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

one that feels undeniably

with an unseen energy,

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

around to 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 out of place. Impossible, with

eyes? Bright and colorless. Inhuman. And yet somehow

seem to hold the secrets of

I ask, my voice sounding small

The woman

known by many names," she says, her voice like a soothing lullaby. "But you may call me

frown, trying to make sense of

understand."

of great power, Ava Grey. The magic that flows through your veins is ancient and potent. This place

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Moon

children to

words make no sense at all. "What drought? The

that would be how humans perceive

hesitate, my mind reeling. But something deep within me, a part of myself I've always known existed but

this woman is no

she can be in

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 eyes sparkling with otherworldly light. "Come," she says, gently tugging me towards the pond. "Let me show you the depths of your

I 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.

wild, like a living fire in

difference between a master and

murmurs, her voice seeming to echo from the very rocks around us. "Embrace

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