Cold pressed against burned skin.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOHRRqgCvhC
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXsM9Sg4IgI
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.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSyoUwMlROj
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He'd survived - somehow.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv5ByiDAviu
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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.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYvxch6HbXB
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The creature's breathing moved in slow, steady rhythm. It had stopped walking. Settled down to rest while he'd been unconscious.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqQq9QqyVBY
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Cel stared at the spike protruding from both sides of his hand.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCA8xsUZJSx
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT4jGFsk8on
He needed to move. Needed to climb down before the creature woke and while darkness still gave him cover from the heat.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡov1g6MHkaV
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But his body refused.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUMguL7JfsF
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Every muscle screamed. His skin was burned. His lips split. His throat beyond dry. He had no strength left.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDpXdeJU2oF
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Yet his left hand twitched anyway. Fingers closed around a ridge.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTTCICetkcf
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He pulled.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0HhATUOpQP
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Nothing happened.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw9FsWvvRFu
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He pulled harder.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFt06u0brXJ
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQ2ewf68SP
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.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbQFYQVTYHO
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLKFaWK1Dgx
With a wet sound, his palm slid free of the spike.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNEYMwlfX02
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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.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD7KSNwUrom
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One foot in front of the other.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLmAT8Ia0i1
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His left hand gripped crystal edges. His right hung useless at his side, leaving a trail of blood droplets. Pain accompanied each movement.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0lDEdsO2uz
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Finally, his feet touched solid ground.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvS9XlCZQ2v
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His legs buckled immediately.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ515AlkT1Kv
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEnTZZaKYep
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.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6EKyjecg02
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He should be dead.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUNeHRnpwt1
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The thought arrived with perfect clarity. No fever haze. No delirium. Just cold, factual assessment.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl7isxwz8R9
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWauuJABRVl
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.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFlKj0IxRkG
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His body should have quit a dozen times over.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsabhmAacBy
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAR3Qy5EI4D
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.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW4qxA70NO6
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But he couldn't stand. Not anymore.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb1WYmtGrX7
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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.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTgVUAA8BtX
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSaeYWcOkh9
He knew he wouldn't survive another day in this crystal maze.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8j8UG144XS
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFieMssSGqp
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.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaGY1dcuAQS
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdO28E2LPm1
One knee forward. Then the other. Crawling like an animal through scattered crystal fragments that bit into his palms and shins.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrGrF9UJpqA
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNg9DKuToaA
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.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡczGWYxoYW9
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbw8XgruHPu
Progress came through painful effort. Each movement a small victory of will over flesh.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYqz5tFWvoM
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡASu7woHooo
‘Just keep moving. Don't think. Don't stop.’15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa3h0Ajud9r
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Uu0b7gGK7
His left palm pressed against something smooth. He blinked, trying to focus through the haze.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa30DD08Sfb
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKSdQPEWF0S
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.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQPKGsAkcCY
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIcbnGOeldp
‘When did that happen?’15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlOpwlrT94n
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Cel lifted his head, squinting into the gloom.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmBiA26LElL
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx2rqTPJ32c
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.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvubcESkdFP
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxy0AT9DGvb
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.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7XMGEsSUBB
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6PECaHG32I
‘Just how far did that creature carry me?’ The thought arrived slowly, fighting through exhaustion. 15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhPJYkObCyJ
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4zkTCFLWvw
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—15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHjkZFQyr5s
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A shadow moved between the crystals.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHQOKTi2Eaw
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMDlMaEHAJv
Cel froze.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmvEf5BltFT
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The darkness shifted.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡop9V3zjOMb
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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.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLOTBKdW4aW
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkTVw8GxrK3
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.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbwxz3ZA1nP
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The skull rotated.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAMlj5Q1Bx7
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Violet light locked onto him.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTFWMc2G7jn
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‘Shit.’15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvaDPiyhthu
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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.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ12pY45k5Pe
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPtUO32MeaO
The skeleton took another step. The crystal-encased leg dragged behind, slowing its approach but not stopping it.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtih5tRONc1
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Another step.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPw5W5CavT4
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Cel’s left arm shifted. Then his knee. He dragged himself forward - away from the approaching thing. 15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeySxmjFHWD
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Too slow.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDD2MbuuYbU
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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.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJyuFffdw1E
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGv7s1fiSMl
‘I can't… there's nowhere—’15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYrNNo0Judi
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The world shook.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV68SihS0Eo
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqOYB23SpHS
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.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXUtAszPFGU
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrYvdWp5Mh3
He twisted his head.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiAjVgpjl9j
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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.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZcHAMvO5VV
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Its light was gone.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXXbAkaxqVq
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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.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNzX2MMh613
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Then the fragments hit the ground.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLYEJMmtyJg
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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.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ36bj0YDgWx
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpWZ86Ahl5f
The skeleton stumbled, its crystal-heavy leg unable to compensate. It crashed to one knee, skull turning toward the distant destruction.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr7uULdSceO
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Cel didn't wait.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7gX0pWF4lk
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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.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEXIEuy8hXh
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His left hand reached forward and found nothing but air.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Q1rfN349i
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‘Huh?’15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7kzs4NZfUM
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡONrCRwxv5X
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.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEKqYYQe9VY
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Behind him, crystal scraped against stone.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxS49NySnHi
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He twisted his head back.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW0KXV3nsRn
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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.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNKdboBICyZ
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYjlpY2idLx
Cel tried to crawl sideways along the chasm's edge. His arms gave out after two pulls. He collapsed flat, watching the thing approach.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4nfpxXrcPT
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Ten feet away. Eight. Six.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOzJKEKTAN8
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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—15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt5HsvjfJoF
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It stopped.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0jHkihcvc6
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The crowned skull tilted downward. But not at Cel. Past him.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ90C2aZHcjb
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Into the chasm.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2T1IRaWLuO
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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.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv7xMXfCSev
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Then it stepped over him.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRPBOS6b2uM
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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.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3m36PsTAEL
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCUQliZc3GG
It jumped.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlof8cNxDJt
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No hesitation. No pause. Just a simple, decisive leap off the edge and into darkness.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡboBCpovWva
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3jyNpEnxNR
The skeleton disappeared. Swallowed by the abyss as if it had never existed.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGhsWndrl8Z
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Silence returned. 15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh9E1xhWz2Y
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Cel lay motionless at the precipice, too exhausted to process what he'd just witnessed.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnoo4ZTnTti
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡziLi4c2lN1
‘What... what was that?’15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbFqqWbkTzO
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Javrpopmh
His left arm trembled as he dragged himself forward. Just an inch. Enough to peer over the edge.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaOkpaJtc6Z
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDd9UgtOgmk
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.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbGdJhdG7SE
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuL0u7yl7Am
But deep within - far, far below - something else glowed.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaayd5EJ2Xs
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVxPg7ZxdQu
White light. Not violet.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlSzfsIIJOo
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMc0AQvS2pf
It pulsed gently, steady and alive. The rhythm matched something in his chest, a pull he felt in his bones.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUnIN8zyFLD
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGXUS38LOOI
‘The skeleton saw this. Saw it and jumped without hesitation.’ Cel stared into the abyss, trying to comprehend what he was seeing. 15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTi6amwphG4
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ31oydl1thX
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.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo2oRzuATsD
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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.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1CBTLO5Ylp
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSu9MrON0ED
But that light…15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPzqGHMBCG1
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That light was different.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE1q4K2gqRq
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It felt almost like… hope.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnaiCD23cmy
1234 copyright protection11ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0rE1LGbvWC 尼

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