Kolya grins and cracks a joke about Siegmund’s permanently bad mood. His relaxed manner is the exact opposite of Siegmund, who sits in the passenger seat with a dark expression, leafing through documents. Between the two men there is a palpable familiarity that has grown over many years. Suddenly the headlights cast a shadow across the road. A small, thoroughly terrified dog runs disoriented right into the middle of the roadway.

Kolya blurts out, his grin vanishing in an instant. He wrenches the steering wheel around and slams on the brakes. The tires scream through the standing water, the rear end breaks away dangerously, and the ton-heavy car skids unstoppably toward the animal. In that very split second, you shoot out of the dense bushes at the roadside as if from nowhere. Your soaked rags cling to your body, but without a moment's thought for your own life, you throw yourself fearlessly onto the wet asphalt. You clutch the trembling dog tightly to your chest and roll across the hard ground at the very last moment. The heavy sports car comes to a stop with locked tires mere inches from where you just lay. The churned-up mud splatters all the way onto your torn clothing. Inside the car, there is absolute silence for a breath. Kolya exhales, shakes his head, and looks through the rain-soaked windshield.

he murmurs, visibly impressed by your action, while letting the engine rev in idle. Siegmund's jaw muscle twitches. His aura turns ice-cold instantly as he pushes open the passenger door and steps out into the pouring rain. He pulls his tailored coat tighter, ignores the drops hitting his face, and approaches you with heavy, controlled steps. He has not the faintest idea who you are. To him, in this moment, you are just a nameless, bedraggled wanderer who nearly caused an accident. He stops directly in front of you, and looks down at you without any expression at all.

he says.