"I need to ask you something." Cel's voice came quiet in the mist-shrouded landscape. 87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmDLL1UDRSj
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡitPeJXpt6p
Her masked face tilted slightly, attention focusing with that patient grace she always carried. "Of course, Chosen One."87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4dtTXxlOwR
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLZDZiDqBUB
The words felt heavy in his throat. Not because they were difficult to speak, but because asking them felt like crossing some invisible line.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmIfeYyY2xq
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWqN3bMoayw
"What are the Cursed?"87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlAcleU8c5Y
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnxseGqUHHu
Silence answered him. Not uncomfortable - just present. Selina remained perfectly still, her expression unchanged.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgcMcGv2Ev5
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB0bWCjfz3I
When she finally spoke, her voice carried something that might have been regret. "I am sorry Chosen One, that does not lie within my authority."87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIRvHjHPmWf
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUGAOqyD5CL
Cel's jaw tightened. He'd expected the answer, but disappointment still settled in his chest anyways.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb6tmy94Fqu
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJYliQ91FbY
"Fine." He forced his breathing to steady. "Then can you at least tell me this - do they pose a threat? Are the stories true about them being... wrong?"87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Tg98dFkPs
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIDSPZqei4C
"Some stories hold truth. Others are born from fear and misunderstanding." Selina's gaze remained fixed on him, unreadable behind the mask. "The Cursed are as varied as any other human. Some deserve the exile they receive. Others do not."87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN8UqUSByDD
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ61XaFGBJVe
The honesty in those words struck deeper than any evasion would have. Not a judgment. Not a defense. Just simple truth, delivered without embellishment.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡypi4S1wjf5
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTIt0UmDUIl
"That doesn't help me know which category Raven falls into."87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFm12ZXRMNg
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtzU3eYfqRX
"No," Selina agreed softly. "It does not."87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAswH6GIqkw
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPBTxcVDHZX
Cel's fingers curled against his palm. The logic felt wrong somehow - incomplete. If the Cursed were just people, varied like anyone else, then why mark them at all?87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjra80rlNs9
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7vZsnga6EV
"You said some don't deserve exile." The words came carefully, each one weighed. "If the Cursed were just people, varied like anyone else… then why do the gods mark them with corruption? What is that mark, really?"87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS4CJGKbNHo
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv4XFLiRrRA
Selina remained silent for a long moment. When she spoke, that same note of regret colored her voice. "I am sorry, Chosen One. That too does not lie within my authority."87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ1km4XF2SJ
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTus2bVPMtt
The mist shifted around them, curling through broken earth and small flowers that reached toward moonlight.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIyT795v7Ub
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsuc6Mkf9ui
Cel stared at the ground, trying to organize thoughts that refused to settle into anything coherent. Every question led to another, each answer revealing how little he actually understood.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX2ekLTl1WP
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ97xP1Jdga3
Selina's voice came gentler now, almost hesitant. "Chosen One..."87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhPwW1fbzuD
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaQQOJtu4Xf
He looked up.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZyDWVT1veu
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf48ZEmiWaI
"Please be careful." The words carried weight that made his skin prickle with instinctive unease - a subtle shift in her posture, an emphasis that suggested something beyond simple caution.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ6ksx4PEv2
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrqqyVqRf8P
His chest tightened. "Of what?"87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFNiwYRpHUB
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVUtSxnfqcr
"That is all I can say." Her tone had returned to its usual serenity, but something lingered beneath it. A warning wrapped in silk. "You should rest now. Your body needs sleep."87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWY9GegoBvW
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo2gn4cYPmt
The finality in her voice made it clear - this conversation was over.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWYM2fZVMXE
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ50KO14GKg
"Alright," he said quietly. Then, after a pause, "Good night, Selina."87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj7O22DfrkL
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyRnTP1zbmH
The words felt strange leaving his mouth. He hesitated. "Do... do priests even sleep?"87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUuBEm6Ccmk
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFQInf6oALw
A soft sound escaped her - gentle and musical. A chuckle, quiet but genuine.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYFgSBLiUtD
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqzRe394NgM
"We do not need to sleep." Her voice carried warmth now, the tension from before easing. "But I appreciate the kindness nonetheless."87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Sapi9OglR
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOC5i0JKllS
Something in her tone made his chest feel less tight. A small comfort in the midst of unanswered questions.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfUqXhQjnqy
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY5yp3aRmwG
“Sleep well, Chosen One.” Her serene smile deepened slightly. “May the Moon Goddess light your path."87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTFud8SuTSq
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA3oeVsMASu
The familiar words wrapped around him as he closed his eyes and reached for the world beyond.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKWahDXavwA
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Elah1vyMC
Pain greeted his return - dull and persistent, radiating from wounds that Cinderward's manifestation couldn't erase.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuiZ5QJsvMO
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGnZ42dhXgj
Cel opened his eyes to broken stone ceiling, moonlight filtering through gaps where the structure had crumbled. 87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVK8rszwlL1
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡny3zQTPX9e
Raven's silhouette remained near the entrance, back turned, surveying the wasteland beyond with that same careful vigilance.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKZpgXgJIuH
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDrTu87f2WI
Cel's mind wanted to churn through everything Selina had said - and more importantly, what she hadn't said. But his body overruled him, dragging him down into sleep before he could form another coherent thought.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoUD6bRnSJF
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPXNAyDeoZM
The nightmare came as it always did. Golden light. His father's rage. Blows that fell like judgment while his family did nothing to help him.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡetMhJcFgjP
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7yvEbxTanu
Cel gasped awake.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXFBdYCmNfU
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeTjM246EJ3
His hands clawed at the ground beneath him, fingers finding only ash-covered stone. Sweat coated his skin despite the morning chill seeping through gaps in the walls.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkdfXr655Dd
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsDnUysXJ39
The nightmare clung to him like oil, coating his thoughts with remembered pain that felt more real than the broken ruins surrounding him.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpySYpCRkpH
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwSfg6LyfCY
His breathing gradually slowed. Steadied.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZaE64xnqu4
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyckdQUt0H5
Movement drew his attention.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpAjna6hZZk
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPHLynxtDxy
Raven stood near the entrance, silhouette dark against the crimson light filtering through crumbled stone. He wasn't looking at Cel - just standing there, keeping watch as he had been all night.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ73EKK9pvUg
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV2CUVdOHb6
Aware, but not intruding.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE7sQnrRAOL
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡErIVDwwv0Y
Cel pushed himself upright, testing his balance. His hands were steadier now, the nightmare's grip loosening with each deliberate breath.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh4qX5u9TWn
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH69IhGGHsm
Raven glanced back at him, expression unreadable.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBNUoAbRoAv
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmnVlgHeeDj
"For your notice," Cel said quietly, "you also mumble in your sleep."87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO7A0NdamP5
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj8FWSllURI
The words came out more defensive than he'd intended - a justification for weakness he shouldn't need to explain.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV9j9U0w1U6
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGj3MmTephN
Raven's lips quirked slightly. "I know."87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYEr9Xf68T1
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHnyYa1XlnZ
The simple acknowledgment settled something in Cel's chest. No questions. No pity. Just mutual understanding between two people haunted by things they couldn't escape.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡERPpAAiYI7
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Y0TODdHpx
"Ready?" Raven asked.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5GU1ASbRRJ
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa5UCOSLADc
Cel flexed his right hand experimentally. The fingers responded - not perfectly, but better than yesterday. Sensation was returning in slow increments, the frostbite damage gradually receding.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKYAnWOFLbc
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT2Tvsy647T
"Yes."87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ecoOFnekl
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWSPalDBCyX
Raven nodded once, then moved through the archway without further discussion.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnfytyNiyjX
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXpausfEMuo
Cel followed, emerging into crimson morning light that painted the wasteland in red tones. The mountain rose larger on the horizon now.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrkQbJgvQuC
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOqoIXrsndk
Perhaps another day of walking. Maybe less.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTkz7wExglj
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcyyzTN6woy
They fell into rhythm - boots crunching against ash-covered earth, silence pressing in from all sides. The same endless landscape stretched before them, broken only by scattered obsidian, ruins and the distant mountain.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq9NR355BZf
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBrGLTMOdiI
Selina's warning circled Cel's thoughts, refusing to settle.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ71HvDL4B5l
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn4zRtPxfip
‘Please be careful.’87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMM4mK5stXy
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3379jGU5cT
Careful of what? The Cursed in general? Raven specifically? Something else entirely that he was too ignorant to recognize?87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ95fxR0OusU
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYXklwSZ1mv
The ambiguity gnawed at him. But dwelling on unknowns wouldn't help. Not now.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjKI85IKvUp
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEwYY5LbAC8
His gaze tracked to Raven's back - the confident stride, the way he moved through this dead world like danger was an old acquaintance rather than a constant threat.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡURrMHickIg
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGxIrFZIxVT
Whatever secrets Raven carried, whatever had earned him that mark of corruption, Cel would learn eventually.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4E0toO7T69
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2uIJsY8L54
Or he wouldn't.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBZMhEVVDCN
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRfUSto58Zz
Either way, the mountain awaited. And with it, the slim hope of finding a rift that led back to their world.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzY4lEbu6NC
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtEe0vtM4cB
Time passed in silence, marked only by the rhythm of their footsteps. The crimson sun remained fixed on the horizon, unchanging87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfRJXIVOeHE
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH41AFgq0ub
Cel's throat had grown tight over the past hour, each swallow requiring conscious effort. His tongue felt thick, papery. The black medicine coating his wounds seemed to pull moisture from his skin, leaving him parched in a way that went beyond simple thirst.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmGFku5NT0M
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ37nPorJL96
He'd been ignoring it. Pushing through the discomfort the same way he'd learned to push through everything else.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3qwW9g55gA
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLyRKQG0GdH
But when Raven slowed ahead of him, then stopped entirely, Cel knew the issue had become unavoidable.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8haubV9xaz
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUTYMwY4Sk4
"We need water," Raven said, not looking back. His voice carried that same flat pragmatism it always did, but something in his posture suggested urgency beneath the calm.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNvNDEfSYh8
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt554tXOlmS
Cel came to a stop beside him, scanning the wasteland. Ash. Stone. Nothing that even hinted at water.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhodolzp8zR
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFvJg5ut6le
"There are fissures," Raven continued, his crimson eyes tracking across the landscape with practiced assessment. "Cracks deep enough to reach underground waterways. Rare, but they exist."87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuFdS6Tlqvr
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuI6ACEA22e
Cel weighed his options in silence. He'd kept Frostmark hidden deliberately - Selina's warning still echoed in his thoughts, cautioning him to be careful. Revealing his abilities felt like showing his hand to someone he didn't fully understand.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHZ3FlUPCpV
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDcvRF8kVHV
But searching for water in this endless wasteland was uncertain at best. They could wander for days and still find nothing. 87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx39V9PdqgX
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRcf4A7bMqQ
The risk of revealing his gift was smaller than the certainty timewaste.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa8BuGu7Q3j
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLI6HnuNGEs
"I have another source," Cel said finally. 87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO5IVZb1eHA
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6hwtH2uNNr
Raven's attention shifted to him, question implicit in the tilt of his head. "What do you mean?"87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVL63SLDtiq
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMs6I3o4qr9
Rather than explain, Cel knelt and pressed his left palm flat against the ash-covered ground.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuSproL2KE9
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9kJVRIiKc6
Cold erupted beneath his hand.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzvL7iZ9Kvl
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXJSoWpy1Jf
The familiar burning sensation - vicious and sharp - raced up his arm as frost spiraled outward in delicate patterns. The ash beneath crystallized instantly, forming a perfect circle of ice that shimmered with pale blue light.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrnNQLM8A14
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmGMFOLj0PX
Raven went still, his gaze fixed on the frost circle.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPPRWeRbHuO
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡljHe4gjqlZ
Cel pulled his hand away, fingers aching from the cold. The frost remained, etched into the ground like divine scripture written in winter.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡswzVwgtnJB
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9mzTO0keqR
He reached down and broke off a chunk. It came away with a sharp crack, the fragment glittering in his palm.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn1LmBoMCdb
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6WnptU0eIu
Then he brought it to his mouth and bit down.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSHAUC6lEpY
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpUOINK3O6c
The crunch echoed across the silent wasteland. Cel chewed methodically, breaking the ice into smaller pieces before swallowing. The cold traced a path down his throat, settling in his stomach with surprising weight.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb7I7jzR7c3
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSNmPd6yRzp
When he finished, he looked up at Raven.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlYdFIhThQh
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdHiytvxGis
The young man stood frozen, staring at the frost circle with an expression Cel couldn't quite identify. Not disgust - not the revulsion he'd shown when Cel had eaten raw meat. Something else. Something that looked almost like... wonder?87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9WXjnwBAoM
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM5hkGIaDQj
"You can create water," Raven said finally.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwib8h22NG9
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmsVWtjLC8r
"Ice." Cel gestured at the remaining frost. "But yes."87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjYpt9qXjXr
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjlERwvBZ7d
Silence stretched between them.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRBzhhyEnZZ
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrJDcczotUu
Then Raven moved - slow, careful, like approaching something that might vanish if startled. He knelt beside the frost circle, one hand extending toward it.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQRUg23A636
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP99XQ4JrRR
His fingers hovered just above the surface for a heartbeat. 87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCqNCf6Ol2F
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb0Mw977oxu
The moment his skin made contact, Raven flinched - a subtle jerk of his hand.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1DcPsTJcVD
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgtJZOaoMwo
"Cold," he said flatly.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCtKRqMaFmo
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSfUW86GZVk
Raven lifted the ice to his mouth. His teeth closed around it—87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeRzIVlW4J6
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡklF9js62Xs
And nothing happened.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBpiqiygeHp
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxF31RpJGHm
He tried again, biting harder. The ice held firm, refusing to crack under the pressure. His jaw muscles flexed with effort, but the fragment remained stubbornly whole.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5kvczHlrGd
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1KMxga5LhF
Frustration flickered across his features. He pulled the ice away, staring at it like it had personally offended him.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVgWYYUjFRi
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7gh8hF2d53
"It won't—" He tried once more, applying enough force that Cel could see the strain in his neck. "—break."87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoToON8mekV
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡttTpwOqVym
Something twitched at the corner of Cel's mouth. The sight of Raven - the same person who'd faced a Defiled-rank creature without flinching barely a day ago - now locked in a battle of wills with a piece of ice, was absurd enough that a laugh threatened to break free.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO6KY8KBRtH
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW1zYUEEgJH
He swallowed it down.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQYYcUqYxmq
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ63VHPwf2Bz
"Here." Cel reached over and plucked the ice from Raven's hand.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2VjjCTYZQ8
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOvZZQ9RDN6
He closed his fist around it.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOYDdzbR1Fd
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaTKDJCJLTD
The ice shattered instantly with a sharp crack, fragments spilling between his fingers. He opened his palm, revealing a dozen glittering pieces small enough to swallow safely, and held them out.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnhUR3EdhtZ
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxJqqFS9BF0
Raven stared at the crushed ice in Cel's hand, then up at his face, then back to the fragments.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnRSefABlFu
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe9v2q6Teex
"That's..." He paused, seeming to search for words. "You didn't even try."87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEaVMDDflTt
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB8SP3VnJgv
Cel looked down at his own hand - at the fragments resting in his palm, at the ease with which he'd destroyed something Raven couldn't even crack.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPt2s2PLs8L
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTlybLoOg9A
His assessment had been wrong.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaAhDFxbcfl
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCBbD85jh84
The thought arrived with uncomfortable clarity. When he'd tested Frostmark's durability, when that single punch had shattered the frost, he dismissed the ability as fragile.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVgy5eS0L9A
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYusfgbfhj6
But it hadn't been the frost that was too weak.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3SSopAI8Nf
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It had been him that was too strong.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ3zPvQRaX4
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The Moon Goddess had forged him a body whose strength outstripped his ability to control it. A body that made even simple movements violent.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfmxJxRZZn1
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And he'd used that strength to judge divine ice, never considering that the flaw lay in his perception rather than the gift itself.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe7SWsqFWyO
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Shame flickered through his chest. Another failure of understanding. Another moment where his ignorance had led him to undervalue something precious.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsoCYhDuwr8
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Raven was already eating the crushed fragments, his movements careful as he swallowed the smaller pieces. When he swallowed, something in his posture relaxed slightly - the tension of dehydration easing.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmyo1ft86iZ
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"Make more," Raven said quietly.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcnvsq0hNat
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Cel pressed his palm to the ground again.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlU7Jhm6rzA
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Frost bloomed outward in spiraling patterns, beautiful and intricate. He broke off chunks and crushed them methodically, creating piles of fragments that Raven gathered with cupped hands.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1IKzzwrEpf
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They ate in silence - the crunch of ice against teeth the only sound in the vast emptiness surrounding them.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkLSwaoOgXJ
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When they finished, Cel's throat no longer felt like sandpaper. The tightness in his chest had eased. Even the throbbing of his wounds seemed less insistent.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡESPgONJCzk
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Raven stood, wiping frost residue from his hands onto his dark clothing.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvkFnRt0D61
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"That changes things," he said, gaze tracking toward the distant mountain. "We can go straight."87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtV5SAyeceK
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Cel pushed himself upright, testing his balance. His left hand flexed experimentally - the cold from creating frost had left it stiff, but nothing worse.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzHLE7mzzLj
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They fell into step together, boots crunching against ash-covered earth.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy8emedDDXD
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Raven walked in silence for a long moment, his expression thoughtful in a way Cel hadn't seen before.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA4xrYjyN7y
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"A useful gift." He glanced back at Cel. "Your goddess must favor you highly."87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqRVK8gvXyu
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"The Moon Goddess chose me," Cel said carefully. "I don't know about favor."87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2T6psMgrNM
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ40TgoKgphS
"Still." Raven's pace slowed. "To grant such a gift... your priest must be no ordinary guide.”87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ2mkJOoDAE
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Raven's hand landed on his shoulder.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE7xV6LyHM4
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The contact was light, almost casual - but something in the timing made Cel's attention sharpen.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfVaxoXtmoG
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"What rank does he hold?" Raven asked, his crimson eyes fixed on Cel's face.1234 copyright protection83ＰＥＮＡＮＡPJ53Dihgog 尼

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