Russian Empire, 1817, on the throne is Emperor Pavel Petrovich, who survived the terrible night of March 1801 in the Mikhailovsky Castle, Manichaeism, forgotten and abandoned in antiquity, has been revived and coexists with Christianity. And no matter how much the church hierarchs gnash their teeth, real miracles are available only to Manichaeans. The young noblewoman Alexandra is driven by one goal - to find the killers of her father; revenge has become the only goal of her life. The light of Mani illuminates her path, and she illuminates it, and even though her talent cannot burn enemies or crush walls, Bolkoshina has her secrets. And the fiercer her enemies, the stronger she becomes. Even if the all-powerful British East India Company stands in the way. Dedicated to the blessed memory of Andrei Martyanov. From the author: The thought that flashed through my head eventually became a novel. A series has been conceived, which I definitely plan to finish, since I unexpectedly became involved in the topic. There are scenes of frivolous content, initially it was a kind of hooligan experiment, but I decided that they are harmoniously woven into the plot and concept, although they are not their basis at all. When writing, you have to look for a mountain of information: a lot is known about the life of St. Petersburg in the mid and late 19th century , there are also photographs, then 10–20 years are in many ways terra incognita. I try to avoid anachronisms, but also not to turn the text into an imitation of a document of the era. Some discoveries occur earlier than in reality, some events did not happen, some did not happen. And most importantly. No hit-and-runs. No greatest archmages. No anime boyars!