Where The Path Began.

Daniel entered the study room and the first thing he saw was Elena's radiant face. It was a pleasant surprise for him, considering how they all parted. He himself was in a cheerful mood, although there were no objective reasons for this. The lives of Elena and David were still associated with Rick, and David's life was completely leaking through his fingers, as if in an hourglass.

"So, what's the reason for this meeting?" he asked, lounging on the chair imposingly.

"Here it is!" Elena smiled and showed everyone some old notebook. In the eyes of others, there was slight bewilderment. The girl sighed and continued "This is a 19th-century manuscript, in other words, a notebook of one traveler. His personal diary. This book was given to me by Professor Richards before his death with the words that it would help me to understand the essence of my strange abilities, but at that moment I did not have time to finish reading it and remembered it only now."

"And how is that relevant to our situation?" Daniel asked her.

"I'm sure it's directly relevant to the situation," the girl replied with an air of importance. She opened the notebook and began turning over the pages, "This researcher describes his journey to Tibet in order to search for ancient artifacts. He talks about the Secret Cave of Spirits, which the locals have worshiped for centuries. They call it "The Cave of the Demon Devouring Souls" or something like that."

"What?! Are you serious? Doesn't it seem to you that its name already cries out loud something like 'Stay out of this, or else you will get killed'? Don't you think so?" Jun asked. Being a fan of computer games, he went through all the series of the Tomb Raider and his gaming hunch was telling him that it would be better not to go into the caves with such names.

"Who knows, you can't be sure if you don't check it," David added.

"Daughter, but how can this help you?" Mr. Lee asked. He was already aware of the current situation, and this news made him seriously nervous.

"This is how," Elena opened one of the last turns, and everybody saw several drawings of strange objects. Everyone looked at them as if they were ordinary images, and only Elena and David understood what was being said. The man smiled and kissed his beloved girlfriend on the cheek, "Well done!"

"What? What do you mean 'well done'? Can you explain?" Daniel asked, completely unaware of what was happening.

Elena poked a finger at the picture, "I saw this bracelet on Rick's arm. On Richard's arm, to be exact. He used it in 1942 for teleportation after the end of the experiment. Here are these things," she pointed to an incomprehensible round construction, "Like the kind of thing they used during the experiment. I think that the Ahnenerbe expedition, which brought all those artifacts from Tibet, used the results of this man's research." Elena looked up at the men, their faces had a still not quite understanding look.

The girl scratched her head and sighed, "In short. The phrase 'Where the path began, there it should end' can also be viewed not as a link with Rick, but as a place from which everything initially started. And if we take the first expedition of Ahnenerbe as a basis, which brought those things that were then tested on us, then the place where it all began will be-"

"Spirits Cave in Tibet," June and Daniel finished Elena's sentence.

"Exactly! I mean it! If we find this cave, we can find some tips there that can help us and, thus, we will solve everything even without Rick's help!" The girl smiled, beaming with joy.

"Hmm, in any case, we will not lose anything. So why not," David answered, and smiled at Elena.

"So, it's Tibet then. Well, I'm in," Daniel replied and immediately commented on the younger brother's serious expression, "And no objection."

"I'll go too!" Jun added. The guy wanted to somehow help and was ready to climb into any adventure.

Elena looked at her father; the idea of taking Jun with her did not inspire her. They did not know what was waiting for them there, and she was worried about whether or not to take him away from his father again after such a long separation.

Mr. Lee sighed when he saw his son's determination, "I will allow you to go only if you obey Elena and David completely and do not create problems, Jun."

"Dad, don't worry about it! I will be the best helper they can find!" The guy recited with importance.

"And when do you think you will start your journey?" Chen asked David.

"I need about a week to solve all the issues with the firm, and then I will be free," David answered. He needed not only to deal with all the company issues before he'd take off but also to plan everything in case if he could not return. But he decided to keep silent about this.

"Then let's go in a week, the sooner we learn, the better." For Elena, every minute counted. Her intuition told her that this trip could be a major link in their lives.

"I will pull some strings so you will be met and provided with everything you need because if this cave is in the mountains, in addition to the guide, you will need equipment and weapons. From here it can be problematic to carry them, so it's better to get weapons there," Mr. Lee picked up the phone and began to look for the contact he needed.

"Well, since the issue with the trip date has been resolved, I suggest we celebrate this adventure with tea and the most delicious cookies in the world!" Daniel smiled broadly and demonstrated the full package of cookies he received from Corey.

A week later they were already in Tibet.