Cold pressed against burned skin.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaBewbwXcxA
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI5oGMWDLCG
Cel's eyes cracked open. Gray light filtered through crystal formations that no longer glowed with lethal intensity. The four suns had set. Night's mercy had returned.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd7nEfxuSSz
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk5mopBC2RT
He'd survived - somehow.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWvvG594tfN
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgWiVze5UHt
His body hadn't moved. He was still slumped against the creature's spine, still impaled through the palm on the crystal spike. Dark blood had dried in trails down his forearm, staining hide beneath him.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7VeuaFGTuA
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzYkWrf437S
The creature's breathing moved in slow, steady rhythm. It had stopped walking. Settled down to rest while he'd been unconscious.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcPxUyt0fIn
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1oNGre1Egq
Cel stared at the spike protruding from both sides of his hand.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsU4QvTpiZO
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzXsOrTdV17
He needed to move. Needed to climb down before the creature woke and while darkness still gave him cover from the heat.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTDGBSr0Pwz
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDEmtRDKfTw
But his body refused.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTEbGIDRZcu
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5LReCDe6O0
Every muscle screamed. His skin was burned. His lips split. His throat beyond dry. He had no strength left.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK8Bz3heyE0
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgiricFRyRN
Yet his left hand twitched anyway. Fingers closed around a ridge.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKGOWf3TmYh
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOUAUoa68gl
He pulled.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbnW1Bv8HvO
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhK4Qu601sc
Nothing happened.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyb0SeestZz
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlnVmS5btaX
He pulled harder.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxPuOHQQsdw
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNVpQrxAQwk
His body shifted an inch. Then another. Pain exploded through his impaled hand as the crystal scraped against bone. But he didn't stop. He couldn't stop. Not here. Not now.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDoxzte1mwH
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡziVoU4Fm4W
With a wet sound, his palm slid free of the spike.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCBwzdbvNEY
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfmJwJuP7Lz
Blood flowed fresh. He pressed the ruined hand against his chest and pushed himself upright with his left arm. His legs trembled beneath him, threatening to give out.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkWTPK1xDAp
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMSI9Bca2kM
One foot in front of the other.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfuzOK3YHhQ
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwS613qA0Uf
His left hand gripped crystal edges. His right hung useless at his side, leaving a trail of blood droplets. Pain accompanied each movement.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqmGH7kleyo
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFO627rdRVC
Finally, his feet touched solid ground.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡotEMD4crRI
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGxmbvmXOyF
His legs buckled immediately.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4IAAxCWb6i
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCBHfXBzXW2
Cel collapsed onto crystal shards, his impaled hand slamming onto the ground. The impact sent a fresh wave of pain up his arm. He bit down on a scream his ruined ears wouldn't hear.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI6KiVvUxl7
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeag2NX05q0
He should be dead.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR9teOJQqO9
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHYOTrqLlpH
The thought arrived with perfect clarity. No fever haze. No delirium. Just cold, factual assessment.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtpJCi6Myrs
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfy0v5qaIBK
He'd been starved for over a year. Beaten and bled by cultists who used him for their twisted experiments. Forced to eat rotting meat until his sense of taste died completely. Transported to this nightmare after nearly dying in the Hollow Realms. Crossed the crystal maze under four blazing suns that permanently destroyed his hearing. Suffered burns and cuts across most of his body. Dragged into a lake of mirrors where reflections of everyone who’d tormented him nearly shatter his mind completely. Gone two days without water in killing heat. Impaled his own hand just to stay conscious while clinging to a creature that could crush him by chance, unaware he even existed.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnwZExhHZg3
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnKYTcJJdIx
His body should have quit a dozen times over.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaduTxivLuy
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsfYQslyHU7
Yet somehow, his heart kept beating. His lungs kept pulling air. Some stubborn piece of him - rage perhaps, or simple spite - refused to let go.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO6DYKMxETc
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIICs03Otqg
But he couldn't stand. Not anymore.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ3E5GTkP78
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVPFUKbkDfS
Cel pressed his forehead against the ground, blood from his split lips wetting his mouth. His chest heaved with each breath. The night air felt impossibly cold against his burnt skin, every nerve screaming at the contrast.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAc4c9eMIkC
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqrVfx2fEXu
He knew he wouldn't survive another day in this crystal maze.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZXST9U1aWK
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIruqcI1ThY
His left arm trembled as he pushed himself up. Made it to his knees before his vision grayed at the edges. He stopped. Breathed. Waited for the world to solidify.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS88qAs4f3q
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmkOYnOjw0G
One knee forward. Then the other. Crawling like an animal through scattered crystal fragments that bit into his palms and shins.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTwA21oLHFj
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZw0s41pDLE
His right hand dragged uselessly, leaving a trail of blood across stone and crystal. Each time his weight shifted onto it, fresh agony bloomed. He learned to favor the left, to distribute his weight differently.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFYbDUs2NhD
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2cP2t99Ueq
Progress came through painful effort. Each movement a small victory of will over flesh.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡziXJaGJ42u
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqQB0WR1ljW
‘Just keep moving. Don't think. Don't stop.’158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzSo7eAv0G4
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkvvrEikVld
His left palm pressed against something smooth. He blinked, trying to focus through the haze.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXWAjbBqrlL
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1aYYB4idDu
The ground had changed. No more scattered shards biting into his skin. The surface beneath him felt almost polished, worn smooth by something he couldn't name.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3deEu6xYUy
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPxG99AuaLg
‘When did that happen?’158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVVIaU4ewy3
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKR5eBLlikO
Cel lifted his head, squinting into the gloom.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqXZ1VKCGOw
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgVCjuuRdhm
The crystal nearest him rose at least twice his height. He followed its line upward - three times his height. Four. The crystal stretched toward the sky like a cathedral pillar, its surface flawless and vast.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiYFbttUyXY
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQXF9BctLU4
He turned his head left. Another massive formation. Right. Three more, each one dwarfing anything he'd seen in the outer maze. They pressed closer together too, their bases nearly touching, creating narrow gaps between them that twisted at angles his eyes couldn't quite follow.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdBXQyLshvm
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBBpl5HY8YI
‘Just how far did that creature carry me?’ The thought arrived slowly, fighting through exhaustion. 158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhPUNZhpZU6
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3NLK2LIq6f
He'd been barely conscious during the journey. Had felt the creature's movement beneath him, the hours passing in fragments of awareness. But he hadn't truly comprehended the distance. Hadn't realized—158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt87lnSCs2f
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY0K3mmd6h1
A shadow moved between the crystals.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF4h55vVrUi
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwEvYiIPRvV
Cel froze.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPuGtHJIQ3N
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2FtH8kcLE0
The darkness shifted.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDCACbvBNFk
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQDnFEf4Kga
Bone gleamed pale between the formations. A skull emerged first - violet light burning in empty sockets, jagged crystal jutting from the crown like a broken halo. Ribs came next, each one studded with crystalline growths that formed a cage around the hollow chest.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxszu4hug6n
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD7YUG242Pn
The skeleton's left leg dragged behind - crystal had swallowed the bone completely. The limb scraped across stone with each step, leaving trails through dust.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYNUib0wIBK
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP3Bi2N43Om
The skull rotated.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKDAXYtSTm6
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNHD8HcBIPy
Violet light locked onto him.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVYNEWHUaNl
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi28pqmlH2O
‘Shit.’158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3VtdBLG5fE
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeEVLR7dwyM
Cel's breath caught. His arms were already shaking from the crawling. His body had nothing left. The thought of standing - of running - was laughable.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3pA9vlGyRe
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡogMApo2pE2
The skeleton took another step. The crystal-encased leg dragged behind, slowing its approach but not stopping it.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUDOSgUIOuy
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq4mMBmzfb1
Another step.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyK8g3ZBfL8
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8MhDDhrctt
Cel’s left arm shifted. Then his knee. He dragged himself forward - away from the approaching thing. 158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqpTHKWw6lD
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVnJTaC4mAc
Too slow.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNeMp0nyMHP
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0WVYdTP0le
He forced himself forward another pull. His right hand screamed. His vision blurred. The skeleton closed the distance with grinding steps, narrowing the gap with each of his pitiful retreats.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4J9wHtIPNV
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8VgZrfxCW8
‘I can't… there's nowhere—’158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEF7oxGnJgb
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcWpdY8nqUb
The world shook.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7A4CWDsHTA
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcBS7xJFE28
Cel's arms buckled. He hit the ground hard, cheek slamming against smooth stone. The surface beneath him rippled, sending violent vibrations up through his bones. Crystal formations around him blazed brighter, their hum rising to a shriek.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRgKCc9eNlF
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpbo2I03rsR
He twisted his head.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ71YcvtWEwd
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2pBmHrGNEx
In the distance - far beyond the dense forest of crystal formations around him - something caught his eye. A sliver of the great spire, barely visible between towering formations.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡASTFPHdvUP
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6h4vVX8ITU
Its light was gone.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ46b8dAqLU0
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwHNW6SU2S8
The violet glow that had always pulsed through its core had died completely. The structure was collapsing - its top already fractured, massive chunks breaking away and tumbling down its length. The destruction spread like infection, racing through crystal with terrible speed.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡem5rEbKf0W
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdBbagrtw6w
Then the fragments hit the ground.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡahLJuUTFbS
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyLceUwJ15l
The impact slammed through the maze. The floor heaved beneath Cel like a living thing. He flattened himself against stone as the shock wave rolled through, strong enough to make his jaw clench and his vision shake.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB6hXTtivjb
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj3roWNEPSi
The skeleton stumbled, its crystal-heavy leg unable to compensate. It crashed to one knee, skull turning toward the distant destruction.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn9IGiYuTt4
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpPRvjN29JG
Cel didn't wait.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAMv6Pi2q7b
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMtwk9TBGiF
He dragged himself forward with desperate strength, ignoring the pain, ignoring everything except the need to put distance between himself and that thing. One arm length. Two. His muscles screamed. His vision tunneled.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQayk6nzF16
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnVgm1jzjoR
His left hand reached forward and found nothing but air.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ58mUPygKX0
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOP2DijrljX
‘Huh?’158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTNvzYJ4upD
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEjnhWIaJZL
Cel stopped, panting, staring at the edge that had appeared impossibly before him. A massive chasm split the maze - a wound in the earth so wide that it could easily swallow an entire city.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMFT53O3Fz4
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN6RcFwPumC
Behind him, crystal scraped against stone.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU9618U36RC
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmkCRaqv9uE
He twisted his head back.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe5mEgU0ssM
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTrdHKKXkpy
The skeleton had risen. Its crowned skull was fixed on him now, violet light burning in empty sockets. It moved forward with renewed purpose, dragging its ruined leg behind, closing the distance between them.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsYYRQ0v2Kw
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQzTluJRYl3
Cel tried to crawl sideways along the chasm's edge. His arms gave out after two pulls. He collapsed flat, watching the thing approach.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrDJodsHAWR
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8KdaTfBrdI
Ten feet away. Eight. Six.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1rTuTuOdii
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYu4sSENoyC
The skeleton loomed over him, blocking out the moonless sky. Crystal growth caught what little light remained, creating shadows that danced across its bones. Its jaw hung open in a permanent scream. One skeletal hand reached down, fingers spreading to grasp—158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGJwxMCj4zC
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5CikMhT91M
It stopped.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm0Sru5Ws7B
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIzTJ2U2mGw
The crowned skull tilted downward. But not at Cel. Past him.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQmP8uLy42G
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv2zpF7r7rO
Into the chasm.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfozRVdIikO
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4J7UNMt16T
Cel's breath came in ragged gasps as he watched the thing's posture change. The reaching hand withdrew. The skeleton turned away from him, its violet gaze locked on something in the depths below.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡre13j03YKp
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLlOWyDSRRT
Then it stepped over him.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfSHxXFsrSx
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTwjjWOnOwn
Cel felt the scrape of its crystal leg against his back as it straddled his body. Felt the thing's weight shift. A moment later, it was past him, standing at the very edge of the chasm.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSzAj5vnatL
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsM6Pyd6gYp
It jumped.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRUDy8GmjqC
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX64Bo1vlaS
No hesitation. No pause. Just a simple, decisive leap off the edge and into darkness.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSoSO6X3MWj
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfvbAyOXyyY
The skeleton disappeared. Swallowed by the abyss as if it had never existed.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv4lnsuNSPs
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡARwEqoUOQx
Silence returned. 158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpiXyUoqdFD
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM8D5K1T3yo
Cel lay motionless at the precipice, too exhausted to process what he'd just witnessed.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSVSTGukjQ3
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1o4SpXjCv4
‘What... what was that?’158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx8E6TtpBRZ
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBK4vFSIdhc
His left arm trembled as he dragged himself forward. Just an inch. Enough to peer over the edge.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM4lJkUHFkd
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEsusSkUfy5
Now, it is a repetThe depths disappeared beyond sight. No bottom visible. Just endless descent into violet-lit darkness that made his stomach clench. The chasm walls were studded with massive crystal formations, each one larger than any he'd seen in the maze above, jutting outward in chaotic clusters.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS9rWHdSraS
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0zggjZz1Gg
But deep within - far, far below - something else glowed.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvB7VQvUY0b
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRVskoBXlXb
White light. Not violet.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEkeR8xQqOe
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2cPOThnCI3
It pulsed gently, steady and alive. The rhythm matched something in his chest, a pull he felt in his bones.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFAQvlw0Go5
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX8kpKb6N2k
‘The skeleton saw this. Saw it and jumped without hesitation.’ Cel stared into the abyss, trying to comprehend what he was seeing. 158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHhJHC8jiSc
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3XhI98Q2mu
The creature had carried him impossibly far - the spire had been barely visible before it collapsed. The maze had transformed around him while he'd clung to consciousness. Larger. Denser. More concentrated. As if all its power was converging on this single point.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD16VslMJ9c
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8IYse6qHFa
He'd survived everything only to end up here, at the maze's deepest reaches. Too weak to crawl. Too broken to do anything but stare into depths that should terrify him.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGVqwqoICTo
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU5bdHBFshO
But that light…158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfYyChaH0rU
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvxrNZ3HOux
That light was different.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5yh551DkF6
158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwEuyTruSaN
It felt almost like… hope.158Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCS4v9qyesD
1234 copyright protection154ＰＥＮＡＮＡvArzC6pXca 尼

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