Cel's eyes snapped open to gray dawn.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZAW5JsHWBM
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMkfLPDvjkg
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHhIHTAAbkr
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmTsAuPJOyG
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL1NHMu70hv
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2i0haiSxfK
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCP51puJ8BO
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvOsW5blcJ2
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcg7KT8e2kh
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWl3qMiQVdE
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡet6qrmxhMf
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK6AYLtBULr
Then he stopped.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL1OBDQAfC1
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWqc2laauNu
Violet crystals ringed the hilltop.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3LgyLyVx9U
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRcmsgZKyW8
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUdfqmO90Ji
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8iLgmWdcll
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM7vdfNE90U
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEUwI9NPU8D
'When did these—?'180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJc1RTZHOSI
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE6s4ZpmgvC
The thought died as he watched the nearest formation expand and contract in a slow, deliberate rhythm.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlkkvaEGnLl
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzZM5NQ2CcL
'Is this how the crystals grow?'180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwyRtPTCZVu
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPDpUnOICGQ
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtUu4KCBGHz
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvEBH4WQV7L
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsD4Ep6RmnX
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcoPH97nvYK
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY3Tg62i0md
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfpZP2aODRW
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhxdg77i7Hc
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJlyyN2FaV2
His sanctuary had been the one place where the world held still. Now even that mercy had been stripped away.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6jJmmLoztt
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvbLjE4BJ1M
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm9xrmg2ux1
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjG0zWuR5ao
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlZuuXftwrE
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaMkMDHoAUo
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNu0yZHZ65b
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRRAI9fKrYO
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU3BztI3fZK
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaO19aVq6ro
Then, the ground shifted.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrSjJtBZ6Rl
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd70IrE4Zef
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Wmi8emnOG
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM1hSrEglrA
Cel froze. Every muscle locked as the surface continued its slow lift. Three inches. Six. A foot.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEyRcwVYLq0
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXlH7Xq7ekd
Then it descended with the same measured pace.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOAxaxZsxp2
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmr2jx1AFm9
The movement wasn't coming from the crystals.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh8RZppyOTB
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8FD3uElhIx
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡks1wBiBdCt
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDLUDOpS6L6
Something beneath the crystals was breathing.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4zyzAUTBCN
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBMbRn5weMi
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJFdVur2I5A
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlvwF6x33IO
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQCk14Fjga4
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnNwRy9VYwL
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0JubOfKnYx
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk4jM834R1v
The creature showed no sign of waking. Its breath continued in a measured pattern.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqHaGQzjpSl
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhQBcS5PA4x
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy2VaJyyM1y
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvm2QJlLzkK
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqL5GDRH4mZ
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLACOwbaJH5
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ5rZSKe5qt
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmz7xxc8kQf
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkiuyKCQO5X
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVmAAR9ZIQp
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1OMnzLdPUF
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPiWyluALhD
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOzCmQzm2EP
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn08LrISxVt
Then, the rhythm changed.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkvXfwOZro9
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaanxFV5bpF
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡanRPdP9X8T
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcO8LQvhRDv
The creature was waking.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWSX4cE3YY7
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMQD17nSrcU
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkjXQ6ZMv7Z
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxaqJXzzCNb
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡueoogYXK0L
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdx42X96jDq
Movement exploded beneath him.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCp9INoQI1n
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzR3e9Eb8Wv
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGOlfKJSamg
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJzZLytsDZE
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjbuBEP5dar
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkYPcNIBnEi
It was descending the hill.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtTt0ZgYt95
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmGbeb40QIz
Moving toward the void.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0XPuHXF5mN
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPyP5vkprFN
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeov1g4oeKC
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiGi3sO0uIf
'No, not into that you damn—'180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYz7IHJazGj
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxwJCEoHYlP
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ26c13yFQKh
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwU24bcskRW
The creature reached the hill's base and stepped onto the void.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoD1RV52oEx
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8NW32sD7E7
The liquid exploded instantly.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu1ZaBvxouv
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVdulontfI6
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9kkPBMYZe9
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU0LC9cmwZr
But the beast didn't stop.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxfVIERRn28
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdr8hUtc5kC
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPKUPZ4QBn9
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRPJnZnDSGz
The creature pushed forward.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfIFEtBz4GI
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI357DSw7jA
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKTKGII1UU0
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJntMNU6D8P
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbq3ewjfxvQ
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIugUCUzd8V
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQVybRaFq1s
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPjdf7o8w6d
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBTIYIq2t6z
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNgkUgwN6iu
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡndONzTZaxC
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡELSjWd0Aju
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0w0aGYx58o
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡybyhG0Pj3J
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmaYTpjflEH
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE5GHY5VK0o
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJSnuEldJAW
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo0IvygHeOZ
The creature took another step.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9yn9ubxi58
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡms637zjKdx
Then another.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡogpDpjrYdT
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdWCfmmCziF
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡycVAjGDXs6
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJnG1xI2zkF
They were going to die here. Both of them, claimed by the void that had waited so patiently.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6RRaz65L04
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJs80slnrlV
The crystal beneath Cel's grip turned white-hot.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQjM0RFMZK0
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs0Ib0OXkJl
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMwcwJHgScK
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSZgwtKSQPa
The crystals shattered.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWZxfTma40H
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwb6mGCSGcY
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWtDcCMjms5
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkn3BoBcrjm
The creature surged forward through the chaos, legs suddenly free.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKRvY1qZwFP
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXKoqKrOWFz
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe330NBeH97
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ00ELSq34Ld
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPMTcjgJ54Y
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrgSXwxjDDa
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyWYA1z3aoQ
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQrhCRdc9Bq
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Cycl7wjfg
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjqD4zu3wvg
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbGa6bK6NGv
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ExmHaI70b
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKIR6Z31pHT
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjMHFZAIpU8
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVrzYzor7b1
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmiz2YY8b1V
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfEEBywWuY9
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaxIQeO2RuS
They'd crossed the void. Both of them. Somehow.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzCeeT4RlG4
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlHyxM1uqxB
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzh1Dd91oKV
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ90KymeHW14
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9l7ZixkWA7
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuzK7DZlCai
But he was alive - for now.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNxI6Q7CQXt
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrJyLEHwKpm
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbny27QyV5z
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxqlZ3xuztj
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx7nB5jYcki
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgbIqrzFnWq
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ziHPInCKs
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNeqCYoZUF2
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT3QyXGIE5p
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSCow8XJmgj
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQpbZ4P4BK
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDoeJjZxejc
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcPD2yQd75a
180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡybxWqBtxaw
He just had to survive long enough to find it.1234 copyright protection176ＰＥＮＡＮＡVsqduOaB4T 尼

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