"I need to ask you something." Cel's voice came quiet in the mist-shrouded landscape. 107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ59WQ1zPJbS
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBijotY0abD
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDdvWvfOsHJ
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVAWu02ssdN
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOSgxMpH0iA
"What are the Cursed?"107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIyZOJbdVIZ
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoL1wV9xrmK
Silence answered him. Not uncomfortable - just present. Selina remained perfectly still, her expression unchanged.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI4UguKJlL5
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ACv6lLij4
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkatg7TyvjR
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhaiDQgKVOY
Cel's jaw tightened. He'd expected the answer, but disappointment still settled in his chest anyways.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGN3qlZ3iip
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVEmHTXzQHV
"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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVbWhxJgd2d
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2jLmwD055G
"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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEa6t47y5wT
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWeIjgpPU0j
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmq6o45RLKM
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"That doesn't help me know which category Raven falls into."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡufFGm8l1EC
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsiYtlYnnsE
"No," Selina agreed softly. "It does not."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpRuC6vG423
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDi35LhABgV
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnrasdSM5bS
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFpxtbRjNu0
"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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt4FHXiNJM4
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPxsYJzEwIT
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQJaUq1h5yz
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡERLE07Lpq7
The mist shifted around them, curling through broken earth and small flowers that reached toward moonlight.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDkcqr3NNHV
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEAbmto1Jwy
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡADOAzK76sh
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrmrF1lDL06
Selina's voice came gentler now, almost hesitant. "Chosen One..."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeAObhtHywl
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVW93Nqnt1x
He looked up.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0xdN5gTaQV
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEw4de7rjbE
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His chest tightened. "Of what?"107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRXd5ajkk8T
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Il3bnyePO
"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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJIIZiKGeOc
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfyyGXNylTn
The finality in her voice made it clear - this conversation was over.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ94tPdmm6bL
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKc1KfCLps0
"Alright," he said quietly. Then, after a pause, "Good night, Selina."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL7OaNut3qZ
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR58EoE7JXp
The words felt strange leaving his mouth. He hesitated. "Do... do priests even sleep?"107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE1JQ3vlWkT
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvBajUVyX3y
A soft sound escaped her - gentle and musical. A chuckle, quiet but genuine.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIfaCNpZRtM
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXo6DGMD8sf
"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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoVe2eqyPp0
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNIWXSt8qpO
Something in her tone made his chest feel less tight. A small comfort in the midst of unanswered questions.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvEsCD1fERa
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaaVqe8j6GN
“Sleep well, Chosen One.” Her serene smile deepened slightly. “May the Moon Goddess light your path."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYSq3yVILhW
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR6ifntDK74
The familiar words wrapped around him as he closed his eyes and reached for the world beyond.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJxD6INT4g3
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ49S81JpDx2
Pain greeted his return - dull and persistent, radiating from wounds that Cinderward's manifestation couldn't erase.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ulci42WDu
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLRs21KItR9
Cel opened his eyes to broken stone ceiling, moonlight filtering through gaps where the structure had crumbled. 107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRCR5HjS6JG
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Raven's silhouette remained near the entrance, back turned, surveying the wasteland beyond with that same careful vigilance.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxzpASiRBd1
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj0MY4IKFEC
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6lswWqHGgf
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcooSPnie43
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYZctbtsZpG
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMQELuGLiS2
Cel gasped awake.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgM7h3DKOnm
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmshm7Mj9I3
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5dgatZnokt
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His breathing gradually slowed. Steadied.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIXVqGcnsaP
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Movement drew his attention.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLITVzGg5xl
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ75vpiUBAoB
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Aware, but not intruding.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsrd6m6SKM7
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡduhP2ldxMr
Cel pushed himself upright, testing his balance. His hands were steadier now, the nightmare's grip loosening with each deliberate breath.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy1HLByuk1h
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Raven glanced back at him, expression unreadable.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7pYVsIbiKp
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT96HBKzgo2
"For your notice," Cel said quietly, "you also mumble in your sleep."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG0RhX16z9p
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ64HWi3aMAI
The words came out more defensive than he'd intended - a justification for weakness he shouldn't need to explain.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0wcgXKLWmy
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDmG5MFreSu
Raven's lips quirked slightly. "I know."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe4kCD3WGG8
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡecPQeTEoVh
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP4dJUOaeF6
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9gPrre76ui
"Ready?" Raven asked.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡipGCxBHF3I
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2YfyuyLQOo
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"Yes."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ40dLTIvI83
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Raven nodded once, then moved through the archway without further discussion.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4NORG5y8ct
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0vLI03mOLW
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmVelpQZWQ8
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9zYUfAvIDN
Perhaps another day of walking. Maybe less.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwoYkTDXFMy
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfc9dBbnV8L
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡavSmoA3sSl
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrU4jTg5Eih
Selina's warning circled Cel's thoughts, refusing to settle.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHbUxoj66fR
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡApkYxuPRiN
‘Please be careful.’107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbHwA86A802
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM1z4nPcHnt
Careful of what? The Cursed in general? Raven specifically? Something else entirely that he was too ignorant to recognize?107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2e9Ckiwpcm
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAphvVac3I2
The ambiguity gnawed at him. But dwelling on unknowns wouldn't help. Not now.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlcvK14mayL
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZky0afBKaY
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkhiz62f2qo
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfGct5ppyov
Whatever secrets Raven carried, whatever had earned him that mark of corruption, Cel would learn eventually.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJcZSnVPY0g
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuzfj6JT3up
Or he wouldn't.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgI0PLeRWxI
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmg0lt0DSmy
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLJkLrUpwIQ
Time passed in silence, marked only by the rhythm of their footsteps. The crimson sun remained fixed on the horizon, unchanging107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8V1Xzt3WdV
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFKQQojPMkD
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡubYBpylmsZ
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNoG1N92Xvo
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBsRZF9Sc5T
But when Raven slowed ahead of him, then stopped entirely, Cel knew the issue had become unavoidable.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5OKyn6er7l
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvAons3f7zW
"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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡflNlHDy8KS
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF8lrOmjewQ
Cel came to a stop beside him, scanning the wasteland. Ash. Stone. Nothing that even hinted at water.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkyUkExDx0v
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ13qo2tSuCC
"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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQeRw91geNA
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM7CwXWcoT3
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN95DisMyfH
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmsRfvGQAQr
But searching for water in this endless wasteland was uncertain at best. They could wander for days and still find nothing. 107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEIJCPfNblv
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo8zBZS2ttr
The risk of revealing his gift was smaller than the certainty timewaste.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnfFfXnpQXx
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"I have another source," Cel said finally. 107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7mllHYjkM0
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIeIxIciJNX
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtcqQ9d8nBY
Rather than explain, Cel knelt and pressed his left palm flat against the ash-covered ground.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIKz7UkIznB
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Cold erupted beneath his hand.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhDF0DUYKjk
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ622Itj954n
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV8c7ulEj97
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxxseMWYBQk
Raven went still, his gaze fixed on the frost circle.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQx8kfFQLgc
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV0VrFpAzki
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU4ULZNXogR
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1K9QDAXzA6
He reached down and broke off a chunk. It came away with a sharp crack, the fragment glittering in his palm.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOMhE0dgYPd
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmL4GtGynF6
Then he brought it to his mouth and bit down.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb4wORNiMcZ
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtGdOljJbui
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When he finished, he looked up at Raven.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ynWakA8mh
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyCRwdmC4LD
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKq9TKdaFFg
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4P56nkJr8i
"You can create water," Raven said finally.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSSUu4Znv0e
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXw1XW6pkeY
"Ice." Cel gestured at the remaining frost. "But yes."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡod0gpjEp1f
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdNzCklCanj
Silence stretched between them.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYCC82WTwAy
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8KQ3ip69RI
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn6eAIRCfF0
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMT0FgIL36f
His fingers hovered just above the surface for a heartbeat. 107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfLlGypo7eQ
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The moment his skin made contact, Raven flinched - a subtle jerk of his hand.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaA7hcesmnL
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6147Y7fEoA
"Cold," he said flatly.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSISQyT8JTn
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Raven lifted the ice to his mouth. His teeth closed around it—107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo5LID6Cz0p
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And nothing happened.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgWq6HdsbKV
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ibyfYzsLl
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDp1ZLUzgrz
Frustration flickered across his features. He pulled the ice away, staring at it like it had personally offended him.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7qUpFwYkSX
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9xmKnR3wRd
"It won't—" He tried once more, applying enough force that Cel could see the strain in his neck. "—break."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL9lS78tRiw
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaazdqqJXAV
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfDKVYLb5x0
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ6AypwwCUn
He swallowed it down.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYUQsgrrauF
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzLpSIMFX08
"Here." Cel reached over and plucked the ice from Raven's hand.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrgEDEvf8QL
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6q8iupbru1
He closed his fist around it.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrgEj0wUFrF
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNz8Es3OdWi
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlX2HJVeAJO
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF8SGKlvV9t
Raven stared at the crushed ice in Cel's hand, then up at his face, then back to the fragments.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGf5wqNmsVW
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmxfpYjkkZB
"That's..." He paused, seeming to search for words. "You didn't even try."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡotKn1oIpNi
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOddirIZgcR
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4xNYkC1l74
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjlKpOaA7hL
His assessment had been wrong.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtLbnZawWQQ
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHUaJ3aiLcr
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But it hadn't been the frost that was too weak.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiWLgEJWvSt
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It had been him that was too strong.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqmB77c3lDU
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI76ttts5d7
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmTxzDe8ibE
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZCk3K91NVs
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHHRuWp7Dzy
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"Make more," Raven said quietly.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlIUNNEOjOr
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Cel pressed his palm to the ground again.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUHpqkH51o5
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0jTEJo7pkA
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCyKI2UOIeS
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4bTopMVTVZ
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Raven stood, wiping frost residue from his hands onto his dark clothing.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡipJR6UHoPQ
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"That changes things," he said, gaze tracking toward the distant mountain. "We can go straight."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiBNrb8CvDK
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwviEx4hRYG
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They fell into step together, boots crunching against ash-covered earth.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1wOl5GDX5x
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAyLYB3OAH9
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"A useful gift." He glanced back at Cel. "Your goddess must favor you highly."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfKI8iqsVVJ
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"The Moon Goddess chose me," Cel said carefully. "I don't know about favor."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxejgfYE9GQ
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"Still." Raven's pace slowed. "To grant such a gift... your priest must be no ordinary guide.”107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE4efrNHfK3
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Raven's hand landed on his shoulder.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaPj6pF4wgM
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The contact was light, almost casual - but something in the timing made Cel's attention sharpen.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Z2SbNGMtZ
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"What rank does he hold?" Raven asked, his crimson eyes fixed on Cel's face.1234 copyright protection103ＰＥＮＡＮＡmEwHMU5umZ 尼

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