LITMIR.BIZ

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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 the book grow lighter in her hands. “It says we must follow the light and listen to the voice.”

      “The voice?” Andrei asked, trying to grasp the meaning. “What voice?”

      He hadn’t finished speaking when a quiet, almost imperceptible whisper echoed around them. It was barely audible, as if coming from the very walls of the castle. The children froze, listening to this strange sound. The whisper grew clearer and finally formed words:

      “Hear me… follow me…”

      “That’s the voice,” Lena whispered, feeling a chill run down her spine. “But what does it mean?”

      “We have to follow it,” Vera said firmly. “It will lead us to where we’ll learn more.”

      They slowly moved forward, listening to the whisper that guided them through the winding corridors. The voice was strange – it sounded old, as if it belonged to someone from the distant past, but there was something familiar in it, something that inspired trust.

      The path became increasingly confusing, with corridors crossing each other, creating the sensation that they were wandering in circles. But the voice continued to direct them, leading them deeper and deeper into the castle. Soon they found themselves before a massive door adorned with ancient carved patterns depicting scenes from old legends.

      “We’re here,” Andrei said, carefully examining the door. “But how do we open it?”

      Vera looked at the book again. On one of the pages, new symbols appeared, forming something like an incantation.

      “It seems this door will open if we speak these words,” she suggested, pointing to the text.

      The children gathered around, and holding the book before them, they recited the strange words, trying to pronounce each one correctly. As soon as the last word left their lips, the door slowly began to open, creaking with age.

      Beyond the door was a vast hall, in the center of which stood a tall throne adorned with precious stones and intricate carvings. But the strangest thing was that a figure sat on the throne, covered in a long cloak, its face hidden under a hood. A strange glow emanated from the figure, and it seemed as though it had been there for a long time, waiting for their arrival.

      “Who are you?” Lena asked, barely breathing from the tension.

      The figure slowly raised its head, and the hall filled with the same voice they had heard in the corridors:

      “I am the guardian of this castle. I am here to pass on the knowledge that will help you on your journey.”

      “What is this knowledge?” Andrei asked, feeling the tension in the air intensify.

      “Knowledge of the past that is connected to you,” the guardian replied, his voice deep and heavy. “You didn’t end up here by chance. Your destiny is tied to this world, and you must uncover its secrets to find your way home.”

      Vera, clutching the book, took a step forward:

      “How can we learn these secrets?”

      The guardian raised his hand, and in his palm appeared

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