Cel's eyes snapped open to gray dawn.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHVij9zXy7u
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkST9Pfd5Vs
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6NWT4HLzjL
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZIcgFWf2bM
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhoGUOPLeBz
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXEyFNgbHin
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNS1RfoD1Ew
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMt8bNJftGJ
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4foheA2Ple
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPvEtjdLnoE
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3LFeacV0kd
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDq3tyLkqsJ
Then he stopped.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSS5Zzzy8D9
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBboWU3muOe
Violet crystals ringed the hilltop.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8D8rEzV9qc
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxhgdmQdXtf
They rose from the ground in twisted formations that hadn't existed yesterday, creating an uneven barrier between the ruin and the void below.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4YO73R7dTn
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA1FFzlOO4c
His mind reeled. He'd circled this hilltop several times. Walked every inch of it. The ground had been bare stone, nothing more.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlo9KMOpn9F
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoXIlFVxCaW
'When did these—?'189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeuaaMJZoB6
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYwflhKChMr
The thought died as he watched the nearest formation expand and contract in a slow, deliberate rhythm.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2GO39sXecC
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhb9zppeNcy
'Is this how the crystals grow?'189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBSzBm3b6Y2
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNcVXPwSReo
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5nZSKive7X
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc0aE7vFmeb
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrwdA3euw8x
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpoEjtupvMM
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhzjCVm1EsI
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVSAOD57KSb
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ3HF2gCTzE
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbEwb2JYlbk
His sanctuary had been the one place where the world held still. Now even that mercy had been stripped away.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaufinb2kFO
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK8YllqIfTS
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡww592ys9n5
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM9c8ea86Dk
There - to the east, two crystals stood slightly farther apart. The space looked like he could fit through without receiving fresh cuts.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIWdskXJbKi
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJA1La0MgJZ
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlKzAJDvf5D
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoBpW9JeOFa
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBGaLC1KMnX
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSf5JLs8KET
Then, the ground shifted.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvqWgDb4U8y
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXhIhoz5rs9
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2HQqDl5gY1
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRUt0nG0lkh
Cel froze. Every muscle locked as the surface continued its slow lift. Three inches. Six. A foot.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ37YsgFIJkv
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxwW9V1Yl6t
Then it descended with the same measured pace.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsSBt8Bg2ON
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe1siQii68G
The movement wasn't coming from the crystals.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFEiHvQ7d37
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiZyp6LpQ27
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcG17CJBz8B
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIdDuClXm8r
Something beneath the crystals was breathing.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdNg8usHgQs
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhTgElY2BaZ
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQggKSkjBrC
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE6L2uZMrzr
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG4dIqPsyhr
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG7d6CMhzEv
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBQ44YqN50L
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwec74gIUhO
The creature showed no sign of waking. Its breath continued in a measured pattern.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsc853aga1U
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrQR6mMuIoh
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEh1dNkvbAZ
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFT1KoGMy4h
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLQD32coHEI
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0GXBpVIu4J
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. 189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTXfKrzp3MM
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsFBEg2wpmX
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBJndqjESTM
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCWgMlrjLhH
He forced the thoughts aside. Whatever this thing was, it was sleeping. And his only hope was that it stayed that way.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Lw2mwg3Om
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwNfyxCvQJu
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxiAdrX72n3
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQUsvpfTwLI
Then, the rhythm changed.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjV2DljkBcX
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Hj3YzBmCj
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGHVelMc3vJ
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWlNQjDbx6X
The creature was waking.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8nGcDsDZSr
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgAizgESaTy
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGqFp2Qti9F
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTOQqRaqNvQ
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSpG6qwypPc
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8JoQy6l0VG
Movement exploded beneath him.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdKf1j009mZ
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUDt7ai1Osp
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM79ZyWtss7
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoQ3BQDPW1c
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj2logYuvp1
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ207IOsfcMf
It was descending the hill.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsSX1h5lxwr
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq2LMmvZ8Gq
Moving toward the void.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡThWmiBXXCO
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu4DnzcBTnS
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOP8JYoteHV
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH1X34xs992
'No, not into that you damn—'189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡybboZKFWdt
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE2xzeOOLeZ
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIB1Aog1v7B
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbWfjDrXf0v
The creature reached the hill's base and stepped onto the void.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk3CAsEbYOJ
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSaQBeGIbX4
The liquid exploded instantly.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRgxKBtmNFN
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsbRQmzGuG3
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYUnkLeku2q
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRbsQG9URoH
But the beast didn't stop.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ137KblTIj
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpHieDtBO9u
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRIuUAUN7F2
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVeXvYleXZe
The creature pushed forward.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTyQvPXQqE3
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2IzknpNejM
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZAjzimWbwZ
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8att5ksq5g
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡabpgKAEzcm
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOU8wFWszgg
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTuUJNgGKAR
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtWdSmWEg2K
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEScvYjbIVW
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5J7rBHvaYT
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWlk7PAD5MX
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcNrW8pKq36
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPHq2Bxdoeq
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrow1SLvHk6
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaU4c8WeuKa
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD5lW9mprnz
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Z3PwGtmKx
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdptOtQ7uLm
The creature took another step.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcWaJVMifVS
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwSQJlZehlF
Then another.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡphkbMawA1Z
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe8NOQ1Y76A
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. 189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRDHUsJbpOu
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKlxy9B9g3c
They were going to die here. Both of them, claimed by the void that had waited so patiently.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBPV8rYhxDo
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2fXTpAQyxt
The crystal beneath Cel's grip turned white-hot.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTrWl9fSdIj
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn7lUS0dYwS
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPSo1b41z5V
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr1LYoXD4M8
The crystals shattered.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh4m1zTaTT8
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSwkxlXN9Ap
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. 189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTzgCFiBtsI
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsx9JCqgdH6
The creature surged forward through the chaos, legs suddenly free.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8eGc2Gxmcn
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSAyk4BgqcM
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIixzm8FwrV
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnLQMkZ4hOe
Violet crystals jutted from the ground ahead. The creature hauled itself onto solid ground with a final stride and exploded into a sprint.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNATrU0e3TY
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQZxJQGFO7k
Violet crystals jutted from the ground ahead. The creature hauled itself onto solid ground with a final stride and exploded into a sprint.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdl6jHfzg9v
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPYqqHaZgio
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4KCNaRCfL5
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm0OTbdrzur
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjQVzfvtjC4
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn6kgYKQqJa
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEo2g642Uth
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFnaEzhDM03
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwArSco9M0w
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHv562fBI9i
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVIO74JD2xH
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡESz6zUcPCr
They'd crossed the void. Both of them. Somehow.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTAlIvZfYKP
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI679VOegi8
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwVYtoUw0hN
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFUM7NzNhxL
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfIfWwEDmxz
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcGYVZiHNjd
But he was alive - for now.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFHWC0X86Wr
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeqheQgpIXP
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNleVhsZnIk
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbBswuvs8H1
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCVG19Oodem
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRWgfpbAhbI
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPxMi4tdAID
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdbUEToma8H
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKlI4U5y7tf
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwurdNx6qTO
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ86odXBtarw
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLjo2FVgDbG
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.189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Tosg7oBLz
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSLs2SRMISS
He just had to survive long enough to find it.1234 copyright protection185ＰＥＮＡＮＡCtuhmjD5oD 尼

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