<Insight: (Ledger of Nightmares)>133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU0hlb96SHg
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Cel stared at the words, absorbing their meaning.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4k3JuTHR99
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"The Ledger will serve you well," Selina said, her voice carrying quiet approval. "Though I would advise you to examine it when you return to the physical world."133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCvhUZty8j8
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The reminder struck like cold water. He'd been so focused on examining his new gifts that he'd forgotten - his physical form was still slumped in those ruins, bleeding and defenseless.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYMUjmwDz83
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"How long have I been here?"133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfN07y5XSp1
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"Minutes only. But minutes can be enough for predators to find prey." Her tone remained gentle, but the warning was clear. "You should return. Examine the Ledger when you are safe - or as safe as one can be in such a place."133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKAURpR38mo
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Cel nodded, the wisdom obvious once stated. "Thank you."133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLg9lAjTo0a
133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMnMYdQA5wk
"There is no need for thanks." Selina's smile deepened. "Go now. And may the Moon Goddess light your path."133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4MSzqh1Q4c
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The familiar words wrapped around him like a benediction as he closed his eyes and reached for the world beyond.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOgQRhF01Qc
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Pain crashed over him like a wave.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUKaugyxa5E
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Cel gasped, his awareness slamming back into his physical body with brutal force. Every wound announced itself at once - the claw marks across his back, the burns on his left arm, the countless smaller injuries that painted his skin in blood and ash.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNAQbj90hLR
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He was still in the ruins, sitting against the wall where he'd left. The storm had passed completely now, leaving only settling ash that drifted through gaps in the broken stone like gray snow.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQc1ZIjP3bD
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A sound broke the silence. Soft. Wet. The unmistakable noise of tearing flesh.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyJvuzTqjJo
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Cel's eyes snapped to the corpse.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcukqGeDs4d
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It lay where he'd left it - serpentine body coiled in death, dark ichor pooled beneath it in the ash.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡno6B5Ms0ZF
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Something was perched on its chest.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyOrmMXkTpT
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A bird.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDpO2TlJpxT
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But calling it a bird felt wrong. Obscene, even.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa1vr5mTWVv
133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqBwqo9Bl14
The thing was roughly the size of a craw, but there the resemblance ended. Black feathers covered its body - sleek and dark as obsidian, their tips bleeding to crimson red. The proportions were all wrong - body was too long, legs too thin, neck too flexible, wings that folded at angles wings shouldn't fold. 133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCQoaRHBnmD
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When it tore another strip of flesh from the corpse, Cel glimpsed rows of tiny teeth lining the inside of that beak - serrated, designed for more than just pecking.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaC1NDG2O6e
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'That's not a normal bird.'133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVoGhkfoLow
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The thought arrived with crystalline clarity. Normal birds didn't exist in the Hollow Realms. Couldn't exist. This place had been dead long before any normal animal could have found its way here.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXL7vfFPVap
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Which meant this thing, with its blood-dipped feathers, was a rift-creature.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8EKy2t7veb
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His left hand moved, reaching for the bond with Silent Moon. Pain lanced through his shoulder, his back, his arm - but he ignored it.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvBZJN8zyBw
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Moonlight threaded through the air as the chokutō materialized in his grip. Six crescents ignited along its length, casting pale radiance across the ruined space.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVCeqbAQBHT
133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYmoPlY4nSE
The bird-thing's head snapped toward him - neck bending at an angle that should have broken bone. A single crimson eye fixed on him, unblinking and bright against the black feathers.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhWr2FByJd9
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Cinderward came next.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLnvrmZxTxI
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The armor manifested instantly, moonlight wrapping around him in silver threads. The mantle settled across his shoulders, the cloak falling behind him. Weight distributed itself across his body as bracers formed on his forearms and boots encased his legs.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRkvzd1LMzM
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The transformation took perhaps two heartbeats.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3E8MABbAZn
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When it finished, Cel stood in full divine regalia, blade raised, every muscle coiled despite the exhaustion weighing on him.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7tCL32GCqQ
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The bird-thing regarded him for a moment. Then it took another bite of the corpse, tearing away flesh with those serrated teeth hidden in its beak.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3X8j8uKkk1
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It was... ignoring him?133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMbM2Crs4cu
133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfsytcgG9PN
Cel's grip tightened on Silent Moon's hilt. The creature showed no aggression, no interest in him at all. Just methodical feeding, as if he were no more threatening than another piece of the landscape.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkAqKLRDb4N
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Should he attack? The thing was clearly unnatural, clearly wrong—133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRWjAn5oCkr
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Footsteps.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCKa9MIBW5y
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The sound came from outside the ruins. Steady. Deliberate. The crunch of boots on ash-covered stone.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFzPfIkh9PH
133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Ix30nB7bA
Cel's head tilted toward the entrance gap, every sense suddenly focused on that new sound.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb2BpcnOHEG
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Someone was approaching.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPlIPj0qEqQ
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The bird-thing didn't react. It simply continued its meal, pecking at exposed organs with clinical precision.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrmLoHHOYtm
133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSGewfZlG21
The footsteps grew closer. Not running. Not cautious. Just walking with the confidence of someone who knew exactly where they were going - or the carelessness of someone who didn't understand danger at all.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡssbNkXaR15
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A silhouette appeared in the gap between broken walls.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡazgNpBlLMh
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Tall. Lean. Moving with a grace that spoke of training and deadly purpose.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuTPtFT88zT
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The figure stepped into the dim light filtering through the ruins.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtfhSLUEDL8
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Cel's breath caught for the second time in as many minutes.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI3NdxT41nx
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A young man. Perhaps eighteen, maybe twenty. Dark hair fell across sharp features that carried a weight far beyond their years.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ41t7wrD342
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Relief crashed through Cel's chest before he could stop it.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLTraSnCBA0
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'A human.'133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfiIqySsAPy
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The thought arrived with desperate force. After what felt like eternity alone in this nightmare, fighting for every breath, surrounded by nothing but monsters and ash…133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjGKD9vwSPU
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Another human being stood before him.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSBnO14iCNE
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Then the stranger's gaze met his, and the relief shattered like glass.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWIcP9Op2sB
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Those eyes.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnFQnGBRbIQ
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Crimson iris set against black where white should be, holding depths that seemed to swallow light rather than reflect it.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnZVVJoRMIz
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Wrong. Fundamentally wrong in a way that made his instincts scream.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvMAZq68Owm
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'What if it's not human at all?'133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡab8C0wEcXm
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The thought sent ice through his veins. The cult had taught him that appearances meant nothing - that the cruelest monsters often wore the most familiar masks. His own father had smiled while arranging his torture. His mother had looked loving even though she abandoned him in the end.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGcDUJoLp3X
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Trust was a weapon that had been used against him too many times. A weakness he couldn't afford.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgfKad5QAI0
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But beneath the fear and suspicion, that desperate hope still pulsed. Weak. Pathetic. The part of him that wanted so badly to believe he wasn't completely alone in this dead world.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSdpZWfkCkg
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He hated that weakness. But he couldn't quite kill it either.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZPxSGx5asi
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The stranger wore practical clothing in dark tones with blue-grey accents. A cloak draped across his shoulders, shifting with his movement. Everything about him spoke of someone who lived by blade and shadow.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq7yXoTihRp
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But it was the way he carried himself that made Cel's instincts scream danger. Not aggressive. Not threatening. Just... present. Like death itself had learned to walk on two legs and dress in mortal clothing.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcduY81QEvS
133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHsrGfOGq07
For a long moment, neither of them moved. The bird-thing continued pecking at the corpse, the only sound in the sudden, heavy silence.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8CTA4YIAj2
133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8UNYQRTgak
Cel's grip on Silent Moon remained steady despite the pain lancing through his wounded shoulder. Six crescents pulsed along the blade's length, casting pale light across the ruined space.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj2uiDEqpuq
133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG08qR9WVcw
The young man's gaze swept the ruins in a single, assessing glance. Took in the dead creature, the ash-covered floor, the storm damage.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTy1aPsrpbo
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Then those crimson eyes fell back to Cel's face.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ09E6i90rub
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"You're human." The words came flat, carrying neither surprise nor emotion. 133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpA52TDu8lz
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"So are you." Cel's response was equally neutral, though his mind raced in disbelief. 'A human. In the Hollow Realms. How—?'133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZFnDYqsuv4
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The stranger's gaze swept over him again - lingering briefly on the blood seeping through the new armor's fabric, the way Cel's right arm hung slightly wrong at his side.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbjeeuyljSB
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"You're injured." Still that same flat tone, neither offering help nor threatening attack.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1cXNkRjHKH
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"I'll live."133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9IsL8Kdnxt
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A slight tilt of the head. "Will you?"133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY4DVNiO2FH
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The question held no malice. Just genuine curiosity, as if the stranger were genuinely uncertain whether Cel would survive his wounds.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxg8s13uhle
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Cel's jaw tightened. "Long enough."133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzX9wifVCk6
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Something flickered in those red eyes - not quite amusement, but close. "Confident."133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0EvA0po1Ew
133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjG7MUwm51A
The bird-thing chose that moment to tear away another strip of flesh, the wet sound obscenely loud in the tense quiet. Neither of them looked at it. Neither dared break eye contact.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv67ghVicSS
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The stranger moved.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYdA5wre36a
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Cel's entire body tensed - but the motion was just a step to the side, away from the entrance, giving himself a better angle to observe both Cel and the feeding creature.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6u4D4TaofA
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Not aggressive. But not careless either.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8B5ULGogCz
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"That yours?" The stranger gestured toward the corpse with a slight nod.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2xkhSWKyxH
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"I killed it."133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTkYHjo3EMo
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"Hmm." The sound carried something that might have been approval. "Ash-crawler. Nasty when cornered."133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2SfUnEAD97
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The casual knowledge in those words made Cel's instincts scream. 'He knows what it is. That means he'd encountered them before. At least once.'133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd5z7MLMGYK
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"How long?" Cel asked before he could stop himself.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg3gaGDf1Pa
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The stranger's gaze narrowed slightly. "How long what?"133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdVln3T8J9m
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"How long have you been trapped here?"133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBEXybXHVb5
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For the first time, something resembling emotion crossed that pale face. Not quite a smile, but a subtle shift at the corner of his mouth that suggested bitter humor.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoWx18c9oWE
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"Trapped." The word hung between them. “Seems like that.”133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGEEbHfTMW8
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Cel waited, watching the stranger's posture. Relaxed but ready - the stance of someone who'd learned to be comfortable with danger.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡinKoPuiiv0
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The silence stretched again. The bird-thing pecked at exposed organs with clinical precision.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkdCVva6sM3
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"What's your name?" Cel finally asked.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ848MpVD8fu
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Those crimson eyes studied him with unsettling intensity. As if the stranger were looking through him rather than at him, measuring something Cel couldn't identify.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUmfIi1RICB
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"Raven."133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd1WxpXX2z9
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Raven's gaze remained fixed on him, expectant. 133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ45NIY65qbD
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"And yours?"133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxjp6kVzHIG
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Cel hesitated. The question was simple enough, but his mind raced. 'How did he get here? Why is he here?' 133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpBTJ15FYXN
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His father's face flashed through his mind. If Lord Aldric  had somehow learned he survived, then the Children of the Voidmother would come for him again. This stranger could be one of them.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6CmckRiQTf
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But refusing would accomplish nothing. If Raven meant him harm, a name wouldn't change that. And if he didn't... Cel might need an ally more than he needed secrets right now.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxmxddGSl20
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"Celvian," he said finally.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLhZfY3lURZ
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"Celvian." Raven repeated the name once, testing it. Then his attention shifted - quick as mercury - to the entrance gap. "You alone?"133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVWhpUKD0Ut
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"Yes."133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdcTmRL1uEa
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"No companions? No escort?"133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlMLqB2eWK5
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"I said I'm alone."133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR6XT38OhR5
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Raven's eyes came back to him, sharp and assessing. "Moon Chosen."133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNpOE7DIkx6
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It wasn't a question. Cel's hand tightened on Silent Moon's hilt.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjomWI82I0o
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"How did you—"133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOIB8bvTsKu
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"Your weapon." Raven's gaze flicked to the chokutō. "Moon phases etched in the blade. And the way moonlight clings to you even when you're not manifesting power." A slight pause. "Distinctive."133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3rIBBlBWa5
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Cel's chest tightened. He'd thought his divine gifts were his own secret, his own advantage. To have them identified so casually—133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7l7ya8DE5X
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"Don't worry." Raven's tone remained neutral. "I'm not here to fight you."133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDvpMQ7Bs5W
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"Then why are you here?"133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmOPWgm7Fvo
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Those red eyes held his for a long moment. When Raven spoke again, his voice carried something that might have been weariness.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGMnfkqL8HV
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"Does it matter how I got here?" A slight pause. "I'm here. That's what counts."133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzdVQd8b1f5
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The statement hung in the air between them. Two humans, standing in the ruins of a dead world, both wary, both armed, both trying to decide if the other was threat or friend.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiSuORJ0nkz
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The bird-thing finished its meal and took flight - wings unfolding at wrong angles before it vanished through a gap in the ceiling. Neither Cel nor Raven tracked its departure.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdtclaPngO9
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"Fine.” Cel resigned. “But you didn't answer my other question. How long have you been here?"133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKcJfvWx6Z7
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This time, Raven actually answered.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAdiSejY5cC
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"Long enough." His eyes grew distant. "Maybe a year."133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNT04WtGGbV
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The number hit like a physical blow. 'A whole year. Alone. In this place.'133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAV4CuOzmmZ
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Cel stared at the young man before him, truly seeing him now. The dark circles under his eyes. The weight in his posture. The way he moved like danger had become as natural as breathing.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡymEVy3TMQk
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"How?" The word escaped before Cel could stop it. "How did you survive that long?"133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeEUwfVQBPY
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Something flickered across Raven's face - there and gone so quickly Cel almost missed it. Pain, perhaps. Or memory.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1cYUkvuSeC
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"You learn." The words came quiet, distant. "Or you die."133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWfvHlAt0Fd
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The bird-thing's cry echoed from somewhere outside, harsh and alien.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtn0KdaUgFr
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Raven's head tilted slightly, tracking the sound with practiced ease. When his attention returned to Cel, those crimson eyes carried a weight that made Cel's chest constrict.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeOR6iE4Bfs
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"Your wounds. They'll fester in this place. Faster than you'd expect." The statement came flat, matter-of-fact. 133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl4C3fjsUng
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Cel's fingers tightened on Silent Moon's hilt. "I'll manage."133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiJ0m89qRK7
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"With what?" Raven's tone didn't change, but something sharp entered it. "Ash and hope?"133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQFcnSCfJs9
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The question hung in the air between them.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnSMLY8iENv
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Cel had no answer. His divine gifts could create ice, could grant him strength under moonlight, could even bring him back from death under the right circumstances. But healing? He had nothing for that.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0eRUHPwTIT
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Raven seemed to read his silence accurately, eyes narrowing.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU76vrYwTc9
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"Stay here." Not a suggestion. A command, delivered with the casual authority of someone used to being obeyed. "Don't leave this ruin."133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1RzllFON84
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Cel blinked. "What?"133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQfpPqkazpW
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"I'll be back." Raven was already moving through the gap.133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIJRsoMsrEM
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"Wait—where are you—"133Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEZKCt6ezWh
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But Raven had already vanished into the ash-covered wasteland, his dark form swallowed by gray and shadow.1234 copyright protection129ＰＥＮＡＮＡxoWikfX44S 尼

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