Cel lay at the chasm's edge, staring into the depths.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJiiMWZwvlG
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyz96kWojHw
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.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOgBsiRdFVM
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp24Et2JdYc
This light felt... safe.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg7J3OgT4io
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNEohcwG4Ev
His cracked lips pulled into something that might have been a smile if his face hadn't been so ruined.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGLN2m5jQuA
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzUvdmFHA9s
'Maybe...'9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSRFEKKt6tG
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1X95EBnlHP
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.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9VjxGuvVHP
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiQ32m9yaKA
But that light was unlike everything else in this nightmare.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfHWzNRjimp
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnuC7I0Sbo7
And the skeleton had jumped toward it without hesitation.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyXhnR5bWee
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkxqAOrIsNm
'The trial.' The words surfaced distant in his mind. 'Find the moon.'9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE6MoqEaIWJ
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGpQbZ4XkJX
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.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFWWnwDGKxV
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAJHNWSKO6f
But deep below, where even the crystal-infested creatures were drawn…9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8J0qRgxdG3
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEKGsYdz5KH
Maybe that's where it was.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTyS7GrJsdD
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA833VjFf37
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.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ6z6bw71oE
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrDGb4oy16V
It was the only hope he had left.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwGIcVT3Jix
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm02XkjSvNn
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.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGGNng98iYS
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh0SZS8GfhH
He fell.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2kyHCXlVDo
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl1gyLfIfPo
The air rushed past him. His body tumbled through darkness, too weak to even flail.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFLmiSDwgbB
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡppHM7SE6tJ
He slammed into a wide ledge jutting from the chasm wall.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡndPFi913AJ
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiJdwqQN2Qg
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.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcQbS2EmDf5
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpnZppI0jqD
Then his weight settled. 9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1e6drGIiNb
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpXp2g8pFdB
Pain registered distantly - his shoulder, his ribs, something in his back. 9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX7Ddi58eEr
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbb9WWxyimD
Cel's fingers twitched against smooth stone. His cheek pressed against crystal, cold seeping through burnt skin.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXADS730VyM
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg0U1LZMDHp
‘Down.’9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbGDP1l3B5n
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz4pkf5ZCaL
The word echoed in his skull. Not a choice. A command his body obeyed without consulting his mind.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA1x6NvXKoW
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUYUV0laeco
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.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2SL1MbbHHH
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOmR07gdvRZ
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.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDc3Y5rAGDy
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB4353ii0mN
But the pain felt... distant.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhpjB90GDXk
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhNrxqLN85T
Muffled, like the silence that had swallowed his hearing.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCu2gdDXYBy
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIC6DFGXmcN
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.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu7h3TOxVKE
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVn1EC6zwfh
He kept descending.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyhWbprKAtY
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9b8eHnogp0
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.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDCh6YI6qwg
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7KvQsjTicB
His breathing steadied. The constant burn in his chest eased. His throat stopped feeling like shredded glass.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7KwqEvkBfh
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdDEIg2DIKG
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.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfnANnGCg0l
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlFutM8ccxi
He should be panicking. Should be terrified.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL9Z1A8EOrI
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡse2BvJ8NzQ
But he wasn't.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9l6Xhf7ByO
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXXSWCBy3jk
His legs stopped shaking. The trembling in his arms faded. When he reached for the next handhold, his grip felt... steady. Strong, even.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOsoSyQz7tm
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ9nColyzIz
Cel pulled himself onto a wider ledge and paused. His legs shifted beneath him - not crawling now. Walking.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUzHpxtbWOQ
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsfcotH5HmE
When had he stood up?9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbBZh6823Ie
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRJctMIpZzA
He looked down at his feet, planted firmly on crystal. Looked at his legs supporting his weight without collapsing.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX8tK6JK1AK
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSIQv7NzRnz
A crystal formation beside him caught his reflection, its surface smooth as glass.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQA89XiU49L
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlE2K7Wsd3a
His face stared back at him.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsbc8qQMH7a
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCbBDmImdai
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.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxzPtYHWD3H
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX0ISZsC3q6
Cel's hand reached for the next formation. The reflection's hand reached too, matching his movement exactly.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0h3dtZptWA
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbj4gDqGekR
He kept descending. His body moved with increasing ease, as if the journey required less effort with each step.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAS8k0OMK6e
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8C9sotXWrv
The reflection followed beside him, its hollow eyes tracking him.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3lDDYvRbbN
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHA5EP3IBOP
'Wait… isn't that…?' 9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWTP3Q3hNVL
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9wf4PjwXAA
The thought barely surfaced before slipping away. 9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSyJGqhxBWm
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5tRKLtXNBm
'What was it again?' 9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkBi8XaZJpl
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKzfrVuINkx
A shiver crawled up his spine. His instincts screamed at him to stop, to look, to remember.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoMuRCzSmrU
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7xsMkHN6Lh
But he didn't. 9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKCsBLK3u3o
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSL5HakGRwx
His steps never faltered. His gaze never wavered. Whatever it was, it didn't matter anymore.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGSK2NZ3G0U
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq7s6u7mK4f
He focused on the path below. Left hand. Right foot. Down.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhVjsdEI3Sb
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2KG2bcqeYV
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.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkPqQj92mVt
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡATQWBqeMpo
Cel’s next step found solid ground.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMxOtWnarzW
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrt50Uq3s8v
Since…9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGgJvSEOdE9
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW2Ja9dVuJi
Since when?9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx213t90My4
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvUhiifmJpk
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.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1zNdpJYWoF
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBQ1EyFcUVh
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.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡApQKd0DyqQ
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiiTEIORUZX
A sphere of pure light.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpvAEy0yZkE
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXmOyC1CQzX
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.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx54iQnthHC
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkyQj6U1SDW
Bones lay scattered across the floor beneath it - pale fragments studded with violet crystal growths, half-buried in the ground. 9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf6xKam7GZq
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsVFmIoTALu
He didn't look at them.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoBQCaMgcl1
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoJzDZr6psL
All that existed was the light.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp7BKL8dH0c
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHK6WL0VyJg
‘Beautiful.’9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKPkLV0BS5A
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfojvIjK0t1
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.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUNx7NDlbJo
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIC73cZtz7y
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.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVOUyIjxiOg
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGuFCGkTKM1
Couldn't remember why anything had hurt at all.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpDggLh2063
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZHoCf0RUC2
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.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6A2fCpH7xP
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9EYki56A52
Another step forward.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡes4XNkGJer
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx26vGYPtch
The light pulsed. His heart pulsed with it.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡagDl4kw2J9
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5wZEZ4CyWz
'The trial...'9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxeEkLuUZAi
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs4Hq6SYDul
The thought drifted through his mind like smoke, barely formed before dissolving. There had been something. Some task. Some reason he'd been suffering.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNQh7IspIqA
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ03OrTm7xe9
But it seemed so distant now. So... unnecessary.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzwOpvvezzo
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡADtWRAFipV
Why had he been searching? Why had he fought? This peace had been waiting all along. Just here. Just below.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPXt9bpRHe3
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu4UfEKx5Rg
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.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx049fvTuSC
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbX2ntlG0Xt
All of it... filling.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgBfWGFztYl
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkmnVlpRI0X
Becoming whole.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc6161Z21xg
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz6xqgWAUUr
The sphere towered before him now, so close he could reach out and touch it. Its surface rippled like liquid silver. Inviting. Welcoming.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ66IJeddVWK
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkPYhG9C5HK
'Home.'9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOugYPsNxfw
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡas0DtmjiAd
Yes. That's what this was. He'd been searching for a home. For somewhere he belonged. And he'd found it. Finally.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCK6NRHnqb1
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsdD1kbXB24
Cel lifted his left hand, fingers extending toward the light.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH8BA39beGQ
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWMks105HGg
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.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ923fQ5jeyJ
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXBTS0xPK5s
His knees buckled.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwrZT1lS2Hv
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj9rPuhXcE2
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.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUK2YKIih8j
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjkITf31kUh
His lips curved into a smile.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDEAhN9pIke
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiWuYEy9Mrv
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.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUFEYDi7YWn
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO6P0I3r8Bf
Only this.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn58cxcAwvz
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXqjHMn32mW
Only—9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdkVyRHFCNL
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRRhWz0X9iI
The cavern shook.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnzIayjtP9Z
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSTcl7IxvhC
The tremor hit with brutal force, violent enough to crack the crystal formations on the walls.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxUO6PTZFtO
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXPdPyAVLTv
Cel's hand ripped free from the sphere as he fell sideways.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb7972ZO2My
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJXu7IOYyoS
The warmth vanished instantly, replaced by crushing cold.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH6RjWm4v3r
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtvJ1NH3yVQ
His consciousness slammed back into place.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlHPCPqgVIX
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKdzNJLgoMR
The pain returned all at once.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg4gn2AA3Vd
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgeY5wNqJCX
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.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHxNKRFuIgt
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ3JxLXk7gB
He gasped, lungs heaving like he'd been held underwater.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGC07UqT5az
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdaOlxf0ezW
'What—'9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡakklJcdsO5
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ87FPPhY5Tw
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.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP7GeGWZgQY
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKCRS0R6Ck0
The sphere hovered before him, pulsing gently. 9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ycX48cDDA
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwIGhOyqCI9
It was beautiful. Inviting.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡklRECBUr3D
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtUmP8YFkIi
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—9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHK7QjBYhMz
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSeg1nx580L
'No.'9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcLej22GG05
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiY6ZY3s8Vv
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.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM7t8kKtMHw
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPO458NhJIg
'This thing… manipulated me.' The thought arrived with perfect clarity. 9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp9xk8OJHZx
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNxwBbMXDp1
But when had it started?9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoPwK6XrdJE
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSMNyHbpFAh
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—9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsxZJ8WSHZp
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWwVQKRFm8x
'Decided what?'9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4SR1id8Cou
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAaApsyAgWZ
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?9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRjaYgPK0j3
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡACo7EChTDF
His mind raced backward through fragmented memories.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1PFlfwNMoY
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg3SxX1YHvS
The crystal maze. The spire in the distance - he'd avoided it. Gone the opposite direction every time.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnX4osawCHy
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡySFZl0c6YA
Why?9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiEAekOpeAH
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk8asMD22Vg
He'd told himself it looked dangerous. Ominous. Something about it felt wrong.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN7PKsajtwu
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAmR7Ho6E3c
But what if that feeling hadn't been his own?9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjgKny5KK0f
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiCzVv5LnjC
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.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfMyVT33Xc4
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaYlbsXcxSM
What if none of it had been his choice?9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNQk2ldMCcN
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ03X7EpSMjl
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.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo1kxu5ws3m
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPRiGQfAzEI
What if it had been guiding him all along? Herding him like cattle toward this exact spot?9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRHRtAn3Isy
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ia1OfVhDB
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.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg61WYPacd6
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtU2KuyseUl
Even now - especially now - that warmth pressed against his skin. Gentle. Patient. Waiting for him to reach out again. 9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYnrEPLu4nF
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaAAYh9H0bN
To surrender.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBCk92HRO4a
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtBH1jcYXnG
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.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIjfUxvDZVG
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxFL05G0JQD
Just like everyone who'd ever tried to make him into something less.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMsSEFguHMH
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2J6EFcBsHO
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.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7t8TuUgqUU
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKC1YGJkJBk
His jaw clenched. His fingers curled into fists despite the agony in his right hand.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2rISM75G86
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9A3nje4q7f
'It almost had me.'9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7MnzWDj7oe
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMSRmR1lIzO
The sphere pulsed before him. That gentle rhythm matching his heartbeat, trying to align again. Trying to pull him back.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfwXXyWfTTs
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf3iNpGB9k8
Cel tried to push himself up. His legs trembled, refusing to hold his weight. He collapsed back onto his knees, gasping.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3oVm7fjJSY
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJD9t8DMQsK
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.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfFt7wjZk7f
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo4919ha0qG
He turned.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9TsxEXBj6J
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5lsoM6U8No
A massive head filled his vision.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuHfTnlmflY
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMzoEtpI0cN
Cel's breath stopped.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiN2n0hMWsL
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpyXRNxq4iw
Pale, translucent skin stretched over angular bone structure. Violet light burned in hollow eye sockets.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZIccdvlfdU
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbdOGAw9SHF
The creature blinked.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjwHBrlbgTN
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Slow. Deliberate.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGSOl97vFLY
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Its head tilted slightly, studying him with an intelligence that made his skin crawl. Not animal. Not human.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdOUQVepVhP
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYuPA3XyEPx
Something else entirely.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTlLj6U97Q1
​​​​​​​9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNZB4XU3GME
1234 copyright protection5ＰＥＮＡＮＡSXM3OavOst 尼

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