AN: Hi everyone! I've been working on renaming certain things in this story, and while I don't want to reveal the new names for everything just yet, I might as well cover the city's districts:

Farawell, Legarte and Nova Albion are going to be the same, but Saragel is now Acquarone, Takanawa is now Jokamachi, and Kanaloa is Moeuhane. They're still the same places overall, but I just felt like their names were a bit lacking, and after some consideration, I picked out their new names.

Also, the review I got for the last chapter wasn't exactly appropriate. If you want to leave constructive criticism, that's fine, but suggesting my character could find work as a prostitute is not. I don't know if that was meant to be a compliment, but it isn't.

Anyway, thanks for reading, and please review, favourite and follow!

Chapter 2: The Door of Destiny

|Legarte|17:15 pm|

Amara left the Ocean Obelisk building, feeling the breeze as she went through the door. Many strange thoughts were circling around her head, but she had resolved to put them to one side for now, and do something relaxing, far away from that eerie warehouse. Rather than visit the commercial areas of Legarte, she would go straight home to Farawell, without even thinking about what Stella had said. Tomorrow, she would continue as normal, doing what she did best.

"Oh, hey Amara!" Colette said, holding hands with their colleague Juan. A handsome man with flowing long black hair, tanned skin, and twinkling blue eyes, he was quite popular among the staff of Motus Publishing. For the past year or so, he and Colette had been working together, and this had led to them becoming romantically linked. While she certainly had a flair for fashion, Juan was considerably more casual, preferring his jeans and his red shirt.

"How was it working with that fortune teller?" Juan asked, curious. "She's a bit out there, isn't she? Even more than when Sheila went on that cranberry diet. Those were turbulent times at the Motion Publishing Days."

"Indeed they were. But Stella was...different than I was expecting, yeah." Amara said, forcing a smile. "It should be interesting with her around. I mean, the story she wants to write is about a guy that's part human, part demon and part angel. She definitely has a lot of neat ideas, though."

Colette nodded, twirling one of her pigtails. "She stands out – a lot. Maybe I should help her pick out a different outfit. I think she'd look good in more pink clothes, you know? Something like mine?"

"As if anyone could rock a pink wardrobe like you," Juan said, winking. The two laughed, still holding hands. "We should be going. Have a good night!" The two waved goodbye, as they walked in the direction of Legarte's biggest shopping centre, the Solarium. A tremendous dome structure with an intricate glass roof, it was hugely popular, and Amara had been there many times.

I think I'll skip it for tonight, though. I wanna just try to relax at home.

And so, she went on her way, gazing at all the familiar buildings surrounding her. She had seen these structures so many times, she could draw them all from memory. However, as she looked at one church, something felt odd. In her mind, she had a picture of it being much more rundown, with broken windows. Yet it looked mostly intact right before her eyes. While certainly not as grand as the famous cathedral in Farawell, there was nothing wrong with the building.

Maybe I'm just confusing it with another church in town. Still, something doesn't feel right. Or is it just Stella that's making me feel that way? No, her reading didn't mention churches at all. 'Shadowed world', that's what's confusing me.

Once she got to the bus stop, she started checking her phone. There wasn't anything particularly unusual in the news stories that she saw, but there was a message from her father.

Hope you're doing well. How was work today? I hope you're getting along with the mystery new writer that Karin was telling you about. And I hope you're still coming over on Sunday. I'll be making your favourite again.

Amara bit her lip, not entirely sure how to respond. Telling him about Stella's psychic powers would no doubt cause some concern. Yet she had to tell him something.

Something not involving psychic powers, anyway. How can I describe Stella politely?

While she was typing her message – talking about Stella being gifted yet 'eccentric' - she saw a tall young man walking up to the bus stop. His curly red hair was quite a contrast with his dark blue suit, which looked tailor-made. Something about this person seemed familiar, but Amara couldn't place the face. Perhaps he had been in a newspaper before.

"What a day..." The man said to himself, checking his silver watch. He turned to Amara, looking curious. "Excuse me, miss, but have we met before?"

"Huh? No, I don't think so, mister..."

There was an uncomfortable silence, as they looked at each other's faces. Try as she might, Amara could not recall meeting him before. Perhaps it was just that they looked like someone the other knew from elsewhere.

"Ah, never mind. I must have confused you with a friend of mine. My apologies." He turned away, looking at the other side of the road. It was then Amara noticed the black leather briefcase in his hand, which had a logo on it for Albion Incorporated.

That big tech company in Nova Albion, huh? He must be pretty high up there, going by his suit. Definitely wouldn't be caught dead wearing an outfit like Stella's. Then again, neither would I.

The bus was going to be in four minutes, going by the tracker's screen. Right as she was about to take it to play a quick game, Amara's phone buzzed. Quickly, she checked her mobile, expecting a reply from her father. However, the new message was not from him, but from an unknown sender. She frowned – if it was just spam, she would have to block yet another person claiming she'd get a free TV as a product tester of some kind. Or perhaps it was Karl, trying to text her from a different number. Sighing, she read it – only for it to be nothing like she had thought.

You who survived the Aeternus incident, read this message very carefully. This is for the sake of New Motus City. You must travel to Farawell's Reunion Conference Centre, outside the memorial plaque. There, you will find the key that you need to unlock the answers you have been waiting for. Do not tell anyone else about this message. Once you have found the key, I will contact you again. Do not reply to this, either.

Amara's eyes were transfixed on her screen, displaying these ominous words. Today, the explosion at the Aeternus conference had been coming up more and more. Now, this mysterious person was texting her, and even knew she had been there. Everything seemed to be linking up – the dream with Philemon, Stella's strange vision, and now this.

I always did want to know why that explosion happened. Dad was never the same after that day. He never talked about Aeternus, and every time their name came up, he got so mad. But what does this person know? It's not just Stella playing a prank, is it? No, she wouldn't do something like this. She would have just told me about this 'key' right from the start.

She thought about ignoring this message, and just going back home to have dinner like she had planned. Yet, the chance to finally find out about Aeternus was too much to resist. With her bizarre dream this morning, and the equally odd premonition of Stella, this had to be leading up to something major. And so, she decided she would indeed venture to the Reunion Conference Center, a building she had never been inside for ten years. Her bus would be here very soon, and she would just have to get off one stop early.

|Reunion Conference Center|17:35 pm|

The Center was a large circular stone building, with something of a Roman theme. Many stone columns adorned the circumference of the beige exterior, and there were some elaborate windows on the higher floors. Now was not the time to admire the architecture, however. The memorial plaque was what she was after. Not knowing where it would be, she decided she would walk around until she saw it. Eventually, she located it, on the western side. It was golden in colour, shining in the sunlight.

Better make this quick. I don't want anyone asking any awkward questions.

As she approached, she had a strange sensation that she was being watched, but when she turned around, she didn't see anyone out of the ordinary. At least, no one seemed to be looking at her. Sighing with relief, she went closer. At first, all she could see were the names engraved here. Twenty people had died that day, and by chance, she had avoided being one of them. Looking at the list, she wondered if any of these people had been friends of her father's.

It took a few moments until she saw something sticking out of the gap between the plaque and the wall – and it was white and plastic. In an instant, Amara pulled it out, revealing it to be a thick key card, similar to her one for work. Yet all that was on it was a rather stylised black 'A'. No other details were present, not even a number. If this had belonged to someone else, there was no trace of them any more.

This is from the old Aeternus logo. I remember seeing it all the time when Dad worked there. But why was it stuck there? And how long has it been lying there, waiting for someone to notice it? Or was it only put there today?

Still anxious she was being watched, she quickly walked away from the plaque, moving towards the large square around. With a deep sigh, she sat on one of the white marble benches. Her heart was racing, as she looked at the keycard in her hand. This looked almost brand new, yet if it were truly an Aeternus employee ID, then it would have to be at least ten years old. Of course, there was no Aeternus company any more. So this card would no longer work anywhere – with one exception.

Just then, her phone vibrated again. Her heart racing, she took out her phone, and read the message.

The key card you've acquired will finally allow you access to the abandoned building Aeternus once used. It will not work anywhere else that the company owned. When you're ready, make your way there, and you will see where to use the card. You must hurry. Obviously, you must not let this card fall into anyone else's hands or tell anyone any details of it.

So It seemed Stella's vision was coming true after all. Rather nervous, she looked around but didn't see anyone that seemed like the mysterious sender of these messages. Amara now knew where she needed to go. If she was fast, she could get there in about twenty minutes. Quickly, she got up, and still looking at her phone, she began walking – but bumped into someone.

"Woah!" It was a rather muscular man, quite tall, whose brown hair was in a fade cut. He had quite a thick stubble and had a red leather jacket. He had a black motorcycle helmet in his hand, with a bright lightning bolt on it.

"O-Oh! I'm so sorry, mister!" Amara said, rather embarrassed. She then realised she still had the ID in her hand, and swiftly put it in her back pocket. "I need to get going...I'm really sorry!"

"Um, it's okay, no big deal -"

Before he could finish, she ran far away from the area, so she could get back home. She had to focus, without dragging anyone else into this.

|Scarlet Street – Aeternus Warehouse|18:00 pm|

After quickly returning home to put away her bag and eat a quick sandwich, she was now ready. For the first time, she approached the warehouse, covered with graffiti as far as the eye could see. The rusted door at the front had been untouched for so long. Yet, there was still something near the handle that looked relatively 'new'. A device that had a glowing green light. Whether it had glowed like this before, Amara couldn't recall.

"Well, here goes nothing."

Amara held up the card to the reader, and sure enough, there was a sound of something being unlocked. Uncertainly, she gripped the handle, and turned it – and the door opened. There was cold air inside, and it was dark. She could barely make out anything inside, even with the light from the outdoors. Quickly, Amara made her way in, closing the door behind her.

"Is anyone there?" She called out. "Dammit, how do I turn on the light -"

As if by magic, the lights turned on. It was an utter ruin that lay before her eyes, with nearly everything destroyed. What had once been high-end computers were torn to shreds, their components scattered all over the equally ruined desks and overturned chairs. Various scraps of paper were strewn over the floor too, damaged so badly nothing could be read from them.

What the hell happened here? Someone must have done this on purpose, but who? The person that keeps sending me these messages?

However, there was something on a desk that actually seemed to be intact. It was a card – a Tarot card, of all things. This one was The Sun, one of the Major Arcana. While similar, it was not of the same deck Stella had used earlier. Curious, Amara touched it – and as she did, several other cards popped into view around it.

"Wha?! What the – where did these come from? Is someone here doing this?"

No one answered this query. Upon checking the four new cards, they seemed to be the 'Minor' Arcana. They were the Swords, Coins, Staves, and Cups. What these cards were supposed to do, she did not know, but with no other leads, she decided she would take them. However, when she touched them again, they disappeared into blue dust, that faded instantly. The Sun one vanished too.

This is creepy. What the hell are these cards? Is there really no one here?

She started looking around again but saw nothing else in this large room that looked intact. Soon, however, Amara noticed the black metal staircase that led to the only other floor. With nothing for her here, she moved away from the ruined IT equipment and ascended the stairs. There was only one thing in this room. Something that looked like a metal door frame, yet it had a numeric keyboard on the right of it. It was in the middle of the room, and thus, couldn't possibly lead anywhere.

"Hello? The guy who keeps sending me these messages, are you there? What's this door frame for? I don't think it'd work with my apartment's décor!"

There was no reply. Tense, she walked over and examined the door frame in more detail. There didn't appear to be anywhere for an actual door to be fitted, and there was a glowing green light at the top. This was not ordinary technology – that was the sensation dawning on her. Whatever this 'door' was, it wasn't made of normal means. Her phone buzzed again, and this time, there was a new message.

Push 0707, then Enter.

"Huh, straight to the point this time. Fine. I've come this far."

Slowly, Amara typed in the code, followed by the green 'Enter' key. Right as she did so, green text appeared above the number panel, reading "FW SR&D". Then, where the 'door' would be, white light appeared. Amara shielded her eyes from the pure brightness of it, in amazement. There was no 'heat' from whatever this door was. Something was powering this device – something supernatural.

"Am I supposed to walk into the light? Is it safe?" Amara asked, but only silence filled the air. No one was offering any sort of guidance on this device.

This clearly wasn't just an elaborate lighting system. This white light led somewhere. And unless she took a chance, she would never find out where. The truth behind Aeternus, Stella's reading, and the dream with Philemon, was what lay behind here. As she was pondering her next move, there was a sound downstairs. She froze, biting her lip. The door was open, and there were footsteps.

Someone's here! If they caught me trespassing, what the hell do I tell the police?

In her panic, her right foot touched the light. The split second she did, however, her entire body was flung through, and she began falling through what seemed like an endless expanse of white.

"Aah!"

The white faded into countless other colours, as she hurtled towards an unknown destination. In her head was a strong sensation, like something inside was desperate to break free. As the pain surged, something else in this void rushed straight past her. It was too fast to make anything out, but before she could even think about it, Amara's vision went black, and everything stopped.

This was not her world any more.