"Raven!"129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLpESzMfdWE
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3FVHZjXjNA
The name echoed down into nothing.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVTtrU3Vpwa
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYWcmimfOz8
Cel stumbled toward the edge - he could jump, follow them down, there had to be—129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU3H56cQRXw
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGD9ehrzDLd
Something closed around his throat and the world lurched.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUannSLbKD7
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡReiZg9uqA9
His vision swam, legs dangling in empty air. Fingers clawed at a wrist round his throat—how had—?129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSgzNRq0zD8
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnTta0OVRGJ
When it cleared, she stood before him.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ08hrShuY4C
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrxw9FQzrFO
Esrin Tempvolt.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqrkSpsoRWi
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVmauBuLGYj
No wings now - vanished as if they'd never existed. Just dark armor, ash-white hair and ruby red eyes.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡytcxjvhQJx
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb1Y4YEVHqa
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.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDsMqi7Abvg
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNSPwgyecKH
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.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaUTh2Bi3iW
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTcBJZ9adot
"Who are you?" Her voice was flat, emotionless - a demand, not a question.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzWoHtq6xPC
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPabmcyFp7s
Cel couldn't breathe. His vision tunneled as pressure built.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu2rCldzeav
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBATt4j1D9m
He forced words through the crushing grip. "Go... away."129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIDYl9CA63G
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL5t20b4N3i
Her expression didn't change.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Vj5Qa8fUT
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdo0Mn8eABW
His hands clawed at her wrist. He reached for Frostmark—129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbtc1TngbPT
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYDNrqa9aEK
Pain.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWRwWp4SDuw
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDj0JkdtWkQ
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.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhki74MO6lS
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIt2RCIuzun
Everything went black.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYwK4IJx8rl
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2P6mlNNQ9W
When awareness returned, he couldn't breathe.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Z6EOi7j88
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGFgeRYCu2B
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.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQeD7J0lkPA
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6iXRXvxZy8
Blood surged up his throat.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1HOX7HdQLn
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv81neUw12L
He rolled onto his side, retching. Hot liquid poured from his mouth, choking him further. His throat worked uselessly, chest heaving in broken rhythm.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0J5AgwL9ev
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5PGAenS0go
More blood came up. His vision grayed at the edges.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiPAYk0vHMI
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ32ZF5LUufN
He clawed at the ash, fingers digging in as his body convulsed again. Another wave of blood. His chest locked tighter.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8iC9m5cmgR
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2psJ7ELVqe
'Breathe—'129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNJgZQwc7Ya
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzY58HfUVJz
Nothing.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsWRwv1tqmM
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKKunlp0Nn9
'BREATHE—'129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIaBiXp5uys
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyZ49PmY1Xo
His lungs finally obeyed.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0mnjtdP04w
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVAGfq9RJZQ
Air rushed in - hot, full of ash. But real.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLz2btENQkv
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY17Hdhggws
He sucked in desperate, ragged gasps between coughs that brought up more blood.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ25rgkQdnmJ
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB79vGBNxkn
Footsteps crunched across burning ash.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqEhBHI7ai1
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU7ok65H8mm
Not hurrying. Just the slow, inevitable advance of something that knew its prey had nowhere to run.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKfy0y7JUBd
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGlsKcUG4g2
"Use that power on me again and I'll break every bone in your body before you hit the ground."129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPa7JoqmAea
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw7gRP7cwzD
He sucked in desperate breaths between coughs, blood still hot in his mouth.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCPq1t6fGEi
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhHrBNaULBh
Esrin was ten steps away. Nine.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMWloJw2LlU
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfdsDlhEwK4
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.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5hHWt2zj8S
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWMQr88ijk2
But there was something else. Something that might—129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhuTKbRbyZx
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO8UgDV2SVe
Eight steps.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmbhaY6cgOK
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKJEWfT526v
Cel slammed his fist into the burning ash.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCZef5uSnJw
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtGCWUNHT4l
Seven steps.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmTUMzj6eSi
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGUhcong5IN
Again.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡewfxr1YD2e
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvqgjMTDakf
'Come on.'129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPfNVhOg4sV
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd3DIdglUCj
Six steps.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQeaG4el6qG
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkZ5Szr5830
Again. Harder.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhyutfo3Trf
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG9g83Z4ous
'I know you're there!'129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZPlFtNjLzv
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJw89rDkHXM
Five steps.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2LMWeLTCuJ
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSvYeKyVixN
The ground beneath him vanished.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWSCAArywSp
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwQh22dgKRK
The Tremorborne erupted in an explosion of ash and stone, its circular maw opening wide as it surged upward with impossible speed.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb8X0zI4S1y
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7pc7WGXO0G
Cel fell backward into that hungry darkness—129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUvZS6z90Sl
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe3YCkSXm4V
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.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ypWoLVtkP
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD7h4Rbvk6z
A smile. Savage and defiant.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBtCEd9bzkg
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8o9pgosZZP
Then the maw snapped shut and darkness swallowed him once more.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5FKqbmmKcg
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo3wV9FdR4K
***129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjZLjT7t274
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS7Dh7Iv5as
Esrin's eyes narrowed as the ground sealed itself.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsC5wGT0Jqi
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsI58UZy5DU
'His divine energy... I can't sense it at all.'129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2XeAEpmeds
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5r7QH8GBsU
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.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyKZ4BPIILj
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdZHOgRjgPM
This boy had nothing.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBstrT6im6R
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgeUkUgAkcH
As if he simply... didn't exist in that regard.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzrSq6LI8d0
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT9OohOpkYn
'An artifact?'129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVjQae3gYdo
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaeZSGxA2ym
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.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKSZ4miNT1U
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxcZBMaqTNh
Her glaive materialized in her grip.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXt4H570pWb
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ52cZM9L6zW
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.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg9O61IKOpp
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSIXLXuLgTA
She drew back and hurled it.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnfQNvJ3ZmB
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrLu74wCo0A
The glaive became a streak of blazing white, tearing through the air with a sound like ripping silk.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3vuXBkqZ5D
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ClZT9ZvnJ
It struck where the Tremorborne had vanished.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLDR7yauOb3
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoa51tZeKfh
***129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwRERgEolPl
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4OFYMzS8px
Light.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqA3AKQ5F2L
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Nj4XcIafx
Blinding, absolute light that turned the darkness into screaming white.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZe1H2gouJn
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLXzLjf5xfr
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.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNhl5x05AK4
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCxogpr0QNh
The Tremorborne's flesh detonated around him.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaEcjrWMs8U
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpbhtvQSOpZ
Chunks of obsidian armor flew outward in all directions. Tissue vaporized. The concentric rings of teeth shattered, fragments spinning away like shrapnel.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZFFWgSfsf8
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF5TxbsswXK
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.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1XrvC507E9
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLy9CWkVHnZ
He hit something solid.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKU367Dml6K
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwQTvaVjdxe
The impact drove what little air remained from his lungs. His back slammed into stone, his head whipping back—129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYYoP3SI1cD
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCs0pblf7wM
Then stillness.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYFAEZG6fE7
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡffx3EP04b8
The light faded by degrees. White to gray to the familiar crimson of the Ashlands sky.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbIi4IP2vVk
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbS2ZEA1Jv5
Cel lay at the bottom of a crater.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEWllii2Cr3
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoYxGBtNioD
The walls rose around him in a perfect circle, the stone still smoking from the heat. Ash drifted in the air like snow.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Wd3e1wLc6
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡldEeLDGHMC
He couldn't move.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYc9VPDnUfs
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF8dN9nh30l
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.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX4NMl242KU
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPbJ4aOcqgg
The glaive stood embedded in the ground beside his head.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlqN2JrF7jP
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAfkHR3dWQN
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.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHtwHrn1GXs
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1WsImyVD1z
A shadow fell across him.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1iIskmABIm
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyYDFPRygrq
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.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEsAgZOr1fO
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhZHwSYk08g
The white wings dissolved in a cascade of fading lightning, crackling out of existence as if they'd never been.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZznXErftSU
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOXBgSBlDzZ
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.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzgE2XREHmL
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKk4yaPaKVF
Cel's chest rose and fell in shallow breaths. His eyes were wide, unblinking. Every instinct screamed to run, to flee, to get away—129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg340mt5tTX
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVXi16qCxqF
But his body refused.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8pST1Ft74r
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCWqCQBHmLA
Esrin reached down.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4PD1yrf60Y
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaDzYQCtW9E
His eyes tracked her hand, his throat already tightening in anticipation— 129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn0Qu7nQvZW
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpVdXYnkAHa
She grasped the glaive's hilt.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr3v3qM2VhE
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5n4wydwquC
The weapon came free with a soft whisper of steel against stone.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMxzT6U8Lqj
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhJ4SchPcl2
She held it loosely at her side, the blade still crackling with residual energy.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqzq014f4IT
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOB57TJnS5g
"You're wasting my time."129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCO0UzYrcl9
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ23yuTNLorr
Cel's jaw worked. Blood coated his teeth, his tongue. When words finally came, they scraped like broken glass.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOqyx5klA0X
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBoGEin0ova
"Then... leave."129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCQI1PygiIC
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZqUl8w7m7S
Silence answered him.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ83Q6ApIPz4
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkOHDc0Tb4C
Esrin's gaze remained fixed on him, flat and emotionless. Seconds stretched.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ESHJqurKn
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoVNzEAWeRl
"What's your name?"129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbQF8ZsnifR
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcMdcyxxKXo
The question came without warning, without context.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnsccn5VJkA
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOkcYI2SjSx
"Celvian."129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ11HeqgkXng
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdB7jo4UbLZ
"Your patron god?"129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNSwgmkOzFv
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuxV6FC4sNw
His throat tightened. "The Moon Goddess."129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiporVUWl6a
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkkSFX8uK86
Her eyes tracked to his snow-white hair, to his glacial-blue eyes, then to the armor covering his battered form.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiZ0hz7k1ye
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRYis8WPqxb
"How old are you?"129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJXfkkJYNb4
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZk7Mv90tsI
"Sixteen."129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEl7YXEOmic
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWVAYsmY6kv
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.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGPiwk8M7dF
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEASWtGYXAJ
"How did a sixteen-year-old Moon Chosen end up in the Hollow Realms?"129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOuRAmVDPbk
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFuPyTi8IBN
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.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPR17J9upYw
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSaHDolWntv
His jaw clenched as rage flared hot in his chest.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtSqvlKSanW
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOUxEguPjE8
They were his to kill. His vengeance. His blood to spill when he grew strong enough to make them scream.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE52b9GyY35
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZHeFb6QLej
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?129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIf5CFXQ3Dt
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCuEBuLMDPy
The thought settled in his chest like cold satisfaction.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5u6ef2yFfy
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfE20Q5jfnd
"The Children of the Voidmother." His voice came raw. "They threw me through a rift. To seal it."129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJpCDVyzqIa
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdyVc7pvyLY
Esrin's expression hardened - the only real emotion he'd seen from her. Her jaw set in a way that suggested this information mattered.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡThzJOe4qN5
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYXa3CWJeWN
"The cult." Not a question. A statement laced with something cold.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWpVODUezD9
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdU9eW4yQ7C
He nodded.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMhrW1RY9rl
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Silence stretched again. Esrin remained perfectly still, gaze fixed on him with that same calculating intensity. Weighing. Deciding.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8lUpE1YQTr
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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.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6k3bcxAzYE
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He couldn't risk that.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhzO79qyMam
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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.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVlzxHutUNs
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Finally, something in her posture shifted - subtle as a blade finding its sheath.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqMn7CR1NWi
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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."129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9YiZ4KAw9z
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The clinical assessment in her tone made it clear this wasn't mercy. Just... efficiency. A waste of resources to let him rot here.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUs5ToQv0Ez
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"I'm taking you out of here."129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡImQmoPb5ih
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Cel's body went rigid. "I can leave on my own."129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNj8UVJn7AQ
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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.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXx0VvYlfrq
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"Can you?" Her gaze swept across his bloodied form. "You can barely stand."129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAMCP687sy8
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"And whose fault is that?"129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMgPrCBxfgk
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The words came sharper than intended, edged with pain and defiance.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ8sZ5UGR8D
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Esrin's expression didn't change. No flicker of guilt, no acknowledgment of what she'd done to him. Just that same flat assessment.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGvxXYyGVtX
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAHTxE2LVhl
"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."129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3PMBrmVSdk
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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.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTnBa3S56Mg
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Her fingers closed around it.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm8Q5DdYkET
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The stone shattered.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx4jT2pslKx
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Not cracked - pulverized. Fragments turned to dust that slipped between her fingers, dissolving before hitting the ground.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp5cp5LCX1e
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Violet light erupted from where the stone had been.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZwDhTxTItn
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Cel's eyes widened.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt4jJVix5a3
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A rift tore itself into existence - but wrong. All wrong.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjfcgtr5tXF
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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.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFu7Rv12z6E
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'That's not possible.'129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡChKYZsLXqc
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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.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdLJcUrAtDq
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Yet here it stood, crackling with violent energy, defying every law he'd been taught.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfAzQ2Lpb7E
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'She just... she just created a rift.' The thought repeated itself, unable to find purchase against the impossibility before him.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwaitwSLs6x
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Raven's voice echoed in his memory: 'You can trust her. She will protect you.'129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOPKTTu8I3p
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8kSqjon5s4
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. 129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ71uCtk6omZ
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And Raven had been certain. Even knowing she hunted him, he'd told Cel to trust her.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCfeHu01uGl
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Esrin stepped toward the impossible rift, then glanced back. "Stay close. The passage is disorienting."129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6mwR9iYHiH
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Cel stared at her extended hand.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHVKk7GcxxL
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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.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkeVI5np8Ay
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKtjcI75608
But everything Cel had ever learned said the Hallowed were humanity's greatest protectors. That Esrin Tempvolt was someone worth believing in.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbMfCgKf5P8
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His fingers closed around hers.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzuwPALcpwc
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He had no choice. Fighting Esrin was suicide. Running was impossible. And if Raven had been right about trusting her…129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm4R7LY0GzI
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'I'm sorry, Raven.'129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi8pzfeQwC2
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The thought was brief, nearly drowned by everything else screaming through his mind. But it was there.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkqBcRBQ2GN
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She pulled him forward without hesitation, her grip firm but not painful. They stepped through together.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEvIjJdND7c
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The world inverted.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7D9kkefXMy
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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.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB7sehn58RR
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Then it stopped.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSKnVdt3VBc
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Solid ground materialized beneath his feet.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1aer6R7EDV
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Cel's vision cleared by degrees.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWTe1TEAnEH
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They stood on an island of land suspended in—what exactly?129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQxjKJW5Kd1
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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.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW9QqOXiMxz
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And in the center of the floating land stood a manor.129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOrL5OWDK2p
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<You have achieved something extraordinary: You entered a new dimension.>129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjuDt9ffCTV
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'Huh?'1234 copyright protection125ＰＥＮＡＮＡm5iGcUvacl 尼

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