"I can't..."47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQF4hpTXhW5
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW0R2e5XG2y
Cel's head dropped forward, chin touching his chest. Every breath was agony. Every heartbeat felt like his last. For a moment, he felt himself slipping away - not into unconsciousness, but into something deeper. Something final.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeT60zQ6U0B
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuT0WsOU79n
The darkness at the edges of his vision wasn't just exhaustion - it was death itself, reaching for him with the same cold fingers he'd felt once before.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSIVPGXYvjr
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡniO874qPGM
And with that recognition came memory.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMebn0PqEm1
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1l4BKb1Tig
Suddenly, he was back in the Hollow Realms, bleeding out in the ash with holes in his chest. The same helpless surrender. The same creeping darkness. But he remembered what had pulled him back then - not hope, not love, but pure, burning rage.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9gLUmGJTg0
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwuTFp0xFzL
'I will make them all pay!'47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyFPpXbwv47
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8sHrkdA7gy
Visions blazed through him like fire. His father's disgusted face. The cult's torture chambers. Everyone who had abandoned him, betrayed him, written him off as worthless. They wanted him to die here, forgotten and alone. But he wouldn't give them that. He wouldn't give them the satisfaction47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcRIV0jvBUk
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ63iLMUKzSU
Cel hauled himself upright on trembling legs. Through the heat shimmer, the spire still thrust into the sky - his only landmark. He stumbled forward, following the distant tower through passages that seemed to shift when he wasn't looking.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHzh5HUiByq
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGCs1wFT5sy
The corridors blurred past in a haze of heat and pain. Then - somehow, impossibly - the density of crystals began to thin and the roar in his skull faded to a manageable shriek.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX8K2ZF65II
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4n8LA9ILEp
The ruin's broken silhouette materialized ahead like a miracle made real.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhHknnvLHdm
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkNJHfLkmgw
For a heartbeat, Cel thought it might be another cruel trick of the maze - a mirage born from desperation and heat. But the ancient stones remained solid as he staggered closer, their weathered surfaces promising shelter from the merciless suns above.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0BYX97CrAm
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiPvx1jcaCQ
As he stumbled forward, the oppressive density of crystals began to thin. The towering formations that had surrounded him gave way to smaller clusters, then scattered shards, until finally only the occasional violet gleam caught the sunlight. The maze was releasing its grip on him.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgeitf92u4h
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡblStehpMr7
The hill's slope felt impossibly steep beneath his failing legs. Each step up the rocky incline was pure agony, his burned feet slipping on loose stone. He fell twice, scraping his palms raw on the rough ground, but desperation drove him upward. The ruins crowned the hill like broken teeth against the blazing sky, their ancient stones offering blessed refuge from the crystalline hell below.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVAgS3pppxk
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqa4y4UIIaL
By the time he reached the entrance, Cel's legs were trembling so violently he could barely stand. He rolled more than climbed over the treacherous pile of stone and crystal, sharp edges opening new cuts along his skin. Blood welled up in thin lines, immediately cauterized by the crystal's heat.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ770yV5A2Op
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUCjlYzWjbF
The moment he crossed the threshold into shadow, his body simply... stopped.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡONVYxtYKdf
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpUBMx2oEm9
Cel collapsed face-first onto the ancient stone floor. His cheek pressed against grit and dust that felt cool as spring water against his burned skin. His chest rose and fell in great, shuddering breaths that seemed to echo off the broken walls.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSvUI2vg5GL
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5QxFr5SJbD
Above him, the four suns continued their merciless dance. But here - in this small sanctuary of blessed darkness - their light was filtered, fractured, manageable.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaYrB2w2koP
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQb048qnqUo
His ears rang like temple bells, dried blood flaked from his neck, and his hands looked like raw meat wrapped around charcoal - blisters layered on blisters until the flesh was unrecognizable.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHrvyxxWXGU
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkiyxdh5H7c
Still, his heart hammered against his ribs with stubborn persistence.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxsVUqvWkNJ
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI1PlF6w4mJ
Minutes crawled by before Cel could force himself to move. Every muscle fiber screamed in protest as he rolled onto his back, staring up through the gaping roof at the four suns. A whisper of breeze stirred the air - barely enough to lift the dust, but it felt like arctic wind against his burned skin.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡolAI8uDGTf
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoAWAdnkMJB
His throat had been scraped raw by superheated air. Each swallow felt like drinking sand. But the water pouch sat where he'd left it, beside the dying embers of yesterday's fire.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpbhuiYAKxy
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN9bBWo86JK
The water was warm, tasting of leather and dust, but it might as well have been nectar from the gods. Cel drank in careful sips, letting each mouthful soothe his ruined throat before swallowing. Too much too fast would only come back up.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAoxwk8rb3Q
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvdrwRJsjse
When he'd managed half the pouch, he let his head fall back against the stone. The world felt muted, wrapped in a thick fog. Sounds reached him as if from a great distance - the eternal whisper of wind through crystal, the distant hum of the maze's song, all of it dulled and distorted. His ears had taken permanent damage from the crystal's shriek. Pain pulsed behind his temples in steady waves, each throb a reminder of what the maze had cost him. 47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrP3hdwX97I
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgWVT09sk04
After some time, the suns had finally begun their slow descent toward the horizon, painting the broken walls in shades of amber and gold. Soon, true darkness would claim this place again. But first…47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRO5YKzywma
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn6v5Zo9Lcj
Cel's gaze drifted to the stone slab where the ancient papers waited, their edges curled and brittle with age. Whatever secrets they held, whatever knowledge the parchment offered, now was the time to discover them.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAyH3k5jMhK
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuj2cTXnyJO
While he still could.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEb6nkm53i2
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiFuEIPYCie
Cel's joints protested as he shuffled toward the ancient slab, still gripping the wall for balance. 47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDT7mHIVdCS
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQQHaQZiido
He wiped his hands clean on his rags before lifting the first sheet. The script covered the parchment in symbols he'd never seen before - characters formed from sharp angles and flowing curves that seemed to follow no pattern he could identify. 47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeaKtDD6bmy
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHQcdg5G9QS
Pain spiked through his temple. The dull throb that had plagued him since the crystal maze flared into sharp agony, pulsing with his heartbeat like needles driven into his skull. His damaged hearing left everything muffled and distorted, making concentration nearly impossible. He squinted at the unfamiliar script, but the lingering effects of his ordeal made focusing on the dense symbols feel like torture. He dropped the page with a curse.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAQgQ65sHeT
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBBLpomXwWV
The second sheet was just the same - incomprehensible characters that his wounded mind couldn't parse. By the third page, his vision was swimming from the strain of trying to force his battered senses to work.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBOBxA6aCqr
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ03G7ibYUCg
The final sheet made his breath catch.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqI1QBxuYsr
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhSZz7pyZK5
A sketch dominated the page - though most of it had been violently defaced. Thick black lines slashed across the parchment in aggressive strokes, obscuring whatever had been drawn beneath. The ink was so heavy in places that it had soaked through the ancient paper, leaving dark stains on the reverse side.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRFov6zeNNr
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6fXI2PxAP9
But fragments remained visible at the edges where the defacement didn't quite reach.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGjEs36sGEK
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ48Py0H3R1n
Four delicate wings spread from what might have been shoulders - translucent membranes rendered in careful detail, their veins traced with artistic precision. They looked fragile, almost fairy-like, belonging to something harmless.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk1e1DsnIip
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvmfZXwfJh2
Below the blackened center, crystals jutted outward in chaotic formations. Sharp, jagged clusters that mirrored those of the maze itself, as if whatever this creature was had been claimed by the same force that filled this realm.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBld6MKTUbJ
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCKBuD5p2MF
The contrast unsettled him - ethereal wings above, eerie crystal growths below, and between them... nothing but aggressive black ink, hiding the truth.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH1FHs0hXNO
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj6Vq3xRVME
In front of this monstrosity knelt a group of humans, rendered as shadows in tattered robes. Their faces were lost in darkness, but their posture spoke volumes - backs bent in submission, arms raised in a gesture of offering or pleading.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuDlXRRfZvz
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJVhlSnMlIn
The image stirred an uncomfortable familiarity in Cel.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9NMawUMG5Y
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCBxWH2psun
'A sect…' Cel thought bitterly as he remembered the Children of the Voidmother. 47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF7vjbyvzVt
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHg7xiwyyM4
The papers rustled as his hands began to shake. Was this supposed to be guidance from the Moon Goddess? 47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtxa5241W7K
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhlVl3Z2KT8
'Don't tell me I'm supposed to grovel like those fools.' The thought tasted like bile. 'To beg this thing to bring back the moon.'47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOkwXyuWkk7
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡslQ0l48wsf
His free hand clenched into a fist. He'd spent a year on his knees, bleeding for monsters. Those days were over. Never would he do that again.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUVFkCHwzZR
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2zsTHUYXbK
But if the trial demanded it…47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMXeD6wF9oj
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgTyJJUb9l1
He set the sketch aside carefully. The sun's light was fading, painting the ruins amber. Soon the four orbs would sink below the horizon, leaving him to face another moonless night.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI4BsIxQb3x
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsb0waT4uTd
The papers had given him more questions than answers - just another possibility to chew on like tough meat that wouldn't break down.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk3inzuq4VH
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeAZwTqcH1G
Exhaustion pulled at him as he sank against the cool wall. His mind churned with images of crystal-crowned monsters and kneeling figures even as sleep claimed him.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpjl7UEh4nY
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQeEYTbdQS8
The nightmares came swiftly like they always have.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHloSqeBD2V
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBQu8rNAOf4
His body thrashed against stone, but the dreams held fast. Every betrayal, every abandonment played out in brutal detail, carved into his sleeping mind like scripture written in flesh.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQfTpsZHeZB
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwWvZkEH493
When the four suns crested the horizon, Cel's eyes snapped open. Sweat had turned dust to mud on his skin and his throat was raw - he'd been screaming again.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDfT9BwMuDX
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYDVZp7pdkf
But the bone-deep exhaustion was gone, replaced by something harder. His muscles felt coiled, ready, despite the ache that still radiated through his battered body. The burned skin had scabbed cleanly, though it still throbbed with each heartbeat.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQAuNaa3VTr
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZSQNn3w9tY
Rage burned steady as forge fire in his chest. Let the maze throw its worst at him.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI2Co09tU4Z
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNtSbf61SCG
He reached for the water pouch, which was far too light. Three, maybe four swallows left. Yesterday's desperation had cost him dearly.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTuolGWUSz5
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2SP2QG4HYY
One careful sip traced relief down his throat. The downside was that it left him more aware of his thirst.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbW9yaXcpr8
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlqta2gKvP5
Next was the dried meat. He bit off a piece and chewed mechanically, waiting for pleasure that never came. His tongue registered texture but no flavor - the torture had stolen even this from him. Still, his stomach accepted it without protest.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5OHewX9IPV
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsMyAppDN61
The pouch held two more strips. Enough for today, maybe tomorrow.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkkuqPB7yyC
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJLIuxjC3qw
At the maze's threshold, his legs suddenly locked. Sweat beaded despite the morning cool. The memory of yesterday's ordeal crashed over him - but this time, determination outweighed fear.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqS0BxUXfEA
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTwP8gnXj09
‘I didn't survive a year of hell to die in a crystal oven.’47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdfbYzFgpIE
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKqb3YAQheG
The first step weighed a thousand pounds. The second came easier. By the third, momentum carried him into violet shadow.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD3DYUXZAMP
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3UzJdZKtAg
The walls closed around him, already warm as the suns climbed higher. In the distance, that familiar hum began its crescendo - a song of heat and madness.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrbfutt5ZXW
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPpplmg60Nw
But Cel walked deeper anyway, one step after another.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGlRcACU9l2
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqHQbCeZZOS
This time would be different. This time, he was ready.1234 copyright protection43ＰＥＮＡＮＡglFOU2k57b 尼

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