Cel's eyes snapped open to gray dawn.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRl97AiCzMd
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLxrs9bjMMS
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJAPapj8Ir1
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaW0JnsZhmo
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6GjmsfGId0
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP2084j9Q1y
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEm7e52CEs2
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW9m2om45Q7
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi49zAy3XsL
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe477aI2JZQ
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVaiqTibZDh
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQlIDNpAYvW
Then he stopped.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsYTkMv3EBE
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb5BCJPaiAK
Violet crystals ringed the hilltop.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡobC44RHPJq
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXd0rcK2wq8
They rose from the ground in twisted formations that hadn't existed yesterday, creating an uneven barrier between the ruin and the void below.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ96u27EEc45
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfkFfVVMr3H
His mind reeled. He'd circled this hilltop several times. Walked every inch of it. The ground had been bare stone, nothing more.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2DZQ1X9YOh
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7UYGc4g2Pp
'When did these—?'190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ803xS2ZzCG
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3aO70HM4bs
The thought died as he watched the nearest formation expand and contract in a slow, deliberate rhythm.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ8FUSTu7X1
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ1CeQsrgPH
'Is this how the crystals grow?'190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhHLWSgpmdE
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNHOiKNEIv0
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ5BD1WtZLE
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHsX5nlsgDN
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4cfMWxd6N7
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVwFtfF22fv
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGWuu1crMXC
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbXrALOBwUS
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡti2jvE7JXF
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡARVh3C5JGk
His sanctuary had been the one place where the world held still. Now even that mercy had been stripped away.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWUbJrxHw1K
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVJWsvf1AuI
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9XPjdLACEH
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaktq627bpP
There - to the east, two crystals stood slightly farther apart. The space looked like he could fit through without receiving fresh cuts.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNfx26vEiq5
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg7ieo6YRZb
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTDNj613tc2
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5jajSaR11b
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmFW92jqGkW
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOUYg4TkshC
Then, the ground shifted.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwBhsMexnq4
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrnqbLgBM2t
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqVNc9OdOW9
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJRRbAo6QER
Cel froze. Every muscle locked as the surface continued its slow lift. Three inches. Six. A foot.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgY2f5IKXh5
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7NB8YKzmSY
Then it descended with the same measured pace.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvMG9re1KEC
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJXqWvJ32D0
The movement wasn't coming from the crystals.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvdTpGxosIo
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVMG612hN5R
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtRxxTQpzmE
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0BIR90ZJer
Something beneath the crystals was breathing.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKk5RWdw69F
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcAKseAInxB
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡblKomsDigQ
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEt3aLUJtOD
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzE9kf4PQ0o
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyegrZrQKeS
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbm4J8E5kKL
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhfhSbJlAYV
The creature showed no sign of waking. Its breath continued in a measured pattern.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ559icIpUjg
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeXRb6WcZCV
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkETSrB118p
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtJGjyZNul7
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhPUWXHzxPD
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDZvYXdKFhv
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. 190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKnHrr9X982
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPNRNz7CVnE
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQSka7e1jEj
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4RUFTEIvWA
He forced the thoughts aside. Whatever this thing was, it was sleeping. And his only hope was that it stayed that way.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1hDTgVuvrZ
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNzgRFs1Huo
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTu1V2rQHhy
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSHvMqTf2my
Then, the rhythm changed.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOrfbuhUunO
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEGL9ffAJfn
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgOzmYylJQv
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYIFVSj7QCa
The creature was waking.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt2KW6ZFLD1
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy2zKf5lJ5i
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr4QphP8gMV
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ78c0Q3R6r
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQqF87DyGwp
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK8Dq0kNIMJ
Movement exploded beneath him.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEGcxAukoMV
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyvfW9fppbV
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqkYhyGIO4Z
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVgneBMuclD
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpx9HuEFwVp
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXyligAisT7
It was descending the hill.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw1tmTMudP9
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡapGGYEvmBD
Moving toward the void.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7qYMquaEZf
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzvFYIK5VOb
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7SVbOdhItL
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzfS0jnFUEg
'No, not into that you damn—'190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIYaDlKXw8Z
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrDZQfH0r8m
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE5HyWMC7P4
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSmVwMS8wHj
The creature reached the hill's base and stepped onto the void.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrOUSTKMFgU
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡICIGWmDMAH
The liquid exploded instantly.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ13fS3bT7xF
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm50xp8GPs9
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK1LhhIuFnH
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjAAAnGJwhM
But the beast didn't stop.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQXLPBeyK3u
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfhCqKorFcP
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR7xEWu5XUB
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl0ae92nOLa
The creature pushed forward.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9bYP2FFi8W
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVaSFe2blcr
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSgRmf4z6KD
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXU5nNsw9X0
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Imp7Tp7j6
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq9BM6DAg6b
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ46bPa6b3NE
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ87BnsK3Hrp
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡule9BnxkfC
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmDX913ZlgF
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpsJoTtYrDp
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyh8jJeW8me
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYsqw8gklOs
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH4psfqDY6m
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpmUOUENpwj
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ5asEu9hd0
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPgAUGsoW7t
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9E9aCRuHl4
The creature took another step.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUkEBTECrIa
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaJxdXeaZpn
Then another.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhj2h214JMM
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAlvjkEnkNT
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. 190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7heAcaM1Ku
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiOeWH4H6IA
They were going to die here. Both of them, claimed by the void that had waited so patiently.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSyLuVKfNI0
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM8iyMfXyAN
The crystal beneath Cel's grip turned white-hot.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYPq4XdfGf4
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ82fia3U1r8
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp2ImW1IUDM
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0oIAeTU6FK
The crystals shattered.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzRJtoOhxvE
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr1YIz0a3KR
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. 190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMGTgfKfJLU
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrnuLBdZzi4
The creature surged forward through the chaos, legs suddenly free.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSQfglzfsV1
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6FP1hI20rw
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6sWtp87LzU
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlyOj2V3V6N
Violet crystals jutted from the ground ahead. The creature hauled itself onto solid ground with a final stride and exploded into a sprint.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuCIbGTiLMp
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4hA5jpQvc2
Violet crystals jutted from the ground ahead. The creature hauled itself onto solid ground with a final stride and exploded into a sprint.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa0BVeOysPR
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡneK3gomIGJ
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd2xv2VHstp
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMO7VAVFybP
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmwRlT4sz58
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPTW1bzkgUs
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLlD0YKwvwM
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmc48aktFxm
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3yQuHEyMdd
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR272QwDy8M
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOB9P2HXA26
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb3YBiBHBfm
They'd crossed the void. Both of them. Somehow.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwcM4d9s3WE
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEkPAQWJLkq
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsK6s1P44Ch
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyutyUGA8UG
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhbFk8vwSg9
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhtVG8sQp4P
But he was alive - for now.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVFowHNun9e
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLFPbXCu5ke
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMdMXsPkx6V
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsdhMp8RAr9
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS1Dechf6Yq
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ97enORHEzl
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNfIajFiWJ7
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBVPxWRUOQX
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8AXhw6oSLf
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU1ODW4n3ve
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLyjU9RXlMj
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdTJn1QtcA0
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.190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ONeaiqoRi
190Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs30c5abcTu
He just had to survive long enough to find it.1234 copyright protection186ＰＥＮＡＮＡEDVz004dhx 尼

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