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. The

energy, making

from behind me. "It's the

face the speaker. A woman stands before me, her beauty almost ethereal. Silver hair spills over her shoulders, puddling against the ground. And yet there's no frizz. Not a single hair

Bright and colorless. Inhuman. And yet

secrets of the universe, a gentle smile playing

my voice sounding small in the vastness of

The woman

names," she says, her voice like a soothing lullaby. "But

sense of her words. "My

understand."

widens. "You are a being of great power, Ava Grey. The magic that flows through your veins is ancient and potent. This place is a manifestation of that magic,

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Ava: Moon

to bring

no sense at all. "What drought? The world is thriving." At least,

that would be how

something deep within me, a part of myself I've always

identity of this

person she can be in this

I reach out and place my hand in hers. Her skin is warm and smooth, and a tingling sensation spreads up my arm at the contact. Selena smiles, her

a glimpse of my reflection in the still surface. But instead of my usual self, I see a glowing figure, radiant with an inner light. Selena's reflection stands beside mine, her own form shimmering. She's a

still.

is wild, like a living fire in

difference between a master and

seeming to echo from the very rocks around us. "Embrace the magic that is your birthright. It's been locked away for far too

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