Just the thought of changing the sentiment tightened my throat with an explosion of clashing emotions. Desire. Fear. Guilt. Joy. Determination.
Dig deep, Alexandra. The emotions are yours to control.
Letting go of the emotions that clogged my throat from claiming this manifestation, I focused on the positive only and allowed my voice to ring out loud, clear and unwavering.
“Iwillbe in this home, surrounded by my mates, friends, and family at the end of this, celebrating the new life ahead of us that is ours to build.”
The warmth within me rose to the heat of a blazing fire, and suddenly I was standing in the center of the home, watching the fireplace crackle and pop with higher intensity. I basked in the power the dancing flames fed to my soul. After a moment of connecting with them, the flames turned to a mixture of white and purple, reminding me of my power and the peace I’d pooled together at the beginning of the exercise.
Now my power alone fed my thoughts and determination.
The world suddenly felt limitless. There was nothing I couldn’t achieve. No foe would stop me from achieving my goal.
“Now I want you to release and surrender, Alexandra. This will be the hardest part, but hold tight to this power burning within your soul now.”
I did as she said, holding on tightly to the feeling in my chest, determined to never lose it. This power was mine.
“Trust that the universe is working to manifest your intention. Surrender to the need to control the process. Repeat after me one more time: My intention has been heard and received, and so it will be.”
I wasn’t sure why, but the heat of tears burned at the corners of my closed eyes.
“My intention has been heard and received, and so it will be,” I repeated, opening myself to the power of fate.
And so it will be.
It suddenly felt like dozens of electrical currents were buzzing beneath my skin, exploding to remove shackles I’d felt holding me down.
A true weightlessness came over me as Ariel instructed me. “Take a few deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth. When you feel ready to come back to the present, bringing your new affirmations and intentions with you, open your eyes. Remember this is your safe place to return to whenever you need it.”
I thought I would feel scared to lose this new warmth and tranquility that Ariel brought to my mind, but despite needing to return to reality, I was still left with the fire of determination burning within me.
I was ready.
As I opened my eyes, Ariel’s face was the first thing I saw, and she smiled down at me as she helped me sit up. My head felt a little fuzzy as I tried to reorientate myself back to the present. Exhaustion hit me hard, making my limbs feel heavy and unmovable. My brow pinched together as my hands pressed into a plush surface that definitely wasn’t the same mat as before as Ariel gently held me up.
Glancing around, I wondered if I was still lost in my mind. The rough headboard I imagined in my safe place sat behind me and the rust-colored blanket I’d pictured lay beneath my feet.
I was in the very same bedroom that I’d dreamed up, even though I opened my eyes and came back to reality.
“I…am I,” I tried to question, while glancing around in disbelief. I shook my head in disbelief before asking, “Am I still stuck in that mental space with you?”
A low whistle came from my teacher as she stared around. “I wouldn’t believe it if I didn’t see it with my own eyes, but no, Alexandra. We’re very much in real life. Your magic brought your home to life as you imagined it. You stood up and entered the home on your own, almost as if you were sleep-walking.”
Glancing outside of the large window to my left, I gasped when I saw the seats of the coliseum rising before me. I created this house within it, smack dab on the arena floor.
I quickly remembered back to times when I brought physical items to life such as weapons and shields. In those instances, all I had to do was release my hold on the magic for the items to disappear. Taking a deep breath, I released the hold on my magic and forced it to retreat back into the ball within me. A small screech pushed through my lips as I fell through the air.
My ass hit the hard arena ground, and I groaned at the vibration of pain radiating from my tailbone and up my spine.
“I was wondering how I was going to explain a home appearing in the middle of the arena, but I guess I don’t have to anymore,” Ariel mused as she stood to my side with a hand on her hip and smirk pulling her lips up.
Feeling entirely zapped, I let my head fall back on the ground as I stared up at her. “I’ve never been able to pull something of that size to life. The most I’ve done before is a weapon or shield, and it took considerable effort.”
She crouched to sit next to me. “Light purple runes appeared under your eyes and in the center of your forehead, Alexandra. Your eyes were pure white as you opened them and your hair began to float around you, tinged with a purple energy. Has this happened before?”
My time in the library with the guys came back to me in a rush of memories. “I’ve only ever connected to my runes when I tried to write something to life. I failed when I tried at DIA, but my mates and I guessed that I somehow tapped into the power of Pandora's box to createthemand pull them to life. I wrote about them in my notebooks countless times as I created a second life within that dream world, then one night they came to life.”
She looked up at the sky, letting silence descend around us for a few minutes.
