Portal of Destiny

THE PORTAL OF DESTINY

My eyes opened to the sound of my alarm going off, it was 3:00 am at night, my lips curved up into a knowing smile.

“The day has come,” I half whispered, half shouted.

Not waiting for a moment more, I jumped out of bed and raced to my grandpa’s room. My grandpa died a year ago, and since then, my aunt comes once every week to check up on me as I lived alone and twice when there was a special day like gramps’ death anniversary or birthday.

I never knew my parents; gramps said they died in a car accident. I didn’t have any relatives either, save for Aunt Jasmine. The truth was she really wasn’t my blood relative, just a daughter of one of gramps’ friends.

When she had lost her mother, gramps took her in as his child; she didn’t know her father either, so she lived with him till she grew up and had a life of her own. She offered me to come live with her and her family in the city, but I declined. 

So, today was one of those days, my birthday. As I got to the door of gramps’ room, I paused, took in a deep breath before turning the door knob open.

The old door creaked as it paved way for me to enter. The room was the same as when gramps was alive, nothing was tampered with. I usually cleaned the room on a daily basis as I did back then.

My eyes scanned the room as my gaze fell on an old box at his bedside table. That was it, my eighteenth birthday present. Gramps had instructed and warned me before he died, not to open my gift till my eighteenth birthday. He even went as far as telling me it was going to be bad luck if I did, that what was inside would change my life and destiny forever.

My legs finally moved on their own accord, I walked to his bedside table, scooped the old box in my hands and sat on his bed. My gaze went to the only clock in the room, the time was 3:03 am, I chose this time to do this because gramps said to open the box by this time on my eighteenth birthday, then he gave up the ghost. 

Taking in another deep breath, closed my eyes and slowly opened the box. I peeped with one eye opened and found…

I sighed, “Yet another box.”

Keeping the cover aside, I picked the smaller box inside and opened it. My eyes widened in awe, inside the box laid a beautiful golden trinket with diamond pearls, more beautiful than any jewelry I had ever seen.

I picked it up with the golden chains and looked keenly at it, something about this trinket looked familiar. I didn’t know where, but I knew I had seen this before. 

Dropping the boxes on the bed, I got up and made my way to the long mirror in gramps’ room. Standing before the mirror, I gently wore the trinket. The moment it rested on my neck, it shone with a bright glow.

“WHAOO!!”

The next thing I knew, through the mirror, from the corner of the room, a carving on six feet tall old painting, shone. I turned and walked up to the painting.

“Ahh! No wonder the trinket looked familiar, it’s the same as the carving,” I said to no one in particular.

I had always felt drawn to this painting since I was a child, I never knew why. It was just a painting of what was carved or best to say, it was a painting of the trinket. 

The painting was of the star, moon and sun, all surrounding a silvery ball at the centre, with pearls at the edges of the celestial bodies.

I raised the trinket and the light glowed from both objects again.

“Where are you coming from?” I asked. 

I fumbled with the edges of the painting and successfully pushed it to the side after some minutes.

I saw the same drawings on the wall; the bright light suddenly vanished after I removed the painting. Suddenly, something unexpected happened, the trinket on my neck shone a golden light and the drawing on the wall did same. 

Before I knew what was going on, a blinding light engulfed the whole wall; I closed my eyes almost instantly. After some time, it dimmed a bit, I opened my eyes back and what stared at me, was something I would never have imagined.

Right before my eyes was what seemed to be like a portal of some sort. It looked like a twirl of golden light, there was a magical force behind it, like a vortex. Instinctively, I reached for it with my hands, I felt drawn to it.

“What are you doing?” I suddenly found my dazed inner voice and asked myself.

“One peak wouldn’t hurt. I just want to know what it led to.”

And like that, my hand touched the golden light and passed through, I felt something suck my hand in. Quickly, I withdrew my hand and clenched it to my chest.

I admit, I got scared, but something about the unknown, changing my life and destiny gave me the boost and courage I needed.

“Gramps gave me this for a reason. Let’s find out what happens next.”

With that it took a few steps and went in.

I stumbled out of the portal and staggered; I looked up and was in awe. It was a very huge room, with different colors of crystals decorating the walls.

My eyes finally landed on a figure, the only person in the room. He sat crossed legged in mid air, with his fingers joined in an arc form in front of his chest.

He had golden blonde hair, slender brows, chiseled jaw, long eye lashes, pointed small nose and smooth small lips. From his sitting position, I could tell he had a good body built. Simply put, this man was the definition of perfection.

There was a ray of golden light and several colored crystals shining around him. I felt my breathing stopped as I looked at this godly man in front of me

I moved closer to him, wanting to touch and feel if he was living or a projected statue. 

Just as my fingers made home their destination, his eyes opened…

I quickly retracted my hands and coughed. 

AHEM!!!

“Welcome, Chosen one.”

Say what now…? 

The huge doors slammed open, I jolted up in shock. My head turned towards the door and I saw seven different men and women all dressed in white robes and garments.

They looked beautiful and enchanting, but their beauty couldn’t match that of the handsome man in front of me.

“Thank heavens, she is back!” One of the men said. Even though he looked older than the rest of them, he still looked like one in his early thirties.

“I never thought I would see this day, our prayers have been answered.” A woman suddenly appeared before us all, standing in the air.

Suddenly, the man in front of me got up and walked towards me, followed by the others.

“Are you ready to accept your destiny?” the man asked.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!! Hold up. Am I what now? Where am I? Who are you? Why do I have this necklace? Why did it react when I wore it?”

I had so many questions and I needed answers, now!

The woman, who was still floating in the air, flew close to me. With a nice smile, that seemed to take your troubles away, she said, “Easy child, we would explain. Come with me.”

I didn’t want to move or take any step further, but I needed answers and if she could provide them, then yes. I followed her.

We waked to a corner of the big hall; it was filled with gigantic crystals, taller than me. 

“How come I didn’t see this here?”

“Not all things you can see until you accept your destiny. Look,” she said and with a wave of her hands images began to show on the crystals like a television.

“Millenniums ago, our people thrived and lived in perfect harmony until the Harbinger of doom; a dark enchanter appeared from the depths of hell to change it all. He had offered his soul to the devil in exchange for power to reign over the realm. He began to seize the lands for himself and enslave innocent lives, turning them to his demonic warriors, killing and putting family members against each other in an endless battle.”

As she spoke, the scenes from the war displayed on the crystals, I watched in horror, the brutal killing of the innocent. I didn’t realize when I clenched my fists into a ball at my side.

“The people had no way of defending themselves against this brutal monster, save for a selected few, led by a woman of great destiny. She took charge and led her warriors into battle, but fighting against dark magic, she had little chance of winning. Being on the losing side of the war, she sought out the divine ones for help.”

“They heeded her call and blessed her and a chosen six with powers, thus becoming the first of our kind with powers. With the powers of lightning, earth, fire, water, air, death and magic the war was ended, with the Harbinger of doom, sealed forever.”

“After the war, the divine ones allowed the powers be given to their generations forever, to keep evil at bay and defend their realm, all except hers. For she alone possessed all seven powers and was named the chosen one. The chosen one was to appear randomly, chosen by the divine ones at birth and only when the chosen one awakes can the others, the defenders rise to protect their realm.”

“Years ago, for the first time, two of the defenders got married. Soon an uprising, one of the defender’s brother, Prince Auden fell in love with the chosen one and from that love came a betrayal, the awakening of the harbinger of doom’s puppet, thus killing the chosen one. With a lost hope, the prophecy came, from the union of the defenders, a chosen one shall arise to combat the new HARBINGER OF DOOM.”

“Sly as he was, Prince Auden sought to end the new chosen one’s life. Queen Aurelia wouldn’t let that happen and took the chosen one away to another realm where she would be safe till she came of age to rise and defend her realm. That child is you Astraea Aziel, you are the chosen one.”

“Finally, you can arise and awaken the defenders to fight against this harbinger.” One of the men said.

“No, this is too much. I am a chosen what now? I can’t face any harbinger. You guy’s got the wrong girl. This is all just a trick. Why should I trust you because you called me special? Please send me home already, I can’t deal with an evil uncle and defending anything.”

“But, the necklace brought you here. You must be…”

“I am sorry, I need to go.”

Without wasting a minute more, I turned and rushed out the way I came. 

“Wait!”

“ Leave her be. She can choose her destiny.” 

Within seconds, I was back at home. I put the painting back, entered gramps bed, removed the necklace and set it on the table, then went to sleep.

Not long after I slept, I had a dream. In my dream, I was in a similar place from where I went to, I saw a beautiful lady, she looked like a goddess. Her sunshine blonde hair radiated with the light. In her arms was a baby, she looked lovingly at the child as though she would never set eyes on it again.

Just then the door to the room opened and two warrior like people rushed into the room.

“Your majesty, you must go, he is coming,” the male warrior said in haste. 

“ Where is His Majesty?" The woman asked with worry laced in her tone. 

"Fending them off. He wants you to escape with the princess," the female warrior said.                                                                                                                              

"Fine. I know where to take her to, that even the harbinger wouldn't find her. Guard this hall very well," she instructed and with that, she opened a portal similar to the one i came through with and went in with the baby in her arms."

The next thing I saw, she was in our home, talking with gramps as she handed the baby over to him. Tears flowed freely as she said these last words. 

"Astraea my darling, mother have to go now. Grow and be strong, when the time comes, return to save your realm. Give it to her on her eighteenth birthday, it is her way back home."

With that, she pressed something into gramps' hand, turned and left. Gramps looked at what she gave him, it was the necklace.

I woke up soon after and examined the room. It was still dark, just twenty minutes to five.

“Was that a vision of the past? My past, they were really telling the truth. Gramps knew this would happen. He knew this day would come. I trust him, I have to go back. It’s now or never. My destiny awaits.”

I got up, wore the necklace, removed the painting and went through the portal.

By the time I arrived, they were still there. All heads turned to look at me as I stepped my foot on the ground.

"I'm back. I do not know what lies ahead but, I wouldn't run away from my destiny anymore. I accept."

They all looked at me with smiles on their faces.

This is it. Happy birthday to me.