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[Alexandr Korol]

fourth, and fifth volumes, and then return to the first—at that point, it feels as if the very walls around you begin to shift. It’s an overwhelming sensation.
What is this? Who am I? A new version for the modern generation, an adult fairy tale — ”Harry Potter 2.0” — or what is this? “The Lord of the Rings” or some kind of adventure? A future hit series in Russia? I would be pleased if I could realize all of this with the Ministry of Culture and turn it into a film adaptation. I think it would be interesting for both children and adults, and it brings me joy that it is set in St. Petersburg, my hometown. What is this? What kind of novel is this? What kind of protagonist am I? Of course, everyone who reads “Alternative History” for the first time interprets it in their own way, as they say, “according to their own corruption.” Some, due to their insecurities, might even get irritated, annoyed that the story is not about them but about some Korol who imagined himself a king. Others, on the contrary, become so deeply absorbed in the protagonist that they want to find him in real life, not realizing that it is just a fairy tale and that the author — the one who wrote it — is just an ordinary person sitting on a couch drinking beer. Everyone has a different reaction. But after all, it is a book. And that alone makes it interesting — this kind of novel. You know, that force gave me two gifts this year on my birthday, September 12. The first gift—it arranged things so that on the very day of my birthday, I was finishing the last episodes of the series “Lost”. And it was deliberately synchronized with the theme I was deciphering in my book, which gave me a 5D effect — I was in shock. The theme in the series was about death and how, when a person dies, somewhere else they awaken. And they show this, while I was uncovering it myself. It was an insane rethinking, a complete re-awareness of myself, of you, of the world—of absolutely everything. A huge thank you to Him, to them, or whoever or whatever is behind it all. Of course, I’m playing along a little here, just to make it easier for you to picture. I already understand what it is and how it works — it’s not exactly “them,” but let’s keep it that way for now. It’s just simpler. Some things we’ll still call a “stick” for now, until I explain where the holes are, and then we’ll finally be able to call it a flute. And the second gift — I always said, “Can I have something that truly gives me power, something that I really want? Just give me a gift like that.” Obviously, material things don’t mean anything to me. What excites me more is stepping into a courtyard where I experience an overwhelming sense of love or lose myself in time.