Each step Melania took through the labyrinth felt like a fierce battle with her own beliefs. The space was shifting, but it wasn’t merely the transformation of the external world. It was her own reality, reflecting everything that was happening within her soul. She no longer doubted that this labyrinth was not just a test, but a stage on the path to self-awareness. She was ready to change herself. But was she ready to change the world?
Around her, like a haze, memories of all the moments in her life when she had felt powerless began to flare up—those times when despair filled her heart. The times when she had tried to change the outside world—circumstances, people, the world itself—without changing herself. Those attempts seemed futile and painful because one can only change the world by changing oneself. But to do that, she had to understand: everything you wish to change or destroy must become a part of you.
“You cannot free yourself from what you are unable to accept,” she heard the whisper of the voice, once again emerging from the darkness. It was familiar, yet mysterious. It echoed in the heart when everything else was silent.
Melania stopped, trying to organize her thoughts. She realized she had to find a way to destroy the old, but not simply to forget it. She needed to build the new on the foundation of what remained after it. Her soul was like clay, waiting to be molded into something capable of changing the world.
“What should I do?” she asked, no longer seeking external answers. All the answers were within her, and now it was only a matter of unlocking them.
Before her appeared fiery streams—fire that didn’t burn but glowed, cutting through the darkness. It was a fire that destroyed the old but gave life to the new. It was her fire, yet it reflected her will. She stretched out her hands, and every movement felt natural, like breathing.
Those memories, those experiences that had once caused her pain, began to unfold not outside of her, but within. The fire lit up in her heart, and it was no longer merely a fire of destruction—it was the fire of purification, of transformation. Every memory, every piece of her past that had hurt, became a part of her present, turning into her strength.
“What are you ready to destroy in order to become whole?” the voice asked again.
Melania gazed at the fire, which didn’t burn but shone. She understood that only through accepting everything she had been through could she become who she wanted to be. Only by destroying those inner limitations and embracing every aspect of her experience could she change the world around her.
The fire wasn’t simply burning—it was transforming her, absorbing every reflection of her pain, every moment of loss, every instant of powerlessness. And each element became a part of her strength. Now she knew: to change this world, she had to begin with herself. And the most difficult part was not in destroying old beliefs, but in accepting that everything she wanted to rid herself of had to become a part of her, so she could transform it into something new.
If she had tried to push these parts of herself away, leaving them behind, they would have continued to rot in the darkness of her subconscious. But once she accepted them and molded them into her power, everything became possible. The fire in her heart burned brighter, and this wasn’t just her fire—it was a fire that could burn away any darkness, any limitation, that hindered her progress.
With each new memory, each accepted pain, Melania felt more strength rise within her body, heart, and mind. She was no longer just a pawn in this game; she had become its participant, the master of her own fate.
And then, the labyrinth ceased to be a space where she wandered. It was her world, her consciousness, and now she could shatter it, rewrite the rules of the game. The fire of her transformation burned at full strength, and with it—new possibilities illuminated her path. Melania took the final step. And it was a step toward herself.