Cel lay at the chasm's edge, staring into the depths.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKsa49hT4N0
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWhJkDHIKcn
The white light pulsed far below - steady, gentle, almost alive. Each beat sent warmth through his chest, so different from the violet crystal shriek that had destroyed his hearing. So different from the four burning suns that had scorched his skin.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEPC5jgxA8v
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtLiiB3MjXO
This light felt... safe.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6OKf0D0OJv
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡac0VA9S6Qz
His cracked lips pulled into something that might have been a smile if his face hadn't been so ruined.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnpmve77DnT
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0QV1SVZtO6
'Maybe...'81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEyTr9BeNUk
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXAYl6Ooni4
The thought formed slowly through exhaustion and pain. He wouldn't survive another day in the maze - this much was certain. The burns covered most of his skin. His impaled hand wouldn't stop bleeding. His legs couldn't hold his weight anymore.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdF6rCM7H3v
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhXXwJfNH8p
But that light was unlike everything else in this nightmare.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKlHqTrDGPv
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYLuUiSlPrd
And the skeleton had jumped toward it without hesitation.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhr5AAnVljV
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwoO03JH5YP
'The trial.' The words surfaced distant in his mind. 'Find the moon.'81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH2tt2JB88r
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQar2MCZp3S
He'd searched the entire maze - or what little he could reach of it. The moon had vanished from the sky. The answer wasn't above. Wasn't in the crystal formations or the mirror lake.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfolcroEQkY
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPKAHVdwMXB
But deep below, where even the crystal-infested creatures were drawn…81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsURXFQjloa
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv5YSbRW7pQ
Maybe that's where it was.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaE5EjV1wlE
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqj3eZ19Kw5
Maybe that's where he'd find what he needed to complete this trial. To earn the Moon Goddess's blessing and escape this place before his body finally gave out.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡndkZAiEkj0
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq3P3S2ORiR
It was the only hope he had left.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2pIuL4XWFW
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpcPDjHsx1v
Cel's left arm trembled as he dragged himself forward. His body scraped over the edge, and for one terrible moment there was nothing beneath him but air.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8HSSMGahAw
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrs1TUYbL3a
He fell.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqt1YB4kFfK
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNGO3KwGudn
The air rushed past him. His body tumbled through darkness, too weak to even flail.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ3aGQ7KZWx
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRVeByUfZwx
He slammed into a wide ledge jutting from the chasm wall.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF5oJPrRnkQ
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡst2pQAh7Kc
The impact drove the breath from his lungs. His body bounced once, then slid across crystal before stopping at the ledge's edge. For a moment he lay there, stunned, teetering over the drop.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAHAMlHBjTy
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6vPWjB2Jfs
Then his weight settled. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4y9f1vqcac
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7QXIMSV0dN
Pain registered distantly - his shoulder, his ribs, something in his back. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtwbq5uCmDo
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHmhJwj4X3S
Cel's fingers twitched against smooth stone. His cheek pressed against crystal, cold seeping through burnt skin.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHieWmkRlL0
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbY3vxFhvdK
‘Down.’81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK1RvGa8eqS
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdhYYc6HH5t
The word echoed in his skull. Not a choice. A command his body obeyed without consulting his mind.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF30KCuuAxJ
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE94AX4yua5
His left hand scraped forward, finding purchase. Then his knee dragged up. He crawled across the ledge toward the next outcropping, his body moving like something already dead, animated by will alone.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2kH4mdVgva
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡybCSSosG0A
Each movement should have been agony. His burns stretched and split with every reach. His impaled hand dragged uselessly, leaving a trail of blood. His shoulder screamed from the impact.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ68cSbJBMjU
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBYFFW1fRHp
But the pain felt... distant.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVW1binSffi
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ26PbYsPd5r
Muffled, like the silence that had swallowed his hearing.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLV28zEBR8O
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtXXz5A0Wbn
His left hand reached for the next crystal. The edge sliced his palm - he watched blood well up, watched it smear across crystal. The pain registered somewhere far away, disconnected from him.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTMMtgjsaCJ
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7HK6sUn7WC
He kept descending.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyDkmfEsAim
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeqYi9hlBZH
The walls pressed closer. The violet glow from the crystals grew dimmer, overwhelmed by that white radiance rising from below. With each movement down, the light grew stronger. Warmer.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs9y2gPKaLM
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2bsCAnuGK5
His breathing steadied. The constant burn in his chest eased. His throat stopped feeling like shredded glass.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoH8cGzw0c3
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlu1EowWKix
Cel's foot slipped on smooth stone. He caught himself, barely, fingers scraping for purchase. His body swung wild for a moment before finding purchase.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4j6RhqhsMt
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL4mR45XzNW
He should be panicking. Should be terrified.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0FlsFnotOO
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzgIHIFEeqa
But he wasn't.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIKuMbW6UFW
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpnb4iETuqU
His legs stopped shaking. The trembling in his arms faded. When he reached for the next handhold, his grip felt... steady. Strong, even.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1mZ82t8NLN
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiH9qyCqRDj
Cel pulled himself onto a wider ledge and paused. His legs shifted beneath him - not crawling now. Walking.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3bRPrbTFkk
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz8R9sdMVuH
When had he stood up?81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm664tMhnfJ
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHhVIZXhPKj
He looked down at his feet, planted firmly on crystal. Looked at his legs supporting his weight without collapsing.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiVu28JUuam
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9KY5KIeT8c
A crystal formation beside him caught his reflection, its surface smooth as glass.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡszD1hqcsFD
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡND6xhJ25v3
His face stared back at him.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZr1X1RIiWS
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGfeH104d3D
But the expression wasn't his own. The reflection's eyes held nothing - no rage, no defiance, no spark of the newly found hope. Just empty acceptance. The face of someone who had already surrendered to his fate.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMKIxbv5AUS
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0MfybZuWFX
Cel's hand reached for the next formation. The reflection's hand reached too, matching his movement exactly.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTnGGsGUhux
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHtnpDsAL3U
He kept descending. His body moved with increasing ease, as if the journey required less effort with each step.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwCIZuQlFt9
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgty4yGJjAr
The reflection followed beside him, its hollow eyes tracking him.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGAMlE4fO9b
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvULxP4PeRA
'Wait… isn't that…?' 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl3uzynFycC
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfPmGqtuU4N
The thought barely surfaced before slipping away. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRQ0iwxrrWs
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEGxgAuxzHV
'What was it again?' 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjFnhoFMfV8
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMtUg5vjnrP
A shiver crawled up his spine. His instincts screamed at him to stop, to look, to remember.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡINE1dgx7CN
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVyhQlEOJTz
But he didn't. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbkhSHHwBtO
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZsJOcKe9sU
His steps never faltered. His gaze never wavered. Whatever it was, it didn't matter anymore.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVZzT4FJwUR
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIxqPz7Xuih
He focused on the path below. Left hand. Right foot. Down.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLTwZ9jtz66
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdYuqrILoTk
The white light pulsed stronger now, close enough that its warmth touched his skin. Not burning - nothing like the suns. This heat seeped into him gently, filling something that had been empty for so long.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKC39DSfwwI
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvVIExDNeRE
Cel’s next step found solid ground.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN6wsZBBEzf
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBr2v2jAYlN
Since…81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdTkuilLPBg
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgnYCJhthWp
Since when?81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ71Yym3CuvP
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3oYQgzeaAv
He blinked, swaying. The chasm walls rose impossibly high above him - he'd been descending for... how long? Minutes? Hours? The memory felt hazy, like trying to hold mist.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYxG4CPhxHY
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG9nYD3vsfE
The cavern floor stretched before him, smooth and vast. And there - suspended in the center like a captivating star - hovered what he'd been drawn toward.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhqzGB2JVZm
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxlQA1t0BL9
A sphere of pure light.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOcfBXQfJU3
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8FaSQtFPdX
It filled the cavern, so enormous his mind struggled to grasp its scale. The white radiance pulsed from within it, steady as a heartbeat, casting everything in gentle luminescence.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrei1sLVE9s
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0LQitnV90W
Bones lay scattered across the floor beneath it - pale fragments studded with violet crystal growths, half-buried in the ground. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ69Q0eO1QGm
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ30gtK12q0v
He didn't look at them.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCQiw1W8ebR
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxEHm29JdJn
All that existed was the light.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrTtYWBgWXB
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQHibxPddto
‘Beautiful.’81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFwOVQTIXbl
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2rfb3dGJGV
The word formed in his mind, soft and certain. This was beauty - real beauty. Everything else had been false. The pale moon from his vision, his family's faith, all of it hollow compared to this.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4LouihzMpY
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxinsd9yv3l
Cel's left foot moved forward. Then his right. The pain in his feet had vanished. When had that happened? He couldn't remember his last step hurting.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFvtiA2VMdk
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoawXEpOgOB
Couldn't remember why anything had hurt at all.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzKcNfNCjls
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr1Fi4FzuPC
The burns on his skin - were they still there? He looked down at his arms. Saw the blistered flesh, the weeping wounds, the blood. But felt nothing. They might as well have belonged to someone else.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡET0bgswMEI
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWrLXyvAhry
Another step forward.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfpn05PRBWN
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIMhfJSdlPJ
The light pulsed. His heart pulsed with it.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbVbCEzqq7V
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY4V7IJksVf
'The trial...'81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgmJH4fy7pq
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ24570dL5hw
The thought drifted through his mind like smoke, barely formed before dissolving. There had been something. Some task. Some reason he'd been suffering.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTzMOu6jOEa
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwnQbtBzdja
But it seemed so distant now. So... unnecessary.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡItg06ntvei
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWPhvnNAg3O
Why had he been searching? Why had he fought? This peace had been waiting all along. Just here. Just below.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3VcuyNSpBo
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFytJSntpjQ
Each step brought him closer. The warmth intensified - not burning, never burning. It filled the hollow spaces inside him. The emptiness carved out by a year of starvation and torture. The wounds left by his family's betrayal. The cracks from watching his father beat him while his mother did nothing.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBM6wx8OB3B
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7uLeAT0zke
All of it... filling.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdVD4kUX8ft
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt6csncUiVR
Becoming whole.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdYaNsrg5qc
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ycihqoBAR
The sphere towered before him now, so close he could reach out and touch it. Its surface rippled like liquid silver. Inviting. Welcoming.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqDnx0d9fnJ
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL8IoggvsZg
'Home.'81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrXENkvqTRR
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6BMKAOd1Hj
Yes. That's what this was. He'd been searching for a home. For somewhere he belonged. And he'd found it. Finally.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb7xEE3BbLV
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPzAHibqcmn
Cel lifted his left hand, fingers extending toward the light.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZwkjXElLa6
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5OuHIIZORp
The warmth reached out to meet him, eager, hungry. It wrapped around his hand like a lover's touch, gentle and consuming. The sensation traveled up his arm—not pain, but fullness. Being filled. Being completed.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyjpUqP1T5s
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLDaAVvKavg
His knees buckled.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNyKkHo9iaG
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDXXoKyza6S
Cel gasped as the light surged into him, pouring through the point of contact. It flooded his veins, his bones, his mind. Every empty space inside him suddenly packed full of something vast and eternal.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVmFygrTaMb
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHoe5fe6Xlx
His lips curved into a smile.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡieoSHiFz6U
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkVHBgYDHh6
This was everything. This was all he'd ever needed. The maze didn't matter. His trial didn't matter. Finding the moon didn't matter.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm9GWEA7qaf
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO77uVHDBMI
Only this.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtygcBtjwFa
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc9sc9yqiug
Only—81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡggC7Bz9mHt
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAMZawQr9JT
The cavern shook.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0yRfCmKUUw
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUZ3adegV56
The tremor hit with brutal force, violent enough to crack the crystal formations on the walls.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuMF2ZljbJ4
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD6M1EQW6k2
Cel's hand ripped free from the sphere as he fell sideways.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtz8GLgvTfc
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjZknhVTzMM
The warmth vanished instantly, replaced by crushing cold.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ZHlep6xQe
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyrMWEV9LdT
His consciousness slammed back into place.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4QCFrh2TZI
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwQW1t1RivP
The pain returned all at once.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1AknHumhLN
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHcsZWbtTQi
His knees hit the ground. Pain exploded through his legs, sharp and immediate. The burns on his skin screamed. His impaled hand throbbed with each heartbeat, blood pulsing hot between his fingers.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsWs6h90qoD
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK5CFyPNzm2
He gasped, lungs heaving like he'd been held underwater.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC3sOg9uSk7
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtWY6UPH6aP
'What—'81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3NShMWJF80
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBJoQlDt1h2
His vision swam. The cavern spun around him, crystal walls refracting light in dizzying patterns. He pressed his left hand against the floor, trying to anchor himself.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwqjKjEA2EG
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiraCFjZJNK
The sphere hovered before him, pulsing gently. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ROD1Hh6Ca
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTZbQ5yBLHV
It was beautiful. Inviting.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkwRy7LAYvm
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ309UzCdhRv
Cel's chest tightened. The urge to reach out again clawed at him, desperate and immediate. Just one more touch. Just to feel that warmth, that completeness—81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy4MnAWPANR
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlKNzRfw55f
'No.'81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9B57SO6vUg
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmyrNIRIg2U
He jerked his gaze away, jaw clenched so hard his teeth ached. His hands shook. His entire body trembled with something between withdrawal and rage.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw0887q6XcD
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrKNN2ccAEx
'This thing… manipulated me.' The thought arrived with perfect clarity. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6E4HBwOKTr
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb1VzVdqvpM
But when had it started?81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLu6tRKCiAC
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0FcOq7lwpC
Cel's breath came faster. He'd climbed down into the chasm on his own. Hadn't he? He'd made that choice. Seen the light and decided—81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn2KIZAmRwa
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj9pwDaBu3Z
'Decided what?'81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqxTaBoJ0Id
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH4rzHVCwKD
His fingers dug into the stone floor. When exactly had he decided? When had the pain stopped mattering? How had his body suddenly become strong enough to walk when moments before he couldn't even stand?81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWgJM7989Hk
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRmRLypSyz0
His mind raced backward through fragmented memories.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1TFpuxY6L9
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzkC1czoreT
The crystal maze. The spire in the distance - he'd avoided it. Gone the opposite direction every time.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoPlVGRi03U
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUqXtXN1HnR
Why?81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv0a2OBh40J
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF4M7IRPkS8
He'd told himself it looked dangerous. Ominous. Something about it felt wrong.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt8mnhVVD3K
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCCPvfZANnQ
But what if that feeling hadn't been his own?81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcf6H3nWKas
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Hew5ys6xu
His stomach clenched. The thought wormed deeper, spreading like infection through his memories. Every decision he'd made in the maze - every turn away from the spire, every frustrated return to the ruin, every restless urge to keep moving in the other direction.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8qaEhpQ3LW
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What if none of it had been his choice?81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGM6dbDTe4p
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The marks he'd carved to track his path had disappeared. The maze had folded in on itself, passages appearing and vanishing. He'd assumed it was the maze's nature.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuADLFBhJB6
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What if it had been guiding him all along? Herding him like cattle toward this exact spot?81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD7eywJ0WVz
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpes64QzLAJ
Cel's breathing grew ragged. His nails bit into his palms hard enough to draw blood, mixing with the dried gore already coating his hands.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeDGCXMrRa2
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoVBmjNsif5
Even now - especially now - that warmth pressed against his skin. Gentle. Patient. Waiting for him to reach out again. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUbwdfIsKuG
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2QXZVWL3Wn
To surrender.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPl8lkWAeu1
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Just like the reflection watching him from the wall. Just like his father had wanted. Just like the cultists who'd bled him for a year, waiting for him to break.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTSJT1FtwUG
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwKHbnDpOye
Just like everyone who'd ever tried to make him into something less.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPxXgPXuYwK
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwrNKp4pgaV
Heat flooded through Cel's chest - not the sphere's false warmth, but something hotter. Sharper. The rage that had kept him alive when he should have died a dozen times over.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmJFEnW0jDy
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTkHIrepvLs
His jaw clenched. His fingers curled into fists despite the agony in his right hand.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwabTSf56Fh
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'It almost had me.'81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUmvlWmKrh4
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWYkTHP25AK
The sphere pulsed before him. That gentle rhythm matching his heartbeat, trying to align again. Trying to pull him back.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIrHIxVqZKh
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlpUqoBlMfv
Cel tried to push himself up. His legs trembled, refusing to hold his weight. He collapsed back onto his knees, gasping.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgBLv0OBVlM
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Kc32SlITK
He needed to move. Needed to crawl away, find somewhere to hide from that light while his mind was clear enough to think. The cavern had to have other passages, other routes.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgu0rp6LUq5
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He turned.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbHtuBvbGmM
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A massive head filled his vision.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoeTXPXEFTe
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCnYpHcvXpt
Cel's breath stopped.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSLBce1771j
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCNo97edvmj
Pale, translucent skin stretched over angular bone structure. Violet light burned in hollow eye sockets.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW9Y8FcQyBa
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6hSSHpAPpB
The creature blinked.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLtDjJskuq3
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Slow. Deliberate.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDiik5TJkol
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ13Ae4etdVc
Its head tilted slightly, studying him with an intelligence that made his skin crawl. Not animal. Not human.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6KIkrTqwHy
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIXYVXqSmY4
Something else entirely.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5lKmWFnhTq
​​​​​​​81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvf293rgSv6
1234 copyright protection77ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQqeWhqob4 尼

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