Cel's eyes snapped open to gray dawn.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJkKWuV1sAa
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJNV0dNg0mY
The nightmares had chased him through the entire night again - his father's fists falling like rain, the cultists' blades carving fresh channels in his flesh, his family's backs turned in unified rejection. Sleep had been no refuge, just another battlefield where his tormentors held dominion.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxU38e0Zwir
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPOPpmJORXo
At least he'd slept through. His body had demanded that much, dragging him under and refusing to let him surface no matter how his mind struggled against the dreams.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡczjpwYoSG9
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQDMdU02kZ
His throat felt like he'd swallowed sand. When he tried to work moisture into his mouth, his tongue scraped uselessly. The gnawing in his stomach had faded to constant ache, but thirst screamed with every attempted swallow.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxaSEuC35Tp
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvhT92c1gAa
He pushed himself upright, every joint protesting. The burns on his arms pulled tight. His feet throbbed. The empty leather pouches lay discarded nearby - no water, no food. Today he would venture out or accept slow death.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ08NvCJfXwX
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0F5DICDiOB
Cel dragged himself toward the entrance, using the larger stones for support as debris scattered beneath him. Morning air pressed against his chest as he cleared the threshold.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1apelC0lza
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM1xltaqaT8
Then he stopped.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB5CkBudMcp
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT72DpNB9Bk
Violet crystals ringed the hilltop.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuw4tKEorhu
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡygxgONbrA9
They rose from the ground in twisted formations that hadn't existed yesterday, creating an uneven barrier between the ruin and the void below.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtcnlOgQYTu
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXM3IiW2p7Z
His mind reeled. He'd circled this hilltop several times. Walked every inch of it. The ground had been bare stone, nothing more.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4EDnFHHp1y
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOuSjdMAJfb
'When did these—?'190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoHqDD6KtwD
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXLgsepBwHP
The thought died as he watched the nearest formation expand and contract in a slow, deliberate rhythm.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgbLwcg9tTX
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYpkHZUNLtC
'Is this how the crystals grow?'190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOoV0nRAlJj
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXklGUidHzv
He descended and approached the crystal barrier. The surface was warm beneath his palm, humming with faint vibration. The crystals probably fed on heat from below, drawing up through stone in their alien expansion.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4F2ji53lQB
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzpfBTeA0Wa
He'd seen stranger things in this maze. It was just another impossible property of this place, like passages that folded or reflections that haunted.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡygXPuGbVBs
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcMP3RGOHHy
Beyond the crystals, the void remained perfectly still. The liquid darkness pressed against the hill's base as if held back by an invisible boundary.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKpdme1HIRh
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6awWdJW7eh
The crystals formed a complete ring, each moving in synchronized rhythm. They weren't tall - perhaps waist-high at their peaks - but dense enough to make passage difficult without fresh cuts.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBkyB0LalHn
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOIrgx9mtap
His sanctuary had been the one place where the world held still. Now even that mercy had been stripped away.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnDiIlQvaEI
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhgX2pLf2lc
Cel circled the ruin, examining gaps between formations. His throat contracted again. Without water, his body would begin shutting down within a day. The burns would fester. His blood would thicken.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcGpO46107c
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5UNZrnzNMl
There - to the east, two crystals stood slightly farther apart. The space looked like he could fit through without receiving fresh cuts.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCIDrw8Se0R
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXV5Ko2i9e1
He moved toward the gap, feet crunching over loose stone. The breathing crystals flanked his approach, their expansion creating subtle groans he felt as vibrations rather than heard. Sharp edges jutted at awkward angles, forcing him to map his route carefully.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHZmWfmxKuJ
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQDAP59GON5
He positioned himself between the formations and reached out, gripping the left crystal for balance. The warmth surprised him - almost body temperature. The vibration pulsed beneath his palm.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrBIFGtg0bC
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUHeCcEm7Tz
Then, the ground shifted.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtietxmgg3J
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ07Jrlhmbn
Not the grinding rumble of earthquake or a sudden lurch of collapsing earth. This was a lifting motion - smooth and deliberate, as if the entire hilltop had decided to rise several inches in a single breath.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ29Jaamsna7
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr67o2m9yb0
Cel froze. Every muscle locked as the surface continued its slow lift. Three inches. Six. A foot.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡopwdXrpGvd
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdEJzU8NtBL
Then it descended with the same measured pace.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsvHusRsJIw
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDMdqFMbL30
The movement wasn't coming from the crystals.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl4dUSMAkXL
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0HjvyRWu3I
His fingers slipped from the formation as understanding crashed over him. The rough texture beneath his feet. The way crystals suddenly emerged in organic patterns. The warmth radiating through his soles.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo6Z7dr6XMA
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfNT4KAkReD
Something beneath the crystals was breathing.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDZZwhKOmPX
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYHX13iReWe
Every instinct screamed to move, to run, but there was nowhere to go. The void surrounded him completely, and movement might wake whatever creature he'd been climbing on.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2urxKbPGDr
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7DzaEdtvwo
Beneath him, the breathing continued its steady rhythm. Rise. Fall. Rise. Each cycle lifted him from the darkness below, then lowered him back - steady and undisturbed, like breath in dreamless slumber.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡygZcD3TMyo
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqis8490cCx
Cel's hands trembled as he slowly pulled back from the crystals. His weight shifted with glacial care, trying to avoid sudden pressure. The burns and cuts screamed as he adjusted stance, but he bit down on any reaction.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzjChULIAgs
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXIfZZ5sTan
The creature showed no sign of waking. Its breath continued in a measured pattern.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMqdu8Eq2GM
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDwKcqYWqFd
His legs trembled - whether from terror or the strain of moving so carefully, he couldn't tell. He'd been climbing on something large enough to mistake it for terrain. And now he had to climb back down again without waking it.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPiLHvdKcVm
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSvvAB2YhHJ
Had this thing followed the void to the hilltop during the night? How had he not woken when it arrived? He'd been exhausted, yes, but for something this massive to settle around the ruin without disturbing him seemed impossible.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3eRwTksQHi
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDtxJqgLq0M
The parchment sketch flashed through his mind - the creature with fairy-like wings and crystal growths covering its body. The crystals matched. He twisted carefully, searching the creature's back for any sign of wings, but saw only more crystal formations jutting from its spine in irregular patterns. Perhaps the wings were folded beneath, hidden from view. 190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡERdNvWdbwY
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3LlCs0VYKO
If this was the same creature from the illustration, wings like those could have brought it here in perfect silence, lowering it around the ruin so gently he'd never woken.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJBpQhXlMUZ
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBpYzNmEQk4
He forced the thoughts aside. Whatever this thing was, it was sleeping. And his only hope was that it stayed that way.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTIgb72JWGp
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjoSTfxqTnS
Cel began his descent with glacial care. Each shift of weight deliberate and measured. His burnt hands found purchase on crystal edges. His torn feet searched for stable ground. The breathing continued beneath him - steady, undisturbed.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdiNryb83Ie
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrdGScWjOZK
Then, the rhythm changed.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpaU8iVyIne
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwlMUB7k2IL
The breath that lifted him held longer than the others. The descent came slower. Cel froze halfway down what might have been the creature's flank.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAULJ5wVzfG
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHFc42Of2oB
The creature was waking.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhiZHXjsFjb
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDM1p4aOiX4
His fingers dug into the crystal growth beside him. His jaw clenched so hard his teeth ached. Should he climb faster, try to reach the ground before it fully woke? Or freeze and pray it drifted back to sleep? Both gambles. Both likely to fail.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3xhmSJEfEe
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh3FDJezCYn
The breathing shifted again. Deeper. More deliberate. The surface beneath his feet tensed, muscle moving under skin he'd mistaken for stone. The crystals trembled with building energy.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡObkLjTS17b
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeVo0OlkN9O
Movement exploded beneath him.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUpF8TCcIas
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe8Li4TPntB
The creature surged forward in a single massive stride. Cel's stomach lurched as the world tilted violently. His grip on the crystal saved him from tumbling as the beast's back tilted at an impossible angle. The ground that had been horizontal seconds ago was now a steep slope threatening to slide him toward the void.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuxe9HkqEIA
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMtA6tws2ou
He pressed himself against the crystal outcroppings, arms wrapped around their base, legs scrambling for purchase on the rough hide. The creature's next step sent shockwaves through its body.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtaZ7N9cflV
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUGPUhIqMNn
It was descending the hill.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZavbD2YeiQ
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRfkbyeo8zg
Moving toward the void.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm1n9DNIo2f
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEbN98eun00
Horror flooded through Cel's chest. His hands moved without thought, pulling desperately at the crystals as if he could somehow steer the massive creature away from the liquid darkness. The formations didn't budge. The creature didn't slow. His efforts were as meaningless as a fly trying to redirect a charging horse.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGu81kCNFNP
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTKOVRkikpv
'No, not into that you damn—'190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8vmLdGLOkb
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDGXgSdJMv1
His fingers dug into the crystals until blood welled from his torn palms. Every instinct screamed to jump, to throw himself free, but there was nowhere to go. The slope was too steep, the void too close. He would tumble straight into that hungry darkness.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTKr1R7VZQr
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6EEKL2mz3g
The creature reached the hill's base and stepped onto the void.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDpT7S8NWlK
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4MLZt1egSa
The liquid exploded instantly.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNE0YWNiOd3
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaAILhd1iem
Tendrils of darkness shot upward, wrapping around the creature's forward limb. They coiled like serpents, layer upon layer of nothingness binding to flesh and crystal alike. Where they touched, the surface seemed to drink light itself, creating wounds of absolute black against the creature's dark hide.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWf1cVTy2HP
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrUCHZiot7t
But the beast didn't stop.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjJWnGq70qd
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpcAorGq8Tr
Its next step sent tremors through Cel's bones. The void writhed in response, more tendrils erupting upward. They grasped at legs, wrapped around the creature's underbelly, and climbed toward the crystal-crowned back. Each new contact point pulsed with hungry intent, trying to pull the creature down into itself.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGQjnQIJlGB
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoTnNuHo3v0
The creature pushed forward.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7E93k5PBsl
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxqvJtJSS54
Cel watched the liquid climb higher with each stride. The tendrils moved with terrible purpose, wrapping tighter, pulling harder. The creature's breathing grew labored. Its steps slowed. Yet it continued crossing the void's surface, muscles tensing and releasing beneath Cel's desperate grip.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9DySirFHGW
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPoHO2sBfsi
The crystals along the creature's spine flared brighter. Violet light pulsed through each formation in waves, starting from the base of the neck and traveling backward. When the light reached the crystals Cel clung to, heat bloomed against his arms. Not the killing heat of the maze, but warmth that pushed back against the void's cold hunger.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAiG20pKwki
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ505JHyJemj
The liquid recoiled from the illuminated crystals. The tendrils loosened slightly, though they didn't release. The creature took advantage, surging forward with renewed strength before the void could recover.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYa94CdKwaP
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXNVZciBKFz
They were moving deeper into what had been the maze. Cel risked a glance over his shoulder and saw the hill receding behind them, the ruin perched atop it like a crown. The sleeping giant was awake now, and Cel was trapped on its back while it waded through a sea of hungry nothingness.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk0R9BbaJjk
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVXIQNSr69M
His fingers ached from gripping the crystal. Blood from his torn palms made the surface slick. The creature's movements grew more violent as the void's resistance increased - sharp lurches that nearly tore Cel free, sudden drops when a leg sank deeper into the liquid, explosive rises when it pulled itself forward again.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWIMr96jCIH
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLGRHgozPQE
The void surged higher. Tendrils now reached past the creature's shoulders, grasping at the lower crystals on its back. One tendril stretched toward Cel's leg. He jerked his foot away just as the darkness brushed his heel, leaving a cold burn where it had almost made contact.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAEXekMIlwr
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5YVDzC9oa2
The creature's breathing came in deep, rattling gasps. The crystals pulsed faster, brighter, but the light seemed strained. The void was winning through sheer persistence, adding more tendrils with each passing moment, creating a web of emptiness that dragged at every movement.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7SIX8ozB3Z
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2hTMCiriNy
Cel's arms trembled. His grip was failing. The creature's next violent lurch would throw him free, and then the void would have him. After everything - the torture, the imprisonment, the maze's horrors, the mirror realm's torments - he would end as nothing more than another reflection swallowed by darkness.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnxuCiPXCzE
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOu2BnR3rzj
The creature took another step.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIV3LqX3uW0
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWN74SyhLdO
Then another.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhUsZbp9dR6
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTUTTuSfoCB
Its legs moved slower, pushing through the clinging mass like wading through mud. The liquid had risen to its chest, tendrils wrapping around its neck, pulling its head down toward the hungry surface. 190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaT6FbRgFIR
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX3WoLbWkBq
They were going to die here. Both of them, claimed by the void that had waited so patiently.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaHvvx4JUn6
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTJuGtUQsgK
The crystal beneath Cel's grip turned white-hot.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvBHZK13sJU
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQwq8tWk09A
He jerked back with a gasp as every formation along the creature's spine ignited simultaneously - violet to blinding white in a single breath. The air shimmered. Heat slammed into him like a physical blow.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtCiraEUWZJ
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2iPHwcPbZa
The crystals shattered.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy2nV2ixF71
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQvexsZa5N9
They exploded outward in a cascading chain, molten fragments raining down on the void. Each impact detonated with brilliant light. The liquid darkness recoiled, tendrils snapping back as if burned. 190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡluwSqEqgnl
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDb9e6Puc0P
The creature surged forward through the chaos, legs suddenly free.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAR7wSWwvCj
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU8yXfy2rPh
Cel pressed himself flat against bare hide between the superheated sockets, fragments whistling past his head. More crystals fell from the creature's flanks - each one exploding on contact, pushing the void back in violent bursts of light.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTF8mPMe18P
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBCtFvYP13x
Violet crystals jutted from the ground ahead. The creature hauled itself onto solid ground with a final stride and exploded into a sprint.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq667bOGSXM
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ZXvvHzENs
Violet crystals jutted from the ground ahead. The creature hauled itself onto solid ground with a final stride and exploded into a sprint.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTvF6rYQQW4
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNW71L3gGD3
The acceleration slammed Cel backward. Only his desperate grip on the remaining crystal kept him from sliding off the creature's flank as it surged forward with terrifying speed. Wind tore at his face. His injured body protested every jarring impact as the creature's feet hammered against stone and crystal.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhlFVLd7fgf
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyKFgZIxuC3
The maze blurred around him - violet edges streaming past like falling stars. He squeezed his eyes shut against the rushing air, unable to watch the deadly formations they were racing through. All he could do was hold on, muscles burning, lungs fighting for air in the wind-whipped chaos.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkMJrkQaL1P
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJWlf9WYvoS
Time lost meaning. There was only the creature's pounding rhythm, the heat rising from its exhausted body, and the screaming pain in his arms as he clung to survival with weakening fingers.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB555Z653Dt
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKk6dnao5oz
When the creature finally began to slow, Cel's relief was so profound he nearly released his grip. The sprint faded to a stumbling run, then a heavy trot. Eventually, the creature staggered forward several steps before stopping entirely, its massive form trembling with exhaustion. Smoke still rose from the empty sockets where crystals had been, and the remaining formations pulsed weakly, their light guttering like dying flames.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8snLPNxLZJ
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2lhT64aMXr
Cel remained frozen against his anchor point. His arms were locked around a crystal, muscles cramped and screaming. His breath came in ragged gasps that matched the creature's labored panting.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr0tEn0TYpw
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrxOoivMAgU
They'd crossed the void. Both of them. Somehow.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9BpaQLGx1L
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPl3SQvY6Q0
The creature stood motionless for a while. Behind them, the liquid's surface had already smoothed once more, perfectly still as if nothing had disturbed it. The hill rose in the distance, the ruin still perched atop it, impossibly far away now.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIQwIzcWAKO
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHBTVCbsAXa
Ahead stretched the crystal maze - razor sharp formations filled with heat and horror. The creature had carried him from one trap into another, from the void's patient hunger into the maze's active malice.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZybYNHfhLz
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ37psoXXsGx
But he was alive - for now.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk8NlcKrLZx
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF5sOV0QEH8
Cel's grip on the crystal loosened slightly. His fingers were numb, his palms raw and bleeding. The creature's breathing gradually steadied, though it didn't move. Perhaps it was gathering strength. Perhaps it was dying. Cel couldn't tell and didn't have the energy to care.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrm4VyMmDgL
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvy2SMZGLzX
He closed his eyes and let his head rest near the warm crystal base, careful to avoid the sharp edges. The four suns burned overhead. His throat still screamed for water. His body still carried its catalog of wounds.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTOwnTTcAcR
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4gUgHTznm6
He'd needed to return to the maze to find the moon - but not like this. Not clinging helplessly to a creature he didn't understand, dragged toward an unknown destination. The ruin had been his sanctuary, his one safe place in this nightmare. Now it was lost to him, separated by a sea of hungry darkness he could never cross again.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzhQXWBCikF
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzns35WXpyc
The creature took a single step forward, almost gentle compared to its previous violence. Then another. It was moving deeper into the maze, carrying Cel along like unwanted luggage on its crystal-crowned back.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9h2AtyP6Cg
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQXu9bYXtLT
He didn't try to escape. Where would he go? The void waited behind. The maze stretched ahead in formations he couldn't navigate on foot in his weakened state. And somewhere in this nightmare, the moon remained hidden, waiting for him to complete a trial that seemed designed only to find new ways to kill him.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkAHxnw2N0a
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF6HbuWe9Ht
So, Cel maintained his grip and let the creature carry him forward, into whatever fresh horror the crystal maze had prepared. At least he was moving toward his goal, even if he'd lost all agency in how he'd get there. The moon was somewhere ahead in this labyrinth.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB1LcqB03X9
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZLcBOzVtwx
He just had to survive long enough to find it.1234 copyright protection186ＰＥＮＡＮＡHPV9ymy3Y1 尼

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