Cel's eyes snapped open to gray dawn.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnnphpa8Lc0
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS04V4hpfsK
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBPjBICjCLa
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXSFAW1Zp8l
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9GozgmIMIa
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡifLGMcYONm
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCYGxZ7H6Q6
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKmaDVjvGIg
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQei3T8WQwY
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsZGfucPK1b
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAuw7F8qKjm
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡalFhEsb0CW
Then he stopped.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHrFVLqK9Iq
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW13XHruqzm
Violet crystals ringed the hilltop.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiC5hM6NWEl
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvZpihTqJRn
They rose from the ground in twisted formations that hadn't existed yesterday, creating an uneven barrier between the ruin and the void below.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ93OcsjDms5
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNLr1ygwrFB
His mind reeled. He'd circled this hilltop several times. Walked every inch of it. The ground had been bare stone, nothing more.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG6OXOgc6hy
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMwB08xs3eC
'When did these—?'224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIdyp6Wvssg
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2lMcgQb0tU
The thought died as he watched the nearest formation expand and contract in a slow, deliberate rhythm.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMtsDcDN6cW
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoCsBYSZzGY
'Is this how the crystals grow?'224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHF5rIp3jnL
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDy0f0qKaOt
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4uHCq4GhlF
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmZOW0e5cya
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1aX4zlIxVS
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJw5a0zsWVO
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnGfmTnLxIh
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdRWouqeATx
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6JgV6iH1iA
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGUcwZXSolx
His sanctuary had been the one place where the world held still. Now even that mercy had been stripped away.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡddxSgpxv2J
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrRC7H3O9MD
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlHE9QGBwxb
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQRYr0Ig30y
There - to the east, two crystals stood slightly farther apart. The space looked like he could fit through without receiving fresh cuts.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmLKom1MHFg
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx5tw11D9pJ
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDmzn4XdAuW
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ18fTKGLiqW
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1IE9qfUbt2
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkW8uQHv7yp
Then, the ground shifted.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNrUcQjocLq
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcIGRDkQfbo
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTVCYGkd06K
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpySf54PtMa
Cel froze. Every muscle locked as the surface continued its slow lift. Three inches. Six. A foot.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡanv7CT30tp
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNvMno4JB1p
Then it descended with the same measured pace.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0cnj7Ar3GK
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZzf2L4N27j
The movement wasn't coming from the crystals.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZRtvRIAzCd
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡViGcG11RrO
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrQs00jKmkw
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIhdiWQ9bhs
Something beneath the crystals was breathing.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGhOOx55Ky9
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsDE3nkAlvh
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXCcOxp80tH
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLVLzaCXR8b
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1FwpT8mGki
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFzQYJWC3VZ
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9f7Pga4URQ
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8mpuaqwRq9
The creature showed no sign of waking. Its breath continued in a measured pattern.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIPY9WIRaSd
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBMK3AhyIWl
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡooV8yrjbPm
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvHqmnpWquU
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2HhSKMLGBW
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJj5jXd9pNC
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. 224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkZHtkiONrE
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw65cZDFM07
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdVJgFgHskb
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq2u63XlglB
He forced the thoughts aside. Whatever this thing was, it was sleeping. And his only hope was that it stayed that way.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLKsF1uGbQc
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoVnfXfeRhq
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdZMprpQsfB
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkdx0ZW2BXy
Then, the rhythm changed.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwD2i88QEYy
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡslfsiRpkEV
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSf3Dqpy3pi
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKBCZcvMJcS
The creature was waking.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbLXAmKTKUQ
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkxWs1Yz18A
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡawTrLC5BL6
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoY1pxC770H
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKtGW4WMr4J
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHPisuHcKac
Movement exploded beneath him.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFTXcmZyw0x
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtYfQTTIxwx
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKbpCUrhZoS
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc1T3FencFH
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6WEsC6Ezja
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuyNUhJ6lWC
It was descending the hill.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY1mcv8bPqT
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq8Owlq0PZC
Moving toward the void.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡymJxDWKktO
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAPNvw740KG
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYNG6YXvPO1
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSWuFCMaFHu
'No, not into that you damn—'224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmKTBMz5LnR
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk74qFnIeHd
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6W5lSay19O
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFOoa1E7B1y
The creature reached the hill's base and stepped onto the void.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHJcb28KUmD
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJCZdrEqODm
The liquid exploded instantly.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUpPYfJpBUr
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL5PRHqgiCd
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj9TcGbWWg8
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtxaaexB7pP
But the beast didn't stop.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIzEMHgceZi
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPW4VvJJdeD
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH1NERyltAE
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtIwA4SqhZt
The creature pushed forward.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd6lIp9GNKh
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVRloaT5gL9
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzJ7WtGHEJb
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe72NvDNLfm
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO9S65mGKhh
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtELv8AHIDA
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmhnTWyuFMr
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyhxuDDWyj7
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlI3SF55sEG
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf3Q1dSnC9C
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG68iAacnCT
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuotrFSBj2I
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkHqnUKSO4W
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkHzCULjvF3
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSqszEFu8Dj
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCgfD5x10Tv
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKqwmM7PRmJ
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWDL93tu7ns
The creature took another step.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ44b82oP2X3
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMxxvovRJyK
Then another.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfVgGiprCUW
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQDnR3Qxd8e
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. 224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Zv8O6VZYD
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsH6VYruZSF
They were going to die here. Both of them, claimed by the void that had waited so patiently.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjaLzVN1W1K
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyuvTrBG7gK
The crystal beneath Cel's grip turned white-hot.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpA1Fm5O44W
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdK7TV3ZLK3
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡik093ngm7K
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Wu7q5QfoN
The crystals shattered.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl0Dv1fovBm
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKQsYs5sSeE
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. 224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI7i46X1czZ
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx5rpMfMat1
The creature surged forward through the chaos, legs suddenly free.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJJ9jTl6N9X
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuglhWDHTZO
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdLia9ZfJOG
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDeAXWlhU89
Violet crystals jutted from the ground ahead. The creature hauled itself onto solid ground with a final stride and exploded into a sprint.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKsy8TxxVmI
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCOQPAs3kP1
Violet crystals jutted from the ground ahead. The creature hauled itself onto solid ground with a final stride and exploded into a sprint.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSOnrAO02MK
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWBS5bjzFDD
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaakBx6tPJi
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9q8mMPd6bf
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7vk9oQarGL
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAD4pabmdUc
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOnQdxBDPUx
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVaW0tj9Jfi
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrOAqlTyOKK
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡECrVRmwhc4
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz5AvDlSTq5
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQo1qV7HjsA
They'd crossed the void. Both of them. Somehow.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzWbPScubId
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS4nZkwo2CC
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTuyQnMyF3y
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN7ZLZSewDu
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyY9DlBqa24
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNKKmjuHsOE
But he was alive - for now.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpeHD7zNSx9
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNEYok5CwER
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp2KY97yvHf
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3IoFIAq3mg
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjBPBPnijky
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi9e0LO0PD4
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4L8nAD1dYn
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJShTYU2Pni
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqJqTVSfqMc
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPyxnJDq9Zj
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEOIMBmGZg7
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuUrebq3qaA
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.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc7OLhIv02w
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAqUq5HsoKU
He just had to survive long enough to find it.1234 copyright protection220ＰＥＮＡＮＡrkZgNjDgun 尼

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