The threat of invasion by enemy troops loomed over Thorton. One of the largest cities in the kingdom of Lockher froze in horror, preparing in advance for looting and fires. And there was nowhere for him to wait for help. Perhaps from... our not-so-romantic world, where bandits killed all the relatives of a terminally ill boy. And this boy was to share the fate of many street children. But the fate of Volodya Starinov took an unexpected turn. The Russian intelligence services found themselves in need of just someone like him. They spared no expense for him, nor expensive medicines, nor the latest combat training techniques, nor top-secret technology for transition between worlds. And now he is no longer the homeless child Volodya, but Prince Voldemar, and the salvation of the port city of Tortona in the distant kingdom of Lokher depends only on him.