LITMIR.BIZ

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like… someone or something is watching us.”

      At that moment, the silence was pierced by a strange sound. It came from somewhere deep in the forest – a rustling, as if someone was moving among the trees, trying to remain unnoticed.

      “We’re not alone,” Lena whispered, gripping Vera’s hand tightly.

      “We have to keep moving,” Andrei said firmly, though he felt his confidence beginning to waver. “Stopping here is the worst thing we could do.”

      They continued their journey, trying to move faster but without losing caution. The further they went, the stronger the feeling grew that the darkness around them was alive, surrounding them, pushing them toward something.

      Suddenly, they emerged into a small clearing, surrounded by high walls of black stone. In the center of the clearing stood an archway leading into a dark passage. The arch was covered with old runes, and a cold emanated from it, chilling them to the bone.

      “Is this… a labyrinth?” Kostya asked, stepping closer and examining the arch. “It looks like this is the entrance.”

      “Maybe this labyrinth leads to the castle,” Vera suggested. “But it seems like passing through it won’t be easy.”

      “We’ll have to enter if we want to continue,” Andrei said, glancing at the others. “But we must be ready for whatever danger awaits inside.”

      Lena took a deep breath and stepped forward first. “We’re together, and that’s what matters. We’ll make it.”

      The others followed her, and soon all four were inside the labyrinth. As soon as they entered, the walls behind them closed, leaving them in complete darkness. Ahead lay only a long corridor winding into the unknown.

      Their footsteps echoed in the silence, and the air around them grew heavier with each step. They felt the tension rising, and every sound was amplified, as if the labyrinth itself was a living being, reacting to their presence.

      “We must stay together,” Lena whispered, trying not to get lost in the darkness. “This labyrinth could easily separate us.”

      They moved slowly, trying not to panic. The labyrinth seemed endless, and each turn led them to new corridors, even darker and more confusing. But something about this place felt wrong. From time to time, they noticed that the corridors changed, as if the labyrinth was rearranging itself to confuse them even more.

      “This isn’t just a labyrinth,” Andrei muttered as they came upon another dead end. “It’s alive… it’s playing with us.”

      “We have to outsmart it,” Vera said, trying to remain calm. “Let’s try leaving something at each turn, so we know where we’ve been.”

      Kostya took out a small piece of chalk from his pocket and began marking the walls. This gave them a bit of confidence, but soon they realized that even with the marks, their situation hadn’t improved. The labyrinth continued to change, and the marks started to disappear.

      “This place is testing us,” Andrei said, stopping to gather his thoughts. “We need to find a way out of here.”

      Just then, they heard a new sound – barely audible, but it was approaching. It was a soft rustling, as if something was moving through the labyrinth, drawing closer to them.

      “What is that?” Lena whispered fearfully, her heart pounding faster.

      “I don’t know,” Kostya replied, his voice tense. “But we need to move faster.”

      They began to run, trying to find an exit, but the labyrinth seemed to give them no chance. The walls narrowed, the passages became tighter, and soon they found themselves in a small room with no exit.

      “We’re trapped!” Lena exclaimed, looking around.

      “Not quite,” Vera replied, noticing something on the wall. There, on the black stone, were carved symbols similar to those they had seen earlier. “This might be a clue.”

      They approached the wall and began studying the symbols. Suddenly, Vera realized that these weren’t just patterns – they were a map. A map of the labyrinth.

      “There it is!” she said, pointing to one of the symbols. “This is the way out.”

      “But how will we follow it?” Kostya asked. “The labyrinth changes every time we take a step.”

      “We have to act together, as one,” Vera said, looking at her friends. “If we move in sync, we might confuse it.”

      They joined hands and began moving together, following the map. Each step was carefully calculated, and they tried not to break the rhythm. The labyrinth resisted, but soon the children began to notice that the corridors stopped changing. They moved faster and faster until they reached an exit hidden deep in the darkness.

      When they emerged into the light, their path was illuminated once again. They found themselves on the other side of the gorge, right in front of the ancient castle they had seen from the start.

      “We did it!” Lena exclaimed with joy.

      “But this is just the beginning,” Andrei replied, staring at the castle’s grim walls. “The hardest trial awaits us now.”

      The friends stood on the threshold of a new adventure, ready for whatever this mysterious world had in store for them. Their friendship and determination had become the key to survival, and they knew that even more mysteries and challenges lay ahead.

      Chapter 5: The Gates of the Ancient Castle

      The castle loomed before the children as a dark, imposing structure, its walls covered in thick ivy, and its windows boarded up and dark, as if it had been waiting for its 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

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