An adventurer named Kim receives an offer to steal an Inca crystal skull from a dacha near Moscow in order to return it to its true owners. Not too pretty, but not too difficult work either. However, the further, the more Kim learns about the current keeper of the skull. It was encountered in the mid- and early 20th century and is mentioned in ancient manuscripts and testimonies. Apparently, his mysterious and cruel opponent is immortal. In the battle with this terrible creature, who has lost everything human over millennia of life, Kim will suddenly understand “where the dark bottom of man’s hidden desires lies.” Kirill Benediktov is a laureate of the “Chalice of Bastion” award Eurocon for the best debut of the year, “The Bronze Snail” by Boris Strugatsky. “Benedictov’s true talent is to see the secret essence of modern events,” the Russian press wrote about him. In the new book, he powerfully links together a realistic novel and a mystical parable, weaving a plot similar to Violist Danilov or The Heart of an Angel.