Nine Light Door Novels & Stories

I leaned against the cold brick wall, my hand trembling as I pulled my phone from my pocket and called my assistant, Maria, to come get me. The ninth time. I thought back to the ridiculous bet Julia had proposed a year ago. "Nine choices, Leona. Let's see who Isak really picks. The loser walks." The first time was at my mother's funeral. A rival family crashed the service and opened fire. Isak dove to shield Julia without a second thought. The second time was at his succession ceremony. A bomb went off, and his first instinct was, again, to protect Julia. The third, fourth, fifth time…

Nico found it first. The door at the far end. Reinforced steel, locked tight. A keypad blinked red. “This is it,” he said. “If there’s anything left, it’s behind this door.” I knelt beside it, fingers dancing over the keypad. The file mentioned a date. A death. The date of my mother’s obituary, the one I had printed myself. I punched it in. 0921. The light turned green. The door slid open with a slow, heavy hiss.

She pointed to a narrow gap between the shelf and the wall. “It wasn’t like this before.” Marcus and Samuel pushed the heavy bookshelf aside. Hidden behind it was a plain wooden door. No handle. No keyhole. Only a carved symbol. An unbroken silver circle. Elias stared at it. His calm expression vanished. “The Ninth Door.” ⸻ Julian looked at him sharply. “I thought it was a myth.” “So did I.” Elias stepped closer. “It shouldn’t exist anymore.” Amelia traced the symbol with her fingertips.

To the best of my knowledge, his men were just as cold as merciless as he was. They led me through the door at the far end to a wide hallway with doors on both sides. Each door held a number written against it, and unlike others I had seen, the numbers were randomly allotted to each door. The first door held the number twelve while the door which was directly opposite it held the number five. The next doors held the numbers one and nine. Right! I said in my head. Both men were as confused as I was, and completely unaware of what number was on the next door.

“Ward nine.” “I hope we both get back to Oakblood safely.” The ringing of large bells dragged our attention to the huge metal doors. The hall was large enough to contain all three wards, mage lights flickered on either side of its brown walls while drawing in ancient characters sprayed across the walls in beautiful designs. It was breathtaking even though it had no details aside from the color and letters. “Ward nine.” Cole stepped up, his dreadlocks falling over his forehead. Everyone in ward nine formed a large line, disassociating from other ward members.

“There’s a supermarket and a few restaurants downstairs. The subway station is about a five-minute walk to the right. If you need anything, contact me anytime.” “Thank you, Cecilia.” “Don’t thank me too quickly.” She walked to the door before turning back around. “The Anderson family doesn’t keep useless people around. The value of what you brought depends on what value you can create for us next.” After the door closed, the room fell silent. I stood by the window and looked at the scattered ship lights across the ocean in the distance. Suddenly, I had a sense of unreality. Just over ten hours ago, I had still been trapped inside that gilded cage in Corholt, ordered around by a man who treat

Pressing the button for the third floor, she leans against the wall, her thoughts swirling like a storm. The elevator dings, and she steps out, passing a series of closed doors that guard secrets she’s not sure she wants to know. Each door feels like a barrier, separating her from the life she once had and the darkness she’s been drawn into. Arriving at room number nine, she hesitates, the familiar knot in her stomach tightening. Coughing lightly, she knocks. “Come in!” he barks, his voice echoing through the hall like a warning. “Geez,” she mutters, rolling her eyes before pushing the door open.

"They're hiding something." "No." "You are." "No." "You literally just changed the subject." Neither woman answered. Instead... They excused themselves almost simultaneously and walked away far too quickly. Aubrey watched them disappear. Definitely hiding something. Half an hour later... She found it. The eastern hallway looked different from the rest of the mansion. No flowers. No artwork. No windows. Just silence. The air itself felt colder. At the very end stood a pair of enormous black wooden doors. Locked. She approached slowly.