It was an ordinary day, just like any other... The long and tiresome lecture had ended, and my friends and I decided to head to our usual café to change the mood. We sat at our usual table, and I was by the window. The place was quiet, filled with the aroma of coffee mixed with jasmine. Golden sunlight poured through the window, adding warmth to the room, which gave me a sense of peace and calm, mixed with a hint of boredom. We exchanged small talk about exams and the future, but in reality, despite participating, my mind was preoccupied with something else. The quietness, that feeling... it made me remember how much I've always loved myths and fairy tales. I used to dream of living in a world full of adventures and secrets. I imagined myself surrounded by enchanted forests, or exploring ancient castles. My heart longed for something different, something unfamiliar, something that would amaze me.

One of my friends smiled and said, "Daphne, you look like someone dreaming of escaping this world."

I snapped out of my thoughts and smiled, replying, "Maybe... Sometimes I feel like I was born in the wrong era."

My friend said, "Maybe it's because of your name, Daphne! You know, Daphne and Apollo..."

I paused and said, "Who knows... maybe."

Then, in a playful mood, one of us suddenly suggested, "What if we went to that old library? It's so ancient that its façade looks like something out of a fairy tale."

The suggestion excited me; my heart skipped a beat. I hadn't realized that the library was exactly what I was searching for.

The library was in a somewhat secluded area, surrounded by trees, and the chirping of birds was clearly audible. It was far from the noise of the modern city, as if it belonged to another time. The facade was made of cracked brown stone, adorned with faded carvings and columns draped with climbing plants, as if they were trying to hide a mysterious magic.

The library's door was heavy and wooden, engraved with strange symbols, resembling a forgotten language from a mythical world. When I pushed it to enter, the door creaked softly, as if welcoming rare visitors.

Inside, there was an eerie stillness, filled with the scent of old books and ancient wood. The shelves were packed with books up to the ceiling, some covered in worn leather, others with titles written in faded golden ink. The dim lights, coming from hanging oil lamps, cast a warm glow, adding to the mythical atmosphere.

In a corner of the library, there was a shelf of rare books, carefully placed as if they were treasures. I reached out and touched one of these books, and felt a strange coldness. The cover was intricately engraved with flowers and faint letters. When I opened it and flipped through the pages quickly, my attention was drawn to a handwritten note that read: "If you seek the truth, be prepared to lose something in return."

Everything in the library, from the cracked wooden floors to the faded pictures hanging on the walls, suggested that this was not an ordinary library but a place hiding secrets, perhaps a gateway to a world completely different from this one.

I was eager to read that book, "The Gate of Darkness."

Later that night, I returned home, took my cat with me, and closed the door to my room. I turned off the lights, seeking a moment of eerie silence. As I flipped through the pages, an old envelope slipped out. I grabbed it, and it had handwritten words on it: "Everything is real, but not everyone is real." Beneath it was a cryptic phrase: "Between the mind and the heart, you are the title. Advice: do not open the envelope." A chill ran through me, but I smiled lightly, thinking it was just scribbles from someone lost.

Before I realized what was happening, I felt a coldness take over the room, and a thick fog surrounded it.

I slowly opened my eyes to find myself in a narrow street engulfed in fog, with dim lights casting a mysterious aura. I quickly realized my voice had vanished.

In that moment, Daphne felt as if the world had stolen her ability to speak. She tried to scream, but nothing came out, only a silent echo. She turned around, seeing people staring at her as if she were a ghost.

She heard strange whispers around her:

A man, laughing maliciously: "Who is this strange girl?... She doesn't seem like she's from here."

Another man, intrigued: "Her clothes are odd, and she seems mute. We could sell her easily; she's beautiful enough to attract any buyer."

Daphne froze in place, her breaths quickening with fear, helpless to escape or scream. She felt a rough hand grip her arm, pulling her roughly, and the man said, "Let's go, I have a buyer waiting."

He dragged her into a corner of the market.

It was a dark, narrow alley, lined with tall Victorian-style buildings made of faded brick, with narrow windows that barely let in any light. The ground was wet and muddy from accumulated rain, and the air smelled of rot.

Old gas lamps flickered faintly on either side of the alley, casting eerie and frightening shadows, as the lights danced and shifted with each cold breeze.

The muffled sounds of the market faded away, and the voices of the vendors grew quieter, leaving Daphne alone in the alley that seemed to swallow her whole.

Daphne was engulfed in a wave of fear and confusion as the three men surrounded her in this different world. It felt like the ground had been pulled from beneath her feet, and the sudden loss of her voice made her even more fragile and isolated. She tried to scream, but her voice remained trapped in her throat, as if the very air itself refused to carry her plea.

Her wide, terrified eyes darted between their harsh faces, desperately searching for any shred of mercy.

Her heart trembled, and her tears fell incessantly, the only witnesses to her inner struggle. Why? Why am I here? And how can I survive? These questions screamed in her mind without answers.

At that moment, a tall young man appeared, dressed in a black military uniform, with a sword hanging from his side. His blue eyes were sharp as ice, and he spoke with a commanding voice:

Adonis (sternly): "Let her go. I won't allow you to take her."

Man (mocking laugh): "And who are you to stop me?"

The moment Daphne laid eyes on Adonis in that dark alley, her breath caught, and her heart raced in her chest. The scene before her was a mixture of awe and fear; a tall man, with features as sharp as if carved from stone, and eyes that cut through the darkness like a sword.

In his eyes, she saw something strange, a blend of power that scared her and reassurance that drew her in. She wondered in her panicked mind, was he the salvation I had been waiting for, or the beginning of a new nightmare? Time seemed to freeze, and all that remained was this strange man with an imposing presence in the eerie silence of the alley.

Adonis stepped toward her with firm steps, the sound of his boots on the stone floor making her shiver. She tried to step back, but her feet felt rooted to the ground. Could I trust him? Was he the savior who would pull me from this hell? Or would he lead me to a worse fate?

She was a mix of fear and longing for safety. She felt weak in his presence, but she didn't completely lose hope. Her eyes filled with tears, silently pleading, unable to express herself with words. In that moment, Adonis seemed like the only answer in a world full of chaos, but she couldn't be sure whether that answer would bring light or darkness.

The sound of Adonis's steady steps grew louder, as though announcing the arrival of an undeniable force. Daphne's gaze was fixed on him, her body trembling, her heart torn between fear and hope. The three men who had surrounded her stood tense, realizing that the one approaching was no ordinary man.

Adonis drew closer, until he was near enough to see the tears in Daphne's eyes. Without hesitation, he extended his hand and pulled her toward him, the cold warmth of his grip like a solid rock she could lean on in her weakness. She stood beside him, hiding behind him, feeling an overwhelming strength in his presence, as though a tremendous weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

Adonis lifted his blue eyes toward the men, a gaze filled with warning and anger. In a deep, steady voice, he said:

Adonis: "It's a grave mistake to think you can touch what doesn't belong to you."

The unsheathing of his sword was swift and decisive, the dim light reflecting off the blade like a flame in the darkness. He raised the sword, pointing it at them, his voice growing sharper:

Adonis: "I suggest you kneel before death if you seek your end tonight."

One of the men hesitated to step forward, but Adonis's swift movement shattered their remaining courage. The others fled, leaving behind an atmosphere charged with silence.

Once the storm had passed, Adonis turned his head toward Daphne. His face was stern, but there was something unexpected in his expression, perhaps pity or a sense of responsibility. He asked her quietly:

Adonis: "Did they hurt you?"

She slowly shook her head, still unable to speak. Her eyes, filled with fear and confusion, met his. He extended his hand again, this time lightly touching her shoulder, trying to ease her tension. He said in a low, yet firm voice:

Adonis: "You're safe now. I won't let anyone harm you again."

For her, those words were like water to a traveler in the desert, giving her a sense of reassurance, but her mind didn't stop questioning: "Who is this man? And why do I feel like I trust him despite everything?"

Adonis left her for a moment while he sheathed his sword, then nodded his head, saying:

Adonis: "Come. This place is not safe for you."

Despite the hesitation in her features, she followed him with slow steps, feeling that her destiny was beginning to change that night, in the midst of darkness and light.