home

search

Chapter 1: The Door That Shouldn’t Be

  Camden Town in London was always a whirlwind of

  chaotic markets, quirky shops, and tourists who somehow

  managed to walk just slowly enough to be in the way. It

  was the kind of place where the odd and the unusual were

  completely normal, where you could find almost anything

  if you knew where to look – or if you were just lost

  enough to stumble across it. For Alex Hopkins and Ravi

  Gupta, Camden was familiar ground. They had spent

  countless afternoons weaving through the crowds,

  exploring every nook and cranny. It had become their

  playground, their escape. Nothing ever truly surprised

  them anymore – or so they thought.

  Alex wasn’t exactly a typical 14-year-old. Sure, on the

  surface, he fit in well enough – average kid from a

  comfortable middle-class family, lived in a big house

  with more rooms than anyone needed, got top grades. But

  beneath all that, Alex carried the weight of unspoken

  expectations. His parents, both successful doctors, had

  always hinted at their dream of him following in their

  footsteps. The problem? Alex had no clue what he

  wanted to do with his life, and the idea of becoming a

  doctor wasn’t exactly appealing. He found it suffocating,

  like the walls of his large home were closing in on him.

  Sure, it had a massive garden, but no amount of space

  seemed to shake that feeling of being trapped.

  His best friend, Ravi, couldn’t have been more

  different. Where Alex was quiet and thoughtful, Ravi was

  loud, carefree, and lived entirely in the moment. He came

  1from a huge, boisterous family, where keeping track of

  all his siblings was a task in itself – three brothers, three

  sisters, and constant chaos. Their house, even bigger than

  Alex’s, was bursting with noise, laughter, and the general

  mayhem that comes with a family that large. But Ravi

  thrived in it. He had a way of defusing tension with his

  humour and a knack for finding the fun in even the most

  stressful situations.

  The two had been inseparable since their parents, who

  worked at the same medical practice, had introduced

  them years ago. Despite coming from similar

  backgrounds, neither boy had any interest in following

  their parents into the medical field. Ravi’s dad, like

  Alex’s parents, had grand ideas about Ravi becoming a

  doctor, but Ravi had other plans: plans that mainly

  involved football and the slim hope of becoming a

  professional player one day. He wasn’t very good, but

  that didn’t stop him from dreaming. When he wasn’t

  daydreaming about scoring the winning goal for England,

  he was singing loudly and off-key, convinced he’d be the

  next big thing in music – despite having no talent for it

  whatsoever.

  Ravi also had an insatiable appetite. If he wasn’t

  cracking jokes or belting out tunes, he was eating. Crisps,

  chocolate, kebabs, you name it – Ravi could put it away

  like no one else. Alex often teased him that he must have

  hollow legs, given how much he could eat without ever

  gaining a pound. But beneath all the banter and chaos,

  Ravi had a heart of gold. He may not have been the most

  talented at football or singing, but his loyalty to Alex –

  and their friendship – was unmatched.

  Together, Alex and Ravi balanced each other out.

  Where Alex tended to overthink everything, Ravi was

  2always there to remind him to live in the moment. They

  had navigated the ups and downs of being teenagers with

  ease, their bond built on years of shared adventures,

  inside jokes, and a silent agreement that no matter what,

  they had each other’s backs.

  But today was different. Alex couldn’t quite put his

  finger on it, but as he wandered through the familiar

  streets of Camden, something felt off. The usual activity

  of the market seemed distant, and the air carried a

  strange, heavy feeling. He tugged the hood of his grey

  hoodie over his head and kept walking, trying to shake

  the sense of unease that had settled over him.

  He crossed the road near Camden Lock and headed

  down a side street, one he and Ravi had taken a thousand

  times before. Normally, they’d meet up here, grab

  something to eat, and mess around for the afternoon. But

  today, Ravi was late, leaving Alex to wander alone. As he

  walked, hands shoved deep into his pockets, that strange

  feeling of something being off grew stronger with every

  step.

  Then he saw it.

  A door, set into the crumbling brick wall of the

  alleyway. It wasn’t just any door; it looked ancient, like

  something out of a medieval castle. The wood was thick

  and dark, bound with heavy iron bars, and the handle was

  an elaborate twist of metal, corroded with age. It was the

  kind of door that didn’t belong in Camden or anywhere

  else Alex had ever been. It stood there, solid and silent,

  completely out of place.

  Alex froze, staring at it. He had walked this alley a

  thousand times and was sure there had never been a door

  there before. Yesterday, the wall had been nothing more

  than bricks covered in graffiti and old posters. But today,

  3this door – this impossibly old door – stood in its place.

  He stepped closer, hesitantly reaching out to touch the

  rough wood. As his fingers brushed against it, a cold

  shiver ran through him, like the door was alive with some

  kind of energy, waiting for him.

  Behind him, Ravi’s voice broke the silence. “Oi,

  Alex!”

  Alex turned to see Ravi walking towards him, a kebab

  in one hand, his face smeared with sauce. “I told you ...

  twelve,” Alex said, raising an eyebrow.

  Ravi shrugged, taking another bite of his kebab.

  “Yeah, twelve-ish.”

  “Ish doesn’t mean half past, you know,” Alex shot

  back, but his attention was quickly pulled back to the

  door.

  Ravi glanced at it too, his mouth full. “What’s that?”

  “That,” Alex said slowly, “is a door.”

  “I can see that,” Ravi muttered, eyes narrowing. “But

  what is it doing here? It wasn’t there yesterday. Was it?”

  “Nope.” Alex stepped aside so Ravi could get a closer

  look. “It’s new.”

  “Well, not new new obviously. It looks like it belongs

  in a museum,” Ravi muttered.

  “Exactly,” Alex said, pleased with their discovery.

  They both stared at the door in silence for a moment,

  and then Ravi leaned in, inspecting the iron handle. “Do

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  you think we should open it?”

  Alex didn’t answer right away. Everything in him was

  screaming that this door wasn’t normal, but curiosity

  gnawed at him. “I mean … doors are meant to be opened,

  right?”

  “That’s either the best reasoning or the worst I’ve ever

  heard.”

  4Before Alex could respond, Ravi reached for the

  handle.

  “Wait!” Alex snapped, grabbing his friend’s wrist.

  “Don’t just ...”

  Too late. The handle creaked, the door groaning as it

  shifted in its frame. It didn’t swing open like doors were

  supposed to. Instead, it moved as though the bricks

  around it were part of a larger mechanism, sliding back

  into the wall with a deep, grinding noise. Dust and bits of

  mortar fell as the door disappeared, leaving a gaping

  archway where there had only been solid brick before.

  Alex’s breath caught in his throat. Beyond the

  archway was ... somewhere else. Not Camden. Not a

  London alley. It was an entirely different place – poorly

  lit and hidden in mist, with towering stone structures just

  visible in the distance. The air that seeped out was cold,

  damp, and thick with the smell of earth.

  Ravi took a step back. “Alright, that’s not normal.”

  “No kidding,” Alex breathed, his eyes locked on the

  strange scene before him. He should’ve been scared. He

  was scared. But there was something else, too. Something

  pulling him forward. “We have to go in.”

  Ravi blinked. “‘Have to?’ Nah, we don’t. I’ve changed

  my mind; it looks creepy in there.”

  “Yeah, Ravi,” Alex said, already inching closer to the

  archway. “It’s not every day you find a door to another

  world or wherever it leads, is it?”

  Ravi opened his mouth to protest but clearly couldn’t

  come up with a good argument. “I’ve got a bad feeling

  about this,” he muttered, following Alex.

  As they stepped closer to the opening, a faint glow

  began to pulse from deep within the mist. Alex couldn’t

  tell what it was, but it felt like it was waiting for them.

  5His heart raced, a mixture of excitement and terror

  building in his chest.

  “Are we really going to do this?” Ravi whispered.

  Alex glanced at him, grinning despite the knot in his

  stomach. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

  As if in answer, the mist swirled and the glowing light

  grew brighter. Alex swallowed hard, his hand brushing

  against the rough stone of the archway as he stepped

  through.

  And just like that, Camden was gone.

  The world shifted the moment Alex’s foot crossed the

  threshold. It wasn’t a dramatic change, not like stepping

  off a cliff, but more like walking into a room where the

  air was thicker, the light dimmer. The temperature

  dropped, cool and crisp against his skin, and the ground

  under his trainers felt different – softer, almost like

  packed dirt instead of the hard pavement of Camden.

  Ravi followed close behind, glancing over his

  shoulder every two seconds as though the door might

  slam shut on them at any moment. “This is mad. Proper

  mad. You know that, right?”

  Alex couldn’t argue with that. The mist was swirling

  around them now, not so thick that they couldn’t see, but

  just enough to blur the edges of whatever strange

  landscape they had wandered into. Shapes loomed ahead

  – tall, jagged structures that looked like stone towers, but

  there was something off about them. They didn’t rise up

  from the ground in neat lines like buildings should.

  Instead, they seemed to twist and lean, as though they’d

  grown out of the earth at strange angles.

  Alex’s pulse quickened as they moved forward, the

  faint glow still shimmering in the distance. Every instinct

  told him that whatever was causing that light, it was

  6important. He could feel it pulling him deeper into this

  strange new world.

  “What the hell is this place …?” Ravi’s voice wobbled

  slightly as he glanced around. “Like some kind of hidden

  park? Or a secret garden or something?”

  Alex shook his head, though he wasn’t sure why. “I

  don’t think we’re in Camden anymore, bruv.”

  “No crap, Sherlock,” Ravi uttered, kicking at the

  ground, sending a small puff of dust into the air. “Where

  do you think we are, then? The underground? Or some

  kind of ancient ... cave? Because if there are mole people

  in here, I’m out. I ain’t down with messing with no mole

  people.”

  Alex ignored the mole people comment, his attention

  drawn to the strange structures looming in the mist. He

  couldn’t explain it, but there was something familiar

  about this place. Not familiar in the sense that he’d been

  here before, but more like he’d seen it somewhere – in a

  dream, or maybe a story he’d read a long time ago. It was

  the kind of place that felt like it shouldn’t exist, but

  somehow did, just beneath the surface of reality.

  They continued walking, their footsteps soft on the

  strange, spongy ground. The glow grew brighter with

  each step, and soon they found themselves standing

  before what looked like a massive stone archway, carved

  with delicate designs that wound their way up the pillars

  like vines. In the centre of the arch, hovering just above

  the ground, was a glowing orb made of pure light. It

  pulsed softly, casting an eerie glow over the surrounding

  stones.

  Alex’s breath caught in his throat. “What is that?”

  Ravi stepped closer, squinting at the orb. “Looks like

  some kind of … beacon? Or maybe a lightbulb from the

  7Stone Age, like when the Flintstones were around?”

  Alex was about to respond to Ravi’s ridiculous

  comment when the light flickered, and for the briefest of

  moments, the air around them shimmered. He blinked,

  and suddenly, the mist parted, revealing more of the

  landscape beyond. What he saw made his heart stop.

  Stretching out in all directions were more of the

  strange stone structures, but now Alex could see them

  clearly. They weren’t random formations; they were

  buildings. Ancient, crumbling, and half-buried in the

  ground, but unmistakably buildings. Towers, domes,

  bridges – all connected by twisting stone pathways that

  led their way through the mist.

  “This … this isn’t just some hidden place,” Alex

  murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. “It’s a

  whole city.”

  Ravi let out a low whistle. “A city? Here? Under

  Camden? That’s ... that’s mental!”

  Alex didn’t reply. His gaze was fixed on the glowing

  orb, which pulsed again, sending another wave of energy

  through the air. There was something about it –

  something powerful, something alive. He took a cautious

  step forward, reaching out instinctively.

  “Uh, maybe don’t touch that?” Ravi’s voice was high-

  pitched, like it always got when he was on the verge of

  freaking out.

  But Alex couldn’t help himself. His hand hovered

  over the orb, and as he got closer, he felt a strange

  warmth radiating from it. Not the kind of warmth you’d

  get from a fire or the sun, but something deeper,

  something that settled in his chest and made his skin

  tingle.

  The moment his fingers brushed the surface of the orb,

  8a rush of energy surged through him. His vision blurred,

  and for a split second, he wasn’t standing in front of an

  ancient city. He was somewhere else – somewhere dark

  and cold, with stone walls pressing in on all sides.

  Shadows moved at the edge of his vision, and he could

  hear faint whispers, like voices calling to him from far

  away.

  Then, just as quickly as it had happened, the vision

  vanished. Alex stumbled back, his heart racing.

  “Alex!” Ravi grabbed his arm, pulling him away from

  the orb. “Are you alright? What happened?”

  Alex shook his head, trying to clear the fog from his

  mind. “I ... I don’t know. I saw something. Like …

  another place. It was dark, and there were these voices

  …”

  Ravi looked at him like he’d lost it. “Voices? Bruv, we

  need to get out of here. Now!”

  Alex wanted to agree, but something inside him said

  they couldn’t leave just yet. Not without knowing more.

  “I think the orb is connected to the door?” he said,

  glancing back at it glowing. “I think … this place is part

  of something much bigger?”

  Ravi’s face paled. “Even bigger than a secret city

  under Camden? Or if we discovered mole people?”

  Alex shot him a look. “I’m serious. There’s something

  here – something important. This city is … hidden for a

  reason, and it feels really important. And Ravi, I don’t

  think there are mole people here.”

  The air suddenly felt heavy, as though it held secrets

  waiting to be whispered. Without warning, the stillness

  was broken by a sound – soft and beautiful. A voice,

  unmistakably female, echoed through the empty city,

  seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere all at

  9once. It was melodic and mysterious, each note lingering

  in the air as though carried by an unseen wind.

  The voice began to sing, its words forming a cryptic

  riddle:

  When the Veil grows thin and the darkness spreads,

  Seek the light where old paths tread.

  Through realms of magic, the answers hide,

  In distant lands where Gatekeepers bide.

  Only those with courage to see,

  Shall find the key to set them free.

  The ancient Portal waits with power untold,

  Guarded by riddles, secrets, and gold.

  To save the realms, the chosen must stand,

  With wisdom and fire, the fate in their hand.

  The song faded, leaving the city once again in silence,

  the beautiful melody lingering in the cold air like a

  forgotten dream.

  Ravi’s eyes widened as he frantically scanned the

  empty streets, as if trying to pinpoint where the

  mysterious voice had come from. “What the heck was

  that?” he stammered, his face pale. “Please tell me I

  wasn’t the only one who just heard that!”

  Alex, equally shaken, nodded slowly, his heart

  pounding in his chest. “Yeah ... I heard it too. But what

  does it mean?”

  “‘When the Veil grows thin ...’” Ravi muttered, his

  voice trailing off as he nervously glanced around. “Isn’t

  that something brides wear? What’s a Gatekeeper? And

  what’s a portal supposed to be?”

  Alex shook his head, trying to make sense of the

  cryptic message. “I don’t know. But whatever it is, it’s

  10got to be important. Nothing in this place feels random.

  And I don’t think it means that type of veil.”

  Ravi let out a frustrated groan, running his hand

  through his hair. “Great. So now we’ve got creepy,

  disembodied ghost voices singing riddles and talking

  about magic keys ... Can this get any stranger?”

  Alex forced a smile, but deep down, he shared Ravi’s

  unease. “Honestly, I’m starting to think it can.”

  They both stood there, staring out at the ancient city,

  the weight of the mystery pressing down on them.

  Neither of them knew what the riddle meant. But one

  thing was clear: their journey was only just beginning,

  and whatever lay ahead was far more dangerous – and far

  more significant – than they had ever imagined.

  As the last echo of the melodic voice faded into the

  eerie silence of the ancient city, Alex and Ravi stood

  frozen, wide-eyed, trying to make sense of the cryptic

  riddle. The orb of light that had once been their only

  company flickered and vanished, leaving them in a thick,

  suffocating quiet.

  “I ... have no idea what that means,” Ravi finally

  muttered, his voice barely more than a whisper.

  “Me neither,” Alex replied, swallowing hard.

  Suddenly, the atmosphere shifted. The air grew cold,

  unnaturally so, and a low, resonating buzz began to rise

  from the very stones beneath their feet. Before either of

  them could react, a new voice filled the air – this one

  darker, more chilling, like whispers carried on the wind.

  It began as a quiet hiss, but soon it grew louder, filling

  the empty city with a dreadful, terrifying sound as a loud

  gruff voice began screaming:

  Only fools tread where shadows fall,

  11The path of darkness beckons all.

  For those who seek the twisted way,

  Will find their souls begin to fray.

  Beware the portal of lies and sin,

  For none return from realms within.

  Turn back, ye lost, the end is nigh,

  Pursue the dark, and you shall die.

  As the final word rang out, the ground beneath them

  trembled violently, the ancient stone streets shifting and

  cracking like brittle bones under their feet. Massive

  buildings, once imposing and solid, began to groan and

  shake as if the city itself was coming alive – angry,

  restless, ready to devour anything in its path.

  Ravi’s eyes widened in sheer terror as he glanced at

  Alex. “Tell me that was just the wind!”

  But Alex didn’t respond. His mind raced as the city

  trembled, the sense of foreboding rising like a wave

  threatening to drown them. The ominous warning hung

  heavy in the air, and for the first time, Alex understood

  that not all riddles offered guidance – some offered dire

  warnings.

  Without hesitation, Alex grabbed Ravi’s arm. “We

  need to go. Now!”

  The city shook again, more violently this time. Stone

  structures crumbled around them, sending dust and debris

  raining from the sky. The ground beneath their feet began

  to shake like a giant stirring from deep within the earth,

  the tremors growing stronger with each passing second. It

  was as if the entire city had suddenly come alive,

  protesting their presence. Dust and loose stones rattled

  from the ancient buildings around them, creating an eerie

  chorus that sent a chill down Alex’s spine.

  12“We’re going to get crushed!” Ravi shouted, his voice

  laced with panic as he stumbled forward, keeping pace

  with Alex. “I think the ghost is trying to kill us?!”

  They ran, their footsteps echoing loudly through the

  desolate streets. The beautiful, eerie calm of the city had

  transformed into a nightmarish maze, as if the very place

  wanted to swallow them whole.

  The dark voice, though silent now, lingered in the air

  like a curse.

  “Faster!” Alex yelled, barely dodging a massive stone

  column that came crashing down, its impact sending a

  shockwave that nearly knocked them off their feet.

  Ravi’s breath came in sharp gasps, panic rising in his

  chest. “I didn’t sign up for this! Curiosity is going to get

  us killed!”

  They turned a corner, the ancient door in sight, but the

  shaking only intensified. The entire city seemed to be

  collapsing around them, and for a brief moment, Alex

  wondered if they would even make it out. But as they

  went through the door, the tremors suddenly stopped.

  Panting and covered in dust, they skidded to a halt in

  the alleyway. Alex exchanged a glance with Ravi, both of

  them trying to process what had just happened.

  “We ... we made it,” Ravi gasped, bending over to

  catch his breath.

  “Yes,” Alex said, eyes full of relief that they’d made it

  out. “Someone is trying to warn off those that pursue a

  dark path.”

  “Someone? That was definitely something,” Ravi said,

  still shaking. He looked back at the door with a frown,

  then turned to Alex. “Please tell me we’re never going

  back in there again!”

  Alex didn’t answer. He didn’t know if they’d be back,

  13but one thing was clear: there were forces at play far

  beyond what they had imagined, and the path ahead was

  going to be even more dangerous than they’d thought.

  *

  Later that night, Alex lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling,

  his mind consumed by the riddle. The words echoed over

  and over in his head, each line more cryptic than the last.

  What did it all mean? The Veil, the key, Gatekeepers – it

  was like something out of a fantasy book, yet the voice

  made it feel all too real.

  Unable to shake the feeling, he grabbed his phone and

  began scouring the internet for answers. He searched for

  anything that could help him understand the strange city,

  the voice, or the riddle. He typed in ‘ancient doors’ and

  scrolled through images of old, weathered wooden doors,

  some carved with elaborate designs. But none of them

  resembled the door they had passed through. It was as if

  the door they’d found in Camden was in a class of its

  own – something entirely different.

  Then he tried ‘portals,’ hoping for a breakthrough.

  What he found were pages upon pages of science fiction

  articles and mythological references – portals to other

  dimensions, time-travel theories, old legends. None of it

  felt right. It all seemed like nonsense compared to what

  they had seen.

  “What’s the Veil?” he muttered to himself, typing the

  phrase into the search bar. More obscure stories and

  strange tales appeared, some referencing veils between

  worlds, spiritual boundaries, but nothing concrete.

  Nothing that could explain what he and Ravi had

  experienced.

  “Gatekeepers?” Alex tried, hoping for something. But

  again, what came up were mythological guardians, vague

  14references to spirits guarding the boundaries of the

  afterlife. None of it felt connected to what they had

  witnessed in that ancient, crumbling city.

  Frustration gnawed at him as he threw his phone onto

  the bed and rubbed his eyes. He sat up, glancing around

  his room, feeling more restless than ever. “What does it

  all mean?” he whispered. The internet wasn’t helping.

  There were no answers there. He was grasping at straws,

  trying to make sense of something that seemed

  impossible to explain.

  The Veil … a key … Gatekeepers … Alex stared out

  of his window into the night, his mind racing. Whatever

  the riddle meant, whatever this ‘Veil’ was, it was clear

  now that he and Ravi were part of something far bigger

  than they had imagined. And no matter how many

  websites he scoured, the answers weren’t going to be

  found in the familiar world he knew.

  If you made it this far, thank you for reading. Let me know what you think—first impressions, favourite moments, or any thoughts you have. I’d love to hear them.

  Chapter two is where things start to get interesting. Hope to see you there.

Recommended Popular Novels