"I need to ask you something." Cel's voice came quiet in the mist-shrouded landscape. 107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ0dr98hSa1
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ86SiY92Xsq
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYYzJyNzo64
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgUn7pfjzoy
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"What are the Cursed?"107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBJXKRa7t4v
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Silence answered him. Not uncomfortable - just present. Selina remained perfectly still, her expression unchanged.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6dOwh1Tdqh
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHaYJHXRXtA
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZpslyp8p4z
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfjIdPlI1M3
Cel's jaw tightened. He'd expected the answer, but disappointment still settled in his chest anyways.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLFkj39dsYr
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsTTZm4uogg
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"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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIPwfvIc4Jx
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLmu86ah5YS
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"That doesn't help me know which category Raven falls into."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVj3QnAxBiI
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"No," Selina agreed softly. "It does not."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhRTgWNROzy
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz2XgTQyoAG
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4FRktnWekn
"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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Fh1kXy1QO
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMLgjR1TtH3
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡptLFLIE0kI
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW6rOHNGWbI
The mist shifted around them, curling through broken earth and small flowers that reached toward moonlight.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡffCtdx9qe2
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8leHzzt1JW
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlH8dueilgi
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Selina's voice came gentler now, almost hesitant. "Chosen One..."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQvsf9q8fGG
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKluoO9mrhb
He looked up.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHjQDichVBF
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT0vNaRZoLb
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His chest tightened. "Of what?"107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOq8wDZptLn
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"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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwlZLUmdl7H
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZLcaqsilMn
The finality in her voice made it clear - this conversation was over.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwiRxEFJcPh
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"Alright," he said quietly. Then, after a pause, "Good night, Selina."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYD4PMMdSrj
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfR3SqLXpLC
The words felt strange leaving his mouth. He hesitated. "Do... do priests even sleep?"107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx8NH2OFnKw
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ78APjUoIyv
A soft sound escaped her - gentle and musical. A chuckle, quiet but genuine.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvoq2ZEhLdW
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaLofMpYf1r
"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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ20hUJFMq5w
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMCejfthnEa
Something in her tone made his chest feel less tight. A small comfort in the midst of unanswered questions.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDXPYabb1GH
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMR1QXUWqLp
“Sleep well, Chosen One.” Her serene smile deepened slightly. “May the Moon Goddess light your path."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJi01gDerk1
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ56f07YT3Ww
The familiar words wrapped around him as he closed his eyes and reached for the world beyond.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpup2gfafUG
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Pain greeted his return - dull and persistent, radiating from wounds that Cinderward's manifestation couldn't erase.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAVdLmnLHcf
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Cel opened his eyes to broken stone ceiling, moonlight filtering through gaps where the structure had crumbled. 107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx5fYaXDrUO
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTeOSq93pNM
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0g9JYvG0rF
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3WLG37J4np
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEKwzKCQZI6
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Cel gasped awake.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPMxzVgEOpx
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo71HEbqJIx
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp001dCgeUd
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His breathing gradually slowed. Steadied.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPIAQEzLso2
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Movement drew his attention.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSHBYA9iI4g
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjekDU6bY7E
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Aware, but not intruding.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBfc9THV7ly
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4WBEJNzK5W
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Raven glanced back at him, expression unreadable.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡonlP30ZbMz
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2WxY96RJH1
"For your notice," Cel said quietly, "you also mumble in your sleep."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlggW04tDeq
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3m2sUkZGpO
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Raven's lips quirked slightly. "I know."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIMGGFD9HvY
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGKhY7B0mx4
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzv846aem5o
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"Ready?" Raven asked.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVsm8rc8SCV
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2b6eoFat2C
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"Yes."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvKjzSV6Ij4
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Raven nodded once, then moved through the archway without further discussion.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTSaD6VjjNx
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡITSJR9ekYU
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDPE3CKq8Vb
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Perhaps another day of walking. Maybe less.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡniR5y7QC0R
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbMUZEIknTh
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6TOpFhuBaM
Selina's warning circled Cel's thoughts, refusing to settle.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqRuTfGBbNR
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‘Please be careful.’107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmDUckz3lkg
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtBm5AJlbxG
Careful of what? The Cursed in general? Raven specifically? Something else entirely that he was too ignorant to recognize?107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsBNUqR7lmy
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa323jgi2b2
The ambiguity gnawed at him. But dwelling on unknowns wouldn't help. Not now.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ48OScnhcvO
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Cn00CjOvt
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Whatever secrets Raven carried, whatever had earned him that mark of corruption, Cel would learn eventually.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfr5O3YuUJp
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Or he wouldn't.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU4qBdO5sfO
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ86SfGCeC0z
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtZ9KtmBDAU
Time passed in silence, marked only by the rhythm of their footsteps. The crimson sun remained fixed on the horizon, unchanging107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0RkgO3aNAp
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP2sg0760sq
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqMT1CH6iBI
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu5097mQR66
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But when Raven slowed ahead of him, then stopped entirely, Cel knew the issue had become unavoidable.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfZeZegg0VB
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"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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZdlnrZSQlA
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHyxhGMXLQ3
Cel came to a stop beside him, scanning the wasteland. Ash. Stone. Nothing that even hinted at water.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvEEYJrDSs0
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwqcfYrogRD
"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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFu7nMZPpIB
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYdBaLY20Il
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFA6R1kU2V0
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But searching for water in this endless wasteland was uncertain at best. They could wander for days and still find nothing. 107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjtNRapRyyk
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ75vXfejnrw
The risk of revealing his gift was smaller than the certainty timewaste.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3AqRVDyesi
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"I have another source," Cel said finally. 107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLBJitiQrst
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0HOB0OopLG
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Rather than explain, Cel knelt and pressed his left palm flat against the ash-covered ground.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuqxvD1EUCe
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Cold erupted beneath his hand.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFo3RWJXgq0
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWRRk1IewTM
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmJmBYgWWKE
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Raven went still, his gaze fixed on the frost circle.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6qhsCdfCpm
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU4HWWCPgDr
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He reached down and broke off a chunk. It came away with a sharp crack, the fragment glittering in his palm.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrewtaKv5H0
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Then he brought it to his mouth and bit down.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdQASyr1YXm
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1gk5pCNb5i
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When he finished, he looked up at Raven.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDkZGSEYkLJ
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLkYzrYTCCZ
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVMQtJyvXdN
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqJJQwTbLra
"You can create water," Raven said finally.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbcTd67VvKG
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzyZ2OXABBO
"Ice." Cel gestured at the remaining frost. "But yes."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBaEHsLabbA
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Silence stretched between them.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRAEFfNxZhk
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqkTrj4JZi2
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh1NIgK0Md1
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His fingers hovered just above the surface for a heartbeat. 107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkBqYliVDI7
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The moment his skin made contact, Raven flinched - a subtle jerk of his hand.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKU6CllLTIV
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"Cold," he said flatly.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh8QXLAjQkN
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Raven lifted the ice to his mouth. His teeth closed around it—107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPMNL3r2i3N
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And nothing happened.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkTH9BAmyIu
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDsUwD6bQ3F
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV2JhUIsgdQ
Frustration flickered across his features. He pulled the ice away, staring at it like it had personally offended him.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb5dKJokgAq
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ14eUHadt0r
"It won't—" He tried once more, applying enough force that Cel could see the strain in his neck. "—break."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhEPeXjvRyq
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF1rUNXduF2
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqiB2DHMRwO
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He swallowed it down.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb9p5suh3Cy
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbrPQtFnTB2
"Here." Cel reached over and plucked the ice from Raven's hand.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsTwgNMOVAj
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He closed his fist around it.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuTqFqO9e1e
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMnzvJyGnQj
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ipgw0hCGp
Raven stared at the crushed ice in Cel's hand, then up at his face, then back to the fragments.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6kkpIuEVim
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeBaaaIClVg
"That's..." He paused, seeming to search for words. "You didn't even try."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4SfiXw8YQp
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYvxLICl03q
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ33yTobCjAr
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His assessment had been wrong.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡewJE8iMcVQ
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdhsMWgy9NF
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But it hadn't been the frost that was too weak.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmLZXGeCR0l
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It had been him that was too strong.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMpbIclwnme
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpl6kwSfNYB
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1hz1YkNJDu
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi7o3LiwEsu
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPMozSe0pEo
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"Make more," Raven said quietly.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVY9DfKdKT3
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Cel pressed his palm to the ground again.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfrGw8CpVD1
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7BbNvd1nvW
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp1e0oPo4GB
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe9GLkElQ72
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Raven stood, wiping frost residue from his hands onto his dark clothing.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1viaMurF0m
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"That changes things," he said, gaze tracking toward the distant mountain. "We can go straight."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoCnQtT7hUn
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZgSxDZbgzo
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They fell into step together, boots crunching against ash-covered earth.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBLKlg5oee9
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOM1P0Kdzzb
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"A useful gift." He glanced back at Cel. "Your goddess must favor you highly."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv3vBqpR1wj
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"The Moon Goddess chose me," Cel said carefully. "I don't know about favor."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj3gmR6oj8r
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"Still." Raven's pace slowed. "To grant such a gift... your priest must be no ordinary guide.”107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡss5FKSCv2n
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Raven's hand landed on his shoulder.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR7HyLhNYyv
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The contact was light, almost casual - but something in the timing made Cel's attention sharpen.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzaJg0oamMm
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"What rank does he hold?" Raven asked, his crimson eyes fixed on Cel's face.1234 copyright protection103ＰＥＮＡＮＡUZZZ2ATFeK 尼

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