Chapter 1: The Daily Grind Amara lived a life that could only be described as average. She woke up every morning in her tiny studio apartment in the heart of Linhaven City, surrounded by the hum of distant traffic and the chatter of neighbors. Her days were a monotonous routine of working as a junior graphic designer at a small agency, grabbing coffee at the same corner café, and occasionally binge-watching TV shows with her cat, Milo. Linhaven was a sprawling metropolis, filled with skyscrapers that gleamed in the sunlight and alleys that told a different, grittier story. Amara loved the city in a quiet way, though she often found herself wondering if there was more to life than deadlines and late-night ramen. One evening, as she walked home from school, the air felt different. The buzz of the city seemed sharper, the lights brighter. She chalked it up to her imagination until she passed a group of people gathered around a street performer. The man was juggling what looked like spheres of glowing light. Amara stopped, intrigued. The crowd gasped as the spheres turned into birds that flew above their heads before bursting into tiny fireworks. “That’s amazing,” she whispered. The man caught her eye and smiled. “Careful, miss. You might attract some sparks of your own.” Amara frowned but brushed it off as part of the act. She tossed a coin into his hat and continued home, unaware that her life was about to change. Chapter 2: The Key The next morning, Amara found a package sitting outside her door. It was a small, unmarked box with no return address. Curious, she opened it. Inside was a simple brass key and a folded note. The note read: ''You’ve been chosen. The key unlocks a door in the abandoned subway station on 14th Street. Midnight.'' Amara laughed out loud. It had to be a prank, right? Maybe one of her friends trying to spice up her mundane life. But when she texted her closest friends, they all swore they had no idea what she was talking about. All day at school, she couldn’t stop thinking about the key. Against her better judgment, she decided to go to the subway station that night. Chapter 3: Midnight at 14th Street At 11:50 PM, Amara stood outside the boarded-up entrance to the old 14th Street station. The once-busy hub had been abandoned for years, its entrance covered in graffiti and vines. The city had long since forgotten it. Clutching the brass key, she slipped through a gap in the boards and descended the dusty steps. Her flashlight flickered as she made her way through the silence, her footsteps echoing eerily. She stopped when she saw the door. It was unlike anything she had ever seen—an ornate iron frame with intricate carvings of stars, animals, and strange symbols. At the center was a keyhole that matched her brass key perfectly. Amara hesitated. This was insane. She should leave. But something about the door called to her. She slid the key into the lock and turned. With a loud click, the door swung open, revealing a swirling portal of light and shadow. Chapter 4: Through the portal Before she could process what was happening, the portal pulled her in. Amara tumbled through a kaleidoscope of colors, her heart racing, until she landed—hard—on a cobblestone street. She looked around in astonishment. She was no longer in Linhaven. The city around her was unlike anything she’d ever seen, a blend of futuristic skyscrapers and medieval towers. Airships floated above, while people in strange attire bustled through the streets. “Where... am I?” she whispered. “Welcome to Arcanis,” a voice said behind her. Amara spun around to see a young woman in a long coat, her eyes glowing faintly. “You’re not from here, are you?” “I... no. What is this place?” The woman smiled. “You’ve been chosen. There’s a reason the key found you. You have a gift, something this world needs. But first, you’ll need to survive.” “Survive what?” Amara asked nervously. As if in answer, a deafening roar echoed through the streets. People screamed and scattered as a massive, shadowy creature emerged from the sky, its eyes burning like embers. “Stay close,” the woman said, drawing a glowing blade from her coat. Amara’s instincts screamed at her to run, but something deep inside stirred—a spark of courage, of power. She wasn’t sure what it was, but she had a feeling her ordinary life in Linhaven was long gone.
for @Swiftie-Sets <33 enjoy !
