Chapter 07: Secrets of the Star System
Roxie moved swiftly through the corridor, her heart still pounding from the voice that had echoed in the empty archives. The air around her felt thick, almost oppressive, and the stillness of the palace’s lower levels only added to her sense of unease. She didn’t trust that voice—whatever it was. It had felt too… intentional, too much like someone—or something—was watching her every move.
But there was no time to dwell on that. Not now.
She had learned something important in the archives. The planet on the map, the one with no name and no records, wasn’t just some empty, uncharted world. There was something about it that called to her, a magnetic pull that she couldn’t ignore. And she wasn’t about to walk away without finding out why. The strange presence she’d sensed in the archives? It was only a reminder of the bigger mystery she was tangled in. The urgency of finding the planet grew stronger with each step she took.
As she reached the dimly lit hallway outside the archive room, her mind whirled with possibilities. If she could just find the information she needed—about the teleportation malfunction, about the planet—maybe, just maybe, she could find a way to return home. Maybe she could fix whatever had gone wrong with her teleportation accident and escape this strange, royal world forever.
She was snapped out of her thoughts by the sudden, harsh sound of footsteps behind her. She spun around, her heart leaping into her throat. But it was only Dorian, his face as unreadable as ever.
“You find what you were looking for?” he asked, his voice smooth, too smooth.
Roxie hesitated for only a moment before replying. “I found something.”
Dorian raised an eyebrow, his expression shifting slightly. “What exactly did you find?”
“I—” Roxie stopped herself, suddenly unsure. She’d barely had time to process what she’d seen on the map, and now she wasn’t entirely sure how to explain it to him. “There’s a planet,” she said, trying to sound casual. “An uncharted planet. There’s nothing about it in the archives, but it’s on the royal maps. It’s like it’s been erased from history.”
Dorian’s gaze darkened, his lips tightening into a thin line. “What makes you think it’s important?”
“I don’t know yet,” she admitted, feeling a pang of uncertainty. “But there’s something about it. I can’t shake the feeling that it’s tied to all of this—the teleportation, the malfunction… everything.”
Dorian’s eyes flickered, a brief flash of something almost like concern passing through them before it vanished behind his usual mask of indifference. “You need to be careful,” he said, his tone sharp. “Not everything in this palace is as it seems. There are secrets here—dark ones—that no one talks about. You could be walking straight into something you don’t understand.”
Roxie wasn’t sure whether it was the warning or the veiled threat in his voice, but her pulse quickened. “I don’t care about the palace’s secrets, Dorian,” she snapped, her frustration rising. “I just want to fix this—this mess I’m in—and get back home. I’m not going to sit around while you protect me from whatever you think is out there.”
Dorian seemed to weigh her words carefully before nodding slowly. “Fine. But we’re not going to do this alone.”
Roxie blinked in surprise. “What do you mean?”
“You’re right,” he said, his gaze shifting toward the dark corridor ahead. “There’s more to this than just a teleportation error. There’s something bigger going on, and it’s not just about you. We’re going to need help. And we’re going to have to dig deeper than we’ve ever gone before.”
Roxie’s brow furrowed. “What are you talking about?”
Dorian turned to face her fully, his expression more serious now. “I’ve been tracking the royal archives for years, trying to uncover the truth about this place. There’s something in those archives, something that could change everything, and I think you’ve just found the first piece of the puzzle.”
Roxie felt a jolt of surprise. “You’ve been—what? Tracking the archives? For years?”
Dorian nodded. “I was assigned to monitor the palace’s royal secrets. There are things—dangerous things—locked away in here. Things no one should know. Things that shouldn’t be found. And now, you’ve found the first clue. The planet you saw, it’s connected to something far more powerful than you can imagine.”
Roxie’s mind was spinning. It was hard to grasp the weight of his words. What kind of secrets was he talking about? What had she stumbled into?
“Why didn’t you tell me this before?” she demanded, her voice rising. “Why didn’t you warn me?”
Dorian stepped closer, his voice low and steady. “I couldn’t. Not until I was sure you were ready to hear it. This is bigger than either of us, Roxie. And it’s only going to get more dangerous from here.”
The seriousness in his tone sent a chill down her spine, but her determination only grew. She had no choice but to trust him—at least for now.
“Okay,” she said, nodding slowly. “What’s the next step?”
Dorian exhaled slowly, his eyes never leaving hers. “We go to the control room. We access the royal data files. We find out everything we can about that planet. And we figure out how it all ties into the teleportation malfunction. If we don’t, we might never get out of here alive.”
Roxie swallowed hard, her throat tight. The path ahead was uncertain, but one thing was clear: the secrets of the palace, and the mysterious planet, were entwined with her fate. If she was going to find a way home, she would have to risk everything.
“Let’s do it,” she said, her voice firm.
Without another word, they turned and made their way down the dark corridor, heading toward the control room, where the answers—if they were out there—awaited. But Roxie couldn’t shake the feeling that the closer they got to the truth, the deeper they were sinking into a web of lies and danger.
And there was no way out.
Not anymore.
