Cold pressed against burned skin.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwaC0ykM22E
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1zzP2yFXar
Cel's eyes cracked open. Gray light filtered through crystal formations that no longer glowed with lethal intensity. The four suns had set. Night's mercy had returned.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf2gFe60tql
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF8zmydawAM
He'd survived - somehow.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkuxyswNdz0
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMDa2WHuLtS
His body hadn't moved. He was still slumped against the creature's spine, still impaled through the palm on the crystal spike. Dark blood had dried in trails down his forearm, staining hide beneath him.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ46KlRhfmWO
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOSE4qsUgOu
The creature's breathing moved in slow, steady rhythm. It had stopped walking. Settled down to rest while he'd been unconscious.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1wZxLrT0D2
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6NyEOIN5fY
Cel stared at the spike protruding from both sides of his hand.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeM4O0NmlAa
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYpgDDqX5tK
He needed to move. Needed to climb down before the creature woke and while darkness still gave him cover from the heat.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡic4qy0BxbA
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeTsKAD9qUS
But his body refused.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv4X9wtE3S1
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmOXVfM7gjm
Every muscle screamed. His skin was burned. His lips split. His throat beyond dry. He had no strength left.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcXj8XykPCV
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡccMq3ZZVIV
Yet his left hand twitched anyway. Fingers closed around a ridge.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl9muroEFzT
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡel4MUOI1fH
He pulled.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡna6jdVD5Gy
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Nothing happened.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhc6NuceMAm
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡexz7AsOY1F
He pulled harder.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA26QiccLrx
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡatchkvlghl
His body shifted an inch. Then another. Pain exploded through his impaled hand as the crystal scraped against bone. But he didn't stop. He couldn't stop. Not here. Not now.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv4DUwHhckH
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHjw59Zqu87
With a wet sound, his palm slid free of the spike.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUhCZDGypae
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYTANMJmypb
Blood flowed fresh. He pressed the ruined hand against his chest and pushed himself upright with his left arm. His legs trembled beneath him, threatening to give out.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn3AWtLM7e9
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZkVBehYmN3
One foot in front of the other.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdrui6q0FHm
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMHxdwdlXmJ
His left hand gripped crystal edges. His right hung useless at his side, leaving a trail of blood droplets. Pain accompanied each movement.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjDGtMlzpc2
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmZCI65WwJ6
Finally, his feet touched solid ground.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHvfgUqWSfn
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBYP4G5zJ5A
His legs buckled immediately.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwnWEpCLr1g
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFA7rXdwTM5
Cel collapsed onto crystal shards, his impaled hand slamming onto the ground. The impact sent a fresh wave of pain up his arm. He bit down on a scream his ruined ears wouldn't hear.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT40e2xfaOC
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnIp7VwlNIQ
He should be dead.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ra6vLsqDI
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5yc3keylE1
The thought arrived with perfect clarity. No fever haze. No delirium. Just cold, factual assessment.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0cat7E4iti
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEzf1vlnhwy
He'd been starved for over a year. Beaten and bled by cultists who used him for their twisted experiments. Forced to eat rotting meat until his sense of taste died completely. Transported to this nightmare after nearly dying in the Hollow Realms. Crossed the crystal maze under four blazing suns that permanently destroyed his hearing. Suffered burns and cuts across most of his body. Dragged into a lake of mirrors where reflections of everyone who’d tormented him nearly shatter his mind completely. Gone two days without water in killing heat. Impaled his own hand just to stay conscious while clinging to a creature that could crush him by chance, unaware he even existed.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3TxlaQG2Jm
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsrcfOuL14p
His body should have quit a dozen times over.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWVVGqPh3MY
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIcK9JIFXHp
Yet somehow, his heart kept beating. His lungs kept pulling air. Some stubborn piece of him - rage perhaps, or simple spite - refused to let go.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNSSwUs7Pnq
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpaoLxP9D1g
But he couldn't stand. Not anymore.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjwP5UXKr65
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Grua6NStt
Cel pressed his forehead against the ground, blood from his split lips wetting his mouth. His chest heaved with each breath. The night air felt impossibly cold against his burnt skin, every nerve screaming at the contrast.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiDqnb7SIhu
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE9zXbB1SRZ
He knew he wouldn't survive another day in this crystal maze.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCilqKALHTf
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRaWDVDYDmn
His left arm trembled as he pushed himself up. Made it to his knees before his vision grayed at the edges. He stopped. Breathed. Waited for the world to solidify.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBxgaH6J2xW
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQZZ6Sq3Soe
One knee forward. Then the other. Crawling like an animal through scattered crystal fragments that bit into his palms and shins.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw89XHyTVV3
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjDgoNNiFIi
His right hand dragged uselessly, leaving a trail of blood across stone and crystal. Each time his weight shifted onto it, fresh agony bloomed. He learned to favor the left, to distribute his weight differently.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQM2Ip9H7nL
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ03eZgOYNpg
Progress came through painful effort. Each movement a small victory of will over flesh.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWSc6hiTLw3
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvkDRy1LEad
‘Just keep moving. Don't think. Don't stop.’159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWHKqUGpow8
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQJEgwEGg9G
His left palm pressed against something smooth. He blinked, trying to focus through the haze.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ109unhDdfN
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9KNRM9em6s
The ground had changed. No more scattered shards biting into his skin. The surface beneath him felt almost polished, worn smooth by something he couldn't name.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV8hFvAh3QZ
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKU41TFY68r
‘When did that happen?’159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmh4uo5A6yj
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKFk22kj9Me
Cel lifted his head, squinting into the gloom.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Gqi5CJhTY
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPj96gtWUUE
The crystal nearest him rose at least twice his height. He followed its line upward - three times his height. Four. The crystal stretched toward the sky like a cathedral pillar, its surface flawless and vast.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYjD88Anlre
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwbX7h7Ilfo
He turned his head left. Another massive formation. Right. Three more, each one dwarfing anything he'd seen in the outer maze. They pressed closer together too, their bases nearly touching, creating narrow gaps between them that twisted at angles his eyes couldn't quite follow.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU9ECcRUH5l
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpEjTjeYjMH
‘Just how far did that creature carry me?’ The thought arrived slowly, fighting through exhaustion. 159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7XZUwsdbeR
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqTCzZXWtUu
He'd been barely conscious during the journey. Had felt the creature's movement beneath him, the hours passing in fragments of awareness. But he hadn't truly comprehended the distance. Hadn't realized—159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpumepJIGXY
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡETLpd4m0rZ
A shadow moved between the crystals.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3XyrvmASBt
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpVWIK3dR0S
Cel froze.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ZCfPBaLRM
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLcXSQaPzV8
The darkness shifted.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5iPdP3eoUu
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8PhpzHcy8u
Bone gleamed pale between the formations. A skull emerged first - violet light burning in empty sockets, jagged crystal jutting from the crown like a broken halo. Ribs came next, each one studded with crystalline growths that formed a cage around the hollow chest.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8z1MomlF0C
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmKlNB4ENtR
The skeleton's left leg dragged behind - crystal had swallowed the bone completely. The limb scraped across stone with each step, leaving trails through dust.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdjXwSqa5yT
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhTCGTf0FDh
The skull rotated.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgWOndZAxKj
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvXTvP7ODmq
Violet light locked onto him.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuxbBnpTHIR
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLlPezMKDYr
‘Shit.’159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV4S5PT5Zh5
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3VpuHOVda8
Cel's breath caught. His arms were already shaking from the crawling. His body had nothing left. The thought of standing - of running - was laughable.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5grMlnjfPB
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEsvLGJbfoM
The skeleton took another step. The crystal-encased leg dragged behind, slowing its approach but not stopping it.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLILIfDtQGD
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTzD6MWjioe
Another step.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBdXhyD2uHZ
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLJYZKs2Gsg
Cel’s left arm shifted. Then his knee. He dragged himself forward - away from the approaching thing. 159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFLpuyjNrfE
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjhPxp4I5Ap
Too slow.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOBK1veWe60
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Br4mOKETs
He forced himself forward another pull. His right hand screamed. His vision blurred. The skeleton closed the distance with grinding steps, narrowing the gap with each of his pitiful retreats.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOSbsIOIkcz
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjf439shyJ4
‘I can't… there's nowhere—’159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡozXOy0eHfl
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn6qpabED4q
The world shook.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE6HSbLgUS2
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKAtHJo1mEp
Cel's arms buckled. He hit the ground hard, cheek slamming against smooth stone. The surface beneath him rippled, sending violent vibrations up through his bones. Crystal formations around him blazed brighter, their hum rising to a shriek.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfV3P3lLVTj
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSsh0s7VxrL
He twisted his head.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnhUgepeBRi
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGbSG6iG4lf
In the distance - far beyond the dense forest of crystal formations around him - something caught his eye. A sliver of the great spire, barely visible between towering formations.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH5o1eJLbMm
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNxRT1DwNXv
Its light was gone.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG5pcOGPwwc
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡecfERZKVUJ
The violet glow that had always pulsed through its core had died completely. The structure was collapsing - its top already fractured, massive chunks breaking away and tumbling down its length. The destruction spread like infection, racing through crystal with terrible speed.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnjbOn8f5it
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡowd0J5KPW4
Then the fragments hit the ground.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS5imzN5Bjj
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjKxJVCnw5S
The impact slammed through the maze. The floor heaved beneath Cel like a living thing. He flattened himself against stone as the shock wave rolled through, strong enough to make his jaw clench and his vision shake.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq5W5BOXdi2
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHIjfJXAW4q
The skeleton stumbled, its crystal-heavy leg unable to compensate. It crashed to one knee, skull turning toward the distant destruction.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwYiK675Qoe
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp5oN6MuIkv
Cel didn't wait.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIH1zdCpzZG
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9fKmAi81Wk
He dragged himself forward with desperate strength, ignoring the pain, ignoring everything except the need to put distance between himself and that thing. One arm length. Two. His muscles screamed. His vision tunneled.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkGkxoTSRLg
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ203stY22o
His left hand reached forward and found nothing but air.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrSXuQillBp
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX9o9P7983u
‘Huh?’159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlDZAbLXdX5
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo9nYMiz2uZ
Cel stopped, panting, staring at the edge that had appeared impossibly before him. A massive chasm split the maze - a wound in the earth so wide that it could easily swallow an entire city.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIAyxDEeQoz
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr5QwESqu4M
Behind him, crystal scraped against stone.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ0vnhpVjkq
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkxh6XLoZui
He twisted his head back.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVoXf6T44A2
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY9jgArqICI
The skeleton had risen. Its crowned skull was fixed on him now, violet light burning in empty sockets. It moved forward with renewed purpose, dragging its ruined leg behind, closing the distance between them.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFHxdYg1iQM
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr9Z3lgt676
Cel tried to crawl sideways along the chasm's edge. His arms gave out after two pulls. He collapsed flat, watching the thing approach.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1yFNUjw7zD
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡygRKTFo3K3
Ten feet away. Eight. Six.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWsSywgrfxd
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQBwiTgvgBu
The skeleton loomed over him, blocking out the moonless sky. Crystal growth caught what little light remained, creating shadows that danced across its bones. Its jaw hung open in a permanent scream. One skeletal hand reached down, fingers spreading to grasp—159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk3YR9H305h
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqo0Mnr1lgi
It stopped.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiCWzINmRAO
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb1T4J0Yc5M
The crowned skull tilted downward. But not at Cel. Past him.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv199KTf6l2
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc2UbcJM4vi
Into the chasm.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaVUbqPm5E2
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡORlP9kEgN4
Cel's breath came in ragged gasps as he watched the thing's posture change. The reaching hand withdrew. The skeleton turned away from him, its violet gaze locked on something in the depths below.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAj5ybwaWT9
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk9qEnjXaOj
Then it stepped over him.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh5pLj3DSjd
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzAzNBpxlYV
Cel felt the scrape of its crystal leg against his back as it straddled his body. Felt the thing's weight shift. A moment later, it was past him, standing at the very edge of the chasm.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiShrYZAqYG
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGSms3GrCNz
It jumped.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq8Q06g15pi
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhGmz6h0joG
No hesitation. No pause. Just a simple, decisive leap off the edge and into darkness.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1U2890zkuc
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW1DLlmqWhU
The skeleton disappeared. Swallowed by the abyss as if it had never existed.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoSv5oHjiZD
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvijsaaBxrV
Silence returned. 159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEp5c04pj0G
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR6Vvc9jwwO
Cel lay motionless at the precipice, too exhausted to process what he'd just witnessed.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzJjedw07GD
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf63pVp1cbf
‘What... what was that?’159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKsar41sIni
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj6Sp37l82N
His left arm trembled as he dragged himself forward. Just an inch. Enough to peer over the edge.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA8qkI96v5z
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2VhektJr9t
Now, it is a repetThe depths disappeared beyond sight. No bottom visible. Just endless descent into violet-lit darkness that made his stomach clench. The chasm walls were studded with massive crystal formations, each one larger than any he'd seen in the maze above, jutting outward in chaotic clusters.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Pe6ESPcSQ
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4qE2KJstcQ
But deep within - far, far below - something else glowed.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtpbWixhYij
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmvpfS0kVd5
White light. Not violet.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi260SxEhMr
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDZgSsuUUcT
It pulsed gently, steady and alive. The rhythm matched something in his chest, a pull he felt in his bones.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXtQ8LMlqUK
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYIWv6IT0ON
‘The skeleton saw this. Saw it and jumped without hesitation.’ Cel stared into the abyss, trying to comprehend what he was seeing. 159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ36yd5Xxcig
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWVwwvSg54p
The creature had carried him impossibly far - the spire had been barely visible before it collapsed. The maze had transformed around him while he'd clung to consciousness. Larger. Denser. More concentrated. As if all its power was converging on this single point.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsHJtBh3XnR
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkp56B9QFWd
He'd survived everything only to end up here, at the maze's deepest reaches. Too weak to crawl. Too broken to do anything but stare into depths that should terrify him.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡExu2f3yuXA
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmN4xHsEgos
But that light…159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzfatdXPGA9
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC9L1I8Gi3D
That light was different.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBCWHTqcorz
159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1tDRQlQ2SG
It felt almost like… hope.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgB6vNnmIdt
1234 copyright protection155ＰＥＮＡＮＡq1eRMLnv7Z 尼

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