Cel gasped - a desperate, rattling inhale that should have drowned in blood.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfb7pXjRVKS
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡalbmYA7NJ1
But his lungs filled cleanly. No wet gurgle. No spike tearing through muscle and bone with each breath.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcWAmxa4GZZ
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRF0d7O5l0v
His eyes snapped open.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtlL5EogECz
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZmPJW8kFpS
Swirling mist. Silver moonlight washing over broken ground.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxhxWoucFpX
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnnmX5ZWF1A
His soul's landscape.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwj05uXyOMu
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIHVvmQXLMe
The realization hit a second later, followed immediately by his hands - flying to his chest, fingers scrabbling across skin that should have been torn open, searching for the wound that had killed him.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9leuCBElQq
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaPxplfdBsi
Nothing.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYG4VURs4eS
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmGr75VoiDU
The burns covering his arms - gone. The cuts from crystal edges - gone. Even the impaled hand he'd used to anchor himself through the furnace heat had healed completely, leaving no trace it had ever been destroyed.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfHImW29lHL
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBwYVUJFyCR
But the memory remained sharp as the crystals themselves.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX9j86lUalp
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb7HdAWwivY
His fingers curled against his chest, nails digging into unblemished skin hard enough to hurt - just to feel something real, something that proved this wasn't another illusion.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3K9v1J6sHe
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnRWitptpTT
His breath slowed. Steadied.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8zO01tZmtv
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjxbmYIMFFx
'Over. It's over.'179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBpUHErYjEc
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdon903ezpg
The thought felt hollow. Distant. Wrong, somehow - too simple for what he'd just endured.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJzmDDpsrGL
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdDdQfpQ7kE
He'd survived.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLF2GbwXDwX
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqhZkBipxP9
Cel's gaze drifted upward to the moon hanging full and radiant above him. Its pale light cast everything in shades of silver and shadow, gentle and honest. No warmth trying to fill the cracks in him. No promises. Just light that showed things as they were.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9M06sn0Z0x
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4MO8BSSc7z
He let himself breathe. Just breathe. No running. No fighting. No creature hunting him through impossible terrain. 179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqIZ406ZKB9
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGbRNrzdvcU
Slowly, carefully, he lowered himself down until he lay flat against the cracked earth, moon filling his vision.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7qDP9aFL2F
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcIvyjxMfis
Just him and the quiet.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrpTEzxZGm7
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB8HjHGxOmf
Minutes passed - or maybe hours. Time felt strange here, unreliable. 179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVnJOnf6yKv
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVbxFIt2yG6
Eventually, Cel rolled onto his side, then slowly pushed himself up.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡej4GnFup4Q
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEnkaOKsLt2
His gaze swept across the space around him.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFJ24vJkHTy
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMiFbCTRfsz
Before, this place had been nothing but endless fog - thick and suffocating, swallowing everything beyond a few paces. An empty void with no features, no landmarks. Just him and the distant moon, suspended in formless gray.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG708PLMFtr
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwlefwqYt6c
Now, the mist had thinned.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvVYkXK34Bj
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd99YIfEaT3
Dry, cracked earth stretched beneath him, split by deep fissures that webbed across the ground like old scars. Jagged stones jutted up at irregular intervals.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9odLqM0mwn
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyTI1FJeJ4u
Ruins.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuL1c42pA9G
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡulynNURgbj
Not the ancient structures from the trial, but something personal. Something carved into the foundation of who he was.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvSr2GJgqhG
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdYOPOIfcvE
Cel's fingers traced along a crack in the stone near his feet. The edges were rough, uneven - violence frozen in rock.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzIJI0xinLR
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkNcP6atFpk
Between the fractures, small flowers with bluish-white petals bloomed, reaching toward the moonlight from the deepest cracks.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdAtRQc3zl5
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRolh4EDG5O
He stared at them for a long moment.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAJ1szIcowa
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB8ilyMjjfW
The mist shifted.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtSNMYQGkGW
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ14CqyD6FFA
Cel's head snapped up, body tensing before his mind caught up. But the presence was familiar - graceful footsteps, unhurried and light.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxKeeYzQUfv
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEskuboVttZ
Selina emerged from the mist - white robes trailing through the thinned veil like she was stepping through a curtain. Her silver mask that covered the upper half of her face caught the moonlight, reflecting it in pale crescents. Below, her serene smile held the same quiet warmth it always had.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPF4No613V8
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAirMwVvRjp
Cel's shoulders dropped slightly. Some tension he hadn't named eased at the sight of her.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd0cI7kokDH
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7MxedRgGpI
She stopped a few paces away, hands folded at her waist, regarding him with that calm smile. What remained of the mist curled around her hem like a cat seeking attention.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcC4gEIYKJp
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgGqtmV46Fl
"Congratulations, Chosen One." 179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfFKGw0NZQw
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc2qZvsOxpI
Cel flinched.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqXtxN5btKN
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHpoFuzASLH
Not from the words themselves, but from hearing them - truly hearing them. Clear. Crisp. Every beautiful syllable distinct. 179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmdxHMfWpQx
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwy9xorYz2k
His hand flew to his ear. The silence that had wrapped around him since the crystal shriek, the thick cotton that had muffled everything into nothing… was gone too.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4scSd2lXIk
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8dpGxxPXax
"You have completed the trial." Her voice carried the same gentle certainty as always, like stating the moon would rise tonight.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdLdIMiUhem
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5yj2689jjd
No fanfare. No celebration. Just acknowledgment - as if surviving that nightmare was expected.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqs6VuhBEbN
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv3WjYwcFLo
Cel nodded slowly, processing the words. His hand moved absently to his chest - where the spike had been.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtdcPrw35IZ
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3O2NBJKtbf
"I did." The words came out flat.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfyV07I9Q91
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVpc3wr74h6
Silence stretched between them.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcT5vUNIWBa
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6AwjGyVYRa
Cel pushed himself to his feet slowly - movements careful, deliberate, like he wasn't quite sure his body would obey. 179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3NeXwQEhyt
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ23o28V4CmA
His eyes swept across the landscape without focus.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQxvzRbOqQH
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡicgPzhPqmM
Selina tilted her head slightly, as if reading something in his stillness. "You seem troubled, Chosen One."179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡemDSvamIJq
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ296dCtCNNF
His jaw clenched.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBgZFZbwyXw
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuz1mzif8YS
"Troubled?" His hands curled at his sides. "Lets see.”179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc1cyWK5CHE
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEAC4p85pqQ
"Four suns tried to cook me alive. The crystals' hum made me deaf. My own reflection tried to break my mind. That sphere spent the entire time guiding me exactly where it wanted me. And then that thing with the fairy-like appearance impaled me on a crystal spike."179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9fdIFiISSH
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL93YZuNf84
His breath came harder.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡortF0DDnEG
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhsG1Zp23fm
"So yeah. I'm a little troubled."179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcehCaG6dOV
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA9MdtMhFwD
Selina stood perfectly still, hands folded, the mist curling around her robes like it was content just to be near her.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR2O9i3wBsF
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhz8BiT7r4F
"What was even the point?" The words came out sharp as broken glass. "Other Chosen don't go through this. They get their blessing the moment they turn sixteen and enter their soul."179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjx7A5EM6fr
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn8fpzxKYOn
He kicked a small stone, sending it skittering across cracked earth.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa11oBQHPMH
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs66g0Dewok
"But not me. No—I get a trial. I get dragged through nightmare after nightmare just to prove I'm worthy of the weakest Goddess of all."179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSkUcShVoBi
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJMAkErRrEc
He turned away from Selina, staring at the broken landscape.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDQYEZdbdos
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOSM0rFUkir
“What the hell was it for? To break me down? Bleed me dry? Tear open every wound just to show me something I already knew?"179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq3l0W8UJ9Q
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTJ2ZWSsuXE
"I already knew my father hated me," he continued. "That he thought I was worthless. That I'd never be enough."179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7hkxeQpcwO
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLSEZ2k3Q4a
His nails dug crescents into his palms.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3MwscriTMg
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGViwzCgTsM
"I already knew my mother wouldn't save me. That she'd just stand there and do nothing while he beat me half to death."179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDFDiq2hxfL
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOFygMPaTr7
The flowers rustled softly in a breeze that shouldn't exist here.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFkDVd0HoRA
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyrmRrCdlL4
"I knew my sister was too young to understand. That all she could do was cry." His breath hitched. "And my brother…"179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8rXojEB7Xo
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI9l2h5RNT4
"...I knew he wouldn't do anything either."179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbmVp5sU25B
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu6yExwSwbe
Cel's eyes stayed fixed on the cracked ground beneath his feet, watching a thin fissure split the stone like frozen lightning.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZdIvd6NJiP
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7guCUMBGyz
"I knew they abandoned me long before they actually left me to die."179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9hwV8JuMd6
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9s8JlbEq1F
The truth of it sat heavy in his chest - solid, undeniable. The trial hadn't revealed anything new. It had just forced him to feel it all again. To relive it.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxbG7QgahSi
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuoe97CuWRE
Selina remained silent. Not uncomfortable. Not pitying. Just... present.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfTriqyyaqt
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ol5XYcZrO
The mist shifted around them both. Minutes passed.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4gnUPceMZt
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvl0cUx0BCh
Eventually she moved closer, her steps barely disturbing the silence. She stopped a few paces away, close enough that he could see the slight rise and fall of her breathing beneath those pristine robes.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEcZuoC9eCO
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGJblHF3yfi
"You have returned." Simple. Matter-of-fact. "But you are not the same as before."179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAbw6xHi67P
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCqRR056xdA
Cel let out a sharp breath through his nose. "Am I?"179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqAIHO43FOg
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPT15oAvhUS
His arms crossed over his chest, fingers digging into his skin. The anger was still there, coiling tight beneath his ribs, hot and sharp. But something about it felt different now. Less wild. Less desperate.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfXxmeLmVz3
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More... controlled.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpfyG8n2sCx
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8LrGuB1YoM
His gaze drifted to the cracked earth.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4OZ8WUTxBj
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZlHznlYitA
"I thought..." He stopped. Started again. "I thought if I survived, I'd feel different. Stronger, maybe. Or at least... certain about something."179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFrxbaLBrkO
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD35ZaITi81
His jaw worked.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyENcsvzsWR
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"But I just feel tired."179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWiODboNHAF
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWkNRwc0xhn
Selina remained silent, patient as moonlight.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwjXxxlcX3T
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡly53Vp7Sb7
Cel's fingers loosened slightly against his arms. His shoulders dropped.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmkePF2ABb7
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC30vvUfVgS
"I don't know what I'm supposed to do with this," he said finally, voice quiet.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ174gyrqo1z
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf63jbflEvO
Selina's hands shifted slightly at her waist. "Perhaps that is something you must discover on your own, Chosen One."179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxQ05YtJ5VP
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA49JUXtpwU
"Maybe." He paused. "Or maybe there was no lesson. Maybe it was just pain for pain's sake."179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoZZDTfAb79
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8IHGHo7V9J
"Do you believe that?" Her serene smile widened.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ0fJVSX6U9
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsclhNawyDW
The question hung in the air between them.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMaBf0EQR4J
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMBqB0dnjhm
Cel didn't answer immediately. The mist curled between them, patient as Selina herself.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRSSycnTRQd
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYS1xUFChxr
"...No," he admitted quietly. "I don't."179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQmRnSMAhBl
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGwTwYE4aWn
Because if he did - if he truly believed his suffering meant nothing - then what was the point of surviving it?179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ef9apHuvs
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoo1JbLlqxU
His gaze lifted to the moon hanging full and radiant above them. Its pale light washed over everything, gentle and honest.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM2NsPOu7P1
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHkp9wBSSg3
"I'm still angry," he said, and the words came easier than expected. "At my family. At the cultists. At everyone who saw what was happening and looked away."179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDDkJLH31Gc
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7GuRDX8sqO
Selina remained perfectly still, listening.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxO3unKQPAb
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgoV1czsjGZ
"But I'm here." His voice steadied. "I survived. And that has to mean something."179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcSG14khz4L
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcpqGK2C7gc
"It does," Selina said softly. "More than you may yet realize."179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2CHQ7wcIOD
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZzjqYFIzkL
Cel’s gaze found one of the flowers growing from a crack in the stone. Small. Delicate. The kind of thing that should never survive in a place like this.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqiumJJDcWn
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM5HpuEdT62
But it did anyway.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhRPlkeQRIS
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡASZvzJqg2v
"What happens now?" he asked.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpu3w6KEzBN
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrCJnA0gjeE
Selina's lips curved - barely perceptible, but genuine.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXQrwAaNl1t
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqI64hrKXVA
"Now, Chosen One, you receive what you have earned."179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFUDIIYT9DP
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbjfdB7O8xs
She gestured toward the moon.179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhS41PDDbvO
179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQFLEiBzM1s
"The Moon Goddess's blessing."179Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY9ngAUoTk8
1234 copyright protection175ＰＥＮＡＮＡSzERc1hG4X 尼

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