Anton learns of the plan to change destiny

Anton Gorodetsky's discovery of the Night Watch's secret plan to alter human destiny using the Chalk of Destiny marks a decisive turning point in his understanding of the Light's methods and his own place within the Watch. The revelation, which comes in fragments from Olga and then in full from Zabulon, exposes a decades-long operation to create a new social model by rewriting a single person's fate, forcing Anton to choose between loyalty to his mentor Gesar and his own moral compass.

The Revelation of the Chalk

The truth emerges piece by piece. During a vacation at Tiger Cub's country house, Anton presses Olga for answers about Svetlana's accelerated training. Olga reveals that the Watch has been preparing for twelve years to use a Great Sorceress to change the destiny of the human world, and that Svetlana is the key figure in this new attempt. "We can win only through ordinary people," Olga explains, describing the Light's goal of creating an ideal society through a genuine revolution in human consciousness. She admits that a previous attempt—the communist experiment—failed because of a compromise with the Darkness, and that Svetlana is being prepared to succeed where Olga herself failed.

Zabulon's Visit and the Full Truth

The most complete account comes from an unexpected source. Zabulon, the head of the Moscow Day Watch, breaks into Anton's apartment with the help of Kostya the vampire and reveals the nature of the artifact that Alisher Ganiev has brought from Samarkand. "The courier brought a piece of chalk," Zabulon says. He describes the Chalk of Destiny as a worn-down stub that has been used throughout history to reshape the world: "beautiful young women with bright fire in their eyes have picked it up in their slim fingers several times already... empires have risen, shepherds have become prophets and carpenters have become gods." The chalk can only be used by a female Light Sorceress of great power, and Zabulon warns that Gesar intends to use Svetlana to rewrite the destiny of Egor, the boy whose future remains undetermined.

The Moral Crisis

Armed with this knowledge, Anton confronts Gesar at the Para Bar. The boss confirms the plan: Svetlana will open the Book of Destiny and use the chalk to change Egor's fate, making him a Light Magician who will eventually lead humanity toward a better future. Gesar argues that the end justifies the means, that this attempt has better chances than any before, and that Anton has no right to object based on personal interests. Anton rejects this reasoning, declaring the operation immoral and pointing to the catastrophic failures of previous attempts—the Russian Revolution, the Second World War. "Every attempt to bring about a fundamental change in human society has been a failure," he insists. Gesar releases Anton from all obligations, telling him to act as his destiny requires.

The Climax on the Roof

Anton arrives at the roof of the "house on stilts" where Svetlana, Egor, Gesar, Zabulon, and the Inquisitor Maxim have gathered. Svetlana holds the chalk, ready to rewrite Egor's destiny. A hurricane, unleashed by the concentration of magical power, rages around them. Gesar urges Anton to use his second-level intervention right to stop the storm, but Anton instead uses all the power he has gathered from ordinary people to perform a remoralization on himself—a spell that changes nothing in the world but his own soul. When Svetlana asks him what she should do, he refuses to give advice: "You must decide for yourself. And nobody can relieve you of that responsibility." Svetlana ultimately erases Egor's destiny rather than rewriting it, and Gesar reveals that the entire operation was a feint to force the higher powers to restore Olga's full powers, so that she—not Svetlana—could use the other half of the chalk to rewrite a different destiny. Anton realizes that he has been a pawn in Gesar's larger game, but also that his refusal to participate in the manipulation of human destiny has preserved his own integrity.