"I need to ask you something." Cel's voice came quiet in the mist-shrouded landscape. 178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYXYcjITpEF
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCvnlLGAzo7
Her masked face tilted slightly, attention focusing with that patient grace she always carried. "Of course, Chosen One."178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4WUCZS7zRR
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUIw4ZwUvCO
The words felt heavy in his throat. Not because they were difficult to speak, but because asking them felt like crossing some invisible line.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM88LXjsiTP
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLgE6UjbARX
"What are the Cursed?"178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfFvB44AAm9
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFCmIUQx5yv
Silence answered him. Not uncomfortable - just present. Selina remained perfectly still, her expression unchanged.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdmTTJO9oLe
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiA1LCHY1W9
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."178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhmMs2LXwW8
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTFb2ZAxtpw
Cel's jaw tightened. He'd expected the answer, but disappointment still settled in his chest anyways.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA8pF0Kw9pV
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF1v7mDw4r5
"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?"178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Z3kegt0EZ
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrJ4iB4e5wk
"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."178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0UtFmgDOkG
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcNyGADj6Sj
The honesty in those words struck deeper than any evasion would have. Not a judgment. Not a defense. Just simple truth, delivered without embellishment.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbU0hIbiS5V
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSbwA9GWPAZ
"That doesn't help me know which category Raven falls into."178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJBaodkSh2l
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3m3tYnaEAy
"No," Selina agreed softly. "It does not."178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWWp1qh4SAI
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv5FYl3mR86
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?178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv6cdvjz7Si
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9vQ87aXfxP
"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?"178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcN43AP7lII
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG3Smu4X15I
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."178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfBwX9Lq8nJ
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGrjaHfi05l
The mist shifted around them, curling through broken earth and small flowers that reached toward moonlight.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCeeMDbf6iT
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5pVprE1pWP
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.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaam0prXln3
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7fu6Vzl55Y
Selina's voice came gentler now, almost hesitant. "Chosen One..."178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3IYjU4VdNL
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5VgyOi7Qdq
He looked up.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdLFwXGlnOg
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh1fSlL7RnX
"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.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKa96k1vo4b
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAL5dDxPnfy
His chest tightened. "Of what?"178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8iCvBI7hyB
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHCp1NY2l4x
"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."178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8sC1C9azNR
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgfGsRevrMS
The finality in her voice made it clear - this conversation was over.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhJFEEWUK8u
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf3AZPSazs3
"Alright," he said quietly. Then, after a pause, "Good night, Selina."178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ9ZIiFeRe4
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGKwlEPFFF3
The words felt strange leaving his mouth. He hesitated. "Do... do priests even sleep?"178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL79ELJWp9E
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa7aZDiU0VP
A soft sound escaped her - gentle and musical. A chuckle, quiet but genuine.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9zVPfT4YxO
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡif14Ao4zI9
"We do not need to sleep." Her voice carried warmth now, the tension from before easing. "But I appreciate the kindness nonetheless."178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB1xF6DHJg5
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiJCIbhXuEZ
Something in her tone made his chest feel less tight. A small comfort in the midst of unanswered questions.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUKWZKPIVEE
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNAibNfs1c1
“Sleep well, Chosen One.” Her serene smile deepened slightly. “May the Moon Goddess light your path."178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf0oEd9XPSH
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7TCqpeDqfo
The familiar words wrapped around him as he closed his eyes and reached for the world beyond.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfaLSO7NCcS
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiWYUo6MnwX
Pain greeted his return - dull and persistent, radiating from wounds that Cinderward's manifestation couldn't erase.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnNxJjxi8E5
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSoYqWPylad
Cel opened his eyes to broken stone ceiling, moonlight filtering through gaps where the structure had crumbled. 178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnMv3anAISC
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6T3xvsvi7I
Raven's silhouette remained near the entrance, back turned, surveying the wasteland beyond with that same careful vigilance.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1J62IFg49u
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFNzVAve3vz
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.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdRsdhLude1
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDB3xmYJSMc
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.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSv8ojd2euT
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1xZNnApcal
Cel gasped awake.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCc2aQXQrsg
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ19wcjRIse1
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.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡizsjvJU8zV
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA9L0rPNGxP
The nightmare clung to him like oil, coating his thoughts with remembered pain that felt more real than the broken ruins surrounding him.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqwpHtQzEeO
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzhHqX96wNp
His breathing gradually slowed. Steadied.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuSks1z02To
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpC6h9IftN9
Movement drew his attention.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6EvSNn9A5S
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzOwvuA2e1l
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.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡILElROJ8Eq
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkyypdy76Zm
Aware, but not intruding.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxxDTMLEoUe
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxrnbUSf8RG
Cel pushed himself upright, testing his balance. His hands were steadier now, the nightmare's grip loosening with each deliberate breath.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx5nyBdWHdr
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnZwwepYdM1
Raven glanced back at him, expression unreadable.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu1qEeYNlc3
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcWOgWlDRZ4
"For your notice," Cel said quietly, "you also mumble in your sleep."178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5CBODGGhY2
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVDuGr82cSa
The words came out more defensive than he'd intended - a justification for weakness he shouldn't need to explain.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHmMQEEwSjo
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAvlPwSxTir
Raven's lips quirked slightly. "I know."178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYzrHCMe1Wk
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCdw2zbvlbb
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.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfujQVokcCq
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEFqkKVJTVY
"Ready?" Raven asked.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw0m3zsM5sE
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCjD2S8D0uE
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.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYnLRFAABgz
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡedHgJOXVHH
"Yes."178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTIgkVk90S1
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW9uXFfviWz
Raven nodded once, then moved through the archway without further discussion.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVuykVX401P
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYtqSZXRGgc
Cel followed, emerging into crimson morning light that painted the wasteland in red tones. The mountain rose larger on the horizon now.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡou4LqBxzZm
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoiGFqpaEYm
Perhaps another day of walking. Maybe less.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8lmkeaL0Mn
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVqKjps42MD
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.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWeIlZgPfi0
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAhYv4SLxXd
Selina's warning circled Cel's thoughts, refusing to settle.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUdgY24ZZ1S
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3OTYRGa1dr
‘Please be careful.’178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJEKJ7OHbZZ
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnsoylUv69w
Careful of what? The Cursed in general? Raven specifically? Something else entirely that he was too ignorant to recognize?178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUvRHE9FaVQ
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1dRnccxzph
The ambiguity gnawed at him. But dwelling on unknowns wouldn't help. Not now.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEXxEBnDDaR
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgig59eWme9
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.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlkBJwswUh5
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoU8gSWxTlC
Whatever secrets Raven carried, whatever had earned him that mark of corruption, Cel would learn eventually.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtbpf0JqT2Q
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYMdcLRc428
Or he wouldn't.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqM0XDmDMPc
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCJM1JWrNXX
Either way, the mountain awaited. And with it, the slim hope of finding a rift that led back to their world.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp6ejXvBOSJ
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMynnD365az
Time passed in silence, marked only by the rhythm of their footsteps. The crimson sun remained fixed on the horizon, unchanging178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwsmOq4iEMT
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTLRmfl3fPB
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.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq7e7ejWQ0S
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He'd been ignoring it. Pushing through the discomfort the same way he'd learned to push through everything else.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY5ArNWpdJH
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKbGkPJnOJ4
But when Raven slowed ahead of him, then stopped entirely, Cel knew the issue had become unavoidable.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj9R0rxQdCM
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA5JSnchY6N
"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.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡshQmWxH5Z4
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkpcXHYEG9x
Cel came to a stop beside him, scanning the wasteland. Ash. Stone. Nothing that even hinted at water.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4l4MRmbvOf
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBwrq7KonmL
"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."178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs7OB5c8JNg
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIWQiyWUQeU
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.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoKZEax1YlK
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡECEDaXPhU5
But searching for water in this endless wasteland was uncertain at best. They could wander for days and still find nothing. 178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWiN8Ocu7Ao
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDTZ7MBUoQW
The risk of revealing his gift was smaller than the certainty timewaste.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCLYZVszGuF
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzol2BYGECE
"I have another source," Cel said finally. 178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxwmtqkHEOn
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkHDjoYbNtI
Raven's attention shifted to him, question implicit in the tilt of his head. "What do you mean?"178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9j9bKGCu23
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtpSEBE3Bfh
Rather than explain, Cel knelt and pressed his left palm flat against the ash-covered ground.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAJ6e5Zdjds
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZQnsY14xzm
Cold erupted beneath his hand.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfSDrrxPZu8
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5EwYzdON2r
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.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD1SHBPRhJd
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg6vjTD0Dig
Raven went still, his gaze fixed on the frost circle.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvF9RaKZWHG
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdK4Wd0Bmjf
Cel pulled his hand away, fingers aching from the cold. The frost remained, etched into the ground like divine scripture written in winter.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡswgmDZmGhc
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmLjXnpYqK1
He reached down and broke off a chunk. It came away with a sharp crack, the fragment glittering in his palm.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT3UMGzKU0l
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf1sG0oaQ8a
Then he brought it to his mouth and bit down.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQVfcJLKVke
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT7OsgrOM6e
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.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhwBEVLpEsv
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEyh8G7C2Mm
When he finished, he looked up at Raven.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR9hB0HiO8X
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡozV0akOWPq
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?178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjJCgTk20ov
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTcCPE3mx5Y
"You can create water," Raven said finally.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNp512zPJUK
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi4YMPqNHSz
"Ice." Cel gestured at the remaining frost. "But yes."178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRFwQ9cRtXS
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbMHyrtv3pH
Silence stretched between them.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpWB58FwR9R
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0MwPbvuFKB
Then Raven moved - slow, careful, like approaching something that might vanish if startled. He knelt beside the frost circle, one hand extending toward it.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzOOL4k5Abx
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCNsnLMVp34
His fingers hovered just above the surface for a heartbeat. 178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRQ520zDMVy
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsMZJerVgJl
The moment his skin made contact, Raven flinched - a subtle jerk of his hand.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1alaeoX7Id
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Xagk54i4q
"Cold," he said flatly.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiLEqkDEc7I
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv1rSfzTsgJ
Raven lifted the ice to his mouth. His teeth closed around it—178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡycAhQCn6FA
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO2xpzQ5TjP
And nothing happened.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2raVMF6TsD
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhtZXcLMeY6
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.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3vUgPysnWw
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6OFSbvVX7N
Frustration flickered across his features. He pulled the ice away, staring at it like it had personally offended him.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7NBytGrGJc
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ27SK2ND4hB
"It won't—" He tried once more, applying enough force that Cel could see the strain in his neck. "—break."178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSLvwb81uHZ
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh3ykDZYgR2
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.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRUkucWhfDW
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡovYsBgTmYi
He swallowed it down.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMsTrICvNj3
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOCnLgTgkIw
"Here." Cel reached over and plucked the ice from Raven's hand.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd7sAISgDXu
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3k0GWNYJAa
He closed his fist around it.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFNvYe1eXpT
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ZzaG7H6Js
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.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYOGz5SfUYR
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ35uRA8qO0L
Raven stared at the crushed ice in Cel's hand, then up at his face, then back to the fragments.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCKc3Emfehq
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVplyy1k7tT
"That's..." He paused, seeming to search for words. "You didn't even try."178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnRjLlJcIlh
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgR9mm3lZWH
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.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8VszHsxIWs
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoi4gG7deQ1
His assessment had been wrong.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPytGZKn9Zt
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuUqiFB6Z0L
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.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiLwIuTrXcS
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But it hadn't been the frost that was too weak.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmpAkIZI1oG
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It had been him that was too strong.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzkClqgtbH3
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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.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTSziYiKiDd
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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.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ6zZQDeihb
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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.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ62smjjwpAt
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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.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmuHIynFDUA
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"Make more," Raven said quietly.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeGEFFjHfVJ
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Cel pressed his palm to the ground again.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2gf7K6BFRw
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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.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp2TEjeIZ6f
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They ate in silence - the crunch of ice against teeth the only sound in the vast emptiness surrounding them.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6hiKU4VPvo
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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.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVWntzh5e7A
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Raven stood, wiping frost residue from his hands onto his dark clothing.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA6PTFSE4EC
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"That changes things," he said, gaze tracking toward the distant mountain. "We can go straight."178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtLDw4MSO4v
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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.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBhoptI32sB
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They fell into step together, boots crunching against ash-covered earth.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ4tkmWdQ4a
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Raven walked in silence for a long moment, his expression thoughtful in a way Cel hadn't seen before.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡioMWo235Kc
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"A useful gift." He glanced back at Cel. "Your goddess must favor you highly."178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj3IEN0jUB1
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"The Moon Goddess chose me," Cel said carefully. "I don't know about favor."178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoPIZhttVVW
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"Still." Raven's pace slowed. "To grant such a gift... your priest must be no ordinary guide.”178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtrwGCC4djG
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Raven's hand landed on his shoulder.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9aaRpsyMA3
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The contact was light, almost casual - but something in the timing made Cel's attention sharpen.178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLqNlxgRTLq
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"What rank does he hold?" Raven asked, his crimson eyes fixed on Cel's face.1234 copyright protection174ＰＥＮＡＮＡyawUNtxAbj 尼

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