THE LIGHTHOUSE BETWEEN WORLDS

Chapter 6: The Hidden Oulse

Lina's pov

I returned to the palace just as the sun began to dip, its golden light stretching long across the stone path behind me. The warmth I had felt in the city faded with every step I took toward the towering gates.

It was strange.

Just hours ago, I had been laughing.

Now, that lightness was slipping away.

The guards at the entrance straightened as I approached, their eyes briefly scanning me before they stepped aside. I offered a small nod, but something about the way they looked at me felt… different.

Sharper.

More cautious.

As if I wasn’t just a guest anymore.

As if I were something they needed to watch.

The moment I stepped inside, the air changed.

The palace felt colder than usual, the silence heavier. My footsteps echoed softly along the polished floors as I walked through the corridor, but even that sound seemed too loud.

Whispers followed me.

I didn’t need to hear the words to know they were about me.

I kept my head forward, pretending not to notice.

But I felt it.

Every glance.

Every shift in tone.

Every subtle step back as I passed.

My fingers curled slightly at my sides.

Why did it feel like I didn’t belong anywhere anymore?

Not here.

Not home.

Not anywhere.

I turned down a long hallway, hoping to reach my room without running into anyone.

But fate, it seemed, had other plans.

She stood at the far end.

The Queen.

For a moment, my steps slowed.

Something inside me stirred again—that same strange pull I had felt before when she looked at me. Like she knew me. Like she recognised something.

I stopped a few feet away and bowed slightly, unsure of what else to do.

“Your Majesty.”

She regarded me in silence for a brief moment.

Her expression was calm.

Too calm.

“Lady Marlowe,” she said.

Her voice was composed. Formal.

Distant.

The shift hit me harder than I expected.

In that instant, I realised something.

Whatever connection I thought we had… it was gone.

Or maybe—

She was pretending it never existed.

“I trust you are settling in well,” she continued.

“Yes,” I replied quietly. “I… went into the city today.”

“I see.”

That was all she said.

No questions.

No curiosity.

Nothing.

Just an acknowledgement.

It felt like a wall had been placed between us.

A deliberate one.

My chest tightened slightly, but I forced myself to remain composed.

“If that is all, Your Majesty…”

She gave a slight nod.

“You are dismissed.”

Dismissed.

The word echoed in my mind as I walked past her.

I didn’t look back.

But I felt her gaze linger on me long after I had gone.

—

Back in my chamber, the silence felt overwhelming.

I closed the door behind me and leaned against it, letting out a slow breath.

Why did that hurt?

I barely knew her.

And yet…

It felt like I had just been pushed away by someone who mattered.

I shook my head, trying to clear the thought.

“This is ridiculous,” I muttered.

I walked over to the desk near the window and sat down, staring at the blank parchment laid out before me.

A quill rested beside it.

Ink, neatly placed.

For a moment, I just looked at it.

Then slowly… I reached for the quill.

If I couldn’t go home—

Maybe I could still reach them.

Even if it was impossible.

Even if it made no sense.

I had to try.

I dipped the quill into the ink, my hand hovering over the page.

What do you even write in a situation like this?

Hey Mom, Dad… I somehow ended up in another world. Don’t worry though, I’m fine.

A small, humourless laugh escaped me.

“Yeah… that sounds completely normal.”

Still, I lowered the quill.

And began.

I’m not sure if this will ever reach you…

The words came slowly at first.

But I need to try.

I’m okay.

I’m safe.

I just… I don’t know how to come back yet.

My vision blurred slightly as I continued writing.

I miss you.

The ink trembled on the page.

No.

Not the ink.

My hand.

I blinked, trying to steady myself.

But then—

Something strange happened.

The letters I had just written…

Shifted.

Just slightly.

I froze.

The ink shimmered faintly.

A soft blue glow spread across the parchment.

My breath caught.

“No…”

The glow grew stronger.

The air around me changed—charged, alive.

The same energy.

The Blue Thread.

It pulsed beneath my skin, responding to something I didn’t understand.

The words on the page began to move.

Rearranging.

Twisting.

Until they no longer formed the message I had written.

Instead—

A symbol appeared.

Intricate.

Glowing.

Familiar.

My heart started pounding.

“I’ve seen this before…”

The vision.

The attacker.

The mark.

My fingers trembled as I reached out, hovering just above the page.

The moment I touched the symbol—

A low sound echoed through the room.

I turned sharply.

The wall beside my bed…

Moved.

Stone shifted with a deep grinding noise, revealing a narrow opening hidden within the structure.

My breath hitched.

“No way…”

For a moment, I just stared.

Every instinct told me to call someone.

To leave.

To pretend I hadn’t seen anything.

But something else pulled at me.

Curiosity.

Or maybe…

Something deeper.

Something that felt like it had been waiting for me.

Slowly, cautiously, I stood.

And stepped toward the opening.

Darkness greeted me from within.

I hesitated.

Then took a deep breath.

And stepped inside.

—

The passage was narrow, the air cool and heavy with age.

The moment I entered, faint blue light flickered along the walls—reacting to my presence.

I swallowed.

“Okay… that’s not creepy at all.”

My voice echoed softly.

I moved forward carefully, my hand brushing against the stone wall for balance.

The deeper I went, the stronger the feeling became.

Like something was calling me.

Like I wasn’t lost.

Like I was being led.

After what felt like minutes of walking, the passage opened into a larger chamber.

And I stopped.

The space was vast.

Ancient.

The walls were covered in markings—symbols etched into the stone, glowing faintly in shades of blue.

The air felt heavier here.

Powerful.

Old.

My eyes moved slowly across the room.

Broken relics lay scattered across the floor.

Fragments of something important.

Something forgotten.

I stepped further in, my footsteps echoing softly.

And then—

I saw it.

A mural.

Painted across the far wall.

My breath caught.

It showed three figures.

A woman.

A man.

And a child.

The woman…

Even in paint, I recognised her.

The Queen.

The man stood beside her.

Tall.

Strong.

His hand rested protectively on the child’s shoulder.

The child glowed faintly blue.

Just like—

My heart pounded.

The man’s face…

Was damaged.

Scratched out.

Deliberately destroyed.

“Why would someone do that…?”

I stepped closer, my fingers brushing the cold wall.

Something inside me twisted.

This wasn’t just history.

This felt personal.

Too personal.

“Who are you…?” I whispered.

But deep down—

I already felt the answer.

Or at least part of it.

Before I could think further—

A sound echoed behind me.

Footsteps.

I froze.

Slow.

Measured.

Not mine.

My heart slammed against my chest as I turned slowly toward the entrance of the chamber.

A figure stood in the shadows.

Watching me.

My breath caught.

“You weren’t supposed to find this.”

The voice was calm.

Unfamiliar.

And dangerous.