14 The Garden Within

Confused, she took a step forward, her heart racing. The air was sweet with the scent of flowers, and the ground beneath her feet felt soft, almost alive. She was in a place that felt like home yet completely foreign.

She turned around, expecting to find something familiar. Instead, the land seemed to shift before her eyes, adjusting to her thoughts.

"Where am I?" she whispered, flaring with a mix of awe and fear.

Then, a voice echoed, deep and resonant, as if coming from the very core of the space itself.

"I am the Guardian of this place. It exists within you, a reflection of your innermost self."

Bani froze, her heart pounding. The voice was not external—it was inside her mind, yet somehow separate.

"This space is not just a sanctuary. It is a part of you, as much as your thoughts, your dreams. It changes with you, for you, and by you."

Bani's breath caught in her throat. This space... was inside her?

"I have been waiting," the voice continued. "Waiting for you to embrace your power. To understand that this land is not a gift—it is your birthright."

Her mind swirled with a thousand questions, but only one thing stuck: This place... is a part of me?

Before she could ask more, the voice fell silent. The space shifted again, as though it was waiting for her to make the next move.

"You have felt me," a voice whispered, its tone both comforting and foreign. "I have always been here."

Bani froze, her heart racing. "What... who are you?"

"I am the garden. The land is within you, as it has always been."

She gasped, her mind struggling to comprehend. She had never questioned how the space existed or why it responded so intimately to her emotions. It had grown with her, yet she had thought it was just a lucky find.

"But... how? How is this possible?"

The voice seemed to calm her. "Life has a way of weaving the extraordinary into the ordinary. Your pain, your joy, your journey—everything led to this moment. The land, like you, was waiting to be understood."