"I need to ask you something." Cel's voice came quiet in the mist-shrouded landscape. 107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm0mPSeHHQg
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Her masked face tilted slightly, attention focusing with that patient grace she always carried. "Of course, Chosen One."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7okoFuwSE1
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH0Bq9jvL8Z
The words felt heavy in his throat. Not because they were difficult to speak, but because asking them felt like crossing some invisible line.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkc5ys74nss
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"What are the Cursed?"107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXA9HkMJhxr
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Silence answered him. Not uncomfortable - just present. Selina remained perfectly still, her expression unchanged.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAd8QvrcQAU
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXIcIx18kWo
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."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4w5CeJRoBf
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzqQLe0nLME
Cel's jaw tightened. He'd expected the answer, but disappointment still settled in his chest anyways.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbTfn9YitJG
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"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?"107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNMW7ociYyL
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1kA9Ug2tDC
"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."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB6B1QBpddc
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The honesty in those words struck deeper than any evasion would have. Not a judgment. Not a defense. Just simple truth, delivered without embellishment.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDJqyLe0Kek
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"That doesn't help me know which category Raven falls into."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmW7Fb6TONn
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJVBU5977yu
"No," Selina agreed softly. "It does not."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwx874yI880
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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?107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLdoh1LqCIY
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL31S9GvqG6
"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?"107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5gzXK3o9Gq
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdpbkMcA8gB
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."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDGWqHKglwu
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1JWTiYcYMy
The mist shifted around them, curling through broken earth and small flowers that reached toward moonlight.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKth2iiFJL3
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLwTFTNmeMq
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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHT5GvVneUz
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiJMeHbF2ov
Selina's voice came gentler now, almost hesitant. "Chosen One..."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdOU4fya72b
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeWzlDFqmb6
He looked up.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6TksIILqN5
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"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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyPkrkPBLIM
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His chest tightened. "Of what?"107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw1AeRp6qax
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmkslYWDTXL
"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."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHP3mygWf2H
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrSFBhYREUd
The finality in her voice made it clear - this conversation was over.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO76V4n63QO
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"Alright," he said quietly. Then, after a pause, "Good night, Selina."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtFP6xja7XD
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The words felt strange leaving his mouth. He hesitated. "Do... do priests even sleep?"107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSegNTR0LLc
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4QTDJjewNm
A soft sound escaped her - gentle and musical. A chuckle, quiet but genuine.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqdawt1dplJ
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY8Sn6E9l14
"We do not need to sleep." Her voice carried warmth now, the tension from before easing. "But I appreciate the kindness nonetheless."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmLdnhkxzE9
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuQcSUZbASc
Something in her tone made his chest feel less tight. A small comfort in the midst of unanswered questions.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz4UM3TuaSM
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdRjwYzTKo3
“Sleep well, Chosen One.” Her serene smile deepened slightly. “May the Moon Goddess light your path."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm80BqH2KGa
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSnz5xVmvux
The familiar words wrapped around him as he closed his eyes and reached for the world beyond.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuMI3yrIq7n
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Pain greeted his return - dull and persistent, radiating from wounds that Cinderward's manifestation couldn't erase.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0d5gKg8ABL
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ii083EikJ
Cel opened his eyes to broken stone ceiling, moonlight filtering through gaps where the structure had crumbled. 107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF08oxw81rm
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCahvULUJRo
Raven's silhouette remained near the entrance, back turned, surveying the wasteland beyond with that same careful vigilance.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcHW8LaxBpj
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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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡidD3DJ1voi
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR7Pwtuo8gl
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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaEFlwsOU8w
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBuu61HdSZa
Cel gasped awake.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnOiTbq8xDY
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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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiNe1uS4hf3
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRRbIOlzg6Y
The nightmare clung to him like oil, coating his thoughts with remembered pain that felt more real than the broken ruins surrounding him.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrfvk20yr36
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His breathing gradually slowed. Steadied.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqjH5zacyGV
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Movement drew his attention.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6r3TgPS5B5
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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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyMPZ0vqgBh
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Aware, but not intruding.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUieuRGj9SW
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Cel pushed himself upright, testing his balance. His hands were steadier now, the nightmare's grip loosening with each deliberate breath.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQzZDXrp3dm
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Raven glanced back at him, expression unreadable.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhP0ZlgO6nW
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2s5CAe20PT
"For your notice," Cel said quietly, "you also mumble in your sleep."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtwHq9kYjCQ
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The words came out more defensive than he'd intended - a justification for weakness he shouldn't need to explain.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLI6sC4NK7Z
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Raven's lips quirked slightly. "I know."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYlKntgy2bH
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt4XfGhDZyN
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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyY94Q3VGSq
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"Ready?" Raven asked.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEjMr1pQvcw
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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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSKeWaHzYrj
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"Yes."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOt0qjB9jDD
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Raven nodded once, then moved through the archway without further discussion.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMYiP2otngP
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ22GR8kpPcd
Cel followed, emerging into crimson morning light that painted the wasteland in red tones. The mountain rose larger on the horizon now.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq51RHaTENk
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1x4I2HaPNH
Perhaps another day of walking. Maybe less.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡftUTZlcSPn
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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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ41aQCQEuwJ
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG4ih9zJWtU
Selina's warning circled Cel's thoughts, refusing to settle.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0b7LzMI7s1
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‘Please be careful.’107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8FbNAmqEC8
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMmuqEGqxnK
Careful of what? The Cursed in general? Raven specifically? Something else entirely that he was too ignorant to recognize?107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNxy7HdFXlB
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtZbRZNorwl
The ambiguity gnawed at him. But dwelling on unknowns wouldn't help. Not now.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMDlaLDwJyP
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4SEToDUKRI
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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwddfHMffTX
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKLwEj3TSfA
Whatever secrets Raven carried, whatever had earned him that mark of corruption, Cel would learn eventually.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO0RVBngnC1
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Or he wouldn't.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGMX0gvHQJ3
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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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSYxkYo6nkP
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLIP8tzmzfS
Time passed in silence, marked only by the rhythm of their footsteps. The crimson sun remained fixed on the horizon, unchanging107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT8W4og2HyD
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo7rJW5llj1
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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXXBSnh5fDz
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He'd been ignoring it. Pushing through the discomfort the same way he'd learned to push through everything else.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhTE7sKjy4m
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But when Raven slowed ahead of him, then stopped entirely, Cel knew the issue had become unavoidable.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6JE3xaWDdB
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5DxdxlU9MV
"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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJVPuL5jhUq
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4BwsrUb4DU
Cel came to a stop beside him, scanning the wasteland. Ash. Stone. Nothing that even hinted at water.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhUT8jgaYPT
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO6mESpjBSB
"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."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq8fEDJGVMG
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK38CmbvqWC
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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTXV43uaqUX
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7EizYEBZz2
But searching for water in this endless wasteland was uncertain at best. They could wander for days and still find nothing. 107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMWxSnJXYo2
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKHK0MEnHar
The risk of revealing his gift was smaller than the certainty timewaste.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzJ4TLVokWd
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"I have another source," Cel said finally. 107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM7dpAEYSrc
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Raven's attention shifted to him, question implicit in the tilt of his head. "What do you mean?"107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB2hI5rfjlO
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Rather than explain, Cel knelt and pressed his left palm flat against the ash-covered ground.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi4grqzDAvz
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡih91mg34wb
Cold erupted beneath his hand.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFiluO6VCNm
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIGz4jzERZs
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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbTsdT216pc
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Raven went still, his gaze fixed on the frost circle.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpGunVsxBwu
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Cel pulled his hand away, fingers aching from the cold. The frost remained, etched into the ground like divine scripture written in winter.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ94HMxuhw5z
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0OqxpZCGyG
He reached down and broke off a chunk. It came away with a sharp crack, the fragment glittering in his palm.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlgwYXQN34D
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCuoV4OOiKM
Then he brought it to his mouth and bit down.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgtypCc52E2
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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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1RS98jJoHx
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When he finished, he looked up at Raven.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbSXhxjtxYa
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ81cZJb8gsD
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?107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaObgW6gQlP
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡke9xxFybCe
"You can create water," Raven said finally.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMdsirnZpGJ
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5LBJpzJFb2
"Ice." Cel gestured at the remaining frost. "But yes."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyPXZLCl0ne
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8SfWUpiyxg
Silence stretched between them.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCn2PwH4qk8
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡig8FtCmTDt
Then Raven moved - slow, careful, like approaching something that might vanish if startled. He knelt beside the frost circle, one hand extending toward it.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡILmUypbydf
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His fingers hovered just above the surface for a heartbeat. 107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡixGtSmf9rG
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoXi1qPPtfp
The moment his skin made contact, Raven flinched - a subtle jerk of his hand.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKdJw0qBRmn
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5elP8aDLyn
"Cold," he said flatly.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUmjGEFHrzz
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Raven lifted the ice to his mouth. His teeth closed around it—107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRgKP1PRo3Q
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0si3lPX23t
And nothing happened.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK5Qh57KkR6
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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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO1hS0uVvL5
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlPCIjMOhVl
Frustration flickered across his features. He pulled the ice away, staring at it like it had personally offended him.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXA5yDYvXbt
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1hGqlPmrh4
"It won't—" He tried once more, applying enough force that Cel could see the strain in his neck. "—break."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjMcqIAHQte
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5K8aezK5WA
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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhxgVhmtSna
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He swallowed it down.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrvKWEYMeL2
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2McQD6GMla
"Here." Cel reached over and plucked the ice from Raven's hand.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNvk1tX4i2d
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He closed his fist around it.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3zNYwDbTAO
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3dOmX4Zv1c
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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3FtLCaqYH4
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGgo02IPC93
Raven stared at the crushed ice in Cel's hand, then up at his face, then back to the fragments.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn2xBt8lCKi
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJPQ4Q8vhiS
"That's..." He paused, seeming to search for words. "You didn't even try."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc34zk9oMAH
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMNcwTeNdnW
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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsYR0BJ97do
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His assessment had been wrong.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡorIJ6CpaNo
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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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCB2Ms0XDDv
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But it hadn't been the frost that was too weak.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6UNtx1BQb8
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It had been him that was too strong.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtqY3N8AD1k
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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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3vtlsPrqqz
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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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWlf0tVZ4MH
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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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrzqMNhy5id
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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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTaLVvry0je
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"Make more," Raven said quietly.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7DykhgYIob
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Cel pressed his palm to the ground again.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOMATMIfF5s
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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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIgpAHcnVkx
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They ate in silence - the crunch of ice against teeth the only sound in the vast emptiness surrounding them.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe2vZQ1WoSv
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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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWcQqKonVpC
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Raven stood, wiping frost residue from his hands onto his dark clothing.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD8Az7jnjyb
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"That changes things," he said, gaze tracking toward the distant mountain. "We can go straight."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrtGeG7RwCi
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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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTerY6vmrK3
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They fell into step together, boots crunching against ash-covered earth.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFhbmegUxPI
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Raven walked in silence for a long moment, his expression thoughtful in a way Cel hadn't seen before.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4fyZDcP3L3
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"A useful gift." He glanced back at Cel. "Your goddess must favor you highly."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS0Ye9RkOMk
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"The Moon Goddess chose me," Cel said carefully. "I don't know about favor."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxyF5T5EQbS
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"Still." Raven's pace slowed. "To grant such a gift... your priest must be no ordinary guide.”107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm2ClyDvP4l
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Raven's hand landed on his shoulder.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzTuB262Zdi
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The contact was light, almost casual - but something in the timing made Cel's attention sharpen.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvhWjZI6IfO
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"What rank does he hold?" Raven asked, his crimson eyes fixed on Cel's face.1234 copyright protection103ＰＥＮＡＮＡYlZn4fA0NB 尼

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