Cel's eyes snapped open to gray dawn.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY9Y5N1ZW1r
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSDOUAn3oJQ
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2wyuxEHRt5
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTAhjVbqJJ0
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLmjL94SkaX
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjDOhtdgIVR
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6OO19xidNh
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmLvG3HCh2m
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU4uyO149Yb
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCtfmzbdGkx
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQwZn2djuAN
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJN8VjBR0jB
Then he stopped.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN35pVG3K2w
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8yJXHzyD8f
Violet crystals ringed the hilltop.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoISW280aSN
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfDoWuHXFmi
They rose from the ground in twisted formations that hadn't existed yesterday, creating an uneven barrier between the ruin and the void below.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ75lr6DNQ8Q
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMstXaj5kK3
His mind reeled. He'd circled this hilltop several times. Walked every inch of it. The ground had been bare stone, nothing more.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXobXY06A53
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuVK8eQgE5S
'When did these—?'179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj2pfsN5FGh
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqlSXW7rgV5
The thought died as he watched the nearest formation expand and contract in a slow, deliberate rhythm.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiFOmOqfpBB
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ86SGmXmGwF
'Is this how the crystals grow?'179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8XvEYALB4L
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡraRsHWxPJW
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1xt0WZXB0c
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjKdSVOwMfa
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5vzZSu0Gu4
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe4JIPnYKYe
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjKCNDumixS
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2sKj2exmlO
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ42RXbtyH3A
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgFmvbcqFzu
His sanctuary had been the one place where the world held still. Now even that mercy had been stripped away.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ex8kYm4pm
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEQeosXKS0T
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA2gPeQ6i9s
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh4JUTirbcr
There - to the east, two crystals stood slightly farther apart. The space looked like he could fit through without receiving fresh cuts.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMvorVNMttx
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgT2vwDcsAy
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIs0GRho6f0
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd7xEOx6tei
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsiQyDCUILv
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk8EjGZHzaP
Then, the ground shifted.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjdmDpQkgKV
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxk6C9qoXlz
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl2Hieohn0j
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa9dWifVUGE
Cel froze. Every muscle locked as the surface continued its slow lift. Three inches. Six. A foot.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQGwdhjZZ1v
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLioSxBri6Z
Then it descended with the same measured pace.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK93lFijLuo
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzy3tkcV1li
The movement wasn't coming from the crystals.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyVYy9J4wwY
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9GD9xQiEZj
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTNcEaCWOcb
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa4G8EjUeXv
Something beneath the crystals was breathing.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡothvGOy2MJ
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy3xRu2r9t5
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfflukgieDd
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLafXIuQLQq
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2apCDYzVj8
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRsimzuUqDF
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIpz58Pb5Lh
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzCWRfj1HJj
The creature showed no sign of waking. Its breath continued in a measured pattern.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfRWUAfl2OI
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJPNJqgoLz2
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKgpXWPZgWQ
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhbBfvcZ8Lj
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiNUWSwjFMQ
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOZuurJ1z9h
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. 179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrUX2VT4zHV
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDWwCvEAuwB
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1vDWu07K1o
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTbvwZyjUa0
He forced the thoughts aside. Whatever this thing was, it was sleeping. And his only hope was that it stayed that way.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Wjpqm889W
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVXhxd5na3M
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsZyQoIcfOM
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgRNljX1yD6
Then, the rhythm changed.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ1Yucu4yIz
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0vN1757wFE
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoBK0nce7mF
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Tur7nvrZE
The creature was waking.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI8hoEB0uKW
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbS3AkQDzeA
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ27OdgcD98B
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEGGbRDANYD
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡovwgFKsZuB
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf1sjVhnCP7
Movement exploded beneath him.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡonvMbUQ4Vm
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBkkmREvcjp
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqrWk0mwE1c
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqzDql2HwSN
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhTfK4Coidm
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOWFFIhmkRv
It was descending the hill.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtdBVTKOXeT
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5t2qBzWIYH
Moving toward the void.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJUCOfwCcBo
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVeKlSULaNM
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmKNKfTr0mM
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnIYfZ5hOGa
'No, not into that you damn—'179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRGvtRzsKTn
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYrLwbhkrHJ
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmmD0BqyFB3
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSDOgKaKLPt
The creature reached the hill's base and stepped onto the void.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD0ePjaC254
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc38yHRrPg9
The liquid exploded instantly.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWPeRcETnTZ
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgmNnlns3a6
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf6wgn0WKMW
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡad4OF8r89a
But the beast didn't stop.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOTMiEKxP0x
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRLzaU5HXPE
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq6X7ISLe29
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwmhGZgyu1b
The creature pushed forward.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5cLHbv0hni
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi2O2uFf9NA
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe4tX6ovcdN
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKxj9To5e6j
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEDcLPhgqCo
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDqU4TAmXKY
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTdmVrRzgLL
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2nTZRTkY6D
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa54FIkWK0G
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4sI7Ef8NGC
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrtAqUysp6c
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡesNCSxBAzt
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJiwKWEo25y
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh8R5aOb6an
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtKbTzUOA8E
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡer19DWFItF
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoJ8j4rG4Kt
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA6PBT8QRUn
The creature took another step.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkH90Fq7huu
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVyRSg4cIB9
Then another.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHtEgx91kdv
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0TLjjDTDLu
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. 179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtqWhhygQf6
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1i8KfQBEAA
They were going to die here. Both of them, claimed by the void that had waited so patiently.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ0AIsh6IvZ
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEo5G8kBZ0Z
The crystal beneath Cel's grip turned white-hot.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBbM4UhKdOV
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHv6fLxGVQs
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd5Z0NK6J5O
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdkjA9avefy
The crystals shattered.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRJZIqKtCPC
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEtk2IPJOkI
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. 179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZz73b7wJeD
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Zv0WA536z
The creature surged forward through the chaos, legs suddenly free.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7qpehgvbZq
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Qb2Ph8HKM
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡToW9tLm3r8
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXYIEmBBK5I
Violet crystals jutted from the ground ahead. The creature hauled itself onto solid ground with a final stride and exploded into a sprint.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSD0rpEorQ0
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6XwONMoF9W
Violet crystals jutted from the ground ahead. The creature hauled itself onto solid ground with a final stride and exploded into a sprint.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwOsVUO6evB
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqshOji6j06
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnO76qDpRYD
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyUq2YMLnVy
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIZb21j9a8b
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx3rkG9KUUs
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOJASjlzvXj
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiQ0Cvn21ya
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1YhTlObyeK
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuWGvcwjtNU
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQxRYpH94Do
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKNgOVBmLWf
They'd crossed the void. Both of them. Somehow.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ6fZwg8Fms
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiy6neJuzzD
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCZgRwT18gO
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Vp6o5ipq1
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcZ5SYjNhWJ
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDhpaIdlALE
But he was alive - for now.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSPPHs5x5Ga
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUQWoKNEQnE
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3JOhAhzr9B
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbaldB24WUe
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡus2xcHw0cV
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWRiiQobh9F
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡseqvNRA3pW
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUmRKOGooJj
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxLHfwPmGIB
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFgp7CGY7Ah
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv8ktxlXt2f
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡawGvzOv3rj
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.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvkDE7TvZml
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG80eKFTRkE
He just had to survive long enough to find it.1234 copyright protection175ＰＥＮＡＮＡRI5K0HWGIP 尼

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