Maggie widened her eyes. “You mean, let me do it?” She drew out her words, sounding flustered and stuttering. “I haven’t tried-wait a minute!”
She protested in a dissatisfied tone, “You haven’t taught me any magic since I got here!”
Urania wanted exactly this effect. She needed to understand Maggie’s perception. Even though sometimes Maggie could unleash unimaginable power in moments of danger, it didn’t directly relate to her ability to successfully cultivate. Moreover, the crystal ball hadn’t absorbed all of Maggie’s energy; Urania was curious about what other mysteries Maggie’s body might contain.
“No need for teaching. This is your innate talent, requiring no external guidance. Listen to my instructions, close your eyes, take a deep breath.”
Maggie obediently followed her instructions, closing her eyes and sensing the subtle changes in the surrounding airflow.
“Discard all distractions in your mind, listen to your true self, and open your arms.”
She opened her arms, feeling a current of air swirling within her, gradually organizing itself. They orderly arranged and combined. She was delighted, “I seem to see something!”
“Don’t be hasty, remain calm, continue to concentrate. Gather this force. Can you see the complete image now?”
Maggie started to focus and gather her energy, trying to piece together the arranged elements into a complete picture. After much effort, the fragments remained fragments, unable to form a complete puzzle.
“I’m sorry; it seems like I’m not good at this.”
“I told you, no need to rush. Keep mobilizing your other forces and constantly visualize the outcome you want.”
Maggie obediently continued to summon that force with all her strength. However, as she had experienced many times before, her power reached a certain point where it sank into a bottleneck. Before that bottleneck, she could use it freely, but after that point, using her power became nearly impossible.
“The power is constantly depleting, and I think I can’t continue,” she tried to pull herself out of the space she had created using her power, but she couldn’t move at all. It was as if an invisible force had turned into ropes, binding her in place. “Damn! Why can’t I get out?”
Urania’s voice, like the wind in heavy rain, was elusive. If one didn’t listen carefully, the specific content couldn’t be discerned. “You created this space, and it specifically appears for the content of your prophecy. This space won’t tear until you spell out the future conclusion. So think of a way to mobilize the remaining energy in you. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck in this space.”
“Forever?” Maggie exclaimed in shock. “How long is that?”
“It depends on when you can come up with the prophecy result.”
The world fell silent once again.
Urania didn’t tell the truth; she had actually locked this space. She just wanted to see if Maggie could force out the remaining power in this desperate situation where everything was absent, just like the first time she displayed her abilities.
If, in the end, Maggie passed out before successfully summoning the power, Urania would still pull her out. However, in that case, she would reconsider whether to let Maggie inherit the new position of the Moon Goddess.
Maggie struggled continuously in that space, but the more she struggled, the more the force binding her tightened, making her feel like she might suffocate at any moment. She could only retrace Urania’s words, forcing herself to stay calm. However, at times like these, it was challenging to truly calm herself. Her mind was entirely out of control, reminiscing about her life like a revolving lantern.
“Stop!” she shouted loudly to the memories that kept flashing back in her mind. “I need a clear head right now. You must stop anything that distracts me!”
It seemed to work. The flashback scenes gradually slowed down, and she no longer grabbed a single frame from continuously playing videos.
Maggie sighed in relief, attempting once again to concentrate and find another dormant power within her. This power was different from the moon goddess’s power she had felt before. The moon goddess’s power was gentle and soothing, like the late spring breeze in a forest approaching summer, calming impatient hearts. This new force, however, was more like a sea without hidden currents, allowing the body and mind to stretch out.
But this dormant power wasn’t a calm sea; it had a kind of heat wanting to break through something. Unlike the moon, it resembled the power of the sun. Only the sun perpetually wanted to shine, break through the Milky Way, forever blazing without knowing fatigue.
She was somewhat puzzled but also excited. The awakening of a new power meant she could leave this space.
This new force seemed to be more fluid in its use than the previous one. She tried to gather them in the palm of her hand, and the forces obediently congregated there. When she wanted them to gather at her fingertips, they did. She realized this power didn’t have the same restrictions as the previous one.
Was this her own power?
She inquired about the whereabouts of Grace using this power. Following Urania’s instructions, she gathered the power into a ball. Soon, the lights scattered, forming a complete and clear image.
In a dim underground basement, Grace was barely alive. There was water and food nearby, but she hadn’t touched a single bite. She lay on a narrow wooden bed, limbs chained.
Fortunately, she was still alive. That was the only comforting thing.
Urania felt like a long time had passed. The dimension of the alternate space differed from reality, and the passage of time varied. Maggie didn’t perceive the flow of time in the alternate space, but the world she originally inhabited had transitioned from a sunlit day to a dark, sprawling night.
Urania boredly dozed off, occasionally opening her eyes to observe Maggie’s changing condition and the glow of the star blanket. Suddenly, the star blanket burst into a bright light, and the stars changed their original arrangement. Urania carefully read the information conveyed by the stars and let out a sigh.
Grace was still alive, which was great.
But since the prophecy had been fulfilled, why hadn’t Maggie woken up yet? She studied Maggie’s eyes carefully; her eyelids still hung heavily over her lower eyelids, showing no signs of wanting to open.
Wait a minute. She tried to infuse her own energy into Maggie’s body, only to find that Maggie rejected her power. She realized that the Maggie in the alternate space had probably broken free from the magic she had imposed. Moreover, the force enabling her to break free was now holding Maggie captive.
This was beyond her intervention, she thought. Maggie, I wish you good luck.
Hope the next Maggie who comes out will show me a completely new transformation.