Tangled

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209 Ava: Moon Goddess (II)

209 Ava: Moon Goddess (II)

Traveling like this is nothing like appearing in Sister Miriam's home. O

It's just a rush of white and nothing.

A lack of sound.

There's no wind. No air to breathe. And yet I don't suffocate in its absence, almost as if I don't need to breathe at all.

Even so, I'm falling.

I can feel it deep in my soul.

Until I crash into a nebulous something and the world coalesces around me again.

The world blinks into focus, and I find myself somewhere... else. Somewhere decidedly not my room at the lodge.

I spin slowly, taking in my new surroundings. Towering rock cliffs encircle me, their jagged peaks reaching into an impossibly blue sky, uninterrupted by even a wisp of cloud. The air carries a crisp, clean scent, untainted by the usual odors of civilization. It fills my lungs with a refreshing coolness that I've never felt before, Something I may never experience again.

In the center of this hidden vale, a crystalline pond sparkles, its aqua waters more vivid than any I've seen before. The surface is still, like a polished mirror reflecting the heavens above. I'm drawn to it, my feet moving of their own accord until I stand at the water's edge.

As

209 Ava: Moon Goddess (1)

Stare into the mesmerizing depths, a thought drifts through mind-that this place is imbued with magic. It's a strange

that feels undeniably true.

unseen energy, making my

because it is," a melodic voice says from behind me. "It's the magic within

Silver hair spills over her shoulders, puddling against the ground. And yet there's no frizz. Not a single hair out of place. Impossible,

colorless. Inhuman. And

me with eyes that seem to hold the secrets of

my voice sounding small in the vastness of this place. "Where

The woman

am known by many names," she says, her voice like a soothing

sense of her words. "My inner self? I

understand."

power, Ava Grey. The magic that flows through your veins is ancient and potent. This place is a manifestation of that magic, a sanctuary created by your own

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215

Moon

children to

sense at all. "What drought? The world is thriving." At least, that's what

suppose that would be

extends a hand towards me, palm up in invitation. I hesitate, my mind reeling. But something deep within me, a part of myself I've always known existed but never fully acknowledged,

this woman is

only one person she

and smooth, and a tingling sensation spreads up my arm at the contact. Selena smiles, her

catch a glimpse of my reflection in the still surface. But instead of my usual self, I see a glowing figure, radiant with an inner

still.

My glow is wild, like a living fire in the

difference between a master

within yourself, Ava," Selena murmurs, her voice seeming to echo from the very rocks around us.

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Ava: Moon