Cel gasped - a desperate, rattling inhale that should have drowned in blood.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9zn2tu0TE7
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBwJ7OFfLmh
But his lungs filled cleanly. No wet gurgle. No spike tearing through muscle and bone with each breath.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO9Bt6ykElw
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa8fvqdwAYZ
His eyes snapped open.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ2b44e1P9J
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm1haly2BZu
Swirling mist. Silver moonlight washing over broken ground.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbevGtau0bN
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi4KczvqgBA
His soul's landscape.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUUy9Z91FW9
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0pUkNJuOVG
The realization hit a second later, followed immediately by his hands - flying to his chest, fingers scrabbling across skin that should have been torn open, searching for the wound that had killed him.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKS0IAjdetM
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLVY2csJV5A
Nothing.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmq53R2wY11
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4s0qU9iNpf
The burns covering his arms - gone. The cuts from crystal edges - gone. Even the impaled hand he'd used to anchor himself through the furnace heat had healed completely, leaving no trace it had ever been destroyed.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS3KbTI92ad
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8YWQvR2VLi
But the memory remained sharp as the crystals themselves.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHcm3ZGXfH7
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiNBRSqNTJa
His fingers curled against his chest, nails digging into unblemished skin hard enough to hurt - just to feel something real, something that proved this wasn't another illusion.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiYqKKPQBUZ
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyInk26GgOH
His breath slowed. Steadied.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH3JLSJ8Ygf
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR7lRKguCCA
'Over. It's over.'165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBLkv4Dn4Es
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqp5SocvGBP
The thought felt hollow. Distant. Wrong, somehow - too simple for what he'd just endured.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo25iuCIAdW
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrvyEy8LKPb
He'd survived.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0trkdTDV6O
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqRq4GCW4ud
Cel's gaze drifted upward to the moon hanging full and radiant above him. Its pale light cast everything in shades of silver and shadow, gentle and honest. No warmth trying to fill the cracks in him. No promises. Just light that showed things as they were.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLls927DWDG
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZloXskFUin
He let himself breathe. Just breathe. No running. No fighting. No creature hunting him through impossible terrain. 165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqeVRCIO0xw
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNlsXBPRwNJ
Slowly, carefully, he lowered himself down until he lay flat against the cracked earth, moon filling his vision.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsmgRbPvLND
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ73QX8Udty5
Just him and the quiet.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgKFJkonVgQ
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB22oDLgyi9
Minutes passed - or maybe hours. Time felt strange here, unreliable. 165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdsni4aUBOw
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLgazAU4fBe
Eventually, Cel rolled onto his side, then slowly pushed himself up.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAOkPDWaJDt
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPevtyHxx1v
His gaze swept across the space around him.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE84GhIY977
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP2skF9oahN
Before, this place had been nothing but endless fog - thick and suffocating, swallowing everything beyond a few paces. An empty void with no features, no landmarks. Just him and the distant moon, suspended in formless gray.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW3UEFNHgcI
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4wNauXciFv
Now, the mist had thinned.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt0m7JERcB0
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWPHmCCAUHY
Dry, cracked earth stretched beneath him, split by deep fissures that webbed across the ground like old scars. Jagged stones jutted up at irregular intervals.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGvxxsX9pk1
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuDHeELspO6
Ruins.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy6B4a4sNNL
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv9i7WUN4hU
Not the ancient structures from the trial, but something personal. Something carved into the foundation of who he was.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgMay4iVFdI
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAygY3p1pzQ
Cel's fingers traced along a crack in the stone near his feet. The edges were rough, uneven - violence frozen in rock.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgNXOUuCs0Z
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUDmVf7jyNc
Between the fractures, small flowers with bluish-white petals bloomed, reaching toward the moonlight from the deepest cracks.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvjXQ5bOEaY
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6r99cZ4Yrz
He stared at them for a long moment.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYYZXdBVqUI
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡik3QKnMyXT
The mist shifted.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPoiwf6eJgC
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyo7fN0D7Pj
Cel's head snapped up, body tensing before his mind caught up. But the presence was familiar - graceful footsteps, unhurried and light.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBLtYkdxIE4
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhKBOKKoKzW
Selina emerged from the mist - white robes trailing through the thinned veil like she was stepping through a curtain. Her silver mask that covered the upper half of her face caught the moonlight, reflecting it in pale crescents. Below, her serene smile held the same quiet warmth it always had.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmQ1H0nQXJB
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsIrqmAjp2U
Cel's shoulders dropped slightly. Some tension he hadn't named eased at the sight of her.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvLxidYJGg5
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnWOxIx8QVe
She stopped a few paces away, hands folded at her waist, regarding him with that calm smile. What remained of the mist curled around her hem like a cat seeking attention.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC6JVsXuMCN
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡogMNfCdWAa
"Congratulations, Chosen One." 165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKYrE8zl5p8
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt1Mk1nLLo6
Cel flinched.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6V3iM5Pvxx
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkMwRO7Cqjs
Not from the words themselves, but from hearing them - truly hearing them. Clear. Crisp. Every beautiful syllable distinct. 165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkn5TJfvubP
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVAJKYrNXSq
His hand flew to his ear. The silence that had wrapped around him since the crystal shriek, the thick cotton that had muffled everything into nothing… was gone too.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzTzCAVZC7J
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2lzAeLIUMv
"You have completed the trial." Her voice carried the same gentle certainty as always, like stating the moon would rise tonight.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXEPDvfHukd
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaAVTsWcfpQ
No fanfare. No celebration. Just acknowledgment - as if surviving that nightmare was expected.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbVB71LO5EL
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1OpsiWZSpd
Cel nodded slowly, processing the words. His hand moved absently to his chest - where the spike had been.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCkX1yi8Cq2
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCyTByGHge1
"I did." The words came out flat.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGJqDke8LYx
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9cImY7KB0O
Silence stretched between them.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvMknoGnafT
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7DsTIdPDY2
Cel pushed himself to his feet slowly - movements careful, deliberate, like he wasn't quite sure his body would obey. 165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVZID8Xp1vV
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAPEvfGz4Nv
His eyes swept across the landscape without focus.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4L5KAjV27m
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBtN4nrSVZB
Selina tilted her head slightly, as if reading something in his stillness. "You seem troubled, Chosen One."165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqX4PBdcsJ0
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPKfrYfLm2D
His jaw clenched.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ27FOwSR3Nh
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlmWGVUF9a7
"Troubled?" His hands curled at his sides. "Lets see.”165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdmwFa9wi27
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSPUzhySP50
"Four suns tried to cook me alive. The crystals' hum made me deaf. My own reflection tried to break my mind. That sphere spent the entire time guiding me exactly where it wanted me. And then that thing with the fairy-like appearance impaled me on a crystal spike."165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8YdO4Ke6lp
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡikbwcKLNmU
His breath came harder.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxuK6IEwbrh
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMvgYufEEen
"So yeah. I'm a little troubled."165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSRRZ5HWsL6
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg4rrafa6HY
Selina stood perfectly still, hands folded, the mist curling around her robes like it was content just to be near her.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAtB3RTEhHt
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ975GmoStKl
"What was even the point?" The words came out sharp as broken glass. "Other Chosen don't go through this. They get their blessing the moment they turn sixteen and enter their soul."165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTon4OOCQvJ
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuGfijOAnuZ
He kicked a small stone, sending it skittering across cracked earth.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuQVCgIXlkr
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzWDplzQSM6
"But not me. No—I get a trial. I get dragged through nightmare after nightmare just to prove I'm worthy of the weakest Goddess of all."165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF1bZfRuleD
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJRblZuQREB
He turned away from Selina, staring at the broken landscape.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlLN04ycUYL
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcpYSazfamc
“What the hell was it for? To break me down? Bleed me dry? Tear open every wound just to show me something I already knew?"165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7LYhNYmmSW
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIvf97UiBP7
"I already knew my father hated me," he continued. "That he thought I was worthless. That I'd never be enough."165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJmjomQNGpu
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ68RqgLysce
His nails dug crescents into his palms.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlMduhEbS4j
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtquMdPJweP
"I already knew my mother wouldn't save me. That she'd just stand there and do nothing while he beat me half to death."165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMD1jj65tig
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAyhanJ7pyu
The flowers rustled softly in a breeze that shouldn't exist here.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoFiduNwhK6
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFd64gTOcKV
"I knew my sister was too young to understand. That all she could do was cry." His breath hitched. "And my brother…"165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMx5Tsw3yDg
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡijww0T3Cii
"...I knew he wouldn't do anything either."165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ50bWU3EkE7
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGTMi3nJ5pJ
Cel's eyes stayed fixed on the cracked ground beneath his feet, watching a thin fissure split the stone like frozen lightning.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK2rNQEGbei
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3QLm7YJlmM
"I knew they abandoned me long before they actually left me to die."165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡui8sK5C78I
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpCDD7Qjk4i
The truth of it sat heavy in his chest - solid, undeniable. The trial hadn't revealed anything new. It had just forced him to feel it all again. To relive it.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrhRh709Zrv
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXjEq7je7bH
Selina remained silent. Not uncomfortable. Not pitying. Just... present.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMadHNL2iJg
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp79XzOTM3N
The mist shifted around them both. Minutes passed.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4gvu71AtI0
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Zsefm71AV
Eventually she moved closer, her steps barely disturbing the silence. She stopped a few paces away, close enough that he could see the slight rise and fall of her breathing beneath those pristine robes.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAk3OlyYrQw
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmVHr3t7iRs
"You have returned." Simple. Matter-of-fact. "But you are not the same as before."165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0bKH09RP3K
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlI3YwjunFo
Cel let out a sharp breath through his nose. "Am I?"165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvMCvVPqJF0
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpW70nyjf2D
His arms crossed over his chest, fingers digging into his skin. The anger was still there, coiling tight beneath his ribs, hot and sharp. But something about it felt different now. Less wild. Less desperate.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBEzf7oIfsT
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡybdW6ss2EO
More... controlled.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxitBHALrph
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxDQQFIqJFu
His gaze drifted to the cracked earth.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ56LwHtsb4W
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3lKxHHG26P
"I thought..." He stopped. Started again. "I thought if I survived, I'd feel different. Stronger, maybe. Or at least... certain about something."165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw2MYZayBcK
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlzgh1caV0m
His jaw worked.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTXdOGdlncP
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"But I just feel tired."165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy92khb77E2
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmVM9EhnTRf
Selina remained silent, patient as moonlight.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrACNZOi8vX
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzoGquE4Tip
Cel's fingers loosened slightly against his arms. His shoulders dropped.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdK2Qhv4KGk
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRuc0h9elkd
"I don't know what I'm supposed to do with this," he said finally, voice quiet.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbxvbh2URXC
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOlzlHwDEKg
Selina's hands shifted slightly at her waist. "Perhaps that is something you must discover on your own, Chosen One."165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsl18POM6Nq
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb0ToyyOXgJ
"Maybe." He paused. "Or maybe there was no lesson. Maybe it was just pain for pain's sake."165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT5ggaZtNod
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAvqTgTj78o
"Do you believe that?" Her serene smile widened.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSvgygjJrsT
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLinhygnzDn
The question hung in the air between them.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvD5V48wXN6
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW1PH7m6FUD
Cel didn't answer immediately. The mist curled between them, patient as Selina herself.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc6ocUmx11B
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu3QlPlGMBo
"...No," he admitted quietly. "I don't."165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvMzbbzETOI
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOeIDzoBuD0
Because if he did - if he truly believed his suffering meant nothing - then what was the point of surviving it?165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyWDlR9mLVM
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGlqVvHXmhD
His gaze lifted to the moon hanging full and radiant above them. Its pale light washed over everything, gentle and honest.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhPBzL6MtCy
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbywAJtxO77
"I'm still angry," he said, and the words came easier than expected. "At my family. At the cultists. At everyone who saw what was happening and looked away."165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPKmVnKOlt7
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt95Ve2R6X8
Selina remained perfectly still, listening.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPUZ1VTR3xQ
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmOvE1LEeNF
"But I'm here." His voice steadied. "I survived. And that has to mean something."165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu4kBM8jC2c
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLRMf5ci26O
"It does," Selina said softly. "More than you may yet realize."165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7hzUcfdcBe
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd37EWvhbqj
Cel’s gaze found one of the flowers growing from a crack in the stone. Small. Delicate. The kind of thing that should never survive in a place like this.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrU21GZ4aY7
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7yO6lil36E
But it did anyway.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Bo4HtkXZM
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFZY1Q5xnwP
"What happens now?" he asked.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjZ1sf2bVPA
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7oAX6dmtLh
Selina's lips curved - barely perceptible, but genuine.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjAEfjHH8wC
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZnvbwW5evP
"Now, Chosen One, you receive what you have earned."165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbYAuSsyZem
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt8um69gZIr
She gestured toward the moon.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxsfbtlut5m
165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6kbkoL8Spc
"The Moon Goddess's blessing."165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfrhwImKKFl
1234 copyright protection161ＰＥＮＡＮＡDnnL3GOlk1 尼

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