The Turning Point: A Meeting of Destiny

Selia glanced at the clock. Eleven fifty-eight on her twentieth birthday eve. She had always treated herself to a celebration on this night, just as she did every year. With no one else around, she baked a simple small cake with no icing, only dripping some chocolate on top with a single candle to make it extra special. Not just any other day, eating chocolate cake.

She was sitting in the dark, shielding her face from the place of illumination of the single candle. Her place was small and unassuming, its walls painted white and illuminated by fluorescent lights. The carpets were gray and threadbare, while the kitchen was small enough for only basic meals.

Her living room was decorated with red balloons and "happy birthday" streamers, though the candles had been reduced to mere stubs and her cake left to rot away.

Something always happened this time of the day. Especially every time it is the time of her birthday since she is living alone 5 years ago. Someone, maybe a person, or maybe other living entities, always knocked on her door and left some beautiful decorated box with many glitters and made with perfection. Inside is a lot of knicker-knacker of pretty little things she has always loved. It has always feel like someone is also celebrating her birthday, celebrating the day she has been born and alive in this world.

So as usual, she has always waiting for that gentle knock on the door to come, as she is sitting in the kitchen table, only filled with the cake she has baked and a cola that she intended to eat by herself.

Selia sat on the table that was in front of the kitchen sink, her hands were filled with the warm water that was coming from the sink faucet. She filled the sink with warm water, mixed with the soap and let it filled the sink. She could see the reflection of the kitchen in the water, filled with many knick-knack of her collection. She could see many things in the water, like the knife on the table next to her.

The soft knock she has always waited for has come. Selia quickly gets up from the table and headed to the door. She then quickly open the door, eager to see what kind of present is she going to get this year. On the doorstep was a figure, one she had never seen before. He was tall and thin, with dark eyes and a strange air about him. He wore a long black coat and a wide-brimmed hat, and a deep hood which concealed his face. He said nothing, but merely stared at her with his dark, unreadable eyes.

Selia felt a chill run through her. She had expected to see a happy face, but this stranger was like something out of a nightmare. She wanted to turn and run, but instead she asked, "Who are you?"

She then remembered that the man was similar to the knight that saved her in her nightmare last night. She was trapped in a nightmarish realm where a menacing, shadowy being lurked, its presence radiating pure malevolence. But just as despair settled upon her, a flicker of hope emerged. A mysterious figure, which is the man, emerged from the shadows, his presence exuding an ethereal aura of protection. With swift, fluid movements, he engaged the dark entity in a battle as his every strike emitted blinding light. Just as the light com through her vision, she then woke up.

The figure said nothing, but stepped forward. He reached into his pocket and pulled out something small and shining. It was a key.

He held it out to her, and she took it, hesitantly.

"What is this?" She asked.

The figure stepped back, and his voice seemed to drift up from a great distance. "It is the key to a door you have opened before," he said. "A door you must open again."

Selia stared at the key, mystified. She had no idea what he meant, but there was something about him that compelled her curiosity.

"What door?" she asked.

"A door that will lead you to answers, and perhaps, your destiny," he replied.

Selia felt scared, but there was something about this strange figure that made her feel safe as well. She decided to take the chance.

"What do I do?" she asked.

The figure handed her a card with an address on it. "Go there at midnight," he said. "Find the door."

Selia nodded. She was scared, but excited as well. Could this be the start of an adventure?

The figure stepped away and vanished into the night. Selia watched until he was gone, the closed the door and looked at the card. She had a feeling this was going to be a night she would never forget.

Selia looked at the card repeatedly as if it would disappear if she didn't keep her eyes on it. Her heart was racing, but she knew she had to follow this path. She took a deep breath and decided to get ready for whatever lay ahead. She threw on her leather jacket and some comfortable shoes and headed out the door.

The address on the card led her to an old, abandoned building in the middle of the city. She couldn't help but feel her footsteps echoing as she walked down the dark hallway, the only light coming from the moon shining through the windows.

As she approached the door, she inserted the key that the stranger had given her. The door creaked open, and Selia hesitated for just a moment before stepping inside. The room was pitch black, and Selia couldn't see anything. She reached for her phone and turned on the flashlight app.

The room was filled with strange objects and symbols. There were candles lit on a table in the center of the room, casting shadows on the walls. Selia felt a shiver down her spine, but she couldn't bring herself to leave. Something about this placed called to her, drew her in like a moth to a flame.

She walked slowly around the room, studying strange objects. There were books with leather covers and strange inscriptions, crystals and herbs, and an altar at the center of the room with a chalice and a dagger. Selia felt a sense of familiarity with these objects, like she had encountered them before in a dream.

Suddenly, she heard a noise. It was a low murmur, like someone whispering. She looked around, but there was no one there. The sound grew louder, and Selia realized it was coming from the altar.

She approached the altar, and the whispers grew louder still. She saw that there was a book on the altar, its pages fluttering as if caught in a breeze. She reached out to touch the book, and as soon as her fingers brushed against the cover, the whispers grew louder still.

Selia felt a sudden jolt of energy, as if a bolt of lightning had struck her. She closed her eyes, and for a moment, she was transported to another place entirely. She saw visions of strange, otherworldly landscapes, filled with creatures she could barely comprehend. There were whispers around her, and she heard words she couldn't understand.

When she opened her eyes again, she was back in the room. The whispers had stopped, and the book lay open before her. She turned the pages, and saw that they were filled with strange, arcane symbols, and rituals. She recognized some of them from her dreams, and others were completely new to her.

Selia knew that she had been given a gift. The key, the card, and now this book were all leading her down a path. She didn't know where it would take her, but she knew that she had to follow it.

As she left the abandoned building, Selia felt a sense of freedom and excitement. She had discovered something new, and she knew that she couldn't go back to her old life. She had to pursue this new path, no matter what the cost.

For the next few days, Selia threw herself into studying the book. She read it cover to cover, trying to understand the symbols and the rituals. She practiced the spells. And although she didn't always get the desired result, she felt a sense of empowerment each time she cast a spell.

One night, as she was practicing a spell in her living room, she heard a knock at the door. She opened it to find the same figure who had given her the key.

"You're doing well," he said. "But there is much more to learn."

Selia felt a chill run down her spine. She didn't know who this figure was, or what he wanted from her.

So she just asked, "What do you want from me?"