"I need to ask you something." Cel's voice came quiet in the mist-shrouded landscape. 113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ6X0ATZ2qP
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Her masked face tilted slightly, attention focusing with that patient grace she always carried. "Of course, Chosen One."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvgov2g9c2n
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The words felt heavy in his throat. Not because they were difficult to speak, but because asking them felt like crossing some invisible line.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk7SUAhM6dj
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJWLCwrcuNA
"What are the Cursed?"113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡifYnZnDjCF
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoMXi7gkv03
Silence answered him. Not uncomfortable - just present. Selina remained perfectly still, her expression unchanged.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs9YRcs2wDN
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsvj58PUZ0V
When she finally spoke, her voice carried something that might have been regret. "I am sorry Chosen One, that does not lie within my authority."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv6PbsMUKdB
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAWUcx1Mkpx
Cel's jaw tightened. He'd expected the answer, but disappointment still settled in his chest anyways.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlj1EmAjkeq
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGtnHb8mRgi
"Fine." He forced his breathing to steady. "Then can you at least tell me this - do they pose a threat? Are the stories true about them being... wrong?"113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTOktMtnJ0u
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrF8Pm6VCgM
"Some stories hold truth. Others are born from fear and misunderstanding." Selina's gaze remained fixed on him, unreadable behind the mask. "The Cursed are as varied as any other human. Some deserve the exile they receive. Others do not."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0JmmizdB4X
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsD54U50Nmk
The honesty in those words struck deeper than any evasion would have. Not a judgment. Not a defense. Just simple truth, delivered without embellishment.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkLKyrfIryO
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"That doesn't help me know which category Raven falls into."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJtwJGnytMs
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO97i2OCCOy
"No," Selina agreed softly. "It does not."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCvHPaYnw9M
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLaooAKnjTU
Cel's fingers curled against his palm. The logic felt wrong somehow - incomplete. If the Cursed were just people, varied like anyone else, then why mark them at all?113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtrvWZSmhhq
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRWWUrelbWh
"You said some don't deserve exile." The words came carefully, each one weighed. "If the Cursed were just people, varied like anyone else… then why do the gods mark them with corruption? What is that mark, really?"113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsPYEQQqmBk
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFBpHG2HaTn
Selina remained silent for a long moment. When she spoke, that same note of regret colored her voice. "I am sorry, Chosen One. That too does not lie within my authority."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrwiH47gxB1
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwCQpIubV3I
The mist shifted around them, curling through broken earth and small flowers that reached toward moonlight.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpWqsImKUy5
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPK2mxAYcMk
Cel stared at the ground, trying to organize thoughts that refused to settle into anything coherent. Every question led to another, each answer revealing how little he actually understood.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvhiGx6M8rb
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡimkwvAeMKK
Selina's voice came gentler now, almost hesitant. "Chosen One..."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqF5d8HRdqo
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8PKEzIO13g
He looked up.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ82Os4XIrvP
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"Please be careful." The words carried weight that made his skin prickle with instinctive unease - a subtle shift in her posture, an emphasis that suggested something beyond simple caution.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡthRtAeDFfQ
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His chest tightened. "Of what?"113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQuEEO99yp
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfdpIwPGuLI
"That is all I can say." Her tone had returned to its usual serenity, but something lingered beneath it. A warning wrapped in silk. "You should rest now. Your body needs sleep."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdsa0nuBgIH
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The finality in her voice made it clear - this conversation was over.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk5ZZd0mkQK
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj1ewQPphiw
"Alright," he said quietly. Then, after a pause, "Good night, Selina."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEHYpYl0hvd
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPTyVpRTfPP
The words felt strange leaving his mouth. He hesitated. "Do... do priests even sleep?"113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFVOrlgOCcr
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡORVbvKZGWM
A soft sound escaped her - gentle and musical. A chuckle, quiet but genuine.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy6k6NkXyxg
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9UopME66VN
"We do not need to sleep." Her voice carried warmth now, the tension from before easing. "But I appreciate the kindness nonetheless."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg1XewMLVHO
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKgEPtge6aJ
Something in her tone made his chest feel less tight. A small comfort in the midst of unanswered questions.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr35GIBuTYi
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDY0UF0YMKi
“Sleep well, Chosen One.” Her serene smile deepened slightly. “May the Moon Goddess light your path."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqdjmoDxTys
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBLE2p1qOjD
The familiar words wrapped around him as he closed his eyes and reached for the world beyond.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPiy18XdJzX
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Pain greeted his return - dull and persistent, radiating from wounds that Cinderward's manifestation couldn't erase.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgCLOE3Rq2W
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtCpZmZPQVi
Cel opened his eyes to broken stone ceiling, moonlight filtering through gaps where the structure had crumbled. 113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoc2iSfceDG
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBOcuOpJ7KS
Raven's silhouette remained near the entrance, back turned, surveying the wasteland beyond with that same careful vigilance.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDeRpReCl0V
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiDyHpOzLsF
Cel's mind wanted to churn through everything Selina had said - and more importantly, what she hadn't said. But his body overruled him, dragging him down into sleep before he could form another coherent thought.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfekjcOmyYL
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoxzO64LnjO
The nightmare came as it always did. Golden light. His father's rage. Blows that fell like judgment while his family did nothing to help him.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnbU6rlQn2Z
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Cel gasped awake.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9jxcQWjVIQ
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His hands clawed at the ground beneath him, fingers finding only ash-covered stone. Sweat coated his skin despite the morning chill seeping through gaps in the walls.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8yP8uC0RFr
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The nightmare clung to him like oil, coating his thoughts with remembered pain that felt more real than the broken ruins surrounding him.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡejyHpnaJdw
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His breathing gradually slowed. Steadied.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiUA0N7sEGt
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Movement drew his attention.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8JyrPdxi0q
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Raven stood near the entrance, silhouette dark against the crimson light filtering through crumbled stone. He wasn't looking at Cel - just standing there, keeping watch as he had been all night.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5YtaePkGpE
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Aware, but not intruding.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSAwckZgdGh
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Cel pushed himself upright, testing his balance. His hands were steadier now, the nightmare's grip loosening with each deliberate breath.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQaNAN8QMoc
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Raven glanced back at him, expression unreadable.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxSv6Z5GbMY
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOpWJuOtoa5
"For your notice," Cel said quietly, "you also mumble in your sleep."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ap5Hsi31N
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUh9goc1Svb
The words came out more defensive than he'd intended - a justification for weakness he shouldn't need to explain.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBPAkHVZKu3
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Raven's lips quirked slightly. "I know."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5SVync0wWf
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXMOb3UuOlC
The simple acknowledgment settled something in Cel's chest. No questions. No pity. Just mutual understanding between two people haunted by things they couldn't escape.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3JJZOJdPsZ
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"Ready?" Raven asked.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKOLToRbLxv
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Cel flexed his right hand experimentally. The fingers responded - not perfectly, but better than yesterday. Sensation was returning in slow increments, the frostbite damage gradually receding.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡki9vlpE58F
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"Yes."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2JIb854X5p
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Raven nodded once, then moved through the archway without further discussion.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAykReESeO9
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1jytR53Wd5
Cel followed, emerging into crimson morning light that painted the wasteland in red tones. The mountain rose larger on the horizon now.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsZSt5STrRO
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Perhaps another day of walking. Maybe less.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH1pvhjtkkz
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqCl4seLmah
They fell into rhythm - boots crunching against ash-covered earth, silence pressing in from all sides. The same endless landscape stretched before them, broken only by scattered obsidian, ruins and the distant mountain.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx7ZULAsHwC
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJKQtRWO0uH
Selina's warning circled Cel's thoughts, refusing to settle.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl7OKmK9iNN
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‘Please be careful.’113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ79GY0Inkfn
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGyGGu1rjux
Careful of what? The Cursed in general? Raven specifically? Something else entirely that he was too ignorant to recognize?113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg2oE85F5EW
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqYaID8DYAY
The ambiguity gnawed at him. But dwelling on unknowns wouldn't help. Not now.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKfmnMRnL1P
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMzsRqS225v
His gaze tracked to Raven's back - the confident stride, the way he moved through this dead world like danger was an old acquaintance rather than a constant threat.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOODdpTDjJJ
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYnmmUHo4X4
Whatever secrets Raven carried, whatever had earned him that mark of corruption, Cel would learn eventually.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBi6DLtFSWY
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Or he wouldn't.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡueghSdKPdN
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Either way, the mountain awaited. And with it, the slim hope of finding a rift that led back to their world.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXsxaxfrY7Z
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQIqxUWKH0P
Time passed in silence, marked only by the rhythm of their footsteps. The crimson sun remained fixed on the horizon, unchanging113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ggNC53Of0
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZha1fGHAGm
Cel's throat had grown tight over the past hour, each swallow requiring conscious effort. His tongue felt thick, papery. The black medicine coating his wounds seemed to pull moisture from his skin, leaving him parched in a way that went beyond simple thirst.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI4wcMzob9j
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He'd been ignoring it. Pushing through the discomfort the same way he'd learned to push through everything else.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaLogYL4tBB
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But when Raven slowed ahead of him, then stopped entirely, Cel knew the issue had become unavoidable.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz9fXKHX1WM
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuG7IqyLSAd
"We need water," Raven said, not looking back. His voice carried that same flat pragmatism it always did, but something in his posture suggested urgency beneath the calm.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVjDgDAYHIg
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡClquQOd9Zu
Cel came to a stop beside him, scanning the wasteland. Ash. Stone. Nothing that even hinted at water.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7c5IbxBPiZ
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBbfCxWUci9
"There are fissures," Raven continued, his crimson eyes tracking across the landscape with practiced assessment. "Cracks deep enough to reach underground waterways. Rare, but they exist."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw6f6PjZODg
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwKICHXtDxp
Cel weighed his options in silence. He'd kept Frostmark hidden deliberately - Selina's warning still echoed in his thoughts, cautioning him to be careful. Revealing his abilities felt like showing his hand to someone he didn't fully understand.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAvbjJFwYer
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaXGxnYW8LI
But searching for water in this endless wasteland was uncertain at best. They could wander for days and still find nothing. 113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCkEIGphsWG
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3X4nLPoeLe
The risk of revealing his gift was smaller than the certainty timewaste.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXBhTit5Iwj
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"I have another source," Cel said finally. 113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxb2L4uOU3s
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Raven's attention shifted to him, question implicit in the tilt of his head. "What do you mean?"113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWyEC6v6gvm
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡESYybKTBHB
Rather than explain, Cel knelt and pressed his left palm flat against the ash-covered ground.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWqryxDOv8H
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Cold erupted beneath his hand.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXzUBATy4wV
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The familiar burning sensation - vicious and sharp - raced up his arm as frost spiraled outward in delicate patterns. The ash beneath crystallized instantly, forming a perfect circle of ice that shimmered with pale blue light.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡATtgWxNNdK
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ39JeCvP321
Raven went still, his gaze fixed on the frost circle.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0vsthoWR1t
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Cel pulled his hand away, fingers aching from the cold. The frost remained, etched into the ground like divine scripture written in winter.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDqvSgwVVS9
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUb2c8R7ptt
He reached down and broke off a chunk. It came away with a sharp crack, the fragment glittering in his palm.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqnYDmxpWPm
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Then he brought it to his mouth and bit down.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbKTgId5a3u
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvK8qGLFT0H
The crunch echoed across the silent wasteland. Cel chewed methodically, breaking the ice into smaller pieces before swallowing. The cold traced a path down his throat, settling in his stomach with surprising weight.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL6iClRokwG
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When he finished, he looked up at Raven.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ57AtjJsyMm
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxM2pnlp39m
The young man stood frozen, staring at the frost circle with an expression Cel couldn't quite identify. Not disgust - not the revulsion he'd shown when Cel had eaten raw meat. Something else. Something that looked almost like... wonder?113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡORghnYzbdD
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw14mD4vCnP
"You can create water," Raven said finally.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ90Ai09qy8z
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2zD2F2Mrrc
"Ice." Cel gestured at the remaining frost. "But yes."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHWOrsl9jph
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3KQbWrH2Fs
Silence stretched between them.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Rm7Eqxju4
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIruCDHBAci
Then Raven moved - slow, careful, like approaching something that might vanish if startled. He knelt beside the frost circle, one hand extending toward it.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKI701ZGqen
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His fingers hovered just above the surface for a heartbeat. 113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxx5f1rSkzp
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The moment his skin made contact, Raven flinched - a subtle jerk of his hand.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ03Gw2LiW8F
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"Cold," he said flatly.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMHsWxqJ51K
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Raven lifted the ice to his mouth. His teeth closed around it—113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOIZevyZlOw
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And nothing happened.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd4b7z6Jde3
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He tried again, biting harder. The ice held firm, refusing to crack under the pressure. His jaw muscles flexed with effort, but the fragment remained stubbornly whole.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2QWR0YoqvW
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsmKM6kynOw
Frustration flickered across his features. He pulled the ice away, staring at it like it had personally offended him.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL6WeCZRCIz
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9HL5bzjQka
"It won't—" He tried once more, applying enough force that Cel could see the strain in his neck. "—break."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3w4hc8vMzz
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBVRttlfJC1
Something twitched at the corner of Cel's mouth. The sight of Raven - the same person who'd faced a Defiled-rank creature without flinching barely a day ago - now locked in a battle of wills with a piece of ice, was absurd enough that a laugh threatened to break free.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1UkGDSmAus
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He swallowed it down.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEkGOIJ74Ey
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeosPVQTWJm
"Here." Cel reached over and plucked the ice from Raven's hand.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡciQj6B7Um1
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWZ32KLOZLr
He closed his fist around it.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt7u3TWc5bf
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFPDLJd0fQg
The ice shattered instantly with a sharp crack, fragments spilling between his fingers. He opened his palm, revealing a dozen glittering pieces small enough to swallow safely, and held them out.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDqo3FI7y0B
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSQJ9SuXPmz
Raven stared at the crushed ice in Cel's hand, then up at his face, then back to the fragments.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX11kHMVnAX
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡftNNgcrkfB
"That's..." He paused, seeming to search for words. "You didn't even try."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPBGozu4ksL
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdQyeLfiB6Q
Cel looked down at his own hand - at the fragments resting in his palm, at the ease with which he'd destroyed something Raven couldn't even crack.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGo5saRKOwX
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His assessment had been wrong.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8qMste2nRS
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The thought arrived with uncomfortable clarity. When he'd tested Frostmark's durability, when that single punch had shattered the frost, he dismissed the ability as fragile.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjJcyhbGLn8
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But it hadn't been the frost that was too weak.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2hcfvVB9v9
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It had been him that was too strong.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv84yAUCWLS
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The Moon Goddess had forged him a body whose strength outstripped his ability to control it. A body that made even simple movements violent.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwywHVuBe9r
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And he'd used that strength to judge divine ice, never considering that the flaw lay in his perception rather than the gift itself.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqbJxPHbRa3
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Shame flickered through his chest. Another failure of understanding. Another moment where his ignorance had led him to undervalue something precious.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCHeLALrXDs
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Raven was already eating the crushed fragments, his movements careful as he swallowed the smaller pieces. When he swallowed, something in his posture relaxed slightly - the tension of dehydration easing.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN5iAtIolcn
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"Make more," Raven said quietly.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxgtvBTAXZe
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Cel pressed his palm to the ground again.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ90Blo6zKGu
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Frost bloomed outward in spiraling patterns, beautiful and intricate. He broke off chunks and crushed them methodically, creating piles of fragments that Raven gathered with cupped hands.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqUTemfOah8
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They ate in silence - the crunch of ice against teeth the only sound in the vast emptiness surrounding them.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDZMYyeRE8w
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When they finished, Cel's throat no longer felt like sandpaper. The tightness in his chest had eased. Even the throbbing of his wounds seemed less insistent.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYkM1Vw32Fw
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Raven stood, wiping frost residue from his hands onto his dark clothing.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYwIadniWlr
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"That changes things," he said, gaze tracking toward the distant mountain. "We can go straight."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3OfWG48vO3
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Cel pushed himself upright, testing his balance. His left hand flexed experimentally - the cold from creating frost had left it stiff, but nothing worse.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgevNF65lTO
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They fell into step together, boots crunching against ash-covered earth.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtyZfdA7wt0
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Raven walked in silence for a long moment, his expression thoughtful in a way Cel hadn't seen before.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnxSow7Zvp1
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"A useful gift." He glanced back at Cel. "Your goddess must favor you highly."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡABSdndL0pq
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"The Moon Goddess chose me," Cel said carefully. "I don't know about favor."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡONDx2yjFuB
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"Still." Raven's pace slowed. "To grant such a gift... your priest must be no ordinary guide.”113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVry8VLGwn4
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Raven's hand landed on his shoulder.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHXMVfXdBd3
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The contact was light, almost casual - but something in the timing made Cel's attention sharpen.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI9c1VG4aIi
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"What rank does he hold?" Raven asked, his crimson eyes fixed on Cel's face.1234 copyright protection109ＰＥＮＡＮＡzWaPST5UIa 尼

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