Cel's eyes snapped open to gray dawn.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb2mUFWFR0R
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnfKheDs9kD
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy0edh5grQl
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGDcCG8ONec
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq54NIQF17I
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnOme3HwjT8
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRrEbWLKVk4
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiN4mXkcHbL
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmxtNsaMNvI
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7bhmLbAaCi
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSBAG9SslRr
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLSVOuW73MK
Then he stopped.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMMSZGxGocG
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNdOeor0YRQ
Violet crystals ringed the hilltop.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDIEEOkIM3x
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4SoYAkD997
They rose from the ground in twisted formations that hadn't existed yesterday, creating an uneven barrier between the ruin and the void below.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyABkG2ZrBp
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKvA8OZAUb5
His mind reeled. He'd circled this hilltop several times. Walked every inch of it. The ground had been bare stone, nothing more.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfbMrY4hZzI
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVmHHTrS677
'When did these—?'180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡETU5xHl5cU
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWhZbqkKKcR
The thought died as he watched the nearest formation expand and contract in a slow, deliberate rhythm.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqCxUo9QFQJ
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgueomFR9jy
'Is this how the crystals grow?'180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbkQbmq4kPn
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAd1pxZkHYD
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwJf57GPMyL
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ32iczapAbj
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1lvd3gTbCC
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsJuiH8mHz3
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfnmNqA3ccP
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1xqE8GRQSl
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEWGzWWDcGS
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOmOeI9tMv2
His sanctuary had been the one place where the world held still. Now even that mercy had been stripped away.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDeND57AhQB
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7fNgN0LDK4
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9hf3zgRMPW
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡndaT7Rri5V
There - to the east, two crystals stood slightly farther apart. The space looked like he could fit through without receiving fresh cuts.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOqxU9YC657
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡacg1PALnyn
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSsZLZ02qHr
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMUwJuvd2H4
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnSLoLulUbU
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyGcbjxrU3A
Then, the ground shifted.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSTj5Imq1WM
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0nm892eUtj
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5e909voeQv
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn5nL66q6y0
Cel froze. Every muscle locked as the surface continued its slow lift. Three inches. Six. A foot.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7TXvHCxjQz
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs4cC39l9c2
Then it descended with the same measured pace.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxR3tz0Aa4q
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqpcEUWEwZm
The movement wasn't coming from the crystals.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM8SfqFkTDh
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgQTHBbMrlJ
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3nn7q2Xshv
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKOqaLc2lBM
Something beneath the crystals was breathing.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqrugDeoyDJ
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtzk3M6kvnj
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwmhl8TMBrG
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ17rHAZ4zxl
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVnOwohyJwB
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDupxBmS6RZ
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUvNJnhTLZG
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsoDC7BJ0BQ
The creature showed no sign of waking. Its breath continued in a measured pattern.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZggtZLCuR2
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxAFKCi58lC
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡscxCBGQCYQ
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUmxR8jfrwM
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmF3TfZ9ufy
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM7DJ1j9vFm
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. 180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTrfK9eoBqz
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ63ln5ePvUn
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDmkjdF4kz2
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIt91gwFYK1
He forced the thoughts aside. Whatever this thing was, it was sleeping. And his only hope was that it stayed that way.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg2QGsakE6Z
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu7f09LrjU3
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Q4Zj4mBsi
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDwJ7AaABYR
Then, the rhythm changed.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLiSIX8MiQY
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCQWcKENkMw
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQAeCJ2LfD7
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWcfVTwjLkD
The creature was waking.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwQjfD9afOq
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM7AYiyL0qO
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxLRDb0MpUN
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQM0xKMpUfo
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJRg6z9TtyA
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuxSMM41iGH
Movement exploded beneath him.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnTFqANRsq9
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr1qmwqvz4v
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuL3k69MvKe
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVijY0I14yw
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9cn8E3Aalw
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4nXBZzLJEp
It was descending the hill.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrxDazFLzJU
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjYwKQjPWaW
Moving toward the void.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO4HpMdsugH
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfyllMbpc9f
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaKHaCHbHDn
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeIoKTtNK4D
'No, not into that you damn—'180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGoLNPAQCbK
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBXGvCKPqMQ
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwU1HXoYXK4
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjU65Jjyv6M
The creature reached the hill's base and stepped onto the void.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmB4UIEJVQS
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcdI5PudhjV
The liquid exploded instantly.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZB8YFgVQf7
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbqNZvDcODq
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2V5mIYT4sv
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDrQ8ZGikrq
But the beast didn't stop.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs8tZAlhlOc
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTofpNnbYUz
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzYZXtqm5Xl
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb7nq499aRc
The creature pushed forward.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4IXjkF1oDj
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn3GcZCOmZI
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz0ChSXWT0y
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNmD6GFGSpg
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNbgUixf5Dl
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoRjhTH0dwN
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIVDjbmq2Os
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvatbyhQwD9
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjGrp68AHgF
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3C3X9jNQcH
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfXdzVMkKFm
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW52FwipMjP
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdVh17xU7Dd
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡre8aL9nxLp
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBEcNWn9fas
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjpVTxYUVwu
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTTiFwVNBTP
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN6zdSi6v4v
The creature took another step.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbhLl3zuqVv
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC3fEw5JeuJ
Then another.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaDjS9JMZ8c
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡormyHXepse
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. 180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJNb85klrVz
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzsQhnDoAf2
They were going to die here. Both of them, claimed by the void that had waited so patiently.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM00n3jlbXX
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOVj75AXWGB
The crystal beneath Cel's grip turned white-hot.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB2whRh41S2
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEtwmrxiJb7
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEEmCzJyz8l
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPGMOyywARI
The crystals shattered.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKFZBgMbtdV
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUDAAM7G8sQ
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. 180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDPJftEYscT
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡehQcjcBPah
The creature surged forward through the chaos, legs suddenly free.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxkI18xYQOx
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqQ00QF4iC8
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ28LCrSbl3
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡup4eSwZwfZ
Violet crystals jutted from the ground ahead. The creature hauled itself onto solid ground with a final stride and exploded into a sprint.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvuf8aZZFNt
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeKuc9pNZma
Violet crystals jutted from the ground ahead. The creature hauled itself onto solid ground with a final stride and exploded into a sprint.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcEV4gHbM69
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTP7blwr5XB
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfa4PTtv2nA
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuJ4e2WYn22
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCSvyNZpSv4
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ913hocY1ND
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa9dYtCNkhN
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKACS7r8VrC
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1pANsBxhGk
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeAX9WfyFY6
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbp34IOiOZx
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEj6eEdcy0r
They'd crossed the void. Both of them. Somehow.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8NB6smc4nT
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyS435QFW84
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiQlTJEwE6j
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvB9XIrmWBv
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCXTBZ5RN6O
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj5lIgP9Wpp
But he was alive - for now.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQedhfLvri3
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ98VhYiLbjf
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwo3GLkSNug
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ghE8uPkTB
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4nQbiKJ8wk
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTukXwcTwvW
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNKqHGuqf6Y
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBZ3p7g3ahV
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcPlfIv6JkK
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9fVNzsHqF9
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtFNU89ptCC
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgtuzRx66T2
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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjbRV8v8oV3
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnSgM4lr7bY
He just had to survive long enough to find it.1234 copyright protection176ＰＥＮＡＮＡfs9zZ7pJOc 尼

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