The light filtering through the stained-glass windows of the monumental building briefly illuminated Sasha's face, blinding his eyes. In that fleeting moment, he felt a stab of certainty: he had been right to look away.

  He waited. And waited. But she didn’t come down.

  “One more moment…” he thought, holding onto hope, as that strange reflection of light returned to his eyes. Inside the building, Valentina, the secretary for the professors at the Institute of Etymology, was talking on the phone with Ksenia, oblivious to his presence.

  From behind the large windows, he observed the young man, still as a statue.

  Something inside him, like a strange force, urged him to continue the search for the professor. Sasha didn’t understand the desire that lay behind his own actions, that erratic impulse that overwhelmed him mercilessly.

  With a sense of defeat, he decided to leave.

  He felt heavy, as if his soul were denser than the air around him. He walked with his head down, immersed in his failure and trapped by the terror that confused him, unable to find a logical answer to his own decisions.

  He crossed the garden in front of the building, a beautiful but desolate place for him at that moment. Then, he reached Lenina Avenue, and just as he began walking northwest, away from the university and toward his residence, a taxi suddenly stopped behind him.

  A young woman hurried out of the taxi, not paying attention to her surroundings. Sasha’s slow steps carried him in the opposite direction. Their shadows briefly crossed on the cobblestones, as if time had stretched, pushing them back to the same starting point.

  In the clear spring sky, a falcon was drawing wide circles with its wings spread, searching for the thermal currents that would lift it higher. It descended through the cold currents, like a whisper in the wind.

  The bird played in that atmosphere of contrasts, observing the desperate search that, in its haste, faded only to rise again, only to fall once more.

  Ksenia hurried up the stairs. Sasha, meanwhile, walked through the shadows cast by the birch trees.

  From the sky, the falcon saw the two horizons move apart.

  The young man’s thoughts tangled, forming blurry sketches in his mind. Lost in his confusion, he didn’t hear his phone begin to vibrate and then ring.

  — Hello?

  — Hello? — Sasha responded, surprised and wrapped up in his own worries.

  — Are you Alexander?

  — Yes, and you are...? — He tried to guess, but the impatience in the young voice didn’t let him finish the question.

  — Ksenia Arsenova.

  Her words fell on his soul like a downpour on dry, thirsty land.

  — You wanted to see me? — she continued.

  — Yes, yes — he responded, his anxiety clear.

  — I don’t normally do this, but... — Ksenia tried to calm herself, more for her own sake than his. — I’m stepping into troubled waters, I know this signals a storm... but if it’s alright with you, tomorrow...

  — Wouldn’t you have time today? — Sasha couldn’t hide the urgency in his voice, trying to seize the opportunity before it slipped away.

  — Maybe... — she said, leaving the doubt hanging between them.

  — Could it be at the same café? — Sasha tried not to show how anxious he was.

  — Well... — she nodded, not realizing the uncertainty that also filled her. —

  — In half an hour?

  The Старого Моста café was full of students when Sasha arrived. The crowd enveloped him, many curious eyes, laughter, voices all around him. Unintentionally, his gaze met that of the young waitress, who, with her dark green apron and curly hair, was serving behind the counter.

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  — Are you Ksenia’s friend? — she asked, approaching him.

  — Yes, I’m waiting for her.

  — I never forget a face. Wait a moment, I’ll set up a table for you. In no hurry?

  — No, I’m waiting for your friend. Do you know if she has arrived?

  — Not yet, I’ll find you a quiet spot. Don’t leave! — she said, winking conspiratorially, as if hiding a small secret.

  Sasha looked around, feeling someone was watching him, but he couldn’t find that person in the crowd. Then, a voice pulled him from his distraction.

  — Alexander.

  He turned.

  — Hello, you’ve finally arrived. I was worried — said Ksenia, looking at the glass clock over the large coffee machine.

  — It’s crowded, isn’t it?

  — Your friend told me she’d prepare a table for us, though I don’t have much time.

  — Why did you want to see me so quickly?

  — Come — Ksenia said, leading him to a secluded corner near the storage room door. — I want to give you something.

  At that moment, the waitress appeared and gestured for them to follow her to a small cubicle next to the stairs that led down to the basement. There, a small table with two chairs awaited them, far from the noise.

  — I’ll bring your coffees now — the waitress said. — Do you like the place?

  Both smiled, and when she left, Sasha took two envelopes from the inner pocket of his green parka and handed them to Ksenia.

  — This is for asking you to come. It’s very important. — he said, looking at the envelopes seriously. — The white envelope is a secret. Don’t give it to anyone unless... something happens. If something happens that we can’t control, this envelope must be delivered in person to the address written on it. It’s for my sister, and you need to do it as soon as possible. You’ll understand when the time comes.

  Ksenia looked at the white envelope with some disbelief, but nodded, slipping it into her bag. Sasha continued:

  — The brown envelope is different. It contains the exact location of the historical site where the accident happened. That place is key. If you decide to search for me or try something, that’s where you’ll find what you need. Don’t ask me questions now, just keep the envelopes. If you want, you can start your investigation here, I believe it’s something very important.

  Ksenia stayed silent for a moment, processing what she had just heard. Sasha noticed the intensity of her gaze, and although he was concerned, he couldn’t give any more explanations.

  — Do you understand? — he asked, his voice calm but tense.

  — Yes, I understand — she responded, a mixture of confusion and determination in her eyes.

  Sasha paused, as if needing to decide whether or not to tell her what had truly happened. Finally, he spoke with a more serious tone, almost as if evoking something beyond the physical, something he couldn’t fully explain.

  — It all started in the Altai mountains. A place no one should underestimate, a place full of secrets that neither maps nor navigators can reveal. We thought it was a routine operation. A regular supply mission, just another checkpoint… but the fog of the mountains has a strange power, as if the air itself were made of forgotten memories. And that day, the wind was not the same. I didn’t feel it like I usually do.

  His voice dropped in tone, as if afraid of what he was about to say.

  — I remember we were at the Tavan Bogd pass, but somehow… something didn’t fit. The itinerary was being altered, as if someone, not quite human, had touched the maps, as if the path we were following was no longer the one we were meant to take. Suddenly, everything started to feel out of place, as if something invisible was guiding us toward where we didn’t want to go.

  Ksenia listened intently, without interrupting, as if Sasha’s words were an echo of something larger and older.

  — When the truck got stuck in the hole, and the wind started to blow with an impossible force, I knew something was wrong. Then… I fell. I fell as if the ground itself had claimed me, and for a moment, I felt like I no longer belonged to the physical world. It was as if I was suspended in the air, trapped between two worlds. And that’s when I saw it… the blue spirit. Something I will never fully understand, but I know it saved me. Maybe it’s that presence that can help you understand what’s at stake.

  Ksenia, who had been listening with her eyes narrowed, nodded slowly, as if beginning to understand the magnitude of what he was saying.

  — And that’s how a blue spirit saved you from death — Ksenia concluded. — Is that why you have the deep intuition that I can help you?

  — No, I have the deep certainty that you can save me — he said firmly, as he stood up from the table and disappeared into the crowd.

  The Pazyryk kurgans were constructed using complex wooden burial chambers made of larch wood, assembled with advanced carpentry techniques to ensure the stability of the structure. These chambers were buried in deep pits and covered with large stone mounds, whose function was not only monumental but also practical, as they facilitated water penetration, which, when frozen, created a hermetic environment preserved by the permafrost.

  Archaeological excavations have revealed a surprising array of findings: complete ceremonial chariots, equestrian gear adorned with images of stylized deer, wool and silk textiles from distant trade networks, funerary masks, musical instruments, and naturally mummified bodies, many of which bear tattoos of zoomorphic iconography characteristic of Siberian tradition.

  These discoveries not only testify to the material and symbolic wealth of their culture, but also constitute a unique source for studying the technology, aesthetics, and worldview of the Iron Age nomadic societies.