Cel's eyes snapped open to gray dawn.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡceYEunCcPw
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg9JyOFlDiw
The nightmares had chased him through the entire night again - his father's fists falling like rain, the cultists' blades carving fresh channels in his flesh, his family's backs turned in unified rejection. Sleep had been no refuge, just another battlefield where his tormentors held dominion.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaik1wu2SlP
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1qUVJI9ff9
At least he'd slept through. His body had demanded that much, dragging him under and refusing to let him surface no matter how his mind struggled against the dreams.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzJnT3HmkGV
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ3DKTsLleu
His throat felt like he'd swallowed sand. When he tried to work moisture into his mouth, his tongue scraped uselessly. The gnawing in his stomach had faded to constant ache, but thirst screamed with every attempted swallow.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0K0QfNnJ5p
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFDL2HIWSca
He pushed himself upright, every joint protesting. The burns on his arms pulled tight. His feet throbbed. The empty leather pouches lay discarded nearby - no water, no food. Today he would venture out or accept slow death.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUp9TIqQJTD
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOWnK9FKnWn
Cel dragged himself toward the entrance, using the larger stones for support as debris scattered beneath him. Morning air pressed against his chest as he cleared the threshold.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCg8MNK8vOX
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnyBWbPVqW4
Then he stopped.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpW0kWJZA2L
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnFVYIujatf
Violet crystals ringed the hilltop.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYPhKjVsBkL
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Js4u1lGFn
They rose from the ground in twisted formations that hadn't existed yesterday, creating an uneven barrier between the ruin and the void below.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡje5YEgeJ5U
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡojS5YE11bF
His mind reeled. He'd circled this hilltop several times. Walked every inch of it. The ground had been bare stone, nothing more.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLULcEw8ZWp
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1g2eBcz7fV
'When did these—?'322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLzF8L1qZb6
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvpctizKiqg
The thought died as he watched the nearest formation expand and contract in a slow, deliberate rhythm.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCiH8C7SskM
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb8FVSsUm6e
'Is this how the crystals grow?'322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeaEOvHuvk5
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRolwJDFIh2
He descended and approached the crystal barrier. The surface was warm beneath his palm, humming with faint vibration. The crystals probably fed on heat from below, drawing up through stone in their alien expansion.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0gtOqFJLgv
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKEpGrMILhL
He'd seen stranger things in this maze. It was just another impossible property of this place, like passages that folded or reflections that haunted.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaUVuEKDxSV
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR5Q8Yfuqlz
Beyond the crystals, the void remained perfectly still. The liquid darkness pressed against the hill's base as if held back by an invisible boundary.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtBdo8Ht5QW
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvQwAKYrs3r
The crystals formed a complete ring, each moving in synchronized rhythm. They weren't tall - perhaps waist-high at their peaks - but dense enough to make passage difficult without fresh cuts.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrCRG1M9FZx
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd2G7yZSmUq
His sanctuary had been the one place where the world held still. Now even that mercy had been stripped away.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSSNyz3Xe9V
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSI9tyNQDMc
Cel circled the ruin, examining gaps between formations. His throat contracted again. Without water, his body would begin shutting down within a day. The burns would fester. His blood would thicken.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0hhAZxlmn9
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvRjzacrw8C
There - to the east, two crystals stood slightly farther apart. The space looked like he could fit through without receiving fresh cuts.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOZeJbHsuyp
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOFiWGF0xKN
He moved toward the gap, feet crunching over loose stone. The breathing crystals flanked his approach, their expansion creating subtle groans he felt as vibrations rather than heard. Sharp edges jutted at awkward angles, forcing him to map his route carefully.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8EmUadIntD
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXfWWsBBOUt
He positioned himself between the formations and reached out, gripping the left crystal for balance. The warmth surprised him - almost body temperature. The vibration pulsed beneath his palm.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLdgAH3cBWW
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUpqb1E4FiN
Then, the ground shifted.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbmSgXuvVvX
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRwfGdLFhnS
Not the grinding rumble of earthquake or a sudden lurch of collapsing earth. This was a lifting motion - smooth and deliberate, as if the entire hilltop had decided to rise several inches in a single breath.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpKSXUslUh9
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡODM7pV2u3K
Cel froze. Every muscle locked as the surface continued its slow lift. Three inches. Six. A foot.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJGUyuN7wAW
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp80KUAh1e8
Then it descended with the same measured pace.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuJU0TXFgSN
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRPx2eHJU8P
The movement wasn't coming from the crystals.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf1H3Qd2YyE
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡakpjaF9Dgr
His fingers slipped from the formation as understanding crashed over him. The rough texture beneath his feet. The way crystals suddenly emerged in organic patterns. The warmth radiating through his soles.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbDTlFTllYU
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNnQrV3eVWt
Something beneath the crystals was breathing.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUVFthE1ysK
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHJK9ejBpXm
Every instinct screamed to move, to run, but there was nowhere to go. The void surrounded him completely, and movement might wake whatever creature he'd been climbing on.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKogc1kj3nH
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO9TlICY4X6
Beneath him, the breathing continued its steady rhythm. Rise. Fall. Rise. Each cycle lifted him from the darkness below, then lowered him back - steady and undisturbed, like breath in dreamless slumber.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPwnqDCg5Ht
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡswIiJQAXYp
Cel's hands trembled as he slowly pulled back from the crystals. His weight shifted with glacial care, trying to avoid sudden pressure. The burns and cuts screamed as he adjusted stance, but he bit down on any reaction.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzQAngtvsLg
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqaVGfJPiaP
The creature showed no sign of waking. Its breath continued in a measured pattern.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgeqWkW6YbT
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNNIZsYOwpD
His legs trembled - whether from terror or the strain of moving so carefully, he couldn't tell. He'd been climbing on something large enough to mistake it for terrain. And now he had to climb back down again without waking it.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfETdjPVdzx
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCuxcsfjBt5
Had this thing followed the void to the hilltop during the night? How had he not woken when it arrived? He'd been exhausted, yes, but for something this massive to settle around the ruin without disturbing him seemed impossible.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaSEklLT2Af
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsmqGdAPqPc
The parchment sketch flashed through his mind - the creature with fairy-like wings and crystal growths covering its body. The crystals matched. He twisted carefully, searching the creature's back for any sign of wings, but saw only more crystal formations jutting from its spine in irregular patterns. Perhaps the wings were folded beneath, hidden from view. 322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWD6ZCeQSTu
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsjRwQSLvq2
If this was the same creature from the illustration, wings like those could have brought it here in perfect silence, lowering it around the ruin so gently he'd never woken.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVzRr7645pA
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo7bb5fB59y
He forced the thoughts aside. Whatever this thing was, it was sleeping. And his only hope was that it stayed that way.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡacfSg0WB0v
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFu3TPtP7sN
Cel began his descent with glacial care. Each shift of weight deliberate and measured. His burnt hands found purchase on crystal edges. His torn feet searched for stable ground. The breathing continued beneath him - steady, undisturbed.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIEEokupQTk
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9oPd3HXToc
Then, the rhythm changed.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj8anX31Hzu
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9fMxpns4op
The breath that lifted him held longer than the others. The descent came slower. Cel froze halfway down what might have been the creature's flank.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4YsG3Z5xQ9
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx7jAUaL0wW
The creature was waking.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGITEh33gA7
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdtx2SwiDfw
His fingers dug into the crystal growth beside him. His jaw clenched so hard his teeth ached. Should he climb faster, try to reach the ground before it fully woke? Or freeze and pray it drifted back to sleep? Both gambles. Both likely to fail.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQYizfu6oTZ
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0gwfXhLoio
The breathing shifted again. Deeper. More deliberate. The surface beneath his feet tensed, muscle moving under skin he'd mistaken for stone. The crystals trembled with building energy.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzOjZuPJlj0
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVl4nXtystU
Movement exploded beneath him.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSHHsTPs8OE
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxAA2UwFoYC
The creature surged forward in a single massive stride. Cel's stomach lurched as the world tilted violently. His grip on the crystal saved him from tumbling as the beast's back tilted at an impossible angle. The ground that had been horizontal seconds ago was now a steep slope threatening to slide him toward the void.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAdIgTZjFEj
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5xcWG4HBc4
He pressed himself against the crystal outcroppings, arms wrapped around their base, legs scrambling for purchase on the rough hide. The creature's next step sent shockwaves through its body.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIOPFzJf0pA
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzgCjOIiQK0
It was descending the hill.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ1ACQwUUmH
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMTqIqkvDP2
Moving toward the void.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHOkWSD5y9U
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2YMLAVBYG5
Horror flooded through Cel's chest. His hands moved without thought, pulling desperately at the crystals as if he could somehow steer the massive creature away from the liquid darkness. The formations didn't budge. The creature didn't slow. His efforts were as meaningless as a fly trying to redirect a charging horse.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd5V6azRNDZ
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCC4dtAEpeZ
'No, not into that you damn—'322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVtL41kd7VX
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvt7ndNnHhm
His fingers dug into the crystals until blood welled from his torn palms. Every instinct screamed to jump, to throw himself free, but there was nowhere to go. The slope was too steep, the void too close. He would tumble straight into that hungry darkness.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxzzFe7zcbE
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCJDBJz1Yw1
The creature reached the hill's base and stepped onto the void.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGGtY24SDde
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoY3omFhfCy
The liquid exploded instantly.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpgnTRpqRh0
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa2zA9qSkbD
Tendrils of darkness shot upward, wrapping around the creature's forward limb. They coiled like serpents, layer upon layer of nothingness binding to flesh and crystal alike. Where they touched, the surface seemed to drink light itself, creating wounds of absolute black against the creature's dark hide.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI0rqJdQnwS
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKXJ8egtDcy
But the beast didn't stop.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuVbVSZmrUX
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfd7R93jQfN
Its next step sent tremors through Cel's bones. The void writhed in response, more tendrils erupting upward. They grasped at legs, wrapped around the creature's underbelly, and climbed toward the crystal-crowned back. Each new contact point pulsed with hungry intent, trying to pull the creature down into itself.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡufnUeOC16d
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD8SucPTZGt
The creature pushed forward.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYWbpMmAsjJ
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx1A4PmEmXK
Cel watched the liquid climb higher with each stride. The tendrils moved with terrible purpose, wrapping tighter, pulling harder. The creature's breathing grew labored. Its steps slowed. Yet it continued crossing the void's surface, muscles tensing and releasing beneath Cel's desperate grip.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW33TITTsgA
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmdm7WHBU5E
The crystals along the creature's spine flared brighter. Violet light pulsed through each formation in waves, starting from the base of the neck and traveling backward. When the light reached the crystals Cel clung to, heat bloomed against his arms. Not the killing heat of the maze, but warmth that pushed back against the void's cold hunger.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡttdr0bURig
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQUTubcI0Cl
The liquid recoiled from the illuminated crystals. The tendrils loosened slightly, though they didn't release. The creature took advantage, surging forward with renewed strength before the void could recover.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGpAG3AyO2c
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkZ5WhQ5Ke3
They were moving deeper into what had been the maze. Cel risked a glance over his shoulder and saw the hill receding behind them, the ruin perched atop it like a crown. The sleeping giant was awake now, and Cel was trapped on its back while it waded through a sea of hungry nothingness.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqJ6P40WFZ7
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8yhsppPMLd
His fingers ached from gripping the crystal. Blood from his torn palms made the surface slick. The creature's movements grew more violent as the void's resistance increased - sharp lurches that nearly tore Cel free, sudden drops when a leg sank deeper into the liquid, explosive rises when it pulled itself forward again.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdi2CllNaNd
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqZcAQzhoY6
The void surged higher. Tendrils now reached past the creature's shoulders, grasping at the lower crystals on its back. One tendril stretched toward Cel's leg. He jerked his foot away just as the darkness brushed his heel, leaving a cold burn where it had almost made contact.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhorIaZjIaI
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDwXFed2e1e
The creature's breathing came in deep, rattling gasps. The crystals pulsed faster, brighter, but the light seemed strained. The void was winning through sheer persistence, adding more tendrils with each passing moment, creating a web of emptiness that dragged at every movement.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡolrv7rLkLr
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzMZBeHz4cf
Cel's arms trembled. His grip was failing. The creature's next violent lurch would throw him free, and then the void would have him. After everything - the torture, the imprisonment, the maze's horrors, the mirror realm's torments - he would end as nothing more than another reflection swallowed by darkness.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYlcPjGoygp
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2occcwijSg
The creature took another step.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcu9Ifesqps
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV4f9ZGnVvv
Then another.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuSC8wzdwqJ
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF3hh8RwbEK
Its legs moved slower, pushing through the clinging mass like wading through mud. The liquid had risen to its chest, tendrils wrapping around its neck, pulling its head down toward the hungry surface. 322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVguRigr6wJ
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzQiAGf7MNA
They were going to die here. Both of them, claimed by the void that had waited so patiently.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhVI5pN7D9G
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFUosGwONSd
The crystal beneath Cel's grip turned white-hot.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQxuDygWuxy
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHmnrKKV1Bm
He jerked back with a gasp as every formation along the creature's spine ignited simultaneously - violet to blinding white in a single breath. The air shimmered. Heat slammed into him like a physical blow.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyv4G5ANwzT
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwaDQPR607p
The crystals shattered.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡupjid3BgFr
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI2gfprrQ8V
They exploded outward in a cascading chain, molten fragments raining down on the void. Each impact detonated with brilliant light. The liquid darkness recoiled, tendrils snapping back as if burned. 322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsYae40aaMX
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLGd8SygxN2
The creature surged forward through the chaos, legs suddenly free.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo1qWv9vxPR
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtbnGSLWrwr
Cel pressed himself flat against bare hide between the superheated sockets, fragments whistling past his head. More crystals fell from the creature's flanks - each one exploding on contact, pushing the void back in violent bursts of light.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUByYt2YjxM
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9znOE9o8fY
Violet crystals jutted from the ground ahead. The creature hauled itself onto solid ground with a final stride and exploded into a sprint.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBzmcJBqj92
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEqyrV49zWX
Violet crystals jutted from the ground ahead. The creature hauled itself onto solid ground with a final stride and exploded into a sprint.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBo007Nvq1W
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9uI3yjIGg7
The acceleration slammed Cel backward. Only his desperate grip on the remaining crystal kept him from sliding off the creature's flank as it surged forward with terrifying speed. Wind tore at his face. His injured body protested every jarring impact as the creature's feet hammered against stone and crystal.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKYsWRbx7Ao
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA0fhjyWTVv
The maze blurred around him - violet edges streaming past like falling stars. He squeezed his eyes shut against the rushing air, unable to watch the deadly formations they were racing through. All he could do was hold on, muscles burning, lungs fighting for air in the wind-whipped chaos.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡraPohxuA9d
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWBdiZ8sWwP
Time lost meaning. There was only the creature's pounding rhythm, the heat rising from its exhausted body, and the screaming pain in his arms as he clung to survival with weakening fingers.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEK1SIazjtD
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmxHLe6Ezez
When the creature finally began to slow, Cel's relief was so profound he nearly released his grip. The sprint faded to a stumbling run, then a heavy trot. Eventually, the creature staggered forward several steps before stopping entirely, its massive form trembling with exhaustion. Smoke still rose from the empty sockets where crystals had been, and the remaining formations pulsed weakly, their light guttering like dying flames.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ91DxgJM4RB
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlj9xCbhATG
Cel remained frozen against his anchor point. His arms were locked around a crystal, muscles cramped and screaming. His breath came in ragged gasps that matched the creature's labored panting.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY4rNVc30Gu
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhfvXGhJaQ3
They'd crossed the void. Both of them. Somehow.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjK3xQ7ik8v
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnSxeFt0AgS
The creature stood motionless for a while. Behind them, the liquid's surface had already smoothed once more, perfectly still as if nothing had disturbed it. The hill rose in the distance, the ruin still perched atop it, impossibly far away now.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4zjDyCej3v
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrOjZB282VW
Ahead stretched the crystal maze - razor sharp formations filled with heat and horror. The creature had carried him from one trap into another, from the void's patient hunger into the maze's active malice.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgxnvLt5XNZ
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnLYDnJs3Zw
But he was alive - for now.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAahPj5TonW
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUXfKusdM6u
Cel's grip on the crystal loosened slightly. His fingers were numb, his palms raw and bleeding. The creature's breathing gradually steadied, though it didn't move. Perhaps it was gathering strength. Perhaps it was dying. Cel couldn't tell and didn't have the energy to care.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUhMOmBqDOA
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRuQoGGIkfy
He closed his eyes and let his head rest near the warm crystal base, careful to avoid the sharp edges. The four suns burned overhead. His throat still screamed for water. His body still carried its catalog of wounds.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoNAMArAuqD
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk4TaVuD9ar
He'd needed to return to the maze to find the moon - but not like this. Not clinging helplessly to a creature he didn't understand, dragged toward an unknown destination. The ruin had been his sanctuary, his one safe place in this nightmare. Now it was lost to him, separated by a sea of hungry darkness he could never cross again.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpOsGDrZPtZ
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRgiK8MXla2
The creature took a single step forward, almost gentle compared to its previous violence. Then another. It was moving deeper into the maze, carrying Cel along like unwanted luggage on its crystal-crowned back.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmIubIf5fwm
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRpojwpBFfq
He didn't try to escape. Where would he go? The void waited behind. The maze stretched ahead in formations he couldn't navigate on foot in his weakened state. And somewhere in this nightmare, the moon remained hidden, waiting for him to complete a trial that seemed designed only to find new ways to kill him.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHM7t9W12TV
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAGH85u3Zig
So, Cel maintained his grip and let the creature carry him forward, into whatever fresh horror the crystal maze had prepared. At least he was moving toward his goal, even if he'd lost all agency in how he'd get there. The moon was somewhere ahead in this labyrinth.322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9u6jxglbWW
322Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpUGJnf0x7F
He just had to survive long enough to find it.1234 copyright protection318ＰＥＮＡＮＡRjgJwirR4r 尼

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