Cel lay at the chasm's edge, staring into the depths.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAdkUt0hSAx
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ24vULi7gM6
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.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZrZB6AOhIV
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKW1Nxj5KvX
This light felt... safe.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV8AnAEImHg
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmqq7zhySks
His cracked lips pulled into something that might have been a smile if his face hadn't been so ruined.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe1vJut6ix3
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGTgB6DyrIL
'Maybe...'49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5F0M5VMclt
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6iKA1eRpxf
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.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO1AVTiX1Ti
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2S5AiBtdQs
But that light was unlike everything else in this nightmare.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjP8x6F9cc5
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLKJF8wirdH
And the skeleton had jumped toward it without hesitation.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRKWDMOdZxw
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwlA979GYw9
'The trial.' The words surfaced distant in his mind. 'Find the moon.'49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSPtphwgvig
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ70V9DZqUBv
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.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGoYTvy7n6Z
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvU7s2MwzPg
But deep below, where even the crystal-infested creatures were drawn…49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS6SUexchnX
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqMV6cnKusk
Maybe that's where it was.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4qymPAhEuA
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡob4cU1tggI
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.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVkwQ3eXaYB
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj7pWOR3VH6
It was the only hope he had left.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDzysRW9Rll
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqy9EiMQv6E
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.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTiz4qTui4B
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4WtVqwQUxb
He fell.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKbicmBq4ZD
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpJrFudYav2
The air rushed past him. His body tumbled through darkness, too weak to even flail.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzZEklyvwXB
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkHPW6MmUI7
He slammed into a wide ledge jutting from the chasm wall.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUksmAv9Buh
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH1HtwyJcL9
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.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRLQ63Dwz8R
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMfx9v18Wa0
Then his weight settled. 49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjaVJMKVYk2
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwP1FWN33RU
Pain registered distantly - his shoulder, his ribs, something in his back. 49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9q5YvSe2n7
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmyaxSd5L29
Cel's fingers twitched against smooth stone. His cheek pressed against crystal, cold seeping through burnt skin.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxAAFn7aLkO
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV951sIoKh2
‘Down.’49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQkngoYZeBM
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW7ey7DpIKu
The word echoed in his skull. Not a choice. A command his body obeyed without consulting his mind.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu5q60rpti9
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf7NxUMf1gz
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.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWASIqI3ahE
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqP0Ws9qqxk
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.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqWo1ye81dW
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsG82zvmLkW
But the pain felt... distant.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgipsRyfxGu
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5qmYlpbrqM
Muffled, like the silence that had swallowed his hearing.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ80L3ZEb4ZP
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG5EUoNUJae
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.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIprH2ypiX7
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk9KaMXpnb8
He kept descending.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOBDr2tZpCD
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgEBzjd1bUx
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.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiCDNwYQeUV
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRwDSsXG4Ec
His breathing steadied. The constant burn in his chest eased. His throat stopped feeling like shredded glass.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRdHvde0ZeL
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf8gqKdQpux
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.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjvKcbaTNcV
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl3EzsKKgwo
He should be panicking. Should be terrified.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCsu4NRAeJ7
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGKTvRv9gRe
But he wasn't.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7R72LBAKPd
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgLJ5LO6CuV
His legs stopped shaking. The trembling in his arms faded. When he reached for the next handhold, his grip felt... steady. Strong, even.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ0jDtVyOoe
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYDQnTO0myY
Cel pulled himself onto a wider ledge and paused. His legs shifted beneath him - not crawling now. Walking.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvQFWNKBoNR
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVZWEraaJpu
When had he stood up?49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoOfk9lbHz5
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ76T2EXIbWw
He looked down at his feet, planted firmly on crystal. Looked at his legs supporting his weight without collapsing.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkpmdH9OVHt
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS0pvNoCiCB
A crystal formation beside him caught his reflection, its surface smooth as glass.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8wj6HEZYG5
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPUgBMeLzz8
His face stared back at him.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBuU9V61t5C
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1b75ucGQmO
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.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbRaQhLchQL
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIN72WaAqil
Cel's hand reached for the next formation. The reflection's hand reached too, matching his movement exactly.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwNgf1qdDxd
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoI6SrOMsLq
He kept descending. His body moved with increasing ease, as if the journey required less effort with each step.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMD93YZXxAK
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkkcIxC2wP7
The reflection followed beside him, its hollow eyes tracking him.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGYpAxxJKqW
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJYwaVTduWB
'Wait… isn't that…?' 49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQNrdOhQafR
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8auX9puK3d
The thought barely surfaced before slipping away. 49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡExszkJXFKK
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp0aX85AEnt
'What was it again?' 49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbEtXPBsga4
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSHgK9lEANZ
A shiver crawled up his spine. His instincts screamed at him to stop, to look, to remember.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIYir4KxXW3
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJOrQw0CLPk
But he didn't. 49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDZ6LNuUYZQ
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY7OSIVIbRD
His steps never faltered. His gaze never wavered. Whatever it was, it didn't matter anymore.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbIpsUZASIl
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBalEeAe6EC
He focused on the path below. Left hand. Right foot. Down.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGoRPILGCTc
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8FyvsTFJUd
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.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQn0z3IfVKC
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvfwCOkp1l8
Cel’s next step found solid ground.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSAOiIOMAsz
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbrURx0djWZ
Since…49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ5W4K56q1d
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNqkv8qhDrq
Since when?49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBFnKFd55TA
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJrlBuS2R84
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.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Yejt6hlSL
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnafyiAl51G
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.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZgXWpqR4TI
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡArbmoh5Fyh
A sphere of pure light.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGhvJlXZHb3
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjICcGDZBYD
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.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg5HmkovnPq
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrDukR0Pi08
Bones lay scattered across the floor beneath it - pale fragments studded with violet crystal growths, half-buried in the ground. 49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9P82hK3xN1
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfk2kKpjRWC
He didn't look at them.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsQyeH7VLUC
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFYHm3VQdY2
All that existed was the light.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkkLkDqOIEi
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcUlvvIUwTG
‘Beautiful.’49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡycVL64ABGs
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdUFtf2c3kn
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.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqktK54Eaup
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQhvuGZVo24
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.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyElpH7qUPt
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡemEB7XhxSm
Couldn't remember why anything had hurt at all.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRI4vusdrZb
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxu9LecE19L
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.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv3kzmVqZvl
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOpy19NVsI8
Another step forward.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVtEmKUOex5
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2dB4B403UP
The light pulsed. His heart pulsed with it.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2KD77v9des
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkGOlhdB4AN
'The trial...'49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU2YjcLIQyC
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5rXywmHBIG
The thought drifted through his mind like smoke, barely formed before dissolving. There had been something. Some task. Some reason he'd been suffering.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTE9fTQYTWG
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ61x34Q4Xxi
But it seemed so distant now. So... unnecessary.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU0R4XmIfSm
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdV0P1tgYDT
Why had he been searching? Why had he fought? This peace had been waiting all along. Just here. Just below.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4qb3tOtQGr
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD6MIJBj6V5
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.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVzk5rURWcJ
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn5OjrmJm3Y
All of it... filling.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjLl4t0pbOy
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKYmpUHwcOI
Becoming whole.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP6hG5g2yrZ
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6e6EiUcjqK
The sphere towered before him now, so close he could reach out and touch it. Its surface rippled like liquid silver. Inviting. Welcoming.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOFfaoKOG4h
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHqRFm3qCLW
'Home.'49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDfBqnCI0zm
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAQ7ylSA2YY
Yes. That's what this was. He'd been searching for a home. For somewhere he belonged. And he'd found it. Finally.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLal9sNF4Ig
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYfvPzGshoj
Cel lifted his left hand, fingers extending toward the light.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXkOMjdDMCX
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjKpmUQZq1h
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.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGg4K1QA0EQ
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9CB7j0MUtk
His knees buckled.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ6hXc2RDhO
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTVLJspliUC
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.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCiaOhQYGP1
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCX4U28qIeF
His lips curved into a smile.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBHiVKKu2lB
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwPLFomqv48
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.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf4zFjrZRk1
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh7XMSOvcQz
Only this.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkVZ9wPeOcm
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3OE2qy3LYy
Only—49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoH8agfVS1j
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ36D898qP7H
The cavern shook.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh4kwLWjKXo
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5JiauUl5Yz
The tremor hit with brutal force, violent enough to crack the crystal formations on the walls.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡATTLtUF2VY
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaRvzGWE8xj
Cel's hand ripped free from the sphere as he fell sideways.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuteosIpMQj
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFEjarvn2PA
The warmth vanished instantly, replaced by crushing cold.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvRJQLQx4f2
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwLOVKMhsUF
His consciousness slammed back into place.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkvxRdHv4Dj
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPYZgBrTkEH
The pain returned all at once.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYUocayBFis
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTXtkBpoMGz
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.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuIwrLLkvKt
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGY24qFRNIy
He gasped, lungs heaving like he'd been held underwater.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQvKFrWrrY0
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBCwEi77AvE
'What—'49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwgj9LNzc8g
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOmfVJage7y
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.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOkfqZJK7ay
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvwEZunoE6J
The sphere hovered before him, pulsing gently. 49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw0kumecWeN
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuicj7FXwA8
It was beautiful. Inviting.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAzyZR0L1pO
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5DUHc6e1BJ
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—49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡppFGiYvb2K
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNLW5KnLYio
'No.'49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnGgsaO2GrE
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb2v7kuUWy9
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.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlKSttvKKhc
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmse52jQW4p
'This thing… manipulated me.' The thought arrived with perfect clarity. 49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡygeFhkazTI
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh3c8aY4AKR
But when had it started?49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpkQGNHbD0f
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmQM4oBnC84
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—49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSj1AGEUmAy
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqjp2jQQVn5
'Decided what?'49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT2nBnMxeTW
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIQ6FOTocV0
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?49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs08JxPcqrR
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgPGfggUslq
His mind raced backward through fragmented memories.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCb1X9Saq1m
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN84iOQzE2S
The crystal maze. The spire in the distance - he'd avoided it. Gone the opposite direction every time.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt187dhcWc7
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAsem7nvXQ2
Why?49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnj8S0uez0Y
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Y4zD5Tu0z
He'd told himself it looked dangerous. Ominous. Something about it felt wrong.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEH0ic6drJ3
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ9KUg3ScPH
But what if that feeling hadn't been his own?49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaDIZ2aViK8
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmKJPnTgJyh
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.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjiOFQ3sT7k
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtljqgkcGcs
What if none of it had been his choice?49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyxNmCL3odE
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE5ij9mpQk2
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.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxBZ0F0MsJx
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡphWhRXjd01
What if it had been guiding him all along? Herding him like cattle toward this exact spot?49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4PKdcGvFhS
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyOmurmkOVr
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.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPgKCvR0a0e
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyoHsQl8trd
Even now - especially now - that warmth pressed against his skin. Gentle. Patient. Waiting for him to reach out again. 49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhgDZjAGseW
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuLz4fZCVHY
To surrender.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡioKx2jMhHQ
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZtSWJhP1KF
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.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNfJf5h99eb
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdRRKl2eU9g
Just like everyone who'd ever tried to make him into something less.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwghnLyzldU
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnTEzbnrPzz
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.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvOLpVM62eV
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0mHfcsOTrV
His jaw clenched. His fingers curled into fists despite the agony in his right hand.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkaYfRetBZx
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ7jDGDnTCC
'It almost had me.'49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgVDAy8QYTb
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ17kVPcrJ1
The sphere pulsed before him. That gentle rhythm matching his heartbeat, trying to align again. Trying to pull him back.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzr0nXOwf1u
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzEK9Myx3Xt
Cel tried to push himself up. His legs trembled, refusing to hold his weight. He collapsed back onto his knees, gasping.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPL4LKWV2dK
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn03VgxotEn
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.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7NN2hVSu3X
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyYa2DLCHiw
He turned.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn0R8un1Vgs
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ciKFJiZE8
A massive head filled his vision.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqtycoLLOFD
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcP1NaIOC8P
Cel's breath stopped.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQQZxznhWaZ
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy2dtLh7hTP
Pale, translucent skin stretched over angular bone structure. Violet light burned in hollow eye sockets.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQPPaRypRmW
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmHf8LGVlAo
The creature blinked.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtHje4tNX9p
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgMp10E7aIH
Slow. Deliberate.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXTR0dP7Pgk
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXdU5TkDvhO
Its head tilted slightly, studying him with an intelligence that made his skin crawl. Not animal. Not human.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBvPb9VI7pN
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXLjcLFzJnO
Something else entirely.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbNOVqGknx0
​​​​​​​49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQDxCXIRwKj
1234 copyright protection45ＰＥＮＡＮＡRTLi12XWH5 尼

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