Ava ran, heart pounding, through the endless forest. She had lost everything—herself most of all.
Collapsing onto the damp soil, she gasped, “Who am I?”
The wind howled, the trees shivered, the ground pulsed beneath her fingertips. A voice, ancient and knowing, rose from the earth.
“You are the roots that endure, the river that flows, the fire that destroys and rebirths.”
Tears blurred her vision. She had searched for answers in others, in mirrors, in silence—yet here, in the heartbeat of nature, she finally understood. The answer had never been lost. It had always lived within her mind, waiting to be heard.
She didn’t need validation. She required time—to explore, to grow, to fall in love with herself.
She smiled. She was home.
Lotus