Anton rescues Egor from the Twilight

Anton Gorodetsky's rescue of Egor from the Twilight is a pivotal moment in the boy's initiation into the world of Others, a near-fatal first crossing that reveals both Egor's extraordinary potential and the grave risks of unsupervised entry into the shadow world. The rescue, performed through a desperate act of self-sacrifice, cements the bond between the Night Watch agent and the boy whose destiny remains undetermined, and it demonstrates the physical and magical price of navigating the Twilight without preparation.

The Boy's First Independent Entry into the Twilight

Egor, having been lured by vampires the previous night and saved by Anton, is alone in his apartment, terrified and armed with folk remedies—garlic, a silver chain—that he believes will protect him. When he senses an invisible presence (Anton and Olga, who have entered his home through the Twilight), Egor's fear triggers an instinctive, untrained shift into the shadow world. He falls to the floor, seeing Anton for the first time in the gray dimension, and shouts, "I can see you! Don't touch me!" This spontaneous entry, without any mentor, curse, or stimulant, is remarkable: the way one first enters the Twilight determines whether one becomes a Dark One or a Light One, and Egor has done it entirely on his own. Anton recognizes the gravity of the moment, knowing that Boris Ignatievich would be entitled to have the boy taken out if he were to lean toward the Darkness.

The Twilight Coma and Anton's Intervention

Egor's untrained entry quickly overwhelms him. He loses consciousness, and the Twilight begins to drink his life, sucking out his final ounces of strength. Olga, perched on Anton's shoulder as a white owl, warns that Egor will stay in the Twilight forever if not pulled out immediately. Anton, who has never had to drag anyone out of the Twilight for real, slaps Egor's cheeks, first gently then with real force, but the boy grows lighter and lighter, melting away in Anton's arms. Following Olga's sharp command, Anton forms a sphere of exclusion—a shimmering bubble that seals himself and the boy off from the Twilight's draining influence. The effort causes a stab of pain in Anton's head, as if a small shell had exploded inside it. The sphere establishes a balance between their living bodies and the Twilight, but Egor's face is already turning gray, slipping away into the infinite expanses of the shadow world.

The Blood Sacrifice

With Egor fading, Anton makes a drastic choice. He throws the boy across his right arm, takes a penknife from his left pocket, opens the blade with his teeth, and slashes his own wrist. When the blood spurts out, the Twilight hisses like a red-hot frying pan. Anton's life seeps away with the blood, rupturing his own defenses against the Twilight, but the dose of energy is too large for the shadow world to absorb. The world turns brighter; Anton's shadow jumps onto the floor, and he steps through it. The rainbow film of the sphere of exclusion bursts, releasing them into the everyday world. A thin stream of blood splashes onto the carpet. Egor, still unconscious, begins to return to a pink complexion. Olga, having flown into the kitchen, returns with a bandage in her beak, and Anton binds his wrist. When Egor opens his eyes, he asks, "Who's that?" about the owl, and Anton explains that he cut himself by accident. The boy, still weak, helps bandage Anton's wrist, clumsily but trying hard, and his aura remains iridescent and neutral—the Twilight has not left its mark on him.

Consequences and Significance

The rescue has immediate and lasting consequences. Anton's blood sacrifice not only saves Egor's life but also deepens the boy's trust, though Egor remains wary and defiant. The event confirms Egor's extraordinary potential: he entered the Twilight independently, something that takes others months of training, and he survived a coma that would have killed a lesser novice. Anton's act also strains his own resources, leaving him weakened at a critical moment. The rescue sets the stage for Egor's later role in the story's climax, where his undetermined destiny becomes the focus of a complex manipulation by both the Night Watch and the Day Watch. The scene underscores the fundamental rule of the Twilight: it is an alien environment that demands constant expenditure of strength, and those who enter without control risk being consumed forever.