The black gate closed behind Rahim, Karim, Farid, and Zayan.
For a few seconds, nobody spoke.
They stood on a long stone road.
The road was dark and quiet.
Far ahead, they could see a huge castle.
The castle stood on top of a high hill.
Its walls were black.
Tall towers reached toward the sky.
Karim looked at the castle and said,
"Are we really going inside that place?"
Farid looked at him.
"We have no other choice."
Rahim held the three keys.
They were still glowing.
"The keys brought us here," Rahim said. "Maybe they will show us what to do next."
Zayan looked worried.
"Be careful. This castle is very old."
Rahim asked,
"Have you been here before?"
Zayan shook his head.
"No. But I have heard many stories about it."
"What kind of stories?" Karim asked.
Zayan looked at the castle.
"People say that the first guardian built this castle many years ago."
"Why did he build it?" Rahim asked.
"To protect a secret."
"What secret?"
Zayan was silent for a moment.
"No one knows."
Suddenly, the three keys began to glow more brightly.
A blue line appeared on the ground.
It went straight toward the castle.
Rahim smiled.
"I think we should follow it."
They started walking.
The road was long.
On both sides of the road stood old stone statues.
Each statue looked like a warrior.
Karim looked at them carefully.
"Why are all these statues holding swords?"
Farid answered,
"Maybe they were guards."
Suddenly, Karim heard a sound.
"Did you hear that?"
Everyone stopped.
"What?" Rahim asked.
Karim pointed toward the statues.
"I heard something."
They waited.
Nothing happened.
Farid smiled.
"Maybe it was just the wind."
They continued walking.
But none of them noticed that one of the statues had slowly turned its head.
After a few minutes, they reached the castle gates.
The huge doors were closed.
There was no handle.
Rahim looked at the three keys.
"Maybe one of these keys can open it."
He brought the Silver Key closer to the door.
Nothing happened.
Then he tried the Storm Key.
Still nothing.
Finally, he held up the Shadow Key.
The door suddenly began to shake.
BOOM!
A purple light appeared on the door.
A symbol slowly formed.
It was the same symbol they had seen earlier.
The Shadow Key began floating in Rahim's hand.
Then the castle doors opened by themselves.
CREEEAK...
A cold wind came from inside.
Karim swallowed nervously.
"I really don't like this."
Farid stepped forward.
"Stay close."
They entered the castle.
Inside, the walls were covered with old paintings.
The paintings showed warriors, kings, and strange creatures.
Rahim stopped in front of one painting.
It showed a young man holding three keys.
"The three keys," Rahim whispered.
Zayan came closer.
"Look at the man."
Rahim looked carefully.
The young man in the painting looked strangely familiar.
Karim suddenly said,
"Rahim..."
Rahim turned around.
"What?"
"Look at his face."
Rahim looked again.
His eyes became wide.
The young man in the painting looked almost exactly like him.
Farid also noticed it.
"This cannot be a coincidence."
Zayan looked shocked.
"Who is he?"
Nobody knew.
Rahim moved closer to the painting.
At the bottom of it, there were some ancient words.
He slowly read them.
"The first guardian shall return when the three keys awaken."
Everyone became silent.
Karim looked at Rahim.
"Does that mean..."
Rahim shook his head.
"I don't know."
Suddenly, a loud sound came from the end of the hallway.
CLANG!
Everyone turned around.
Something was moving in the darkness.
Farid took out his sword.
"Stay behind me."
A large shadow slowly appeared.
Karim stepped backward.
But the shadow did not attack.
It was another statue.
The statue walked slowly toward them.
Its stone body made a loud sound with every step.
CLANG...
CLANG...
CLANG...
Rahim raised the Shadow Key.
The statue stopped.
Then something strange happened.
The stone covering its face began to disappear.
Under the stone was the face of a human warrior.
The warrior opened his eyes.
"Who has brought the three keys back?"
Rahim stepped forward.
"I did."
The warrior looked at him.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then he bowed his head.
"Welcome, Guardian."
Rahim was surprised.
"Why are you calling me Guardian?"
The warrior pointed toward the painting.
"Because the castle already knows who you are."
Rahim looked at the painting again.
"Who was the first guardian?"
The warrior slowly answered,
"His name was Arman."
Rahim felt a strange feeling in his heart.
"Arman..."
The warrior continued,
"He was the first person to carry the three keys."
"Where is he now?" Farid asked.
The warrior looked toward the highest tower.
"He disappeared many years ago."
Karim asked,
"Did he die?"
The warrior shook his head.
"No one knows."
Suddenly, the castle shook.
BOOM!
Dust fell from the ceiling.
The warrior's expression changed.
"The Shadow Beast has entered the valley."
Rahim looked toward the castle doors.
"Can it enter this castle?"
The warrior looked at him seriously.
"Yes."
"Then what should we do?"
The warrior pointed toward the highest tower.
"Go there."
"Why?"
"Because the answer you seek is waiting at the top."
Rahim looked at his friends.
Farid nodded.
"We should go."
They began climbing the old stone stairs.
One floor...
Then another...
The stairs seemed endless.
As they climbed higher, the air became colder.
Finally, they reached a large wooden door.
Three symbols were carved into it.
The Silver Key.
The Storm Key.
The Shadow Key.
Rahim placed all three keys near the door.
The door opened.
Inside was a small room.
In the center of the room stood an old stone table.
On the table was a single book.
The book looked very old.
Rahim slowly walked toward it.
He opened the first page.
There was only one sentence.
"If you are reading this, then the Shadow Beast has returned."
Rahim froze.
Farid looked at him.
"What does the next page say?"
Rahim turned the page.
His face suddenly became pale.
There was a drawing of the Shadow Beast.
Under the drawing were several words.
"The beast was not created to destroy the world."
Karim looked confused.
"Then why does it attack everyone?"
Rahim turned another page.
The answer was waiting there.
But before he could read it...
A huge roar shook the entire castle.
ROOOOAR!
The windows broke.
The walls began to crack.
Zayan looked outside.
The Shadow Beast had reached the castle.
Rahim closed the book.
"We need to find the truth quickly."
But deep inside the castle...
A hidden door slowly opened.
And behind it, someone whispered,
"Rahim has finally returned."
To be continued...