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The path beyond the gate was silent as an inhaled breath. Only the faint crackle of the glowing mushrooms accompanied their footsteps. The light had no clear source—it was simply there, like a memory that hasn't quite vanished. Brummel tugged at his cloak. "The pulling... do you hear it too?" "I think it hears us," Hugo answered, his voice more serious than usual. The walls of the path began to change—rootstock turned to stone, mushrooms became glowing crystals, within which tiny scenes moved: a child laughing; an old man singing a song; a fire that never went out. "Duskstone," Brummel murmured reverently. "The steps of the ancient seers," Hugo added. Ahead of them, the path descended into a wide spiral—step upon step of smooth stone shimmering in soft colors: old gold, pale lilac, misty green. Symbols were inscribed in the edges, flickering as they passed, like the shadow of thoughts. "Every step is a gate," said Hugo. "But not one you walk through with your feet." Brummel nodded. "But with what you can't say." They descended, step by step. At the third step, Brummel stopped. He saw a faint outline in the air—a figure resembling his sister, with an apricot dress and grass in her hair. She looked at him and smiled. Then she dissolved, and Brummel stepped on. Hugo paused at the seventh step. A warm scent filled his nostrils—wet hay, wood smoke, quince paste. He closed his eyes. When he opened them, the scent was gone, but his heart pounded as if singing an old song. The steps led deeper and deeper until the light grew dimmer. Then they stood in a wide hall—round, vaulted with twilight stone, and in the center, a mirror that didn't reflect. "The mirror without an image," whispered Hugo. "It doesn't show what was... but what might have been," said Brummel softly. They stepped closer. The glass was silver and alive—it rippled like water in the wind. Brummel stepped back. "I'm not sure I want to know." Hugo didn't answer. He looked into the mirror—and what he saw remained silent. Only his hands clenched, then he let go. Suddenly, the floor trembled. The mirror dissolved, and from its core grew a door—plain, wooden, without a handle. "The next threshold," said Brummel. "And again, no way back," answered Hugo. They looked at each other. No words. Just a nod. Then they opened the door. A new path awaited. And somewhere inside: the answer.