The Secrets of the Lost Forest. Dariana Bliss

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СКАЧАТЬ uninvited guests for centuries. The gray sky, as if matching the mood of the castle, was heavy with clouds, and a light breeze carried the scent of dampness and mustiness.

      The friends stood before the massive iron gates, which seemed to have rusted over and hadn’t been opened in years. Vera, clutching the amulet she found in the labyrinth, stepped closer and cautiously touched one of the gate rings.

      “We must go inside,” she said quietly, her voice filled with determination, though deep down she felt a slight tremor of fear.

      “But how?” Andrei asked, examining the massive gates. “They look too heavy for us to open.”

      Kostya, who had been silent all this time, scrutinized the gates and noticed ancient symbols carved into their surface. They resembled those they had seen in the labyrinth, but here they were larger and more distinct.

      “These symbols mean something,” he said, running his hand over one of them. “Maybe they’re the key to opening the gates.”

      Lena, intrigued by Kostya’s words, stepped closer and began studying the symbols with him. Her gaze suddenly fixed on one of them – a strange spiral that seemed brighter than the others.

      “I saw this spiral in the labyrinth,” she said, drawing the others’ attention to the symbol. “Maybe if we all touch it at the same time, the gates will open?”

      “Let’s try,” Andrei agreed, and all four reached out to touch the symbol.

      As soon as their fingers touched the spiral, a low hum resonated through the air, and the gates began to slowly open, creaking and groaning as if resisting the movement. Inside the castle, a dark corridor leading into the depths of the fortress was revealed. A cold draft emanated from it, as if the castle itself was breathing icy air.

      “We need to be careful,” Vera warned as she took the first step inside. Her heart was pounding, but she felt that this place held the answers to their questions.

      The others followed her, and soon they found themselves inside the ancient castle. Inside, a deathly silence reigned, broken only by the echo of their footsteps on the stone floors. The high vaulted ceilings disappeared into darkness, and the corridors branching off in different directions seemed endless.

      “We need to find the glowing artifact we saw in the well,” Andrei reminded them, carefully looking around. “It might be the key to unlocking all the mysteries.”

      They moved cautiously forward, trying not to make any unnecessary noise. Each new turn brought them deeper into feelings of anxiety and uncertainty. It seemed as if the castle was watching them, testing their courage and resolve.

      At one of the intersections, they stopped, unsure of which path to take. The corridors looked identical, but something in the air hinted that one of them led to their goal, while the others were traps.

      “Which one?” Lena asked, peering into the darkness.

      “We have to trust our instincts,” Kostya said, listening to his feelings. He suddenly felt a faint breeze coming from the left corridor and took a step in that direction. “This one.”

      They turned left and soon entered a large room, dimly lit by a soft light emanating from something in the center of the room. All eyes were drawn to the massive altar on which rested the glowing artifact – a large ancient book emitting a gentle glow. Its pages were covered in golden runes, and it seemed as if the book had been waiting for their arrival.

      “That’s it!” Vera exclaimed, approaching it. “This is the book from the vision in the well.”

      “But why is it here?” Andrei wondered, hesitating to approach. “And what will happen if we take it?”

      Kostya cautiously reached out to the book, but before he could touch it, the room suddenly filled with a strange sound. The air began to vibrate, and the light around them started to flicker, as if something was trying to stop them.

      “Wait!” Lena exclaimed, looking around. “I think this is a trap.”

      At that moment, the walls of the room began to move. The stone blocks that had previously been part of the walls slowly slid down, revealing narrow passages from which shadows began to emerge. They were almost invisible, but their presence was felt on the skin – a cold that penetrated to the bones.

      “These shadows… they’re alive!” Andrei shouted, stepping back. “We have to do something!”

      “We need to work together!” Vera shouted, gripping the amulet in her hands. “If this book is here for us, then we can use it.”

      She stepped forward and touched the book. As soon as her fingers made contact with the ancient cover, the light intensified, and the shadows began to retreat. The book opened by itself, its pages flipping rapidly, and suddenly the light spread through the room like a powerful wave, driving the shadows away.

      The castle stilled, the walls returned to their place, and the shadows vanished as if they had never existed. The room was once again filled with silence, and the book remained in Vera’s hands, no longer glowing, but full of power and ancient knowledge.

      “We did it,” Lena said with relief, looking at her friends. “But what now?”

      “Now we have to decipher this book,” Kostya said, carefully studying the runes on the pages. “It might be the key to everything that’s happening in this world.”

      “And we’ll figure it out,” Vera said firmly, closing the book and holding it close to her chest. “We’ll act together, and nothing will stop us.”

      The friends understood that more challenges awaited them ahead, but they felt that they had found something important – the key to unlocking the secrets of this world and possibly finding their way home. And although the castle still held its mysteries, they were ready for new discoveries and adventures that awaited them behind the next doors.

      Chapter 6: The Voice from the Past

      When the children left the hall with the altar, they found themselves back in the gloomy corridors of the castle. The light from the book, which had previously illuminated their path, had faded, leaving them in a dim space lit only by flickering torches on the walls. Vera held the book tightly, feeling its strange warmth and weight, as if it were something alive.

      “Where to now?” Kostya asked, glancing around. They were surrounded by doors and corridors, all identical, all seemingly leading deeper into the castle.

      “I think the book can guide us,” Vera said, opening it and trying to understand the text on the pages. But the text was in an ancient language that none of them knew.

      Lena looked closely at the pages and noticed that the text was periodically changing its symbols, as if trying to adapt to their perception.

      “Look!” she exclaimed, pointing to the page. “The words are changing!”

      Indeed, the text began to transform into something understandable. The pages of the book seemed to come to life, and clear symbols appeared on them, forming words and phrases the children could comprehend.

      “It’s showing us the way,” Vera said, feeling СКАЧАТЬ