Cel gasped - a desperate, rattling inhale that should have drowned in blood.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ908ZSJsy0v
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWnvhO2eZM6
But his lungs filled cleanly. No wet gurgle. No spike tearing through muscle and bone with each breath.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZtZx1wPJRo
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡILYhaQZlhY
His eyes snapped open.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw2FdCnNk5q
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡetrEvQ671P
Swirling mist. Silver moonlight washing over broken ground.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ62qIywTQSH
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRLNd2mvMLT
His soul's landscape.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCn5NmlEj06
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrIhWHUkRiY
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.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR32p3FV6a0
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2feermzecC
Nothing.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkcyWMdGRpI
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK6uhLvSlsG
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.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzenTEE3w9a
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ12nJyn7o3E
But the memory remained sharp as the crystals themselves.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8lgHKyjMfx
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvCAnomRWN3
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.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1hJ5sdbgCd
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0YtbOfll4j
His breath slowed. Steadied.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB839OLKAE1
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡioAcsHx5PN
'Over. It's over.'166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGK7LVpMrOz
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgAqkMOBfoB
The thought felt hollow. Distant. Wrong, somehow - too simple for what he'd just endured.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt1DAv65lsq
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcILx0J3otQ
He'd survived.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8IdZHIW9rp
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ13LvTzyzbP
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.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvNftR18XI5
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPZ6VweXqDp
He let himself breathe. Just breathe. No running. No fighting. No creature hunting him through impossible terrain. 166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWnEpn488im
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm1nrPbFlHA
Slowly, carefully, he lowered himself down until he lay flat against the cracked earth, moon filling his vision.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9OSmIKMaus
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ6ohaSdrBS
Just him and the quiet.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKJ06MJ64dN
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWExupXaa23
Minutes passed - or maybe hours. Time felt strange here, unreliable. 166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9jJ5ARa18N
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS1pmKEeQsO
Eventually, Cel rolled onto his side, then slowly pushed himself up.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnL8FsnZ78w
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVzogA6hkwa
His gaze swept across the space around him.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb0b40cLDFX
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx9SyepYdrJ
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.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTt7hybAjgq
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6mhubOTvWB
Now, the mist had thinned.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHgq0hYg6zT
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv9OGxcnCW0
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.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSZiZ9Ey4wH
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjxFMXDLikm
Ruins.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFWbxqig9KF
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc3CcSj1t1k
Not the ancient structures from the trial, but something personal. Something carved into the foundation of who he was.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSvciwR6xGz
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuedrXAy5JN
Cel's fingers traced along a crack in the stone near his feet. The edges were rough, uneven - violence frozen in rock.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIIXRsHvonD
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjW2OkXtrj0
Between the fractures, small flowers with bluish-white petals bloomed, reaching toward the moonlight from the deepest cracks.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH11COPS8HS
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiDVAqEzzjy
He stared at them for a long moment.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7z1LmUJVhn
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2n43ytEN3n
The mist shifted.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU779MJJ5De
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFCAeJti4aX
Cel's head snapped up, body tensing before his mind caught up. But the presence was familiar - graceful footsteps, unhurried and light.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmJ3Yr0O2Tt
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhJWJbFBif8
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.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3dQC28F2fp
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVD0SKNWwX9
Cel's shoulders dropped slightly. Some tension he hadn't named eased at the sight of her.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh8tRcgaLBL
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo0ViQXZBc4
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.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEcBWtMw3ut
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJbyieSjIpm
"Congratulations, Chosen One." 166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsUNkchkY01
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU0JLVeuuKz
Cel flinched.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBUB3R0RiQH
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7i7tBLauuB
Not from the words themselves, but from hearing them - truly hearing them. Clear. Crisp. Every beautiful syllable distinct. 166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEsWjRRnWLB
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhcZzFOCrUQ
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.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFVMM9HrGlV
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyg21BMyMC3
"You have completed the trial." Her voice carried the same gentle certainty as always, like stating the moon would rise tonight.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG4QQrLVNBf
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡex8mbur1Az
No fanfare. No celebration. Just acknowledgment - as if surviving that nightmare was expected.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfXAUfJomTj
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpeVIG5n6Rl
Cel nodded slowly, processing the words. His hand moved absently to his chest - where the spike had been.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJZXPbFIaP7
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpWgPBnfAEM
"I did." The words came out flat.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh6FnogWxnn
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡra99PTBUSs
Silence stretched between them.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHr9KSjHs8g
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWQgGgjg82Z
Cel pushed himself to his feet slowly - movements careful, deliberate, like he wasn't quite sure his body would obey. 166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhVKB0jpQiu
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTBZuMGnHT6
His eyes swept across the landscape without focus.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡArgPHtZ8f8
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJQCHo42QJJ
Selina tilted her head slightly, as if reading something in his stillness. "You seem troubled, Chosen One."166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ89jusv2uJz
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQMeVY71Ivi
His jaw clenched.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBGbtITX0XG
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡagyqpYV2iK
"Troubled?" His hands curled at his sides. "Lets see.”166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDeaqEldWOm
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnE0QjzWLM9
"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."166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcUWG1ZHacu
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBHe033TggX
His breath came harder.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvrGZScAVA3
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfWp9tNcIsg
"So yeah. I'm a little troubled."166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSK2lYV2iqY
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK9wL7CER9v
Selina stood perfectly still, hands folded, the mist curling around her robes like it was content just to be near her.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXfLjeH1sZc
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyBNq1gOEVs
"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."166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSkXPVKy33s
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNcfs6K1UZm
He kicked a small stone, sending it skittering across cracked earth.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl1tExFDCJZ
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVTMDY5LIya
"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."166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf3YGKi4iYR
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9d1mLgt2L6
He turned away from Selina, staring at the broken landscape.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsXvCMm77qm
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxa9MrH9d3Q
“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?"166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBxu9F15x8D
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoYMFEYDTNG
"I already knew my father hated me," he continued. "That he thought I was worthless. That I'd never be enough."166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbCUT16Zr8P
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVzsStFczuj
His nails dug crescents into his palms.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAS3tnd3dGx
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkY95HyJ5qI
"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."166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMcKKnjYpRE
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjRmULfpvL0
The flowers rustled softly in a breeze that shouldn't exist here.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYZfpHiU2wF
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWMCkQV3vHW
"I knew my sister was too young to understand. That all she could do was cry." His breath hitched. "And my brother…"166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKIC1CQ7Yn2
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO9gN0Vymvz
"...I knew he wouldn't do anything either."166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlnHBbdCXc9
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx2WUkBInP0
Cel's eyes stayed fixed on the cracked ground beneath his feet, watching a thin fissure split the stone like frozen lightning.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIXH1teCGpq
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCuO24vYqqI
"I knew they abandoned me long before they actually left me to die."166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZXEm0TiMsJ
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFggkNpj3su
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.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡymJvLV87uh
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe8aQlnNtjg
Selina remained silent. Not uncomfortable. Not pitying. Just... present.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBPK8urz44a
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZkqrDrwqKZ
The mist shifted around them both. Minutes passed.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOIKQkkna4a
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXaq6niO6A0
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.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy18kl0UK5L
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1thW9pMsIJ
"You have returned." Simple. Matter-of-fact. "But you are not the same as before."166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY2RnMBi6rg
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFnFrBm97PB
Cel let out a sharp breath through his nose. "Am I?"166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1sxv02uIWL
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpHUYYkVzXj
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.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFxpxhtlvfW
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsgAevldcNi
More... controlled.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8vNew13A2z
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRSn5d9KGJJ
His gaze drifted to the cracked earth.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyJHSTZ2dFs
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgcEHGMHxBO
"I thought..." He stopped. Started again. "I thought if I survived, I'd feel different. Stronger, maybe. Or at least... certain about something."166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYXVM8IPGEP
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3FwjJ4oKNY
His jaw worked.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOgFUN9SzTi
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxYHuCKGJCS
"But I just feel tired."166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtnuqDg3paw
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Lp6cQNpNE
Selina remained silent, patient as moonlight.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV3faKx6eqZ
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnslxVjjur0
Cel's fingers loosened slightly against his arms. His shoulders dropped.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzVJeT1O8hc
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPQe8KRVCc6
"I don't know what I'm supposed to do with this," he said finally, voice quiet.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡszbYBeLMSZ
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcFqmw72QGl
Selina's hands shifted slightly at her waist. "Perhaps that is something you must discover on your own, Chosen One."166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFmWmAYqMtR
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx2fI5WX6dM
"Maybe." He paused. "Or maybe there was no lesson. Maybe it was just pain for pain's sake."166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtiz6IeQHxd
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0PM4uGAXAO
"Do you believe that?" Her serene smile widened.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCD6YUUHaXE
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdf4gx271qf
The question hung in the air between them.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYpbWxJfv6i
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBWvRLIgyV1
Cel didn't answer immediately. The mist curled between them, patient as Selina herself.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡugF0d2EPYQ
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpN9U4j3tEM
"...No," he admitted quietly. "I don't."166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfoWzI0PzH9
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtMyFbs2Pxb
Because if he did - if he truly believed his suffering meant nothing - then what was the point of surviving it?166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Wa2U2ArHJ
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3snA23vHJV
His gaze lifted to the moon hanging full and radiant above them. Its pale light washed over everything, gentle and honest.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXe8opt2qeI
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡluQ5p3cBLg
"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."166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdFLepaIZo4
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYZX6lRSBBW
Selina remained perfectly still, listening.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEuyMy910rq
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsiePKHpEaM
"But I'm here." His voice steadied. "I survived. And that has to mean something."166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUlqOx0LmA9
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZAuZI7fZPI
"It does," Selina said softly. "More than you may yet realize."166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYxgtw6XG1m
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr3nui1uyLx
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.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAMiN936NVI
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9pPYXWEZmh
But it did anyway.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvnzRxiSyZV
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsVAZzM7k7a
"What happens now?" he asked.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8cpcGnTH6R
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWzkCybMQLP
Selina's lips curved - barely perceptible, but genuine.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXn0CvFvuwx
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhizmUOI9kO
"Now, Chosen One, you receive what you have earned."166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIFfV4egqts
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIqEej9mMP1
She gestured toward the moon.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFduQ4s5SZp
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTT1bZUscrf
"The Moon Goddess's blessing."166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrPq0i9rZdm
1234 copyright protection162ＰＥＮＡＮＡmHRCgbv5GO 尼

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