The forest outside Bergsberg was alive with the sound of rustling leaves and distant bird calls, though none of the group trudging through it seemed to notice. Dirk Gently led the way, his bright yellow jacket practically glowing in the dappled sunlight, as if the universe itself had spotlighted him for reasons only it understood.

"We're getting closer," Dirk declared, pointing dramatically ahead at nothing in particular. "I can feel it in my bones!"

"Or maybe you're just cold because you didn't bring a proper jacket," Farah retorted, scanning the trees with sharp, practiced eyes. Her hand rested lightly on the grip of her pistol, ready for anything.

"Cold is a state of mind, Farah," Dirk replied breezily. "I am fully in sync with the universe, and the universe does not feel cold. It feels... suspenseful. Like a page on the verge of being turned."

Todd groaned from the back of the group. "You're talking nonsense again, Dirk."

"Ah, but isn't nonsense just the precursor to sense?" Dirk asked, spinning around to walk backward so he could face Todd. "Think about it! A puzzle is only a mess until you start connecting the pieces, and I am exceptionally good at connecting pieces."

"Right," Todd muttered, stepping over a gnarled root. "Except you don't even know what the pieces are yet."

"Details, Todd! Merely details!" Dirk twirled back around, narrowly missing a low-hanging branch. "The important thing is that we're here. Well, not quite here, but almost there, which is really just the precursor to here."

"Is he always like this?" Amanda whispered to Farah, who gave her a knowing look in return.

"Pretty much," Farah said. "You get used to it."

Just then, the forest seemed to shift. The sunlight filtering through the canopy grew dim, and an unnatural silence fell over the group. Even the birds had stopped chirping. The air felt thick, heavy with anticipation, and a faint hum seemed to resonate through the ground beneath their feet.

"Oh, yes," Dirk said, stopping abruptly. "This is definitely it."

"It what?" Todd asked nervously, looking around. "It creepy? Because it's definitely that."

"The center," Dirk said, his voice lowering reverently. He crouched down and pressed his hand to the ground. "This is where it happened. The portal. The cult. The… Bart."

Amanda stepped forward, her face tight with concern. "If Bart's out there, we need to find her. She might be in trouble."

Dirk stood, brushing dirt from his hands. "Oh, Amanda, I couldn't agree more. But the thing about Bart is that she's… well, she's Bart. Trouble doesn't find her so much as she finds it, then makes it tea."

"That's comforting," Todd muttered.

Farah's voice cut through the tension. "Everyone, look."

She pointed to a patch of ground a few feet away, where the soil was scorched black, as though something impossibly hot had burned a perfect circle into it. Around the edges of the circle were faint, jagged lines, almost like claw marks, etched deep into the earth.

Dirk's eyes lit up. "Ah, the telltale signs of interdimensional interference! Just as I suspected."

"You suspected claw marks?" Todd asked incredulously.

"Well, not specifically claw marks, but something weird, yes. The claw marks are a bonus."

Amanda knelt by the edge of the circle, her fingers brushing the strange markings. "This is where Bart was in the video. This has to be where the portal opened."

"Indeed," Dirk said, pacing around the circle. "And if my finely tuned holistic instincts are correct—and they always are—then something significant is still here. Something waiting for us."

As if on cue, the humming sound grew louder, and a faint glow began to emanate from the center of the scorched circle. The group stepped back instinctively, except for Dirk, who leaned in closer.

"Fascinating," he murmured.

Farah grabbed his arm. "Dirk, maybe don't stand so close to the glowing death circle."

"Glowing opportunity circle, Farah," Dirk corrected, but he allowed himself to be pulled back.

The glow intensified, and the air around them seemed to ripple. Then, with a sound like a thousand whispers converging into a single, deafening roar, the portal opened again.

Standing in its swirling, silver depths was Bart Curlish, her face as calm and unreadable as ever. She looked at the group, her gaze settling briefly on Dirk, then Amanda.

"Took you long enough," Bart said, her voice cutting through the chaos of the portal. "I need your help."

And then, before anyone could respond, she stepped through the portal and collapsed at their feet.