Cold pressed against burned skin.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIcp06NvHrD
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDcRwlbmqBs
Cel's eyes cracked open. Gray light filtered through crystal formations that no longer glowed with lethal intensity. The four suns had set. Night's mercy had returned.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpfAMAzCxcy
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRxaMqGgpnu
He'd survived - somehow.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLTTsBVLrQ2
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiWegpoEqv1
His body hadn't moved. He was still slumped against the creature's spine, still impaled through the palm on the crystal spike. Dark blood had dried in trails down his forearm, staining hide beneath him.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrhRqSAlcKv
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn72wgTjBDw
The creature's breathing moved in slow, steady rhythm. It had stopped walking. Settled down to rest while he'd been unconscious.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkZrjgM9f5B
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM1x0OXQiE0
Cel stared at the spike protruding from both sides of his hand.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGi7EPl52z7
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq3OJIjodra
He needed to move. Needed to climb down before the creature woke and while darkness still gave him cover from the heat.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDuFWjcDira
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ewMuWvudh
But his body refused.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAcEjNzrGgx
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl82vB6HTDf
Every muscle screamed. His skin was burned. His lips split. His throat beyond dry. He had no strength left.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRnmWnmy3YC
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKrn9tTU3qq
Yet his left hand twitched anyway. Fingers closed around a ridge.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFS3U8Y7937
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqcclV0BdQo
He pulled.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6PCoM1HkaO
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpUpz4DeHyu
Nothing happened.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHbQKvV2Nr1
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaWU1YbnptL
He pulled harder.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0sU5zs5kGF
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoB7heUckhx
His body shifted an inch. Then another. Pain exploded through his impaled hand as the crystal scraped against bone. But he didn't stop. He couldn't stop. Not here. Not now.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJp38L5ir7O
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT7CFRLJfZb
With a wet sound, his palm slid free of the spike.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkzYBDRcjVf
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXBuDc7rpDF
Blood flowed fresh. He pressed the ruined hand against his chest and pushed himself upright with his left arm. His legs trembled beneath him, threatening to give out.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcL6MrXhMW4
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ82ULHhnNi3
One foot in front of the other.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwS9BEjOfg1
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUVdXhXfyDR
His left hand gripped crystal edges. His right hung useless at his side, leaving a trail of blood droplets. Pain accompanied each movement.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRuScJ0T5ug
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ91Z7DKpRfI
Finally, his feet touched solid ground.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOQNJ0CZd65
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMYkaEKBRBF
His legs buckled immediately.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEBZg69KXRg
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9iPRBHf4hx
Cel collapsed onto crystal shards, his impaled hand slamming onto the ground. The impact sent a fresh wave of pain up his arm. He bit down on a scream his ruined ears wouldn't hear.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuobm0nD5y0
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDsLlVz3l0D
He should be dead.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8rhPDGBEv9
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ31PGOzzj66
The thought arrived with perfect clarity. No fever haze. No delirium. Just cold, factual assessment.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUH4F71EkaG
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkgsaKbluIF
He'd been starved for over a year. Beaten and bled by cultists who used him for their twisted experiments. Forced to eat rotting meat until his sense of taste died completely. Transported to this nightmare after nearly dying in the Hollow Realms. Crossed the crystal maze under four blazing suns that permanently destroyed his hearing. Suffered burns and cuts across most of his body. Dragged into a lake of mirrors where reflections of everyone who’d tormented him nearly shatter his mind completely. Gone two days without water in killing heat. Impaled his own hand just to stay conscious while clinging to a creature that could crush him by chance, unaware he even existed.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY5j9wGACDo
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3NZeWZQh7F
His body should have quit a dozen times over.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyyuXNxYjMB
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ27KwgHblEP
Yet somehow, his heart kept beating. His lungs kept pulling air. Some stubborn piece of him - rage perhaps, or simple spite - refused to let go.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8QCs6z3Zwu
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAzlp2fuLEn
But he couldn't stand. Not anymore.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡocz5HVhJ9G
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnKoG84dOmD
Cel pressed his forehead against the ground, blood from his split lips wetting his mouth. His chest heaved with each breath. The night air felt impossibly cold against his burnt skin, every nerve screaming at the contrast.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKyiWl8tRLK
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDqbwSK5lHq
He knew he wouldn't survive another day in this crystal maze.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB9y2Yw4wVV
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ5Q4FlEKHB
His left arm trembled as he pushed himself up. Made it to his knees before his vision grayed at the edges. He stopped. Breathed. Waited for the world to solidify.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGgoybHATMw
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsWLCqosd3x
One knee forward. Then the other. Crawling like an animal through scattered crystal fragments that bit into his palms and shins.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKBlDHBJybB
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqv1BHcNmgM
His right hand dragged uselessly, leaving a trail of blood across stone and crystal. Each time his weight shifted onto it, fresh agony bloomed. He learned to favor the left, to distribute his weight differently.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAQJtljhmcb
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ117jp5m7ti
Progress came through painful effort. Each movement a small victory of will over flesh.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCdGL6O6wyo
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡId9DwVbwaQ
‘Just keep moving. Don't think. Don't stop.’212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB83KciwR2J
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyZ1oCpWzpH
His left palm pressed against something smooth. He blinked, trying to focus through the haze.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxujqlXbK9Z
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw6srEjRr29
The ground had changed. No more scattered shards biting into his skin. The surface beneath him felt almost polished, worn smooth by something he couldn't name.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjMpFPKaFyH
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5YcA0H6r8J
‘When did that happen?’212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE7xDYyKXUj
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn14d0DOdVX
Cel lifted his head, squinting into the gloom.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7dutkXOG6O
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8eawPQqNcd
The crystal nearest him rose at least twice his height. He followed its line upward - three times his height. Four. The crystal stretched toward the sky like a cathedral pillar, its surface flawless and vast.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Wb2iWAgJ4
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNSF3OXpeFj
He turned his head left. Another massive formation. Right. Three more, each one dwarfing anything he'd seen in the outer maze. They pressed closer together too, their bases nearly touching, creating narrow gaps between them that twisted at angles his eyes couldn't quite follow.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDbmq4oYw5P
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6DqXhUGZqw
‘Just how far did that creature carry me?’ The thought arrived slowly, fighting through exhaustion. 212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHmYwm7lKIW
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ526qkWqf09
He'd been barely conscious during the journey. Had felt the creature's movement beneath him, the hours passing in fragments of awareness. But he hadn't truly comprehended the distance. Hadn't realized—212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsx5RtaXLqD
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbgOkjAIxBO
A shadow moved between the crystals.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIhVjXG73yE
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzFBXCEsxUi
Cel froze.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLil4rrcUCO
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTzJriAzkIX
The darkness shifted.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaSe2IJpxSm
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf6hpKQgiwP
Bone gleamed pale between the formations. A skull emerged first - violet light burning in empty sockets, jagged crystal jutting from the crown like a broken halo. Ribs came next, each one studded with crystalline growths that formed a cage around the hollow chest.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrEIQ9l3bRl
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyKgj7AQLFD
The skeleton's left leg dragged behind - crystal had swallowed the bone completely. The limb scraped across stone with each step, leaving trails through dust.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLu5BlJ99ua
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqsYihpeqY1
The skull rotated.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuBvLa8q4RA
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtFH1MoZpIH
Violet light locked onto him.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwhtNzZ23b5
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLAHWpmbaW5
‘Shit.’212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnqb4syfJH4
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5c3o7hEgsY
Cel's breath caught. His arms were already shaking from the crawling. His body had nothing left. The thought of standing - of running - was laughable.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF1lptN75Kq
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbQSLWMPOv7
The skeleton took another step. The crystal-encased leg dragged behind, slowing its approach but not stopping it.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXtvCxytEk7
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzdZWSCeBRr
Another step.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmDiqvU2QGK
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr604JxuSyE
Cel’s left arm shifted. Then his knee. He dragged himself forward - away from the approaching thing. 212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0JVoWKOqex
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlIKupll806
Too slow.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUnXn9pMtUL
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU6kqnzXLQA
He forced himself forward another pull. His right hand screamed. His vision blurred. The skeleton closed the distance with grinding steps, narrowing the gap with each of his pitiful retreats.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlvypKpJHgT
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4HesPSb8xN
‘I can't… there's nowhere—’212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡloBSc6NWdb
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK6DOj6ass3
The world shook.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnqEIBF9UU8
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJiaBns91cl
Cel's arms buckled. He hit the ground hard, cheek slamming against smooth stone. The surface beneath him rippled, sending violent vibrations up through his bones. Crystal formations around him blazed brighter, their hum rising to a shriek.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0oWJBLYoeA
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVI8jGfHqy8
He twisted his head.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb5x25FHeog
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTCQDAQcuZl
In the distance - far beyond the dense forest of crystal formations around him - something caught his eye. A sliver of the great spire, barely visible between towering formations.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr2TJ274k0f
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmGY5t2j15R
Its light was gone.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwBqwBTsgtu
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcy8xphF2IY
The violet glow that had always pulsed through its core had died completely. The structure was collapsing - its top already fractured, massive chunks breaking away and tumbling down its length. The destruction spread like infection, racing through crystal with terrible speed.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdtHWWPahRu
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY2V8S9NzB1
Then the fragments hit the ground.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡahnLwrr0Ln
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOJUYpcLUf3
The impact slammed through the maze. The floor heaved beneath Cel like a living thing. He flattened himself against stone as the shock wave rolled through, strong enough to make his jaw clench and his vision shake.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9BtF3OLf5q
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGFXs8z63D5
The skeleton stumbled, its crystal-heavy leg unable to compensate. It crashed to one knee, skull turning toward the distant destruction.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8zdRu1rlza
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcDWPxr87a7
Cel didn't wait.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSV0eG9g6eN
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUyzW22S71V
He dragged himself forward with desperate strength, ignoring the pain, ignoring everything except the need to put distance between himself and that thing. One arm length. Two. His muscles screamed. His vision tunneled.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7jTsBf9IYm
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbYbJABUrtp
His left hand reached forward and found nothing but air.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcOkNtiShau
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeoEWq5jiPS
‘Huh?’212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyUmxQqgVRP
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTDmDqAWE4C
Cel stopped, panting, staring at the edge that had appeared impossibly before him. A massive chasm split the maze - a wound in the earth so wide that it could easily swallow an entire city.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHecb58EwQI
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Nu9OawnD3
Behind him, crystal scraped against stone.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuyBhCOaNbV
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1TJfcMwqdf
He twisted his head back.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ09PB9EPREp
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl7XOezNmgq
The skeleton had risen. Its crowned skull was fixed on him now, violet light burning in empty sockets. It moved forward with renewed purpose, dragging its ruined leg behind, closing the distance between them.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrkyWEMo7mk
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHos3dm7iPf
Cel tried to crawl sideways along the chasm's edge. His arms gave out after two pulls. He collapsed flat, watching the thing approach.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRtnRj6a1jJ
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBw7njTpo3V
Ten feet away. Eight. Six.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1U8chWKV9w
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbhTw87J45a
The skeleton loomed over him, blocking out the moonless sky. Crystal growth caught what little light remained, creating shadows that danced across its bones. Its jaw hung open in a permanent scream. One skeletal hand reached down, fingers spreading to grasp—212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBNaIhhr1IM
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ67jZtKZw1G
It stopped.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlCCVQPRb2l
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9mwgSAXCHx
The crowned skull tilted downward. But not at Cel. Past him.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡljgkkvFecM
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSVTIMuUFG3
Into the chasm.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTuqcsPvXvd
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIDpJsy0p5D
Cel's breath came in ragged gasps as he watched the thing's posture change. The reaching hand withdrew. The skeleton turned away from him, its violet gaze locked on something in the depths below.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcumG4lvQzV
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ZU3SSuuBm
Then it stepped over him.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG0WZlmfZxh
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5LVJUJWNcC
Cel felt the scrape of its crystal leg against his back as it straddled his body. Felt the thing's weight shift. A moment later, it was past him, standing at the very edge of the chasm.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzqEXwNpBrG
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaTH4jWIuy1
It jumped.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVP25x1htUZ
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO7Il9NXwC3
No hesitation. No pause. Just a simple, decisive leap off the edge and into darkness.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8gJJm0KI8B
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFsdpJU94Yk
The skeleton disappeared. Swallowed by the abyss as if it had never existed.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ4H88d2p14
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡocKgHyEZaj
Silence returned. 212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt9ZVSBkoOV
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFEZG0uO8PC
Cel lay motionless at the precipice, too exhausted to process what he'd just witnessed.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5pFD5NbxH8
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡijk86VV90L
‘What... what was that?’212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNMW9TyOPy5
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlefEx0c9CZ
His left arm trembled as he dragged himself forward. Just an inch. Enough to peer over the edge.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxba965oFfh
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJpRTl0tpSd
Now, it is a repetThe depths disappeared beyond sight. No bottom visible. Just endless descent into violet-lit darkness that made his stomach clench. The chasm walls were studded with massive crystal formations, each one larger than any he'd seen in the maze above, jutting outward in chaotic clusters.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiV2BIOgpXV
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF4MwNCr44D
But deep within - far, far below - something else glowed.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXadlmaQ87e
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy9EZJP0Un1
White light. Not violet.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpr2zF4QvLN
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ70fCt3huJ7
It pulsed gently, steady and alive. The rhythm matched something in his chest, a pull he felt in his bones.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh8aE9Ies2G
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3FGgDK0zkj
‘The skeleton saw this. Saw it and jumped without hesitation.’ Cel stared into the abyss, trying to comprehend what he was seeing. 212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoO8u1uaq8L
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcyWv1n8JjF
The creature had carried him impossibly far - the spire had been barely visible before it collapsed. The maze had transformed around him while he'd clung to consciousness. Larger. Denser. More concentrated. As if all its power was converging on this single point.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHtYFFKYoym
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCLoWgSpks7
He'd survived everything only to end up here, at the maze's deepest reaches. Too weak to crawl. Too broken to do anything but stare into depths that should terrify him.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjGORT0xAqv
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNp0Zqekp2n
But that light…212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcZV49eojB7
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlM1aIC5U3u
That light was different.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8OGxuXcAQW
212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡisCJ7uauan
It felt almost like… hope.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy2z5NztIWS
1234 copyright protection208ＰＥＮＡＮＡlGJ0zr6qrP 尼

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