You are right," said the stranger.

But not in the way you might think.

"Grom, please, calm down," the man said, affectionately scratching behind his ear.

"Grrr... :3" A sound emanated, and the power it emitted disappeared instantly.

"Comrade Edward, meet Grom. Grom, this is Mr. Ember, our 'new' friend."

The creature approached Ember, sniffing the air and sensing the power emanating from him. It suddenly turned its head toward its 'owner.'

"Mr. Ember, I would also ask you to dial back your power a bit."

Following the advice, Edward subdued his power, and the small creature approached him closely.

"You can pet him," the man said with a smile.

Cautiously, Edward reached out his hand. Touching the creature, he felt warmth emanating from it. In this pleasant warmth, he felt a sense of calm and realized he was not in danger. At the same time, he sensed the energy of the 'owner.'

"It's as if they are connected," Edward thought.

"Grom? Very interesting name," Ember said, feeling no threat.

"I think you can translate it as 'thunder.'"

"And your name?"

"My name is Artem... Artem Dobry."

"You're from Antanta?!" Edward asked with concern.

"Yes, you guessed correctly," Artem smiled.

"But Antanta closed its borders after the war, that's called the 'iron shield,' right?"

"Once again, you're right, Comrade Ember," Artem replied.

"But not for us," he added. "Unfortunately, there's no way home for us."

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"Should I ask about this?" Edward inquired thoughtfully.

"Let's talk about it another time," Artem replied.

Edward pondered for a moment about the phrase "another time." He sensed that this wouldn't be their last meeting.

"So, what brought you here, Artem?"

"You," Artem said with a serious expression.

"You and 'your' journey."

"I mentioned before that I watched your performance and felt compelled to make some corrections."

Understanding that Artem Dobry had returned from 'another' world, Edward asked, "What exactly do you mean? You said you arrived from the world named 'Helioksis', but what EXACTLY are you talking about?"

"Mister Ember, I believe you've discussed information about parallel worlds many times... But... -he finished his hot coffee with a single sip- ..every gate is a 'portal' to DIFFERENT worlds."

Edward, already understanding that he and his interlocutor had been to different worlds, asked, "Did you also spend 'there' for 10 years?"

"Exactly!"

"And all 7 gates that opened in our world lead to completely different 'parallel' worlds?"

"Can you confirm that?" Edward asked thoughtfully.

Taking a deep breath, Artem looked up. "Time is pressing, let's take a walk," he said, getting up from the table.

--

The figure of this man was slightly beyond the physique of ordinary people. The man was so huge, approximately 230 cm (Edward estimated), and his body was perfectly proportioned, with no flaws except for a bald head. Tattoos covered his entire body, even extending to the back of his head and slightly hidden by his beard, which adorned this powerful figure.

"Could I...?" Ember wondered.

Artem led him to the rooftop of the building, to the helipad. Not understanding why they were heading there, Edward didn't ask questions and silently followed.

Carrying a carrier in his hands but leaving space on his massive shoulders for Grom, Artem climbed up the steps.

Upon reaching the rooftop, Edward looked up; the sky was covered in clouds, and a strong wind was rising. "A storm is coming," he thought.

"Stay there, Comrade Edward," his 'new' friend told him.

"Very soon, our 'friend' will visit you, and she will explain much more," he said, walking to the center of the helipad.

"Friend?! 'OUR' friend?" Edward exclaimed in bewilderment.

The weather worsened rapidly. The wind grew stronger, and lightning strikes reverberated through the sky.

"What are you talking about?!" Edward shouted, trying to convey his words to Artem through the powerful wind.

Grom crawled from Artem's shoulder to his arm, and Artem, in turn, raised him up.

--

The strong wind escalated into a storm, with lightning strikes becoming more frequent.

--

"Comrade Edward Ember, you are the 13th one to come out of the gates," Artem shouted, holding his hand up with his pet on it.

Not understanding what was happening and what his words meant, Edward, shielding his face from the heavy rain, tried to say something. Then, a powerful explosion occurred; it was a lightning strike directed toward the center of the helipad. Artem disappeared abruptly, and Edward's gaze was suddenly drawn upwards to see an enormous silhouette of a winged monster concealed behind the clouds.

"Graaaa...!!!" A monstrous sound echoed, intertwined with the rolls of thunder.

With a flap of its wings, the massive shadow disappeared in an instant.

Standing on the rooftop of the shopping center, Edward whispered to himself, "The 13th?" He smirked and turned towards the descent.

Descending to the floor where they had dinner, he was met by the waiter, whose hands were trembling, and who was drenched in sweat. The waiter lowered his head and extended a check to Ember with trembling hands.

"What's this?" Edward asked ambiguously.

"I-it's the bill," the young man said, trying not to faint.

"This..."

Edward voiced his dissatisfaction with a smile, looking up.