Morning arrived with pale light filtering through his window. Cel’s door opened onto the corridor just as another door down the hall did the same.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPYmpN4MtPA
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Lior emerged, wheat-blond hair sticking up at odd angles, still rubbing sleep from his eyes. He looked up and his expression shifted immediately - first recognition, then shock so complete it stopped him mid-motion.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk49q3E98DX
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“Cel?” His voice cracked. “What—your throat—“24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDBD1VNiitD
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK4xSB0MxFN
Cel’s hand moved automatically to his throat. His fingers found the thin line of dried blood he’d completely forgotten about. The cut wasn’t deep, but it had bled enough during the night to leave a visible mark.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHQmtub9Fsn
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‘Shit.’24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvomEwGjc7j
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“It’s nothing,” he said quickly. 24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNded4hGwg0
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“Nothing?” Lior crossed the distance between them in three quick strides, eyes wide with something close to panic. “You’re bleeding! Did you—were you trying to—“24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK4Ntc2iPKz
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The implication hit a moment before Lior’s voice broke completely on the unfinished question.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpQ1eUZ8Kci
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLMStBPJAsh
“No.” Cel raised both hands, palms out. “No, it’s not what it looks like. I wasn’t—“24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE0iEYifpMN
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeqM9GLW76q
“Then what happened?” Lior’s sky-blue eyes searched his face desperately. 24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFt5Ck8hPUT
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The truth was impossible to tell. A lie was needed.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK0HOTBtUAW
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBDD1cxLhIE
“I was testing something,” Cel said. The words came out awkward, stilted. “With my artifact. Wanted to see how sharp the edge was.”24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRZv8izGmT8
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Silence stretched for two full heartbeats.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM9tJNGBuZQ
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ10lGa397nx
Then Lior’s expression cycled through confusion, disbelief, and arrived at something that might have been horror.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2UQCuhUSYr
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“On your throat?!”24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkhAiTujUDr
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The question came out half-shout, loud enough that a door down the hall opened. Someone peered out, saw them, and quickly retreated back inside.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡibaP9LagkR
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8PSnR09A77
“I just—“ Cel scrambled for something to make this seem reasonable. “It seemed like the best way to—“24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsMeLebfKtS
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxO4wCFOHLY
“The best way?” Lior stared at him like he’d announced plans to jump off the Academy’s tallest tower. “You put a blade to your own throat to test if it was sharp?”24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIeC9eyUUHD
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When phrased like that, it sounded even worse than Cel had thought.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuBiu1bGCok
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“It was controlled,” he tried. “I knew what I was doing.”24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn4E3JdfL7M
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“Controlled.” Lior’s voice had gone flat. “Right. Very controlled. That’s why you’re bleeding.”24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw0xliSllRk
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Cel opened his mouth. Closed it again. No explanation was going to salvage this.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrNNIKHpKh8
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo1DHnvXYJV
“Look,” he said finally. “I’m fine. It’s barely a scratch. And I learned what I needed to know about the blade’s edge, so—“24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe3RWfnKJfd
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“You’re insane.” Lior shook his head slowly. “Completely insane.”24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKqh8ihvCyn
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He reached out and grabbed Cel’s shoulder - not aggressively, just a grip that suggested he needed something solid to hold onto while processing what he’d just heard.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMkqv3zGwEO
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“Promise me you won’t do that again.”24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk97jrtSA2w
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“I promise I won’t test my artifact’s sharpness on my own throat again.”24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb2hEDnLQvX
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkV89U77OM6
Lior studied him for a long moment, clearly trying to determine if that answer was sufficient. Then he sighed, releasing Cel’s shoulder.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjhqCKit8Xm
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“We should get to conditioning,” he muttered. “Before you find some other creative way to kill yourself.”24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnYNDoDggEh
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They walked to the training grounds together, Lior occasionally glancing at him with lingering concern. Cel kept his expression neutral, relieved the conversation had ended but acutely aware that his reputation for rational decision-making had taken quite some damage.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn2uFtnrZv2
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The day passed without incident. Dawn conditioning proceeded as it always did - bodies moving through drills, Instructor Calder’s voice cutting across the yard with corrections. Theoretical classes filled the morning with information Cel already knew. Combat training in the afternoon tested basic techniques against partners who couldn’t push him far enough to reveal anything.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡweVi4c7CJs
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Through it all, Hestia occupied her usual position. She took notes during lectures. Participated in drills with her typical precision. Never looked at him. Never acknowledged him.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnbrnZftGjJ
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It was almost worse than confrontation.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvZafMRfCLM
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By the time afternoon classes concluded, tension had settled in Cel’s shoulders like a physical weight. He needed to move. To do something other than sit and wait for Esrin to either confirm or deny his story.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC9obNIKh76
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The Reckoning’s hideout waited.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHHLHumbyFH
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Esrin had told him to arrive at sunset two days hence. Today was that day.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYOVmrSRm1x
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDfgWNUAE0k
Cel left the Academy grounds through the main gate, nodding to the guard who’d come to recognize him over the past months. The city sprawled before him - broad streets branching in every direction, buildings pressed close enough that their upper floors nearly touched.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw8cTEZxLgT
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He moved through crowds with practiced ease, tracking landmarks from memory. The fountain with the cracked basin. The bakery that always smelled like burned bread. The corner where street performers gathered each evening.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMsXFmiC0Yv
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His mind turned to what waited at the end of this walk.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhU7LDepMhj
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Death’s Friendliest Face.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJDUswzJnuK
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Wrath’s Only Daughter.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwSt43GcnYC
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Two members of the Reckoning assigned to train him. Two people he’d met only once, during that initial gathering when they’d voted on whether to let him live or kill him immediately.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYqzBcGI6Ss
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFa1NeTE5Mi
Death’s Friendliest Face had voted for him joining. He remembered that much. Still, the contradiction of his codename was unsettling - what kind of person earned a name that paired death with friendliness? Someone who killed with a smile? Someone who made dying seem pleasant?24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡInHOAavgYD
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He didn’t know. Couldn’t know until he met them properly.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXtku9Ne1Fh
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Wrath’s Only Daughter was clearer in his memory. She’d voted for his death without hesitation. Her hostility had been palpable even though it was their first meeting. Training under someone who’d wanted him dead seemed like an efficient way to end up dead, just delayed.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjm7wYefxQA
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But Esrin had made the assignment. An opportunity to grow stronger. Refusing wasn’t an option.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuuJbLD8T9w
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The bar came into view as he rounded a familiar corner.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIs8Z2VhQ3o
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It looked exactly as it had that first night - weathered wood, grimy windows, a door that hung slightly crooked on its hinges. The kind of place that was abandoned long ago.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlnG95sMLK4
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Cel approached and reached for the handle.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0jQsaeclBf
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Locked.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY2igS58fBE
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He pulled harder. The door didn’t budge, resistance firm under his grip.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDrsH0r5KYC
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Cel  stepped back, frowning. Had he missed a specific time requirement or something?24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKx7NEYVr6m
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He grabbed the handle again.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKdxz7q3IDj
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Only this time... he really pulled.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLWtanBBhqe
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The door flew open with enough force that he stumbled backward a step.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8n6pMCi8Bx
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Not locked. Just stuck.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ138LRT5WZV
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Heat crawled up his neck as he glanced around to see if anyone had witnessed that display. The street remained mercifully empty.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd8oIfz7A4t
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He stepped inside.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6rO6PKAL5F
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The interior matched his memory - cramped space, handful of tables, bar running along one wall. Just dim light filtering through boarded windows and the smell of old wood and older alcohol.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbmPPE4TAap
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Cel moved deeper into the room, scanning for anything that might indicate where to go next. A hidden door. A symbol. Some sign that this place connected to the Reckoning’s void-dimension manor.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJoipl1Y1my
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Nothing.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtjnkP0FfZI
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He stopped in the center of the room, precisely where he and Esrin had emerged from the rift that first time. The floor looked like floor. The air felt like air. Reality seemed entirely intact.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡprgHleUV85
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What was he supposed to do now?24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5WLLTdZErc
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He extended his hand slowly, fingers spreading as if he might touch something invisible. His palm met only empty space. No resistance. No tingle of energy. Just air moving past his skin.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLOcUmLxcoB
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“Open,” he said quietly.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7BAVTBTjip
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Nothing happened.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9rqFVhkVTO
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“To the Reckoning.”24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtQoGIKL4wg
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Still nothing. He felt ridiculous, standing alone in an empty bar speaking to nothing.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUhNg2QzHlN
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Maybe there was a phrase. Something specific that activated whatever mechanism Esrin had used. But she hadn’t told him any words. Just said to come here at sunset.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi4sjhEU5kg
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdkLZA9FFKC
He tried again, cycling through possibilities. “Show me the way.” “Grant me passage.” “I seek the Reckoning.”24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKB20h7q9nH
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ22J8sdixKR
Each attempt landed in silence.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcnjnX8s9v7
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Frustration built in his chest. 24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtP45QnUECt
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Then a thought occurred.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSVVyJCx2CK
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He’d summoned Silent Moon thousands of times by now. The motion was instinctive - not words but intent. A reaching inside himself, a calling forth of something that existed in a space adjacent to reality until he needed it.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7wIM8DDQpN
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What if it worked the same way?24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpSq2byWMcC
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Cel closed his eyes. Breathed. Let his mind settle into that same space he accessed when summoning his blade.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUSoCp1dTZJ
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But instead of reaching inward for Silent Moon, he reached outward. Toward the space where Esrin had opened her rift. Toward the connection that must exist between this location and the void dimension.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNTZXs3STxT
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He focused on that intent - not demanding, just... requesting. Asking reality to part so he could pass through.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcEKNzqomwT
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Something shifted.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7WZriQ4pmh
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His eyes snapped open.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa2rFi4HvHU
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A vertical slash hung in the air before him - violet light bleeding from its edges, energy crackling across its surface in patterns that hurt to look at directly. Small, perhaps the height of a door. But unmistakably a rift.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuxXdEdYnwz
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Cel took an involuntary step backward.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB1o01KrMQD
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Reality had just broken open in front of him. Torn itself apart because he’d asked it to.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡySnrNBcdly
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The rift pulsed, patient and waiting.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTz1rKh8Ay5
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He studied it carefully, taking in details that his panic had obscured when watching from a distance two nights ago. The violet light wasn’t uniform - darker at the edges, brighter at the center, shifting through shades that had no names in normal spectrum. Energy crackled across its surface in branching patterns, like lightning frozen mid-strike.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMiD9vaC6Wf
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyfH3dUPLVJ
It looked almost exactly like the rift that had opened outside the city walls.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNWqjpc0UDs
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Just smaller. Controlled. 24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWRdnvnN4Ff
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But fundamentally the same.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtLpxVbTIbP
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Cel’s breath caught. This wasn’t anything the Empire taught. Rifts meant disaster, not possibility. They were random tears, dangerous openings to be sealed with human lives.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQfSSSZOHFF
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIEZvbYqhCY
What did it mean that the Reckoning could simply create them on demand to use them for traveling?24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMFcYvFSm07
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Questions for later. If he survived whatever training waited on the other side.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOkgueriY2e
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ38Tk7q52FF
Cel stepped forward slowly, approaching the violet tear. Up close, the energy made his skin prickle. Not painful, just aware. Like standing too close to a fire or too near the edge of a cliff.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuN5pmU6Csx
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He extended his hand.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGgTDBqsG2d
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His fingers passed through without resistance. No sensation at all - his hand simply disappeared into the violet light as if it had ceased existing from the wrist forward.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsn7zGKfBIp
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He pulled back. His hand returned, intact and unmarked.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZcAeB4thyb
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‘Alright.’24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9kXD741dbV
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One deep breath. Then another.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZgPx2nhTdk
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Then he stepped through.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡICycyVwT5J
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