– No way, you're not making that up! What if your father finds out? What do you think, a girl?

– I'm sixteen now, Mom. That's quite an advanced age," the boy said calmly.

– I realize you're a teenager. But life has its own rules.

– I know, I know.

Niels was somehow calm, although his whole body was still throbbing. Somewhere in the world, there's Louise. Louise in a gray dress and a basket in her hands. With long blonde hair and big glassy eyes. Like something out of a fairy tale. Maybe it was – Niels had just fallen into a fairy tale that had lived nearby all these years? Now he would do the routine things, but he would go to bed early – tomorrow is the first day of duty. He'll have to put on a uniform with a uniform coat. He'll probably even be given a horse. Or just put him in a tank, as is proper in our world. He will be a knight, but a real one – now he has someone to protect. Niels forgot to think about the fact that soon his father would come home and demand an explanation. For everything. For everything in the young man's life, no matter what he did. He had also forgotten about his comrades, whom it was good to remember. His eyes closed on their own.

– Where are we?!" Roxy shouted in confusion, finding herself alone with Edol in the suffocating darkness. He may have been a great guy, but he was useless as a warrior.

– I don't know. It's dark.

– Get me out of here! " the girl began to lose patience. After all, she was a simple high school student, albeit obsessed with fashion and boys, but certainly not with old fairy tales. That's not her thing.

– Easy. Let's take a step back," Edol suggested, giving Roxy a hand so she wouldn't trip.

– Careful, you! My manicure! …

– Shh! Freeze!

– What is it again?" she asked unhappily, but she didn't have to wait for an answer, as branches began to wrap themselves around the bodies of the two teenagers. Or it was vines. You couldn't tell in the dark. Something had caught them. And wanted to devour them. It was a tree, but it wasn't just any tree – it was the Ruler of the Forest. Humans have done a lot of damage, not just to this place, but to the planet. And you have to get your strength from somewhere.

– Aaaaaaah, save me!" Roxy frantically panted and waved her arms. Edol, on the other hand, tried to remain calm, even though it looked like they were in trouble. The tree was stronger than they were.

Then the guys heard voices. As it turned out, they belonged to Roxy's friends, Evie and Thea. The girls also stepped into the Forest and fell into the clutches of the Tree. Well, more precisely, the branches. The situation seemed hopeless – who could help them and explain to the tree who was the boss? There was darkness all around and not a single living soul (at least not a human one). The "brave" four couldn't think of anything better than to start screaming together. Yelling. Swear a little – teachers or parents surely wouldn't recognize it.

The end would have been near, but, as it should, a miracle happened, arriving just in time: for a moment the darkness was illuminated by a bright white flash, and the children could see something marvelous. It was the wings of a butterfly. The tiny butterfly, like an intercessor, flew past the children and approached the tree. Then it began to flap its wings quickly, like a hummingbird. Waves invisible to the ordinary eye began to emanate from them (but the children were in a magical place!), as if attacking the mighty tree. Of course, nothing terrible happened to it, but the careless schoolchildren were released. The silhouette of the butterfly disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared.