Cel's eyes snapped open to gray dawn.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt4D4YHlekA
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlrS4KJJCeN
The nightmares had chased him through the entire night again - his father's fists falling like rain, the cultists' blades carving fresh channels in his flesh, his family's backs turned in unified rejection. Sleep had been no refuge, just another battlefield where his tormentors held dominion.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDTCf1H6Fc2
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOXzBp3iQS2
At least he'd slept through. His body had demanded that much, dragging him under and refusing to let him surface no matter how his mind struggled against the dreams.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmGy0xeVriY
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj1AWOMFa2E
His throat felt like he'd swallowed sand. When he tried to work moisture into his mouth, his tongue scraped uselessly. The gnawing in his stomach had faded to constant ache, but thirst screamed with every attempted swallow.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyuegbGIVhv
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxLoDDhYmEi
He pushed himself upright, every joint protesting. The burns on his arms pulled tight. His feet throbbed. The empty leather pouches lay discarded nearby - no water, no food. Today he would venture out or accept slow death.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuWRtErOzlx
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXWlVfMfGcv
Cel dragged himself toward the entrance, using the larger stones for support as debris scattered beneath him. Morning air pressed against his chest as he cleared the threshold.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnMYCzq4F8k
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ7HfvAC9U0
Then he stopped.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOTVNvzwwrb
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtcX241wjpq
Violet crystals ringed the hilltop.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4B7nIW9W4G
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIOotGVUwsN
They rose from the ground in twisted formations that hadn't existed yesterday, creating an uneven barrier between the ruin and the void below.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg2MxSUFnDm
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQgopzafaGs
His mind reeled. He'd circled this hilltop several times. Walked every inch of it. The ground had been bare stone, nothing more.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPumbcB7t0e
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUhFsBQDzWC
'When did these—?'210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb0hVBvwUWu
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlAZcl1hubD
The thought died as he watched the nearest formation expand and contract in a slow, deliberate rhythm.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ8IX7X7DYI
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0iUM85PE16
'Is this how the crystals grow?'210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOlpioDFYEM
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4u3jWyTy4D
He descended and approached the crystal barrier. The surface was warm beneath his palm, humming with faint vibration. The crystals probably fed on heat from below, drawing up through stone in their alien expansion.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdZqw5C7Sk5
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ03Z22YlyMb
He'd seen stranger things in this maze. It was just another impossible property of this place, like passages that folded or reflections that haunted.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4sEDr5Xt7i
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Soe6jOxQK
Beyond the crystals, the void remained perfectly still. The liquid darkness pressed against the hill's base as if held back by an invisible boundary.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBucVRAheJv
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSbkB43ebNV
The crystals formed a complete ring, each moving in synchronized rhythm. They weren't tall - perhaps waist-high at their peaks - but dense enough to make passage difficult without fresh cuts.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡju5QKvTYoj
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMUUIUW3xsm
His sanctuary had been the one place where the world held still. Now even that mercy had been stripped away.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡimBojpGR3h
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIQGbn76J4t
Cel circled the ruin, examining gaps between formations. His throat contracted again. Without water, his body would begin shutting down within a day. The burns would fester. His blood would thicken.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDLqW0MUKap
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUSBPNkWyis
There - to the east, two crystals stood slightly farther apart. The space looked like he could fit through without receiving fresh cuts.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1D409IBdaz
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoL5phKlAVv
He moved toward the gap, feet crunching over loose stone. The breathing crystals flanked his approach, their expansion creating subtle groans he felt as vibrations rather than heard. Sharp edges jutted at awkward angles, forcing him to map his route carefully.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF6AFpMMYsd
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ81iEl05L3b
He positioned himself between the formations and reached out, gripping the left crystal for balance. The warmth surprised him - almost body temperature. The vibration pulsed beneath his palm.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Ou9mwOrs2
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd3BpEcDgDB
Then, the ground shifted.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1RNujRgOKF
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡztxxqxVxc2
Not the grinding rumble of earthquake or a sudden lurch of collapsing earth. This was a lifting motion - smooth and deliberate, as if the entire hilltop had decided to rise several inches in a single breath.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyk5qVYK4jH
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu2yCaIXVd2
Cel froze. Every muscle locked as the surface continued its slow lift. Three inches. Six. A foot.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS3yUfUAuDZ
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJsVo3JJb0l
Then it descended with the same measured pace.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLsdW1n7vzF
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ136UcV0Wfu
The movement wasn't coming from the crystals.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhC8W1QNp3w
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡANuWXWdGgq
His fingers slipped from the formation as understanding crashed over him. The rough texture beneath his feet. The way crystals suddenly emerged in organic patterns. The warmth radiating through his soles.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZQa2NdbeN8
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR8ld3B5akr
Something beneath the crystals was breathing.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ17WuQnRh1l
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzk3SJLcDFt
Every instinct screamed to move, to run, but there was nowhere to go. The void surrounded him completely, and movement might wake whatever creature he'd been climbing on.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiTH6r6Akff
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvtt1UrlK57
Beneath him, the breathing continued its steady rhythm. Rise. Fall. Rise. Each cycle lifted him from the darkness below, then lowered him back - steady and undisturbed, like breath in dreamless slumber.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPFDtEIsOfm
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBoPgAO5hyY
Cel's hands trembled as he slowly pulled back from the crystals. His weight shifted with glacial care, trying to avoid sudden pressure. The burns and cuts screamed as he adjusted stance, but he bit down on any reaction.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡklnk6V3GjH
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK9jZWgQpY5
The creature showed no sign of waking. Its breath continued in a measured pattern.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzkoLrqkGfp
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSW4VNnrEdl
His legs trembled - whether from terror or the strain of moving so carefully, he couldn't tell. He'd been climbing on something large enough to mistake it for terrain. And now he had to climb back down again without waking it.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfkALYjrt1s
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgSRRP789za
Had this thing followed the void to the hilltop during the night? How had he not woken when it arrived? He'd been exhausted, yes, but for something this massive to settle around the ruin without disturbing him seemed impossible.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkDgD2MWFl3
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsjrv8Sa47w
The parchment sketch flashed through his mind - the creature with fairy-like wings and crystal growths covering its body. The crystals matched. He twisted carefully, searching the creature's back for any sign of wings, but saw only more crystal formations jutting from its spine in irregular patterns. Perhaps the wings were folded beneath, hidden from view. 210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHJgeSpVDFE
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA7Pdhth6qA
If this was the same creature from the illustration, wings like those could have brought it here in perfect silence, lowering it around the ruin so gently he'd never woken.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo7aU3pzGWK
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8hDaJtf9oT
He forced the thoughts aside. Whatever this thing was, it was sleeping. And his only hope was that it stayed that way.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ59plt12msI
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOefbVl8Vxk
Cel began his descent with glacial care. Each shift of weight deliberate and measured. His burnt hands found purchase on crystal edges. His torn feet searched for stable ground. The breathing continued beneath him - steady, undisturbed.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHUkYTxnRER
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJDokMsEvNk
Then, the rhythm changed.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNY3sKZnO05
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBWUZszvyPx
The breath that lifted him held longer than the others. The descent came slower. Cel froze halfway down what might have been the creature's flank.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPCm6lTB505
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUYL01A3PUa
The creature was waking.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUXqhg06KnU
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡREyJUOGf3J
His fingers dug into the crystal growth beside him. His jaw clenched so hard his teeth ached. Should he climb faster, try to reach the ground before it fully woke? Or freeze and pray it drifted back to sleep? Both gambles. Both likely to fail.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd7AUB6h9Ls
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsXiBLLQ0Fc
The breathing shifted again. Deeper. More deliberate. The surface beneath his feet tensed, muscle moving under skin he'd mistaken for stone. The crystals trembled with building energy.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhEISwwHk39
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8TsqBN9Jln
Movement exploded beneath him.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUI4lfCV3G4
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLb6onreu9X
The creature surged forward in a single massive stride. Cel's stomach lurched as the world tilted violently. His grip on the crystal saved him from tumbling as the beast's back tilted at an impossible angle. The ground that had been horizontal seconds ago was now a steep slope threatening to slide him toward the void.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ20sEGSRYRz
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXwW81mek3D
He pressed himself against the crystal outcroppings, arms wrapped around their base, legs scrambling for purchase on the rough hide. The creature's next step sent shockwaves through its body.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjDOheunoMa
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtnFNGb8HFR
It was descending the hill.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCa9sMgiLti
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTS0Ujb4xSR
Moving toward the void.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBqHZOEdgud
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSUS44hv2GA
Horror flooded through Cel's chest. His hands moved without thought, pulling desperately at the crystals as if he could somehow steer the massive creature away from the liquid darkness. The formations didn't budge. The creature didn't slow. His efforts were as meaningless as a fly trying to redirect a charging horse.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5yXKKme7go
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVG8gz4rPzN
'No, not into that you damn—'210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxEqIs1Vbon
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB8P4UPt7mV
His fingers dug into the crystals until blood welled from his torn palms. Every instinct screamed to jump, to throw himself free, but there was nowhere to go. The slope was too steep, the void too close. He would tumble straight into that hungry darkness.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTlvE9Wwzwl
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUKNdFpvCY3
The creature reached the hill's base and stepped onto the void.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIGlzxQjK13
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBLfyUtGrxn
The liquid exploded instantly.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1AYQ4FFXyO
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6k8WDkOQsT
Tendrils of darkness shot upward, wrapping around the creature's forward limb. They coiled like serpents, layer upon layer of nothingness binding to flesh and crystal alike. Where they touched, the surface seemed to drink light itself, creating wounds of absolute black against the creature's dark hide.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ12zkutYMuZ
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGI9bb8geKi
But the beast didn't stop.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP9YJIDCc2Z
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOYdz4qzDhY
Its next step sent tremors through Cel's bones. The void writhed in response, more tendrils erupting upward. They grasped at legs, wrapped around the creature's underbelly, and climbed toward the crystal-crowned back. Each new contact point pulsed with hungry intent, trying to pull the creature down into itself.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUePesjQcTs
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwab7SqBkl8
The creature pushed forward.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6MCccukSch
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2oNOJizvjl
Cel watched the liquid climb higher with each stride. The tendrils moved with terrible purpose, wrapping tighter, pulling harder. The creature's breathing grew labored. Its steps slowed. Yet it continued crossing the void's surface, muscles tensing and releasing beneath Cel's desperate grip.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8j78fFKglk
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxQP8GGtHnQ
The crystals along the creature's spine flared brighter. Violet light pulsed through each formation in waves, starting from the base of the neck and traveling backward. When the light reached the crystals Cel clung to, heat bloomed against his arms. Not the killing heat of the maze, but warmth that pushed back against the void's cold hunger.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ienWHzNIV
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYbhXw4WW75
The liquid recoiled from the illuminated crystals. The tendrils loosened slightly, though they didn't release. The creature took advantage, surging forward with renewed strength before the void could recover.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Azy75jUii
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ79NHUNbwG
They were moving deeper into what had been the maze. Cel risked a glance over his shoulder and saw the hill receding behind them, the ruin perched atop it like a crown. The sleeping giant was awake now, and Cel was trapped on its back while it waded through a sea of hungry nothingness.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhg8OsYm7p0
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTgUeayAcgR
His fingers ached from gripping the crystal. Blood from his torn palms made the surface slick. The creature's movements grew more violent as the void's resistance increased - sharp lurches that nearly tore Cel free, sudden drops when a leg sank deeper into the liquid, explosive rises when it pulled itself forward again.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYu4DWaar8Y
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlYb019LZRD
The void surged higher. Tendrils now reached past the creature's shoulders, grasping at the lower crystals on its back. One tendril stretched toward Cel's leg. He jerked his foot away just as the darkness brushed his heel, leaving a cold burn where it had almost made contact.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ57olte4YFM
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkAVPuX5lDD
The creature's breathing came in deep, rattling gasps. The crystals pulsed faster, brighter, but the light seemed strained. The void was winning through sheer persistence, adding more tendrils with each passing moment, creating a web of emptiness that dragged at every movement.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBBdW2ZxyUR
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHgB1NwHCFR
Cel's arms trembled. His grip was failing. The creature's next violent lurch would throw him free, and then the void would have him. After everything - the torture, the imprisonment, the maze's horrors, the mirror realm's torments - he would end as nothing more than another reflection swallowed by darkness.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWekBQFLUPY
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6eZSy6VoI6
The creature took another step.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrpJcsVxbBK
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNQWqvbdgoH
Then another.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz6dGZh0hdb
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdZlkw82Vg3
Its legs moved slower, pushing through the clinging mass like wading through mud. The liquid had risen to its chest, tendrils wrapping around its neck, pulling its head down toward the hungry surface. 210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSMEQ4ljHcH
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeV5EKZA5Fe
They were going to die here. Both of them, claimed by the void that had waited so patiently.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡetuZe2ecut
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDT4lvVUOAn
The crystal beneath Cel's grip turned white-hot.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcY1fubgIO1
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKJVLfB3gSs
He jerked back with a gasp as every formation along the creature's spine ignited simultaneously - violet to blinding white in a single breath. The air shimmered. Heat slammed into him like a physical blow.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR4PV1LMyLV
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgjSPMW8zpp
The crystals shattered.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbD28w5JmqF
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Zc3rS0tWe
They exploded outward in a cascading chain, molten fragments raining down on the void. Each impact detonated with brilliant light. The liquid darkness recoiled, tendrils snapping back as if burned. 210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYkzoNLrJDB
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoLYLyKBEbw
The creature surged forward through the chaos, legs suddenly free.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZrJ9cZLV2N
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Wa5hDXd91
Cel pressed himself flat against bare hide between the superheated sockets, fragments whistling past his head. More crystals fell from the creature's flanks - each one exploding on contact, pushing the void back in violent bursts of light.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Wmh7o4I27
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwqOOH3a4T6
Violet crystals jutted from the ground ahead. The creature hauled itself onto solid ground with a final stride and exploded into a sprint.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVSsqkD4Jfh
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjeoN5JSWeI
Violet crystals jutted from the ground ahead. The creature hauled itself onto solid ground with a final stride and exploded into a sprint.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGh7oQgykcX
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpfZaCq7ITl
The acceleration slammed Cel backward. Only his desperate grip on the remaining crystal kept him from sliding off the creature's flank as it surged forward with terrifying speed. Wind tore at his face. His injured body protested every jarring impact as the creature's feet hammered against stone and crystal.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4aGrSy1TVb
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRaxNZfmnDd
The maze blurred around him - violet edges streaming past like falling stars. He squeezed his eyes shut against the rushing air, unable to watch the deadly formations they were racing through. All he could do was hold on, muscles burning, lungs fighting for air in the wind-whipped chaos.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm6RHP2SzC1
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVGj3mAWa5h
Time lost meaning. There was only the creature's pounding rhythm, the heat rising from its exhausted body, and the screaming pain in his arms as he clung to survival with weakening fingers.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJGbjrY5D8j
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo4KnaTz539
When the creature finally began to slow, Cel's relief was so profound he nearly released his grip. The sprint faded to a stumbling run, then a heavy trot. Eventually, the creature staggered forward several steps before stopping entirely, its massive form trembling with exhaustion. Smoke still rose from the empty sockets where crystals had been, and the remaining formations pulsed weakly, their light guttering like dying flames.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLrQXSsRHht
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ19GdXWjONB
Cel remained frozen against his anchor point. His arms were locked around a crystal, muscles cramped and screaming. His breath came in ragged gasps that matched the creature's labored panting.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlNixtUNLar
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3dA9F55ykr
They'd crossed the void. Both of them. Somehow.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZpiON3XQwK
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWZ3L6Ff0d5
The creature stood motionless for a while. Behind them, the liquid's surface had already smoothed once more, perfectly still as if nothing had disturbed it. The hill rose in the distance, the ruin still perched atop it, impossibly far away now.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHVfYXbcauD
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeGC5spXzGA
Ahead stretched the crystal maze - razor sharp formations filled with heat and horror. The creature had carried him from one trap into another, from the void's patient hunger into the maze's active malice.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlfGJHGEf3Q
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHfqA3Eqa8h
But he was alive - for now.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5bpyYMAHOs
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡilJjTMfX2D
Cel's grip on the crystal loosened slightly. His fingers were numb, his palms raw and bleeding. The creature's breathing gradually steadied, though it didn't move. Perhaps it was gathering strength. Perhaps it was dying. Cel couldn't tell and didn't have the energy to care.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8d5Sg724w4
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkuvgngvM9K
He closed his eyes and let his head rest near the warm crystal base, careful to avoid the sharp edges. The four suns burned overhead. His throat still screamed for water. His body still carried its catalog of wounds.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmDS8tdLji3
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzScBJslwyj
He'd needed to return to the maze to find the moon - but not like this. Not clinging helplessly to a creature he didn't understand, dragged toward an unknown destination. The ruin had been his sanctuary, his one safe place in this nightmare. Now it was lost to him, separated by a sea of hungry darkness he could never cross again.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcTiaADauPL
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcTNle4FoQW
The creature took a single step forward, almost gentle compared to its previous violence. Then another. It was moving deeper into the maze, carrying Cel along like unwanted luggage on its crystal-crowned back.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH0mx4rbSvf
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0GZ8ywS3qp
He didn't try to escape. Where would he go? The void waited behind. The maze stretched ahead in formations he couldn't navigate on foot in his weakened state. And somewhere in this nightmare, the moon remained hidden, waiting for him to complete a trial that seemed designed only to find new ways to kill him.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB8Sj0LXUeF
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJNnIOwunZb
So, Cel maintained his grip and let the creature carry him forward, into whatever fresh horror the crystal maze had prepared. At least he was moving toward his goal, even if he'd lost all agency in how he'd get there. The moon was somewhere ahead in this labyrinth.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7P8OvYlTyy
210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmnitIaEfq5
He just had to survive long enough to find it.1234 copyright protection206ＰＥＮＡＮＡuylHuyHpCc 尼

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