tomo. Morris will say:

Well, that doesn’t tell me anything, but I’ll check in the system. Then email. Tomo asked him where he sent it, and he replied it was confidential, but if they can’t find it in the system, then we really don’t know who it is.

They walked over to the computer next to the entrance, which Tomo scanned his eyes and fingerprints. Then a large steel door opened, and they went inside. At the end of the short hallway was another, even thicker door, so the same process was repeated. Behind this door was a large elevator. They landed at the base. Everyone came out of the elevator, in front of which was another door, and there were various cameras in the corners. A male voice came from the intercom:

I see our guest has arrived. I will open the door for you. There was a mechanical click and a meter and half thick door opened. Three people in coats were waiting for them, and each of them was holding a tablet. The soldiers returned to the elevator, and the major, agent, and Tomo went inside and the door closed behind them. Marzano said:

So what have you discovered so far about the other two and her belongings? Jane?" The older woman answered him:

We could not decipher the letter in which her books and scrolls were written. The major will:

And the stick? The tall, thin, young scientist with the glasses answered:

It is carved from an unknown species of wood. Nothing similar exists on our planet. And the crystal at the end of the rod - at first we thought it was quartz, but when we took the sample, it turned out that it was made of a completely unknown material that is not in the periodic table of elements. We don’t know why it’s bright. There’s no battery inside, no wires, no switches, no buttons, the wood is not hollow, and the crystal is also not radioactive or toxic in any form.

The third scientist, a balding old gentleman, said:

For the autopsy of these two, we found nothing special: the tattoos they have don’t match to any gang or criminal organization. They both have wooden teeth which is odd, the fingerprints also are useless don’t have any papers with them; therefore, they, too, are a complete enigma. The only thing that connects them with the young lady is that they had a small object like a compass, which she also owns.

"Compass? The major asked, and the young scientist replied:

No, sir, it’s not a compass, because it doesn’t show the north or any other side of the world at all. We can’t ask her what she’s used for, because we can’t communicate with her.

Okay, that helped little. He turned to Tomo and handed him a small tablet with a pen.

If you can really communicate with the young lady, go talk to her, because we have a lot of unanswered questions. The major noticed the soldier taking coffee from the vending machine and shouted:

Soldier, come here! This man ran up and saluted him:

Yes, sir? The major pointed at Tomo and ordered the soldier:

Take the gentleman to our guests. The Major and Maurice go to the canteen together, and Jefferson and Tomo head for the staircase that leads to the second level. They descended to the second level, where there were several corridors, and headed for the back door in the left corridor, in front of which two soldiers were guarding. Both soldiers saluted Jefferson, who pulled out a plastic card and opened the door. Then he pointed Tomo in.

After you, sir . He went inside and saw Erena sitting on a chair tied to a table. There was a fake mirror on the wall, and there was a camera in each corner of the room. She slowly looked up to see who had entered the room. She was both confused and happy when she saw who she was. Tomo approached slowly and sat down on a chair opposite her, unhooked his pen and activated the writing tablet. Not knowing how to begin, he told her:

Hello, how are you? Are they treating you well?

Why did you leave me? Why am I trapped? How did you even notice me?, she replied with questions. To this Tomo will:

First, the FBI took over the case. I didn’t want to leave you. As for the reason you are here, it is much more complicated than you think. And I noticed you quite by accident. If you hadn’t combed my hair in the park yesterday, I might not be here now. How do you know my name?

‘’ When I used those spells, I saw your memories quite by accident and remembered your name."

OK… Well, let’s get started. To this Erena said:

‘’ What do we start?"

Interrogation - to find out your personal data, to find out who you are, where you are from, to contact your parents, friends, acquaintances …

But I already introduced myself to you. I said who I am, isn’t that enough?

"No. You’d better not lie, if possible. As a cop, I notice well when people lie, so don’t even try. Just so you know, I’m actually trying to help you. If it turns out you have broken no laws, you’ll be able to go home, but it won’t be that easy. Come on, let’s start with the most basic. Your full name, surname, and year of birth?

Erena Geneza, born in 735 of the Verona era. Tomo stood perplexed and asked,

What…?! What year is it? Who is that, anyway? Are you kidding me?"

He was one who free the slaves on Hardenia .

What is Hardenia? Tomo was even more confused.

It is the continent on which the kingdom of Serves is located. Tomo puts down his pen.

Are you kidding me? I have never heard of that kingdom or what it is, and there is no continent with such a name."

It does not exist in your world, but I came from another world. Your world is just one of many.

‘’ Well, good. Believe it or not, I’ve heard crazy things too; I’ll take your word for it, for now. What is your occupation?"

I told you, I’m a sorceress - in Serves, and when I finish school, I will deal with it. I also have a fiancé, but my parents don’t know about him.

"It’s okay. It didn’t matter, but I’ll write it down. Is there any way to contact your parents? Do you have a phone, fax or something like that there?

What are these things? Are they some of the magic you use here?

Listen, magic, dwarves, elves, witches, unicorns, Santa Claus and similar things are just the fruit of imagination and stories for children, just a fantasy! Erena said in surprise:

Wow, are you saying that there are no magical beings and magic in your world at all? What do you think? How do you even know my language? Without that magic, we wouldn’t be able to communicate at all."

I don’t know. That’s what confuses me the most. If you are from another world, what is the name of your world?

Agulsa .

Agulsa?… Well, let’s continue. He took out the metal box they had given him and pulled out a pair of glass bottles and a compass-like object.

And now, they asked me to ask you to explain to us what is in the bottles and what this ‘compass’ is for.

Various medicinal drinks and antidotes, a compass that is not it is a ‘crack pointer.

What cracks? On the road? Walls?’’.

Crack is the gap between the worlds. - are invisible to most people so they do not believe they exist. The ‘pointer’, as its name suggests, shows where the crack is, and when it points towards it, it opens a gap large enough to pass from one world to another. I did not know about the existence of other worlds, or cracks, until a week ago, when I met a distant relative Holtan. He showed me this device and what it does, and he told me he has a buyer for the wooden box and its content and told me he would give me half the amount, which is 10,000 gold coins. Well, he has already given me half in advance, and I will get the rest when I hand over the box. He also told me not to open it by any chance.

Your cousin? And you trust him?

Yes, completely. He is not a saint, but I would want nothing to happen to me. I would never forgive myself. He said that he hired me, our ancestor hid the coffin in that rock and only I can open that rock because in my sisters and me the magic is strong enough.

When did your ancestor hide that box?

400 years ago.

Your ancestor hid that box before New York was created!… and this little thing can open passages to other worlds? How does it work at all?"

Erena will explain to him: You will develop it and this small metal needle will imediatly start moving towards the nearest crack and it will always point in that direction wherever you turn. When you get a few meters away from it, you need to put both thumbs on the blue crystal in the middle and redirect your magical energy to it and the gap will open."

Magic energy,?

Is there any way I can convince you of the existence of magic?

Well, maybe you can turn a pound of lead into pure gold, for starters?

I have a better idea: free me from these shackles and bring my little metal box with a griffin, and I’ll show you. But we have to go outside, because this room is too small for him."

Too small? Didn’t you say it was in a small metal box?"

They see you going.

Tomo put the pen on the tablet and said: "With Wait a minute, I’ll talk to your ‘hosts’, so we’ll see. And how did you become invisible?

With the help of a special crystal, which only works twice and which people who do not have magical powers cannot use.

Hmm, ok . Tomo took the tablet and went outside. When he closed the door, Agent Morris and Major Marzano were waiting for him in the hallway. He said to them:

I guess you watched the whole show. The major confirmed. I guess you also want to know what I found out." And Morris nodded at him.

She said that she is from another world, called Agulsa with Hardenia continent, on which is a kingdom named Serves. She says she’s a sorceress, and she came here using that device we thought was a compass.

Morris asked him if he believed that and which of them was true, and he replied:

Well, she has one small request to prove that she is a sorceress. She asked us to bring her little box containing the griffin and take her outside to show.

All right, we’ll watch her every move. If she just blinks suspiciously, she’ll regret it.

Morris took out the key, handed it to Tomo and said that it was best for him to release her, because he trusted him. And as for the box, he’ll take it to them.

"You two go to the canteen. It’s quite spacious. Since we don’t trust her, we can’t let her surface. Otherwise, we won’t let her perform that trick of hers. Tell her either way or no way!

Tomo went back to the room and Erena asked him, What did they tell you?

They’ll let you go, but not to the surface, but to the canteen.

Wait, are we underground?

You didn’t realize that when they brought you downstairs?

While I was in that strange flying device, I felt a slight sting in my hand and after that I woke up in this small room.

Looks like they gave you some strong sedative. They put you to sleep. Is the canteen spacious enough for that trick of yours?

We will see.

Tomo takes off her handcuffs, and she rubs her wrists.

I ‘all take you there, he told her. When they left, she asked where her other things were. In various laboratories, he replied. If we realize we can trust you, we’ll give you back at least some, if not all.

They went up the stairs, down to the third level, and the second door on the left led to the canteen. Agent Morris and the major were already there with a dozen heavily armed soldiers, and her box was on the nearest table. Erena approached the box, picked it up carefully, walked toward the wall, and stood three feet away from it. She put the box on the floor, rested her fist on the door, and spoke with some charm. There was a little click, and a box opened, and there lay a small griffin, ten centimeters, apparently sleeping. Erena went down to the box and slowly woke him: Come on, Zorgi, go outside, come on, boy!

Tomo was the closest and noticed the little creature waking up, stretching and slowly coming out of the box. Marzano was the first to speak. Well, it doesn’t look very impressive. What is it anyway? Morris said, Somehow it looks familiar to me, like I’ve seen it in a movie or something . Tomo said to them:

It’s a griffin, a mythological creature with the body of a lion and the wings and head of an eagle. Marzano said:

Whatever it is, I’m not very impressed. My sister has a cat that looks more dangerous than that creature. Then Morris thoughtfully:

If it’s mythological, it shouldn’t exist at all …

Thinking about what to say, Tomo was the first to notice that the griffin was slightly shining and increasing. Erena also took a few steps away and stood beside him. Then it shone brighter and reached the size of an adult horse in a blink of an eye. For half a second they were all stunned, and then all the soldiers and Major and Agent Morris drew their weapons and aimed at him. The unlocking and chambering of the weapons resounded. At that, the griffin just tilted his head in confusion and curiosity, not realizing what danger he was in. Erena looked confused and asked:

What are you doing? Without taking his eyes off the griffin and holding his revolver pointed at him, Tomo replied, What the hell do you think we’re doing?! You didn’t say it was going to become huge, that this was going to happen. Is he harmless? Do we look him in the eye?, or not? If he tries to attack us, we’ll shoot him. If you can, tell him to be calm and sit down or whatever you command him. She asked:

Wait, you want to hurt him? They won’t do anything to you… Those things are actually weapons. What are you holding pointed at Zorgi?!" She turns to Zorgi, starts stroking his head and his cat-like ears and tells him to sit down and be calm. He complied with that. The soldiers were still holding their weapons pointed at the griffin until the major gave them a signal to lower their weapons. Tomo, the major, and Morris also lowered their weapons, but still held them in their hands. Tomo was the first to approach Zorgi and Erena, looking her in the eye, and asked her:

Okay, you got your attention. Can we look him in the eye?

Does not like when you stare at it, but you look interesting to him. He has never seen people from another world. You must smell strange to him. Are you now convinced of the existence of magic?

We have a saying: ‘Every technology is too complicated to understand, so it can be mistaken for magic,’ Tomo replied.

When will we be able to at least come to the surface? I haven’t flown with Zorgi in two weeks."

‘’ With him?! "Asked Tomo.

Didn’t you notice he had a saddle on his back?

"I don’t think anyone paid attention to if he had a saddle. We were all more worried about our lives.

But he is very mild. He has been with me since he was a child. He would harm no one.

That’s what anyone who has a dog says, and then it bites someone’s hand off, Tomo replied.

He is not like that!

Okay, it’s all right, but if you can, tell him to go back in the box. She agreed and ordered Zorgi to return to the box. Zorgi accepts it sadly, but slowly shrinks and returns to the box, which closes behind him. Only then did everyone relax and Tomo asked:

Could you show us another trick, but a little something little? She shrugged and said,

little?… Do you have clay?

What do you want?

I need little. A small piece the size of a fist would suffice; like you said - you need some little trick. And I need my bag and all the books in it. Tomo turned to the agent and asked him:

Do you have any clay, plasticine,? The agent thought for a second:

I got one pack with me . Tomo looked at him strangely.

What do you need it for? To this he replies:

I was visiting relatives., they have a four-year-old son, so I bought him some . Since he didn’t need it, I took it with me. Wait a minute here, I’ll bring it.

Erena was sitting at the table while one scientist brought a bag with her things. She took out multicolored chalks. She chose blue and drew a triangle with it and a circle and various symbols around it. Tomo sat across from her and asked,

What’s that to you? Is it for summoning ghosts or something?

No, I don’t deal with it. They see you going when you make the clay. This is actually the first thing they taught me in the school of magic , answered Erena.

You know, this is something beginners do, Tomo murmured. At that moment, Morris appeared with the colorful package and placed it on the table. The young sorceress opened the box, shook it out of the box and shaped it slowly, assembling it piece by piece. After a few seconds, Tomo realized she was making something in the shape of a man. She lowered it to the middle of the triangle, which she drew with chalk, and with her little finger, she drilled two holes that represented eyes. Then she took a green crystal out of the bag and pushed it into the chest of the doll, roughly where the heart would be. Then she put her hands on the side of the doll, closed her eyes and started saying some charm. The symbols around the triangle shone, and then the triangle itself, and finally the crystal in the doll shone stronger and stronger… Suddenly Erena stopped and everyone was impatiently waiting for what would happen next. Tomo looked at her and asked:

Is that it? What have you achieved with this?

I made golem, a tiny and weak one, but as I already told you, this is the first thing that children learn in school. And you said to yourself - this is for the beginners. Tomo looked down at the doll and noticed that it was moving. At first he thought it seemed to him, but then he realized he was really getting up, albeit awkwardly. All the soldiers gathered around the table, curiously watching the little creature walk around the table. We have to look like a crowd of school children who are watching a cartoon for the first time and think it’s real, Tomo thought. He looked around and noticed that some soldiers’ mouths were open with astonishment. Finally, he asked Erena:

What else can he do except walk around?

Well, that’s it, like I said, nothing special, I just made it to show to you. Then Erena took a small white crystal from the same bag, placed it on the palm of her right hand and covered it. Her hands glowed, and it took two seconds. Then he unfolded them, took the crystal, and handed it to Tomo.

What should I do with this? He asked.

I put some of my magical energy into it, and that crystal allows you to open a passage between your world and mine if you put it in the crack pointer. The passage will be open for five minutes. I give you the crystal because you still don’t believe I’m from another world. Once you step on the other side, you finally realize that I am telling the truth all the time. You said to yourself that you needed evidence.

Tomo turned to Morris and said that:

She said that if we put the crystal on the strange compass - may we going to open a gateway to the world of her.

Really? ‘ Morris shook his head. Well, I don’t see why we shouldn’t try that. As incredible as it may seem, everything she has said so far has turned out to be true. "He took the crystal and said to Tomo:

Tell her to explain to us exactly how this is used and where we could find these ‘cracks’. Tomo repeated all this to her, and she replied:

Just put it in the middle of the cursor, and the needle will show where the nearest crack. When you get close enough to it, spread the pointer, point it towards it, and the crystal will open the passage for you. She replied, And where to find them? They are all in that Central Park. I also have a feeling that the passage through which those two came is also somewhere there. Just go there and the needle will immediately turn toward the nearest crack. Erena replied.

Tomo relayed her answer to Maurice. To this he will:

All right, I’ll send a team of four, explain to them how to use this, and they’ll let me know in a day or two if they’ve discovered anything. Suddenly, his phone rang.

Hello! Yes?! Yes, the situation is under control. As far as we understand so far, the young lady does not seem to be a member of any terrorist organization, nor is she a spy. The thing is, she possesses some extraordinary abilities, as we usually see in movies or comics. No, sir, it’s not a trick or a joke. I’ve seen that. In two days? Goodbye, sir, and all the best.

Who was that?… the President? Tomo asked.

Yes. He comes here in two days, he wants to meet our guest.

Erena noticed Tomo was nervous, so she asked him: What’s wrong? And Tomo will:

Everything is ok, but in two days we will both meet the President of America.

Ameriga?

No, no. America. It’s really like you fell from Mars, said Tomo.

Mars? she asked, confused.

Never mind …

They gave her a room. Tomo escorted her to the room, carrying with him a lot of books he had borrowed from the library. The room was simply decorated. One bed, a chair, a wardrobe, a coffee table and one small TV. Erena lay down on the bed to get some rest. Tomo starts first:

I brought a couple of books to show you what my world is like, what the Earth is like. He handed her a thinner atlas. She picked up the book and began leafing through it curiously. She stopped at a map of the entire world and said:

Your world has more continents - what is the name of this great one here?". And he points to the picture. Tomo sat in the chair next to her, leaned over to look and said:

Asia. How many continents does your world have?

Agulsa has three continents, she replied.

What are these continents called?

Hardenia, Kleufune, Iasi .

Interesting names, Tomo said, and she asked him,

Where are we now, on which continent?"

This is a secret location, but I can tell you which part of the continent, and showed her the east coast of North America. We are here, somewhere on this part.

But I’m actually coming from another continent, added Tomo, pointing to Europe.

Your family must be rich when you could move to another continent.

That’s not the case, we went economy class.

Economy class? She asked.

We are not rich. It was one of the cheapest ways for us. We moved because of my father’s job and there was a war starting in the country in which I was born. I was only 3. Erena stared at one photo in the book.

What is this circle on a black background?

It’s a photograph of the Earth from space, Tomo replied.

Photo? Erena asked.

It’s recording scenes from reality on light-sensitive material, Tomo explained.

What? she asked in astonishment. Tomo just said:

It doesn’t matter. It’s a picture of my world as it really looks. That’s not a line. Erena asked him:

How did you do this without magic? "Tomo asked her:

Do you have a rocket there? Fireworks?"

Yes, she said, one of my cousins handles those colorful rockets and sprinklers very well. They explode in all rainbow colors, a phenomenal sight! And you use rockets for celebrations?"

Well, yes. But we used them to make that photo possible long story short

And what are the other continents called?"

This great continent here, just below Europe, is Africa, and this one below North America is, of course, South America. This little continent down below is Australia, and this icy continent all the way down is Antarctica.

It looks like Iasi. she said.

Is it covered in ice? .

Yes, Erena replied.

Are there any cities there? Does anyone live there?

Mostly some birds, whales live in the surrounding seas, although it is said that some unknown people live deep on the continent. Few dared to go there, and no one returned. And Antarctica?

There are no permanent residents, but several countries have permanent scientific research bases.

But what are you researching? It’s an icy wasteland?! If it’s anything like Iasi, there’s only ice and birds there."

Antarctica is much more than that. We are researching it because of the past, present and future climate, because of birds, whales …

And why doesn’t anyone live there, if you already have those research stations? Erena asked.

Most of it would be preserved, because extracting oil and coal would pollute the soil, air and water. It is also important because of the climate on the entire planet. And have the poles of Agulsa been conquered?"

Poles? asked Erena.

You know, the northernmost and southernmost point…, and took a small globe from his pocket and showed it to her.

No, because in the agugraphy class, the professor told us that no sailor reached the North Pole, and I have already told you about the South Pole. And here, in ‘your world’? On top of all that, Tomo:

Northern 109 years ago, and South two years later. He wanted to say something else, but one soldier entered the room and said:

Marzano wants to see you now.

Tomo got up and said to Erena:

They called me. I have to go. You browse through the encyclopedias and atlases I brought. There’s some food on the table. Tomo went out with the soldier and they both headed for the cafeteria. There was a big screen on, and three scientists were sitting on the benches, as well as Agent Smith and Marzano. Tomo asked Marzano:

Sir …

Sit next to me, the show is starting, Marzano told him, then turned to the soldier and said, Willingly!

Show? He asked Tomo.

Without taking their eyes off the screen, Marzano told him:

That thing your friend gave us can locate those cracks she mentioned… it found one. We fenced the bridge under which we located the crack. What everyone in attendance is watching on this big screen - including the two of us, plus White House officials - is a live broadcast from Central Park. We reversed the park into quarantine under the pretext that we had found some chemical weapons.,On screen there were four soldiers and two NASA scientists. He turned to Tomo. The camera was on the helmet of one soldier. They wore special helmets as protection against chemical or biological danger and thick armor. We armed them with M4 carbines, as well as grenade launchers, under the barrels of their rifles. Next to them, two scientists from NASA wore the same helmets and bulletproof vests, but in blue, while the soldiers had green ones.

Mr. President, I’m Steve Harrington, a leading expert on cosmic radiation, and the lady next to me is an expert on quantum mechanics, Susan Levy, said one scientist as she waved at the camera. ‘’ One hour ago, we located and enclosed the crack and now we will activate it with this device." He turned to the camera and emphasized:

As you can see, the needle of this small device points directly at the bridge behind me. Well, let’s see how deep the ‘rabbit hole’ is. Everyone headed for the entrance to the protective membrane, and the soldier who came in last closed the door