Prologue

*Tick Tock* *Tick Tock*

The sound of the Big Pendulum Antique wall clock could be heard in the quiet dark room.

A girl, sitting in the wooden rocking chair, was staring at the second hand of the clock as it ticked each second.

As time elapsed, her heart rate and breathing hastened, her throat became dry, back was drenched in sweat. Her fragile fair fingers quivered slightly as they rested on the armchair.

There were only five minutes left before midnight.

Eventually, the girl moved. She stood up from the chair and approached the mirror which was right beneath the clock.

The room was dark but due to the dim light coming from the small window, she could vaguely see her reflection in the mirror. In the reflected mirror, she saw a ravishing face but her skin complexion was ghastly pale.

She could see the deep fear in those dark eyes. She opened her mouth and began to speak. Her soft murmurs rang in the silent room.

"It's soon going to be midnight. The day I have been looking forward to...The day when my fate is supposed to be changed...The day when the mystery will finally be uncovered...The day when he will-"

* Ding Ding Ding *

The sound of the antique clock striking twelve chimed continuously in the room.

As soon as she heard the sound, her heart skipped a beat. Before she could do anything, the sound of the clock abruptly stopped chiming.

She lifted her head to peer at the clock, only to see that the clock's hands were stuck exactly at 12: 00.

She looked around her; the other clocks were also stuck at twelve. Her gaze landed outside the small window, the sight before she made her gasp in disbelief.

The usual falling snow was now staying still in the mid-air.

"Wh-What is happening? T-Time has stopped." She stuttered as she began to panic.

Just then, she heard a series of deafening lightning & thundering. It was so loud and bright, which made her crouch down and cover her ears.

After the continuous loud thunderbolts slowly faded away, she slowly put her hands down and opened her eyes. The first thing she noticed was the clock's ticking sound in the silent room.

Instinctively, she glanced at the window "It's snowing again. What in the world is happening?"

"Glad you came by yourself, Xiu Ying! " A deep genderless voice rang out from behind her.

Shen Xiu Ying's back stiffened. Her breathing hastened. She could feel an overwhelming pressure descending upon her. She wanted to stand up but her legs felt weak. Her body was trembling as her heart thumped rapidly.

"Xiu Ying, you must've been waiting for this moment all along, preparing yourself for the worst. Now, that is happening. Why are you curled up in fear like that?" The voice got louder, the aura became denser.

Clenching her trembling fist, Xiu Ying shut her eyes, stood up and tardily turned around. *Gulp* She finally opened her fluttering eyes.

Her dark eyes widen as she caught sight of something that she could never forget in her life.