Page 70 of Omega Sanctuary

It came easily, quickly. Like I scooped a bucket of water from the ocean and the rest of the sea was there to close the gap.

"A small amount, Zara."

I grit my teeth, trying to push some of the rushing magic back.

It kept coming. The first hint of panic made the serene control slip.

I pushed the magic away completely, letting go of the small amount I was supposed to be holding.

It didn't make any difference. Magic came rushing inside me anyway. It filled me up until I wondered if I could explode.

The small boxes around us started to glow.

"It's okay, Zara," Aalina said. Her voice sounded just as calm, but I felt her trying to remain calm. "It's a lot of magic at once, you've never tried to consciously work magic before. Happens to all of us."

The matter of fact tone soothed me.

I inhaled and exhaled, picturing myself pushing the magic away. I held the mental image of myself holding the magic back, like a dam.

Magic rushed over me anyway, the dam breaking.

The anastatis boxes lit up, like small moons in the night.

I gasped, frantically pushing the magic back. It worked as well as holding back the tide.

Like a chain reaction, light burst out from me, following the white lines in the valley.

It followed the lines in the ground, tracing the complex circles.

"Keep working on pushing the magic back, Zara. The anastatis boxes will pick up anything left over."

I pushed myself into it. Magic glowed, until despite still having my eyes shut I saw a world around me, bathed in golden light.

I wanted to explore that world. The pain and anxiety of my body lifted away, became distant, like the problems of a well-loved family member, but not mine.

I stood up.

My body stayed there.

I took a wobbling step forward. Every tree, rock, plant lit up with glowing tendrils of light.

A mouse scurried over to me, squeaking. Strange birds flew overhead. Everything looked just like the mortal world, except the glowing tendrils of light.

I wanted to explore. To see what the rest of this world looked like.

I took another step forward, and the birds called above me.

Aalina approached me, walking right through me to reach my body, still sitting cross legged in the center.

Maybe this would help me burn off some energy. I looked up at the birds, hoping they would lead me to Kivai.

As if I summoned him, Kivai appeared over the hill.

He'd never looked more real. I raced over to him, everything inside me lighting up at the sight of him.

"Zara," he said, closing the distance between us.

I wrapped my arms around him. He embraced me, and for a moment, the entire world stopped.

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