"Raven!"59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJDcw6O9aSK
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH6aht7A1P6
The name echoed down into nothing.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQoP7w3to8A
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd4V5KMb33S
Cel stumbled toward the edge - he could jump, follow them down, there had to be—59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7PtPWwVACU
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcqVTulhxls
Something closed around his throat and the world lurched.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM9KO1spoSw
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5BXVpcAvO0
His vision swam, legs dangling in empty air. Fingers clawed at a wrist round his throat—how had—?59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeUIcH0gx3p
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp8mTDW8V8p
When it cleared, she stood before him.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPtKXA9Spnu
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTWd1ZQcbyq
Esrin Tempvolt.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3QeAVDNYJk
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMwIxLVPqPE
No wings now - vanished as if they'd never existed. Just dark armor, ash-white hair and ruby red eyes.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqYU9cuFu1Q
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVCLDmGhqEa
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.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhYnoseKwmo
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDMhV5OqsQL
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.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPtl7y6koiQ
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE0zzTfaD6z
"Who are you?" Her voice was flat, emotionless - a demand, not a question.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPzcXp3WLp3
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrGmqWe2OGu
Cel couldn't breathe. His vision tunneled as pressure built.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR4PWsMEhrI
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdWMKBOuz4i
He forced words through the crushing grip. "Go... away."59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgdt4ZcofaA
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVi35JFriFx
Her expression didn't change.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrLVdGPsSbY
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx2hykdW40a
His hands clawed at her wrist. He reached for Frostmark—59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRwlAwSOkfV
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLOwcYd8GaO
Pain.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLB7LjM8jkj
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY6f1qT86FA
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.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAZJPNF6WXY
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqbvOA7Ya7y
Everything went black.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkbiGTUg5Qy
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaYNwj9ca0f
When awareness returned, he couldn't breathe.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcMIhfCNCgE
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhBurHS2WLF
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.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeRlhQ0dU3G
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZGhHFBSE0T
Blood surged up his throat.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhPTUj7NUPR
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1n80Uc4XIm
He rolled onto his side, retching. Hot liquid poured from his mouth, choking him further. His throat worked uselessly, chest heaving in broken rhythm.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6KFKvaHLpD
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0p9HAGYgSj
More blood came up. His vision grayed at the edges.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡql0hXHFkAC
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDrieguPjOl
He clawed at the ash, fingers digging in as his body convulsed again. Another wave of blood. His chest locked tighter.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNvHKT3WrhK
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuKv7ZqGktA
'Breathe—'59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1RU9WWrfcS
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhuoeUU9imb
Nothing.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxqUsWiBVae
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ61vT3Se4lv
'BREATHE—'59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpLMIyA6xr7
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOz3fJISkG1
His lungs finally obeyed.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGA3ObhSwa7
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGVZBVNCuPm
Air rushed in - hot, full of ash. But real.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Yb8NoYZgt
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡABQYm2KLrX
He sucked in desperate, ragged gasps between coughs that brought up more blood.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbIFCVJVUJ2
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOnekD2ad2D
Footsteps crunched across burning ash.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ51fuqLhHN8
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQC5MJ1h8FH
Not hurrying. Just the slow, inevitable advance of something that knew its prey had nowhere to run.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBKVEEV9E9T
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZM09r3QYxV
"Use that power on me again and I'll break every bone in your body before you hit the ground."59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVsARXj3I7H
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpCrLpXWacX
He sucked in desperate breaths between coughs, blood still hot in his mouth.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIXBJZMcoBc
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgEBzXgtX94
Esrin was ten steps away. Nine.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2H0dH0ME7P
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCATJqtbIs1
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.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdbyC7DABzY
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrmaFrje3iT
But there was something else. Something that might—59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOa02kc9YCH
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFI24YRuN02
Eight steps.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPyVXXQcW8c
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg24QO3b1oC
Cel slammed his fist into the burning ash.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM8FHorkHol
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTEMFp4eXvp
Seven steps.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUuzcDI3rIb
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKVNofMed4y
Again.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3QUeJcvf10
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqQF8yhfjQr
'Come on.'59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqQQiSWlnrY
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo7vRmbUZh8
Six steps.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv9cJRGf57T
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc6yFpZvlXZ
Again. Harder.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfMI9vyh51h
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg1eGHKz69Q
'I know you're there!'59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6mlIfJln3w
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhJmFWD3vCt
Five steps.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTz9wMmvQ0n
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBS3WOIkQZc
The ground beneath him vanished.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg7dcFC6bLc
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtrWEHUyEao
The Tremorborne erupted in an explosion of ash and stone, its circular maw opening wide as it surged upward with impossible speed.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMdFAzrmDVa
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4XisS3TMYf
Cel fell backward into that hungry darkness—59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJzHntfnbCJ
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWvJJBNZHPk
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.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHmqmm7I9nH
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsqSNOLdEZP
A smile. Savage and defiant.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNHcT3DSRw9
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLFwxFu83lp
Then the maw snapped shut and darkness swallowed him once more.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWsrrtHt7bJ
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv5j6XjggTI
***59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9E1a1RqVhL
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6IHybzGHHb
Esrin's eyes narrowed as the ground sealed itself.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe1MSiNUwcO
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw9xac0NZO6
'His divine energy... I can't sense it at all.'59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqLL6WAGHk1
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlF53CYbqFV
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.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsfey4xrL04
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP0ldSQSRSY
This boy had nothing.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa5ULLZP4Ls
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0UhfztH58h
As if he simply... didn't exist in that regard.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeY7RHOxsKd
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt3b8JN38p7
'An artifact?'59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3BEawvedqH
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZf3W1dzWwB
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.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNCceleXUE0
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKUBk9F1Dsh
Her glaive materialized in her grip.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWw3fliTCSV
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUQFlo4aPVy
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.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMf10Zlmx2F
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQXzvxCDzmn
She drew back and hurled it.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqpExehelLc
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxOCOaOqhD7
The glaive became a streak of blazing white, tearing through the air with a sound like ripping silk.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1xyvGQfbjI
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW5tIq4GfVl
It struck where the Tremorborne had vanished.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi4y4Sa0sc6
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWihJJULrRp
***59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUWJqaNzAzu
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf6YbWyqa8a
Light.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXDXaMF6zJI
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzrQkzPNrCZ
Blinding, absolute light that turned the darkness into screaming white.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDpTd0f9ydo
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡygN2Z0h0on
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.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPArzjzarYW
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr31fi58XQl
The Tremorborne's flesh detonated around him.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSa7OTalsdZ
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjrqOXmo1EB
Chunks of obsidian armor flew outward in all directions. Tissue vaporized. The concentric rings of teeth shattered, fragments spinning away like shrapnel.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDcSTk8Dh7L
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6PCLWU8Epg
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.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfQTHIt5NIb
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMYsMafeInM
He hit something solid.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH5pIJ2SuuD
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeIcVNVfm8i
The impact drove what little air remained from his lungs. His back slammed into stone, his head whipping back—59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeVbjFeOKoY
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUJGepcV4Iv
Then stillness.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYDnCiQ9hpV
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFHEnY8fCxq
The light faded by degrees. White to gray to the familiar crimson of the Ashlands sky.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLXHO2l8CU4
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj27tkkRnth
Cel lay at the bottom of a crater.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtqNsflFq6M
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfbMsYeRprr
The walls rose around him in a perfect circle, the stone still smoking from the heat. Ash drifted in the air like snow.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNfraiJ4Svi
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBB6ZSDi7no
He couldn't move.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzEDZYeEU42
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOk8xCvtHFq
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.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKfOQjtKglE
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3FLqBbbcAL
The glaive stood embedded in the ground beside his head.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡODfKf2DE2C
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKTcjNcCgbT
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.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhPHxA3GeUA
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM1zqeAKpzo
A shadow fell across him.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWvoAF7tT7b
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYLZXe92s0G
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.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ97qaskQxhB
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnQIV791Orz
The white wings dissolved in a cascade of fading lightning, crackling out of existence as if they'd never been.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9J4c6nf6IR
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP6luwzhpOo
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.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV6fG23DPcp
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGVXsLgSQBu
Cel's chest rose and fell in shallow breaths. His eyes were wide, unblinking. Every instinct screamed to run, to flee, to get away—59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6GEktwGqTc
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRj1vuOKiLh
But his body refused.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOehsTzuIVF
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH3aw4QBxLc
Esrin reached down.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtBBIPFXAvW
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp8Wlwbo8sr
His eyes tracked her hand, his throat already tightening in anticipation— 59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSbPBGkIv4S
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrbPvyHN2CU
She grasped the glaive's hilt.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRN85o574Ba
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYUBVITa3w3
The weapon came free with a soft whisper of steel against stone.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTbqxhmPY7n
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeEm5aI7hBQ
She held it loosely at her side, the blade still crackling with residual energy.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP58S0qkO1s
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Pb0w0OyKX
"You're wasting my time."59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgB3nSjnDAd
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxECKoHjQon
Cel's jaw worked. Blood coated his teeth, his tongue. When words finally came, they scraped like broken glass.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnjLheitRg4
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLqFAcGzhp4
"Then... leave."59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNG8CDK2pcz
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBUaVYYOAzu
Silence answered him.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOImOTfvf2g
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJLRZqwhMzj
Esrin's gaze remained fixed on him, flat and emotionless. Seconds stretched.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr4DPw3XLMk
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwR7Tbr59V0
"What's your name?"59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTWiaOAMA5p
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0b61h8OVNa
The question came without warning, without context.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2MJvjNt5HP
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh2sQpooVXR
"Celvian."59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0D2JabEAWi
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhsO5yGEN29
"Your patron god?"59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeLBbVd91fz
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmRJj37GuRP
His throat tightened. "The Moon Goddess."59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfqVbQFNIIX
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr9FnztQnVr
Her eyes tracked to his snow-white hair, to his glacial-blue eyes, then to the armor covering his battered form.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEnrwS7vzRY
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk9dH1EK0Hx
"How old are you?"59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgBEh9hkT5Z
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtiQ4JJbikB
"Sixteen."59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe10JA88dWR
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0RrBygt2e2
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.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0sqKblJJtB
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKQbQAFTs5m
"How did a sixteen-year-old Moon Chosen end up in the Hollow Realms?"59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRW8dpxvJbl
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnddKkqHSIg
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.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzVj2NglJgw
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1dvAOC8NBC
His jaw clenched as rage flared hot in his chest.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcYAAM0hNTb
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEmej1aooXv
They were his to kill. His vengeance. His blood to spill when he grew strong enough to make them scream.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa6dA77DQe5
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBblGfwOfpY
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?59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXAvoNvK9m1
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8SViZaL0gc
The thought settled in his chest like cold satisfaction.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC88EQpBbjR
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN2wapdgamu
"The Children of the Voidmother." His voice came raw. "They threw me through a rift. To seal it."59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh5PH4NUlvS
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOW6eDF8PtL
Esrin's expression hardened - the only real emotion he'd seen from her. Her jaw set in a way that suggested this information mattered.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8u1Zu3g7T7
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRro1NElB7U
"The cult." Not a question. A statement laced with something cold.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjNylT670Dn
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCQaG8mWrxe
He nodded.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsFgz7wGJw6
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4sO0gemToK
Silence stretched again. Esrin remained perfectly still, gaze fixed on him with that same calculating intensity. Weighing. Deciding.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUYL44oRYfo
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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.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2gm8bOYJCp
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He couldn't risk that.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoiRV1wUkNL
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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.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDXxdGW8Wg7
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Finally, something in her posture shifted - subtle as a blade finding its sheath.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgAyZNz0YVu
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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."59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtNtQmQCJXD
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJutZVBQfGs
The clinical assessment in her tone made it clear this wasn't mercy. Just... efficiency. A waste of resources to let him rot here.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwqGPRsDC6F
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"I'm taking you out of here."59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ3RSgoYmSF
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Cel's body went rigid. "I can leave on my own."59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR6i4JSixn8
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg1jTm7bCkA
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.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcs0DvZFHaK
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"Can you?" Her gaze swept across his bloodied form. "You can barely stand."59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0CcXJ3GLkT
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"And whose fault is that?"59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsln91c80uD
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfu25CUaoqf
The words came sharper than intended, edged with pain and defiance.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpvKkvZSAbZ
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXAavaLHcOI
Esrin's expression didn't change. No flicker of guilt, no acknowledgment of what she'd done to him. Just that same flat assessment.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3I9g36ImSJ
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCscOomJTuw
"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."59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC0e9FjGq0g
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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.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4k4ggsuwya
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ56ICAgSeuV
Her fingers closed around it.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlBODIRKa9g
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The stone shattered.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6F6s4yhYc2
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Not cracked - pulverized. Fragments turned to dust that slipped between her fingers, dissolving before hitting the ground.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGWuSeXsov9
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Violet light erupted from where the stone had been.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhMSAzqaf9K
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Cel's eyes widened.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ41lHB5d9rk
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A rift tore itself into existence - but wrong. All wrong.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQusASyFxcA
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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.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtBhIr9vJhp
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'That's not possible.'59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr26w8COzEg
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2W2v36ENoh
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.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdzRJTaB78H
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOLMnAcXmfv
Yet here it stood, crackling with violent energy, defying every law he'd been taught.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFRM3U0zm71
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'She just... she just created a rift.' The thought repeated itself, unable to find purchase against the impossibility before him.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiuvhIsZBtT
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Raven's voice echoed in his memory: 'You can trust her. She will protect you.'59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDu9xlCmnri
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj35RFUKH4m
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. 59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlnThTd0l4p
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And Raven had been certain. Even knowing she hunted him, he'd told Cel to trust her.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkZ5OJdeB3T
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Esrin stepped toward the impossible rift, then glanced back. "Stay close. The passage is disorienting."59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡShtiOfRhG8
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Cel stared at her extended hand.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNJVzGXVzAu
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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.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ2TCeh1VUZ
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But everything Cel had ever learned said the Hallowed were humanity's greatest protectors. That Esrin Tempvolt was someone worth believing in.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwfDdVfwx87
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His fingers closed around hers.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSiUZ8OTnPa
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He had no choice. Fighting Esrin was suicide. Running was impossible. And if Raven had been right about trusting her…59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvIKWRuw3el
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'I'm sorry, Raven.'59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9LwpyQNgJt
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The thought was brief, nearly drowned by everything else screaming through his mind. But it was there.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5HnihSqDws
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She pulled him forward without hesitation, her grip firm but not painful. They stepped through together.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡapZihjh0t4
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The world inverted.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyl5MwEWpKd
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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.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFS2caarmPu
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Then it stopped.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNNKlPgZlhD
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Solid ground materialized beneath his feet.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQr2aEhVX35
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Cel's vision cleared by degrees.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiqEo7FHzjZ
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They stood on an island of land suspended in—what exactly?59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZvAHFBKnQP
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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.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLd8RWsyoai
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And in the center of the floating land stood a manor.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJeVoEONRw5
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<You have achieved something extraordinary: You entered a new dimension.>59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJXKj4NKKRW
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡknlQTRGorh
'Huh?'1234 copyright protection55ＰＥＮＡＮＡH0KvooOY14 尼

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