<Insight: (Ledger of Nightmares)>323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV7i5Z0P3Nt
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeXShtYN1w7
Cel stared at the words, absorbing their meaning.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Xq0Z823sR
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo9c7pB2Jab
"The Ledger will serve you well," Selina said, her voice carrying quiet approval. "Though I would advise you to examine it when you return to the physical world."323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEzahBu23gv
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdAH08inhFR
The reminder struck like cold water. He'd been so focused on examining his new gifts that he'd forgotten - his physical form was still slumped in those ruins, bleeding and defenseless.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTJNpURZFQd
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"How long have I been here?"323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ly40p5C7I
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"Minutes only. But minutes can be enough for predators to find prey." Her tone remained gentle, but the warning was clear. "You should return. Examine the Ledger when you are safe - or as safe as one can be in such a place."323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ43DPKcdiNS
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe4VrLqQo49
Cel nodded, the wisdom obvious once stated. "Thank you."323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC2znyrBeud
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYkH6V4De9A
"There is no need for thanks." Selina's smile deepened. "Go now. And may the Moon Goddess light your path."323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcYWnCfm3gL
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4mnGPNytLb
The familiar words wrapped around him like a benediction as he closed his eyes and reached for the world beyond.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwsIi1RdEn1
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Pain crashed over him like a wave.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡelBlLwOmYO
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4QuAWqmWjN
Cel gasped, his awareness slamming back into his physical body with brutal force. Every wound announced itself at once - the claw marks across his back, the burns on his left arm, the countless smaller injuries that painted his skin in blood and ash.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7XZfWWv7D3
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfRbLCacm0r
He was still in the ruins, sitting against the wall where he'd left. The storm had passed completely now, leaving only settling ash that drifted through gaps in the broken stone like gray snow.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡciszERRqVj
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6kds7a29aT
A sound broke the silence. Soft. Wet. The unmistakable noise of tearing flesh.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGaydBZQA6r
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtTQONBanf8
Cel's eyes snapped to the corpse.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡutYEIwwP3u
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It lay where he'd left it - serpentine body coiled in death, dark ichor pooled beneath it in the ash.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc6ig8vHPbD
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIyeCcKoc7Y
Something was perched on its chest.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEtglydCS7m
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPorgAmfa6L
A bird.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2MLAJ5HRwP
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMxdoq7Cipj
But calling it a bird felt wrong. Obscene, even.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpgbvnMz4md
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPZgdb9lOwq
The thing was roughly the size of a craw, but there the resemblance ended. Black feathers covered its body - sleek and dark as obsidian, their tips bleeding to crimson red. The proportions were all wrong - body was too long, legs too thin, neck too flexible, wings that folded at angles wings shouldn't fold. 323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOD1nLlRczE
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrVgVuPo0Uy
When it tore another strip of flesh from the corpse, Cel glimpsed rows of tiny teeth lining the inside of that beak - serrated, designed for more than just pecking.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy64gCGR1PK
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVjLm4Z0sZo
'That's not a normal bird.'323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoeHxc37hiB
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY6CBiJAfpD
The thought arrived with crystalline clarity. Normal birds didn't exist in the Hollow Realms. Couldn't exist. This place had been dead long before any normal animal could have found its way here.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuqXwWTUkhz
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9gmZ1EAtIJ
Which meant this thing, with its blood-dipped feathers, was a rift-creature.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsF1b5jdnQu
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1GYH2vwqUk
His left hand moved, reaching for the bond with Silent Moon. Pain lanced through his shoulder, his back, his arm - but he ignored it.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCTMnKQKXQM
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUc235sQICA
Moonlight threaded through the air as the chokutō materialized in his grip. Six crescents ignited along its length, casting pale radiance across the ruined space.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKNB3fBTjIR
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfJEU4Q9bfs
The bird-thing's head snapped toward him - neck bending at an angle that should have broken bone. A single crimson eye fixed on him, unblinking and bright against the black feathers.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtANxQlQY1q
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Cinderward came next.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTl22TKdIcP
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The armor manifested instantly, moonlight wrapping around him in silver threads. The mantle settled across his shoulders, the cloak falling behind him. Weight distributed itself across his body as bracers formed on his forearms and boots encased his legs.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoRPb1F8G51
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The transformation took perhaps two heartbeats.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdYQKA649ti
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When it finished, Cel stood in full divine regalia, blade raised, every muscle coiled despite the exhaustion weighing on him.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQQ3jRwywgi
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrOgZAHVV7F
The bird-thing regarded him for a moment. Then it took another bite of the corpse, tearing away flesh with those serrated teeth hidden in its beak.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnGlofIm2L6
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It was... ignoring him?323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFkFLpI4Frt
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNIEfmiqrTu
Cel's grip tightened on Silent Moon's hilt. The creature showed no aggression, no interest in him at all. Just methodical feeding, as if he were no more threatening than another piece of the landscape.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMkHwuJWx0i
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7FxEitePuZ
Should he attack? The thing was clearly unnatural, clearly wrong—323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1JvZ9Q8a0K
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Footsteps.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFTgEWWr3NU
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The sound came from outside the ruins. Steady. Deliberate. The crunch of boots on ash-covered stone.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvxNjkWLmWz
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDzlLkIGQDP
Cel's head tilted toward the entrance gap, every sense suddenly focused on that new sound.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz5kcTaNGu5
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Someone was approaching.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ02OMnbwtaA
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The bird-thing didn't react. It simply continued its meal, pecking at exposed organs with clinical precision.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZzzZs2dvOT
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUBbgZnLyke
The footsteps grew closer. Not running. Not cautious. Just walking with the confidence of someone who knew exactly where they were going - or the carelessness of someone who didn't understand danger at all.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFq667njP2e
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3C0znxTD1L
A silhouette appeared in the gap between broken walls.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyMfuqYe39W
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Tall. Lean. Moving with a grace that spoke of training and deadly purpose.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgbqEIToCqZ
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRK9eKhgVRj
The figure stepped into the dim light filtering through the ruins.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmHzmqPcGDz
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAh3SCLYx90
Cel's breath caught for the second time in as many minutes.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU5Cq89acW0
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIElIFYaQQ3
A young man. Perhaps eighteen, maybe twenty. Dark hair fell across sharp features that carried a weight far beyond their years.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwvj3mmFbWC
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfk4TU6zvBN
Relief crashed through Cel's chest before he could stop it.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ02DTI0xlKf
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡENtYJtvdB4
'A human.'323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpeolMTLbAt
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡai2hlviECe
The thought arrived with desperate force. After what felt like eternity alone in this nightmare, fighting for every breath, surrounded by nothing but monsters and ash…323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyrINL7jhOT
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Zzvj92FKz
Another human being stood before him.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyl8TUVZXse
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMSkIcoFXES
Then the stranger's gaze met his, and the relief shattered like glass.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTC4SVJorwG
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmZgCbybhGJ
Those eyes.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPKlc1qDrw8
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Crimson iris set against black where white should be, holding depths that seemed to swallow light rather than reflect it.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMRuf8HYGI9
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsxHW5lQ35I
Wrong. Fundamentally wrong in a way that made his instincts scream.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmA7eAU6Anm
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLGddR7PwJG
'What if it's not human at all?'323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf2wMjrMFSb
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Dhs6z8vwI
The thought sent ice through his veins. The cult had taught him that appearances meant nothing - that the cruelest monsters often wore the most familiar masks. His own father had smiled while arranging his torture. His mother had looked loving even though she abandoned him in the end.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKL46xUOYq6
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmitpwBP7pr
Trust was a weapon that had been used against him too many times. A weakness he couldn't afford.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbSJ4ALYvl6
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But beneath the fear and suspicion, that desperate hope still pulsed. Weak. Pathetic. The part of him that wanted so badly to believe he wasn't completely alone in this dead world.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo5gEBEchk6
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgFWw7ZgiCS
He hated that weakness. But he couldn't quite kill it either.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2M83GMiVR6
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1lr49BSzmF
The stranger wore practical clothing in dark tones with blue-grey accents. A cloak draped across his shoulders, shifting with his movement. Everything about him spoke of someone who lived by blade and shadow.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtttJGTbUMW
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSYQtFDglEK
But it was the way he carried himself that made Cel's instincts scream danger. Not aggressive. Not threatening. Just... present. Like death itself had learned to walk on two legs and dress in mortal clothing.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmEgsGuuifF
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIFuRcQYqu5
For a long moment, neither of them moved. The bird-thing continued pecking at the corpse, the only sound in the sudden, heavy silence.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwTnuy5JIhT
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3qeSdTlvcm
Cel's grip on Silent Moon remained steady despite the pain lancing through his wounded shoulder. Six crescents pulsed along the blade's length, casting pale light across the ruined space.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0XxACxeRmi
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1PUlKEN8VW
The young man's gaze swept the ruins in a single, assessing glance. Took in the dead creature, the ash-covered floor, the storm damage.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡanh5LSFKW9
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT00Yboq5ue
Then those crimson eyes fell back to Cel's face.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmOVPjN7hwJ
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFIwiotPClK
"You're human." The words came flat, carrying neither surprise nor emotion. 323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfszdadnNcn
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgmPJkUg6C1
"So are you." Cel's response was equally neutral, though his mind raced in disbelief. 'A human. In the Hollow Realms. How—?'323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡViD9HlGngC
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfH8c9atG7K
The stranger's gaze swept over him again - lingering briefly on the blood seeping through the new armor's fabric, the way Cel's right arm hung slightly wrong at his side.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv9ekxvKRXV
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaKZ8ZBGH29
"You're injured." Still that same flat tone, neither offering help nor threatening attack.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaXQNxReyuE
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"I'll live."323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCD2GkNDaTb
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A slight tilt of the head. "Will you?"323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡca0Vgulzg9
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The question held no malice. Just genuine curiosity, as if the stranger were genuinely uncertain whether Cel would survive his wounds.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTcicihV6Vy
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcFEYUAhOPn
Cel's jaw tightened. "Long enough."323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡifvX3pyduc
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7nGHVZryJL
Something flickered in those red eyes - not quite amusement, but close. "Confident."323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtgWLz3daMJ
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The bird-thing chose that moment to tear away another strip of flesh, the wet sound obscenely loud in the tense quiet. Neither of them looked at it. Neither dared break eye contact.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBcp9FDzCKm
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO7vBbDoPPq
The stranger moved.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuSKOrJhRym
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Cel's entire body tensed - but the motion was just a step to the side, away from the entrance, giving himself a better angle to observe both Cel and the feeding creature.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYEK8Oxbkrg
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Not aggressive. But not careless either.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvHyzu6xLk8
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJSoCdNCFwN
"That yours?" The stranger gestured toward the corpse with a slight nod.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpof8gBk8JX
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeywC7SAzz8
"I killed it."323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRvHsasNSkL
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"Hmm." The sound carried something that might have been approval. "Ash-crawler. Nasty when cornered."323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzy9fgk5Vzn
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhSqaog6zzs
The casual knowledge in those words made Cel's instincts scream. 'He knows what it is. That means he'd encountered them before. At least once.'323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIbld6obSHt
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeLRuoeox10
"How long?" Cel asked before he could stop himself.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGEtestgThy
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The stranger's gaze narrowed slightly. "How long what?"323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjAgh1YRhTp
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKSDzGoBsNG
"How long have you been trapped here?"323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxGgW3fTk8X
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For the first time, something resembling emotion crossed that pale face. Not quite a smile, but a subtle shift at the corner of his mouth that suggested bitter humor.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0SWi2aNl9w
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVp0UtW6obo
"Trapped." The word hung between them. “Seems like that.”323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKxmadmwedp
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRVkFonWPug
Cel waited, watching the stranger's posture. Relaxed but ready - the stance of someone who'd learned to be comfortable with danger.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Z3MSwg4uL
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The silence stretched again. The bird-thing pecked at exposed organs with clinical precision.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ91iZccPdkW
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"What's your name?" Cel finally asked.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKAfQGLTQ4n
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Those crimson eyes studied him with unsettling intensity. As if the stranger were looking through him rather than at him, measuring something Cel couldn't identify.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrlIgzDm3qR
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"Raven."323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr9HKjlAt0Q
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Raven's gaze remained fixed on him, expectant. 323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8wEUtB7RLT
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"And yours?"323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhKaYFFmUNP
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Cel hesitated. The question was simple enough, but his mind raced. 'How did he get here? Why is he here?' 323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡydWpWszmHL
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoYSVLr5tta
His father's face flashed through his mind. If Lord Aldric  had somehow learned he survived, then the Children of the Voidmother would come for him again. This stranger could be one of them.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqeqPevvfhg
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But refusing would accomplish nothing. If Raven meant him harm, a name wouldn't change that. And if he didn't... Cel might need an ally more than he needed secrets right now.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡypm3sExjrM
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"Celvian," he said finally.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDSc5mjPNWe
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"Celvian." Raven repeated the name once, testing it. Then his attention shifted - quick as mercury - to the entrance gap. "You alone?"323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Y1KmBeLYR
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"Yes."323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXyNVID25Xh
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"No companions? No escort?"323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡncupv5hIFB
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"I said I'm alone."323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXDoAZbOJjj
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Raven's eyes came back to him, sharp and assessing. "Moon Chosen."323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaiwIOet2YO
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It wasn't a question. Cel's hand tightened on Silent Moon's hilt.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM9oX7i8ZcM
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"How did you—"323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYXarEmK0vI
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdaCloCRsJ7
"Your weapon." Raven's gaze flicked to the chokutō. "Moon phases etched in the blade. And the way moonlight clings to you even when you're not manifesting power." A slight pause. "Distinctive."323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1cFFT3xG6j
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Cel's chest tightened. He'd thought his divine gifts were his own secret, his own advantage. To have them identified so casually—323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCX90uxjpVg
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"Don't worry." Raven's tone remained neutral. "I'm not here to fight you."323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWJPsAuEJ07
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0782dRVOdP
"Then why are you here?"323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3SQL7epdcz
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaTGtngCOHE
Those red eyes held his for a long moment. When Raven spoke again, his voice carried something that might have been weariness.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLw84PzKm5z
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzGgcrcprGL
"Does it matter how I got here?" A slight pause. "I'm here. That's what counts."323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDRDSW17AYS
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The statement hung in the air between them. Two humans, standing in the ruins of a dead world, both wary, both armed, both trying to decide if the other was threat or friend.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyLRzkrOfj9
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The bird-thing finished its meal and took flight - wings unfolding at wrong angles before it vanished through a gap in the ceiling. Neither Cel nor Raven tracked its departure.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8zlpVRXWsL
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"Fine.” Cel resigned. “But you didn't answer my other question. How long have you been here?"323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6dh3cTgUOH
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This time, Raven actually answered.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeS86V3Ab7f
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"Long enough." His eyes grew distant. "Maybe a year."323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN9fSlYxsvy
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The number hit like a physical blow. 'A whole year. Alone. In this place.'323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa3dynxEnDs
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG9i0655Ij6
Cel stared at the young man before him, truly seeing him now. The dark circles under his eyes. The weight in his posture. The way he moved like danger had become as natural as breathing.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaYoumhPblm
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtBwN7urAib
"How?" The word escaped before Cel could stop it. "How did you survive that long?"323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQqXFJjwgTN
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoVUJLoY6g8
Something flickered across Raven's face - there and gone so quickly Cel almost missed it. Pain, perhaps. Or memory.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQXjItO6slh
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB05phNbEyO
"You learn." The words came quiet, distant. "Or you die."323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEViUhzsbzO
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1q4rzFZ5vD
The bird-thing's cry echoed from somewhere outside, harsh and alien.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1aSys4zsI6
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHOj5k0TLXa
Raven's head tilted slightly, tracking the sound with practiced ease. When his attention returned to Cel, those crimson eyes carried a weight that made Cel's chest constrict.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt6gFWX3W80
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW6BjMKspmN
"Your wounds. They'll fester in this place. Faster than you'd expect." The statement came flat, matter-of-fact. 323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ48Me1yMo2m
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Cel's fingers tightened on Silent Moon's hilt. "I'll manage."323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAsAHkxV9D3
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtsX7EppxJg
"With what?" Raven's tone didn't change, but something sharp entered it. "Ash and hope?"323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbD3wct9ujL
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The question hung in the air between them.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIfTyGgrJ3y
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Cel had no answer. His divine gifts could create ice, could grant him strength under moonlight, could even bring him back from death under the right circumstances. But healing? He had nothing for that.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb1ve7hmzN2
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Raven seemed to read his silence accurately, eyes narrowing.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMpgksHBn2W
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"Stay here." Not a suggestion. A command, delivered with the casual authority of someone used to being obeyed. "Don't leave this ruin."323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLj9axR9hIQ
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Cel blinked. "What?"323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCXCkTK1gaI
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvXcmD34bX1
"I'll be back." Raven was already moving through the gap.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQLft8Eobxq
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfqEW0LneNL
"Wait—where are you—"323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ58jqGcZEwP
323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMxyds2qtyz
But Raven had already vanished into the ash-covered wasteland, his dark form swallowed by gray and shadow.1234 copyright protection319ＰＥＮＡＮＡpL44okIaFO 尼

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