"I need to ask you something." Cel's voice came quiet in the mist-shrouded landscape. 158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbimcdKxyBO
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBAKMexCiJo
Her masked face tilted slightly, attention focusing with that patient grace she always carried. "Of course, Chosen One."158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTHQhvgmJWJ
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzXQS6DbUfQ
The words felt heavy in his throat. Not because they were difficult to speak, but because asking them felt like crossing some invisible line.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJCOC6QLWbw
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRJ2xtnjZHq
"What are the Cursed?"158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLFnl2x8BHF
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXBovqllKbd
Silence answered him. Not uncomfortable - just present. Selina remained perfectly still, her expression unchanged.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3YDpZG0EwG
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLBUVxck5hm
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."158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGxWYBJ7xBM
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTLQlLydpip
Cel's jaw tightened. He'd expected the answer, but disappointment still settled in his chest anyways.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRrYvk4bNf2
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ32GItl156q
"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?"158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl2R3m7y14o
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUQddz4XGLq
"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."158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7qhZXRbU4B
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzany8GAwsP
The honesty in those words struck deeper than any evasion would have. Not a judgment. Not a defense. Just simple truth, delivered without embellishment.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs6pvJ1v0cj
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZLI8iZvrFr
"That doesn't help me know which category Raven falls into."158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAZc2MYnjrp
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnz2euCWg04
"No," Selina agreed softly. "It does not."158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtuikPV0uqq
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcesyLs43EX
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?158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5NBAlhKBxe
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmotOK4reeY
"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?"158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiPlLohHHps
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6grmKL23Ly
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."158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh8pk5BpJrV
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡILqFeLk4ai
The mist shifted around them, curling through broken earth and small flowers that reached toward moonlight.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx2F4GMxEZp
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxfO5FwuZJK
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.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡop4fK4acaG
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYIBFmg0a5C
Selina's voice came gentler now, almost hesitant. "Chosen One..."158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB4I44No9aC
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt9UipDooTq
He looked up.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNCck4dRQWJ
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2EbNrfm5ZO
"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.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR7wonQsBlz
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvEgeCs9GXe
His chest tightened. "Of what?"158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡchUMhC35fP
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh7iz3Y3MfJ
"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."158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6IxgpfeGL0
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡay7OYlZzYq
The finality in her voice made it clear - this conversation was over.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq7tavv1adW
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKL3XWLfF1P
"Alright," he said quietly. Then, after a pause, "Good night, Selina."158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjwAV8IpwdX
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRKn8ZDKR44
The words felt strange leaving his mouth. He hesitated. "Do... do priests even sleep?"158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyKXImeK5gY
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDdSoZIi6Xw
A soft sound escaped her - gentle and musical. A chuckle, quiet but genuine.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRrs5P6RYIm
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsLalgU2ufK
"We do not need to sleep." Her voice carried warmth now, the tension from before easing. "But I appreciate the kindness nonetheless."158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGhnxtYKiaP
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj8vskSIzso
Something in her tone made his chest feel less tight. A small comfort in the midst of unanswered questions.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXScpDa7JOD
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrBX9tdbnmX
“Sleep well, Chosen One.” Her serene smile deepened slightly. “May the Moon Goddess light your path."158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRfJq9BIEHG
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDIqbLiu5Eh
The familiar words wrapped around him as he closed his eyes and reached for the world beyond.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkr8WScB7Js
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKwLOGwonRL
Pain greeted his return - dull and persistent, radiating from wounds that Cinderward's manifestation couldn't erase.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDXEURu4kUb
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpzyZ44xtbk
Cel opened his eyes to broken stone ceiling, moonlight filtering through gaps where the structure had crumbled. 158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4mlLiL1PB2
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfaZ7pJXaUS
Raven's silhouette remained near the entrance, back turned, surveying the wasteland beyond with that same careful vigilance.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJNXtvmLgpG
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡstw3D8r6t6
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.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJrdtgVquF5
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK4xvezntDO
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.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDSUjmJgOaE
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2O4URW4ijs
Cel gasped awake.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNGovUbD2vp
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6GGyVkBvPg
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.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMldtOnuvsc
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfsLEC0gEr9
The nightmare clung to him like oil, coating his thoughts with remembered pain that felt more real than the broken ruins surrounding him.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgi1Rxm4wj0
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk34DKTIHZZ
His breathing gradually slowed. Steadied.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnWuVO1ouHv
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Movement drew his attention.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSAC12u0ciP
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9K32LPQJhu
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.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbmSF5zhQHA
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Aware, but not intruding.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBREurEifEJ
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVWbvwwGyEk
Cel pushed himself upright, testing his balance. His hands were steadier now, the nightmare's grip loosening with each deliberate breath.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuZyySyyJuc
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCspVPk4gPI
Raven glanced back at him, expression unreadable.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtnFhCVM8CI
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKbIbz44Tvu
"For your notice," Cel said quietly, "you also mumble in your sleep."158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG2CiRWAbsV
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkFqv7S8IAI
The words came out more defensive than he'd intended - a justification for weakness he shouldn't need to explain.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA3NRjMmj0c
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOpL2VQDHEP
Raven's lips quirked slightly. "I know."158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUtyGNvuxH7
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvfAfuxDUDI
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.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ748JYpxwyl
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD68aLcqiTU
"Ready?" Raven asked.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfOsavunHtj
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1gduf8fIcr
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.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5CkW0ToIvu
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"Yes."158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdi8sJyk9vM
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHMOjRnDvxr
Raven nodded once, then moved through the archway without further discussion.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6X7SOvlEo4
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTPbuHv23LV
Cel followed, emerging into crimson morning light that painted the wasteland in red tones. The mountain rose larger on the horizon now.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyTxSw1KYkX
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY8ZvGz7FS8
Perhaps another day of walking. Maybe less.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRgtxIibYb7
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUW3VkS0h56
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.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj8gR5xAwAV
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8M3IMfkpWI
Selina's warning circled Cel's thoughts, refusing to settle.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1FqDOwldXX
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYNbp2p4SJv
‘Please be careful.’158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSOHRuduBFb
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ4JBsrSRDC
Careful of what? The Cursed in general? Raven specifically? Something else entirely that he was too ignorant to recognize?158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTHaUdKgyqR
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEJ9nWGvHYs
The ambiguity gnawed at him. But dwelling on unknowns wouldn't help. Not now.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdmmfOBe5Ch
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUEabmgznLl
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.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlT502iXuxm
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ75DAPb1nQB
Whatever secrets Raven carried, whatever had earned him that mark of corruption, Cel would learn eventually.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF8GI2wIqCS
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡESU5fCpGfy
Or he wouldn't.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWiOCejMbqW
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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.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX7ExlDKm3Z
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡePGHqA77WW
Time passed in silence, marked only by the rhythm of their footsteps. The crimson sun remained fixed on the horizon, unchanging158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdeCMSQkijn
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡatWubLMLuJ
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.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT9bTVuZb0t
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJE1bj09Wcq
He'd been ignoring it. Pushing through the discomfort the same way he'd learned to push through everything else.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJmchBV3jwV
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlCOZyoZuHD
But when Raven slowed ahead of him, then stopped entirely, Cel knew the issue had become unavoidable.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkzO2VleCRg
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAbbSHfSMQU
"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.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI2YdbZIolI
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAkPvlaspd2
Cel came to a stop beside him, scanning the wasteland. Ash. Stone. Nothing that even hinted at water.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjmopaCErBy
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEPPmg5xGRX
"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."158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgI6gVRrSNl
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkp0AjpmH3M
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.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ98SvGP8sb7
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRP4Zgdly9m
But searching for water in this endless wasteland was uncertain at best. They could wander for days and still find nothing. 158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTaxr7CsPxY
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlgDjILuKwk
The risk of revealing his gift was smaller than the certainty timewaste.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzui4gM1vUc
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrkBw0zqw0i
"I have another source," Cel said finally. 158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCAxXhBNYn5
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5djK3JTvel
Raven's attention shifted to him, question implicit in the tilt of his head. "What do you mean?"158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG8pCr9gJGu
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOaRZG31k0X
Rather than explain, Cel knelt and pressed his left palm flat against the ash-covered ground.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvAln8opV1r
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMba4zPWgrg
Cold erupted beneath his hand.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtqd1V5K56Z
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK7bq5JbmfE
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.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyjpT7VjHtK
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFBQvETqs8G
Raven went still, his gaze fixed on the frost circle.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH2cwXZQW1J
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOVAIwceSJ8
Cel pulled his hand away, fingers aching from the cold. The frost remained, etched into the ground like divine scripture written in winter.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7I1gkEZbs2
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWatzdYiGfV
He reached down and broke off a chunk. It came away with a sharp crack, the fragment glittering in his palm.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1HAi8oqHnP
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Then he brought it to his mouth and bit down.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk22Ct7xOWH
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ovGDCTkyw
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.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV7mU3b4woS
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡITeuap7rZV
When he finished, he looked up at Raven.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1kDJbKmgbL
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrX8lTwQy2L
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?158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNESfKXPNym
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU4ElTfofXm
"You can create water," Raven said finally.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj2MdiD1FME
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaUGZUQWXXo
"Ice." Cel gestured at the remaining frost. "But yes."158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG3w7PZhRyS
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi9kdizG4Qq
Silence stretched between them.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ92UyaxeA02
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIITatMdna0
Then Raven moved - slow, careful, like approaching something that might vanish if startled. He knelt beside the frost circle, one hand extending toward it.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3QTOoqCEyW
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His fingers hovered just above the surface for a heartbeat. 158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9nbGHrxMe9
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLEYE6CF7I5
The moment his skin made contact, Raven flinched - a subtle jerk of his hand.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD8VLNM13OF
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXuzVDh2fj6
"Cold," he said flatly.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ44I976soJ8
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDD53X2eEVF
Raven lifted the ice to his mouth. His teeth closed around it—158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlpSyv8hnUl
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLHrbPZxScm
And nothing happened.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJYsfuELE4k
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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.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZrauD3dcIb
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZNDcn0F0Us
Frustration flickered across his features. He pulled the ice away, staring at it like it had personally offended him.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwhmO5yDV2P
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvG7vj4FnM9
"It won't—" He tried once more, applying enough force that Cel could see the strain in his neck. "—break."158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOzPSSCmrep
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEwlqpTlat8
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.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ75US8uB4wk
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR8yXfQS4hZ
He swallowed it down.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxFjq8jnecA
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhyxaElynxT
"Here." Cel reached over and plucked the ice from Raven's hand.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFyPJ17NX6q
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsbpN9kzCAo
He closed his fist around it.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL81vNIB1gH
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtQVeWPaFCj
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.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfYMiKTFkfK
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWSZc6GlrQf
Raven stared at the crushed ice in Cel's hand, then up at his face, then back to the fragments.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNxZ7qfNXqb
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNlwcVecaB9
"That's..." He paused, seeming to search for words. "You didn't even try."158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbbj5adqf4D
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBRTxJFAEho
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.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGX3FekoAc9
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His assessment had been wrong.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqdVFpNlqQA
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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.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6OuNXj2rAd
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But it hadn't been the frost that was too weak.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUnCnA0FsWJ
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It had been him that was too strong.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjCmpKxlewc
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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.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYIaDO3wclG
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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.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2lScwTbfJG
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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.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOS7lxIwQBx
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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.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIUnZUBEocJ
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"Make more," Raven said quietly.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrSTOrr9ni4
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Cel pressed his palm to the ground again.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7kTVBMyWMH
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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.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeHOob8qQ9n
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They ate in silence - the crunch of ice against teeth the only sound in the vast emptiness surrounding them.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡledwIDj5JO
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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.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1yU8hc7s1p
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Raven stood, wiping frost residue from his hands onto his dark clothing.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhzf6InByte
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"That changes things," he said, gaze tracking toward the distant mountain. "We can go straight."158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRFQSQiannw
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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.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNsj1GRQ0Tr
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They fell into step together, boots crunching against ash-covered earth.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ4AsZEucTI
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Raven walked in silence for a long moment, his expression thoughtful in a way Cel hadn't seen before.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA46wcKFRei
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"A useful gift." He glanced back at Cel. "Your goddess must favor you highly."158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS44EbKyDCu
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"The Moon Goddess chose me," Cel said carefully. "I don't know about favor."158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHze2ewiNLE
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"Still." Raven's pace slowed. "To grant such a gift... your priest must be no ordinary guide.”158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ocIHQHUgm
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Raven's hand landed on his shoulder.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHb4ac4tPhE
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The contact was light, almost casual - but something in the timing made Cel's attention sharpen.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl4T9HCBt5v
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"What rank does he hold?" Raven asked, his crimson eyes fixed on Cel's face.1234 copyright protection154ＰＥＮＡＮＡoYYgZzA2NP 尼

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