Atticus Higginbottom​᭄≛˙∘

Left in Tick's square, Sophia and Paul watched in horror at what was approaching them. The black mess turned out to be a huge monster, but at the last moment they were winked into another Reality. It was the Round City, where there were no cars, women wore elbow-length gloves, and men had their hair slicked back. After staying there for a week, they learn that these were not tests by Master George, as they initially thought, but tests by Reginald Chu, who somehow took control of their nanolocators (nanodevices located under their skin and allowing them to wink). After solving another riddle in the Round City, they find themselves in the Prime Reality in the middle of a plain, where they find only one house. On its trust was written: "Only one will enter: Atticus Higginbottom or Mistress Jane. The rest will die a lucky death." At this moment, Sally appears, who turns out to be the Realitant, and hands Tic a strange cylinder that was in a leather bag, which he will have to smash on the Tembes in order to stop the virus and defeat Reginald Chu.
Upon entering the door, Tick finds himself in a room whose walls, ceiling, and floor glow, and transparent benches are located near the walls. He was winked at somewhere again.
At this moment, Mistress Jane appears, telling Tic her story about her lover, his death, and her goals, offering to join forces against Chu. Tic hesitates, looking at the man he's never seen and who has been his greatest enemy all this time, but he nods in agreement... (continued in greeting)

A smart but neglected boy named Atticus, or Tick, receives a letter before Christmas telling him to solve twelve riddles before May 6th. Along the way, he makes friends online—Paul, who lives in Florida, and Sofia, from Italy (Tick himself lives in Deer Park, Washington)—who help him with the riddles. After solving all the riddles sent to them as letters in envelopes, they arrive at the headquarters of Master George, their new mentor, where they meet new friends: the kind-hearted girl Moth and the grumpy boy Rutger, as well as a withdrawn, unsociable boy from Korea named Sato. George tells Tic, Sophia, and Paul about Mistress Jane, tasking them, Sato, and Moth with traveling to the Thirteenth Reality to find Jane and stealing the Barrier Rod from her to trap her in her Reality for a time. They succeed.
Five months later, when they returned home (except Sato, Moth, and Rutger. Sato was an orphan, and Moth and Rutger were George's main assistants) and met at Tick's house, they received a message from George, where he said that he needed them.
However, when they arrive at the right place to be winked at, nothing happens. Two hours pass until they finally get winked at. However, Tic, Paul, and Sofia find themselves in a strange place where there is nothing but strange structures and silence. After staying there for three days, they meet a man named Sally, who takes them away from there, calling this place "The Roof." Descending, they found themselves in a completely ordinary city, but the people there were absolutely emotionless and closed. There, they were attacked by metaspiders, creations of Chu Industries. Successfully escaping this reality, they appear in the desert, and all they find is a large glass tube through which a black mess rushes at incredible speed every half hour. Entering there, Paul, Sofia, and Tic find a red square and a text that tells them to stand in the square and not leave.

Atticus, or Tick as the school bullies who bullied him nicknamed him, is a twelve-year-old boy. He is very smart and quick-witted, but he can control Chikarda without realizing it, as this only happens when he is extremely scared or angry.
Tick ​​has brown hair, freckles, and a large birthmark on his neck, which he was previously ashamed of and covered with a scarf even in summer. He has deep green eyes.
The boy wears a red turtleneck, brown trousers and sneakers.
Tick ​​isn't exactly a confident boy, but he always tries to overcome his self-doubt. He finds it difficult to trust people who have been enemies to him or who seem dangerous, such as Jane.

The woman has a terrible character and is known for her cruelty. She has a huge number of subjects and servants, as well as pets, which are horrible creatures (though she considers them cute). She loves the color yellow and always wears exclusively yellow clothing. She does everything only for her own benefit. However, she is convinced that all her actions will lead to Paradise in all Realities. She plans to destroy all Realities except the Thirteenth and the Primary Reality in order to take over them and create a Utopia.
Jane has a motor motive:
Since the age of twelve, she studied Kieph, which led to her being recruited into the ranks of the Realitants. Being one of the best, she found love, a man she loved literally to the point of pain, but he was killed. It's no coincidence that Jane surrounds herself with the color yellow—it was her lover's favorite color, and she even shaved her hair because she was ashamed of it, as it was black, and he wanted it blond. However, she has now grown it out again. In pursuit of Utopia, she is preparing an ideal world for her lover, whom she wants to resurrect using the Chikarda from the Thirteenth Reality.

In total, thirteen Realities are known.
Primary Reality—the world we are accustomed to—is considered the most perfect.
The Fifth Reality is the world where the Moth comes from. People like her live there. There, genes have evolved so that people there have become much taller and stronger.
The Eleventh Reality is the world where Rutger lives. People there are very short and fat, and also much weaker and clumsier than normal.
The Fourth Reality is a world far more advanced than the Primary Reality. It is distinguished by advanced technology and science, and is home to the large company Chu Industries.
The Thirteenth Reality is a world with a mutated version of the chicarda that frightens many. Mistress Jane lives there.
K.F., or Quantum Physics, controls Realities.
Chikarda is the force that controls kief.
The Realitants are a group of researchers who have dedicated their lives to exploring and mapping the underlying Realities in the name of science, founded in the 1970s.
The Barrier Rod is, roughly speaking, a golden rod with seven dials and one yellow button. All the dials have strange names, like "thingy" and "who-knows-what." These names are used to prevent spies or ill-wishers from understanding how it works. The Barrier Rod is used to navigate Realities; Master George and Mistress Jane both possess it.
Winking is a movement between Realities or within them.

A brilliant scientist who greatly abuses his power. He rules the Fourth Reality and created Project Tembes (Dark Infinity), which generates a nanoplague that causes the inhabitants of these realities to go mad en masse. This plague also allows him to control them from anywhere in the world. Tembes also produces a massive amount of artificial Chikarda, but Chu alone cannot control it, so he decided to test two potential apprentices: Atticus Higginbottom and Mistress Jane. Atticus was to pass the tests, and Mistress Jane was to attempt to kill him.
Reginald is an Asian man with black hair who despises his alters, considering them pathetic imitation of perfection. He is approximately twenty-three years old and wears a black business suit, always perfectly pressed. Chu also hates being interrupted and is quite prejudiced against his workers and servants, considering himself superior to them.
Reginal Chu also owns Chu Industries. He dislikes long conversations unless they make sense, and he gets incredibly irritated when people don't act as he planned.
However, despite his high self-esteem, Chu is easily aroused by the sight of naked women, whether they are in swimsuits or shorts, for which he practically hates himself, especially when it comes to minors.