The Secrets of the Lost Forest. Dariana Bliss

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      “It seems this is the only way up,” Lena noted, carefully stepping onto the first step. “Be careful, it’s slippery.”

      The children began to climb, staying close to each other. The staircase was longer than it had seemed at first, and each step became increasingly difficult. But at last, they reached the top, where they were met with an unusual sight.

      At the very summit of the hill stood an ancient altar, covered with mysterious runes and adorned with symbols the children had seen before. On the altar lay a small but brightly glowing object – the first artifact they were searching for.

      “There it is,” Vera said, approaching it. The light from the artifact was warm and soft, filling her with a sense of peace and confidence. “But how do we take it?”

      “Be careful,” Andrei warned, watching her closely. “It might be protected by some kind of spell.”

      Vera carefully reached out to the artifact, feeling a gentle warmth emanating from it. As soon as her fingers touched the glowing object, she felt a light vibration passing through her body. The artifact was a small crystal, shimmering with all the colors of the rainbow, but it seemed to contain immense power.

      At that moment, the ground beneath their feet began to tremble, and the children realized that something had awakened. The forest seemed to come alive – the trees began to move, their branches reaching out toward the children like giant hands.

      “Run!” Kostya shouted, grabbing Vera by the hand and pulling her away from the altar.

      They ran down the hill, trying to avoid the branches that were trying to grab them. The staircase they had climbed now seemed even more dangerous – the moss and ivy had grown thicker, and every step was on the verge of a fall.

      When they finally reached the foot of the hill, the forest around them calmed down again, as if nothing had happened. The children, breathing heavily, stopped to catch their breath and make sense of what had just occurred.

      “We did it,” Lena gasped, glancing back at the hill, which now seemed as quiet as before.

      “But what was that?” Andrei asked, still holding Vera’s hand. “Why did the forest try to stop us?”

      “I don’t know,” Vera replied, clutching the artifact tightly. “But now we have the first artifact. It might hold the key to unlocking the secrets of this world.”

      “And we have to be ready for anything,” Kostya added. “This place is full of mysteries and dangers, and it won’t let us go so easily.”

      With these words, they headed back to the castle, where new trials and secrets awaited them. Now, with the artifact in hand, they were one step closer to unraveling the great mystery hidden in this enigmatic world.

      Chapter 8: The Call of the Ancient Lake

      After the tense return to the castle with the first artifact in hand, the children felt both relief and anxiety. Their journey had only just begun, and they knew that many more trials lay ahead. The crystal found on the hilltop now quietly glowed in Vera’s hands, emitting a faint, calming light.

      “We’ve taken the first step,” Andrei said as they once again found themselves in the castle hall. “But what’s next?”

      “The map shows the next location,” Vera replied, spreading the map on the ancient table in the center of the room. Her fingers traced the points until they stopped at one deep in the forest, near a large lake. “It should be here.”

      “A lake… But for some reason, I feel it will be just as dangerous as the hill,” Kostya noted, carefully examining the map. “There are too many strange symbols around this point.”

      “We have to be ready for anything,” Lena said, sitting down next to the map. “But we have no choice. This artifact is only part of the puzzle. We need the others to understand how it all connects.”

      “We’ve faced challenges before, and we’ll face them again,” Vera added confidently, putting the map in her pocket. “Let’s head to the lake.”

      With that, they left the castle and ventured into the forest again, following the map’s directions. The road to the lake was long and winding, and the further they went, the more the surrounding nature changed. The trees grew taller and darker, their canopies blocking out most of the light, leaving the children in semi-darkness.

      The sense of unease grew with each step, but they didn’t stop. Ahead, beyond the thick undergrowth, they heard the quiet splash of water, filtering through the trees. Lena was the first to notice the gleam of water between the trunks and pointed it out.

      “We’re close,” she whispered, indicating the path. “But be careful. This place feels… strange.”

      As they approached the lake’s shore, they were greeted by the sight of a calm, almost mirror-like surface. The lake was surrounded by high stone cliffs, which seemed to protect it from the outside world. The water was so clear that they could see the bottom, covered in small pebbles and a thin layer of green algae.

      But what caught their attention the most was a small island in the middle of the lake. On it stood an ancient, half-ruined tower, the only one of its kind. At the top of the tower, just like on the hill, something was shimmering, drawing their attention.

      “There it is,” Vera said, pointing to the tower. “We need to get there.”

      “But how? We can’t swim to the island,” Andrei noted, looking at the water, which seemed deep and unwelcoming.

      “Maybe there’s another way,” Kostya suggested, scanning the surroundings. His gaze settled on an old wooden bridge connecting the shore to the island. But the bridge looked fragile and decrepit, as if it couldn’t support the weight of even a small animal, let alone people.

      “We have to try,” Lena decided, heading toward the bridge. “But let’s go one at a time, or it might collapse.”

      Vera went first, carefully stepping on the rotting boards. Each step elicited a creak, but the bridge held her weight. She reached the middle, then continued forward until she arrived on the island. The others followed her example, and soon all four were standing at the base of the tower.

      The tower was old, its stone walls covered in moss and cracks, but inside, it was strangely quiet and calm. The staircase leading to the top looked so rickety that each step could be their last.

      “We’ll have to climb up,” Vera said, carefully examining the stairs. “But be careful, it could collapse at any moment.”

      They began their ascent, stepping as lightly as possible, trying not to look down. The stairs creaked under their weight, but despite this, they slowly made their way up. When they finally reached the top, they found a small room dimly lit by light filtering through narrow windows.

      In the center of the room, on a pedestal, rested the second artifact – a small cube made of transparent material, inside of which light shimmered as if it were trapped forever. Around the cube were carved symbols that reminded the children of those they had seen in the book.

      “This is it,” Lena whispered, cautiously СКАЧАТЬ