Sparks of light flickered, tiny but growing as I fell deeper. My breath came in quick gasps, my chest feeling lighter with each pulse of the golden thread at my wrist.

Then, suddenly, I wasn’t falling anymore. I was floating. Weightless. Still.

I found myself in a clearing that stretched on forever, silent under a sky full of stars. At the center was a round platform of polished stone. Constellations glowed on its surface, as if the universe had landed there.

A figure stepped forward. Not a stranger. Not the old man. It was me. Or a version of me. Clear. Strong. Glowing with the energy of someone who had already achieved everything I wanted.

He moved with purpose, his gaze steady, confidence flowing. Not arrogance, but strength without effort.

He looked at me, and I felt a pull so strong it was almost physical.

“Step onto the platform,” he said, his voice calm and certain. “This is where it begins.”

I hesitated only a second, then stepped onto the platform. The cool stone buzzed under my feet, alive with energy. Around me, the air rippled, and glowing forms began to appear. They circled me, shifting until I saw their faces. My faces.

Each one was a version of me.

One was hunched and nervous, eyes darting, expecting everything to fall apart. Another scowled, fists clenched, anger rolling off him. A third looked hollow, lost in confusion and doubt. And then there was the guide, watching the others with quiet understanding.

The guide turned to me. “Who do you want to become?”

“You,” I said, without hesitation. “I want to be you.”

He tilted his head, a faint smile on his face. “But you already are me. You’ve just forgotten.”

I frowned. “If I’m already you, why don’t I feel like it? Why do I keep getting stuck as... them?” I pointed at the forms circling me. The nervous one, the angry one, the lost one. They were vibrating with my struggles, doubts, and fears.

The guide stepped closer. “Because you’ve been acting like them. You’ve been thinking like them. Reality mirrors who you believe you are.”

The words hit me like a thunderclap. My stomach twisted as I looked at the different versions of myself, each one showing choices I’d made, ways I’d acted, fears I’d clung to.

“So how do I change?” I asked, my voice cracking.

The guide gestured to himself. “Act like me. Right now. Not later. Not someday. Now.”

I stared at him, my heart pounding. “How? I don’t know what you’d do, what you’d think—”

“Yes, you do. You’ve always known. It’s simpler than you think.” His voice was sharp, cutting through my doubt. “Imagine this: You already are me. You have everything you want. What would you think right now? How would you move? What would you do?”

I closed my eyes, my mind racing. I pictured myself as the guide. Standing tall, breathing deeply, focusing on what mattered. I imagined my goals already achieved, my doubts gone, my strength solid. Slowly, I straightened, lifted my shoulders, and held my head high. My breathing slowed, and a sense of clarity began to settle in.

I opened my eyes. The guide was smiling. “Good. But don’t stop there. Every step you take, every thought, every choice, ask yourself: How would my best self do it? Then do it.”

The glowing forms flickered and disappeared one by one, until only the guide and I remained. He stepped forward, his movements smooth, and held out his hand.

I hesitated for a second, then took it.

The moment our hands met, energy surged through me. He didn’t pull me forward. He merged into me.

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I felt the shift instantly, like a puzzle piece sliding into place. His confidence wasn’t outside of me anymore. It was mine.

“You don’t have to wait to become me,” his voice echoed in my mind. “You decide. You act. And reality will follow.”

The clearing faded. But his words stayed with me, shattering the old beliefs I had held for so long. I didn’t need to wait to become who I wanted to be. I could be him now. One step, one thought, one choice at a time.

The platform disappeared, and I was walking in a maze. The walls were alive. Twisting. Shifting. Changing with every step I took.

Each turn was a choice, a confusing set of possibilities. Some paths looked clear, but they crumbled into dead ends. Others were dark and narrow, impossible to get through.

I stumbled as a path collapsed. “What’s the point of this?”

A familiar voice spoke behind me. The guide was there again, calm and steady. “Where do you want to go?”

I pointed at the glowing center of the maze. “There.”

“Then why are you looking at the ground?” he asked. “Why are you worrying about every twist and turn?”

“Because I don’t know which way to go,” I said. “Every path looks wrong. Every time I choose, something falls apart.”

“You’re focused on the steps, not the destination,” he said, his voice sharp. “Where do you want to be?”

“At the center,” I repeated, quieter.

“Then see yourself there. Feel it. Forget the maze. It’s not your job to figure it out.”

“What if I choose the wrong turn?” I asked.

“You can’t choose wrong if you’re focused on where you want to go,” he said firmly. “The maze isn’t punishing you. It’s responding to you. Standing still won’t help. Focus on the center, take a step, and let the path adjust. Action turns intention into reality.”

His words hung like a command. Deep down, I knew he was right. Worrying had only kept me stuck.

I took a breath, closed my eyes, and blocked out the chaos.

I imagined myself in the center, standing in the golden light. I let the feeling wash over me. Peace. Clarity. For the first time, I wasn’t worried about how I would get there. I was already there.

When I opened my eyes, the maze shifted. The paths straightened, forming a glowing trail. The golden center seemed closer.

But the trail didn’t lead all the way. Just to the next step.

I looked at the guide. “It’s not the whole path.”

“You don’t need the whole path. Take the step you can see,” he said. “Focus on the goal. Act, and the next step will appear.”

I hesitated no longer. I stepped forward, the ground beneath me glowing.

The path extended with each step, the maze adjusting.

It wasn’t effortless. I still had to walk. But I didn’t feel trapped anymore. I was moving. Trusting. Acting.

The realization hit me like lightning: When I let go of control, focused on my goal, and took action, the way revealed itself.

The glowing path stretched ahead, each step pulsing with energy. The center pulled me, the golden light growing brighter. The maze moved with me, no longer an obstacle but a guide. The twisting walls fell away, and finally, I reached the center.

The platform in the middle of the maze radiated warmth and stillness, welcoming me. At its edge stood the old man, his presence calm but powerful. “You’ve arrived.”

I nodded, breathless. “Yes. But it wasn’t easy.”

“It never is.” He stepped forward, the air shifting around him. “The hardest journeys are the ones that reshape you. Now tell me, what did you learn?”

I swallowed, trying to put everything into words. “I learned that I can’t wait to become who I want to be. I have to act like that person now. Reality responds to who I believe I am.”

The old man smiled. “Good. The lessons of the maze are tools. Let’s make them simple so you can carry them.”

He raised a hand, and a glowing rune appeared in the air. The symbol was a triangle inside a circle. “Identity comes before reality. When you believe you are already the person you want to be, everything falls into place. You don’t earn your identity. You claim it.”

The old man waved his hand again, and a new rune replaced the old one. An arrow pointing forward. “Focus on the goal, not the steps. When you obsess over the how, you worry and freeze. Action cures fear and uncovers the path.”

The old man’s smile grew as the golden light swelled. The stars in the sky pulsed brighter. “The maze bent to your belief. The walls shifted because of your will. Do you understand what that means?”

I nodded, every part of me alive with purpose. “It means I can do it anywhere.”

“Yes.” The stars flared, blinding light flooding the air. “You’ve learned the truth: reality happens through you.”

The old man stepped closer, his voice booming with power. “You don’t need to wait. You don’t need permission. You’ve learned the magic. Now go. Use it.”

The golden light surged, pulsing through me.

And then the old man was gone, fading into the light.

But I wasn’t left empty. I was left with power.

I didn’t wait. I turned to the horizon and stepped forward, the world shifting beneath me. No fear. No doubt. Only certainty.

I breathed in, each inhale a spark of creation, each exhale a pulse of change. The words echoed in my mind, sharp and undeniable:

You have awakened to infinite potential.

The magic is alive within you.

Go.

Bend reality.

Create a life beyond your wildest dreams.

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Thanks for reading! I wrote this book to help people like you, and I hope it’s made a difference. If you’d like your own copy or want to gift one to someone who might benefit, the ebook and paperback are available on Amazon: https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B0DNLQ8CZZ