> Chapter Theme Music: Floral Tribute ~ Nikke OST [Cosmograph]58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtg3Md3rjNp
<02/13/134,510 {Avion 133} - 13:59 | Karnak (Atmosphere), Genosis, Altiri Sector Space>58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwcfov9xAuF
<Karnak to ACS414 Date Equivalent: 02/13/-13,046>58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE6ACcz41y1
"Tell me how she's doing Derria!"58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡswkB7iRyDl
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"Concentrate on escape velocity Lumina!" Junko didn't need to remind me. With every element of my mind, my focus was perfectly split on getting us out of here.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkF5s81zYiP
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"I need to know if we're going to make it in time." Talor. How could I let this happen to you?58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJmoW1QclRA
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"It's no good," Derria responded while helping our sister.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsOGCumeKLv
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As much as I wanted to keep calm, it was nearly impossible when I looked through Derira's eyes to see for myself. The wound in Talor's stomach was losing too much blood, and that cursed icicle was still poking out, punctured in too deep. Of all the sudden injuries! Why did Talor feel the need to explore the cave on her own today? "Just hang in there. We should be at the medical center shortly."58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ96H7cUL6qt
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Rose chimed in just after, coordinating an examination of Talor's weakening body, my sister unconscious and losing more color from her pale skin. "This is worse than a simple hole. Part of her left torso was torn to shreds. There's a small exposure from the bone here, and a fractured rib... I don't think she's going to make it to a medical center Lumina."58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKIZ9MoGEhv
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"This is Talor we're talking about. I'm not about to just let her die!"58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡORxdyFuFg9
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That's my line, Hurma. Still, if that is their estimation, then it means turning around now would be an even bigger waste of time. The closest medical center is on the surface of Karnak. However, our training has taught us to never use the surface-facilities for anything this severe, rather the orbital ones, and there is a good reason for this.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXcZhLUvcfZ
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"I'm losing her! She's lost too much blood already."58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR9qwCqwXCL
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"I'm flying this thing as fast as I can." Must they stress me out so? Talor won't die on us again. There must be a way to fix this!58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGPghlgqOxB
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"Forget the medical center Lumina. She's going to need a full resurrection. The body's damage isn't too severe for the process."58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpAl9YXyBAU
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"Resurrection is still risky," I reminded. After all the countless times I have died and come back to life from those machines, I of all people should trust the process... But the idea of dying even temporarily is still too terrifying. I don't want to chance it, and the success rate is never a guarantee.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ8fNEiZPHY
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"I don't think the healers are going to be able to handle this one. Hm!" Junko cringed from the visual sight she shared with us, deterred from being certain.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJg78GbFGmC
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"Talor! Talor no!"58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3NHfan0eot
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"Don't freak us out Derria!" Whatever Rose and Derria were screaming about didn't sound good.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN6Ehs5HpG0
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"She has no pulse!"58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFY7S9gDQSn
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"Then it is already too late." Hearing their words stopped my own heart and lungs, the impossibility I refused to accept.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTht94bJ3tj
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Luckily for us, Hurma kept her head in the game. "Plan B then. Keep our current speed and make way for Resurrection Station 9. I'm going to get their attention and make sure not a single moment of time is wasted."58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU6oimqGzmB
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"No Hurma. Allow me to handle communications for now." Luna came through for us, unifying all of us to ensure we survive. "I don't want you maximizing telepathy while flying your vessel solo."58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdu0evNnCTX
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"Don't tell me what I can and can't do." Despite their bickering, the action was already decided a moment later. In the blink of an eye, Talor was declared dead moments ago, and we now had to change course for the resurrection station.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbDNWsVdPSE
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Talor's injuries are too severe to be treated by traditional medical procedures. Therefore, our only remaining option is to use the facility chamber and resurrect her from the dead, using a repaired body, and the only unique soul now trapped in the Astral Plane. This also marks the beginning of our time limit; we now have less than ten days to make this work.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ0XAoPgsjz
Chapter Theme Shift: Sovereign ~ Perfect Blind58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhpJ4FaZ5xC
<16:09 | Resurrection Station 9>58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqa6j2LZIxD
Not long after docking with the station, we received all the help that we could from the only two staff members overseeing everything. The first order of challenge was moving Talor to an operation room, and the people here went to work removing all of the debris from her corpse, patching up what they could while using ice to seal what damages lingered. Afterwards, she was placed in the preservation chamber.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkvacJYfmUx
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As for me, my mind opened up terrible and haunting parabolas I never knew existed. Seeing Talor's lifeless body broke me, broke my mind and my heart. The thought of losing her forever, a close family member I could never do without, it paralyzed my entire soul.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCDxjkAyLZ0
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My sisters experienced similar, though not for nearly as long, and it was Hurma who managed to break through such dark immersion with what she knew we all needed to do."Lumina. Please... We all need each other working really hard right now." She refers to the resurrection process, or rather one of many, the first task being data input from the scanner, something that would be started soon.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8CYzpnyYwe
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Somehow, I just didn't react, not until Hurma shook me around some more, gently slapping my face so that I may drift from my trance and do what needs to be done.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyKF06T2atA
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"You're our leader Lumina. I know you can help us do this. But if you don't start moving right now, I swear you will never be a respected member of Cy-Stars ever again."58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxuJy5B0GMB
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"Hurma? That's not—"58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqfmOG7cPW7
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As she and Junko bounced words, some of what Hurma mentioned dug into me, and it was just enough to awaken to the harsh reality in front of me... There's still time, still a chance. If I sit here and waste too much of it, Talor won't be coming back at all. Truth is, all of them can do this part without me. It only takes about eight to do this job right, and they can succeed with enough time had I remained frozen here forever...58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhmlO9zR6Hu
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But... If I shut down and didn't even try to resurrect Talor, succeeding, I'd never be able to face her again. Failing, I'd never forgive myself. So, stupid as I am being, Hurma has all her wits on her today. If there's anyone I should listen to, it's her aggressive yet soothing voice."Forgive me. I understand what is at risk here. We should use every single moment of time we have, to enter all the necessary data and double-check every parameter." It's going to take literal days to compile everything, so it's best to get started right now.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGniRkaEoUG
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Hurma let out a brief sigh. "I knew you would come around to us. We're gonna need all the help we can get."58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxmzQ7n2Woh
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I'm also so glad to see Hurma like this, giving so much love and care to her sister. Hurma and Talor have total opposite personalities, and often have some fights. Despite this, they get along so well, and this is the result of it. I have to do this, because if I fail, I let us all down, not just Talor. I don't have a choice here. Resurrection is the only means of bringing Talor back, and all of us are trained on how to make it happen with the tools in this very station. "Let's all get started then."58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJOdNBcyUFQ
Chapter Theme Shift: Of Our Own Volition ~ Perfect Blind58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡprgG5mkexx
<02/15/134,510 {Avion 133} - 02:22 | Resurrection Station 9>58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcYyvPcP6sp
The only break we took was the time it took to replenish our drinking water. After having Talor's body scanned into the digital program, it was up to all eleven of us to examine and edit all necessary data, all the way down the genetic markers if necessary. Despite this being a repair job, abnormalities could occur within each data set, and it was up to us to check off every single section by hand and by eye.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBCs0fYW2oZ
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I can't remember the last time my fingers grew so tired and brittle with all of these key strokes. The sound of clacking metal echoed with cacophony in the small space of the room, while the two kind souls aboard helped us through every step of the way.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYhj7U8tzDT
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"I've isolated the Cora. No damage detected."58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzPJ5ghsq2B
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"The fresh blood donation is already prepared. Critical damages to the body are repairable, but it will take 28 hours."58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk5l0KeiNVb
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Already more time lost, and we still are not finished just yet. "I'm missing an entire segment of DNA sample data. Junko? Can you help point me to this entry?" Without making a single mistake, I ensured I could check off every box, fill in every data point, as time was of the essence.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP2D8lnJRsB
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"At once Lumina." Junko seemed to know her way through the process, just like with most things. Everyone is faster than me today, but as long as I do this right, I won't mind.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYGodckVGUf
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"Don't forget to mention the need to shut down the artificial gravity during the procedure. We have to account for all of the displaced neurons."58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR1Y0H4llQZ
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"Has cellular degradation set in yet? I know the frost chamber prevents this, but I want to be sure."58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbx03Iudyjx
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Hurma made the next call according to that information. "I'll initiate a low-power regeneration program to counter any cell death in the brain. This will increase the time it takes for her to come to by several hours."58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIUQUGs8dGK
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"Worth it," Luna replied. "We're taking no chances getting our sister back."58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEJxQJ1N7xF
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"Check the required Bio-printing material. Is it going to be enough?"58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxCiDJSgwdM
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"Not for a full restoration. Once Talor is revived, she will have to remain with a smaller level of her sustained injury, though it will heal with enough time on its own. She won't be able to move for months on her own."58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiMElpVL6El
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"As long as it is enough, that's all I need to know." Hurma cared not for non-fatal complications, as she was more than happy to take care of her sister.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkhEx99NU2G
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Through all the noise and the typing, many more countless hours passed with our tireless work. We eventually got to another difficult segment. "We're done with the editing. The local hard drive is going to have to convert everything over while running binary error checks."58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcNAV3iVbVS
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"We still have enough time," Sherika added. "I'll prepare the Merger Mapper and charging sequence."58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE1mYUCOw5C
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"Let us know before it finishes. We will all have to pitch in for the final phase, and concentrate on calling Talor back to us." Everybody here already knew the whole procedure. My very repetition of it was but a self-reminder, and I needed to be just as prepared for a most mental taxing psionic call. We will only have a couple of chances at best.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuHS6gEtTQI
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In another day's time, the final phase of the procedure arrived to us at last. Talor's body had undergone a repair sequence according to the program settings we selected, and shortly afterwards, the Merger Mapper was primed and charged up. We all congregated closely together above her body, charging our own psionic cores for the resurrection call.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGNGBAj2qiB
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Right now, Talor isn't in this repaired vessel. Her soul is out there somewhere in Astral space. Until the ten-day timer is up, that soul will still be attached to this body in some way or another, a process even I never understand, though I don't need to. There is only one way to communicate with those in the Astral Plane; psionic transmission. We won't be able to hear or feel any part of a response, but we can send, we can call, and we can plead!58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWSqlE4L3xe
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After me and my entire crew all locked hands together, we began the reciting process, just as the psionic amplification device powered up to redirect our invisible energy. Our collective hum of love and memory for Talor grew to such a potency that we could all feel our bodies numb from the vibrations.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgPDVddTMoR
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"Talor. Member of Cy-Stars, family of us all, sister! Please hear our call, and come back to us. We all miss you. We all love you! Feel our souls nearby and reach out!" In one minute increments, my sisters all said similar things, as we all sent the same pulsation out in multiple waves. Though it took twelve excruciating minutes exhausting ourselves to the end, we finally felt a familiar pulse, a presence we knew was Talor.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNy7g0uyFIO
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For just a flash of a moment, I felt her entire essence pass right through me. Just as I opened my eyes from the shock of it, the lifeless body inside of the chamber twitched with her eyelids flickering. Without getting too excited, I kept my psionic transmission going just to be extra safe. It wasn't long before we finally saw some subtle movement from within the containment chamber. Talor; she's alive again!58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Qlf01AHAJ
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Wishing I could celebrate immediately, just about all of us with me included collapsed to the floor, too exhausted to move with all of the energy we expended at once. Luckily we had the two others onboard to help us drink water and recover faster. During our recovery, they took care of Talor, ensuring her recovery was as seamless as possible. It took longer than expected for her to regain any consciousness and enough sense to speak, too drained to use even basic telepathy.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡasfDUIULQJ
Chapter Theme Shift: Eos ~ Lights in the Sky58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbPCy59qR1A
"Lumina? Hurma?" Her voice was so hoarse from the dip of consciousness, and she immediately seethed from the pain in her left upper thigh. With the chamber doors now open and the machines powering down, things finally settled down between us.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡudjCF4xwhQ
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"I'm right here Talor. Told ya you were going to be okay." Hurma held the top of Talor's hand, ignoring her crippling exhaustion just to ensure Talor was as comfortable as possible.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdpbWR0AFOg
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"What, happened?" Talor still wasn't too sure where she was, but was beginning to put the details together. "If I'm here, then..."58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu7NHjilBa3
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"It's okay now; nothing we couldn't handle. You were pierced by an ice icicle."58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWmFBueB21p
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"Doesn't sound like me..." Talor let herself relax anyway. Despite having no memory of what happened for the last four months, despite having no proper sense of the current date and time, and despite confirming she had died, everybody she ever loved was all right here. She isn't gone, not anymore.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWSfJGcUKne
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"We're gonna have to have a lesson on not exploring dark caves alone, or maybe ever." Caressing Talor's arm as if it were a soft blanket, Hurma didn't leave Talor's sight.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtXQxXkCM7v
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"I don't think I can move..."58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHrX3GL8ynB
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"No need to try. I'll be carrying you around for a while."58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcIVUrWKfuk
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"It was that bad, huh?" Talor still felt strange just imagining it, what it was like to die, or where she even went in the first place. It's frightening to even think about, especially since some Altiri don't make it back with resurrection. Had the damage been done to her heart, her lungs, or her brain, she would have stayed dead permanently.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDbSohe0nYV
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"Of course, now that I'm older than you again, you will have to start doing what I say more often." On technicality, the age-reversal process of the body's cells doesn't go very far, and it's not as if Talor's soul has gotten any younger. But, according to all future records, Talor's current Altiri age will now be re-registered at one. Any Altiri who becomes resurrected has a soft reset in numeric age, even though little changes biologically. It's more of a ranking element than a technical one.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxxdJMkaXkT
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"Still the same as ever... I might fall asleep again."58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKzamqrAvgL
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She was looking frail and weak, certain to be incapable of her own movement. "At least let me feed you some water first."58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH7jeGaxKtW
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"Thank you." Unable to hide them anymore, Talor let a few tears leave her eyes, and she didn't need to explain why she felt this way. All of them love her so much, that they'd risk everything to bring her back, a true family like no other. Despite never being blood-relatives, this love extends far beyond anything she's ever known.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡimMaqgSJe1
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"Once I have my strength back, I'll help you carry her back to the ship." I felt it was the least I could do after all we've been put through.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvE80IzwZsY
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Derria was just as quick to offer help. "Since you still require a co-pilot, I shall accompany you as well. Unless you think the temple's medical center is a better place?"58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuw94XX5G6e
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"Not on your life," Hurma refused. "I can look after my Tay much better than those strangers ever could."58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ30f2B1y3lQ
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"I'm gonna offer everyone here a deal. If nobody dies like that again for a few thousand years, I'll treat everyone to something nice." Despite the shame of revealing my own stress to them, I was sure I didn't ever want to do this again, though it was a futile and inevitable thought. All Altiri eventually die, and these machines are our only hope of revival, tribute to the Altiri genius of Herios.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFerD3UBl6t
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Even the two staff were impressed with our efforts. "You all performed very well. No need to concern yourselves with reports to the queen. We shall take on that role for now. Will you be needing anything for your journey back?"58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYnbfc7XlPf
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"If I think of something, I'll call you both." The matter was finally over with. Talor will still need a long time to recover physically, and there is yet to determine how much this might have mentally traumatized her. However, for the time being, this crisis has passed. Even though this will happen again to one of us one day, I pray that such a moment never comes to pass.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEsoVVOvctU
