"I need to ask you something." Cel's voice came quiet in the mist-shrouded landscape. 259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzuRWkvcBJs
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0t54ORqjrj
Her masked face tilted slightly, attention focusing with that patient grace she always carried. "Of course, Chosen One."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Y0mohHc7n
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡguPtlebQEg
The words felt heavy in his throat. Not because they were difficult to speak, but because asking them felt like crossing some invisible line.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgRHqhK9jak
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqDXROdpo6G
"What are the Cursed?"259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEIqm7NZtbs
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqHRcpkIfAQ
Silence answered him. Not uncomfortable - just present. Selina remained perfectly still, her expression unchanged.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkj4sjuVZ97
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOXdZIFdv12
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."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVrAywvxA5R
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7oHG4QUPCw
Cel's jaw tightened. He'd expected the answer, but disappointment still settled in his chest anyways.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJofd079IAP
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡae5QMvdfjK
"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?"259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDmlRFygwqW
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrzUpQ9zbR8
"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."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF2q5kro4mh
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Kjag8T3eI
The honesty in those words struck deeper than any evasion would have. Not a judgment. Not a defense. Just simple truth, delivered without embellishment.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzInTNmU2CV
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpVLB1bYWBm
"That doesn't help me know which category Raven falls into."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRBhLtpzLgi
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFCjuYUkVIN
"No," Selina agreed softly. "It does not."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfTqXDXcnFH
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6frP8v8JQy
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?259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2V666t8tDe
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡReDA8DF2hP
"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?"259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLm92igd3bQ
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY9m0HVBHnA
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."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtmyUPkyGKA
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHP1Q2e9Oy8
The mist shifted around them, curling through broken earth and small flowers that reached toward moonlight.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj02Z9dz6Z3
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJOvYXSDLII
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.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgSFp0lDZCV
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPDbXtKjh4i
Selina's voice came gentler now, almost hesitant. "Chosen One..."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ49A9xOJYW4
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkIGLMw9c3G
He looked up.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPmApggPUpw
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAoRZoo74KS
"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.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuKs5fQgHyE
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGf6pqc5ze3
His chest tightened. "Of what?"259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRPk8flUHtx
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXB5qIiDHdQ
"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."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiqgvc4uoCz
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdhcRM35WR8
The finality in her voice made it clear - this conversation was over.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9nyUY2U3oq
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwj2e30xJu1
"Alright," he said quietly. Then, after a pause, "Good night, Selina."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2PPXLbhLXQ
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmdD861OGzZ
The words felt strange leaving his mouth. He hesitated. "Do... do priests even sleep?"259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVSyRDKPYkR
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRdJnZqACEc
A soft sound escaped her - gentle and musical. A chuckle, quiet but genuine.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeciRscr6Cx
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNRBbkc6ZGU
"We do not need to sleep." Her voice carried warmth now, the tension from before easing. "But I appreciate the kindness nonetheless."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN5DcXvavVy
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡldyW8qt1cg
Something in her tone made his chest feel less tight. A small comfort in the midst of unanswered questions.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiHGvQmWbnJ
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFkYNFvbwlu
“Sleep well, Chosen One.” Her serene smile deepened slightly. “May the Moon Goddess light your path."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv67wlO8G3U
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWMuySpZ5GI
The familiar words wrapped around him as he closed his eyes and reached for the world beyond.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcZtX5NJ5KH
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBcbCH8a5tJ
Pain greeted his return - dull and persistent, radiating from wounds that Cinderward's manifestation couldn't erase.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlv0GWc42Sj
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1EhiepeRsI
Cel opened his eyes to broken stone ceiling, moonlight filtering through gaps where the structure had crumbled. 259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN2APi3oTPL
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡje40pUkbVo
Raven's silhouette remained near the entrance, back turned, surveying the wasteland beyond with that same careful vigilance.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEjPQ29MgZ0
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdyr3fRGbrz
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.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiBtzN6q9NW
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXb9GJ984Hg
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.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlsAIDS1rdn
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡduGp6ymscG
Cel gasped awake.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡig6f2mPtOK
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgoWgvCx0QV
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.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX90iVhm3vu
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxFDSN6Gcju
The nightmare clung to him like oil, coating his thoughts with remembered pain that felt more real than the broken ruins surrounding him.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpBLAKapeuS
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡte8Aak7Uid
His breathing gradually slowed. Steadied.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuzctYzePAJ
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡty5quHWvUJ
Movement drew his attention.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCIOfQDUFRR
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvqo0KhnKwM
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.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz8VlKYANGF
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfOh1HowBMx
Aware, but not intruding.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuL8iwzn4FO
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhrCEQwmv7J
Cel pushed himself upright, testing his balance. His hands were steadier now, the nightmare's grip loosening with each deliberate breath.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbDpADGjN6U
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFpwmpXKjBn
Raven glanced back at him, expression unreadable.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwK2x7Mwka4
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb2KtIia8ve
"For your notice," Cel said quietly, "you also mumble in your sleep."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyigjMHN0VV
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSdzDcBVXJB
The words came out more defensive than he'd intended - a justification for weakness he shouldn't need to explain.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWppQhpVTlN
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5acjnIjinT
Raven's lips quirked slightly. "I know."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ68ulXxyeir
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg3wRNUE7RO
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.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡon1CRFFh8L
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWcTqEGdi3W
"Ready?" Raven asked.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX4U4dICfKX
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlNDDcVWvSn
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.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ApGkFedcv
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXX1a7pVLsF
"Yes."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTNW6g0YOTc
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡISoa8urqdK
Raven nodded once, then moved through the archway without further discussion.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCRp9ruWZgo
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡamlgvFsJ2Y
Cel followed, emerging into crimson morning light that painted the wasteland in red tones. The mountain rose larger on the horizon now.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡizd14VD5Ee
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdk7o8ORafz
Perhaps another day of walking. Maybe less.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi8v9RawPhg
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmrj7xBMVgO
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.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGUpcBUMiLs
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUa3nHIwvHd
Selina's warning circled Cel's thoughts, refusing to settle.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU1b9o81ycZ
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTTewk3YF2V
‘Please be careful.’259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3yvKfdAdep
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyQ6OBocAjt
Careful of what? The Cursed in general? Raven specifically? Something else entirely that he was too ignorant to recognize?259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnkoqcBegEF
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdElI0HAvQ2
The ambiguity gnawed at him. But dwelling on unknowns wouldn't help. Not now.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡskjAqqOhqo
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyXVIJfxMRO
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.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOHjaBCmswt
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2dhoeavq1Q
Whatever secrets Raven carried, whatever had earned him that mark of corruption, Cel would learn eventually.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSZwZrGQQbc
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeObx9p7vIn
Or he wouldn't.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPs3CGeqptd
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY1Qldw0UJX
Either way, the mountain awaited. And with it, the slim hope of finding a rift that led back to their world.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWi7oE6zjPF
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6NA7ue2amI
Time passed in silence, marked only by the rhythm of their footsteps. The crimson sun remained fixed on the horizon, unchanging259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGbW1QRZCVU
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKAxQKVCtF8
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.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvhXE2ZUtgj
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiKONm2wYpP
He'd been ignoring it. Pushing through the discomfort the same way he'd learned to push through everything else.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPpWuvZxKrq
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMWz0xMR9xo
But when Raven slowed ahead of him, then stopped entirely, Cel knew the issue had become unavoidable.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8pJJVAEKxr
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwa9mznnKuA
"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.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡChdB4lKZ3K
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO9sSNvF9s1
Cel came to a stop beside him, scanning the wasteland. Ash. Stone. Nothing that even hinted at water.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAEFCiMshcU
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ScjfyIIqw
"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."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmu5Tgo84eA
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtcVWVn85IU
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.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvsGNJ6nzIb
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsZbsGUVcr2
But searching for water in this endless wasteland was uncertain at best. They could wander for days and still find nothing. 259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS3yGPgNJ6Q
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4xMZd98wvU
The risk of revealing his gift was smaller than the certainty timewaste.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeWf90gTrAJ
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW1sizEdisC
"I have another source," Cel said finally. 259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYqUqoxQMPg
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUAIwKDtuLE
Raven's attention shifted to him, question implicit in the tilt of his head. "What do you mean?"259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWIeSKI8aud
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnnE971K189
Rather than explain, Cel knelt and pressed his left palm flat against the ash-covered ground.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPmCnHgJTMc
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRMOm1nL7eY
Cold erupted beneath his hand.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhgZCtnalVG
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsbptAPmyWu
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.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuE70zc899p
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡat7YlJHPUB
Raven went still, his gaze fixed on the frost circle.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwVfgETJKmw
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz64gaxO3ot
Cel pulled his hand away, fingers aching from the cold. The frost remained, etched into the ground like divine scripture written in winter.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO2mAJCWBnh
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWFN1p7IXrf
He reached down and broke off a chunk. It came away with a sharp crack, the fragment glittering in his palm.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLGMww4UFUQ
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe0a77PZyBC
Then he brought it to his mouth and bit down.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnJVPae6scm
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiCTHlqGyGf
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.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNc5RntL84A
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY9o4fUd3XO
When he finished, he looked up at Raven.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnvlXwpqjRl
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIMNwcrIegY
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?259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpckpwJuL3c
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmhEOUbAtyj
"You can create water," Raven said finally.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJX0l8Ud5rL
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq8fbW96AM3
"Ice." Cel gestured at the remaining frost. "But yes."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA9BurmwSgJ
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡukJgTenYRG
Silence stretched between them.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXahr2a11qa
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡekPdXTzDAn
Then Raven moved - slow, careful, like approaching something that might vanish if startled. He knelt beside the frost circle, one hand extending toward it.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYca6bWCDgC
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjOvbZx0nZC
His fingers hovered just above the surface for a heartbeat. 259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSEybstunUd
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7NsVr9vj9B
The moment his skin made contact, Raven flinched - a subtle jerk of his hand.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtTRJz2eqJT
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtm0Y3kGmYf
"Cold," he said flatly.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6U4OrThhC1
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKpGEmTqbXV
Raven lifted the ice to his mouth. His teeth closed around it—259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYhEwEODomT
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz5A7jNDuyo
And nothing happened.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj9mOAfoyBd
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpJHs3caTls
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.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeTkeCPHIfI
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbI4BecQ1xB
Frustration flickered across his features. He pulled the ice away, staring at it like it had personally offended him.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmgS8kXmPVl
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ29d9Ev3psK
"It won't—" He tried once more, applying enough force that Cel could see the strain in his neck. "—break."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzfFy8tZ2J3
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsfYFcumK4o
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.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi4ABrO9ywe
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJMRLScjUf7
He swallowed it down.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGqwvjQz4mX
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSGTVzEvABF
"Here." Cel reached over and plucked the ice from Raven's hand.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUIKZsf1ZbD
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3A6WM2uoqm
He closed his fist around it.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKyI3ehLKh6
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMD5sBNw9K6
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.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHWl4IE1atL
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa3PQLSx4LR
Raven stared at the crushed ice in Cel's hand, then up at his face, then back to the fragments.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsQSRTKIsRR
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrlqPooRMAD
"That's..." He paused, seeming to search for words. "You didn't even try."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3LtCZnqH9s
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7PJErqIzfE
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.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsigDV6Xvxy
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpPqz5JpDCk
His assessment had been wrong.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXgw91bvyYd
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxagMeAczCK
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.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwA9mzE3KdL
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnMAXVYeBpB
But it hadn't been the frost that was too weak.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZkvKazl2y1
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It had been him that was too strong.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzhzNMY4Fez
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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.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb3TH9Zlmju
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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.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH1r5Ohn5Tg
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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.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU164urfsXu
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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.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO46RoVhqks
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"Make more," Raven said quietly.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnRIz5LpCxI
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Cel pressed his palm to the ground again.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhHnm16MaDm
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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.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBtfelV3m5W
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They ate in silence - the crunch of ice against teeth the only sound in the vast emptiness surrounding them.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMDC0TjX7Oa
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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.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp1b4mIoSba
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Raven stood, wiping frost residue from his hands onto his dark clothing.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdhUTodSisX
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"That changes things," he said, gaze tracking toward the distant mountain. "We can go straight."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6SvilzvfK1
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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.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnthiijgzfr
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They fell into step together, boots crunching against ash-covered earth.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXtFmMbgyMZ
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Raven walked in silence for a long moment, his expression thoughtful in a way Cel hadn't seen before.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0t7bbtWsOa
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"A useful gift." He glanced back at Cel. "Your goddess must favor you highly."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCWud0IfCkb
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"The Moon Goddess chose me," Cel said carefully. "I don't know about favor."259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5bLSjMSDfc
259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5jtmzbbiBP
"Still." Raven's pace slowed. "To grant such a gift... your priest must be no ordinary guide.”259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPGPAqUhumK
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Raven's hand landed on his shoulder.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnFNlFHFZzw
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The contact was light, almost casual - but something in the timing made Cel's attention sharpen.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbrRwzXS4CI
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"What rank does he hold?" Raven asked, his crimson eyes fixed on Cel's face.1234 copyright protection255ＰＥＮＡＮＡ80UEBsDEgy 尼

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