"Raven!"256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCjaT58nyi6
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXvYAoiPrCu
The name echoed down into nothing.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuh2iOoVrF4
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSKCCGWgqt8
Cel stumbled toward the edge - he could jump, follow them down, there had to be—256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1a0IOnRAja
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZyDU8SUaDB
Something closed around his throat and the world lurched.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjcklFKve3H
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSrrMapWZQf
His vision swam, legs dangling in empty air. Fingers clawed at a wrist round his throat—how had—?256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3HxTGgBXHT
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcveF55Gk2i
When it cleared, she stood before him.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbSj18S6Vz8
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrvAhtJLtnf
Esrin Tempvolt.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLuo9XNTByl
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIFe2RIrX4k
No wings now - vanished as if they'd never existed. Just dark armor, ash-white hair and ruby red eyes.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmeGNUnBZ1P
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9wnbB1ylUA
His gaze darted past her. The volcano stood in the distance, a broken silhouette against the crimson sky. The massive creature lay collapsed in its core, smoke rising from its shattered body.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEKbC510QaA
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkmhHNmVdYW
His eyes snapped back to her. Not a scratch on her armor. Not a drop of sweat. Her breathing was steady, unhurried - like she'd taken a casual walk rather than fought something that could level mountains.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAwYSr46RHi
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCUqLPSmICI
"Who are you?" Her voice was flat, emotionless - a demand, not a question.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlI2tebnRdR
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy95bAPg00j
Cel couldn't breathe. His vision tunneled as pressure built.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4JRAvXncMl
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdSCJuHuFk3
He forced words through the crushing grip. "Go... away."256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0weJHAuklY
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgzroAtFXyS
Her expression didn't change.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3e2WPaMWE9
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKTaPriKxgM
His hands clawed at her wrist. He reached for Frostmark—256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9RYV62lCEv
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUd6qbkSAXb
Pain.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡueJryQhBTB
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPElOghKBIf
The world became chaos. Stone. Burning ash. Crimson sky. All of it blurred as he flew through the air before slamming into a dune of ignited ash. The second impact drove him sideways. Third. Fourth. Each collision sent him careening in a new direction, his body ragdolling across the wasteland.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa5A6i2e6Sm
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiGHNYybkrz
Everything went black.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVeocPNNIYd
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡapMxj14IEu
When awareness returned, he couldn't breathe.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡesGdc3TIEC
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC1LPD6Rvdc
His chest seized. He tried to inhale - nothing. His body refused. Panic flooded through him as his lungs screamed for air that wouldn't come.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO77pkNpqNG
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXTVkuKW6Eb
Blood surged up his throat.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ63BtSPY5wc
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWkpdc8tsLm
He rolled onto his side, retching. Hot liquid poured from his mouth, choking him further. His throat worked uselessly, chest heaving in broken rhythm.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQuFMSv1GCD
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTj883wZL61
More blood came up. His vision grayed at the edges.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoBdvABI6Du
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLa6VUGM122
He clawed at the ash, fingers digging in as his body convulsed again. Another wave of blood. His chest locked tighter.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW5YHT18MFW
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEBWmF1xJ8r
'Breathe—'256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAh89XIHucl
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT62XX5oBY7
Nothing.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF5hx0QKEJg
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtCCzTTmAm8
'BREATHE—'256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7sOer4amEG
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5AuiA2ai1y
His lungs finally obeyed.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMDlHC6M4H4
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSpby625p8H
Air rushed in - hot, full of ash. But real.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRJO2LJkEL9
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDZ8SCucDOd
He sucked in desperate, ragged gasps between coughs that brought up more blood.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaik6EOgnl8
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV5qo8Px18Q
Footsteps crunched across burning ash.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡscqMVc9imI
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHUSZxORYt7
Not hurrying. Just the slow, inevitable advance of something that knew its prey had nowhere to run.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA5jUQ0lAjD
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJPmP1MengF
"Use that power on me again and I'll break every bone in your body before you hit the ground."256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB5WH7alkSa
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvbPBkw2Ez2
He sucked in desperate breaths between coughs, blood still hot in his mouth.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL5gplx9yM1
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnSVMuO8uwm
Esrin was ten steps away. Nine.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZe0s2YtCrg
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1zlaIA5oUy
Cel's mind raced. He couldn't fight her. Couldn't run. Couldn't use Frostmark without her killing him before he hit the ground.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk8PniMm9r5
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxTo5oaTfxs
But there was something else. Something that might—256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1PDp8WlmkZ
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5T6q7SWiNv
Eight steps.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡepCNYyj3Fy
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6flVC8me6F
Cel slammed his fist into the burning ash.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLWfS0G6csp
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKO3drXB9PB
Seven steps.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpHH2jzpWJN
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYay2ZqN5Lb
Again.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZzVJJIlQ8J
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmVWFgNAQpn
'Come on.'256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8wR2mH0HBi
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9XqEMsrswy
Six steps.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEpMwtUkfcz
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqWMZEPWK1n
Again. Harder.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw9tAl2j5i4
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs8UaMkw9xF
'I know you're there!'256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0d33y1jwm8
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY4KAX7OJ8O
Five steps.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLXxsQz7o8p
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡagoL5zNTgy
The ground beneath him vanished.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZsbnd4okOM
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPpjhul28Jg
The Tremorborne erupted in an explosion of ash and stone, its circular maw opening wide as it surged upward with impossible speed.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIleKaS5UbH
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeTeXVbGdtI
Cel fell backward into that hungry darkness—256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtV4vrk59Cq
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg40cGi5zNU
And as the maw began to close, as Esrin's expressionless face filled his vision one last time, his lips pulled back from bloodied teeth.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjqQ852B94o
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrPY3Puq6Rw
A smile. Savage and defiant.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaTsijhUC0V
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ49DrvMcsgw
Then the maw snapped shut and darkness swallowed him once more.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp8g7KW2c1a
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKOY5oZE0vx
***256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ1s26HXvHJ
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1bZlOzIjS9
Esrin's eyes narrowed as the ground sealed itself.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCrlRStXzg6
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQXx2j3hBwh
'His divine energy... I can't sense it at all.'256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn0zqBlNJe7
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfpJJG8z7uU
The observation settled in her mind with uncomfortable weight. She'd encountered Chosen who masked their signatures before - but suppressing one's divine energy required absolute mastery. The kind of control that took decades to develop. But even then, it left traces. Ripples in the fabric of reality that marked where power had been suppressed.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQVR5Whv7DT
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWdkrdbTiwA
This boy had nothing.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJKzO4G0cPA
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFmpe8XTeDx
As if he simply... didn't exist in that regard.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFL5QnnrKZA
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrzMQnbzPet
'An artifact?'256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPv6El011bU
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuJHANZZKRI
White wings manifested from her back in a cascade of crackling lightning. She rose, ash swirling away from the displacement as she climbed toward the crimson sky.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxNcrY9HKSQ
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡND0IRQFXPH
Her glaive materialized in her grip.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzzXJNVyhK2
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4CEaT4t7Dl
Lightning crackled across the blade - not the white-black energy of before, but something brighter. Purer. The weapon blazed with contained violence that made the air itself hum.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeaWVOytRUN
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZnwDE4xROT
She drew back and hurled it.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdWlzcWntL3
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpZ8FNCpP3C
The glaive became a streak of blazing white, tearing through the air with a sound like ripping silk.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL8SS2c14OF
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHylXypnVDA
It struck where the Tremorborne had vanished.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUgtcfu09P9
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡANBnoCPHpz
***256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhDP4A0cCuu
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsn9DTsaHrV
Light.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAh9DLZ7w0X
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3R7xC8lYms
Blinding, absolute light that turned the darkness into screaming white.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGGr451qSrh
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmmyLrAUNTi
The shockwave hit first - a wall of pressure that compressed the worm's body inward. Then sound that wasn't sound but pure force translated into noise.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWcJbtroc3K
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoaSfK575EO
The Tremorborne's flesh detonated around him.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvGHCAbH2LU
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc9cOjyuR4B
Chunks of obsidian armor flew outward in all directions. Tissue vaporized. The concentric rings of teeth shattered, fragments spinning away like shrapnel.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0HpYCnkw96
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUrLm6C58Pg
Cel's body tumbled through the expanding destruction, untouched by the devastation but thrown like a leaf in a storm. His vision was nothing but white. His ears rang with a tone so high it felt like silence.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcDrnGZKQbd
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB3r0oEXtEd
He hit something solid.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHE2DgRM9vR
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo0f02Jt24h
The impact drove what little air remained from his lungs. His back slammed into stone, his head whipping back—256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl2Vdzu8xfp
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm2ealbxj5T
Then stillness.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC5UIdDNszZ
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ38LimBX0l8
The light faded by degrees. White to gray to the familiar crimson of the Ashlands sky.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWcoKuOOUch
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyuE1WFTnD8
Cel lay at the bottom of a crater.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMIEblAMxjl
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXXYlkCTFq4
The walls rose around him in a perfect circle, the stone still smoking from the heat. Ash drifted in the air like snow.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUZaehhu7SL
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsHDqohRRiU
He couldn't move.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGjTjUJKHYQ
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIp2LpBKkeZ
Not from injury - the blast had somehow missed him entirely. But from something deeper. Primal terror that locked every muscle tight, that made breathing feel like an act of will.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ71Wlk1Irph
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzR0vFI7tYn
The glaive stood embedded in the ground beside his head.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4uViWLKTJJ
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsJr0Kie4qk
So close he could see the intricate patterns etched into the blade, the way lightning still danced across its surface in fading arcs. Close enough that moving his head a fraction would bring his temple against its edge.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFtpKKaRvNO
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSPtjI2Laf8
A shadow fell across him.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvquk507Bn2
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiDUMYZEflu
Esrin descended through the air, wings beating with slow, deliberate grace. Her boots touched down on the scorched stone with barely a whisper, one on either side of his torso.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpNm1QRsdwx
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRpgcnsftaD
The white wings dissolved in a cascade of fading lightning, crackling out of existence as if they'd never been.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡayziEA1huy
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP2IBHtC59t
She stood there for a moment, looking down at him with that same flat expression - as if killing a Defiled-rank creature and obliterating everything in a hundred-step radius was simply routine.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRJ0RrSlMY2
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ29Ns1G1xda
Cel's chest rose and fell in shallow breaths. His eyes were wide, unblinking. Every instinct screamed to run, to flee, to get away—256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeLYezthatj
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpf0dJwSTgH
But his body refused.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd6m1OfUkwv
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4i68yEfY4b
Esrin reached down.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsGPHKaa3z5
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzHOuNkOwoU
His eyes tracked her hand, his throat already tightening in anticipation— 256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx7MAaPykOr
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMstMXR4WCQ
She grasped the glaive's hilt.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ05KSCuM9yD
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTnZtmiJDmL
The weapon came free with a soft whisper of steel against stone.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVLF7mrkt3b
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnFmdS8jKXN
She held it loosely at her side, the blade still crackling with residual energy.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnyMMKaBJc7
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkm3cZWzVk5
"You're wasting my time."256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnS2SCBnqVf
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLwnoJa1kJn
Cel's jaw worked. Blood coated his teeth, his tongue. When words finally came, they scraped like broken glass.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBVKi3kAlY3
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡygrPmsZjCs
"Then... leave."256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4IdijDLRip
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4DEiMwgYFc
Silence answered him.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWDqPSkUN0S
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVcEGeGqyMH
Esrin's gaze remained fixed on him, flat and emotionless. Seconds stretched.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWbXCBGzKxr
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYtyxHi91R5
"What's your name?"256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZoOrSJLCwV
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjuGbaUcV0O
The question came without warning, without context.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡquYVltogU7
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIbkLAuUisX
"Celvian."256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw1Qm6Dd2IY
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP4C53vctaS
"Your patron god?"256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaxtRU0Vj8E
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfQe8BPnzBI
His throat tightened. "The Moon Goddess."256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj8SDIZDrKE
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnZ0mUKQ7IM
Her eyes tracked to his snow-white hair, to his glacial-blue eyes, then to the armor covering his battered form.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ84jVn8xIvP
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuIFKIAhvvL
"How old are you?"256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYem576Rjme
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgpxVQbzEeM
"Sixteen."256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0fB0f5ltqe
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB8ki5nbDU7
For a single heartbeat, the cold assessment in her eyes softened. Not to warmth - but to something that looked like she'd just confirmed a suspicion she'd hoped was wrong.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1oWxtM7rYY
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDrinxvxk1e
"How did a sixteen-year-old Moon Chosen end up in the Hollow Realms?"256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRNXasKwq1a
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRntOts96Eq
Cel's fingers dug into scorched stone. The truth would reveal too much - his origin as a noble, his father's betrayal, his year of torture. All of it weakness she could exploit.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy8pTLaY1tw
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe2oww5qi8s
His jaw clenched as rage flared hot in his chest.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfegXLxLuC9
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWpUFGwFwIa
They were his to kill. His vengeance. His blood to spill when he grew strong enough to make them scream.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnfukXXX6vD
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnH7iaWqEWe
But if he could set a Hallowed on them first? Watch them scramble like rats as Esrin Tempvolt tore through their compound? See them taste fear before he came for what remained?256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiGjFmAyGOY
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT6w4d9jdTZ
The thought settled in his chest like cold satisfaction.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfxvNxUOnPG
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9GJWOGSynl
"The Children of the Voidmother." His voice came raw. "They threw me through a rift. To seal it."256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfNIm2KWSo9
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxHD4ZYkPtV
Esrin's expression hardened - the only real emotion he'd seen from her. Her jaw set in a way that suggested this information mattered.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡinMTIlSsWy
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRKnWhr8fs2
"The cult." Not a question. A statement laced with something cold.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4mwtRm9qto
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOqgT1fDwaO
He nodded.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTp84c3bmcG
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgEV28jxRM0
Silence stretched again. Esrin remained perfectly still, gaze fixed on him with that same calculating intensity. Weighing. Deciding.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA1Yhvccvca
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA12PQoKYZl
Cel kept his mouth shut. Every instinct told him that speaking now - saying anything more - would be a mistake. One wrong word and she'd start asking questions he had no safe answers for.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1RCv5Ym0j3
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He couldn't risk that.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHtAuchwaGB
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So he stayed silent, even as his body screamed in pain, even as blood continued to drip from his mouth. Waiting for her verdict.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi8pb8li8I8
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Finally, something in her posture shifted - subtle as a blade finding its sheath.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUwryiLCpox
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"You're not what I came here for." She dismissed her glaive, lightning crackling once before the weapon dissolved. "But leaving a Chosen to die in the Ashlands serves no purpose."256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2CBiUGzIef
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The clinical assessment in her tone made it clear this wasn't mercy. Just... efficiency. A waste of resources to let him rot here.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWPcGMN44zN
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"I'm taking you out of here."256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhnY0i9Xwzk
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Cel's body went rigid. "I can leave on my own."256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlLzhLiQttt
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUM5baqEwXr
He braced his hands against the scorched stone. Every muscle screamed in protest as he forced himself up. His arms shook. His legs threatened to buckle. But he made it - swaying on unsteady feet, refusing to fall.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡijP3pb5Ppr
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"Can you?" Her gaze swept across his bloodied form. "You can barely stand."256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjg1bfF6rB5
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"And whose fault is that?"256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcJwRb0MJD7
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4EgJuYYpDB
The words came sharper than intended, edged with pain and defiance.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTEWdXk8TZ4
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIx5hXr9U4T
Esrin's expression didn't change. No flicker of guilt, no acknowledgment of what she'd done to him. Just that same flat assessment.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDZw5IDF7qS
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUefrZZ2GQs
"Mine." The admission came without hesitation or apology - a simple statement of fact. "Which is why I'm not leaving you here to die from it."256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwwvqXg27Ah
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZAwkyuUZCI
Her hand moved to a pouch at her belt before he could respond. When she withdrew it, something rested in her palm - a flat stone perhaps the size of a coin, covered in symbols that writhed when looked at directly.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVXDV6nY7DK
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Her fingers closed around it.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXHPZqoIl5C
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The stone shattered.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4i1CKDraPh
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Not cracked - pulverized. Fragments turned to dust that slipped between her fingers, dissolving before hitting the ground.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2XrEWjwE1r
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Violet light erupted from where the stone had been.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSrycsGrJfs
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Cel's eyes widened.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlP46zHNIqY
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A rift tore itself into existence - but wrong. All wrong.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJmwke1UQgX
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The edges didn't shimmer. They crackled - sharp, violent bursts of energy that fought against their own existence. The violet light bleeding through wasn't steady. It pulsed, writhed, twisted back on itself in patterns that made his eyes water.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk81YIgdbJu
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'That's not possible.'256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN88vAICrIQ
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Creating rifts was impossible. Even for the Hallowed. Rifts were tears in reality that formed naturally, that could only be found and sealed, never created.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFa9atXHDVA
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqKOF1GtGXX
Yet here it stood, crackling with violent energy, defying every law he'd been taught.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqF3JQ4p4TH
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'She just... she just created a rift.' The thought repeated itself, unable to find purchase against the impossibility before him.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEdTojnEUXt
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡksHgDEzpaR
Raven's voice echoed in his memory: 'You can trust her. She will protect you.'256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQWbvf5YweT
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZXxBNkUHj6
Esrin Tempvolt. The woman every noble child had been taught to admire - proof that strength and honor could coexist. The pinnacle of grace and power that young ladies aspired to emulate. 256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRqBrRYge8K
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And Raven had been certain. Even knowing she hunted him, he'd told Cel to trust her.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmwrWt5Q5Bh
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Esrin stepped toward the impossible rift, then glanced back. "Stay close. The passage is disorienting."256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTe9evaVOfp
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Cel stared at her extended hand.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeEvmqNH2R0
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She'd nearly killed him. Had thrown him across the wasteland like garbage. Had threatened to break every bone in his body.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡixBPdrZrkr
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzY3JLMW8vq
But everything Cel had ever learned said the Hallowed were humanity's greatest protectors. That Esrin Tempvolt was someone worth believing in.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqz975rHVUp
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His fingers closed around hers.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0j9U5Tyycn
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He had no choice. Fighting Esrin was suicide. Running was impossible. And if Raven had been right about trusting her…256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡioQIPdlRlG
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'I'm sorry, Raven.'256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9JM9pc9RPC
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The thought was brief, nearly drowned by everything else screaming through his mind. But it was there.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYxtF2lp41w
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She pulled him forward without hesitation, her grip firm but not painful. They stepped through together.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWpVeb9gMdF
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The world inverted.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK6wR8FiZGu
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Violet light swallowed everything. Up became down became sideways became nothing. Cel's stomach lurched as gravity lost meaning. The only constant was Esrin's hand, anchoring him while reality twisted around them.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0gbRXtcc7F
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Then it stopped.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh4bW0JeSdw
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Solid ground materialized beneath his feet.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLiFrHl6MeY
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Cel's vision cleared by degrees.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLq8TpN9U4j
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They stood on an island of land suspended in—what exactly?256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSXOVpcbJkf
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Violet void stretched in every direction - not empty, but crackling with that same violent energy. Lightning arced through the emptiness in branching patterns, illuminating depths that had no bottom.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb5CqIA5Qle
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And in the center of the floating land stood a manor.256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡowurhu2Ul6
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<You have achieved something extraordinary: You entered a new dimension.>256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFOSJQdy9Tv
256Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOTw9WA2S1V
'Huh?'1234 copyright protection252ＰＥＮＡＮＡZeHcQ12ENw 尼

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