"I need to ask you something." Cel's voice came quiet in the mist-shrouded landscape. 112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1canOvhY81
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Her masked face tilted slightly, attention focusing with that patient grace she always carried. "Of course, Chosen One."112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIXBV1a0Apj
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfLXTQjSqEm
The words felt heavy in his throat. Not because they were difficult to speak, but because asking them felt like crossing some invisible line.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZV6tmCRNNr
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTmPVwQlPu5
"What are the Cursed?"112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo5ovZmCcAz
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7n9QpI1dHn
Silence answered him. Not uncomfortable - just present. Selina remained perfectly still, her expression unchanged.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKWshsGTyIW
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRkR2erd0UD
When she finally spoke, her voice carried something that might have been regret. "I am sorry Chosen One, that does not lie within my authority."112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Hn8GdEIMu
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡglD8JSjcv2
Cel's jaw tightened. He'd expected the answer, but disappointment still settled in his chest anyways.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuvDZhqJf3K
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpP49RmaeOu
"Fine." He forced his breathing to steady. "Then can you at least tell me this - do they pose a threat? Are the stories true about them being... wrong?"112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhRT5IviZMp
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYjTyyLv5uR
"Some stories hold truth. Others are born from fear and misunderstanding." Selina's gaze remained fixed on him, unreadable behind the mask. "The Cursed are as varied as any other human. Some deserve the exile they receive. Others do not."112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ79N0yxTNDo
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRarn5sE0gV
The honesty in those words struck deeper than any evasion would have. Not a judgment. Not a defense. Just simple truth, delivered without embellishment.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoUAGbYiwAp
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWQVXPjlsNB
"That doesn't help me know which category Raven falls into."112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3dkSI1TI6o
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3eoD13sJBj
"No," Selina agreed softly. "It does not."112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ueZBcIQH4
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWBppHTEGFq
Cel's fingers curled against his palm. The logic felt wrong somehow - incomplete. If the Cursed were just people, varied like anyone else, then why mark them at all?112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpPqmeQ9KW6
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYdg2dGadQI
"You said some don't deserve exile." The words came carefully, each one weighed. "If the Cursed were just people, varied like anyone else… then why do the gods mark them with corruption? What is that mark, really?"112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9kzbpzGwBR
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFwNNKNAzN6
Selina remained silent for a long moment. When she spoke, that same note of regret colored her voice. "I am sorry, Chosen One. That too does not lie within my authority."112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0djpWsV1FP
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL9M8YVfRDC
The mist shifted around them, curling through broken earth and small flowers that reached toward moonlight.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtopccO2V8E
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcG7ApQa2rW
Cel stared at the ground, trying to organize thoughts that refused to settle into anything coherent. Every question led to another, each answer revealing how little he actually understood.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3pWSm8tPru
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW70AOd17Fo
Selina's voice came gentler now, almost hesitant. "Chosen One..."112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQToJC4Kh0Q
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTVt13cDAUc
He looked up.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcrVoPWBveU
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtiQiNyP7hu
"Please be careful." The words carried weight that made his skin prickle with instinctive unease - a subtle shift in her posture, an emphasis that suggested something beyond simple caution.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ62JrUzTE99
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGzRY0UJvoI
His chest tightened. "Of what?"112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW0pAJNkwCo
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOIAti3bYCN
"That is all I can say." Her tone had returned to its usual serenity, but something lingered beneath it. A warning wrapped in silk. "You should rest now. Your body needs sleep."112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIJP9dDMRzM
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuiGEbzk2bF
The finality in her voice made it clear - this conversation was over.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5J6Sfz2dE9
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzePu4QqjRr
"Alright," he said quietly. Then, after a pause, "Good night, Selina."112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsMNu0Slsk3
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEETEdDXQHW
The words felt strange leaving his mouth. He hesitated. "Do... do priests even sleep?"112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsUd5fWVLKw
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkU6V5UC6fi
A soft sound escaped her - gentle and musical. A chuckle, quiet but genuine.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRT9zgJpv8k
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSOCQklHqCS
"We do not need to sleep." Her voice carried warmth now, the tension from before easing. "But I appreciate the kindness nonetheless."112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqDQ46tBA2U
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR6R2kZr0Dk
Something in her tone made his chest feel less tight. A small comfort in the midst of unanswered questions.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSPXDyrVUjK
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ4kezcSyrt
“Sleep well, Chosen One.” Her serene smile deepened slightly. “May the Moon Goddess light your path."112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9qxpI16DRW
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlPm2BrRhZC
The familiar words wrapped around him as he closed his eyes and reached for the world beyond.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMxpgMLbZAd
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡynBi6iXZ6Q
Pain greeted his return - dull and persistent, radiating from wounds that Cinderward's manifestation couldn't erase.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNuE21Wgtmw
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDPyB1ntPkH
Cel opened his eyes to broken stone ceiling, moonlight filtering through gaps where the structure had crumbled. 112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYiLGw5w4hg
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKSvHj0ZvEV
Raven's silhouette remained near the entrance, back turned, surveying the wasteland beyond with that same careful vigilance.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgsPEDPQ4TC
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUAwE8D7msO
Cel's mind wanted to churn through everything Selina had said - and more importantly, what she hadn't said. But his body overruled him, dragging him down into sleep before he could form another coherent thought.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsgTvvGpgZD
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3tom9qsmA7
The nightmare came as it always did. Golden light. His father's rage. Blows that fell like judgment while his family did nothing to help him.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM4KTkdAQrF
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfdlmY6waZa
Cel gasped awake.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1wYkoZNP1W
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His hands clawed at the ground beneath him, fingers finding only ash-covered stone. Sweat coated his skin despite the morning chill seeping through gaps in the walls.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOV3ik1jrge
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiO1bc7ZrCh
The nightmare clung to him like oil, coating his thoughts with remembered pain that felt more real than the broken ruins surrounding him.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVtP49LX8lF
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhBggaupsBr
His breathing gradually slowed. Steadied.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfJ8AUU0crF
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Movement drew his attention.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcNGJucnmMX
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Raven stood near the entrance, silhouette dark against the crimson light filtering through crumbled stone. He wasn't looking at Cel - just standing there, keeping watch as he had been all night.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZY4q7qM5Ta
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Aware, but not intruding.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCOTefZaS6N
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNyVGncTiIn
Cel pushed himself upright, testing his balance. His hands were steadier now, the nightmare's grip loosening with each deliberate breath.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPdyiS2CbxZ
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrVvUZ79SFr
Raven glanced back at him, expression unreadable.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ16Q2bcAqig
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX2V8Y9IH3g
"For your notice," Cel said quietly, "you also mumble in your sleep."112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyjfkvMcokY
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGb1xwP6m4S
The words came out more defensive than he'd intended - a justification for weakness he shouldn't need to explain.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPqgLryc9pw
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmMJfqZYMWV
Raven's lips quirked slightly. "I know."112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLDeFEfWSsP
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7hCxK35IPL
The simple acknowledgment settled something in Cel's chest. No questions. No pity. Just mutual understanding between two people haunted by things they couldn't escape.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxQs4uV5lBA
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYp5OI5pSKW
"Ready?" Raven asked.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVbCij8HsG4
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Cel flexed his right hand experimentally. The fingers responded - not perfectly, but better than yesterday. Sensation was returning in slow increments, the frostbite damage gradually receding.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEovAGPER6W
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO7206h2RBz
"Yes."112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4vroOcQgce
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Raven nodded once, then moved through the archway without further discussion.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMbXTmDHGvd
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVXTEE0pT37
Cel followed, emerging into crimson morning light that painted the wasteland in red tones. The mountain rose larger on the horizon now.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv9lvrV4ilk
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPka48KhJTg
Perhaps another day of walking. Maybe less.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKegdD4uKgd
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrKJQzXPtqi
They fell into rhythm - boots crunching against ash-covered earth, silence pressing in from all sides. The same endless landscape stretched before them, broken only by scattered obsidian, ruins and the distant mountain.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA5NvcsaJ4M
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFSPDukWtcg
Selina's warning circled Cel's thoughts, refusing to settle.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsl6VUowyOR
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIrJzhDqrEI
‘Please be careful.’112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUqQzOl3WTO
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjsEOAKUdWC
Careful of what? The Cursed in general? Raven specifically? Something else entirely that he was too ignorant to recognize?112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡonwLWQ9z1K
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2aCPAbopU9
The ambiguity gnawed at him. But dwelling on unknowns wouldn't help. Not now.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO3alVOp0Hm
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFOSwVnr60U
His gaze tracked to Raven's back - the confident stride, the way he moved through this dead world like danger was an old acquaintance rather than a constant threat.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDu6iJXfJmn
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl2RqGSH6Hu
Whatever secrets Raven carried, whatever had earned him that mark of corruption, Cel would learn eventually.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGeBgzEumVx
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡor5vWu7p0J
Or he wouldn't.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX91OiS8xlE
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Either way, the mountain awaited. And with it, the slim hope of finding a rift that led back to their world.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXv4bOif78t
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv2e9avKM3Z
Time passed in silence, marked only by the rhythm of their footsteps. The crimson sun remained fixed on the horizon, unchanging112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwzmJN8lpbf
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4rYGNgqiVh
Cel's throat had grown tight over the past hour, each swallow requiring conscious effort. His tongue felt thick, papery. The black medicine coating his wounds seemed to pull moisture from his skin, leaving him parched in a way that went beyond simple thirst.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsDTEm2YrYx
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He'd been ignoring it. Pushing through the discomfort the same way he'd learned to push through everything else.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJLY5c8wAZW
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But when Raven slowed ahead of him, then stopped entirely, Cel knew the issue had become unavoidable.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG1AfugiZBW
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwanq7mOtQD
"We need water," Raven said, not looking back. His voice carried that same flat pragmatism it always did, but something in his posture suggested urgency beneath the calm.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5VwzBXhsc0
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡceJ82XolZP
Cel came to a stop beside him, scanning the wasteland. Ash. Stone. Nothing that even hinted at water.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOr4Eug3Wn3
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU6BQmqL6gB
"There are fissures," Raven continued, his crimson eyes tracking across the landscape with practiced assessment. "Cracks deep enough to reach underground waterways. Rare, but they exist."112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaJZJWy8KUk
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuzFZV393pc
Cel weighed his options in silence. He'd kept Frostmark hidden deliberately - Selina's warning still echoed in his thoughts, cautioning him to be careful. Revealing his abilities felt like showing his hand to someone he didn't fully understand.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe6EchvwHjs
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRfUgYl2mSP
But searching for water in this endless wasteland was uncertain at best. They could wander for days and still find nothing. 112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlBZv9eVwQs
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6mCmG9rzhC
The risk of revealing his gift was smaller than the certainty timewaste.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9g7VMprGYU
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDOWOPMjkzu
"I have another source," Cel said finally. 112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvl3uoYgN86
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhvixgxPlLG
Raven's attention shifted to him, question implicit in the tilt of his head. "What do you mean?"112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuVVe2mRNWG
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO2DUbm9NlP
Rather than explain, Cel knelt and pressed his left palm flat against the ash-covered ground.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ4C8eyN5HS
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKHONwbqFew
Cold erupted beneath his hand.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMBihgF4CQV
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The familiar burning sensation - vicious and sharp - raced up his arm as frost spiraled outward in delicate patterns. The ash beneath crystallized instantly, forming a perfect circle of ice that shimmered with pale blue light.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEaXpxvbFT4
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoLC0ulkeVR
Raven went still, his gaze fixed on the frost circle.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZOE3QKoJLA
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwuQfn465bh
Cel pulled his hand away, fingers aching from the cold. The frost remained, etched into the ground like divine scripture written in winter.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhzunspotKm
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMy8gI7oN9O
He reached down and broke off a chunk. It came away with a sharp crack, the fragment glittering in his palm.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL0Q6WHpYYn
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTHArvdBS5V
Then he brought it to his mouth and bit down.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB3Dc9uyEaH
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKaWzMZfQ4S
The crunch echoed across the silent wasteland. Cel chewed methodically, breaking the ice into smaller pieces before swallowing. The cold traced a path down his throat, settling in his stomach with surprising weight.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB2yeHh0WHB
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYPEJsgd8ca
When he finished, he looked up at Raven.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWjNIe6cvxv
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwohYLX8jNx
The young man stood frozen, staring at the frost circle with an expression Cel couldn't quite identify. Not disgust - not the revulsion he'd shown when Cel had eaten raw meat. Something else. Something that looked almost like... wonder?112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvfWjbcDWSV
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbgOWgVgUl6
"You can create water," Raven said finally.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ34CXEbQ5M6
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyzVKI66qxk
"Ice." Cel gestured at the remaining frost. "But yes."112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRMSmZN228U
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu2FsZ7DgBH
Silence stretched between them.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbm5DXhPWch
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxfcgmY5DlB
Then Raven moved - slow, careful, like approaching something that might vanish if startled. He knelt beside the frost circle, one hand extending toward it.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOMc6BMxFT1
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLq7S7xPfia
His fingers hovered just above the surface for a heartbeat. 112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhkSGbEc5yQ
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡci0kiddyi6
The moment his skin made contact, Raven flinched - a subtle jerk of his hand.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvUOYH292cB
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ60c04DrMRN
"Cold," he said flatly.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDAlEBQWr6c
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Raven lifted the ice to his mouth. His teeth closed around it—112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDptUVetjOA
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy9OFrNEbo9
And nothing happened.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBtFZJw08pH
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbm09IJPBVG
He tried again, biting harder. The ice held firm, refusing to crack under the pressure. His jaw muscles flexed with effort, but the fragment remained stubbornly whole.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡED0LzWoBgr
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU2W4zZy1dn
Frustration flickered across his features. He pulled the ice away, staring at it like it had personally offended him.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ9BzBWbQut
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1by943ww0E
"It won't—" He tried once more, applying enough force that Cel could see the strain in his neck. "—break."112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTEZtpr9Ko7
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCnad0Tje6n
Something twitched at the corner of Cel's mouth. The sight of Raven - the same person who'd faced a Defiled-rank creature without flinching barely a day ago - now locked in a battle of wills with a piece of ice, was absurd enough that a laugh threatened to break free.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNLvGb7IPck
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He swallowed it down.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxlP8EmQKib
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzyrD83fSah
"Here." Cel reached over and plucked the ice from Raven's hand.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpxtSTLPJYx
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ32VjLGinxH
He closed his fist around it.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKkFl6CBUEl
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDHCg5NBQOG
The ice shattered instantly with a sharp crack, fragments spilling between his fingers. He opened his palm, revealing a dozen glittering pieces small enough to swallow safely, and held them out.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU96mZJWuZ3
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjTWtcLgvcx
Raven stared at the crushed ice in Cel's hand, then up at his face, then back to the fragments.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoV0MPdJVMx
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCgbKuzcIRv
"That's..." He paused, seeming to search for words. "You didn't even try."112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC2i1jUk7E8
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSfK298Zwh1
Cel looked down at his own hand - at the fragments resting in his palm, at the ease with which he'd destroyed something Raven couldn't even crack.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpKmksjUgap
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His assessment had been wrong.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoiqunyEFPp
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfSk10K62Qo
The thought arrived with uncomfortable clarity. When he'd tested Frostmark's durability, when that single punch had shattered the frost, he dismissed the ability as fragile.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIoPEscrAJs
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0jt6PKkGyc
But it hadn't been the frost that was too weak.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyTNn0oVi6M
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It had been him that was too strong.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTdFxYogpGU
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The Moon Goddess had forged him a body whose strength outstripped his ability to control it. A body that made even simple movements violent.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqCryF6Utn2
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And he'd used that strength to judge divine ice, never considering that the flaw lay in his perception rather than the gift itself.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh1ymej3IPO
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Shame flickered through his chest. Another failure of understanding. Another moment where his ignorance had led him to undervalue something precious.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ti7OoTqVl
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Raven was already eating the crushed fragments, his movements careful as he swallowed the smaller pieces. When he swallowed, something in his posture relaxed slightly - the tension of dehydration easing.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo4g1BQonSA
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"Make more," Raven said quietly.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFhROvI2nyM
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Cel pressed his palm to the ground again.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6kplxtFKZ9
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Frost bloomed outward in spiraling patterns, beautiful and intricate. He broke off chunks and crushed them methodically, creating piles of fragments that Raven gathered with cupped hands.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKQXNJ003Yz
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They ate in silence - the crunch of ice against teeth the only sound in the vast emptiness surrounding them.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlz74NLIAHe
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When they finished, Cel's throat no longer felt like sandpaper. The tightness in his chest had eased. Even the throbbing of his wounds seemed less insistent.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8pGNYxTYrL
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Raven stood, wiping frost residue from his hands onto his dark clothing.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡipJdDVkS7n
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"That changes things," he said, gaze tracking toward the distant mountain. "We can go straight."112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM7SuD6bxyi
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Cel pushed himself upright, testing his balance. His left hand flexed experimentally - the cold from creating frost had left it stiff, but nothing worse.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUOLSRaYZKP
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They fell into step together, boots crunching against ash-covered earth.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiJmqGCooQD
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Raven walked in silence for a long moment, his expression thoughtful in a way Cel hadn't seen before.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM7gruzGFLR
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"A useful gift." He glanced back at Cel. "Your goddess must favor you highly."112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKGpy22Hjzs
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"The Moon Goddess chose me," Cel said carefully. "I don't know about favor."112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ01aH1gIA3B
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdvdove8js2
"Still." Raven's pace slowed. "To grant such a gift... your priest must be no ordinary guide.”112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS3P9AWVcvP
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Raven's hand landed on his shoulder.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcE5Wmmp5Dm
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The contact was light, almost casual - but something in the timing made Cel's attention sharpen.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ34mYznuTZv
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"What rank does he hold?" Raven asked, his crimson eyes fixed on Cel's face.1234 copyright protection108ＰＥＮＡＮＡf3w2J4eepE 尼

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