Cel sat on the bed's edge, staring at nothing.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMkUbt5SujT
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The room was quiet. Too quiet. No whisper of ash settling. No distant tremors beneath the ground. Just the muffled sounds of the Academy beyond his walls - footsteps in corridors, voices too distant to understand, the creak of old wood settling.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6hj7IveRlj
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His fingers traced patterns on his thigh without conscious thought. Small circles that meant nothing.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwhPV2MuFUi
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz9b8FerDzh
'The Reckoning.'111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYAPXJnkbcq
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The name felt strange in his mind. An organization that hunted corrupt Chosen. That killed those who believed power placed them above consequence.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC3zOPtybeG
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Noble work. Necessary work, maybe.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGXhc0SNpcs
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But killers nonetheless.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXCCYtw2QTZ
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His jaw tightened.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOVT9N3GP25
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They'd voted on whether he lived or died like it was choosing what to have for dinner. Four votes to kill him. Four to let him join.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbcRIjxvkGl
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'Would they have done it? If Veyron had sided with Draven?'111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvJMHkD4z1y
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The answer was obvious. Yes. Without hesitation. Esrin might have stopped them - or she might not have. The vote existed to prevent exactly that kind of conflict.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoEoYCLW9Bh
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His hands curled into fists.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYDBBPK9LFc
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzivQMLCuLl
He'd joined an organization that had nearly executed him. That operated with the kind of cold pragmatism that reminded him too much of his father.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvtkYXaZQRZ
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'But they fight people like him.'111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf26omiBOtI
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKtlqXBODNn
The thought arrived with uncomfortable clarity. The Reckoning existed because powerful Chosen abused that power. Because the law failed when divine favor was involved.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8RBfO1lDzg
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8csR5g8XGc
His father had beaten him nearly to death. Had sold him to cultists that used him for their twisted experiments. Had done it all knowing his position in the Sun Clan made him untouchable.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz15MTe0QcF
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If the Reckoning had known…111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsnkOJaPiZ6
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Cel's breath came harder.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtzOe2TOxzj
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvcc9Qno5Yl
Would they have killed him? 111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJXHgLPZ8Qj
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8sZhwZiIyM
The answer should have been obvious. But the question wouldn't settle.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUTmA7cBTnG
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsyLx4I6b3U
He pushed himself off the bed and moved to the window.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0EG3dBavdr
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLbTXgeAzdf
The Academy grounds stretched below. Beyond the walls, the street continued - cobblestones, shops, people moving through their afternoon routines.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfeBCWDj97O
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHhoRMG94bJ
Normal. Peaceful. Safe.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7yz6AHrbzX
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡikJKylk1OI
Everything the Hollow Realms wasn't.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY3Dth3Ji4S
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His reflection stared back from the glass - white hair, pale skin, eyes that looked older than sixteen had any right to be.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDYUeX5VVac
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrqlN5Mnhuc
'No Divine Energy.'111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡciyEB9MYKj
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The thought made his stomach twist.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNEtOxPOW50
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He'd assumed he was simply bad at sensing it. That his talent was so poor he couldn't feel what every other Chosen felt naturally. A limitation. A weakness.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpmV3Q0vKO9
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡidY5rZnyUb
But the Reckoning had revealed something else.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhZLy7ygB8i
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRbDAowzjmW
An artifact, they'd assumed. Something suppressing his divine signature so completely that even other Chosen couldn't sense him.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcq6lnWjNRj
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIOZZLdnCNT
Except there was no such artifact. 111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5AsrUjROtq
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBabLhbq1wn
Cel's hand dropped to the windowsill. He focused, reaching for Frostmark the way he always did - through intent alone, bypassing the energy he couldn't sense.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8EiWbC9grs
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqjPxkumBQf
Frost erupted beneath his touch, spreading across the wood in delicate patterns that branched and crystallized. 111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbL2imruj3u
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLK1MPxEtpM
Cold bit into his palm. He pulled his hand back, flexing fingers against the ache.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcg9zvjYoK9
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The frost remained, permanent and gleaming.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVuxCcaOOqx
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'How?'111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ87l5NGV8zV
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How could he be blessed without Divine Energy? How could he use authorities without the fuel to activate them?111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWBXfrln2DJ
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It made no sense.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsgZW6pZIm4
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A Chosen who couldn't sense Divine Energy shouldn't exist. Much less a Chosen who had none.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2hD5vBBJdX
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡernurXXdrO
Yet here he stood.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfIkVmG65yF
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhEWmt5PLqN
Blessed by the Moon Goddess. Able to summon artifacts and authorities. But lacking the energy that should make it all possible.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCHK5ca5RYK
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLvnlqUZvj6
'What the hell am I?' The question hung in the silence.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw16WK6fTju
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Something was wrong with him. Something fundamental that even the goddess's blessing hadn't fixed.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ14r02Sp7gV
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Or… hadn't needed to fix.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsqNDculs32
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Maybe it wasn't a flaw to be corrected.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZNrAdIghgH
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Maybe it was simply... what he was.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfknhZr4DtM
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Cel turned from the window, his gaze tracking across the sparse room. Bed. Desk. Wardrobe. Basin.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgeVcZN0uqu
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His entire world, now.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5psToVf3FB
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And Raven…111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRpcmijPV1s
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEmSv2OyYA6
The name settled in his chest like a stone.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQQYPJ0CiDZ
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRtPCfeN5Fe
Raven was the Prince of Death. A prodigy who'd infiltrated the Sun Clan's stronghold and murdered their greatest talent - someone blessed by a Divine Oracle, just like Cel.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkJHMMh8gB8
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That parallel made his skin prickle.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5MhH1OvkBG
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUjsHdmOmM4
What could drive someone to throw away everything? Title, clan, divine favor, family - all of it abandoned to become Cursed and commit murder.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmXAO5nWZV0
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdwVZgYJBso
The expedition to the Western Continent. Something had happened there.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡopJ4mUkTK0
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdkkhOCOsGB
But what?111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAnbwGyAtPk
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWd1hBFWf5Z
And why kill the Sun Clan's prodigy specifically? Was it personal? Political? Something else?111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9MelNlEcqu
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoCIfOLe1lp
Cel sank onto the bed's edge, elbows on his knees.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRtU9b44sDz
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSbxoivhoKr
Raven had helped him. Protected him from creatures that should have killed them both. Had done it all knowing Cel was Chosen - knowing most Chosen would try to kill him on sight.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpFSMVnDk2B
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYhYIjByXX1
He'd even told Cel to trust Esrin. To seek her protection.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsZ9nbRIJJi
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrAw0AqtRfE
Even knowing she hunted him.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Q7KJIKyk4
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That wasn't evil.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1QVpzybfHh
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But cold-blooded murder wasn't good either.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgTAgefZn5i
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The contradiction refused to resolve. Maybe there were no good or bad people - just broken ones making choices that seemed right in the moment.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwGYrkt6WqU
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3bXWg7y84Z
Or maybe Cel was rationalizing because Raven had shown him kindness when no one else had.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxjQM56vgFh
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtmOfZTwWed
He pressed his hands against his face.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS6sH5AAm8g
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXxduuR77UL
If Raven appeared again... if the Reckoning ordered him to help hunt someone who'd saved his life…111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH5AZtyKegi
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡilVVMgOD5u
What was he supposed to do?111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYyTYSP0ayv
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The room felt too small suddenly. Confining. Like the walls were pressing in.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgEfpHRhYSM
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwWTqnWv1c6
He needed answers. Real answers, not speculation or half-formed theories.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeQ4WOSxGSV
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO4zDaEn9Vr
And there was only one person who might have them.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdRD1d65xLb
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2QJg0ZQO2c
Cel closed his eyes and reached inward.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6MWzUDO00V
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXPKvQgJZgy
The world shifted.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx9jG0UAgEf
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Cracked earth materialized beneath his feet. Mist swirled in gentle currents around his legs. Small flowers with bluish-white petals bloomed from small fissures, reaching toward the full moon that hung above.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsV1IMwoXIU
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3E7oCw2lXV
Footsteps approached through the mist.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvKBsR6gncP
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvDZRF6Y4Kg
Selina emerged with that same graceful certainty, white robes trailing through the haze. Her silver mask caught moonlight, reflecting it in pale crescents. Below, her lips curved in a serene smile.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnN3s88nWmZ
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡId63MXGK06
"Welcome back, Chosen One."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkgQaXygmDy
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡus0iUYhNXS
The greeting was gentle. Patient. A small anchor of certainty in everything that felt chaotic.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsMr1Yh4zo6
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM73KcSxaVN
Cel's throat worked. Where to even start?111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZIoFMsrY4l
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz5garkUKK4
"I need to ask you something." The words came rougher than intended. 111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡasskwbVbqW
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6AYSLotKYX
"Of course," Selina said simply.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2MQSAWGyzM
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtICSyOv397
"About the Reckoning. Are they..." He paused, searching for the right question. "They hunt corrupt Chosen. Kill them when the law fails. Is that justice? Or just violence?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡugCvQuxrfK
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh0anFs5PNz
Selina tilted her head slightly, already understanding where his thoughts had taken him. "An interesting question. But perhaps the wrong one."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNkU5cdJJCZ
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Cel blinked.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡicTJqnlIAc
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"What do you mean?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEWd1lWShBy
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"Organizations are not inherently good or evil, Chosen One. They are simply structures. Frameworks built by people to achieve certain ends." She gestured gracefully with one hand. "What defines them - what truly matters - are the individuals who comprise them. Their intentions. Their values. Their choices."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKArbLJPTD0
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOGzqtf5qss
Cel's shoulders drew back. "So you're saying I should judge them by their members, not their stated purpose?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV4KdiUMTvw
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXMli6hOhOz
"I am saying that the Reckoning is what its people make it." Her tone remained gentle but carried weight. "Some may be driven by genuine desire for justice. Others by vengeance. Still others by the simple thrill of power over those who once held power over them." She paused. "Judge each person for themselves. Not the banner they stand beneath."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9nI9BAOWnB
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The answer settled in his chest, heavy and uncomfortable.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmVl24SzLPZ
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It meant he couldn't just accept or reject the Reckoning wholesale. Couldn't trust them or dismiss them as a group.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvw69fpHynF
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3mwCY4wiRP
He'd have to evaluate each member individually. Decide who deserved his trust and who didn't.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiPBhGlC3f6
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Exhausting.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM5nd5GB0RM
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But probably wise.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRpNGTvTcX5
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Ni1AIjDY0
"I have another question," he said finally. "About my… condition."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJZtxRBp50B
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Selina's attention shifted, becoming more focused.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdyRpw5zgKn
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmWhVzuF1xD
"The Reckoning said I have no Divine Energy." The words felt strange in his mouth. Wrong. "Not suppressed. Not hidden. Just... absent." He met her masked gaze. "How is that possible? How can I manifest abilities without the power to fuel them?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi19pH8gl7k
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Silence answered him111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVnV8qN6Egj
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfe4bnG9lr6
When Selina finally spoke, that familiar note of regret colored her voice. "I am sorry, Chosen One. That does not lie within my authority."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLUG6MYGI4s
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYYhjX6JFTc
Cel's hands clenched into fists. "So I'm just supposed to figure it out myself? Stumble around blind until I happen to understand why I'm—why I'm broken?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV6Rzhvt03y
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFsu2h0yZov
"You are not broken."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaUlJNfTXK8
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtzujdpCgcb
The certainty in her voice stopped him cold.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSVWG4rvjMZ
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqZJPaW3gyU
Selina took a step closer, silver mask tilted toward him with what felt like infinite patience.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyZapt3cQGl
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡph2wnjylfB
"You are different, Chosen One. That is not the same as flawed. The goddess chose you knowing exactly what you are. She blessed you not despite your nature, but because of it. Whatever answer you seek regarding your condition, you will find it when the time is right. Not before."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW4bQbblK6R
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡolHQA6pKvb
The frustration burning in his chest didn't dissipate, but something about her tone made him swallow the angry response forming on his tongue.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaEwtdZ0qfX
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSsTHq7pXFV
She was right.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrqtch46M09
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He didn't like it. Hated it, actually.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0kYixUaUKE
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG85iwa86Pb
But she was right.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmYEQYqSaF4
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRBZNSeYIcU
"Fine." The word came out clipped. "Then what about Raven?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡblcyB7nvAh
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN5EigbLN2J
Selina's posture shifted subtly. Still graceful, still poised, but... guarded in a way she'd never been before.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvFL7O0MyOs
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIiZGPR9Sig
"You told me to be careful," Cel pressed. "What did you mean? Should I trust him? Avoid him?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwt082IPoW7
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoe82OeDM5G
The mist curled around their feet, moving in slow spirals across cracked earth.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPp3b6KFtRB
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ZzCNk5mGn
"I cannot share more than I have already told you, Chosen One." Her tone carried genuine regret. "Raven's path is his own, and the choices he has made - the reasons behind them - are not mine to reveal." She paused. "What I can tell you is this: the young man you met in the Ashlands is dangerous. Not because he wishes you harm, but because the forces surrounding him are complex. Volatile."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgNJ237mAnq
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The implication made his stomach twist.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWd6Oxrotfm
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"Dangerous how? To me? To others?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi1kRwVgLyY
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuk2oVQRRU2
"I think," Selina said carefully, "that you should stay away from him if your paths cross again."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc2P2DeLrhn
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The advice settled over him like cold water.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaQCHLJfEDX
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Cel turned away, his gaze tracking across the cracked earth. Flowers swayed in wind that shouldn't exist here, their petals catching moonlight.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHAzkcHnJJk
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Behind him, Selina's posture relaxed slightly, the guardedness fading back into her usual gentle presence.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8PTz9aDmUV
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"Is there anything else, Chosen One?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeLv4yqjInd
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Cel was silent for a long moment, his gaze fixed on the cracked earth at his feet.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9YjSnzHz7i
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"What am I supposed to do?" The words came out quieter than he'd intended. Almost vulnerable.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPNVaaFkuly
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For a heartbeat, Selina simply watched him, her presence calm and unhurried.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTf7vJs0aHn
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When she finally spoke, her voice carried an almost playful tone. "Nothing at all."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7W3gNAZxOC
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Cel blinked, momentarily thrown off balance. 111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd87kSraMKz
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"Rest, Chosen One. Enjoy the peaceful time you have been given. Do the things that bring you joy, or that you have always wished to try."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh67FsFkCiK
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Cel stared at her, confusion written across his face. "I don't—what?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsYMlfEOU0a
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"You have fought enough. Survived enough. Bled enough." She leaned closer, her voice dropping to something softer. "Learn to live too."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyacPUa621E
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The words landed like something foreign. Incomprehensible.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjVSVbiFog7
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Live.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvJvOsxwSHm
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Not fight. Not survive. Not train or prepare or become stronger.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvMO2GGHgoU
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Just... live.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXmsXgmud3e
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"I don't understand," Cel said slowly. "The Academy starts in ten days. I need to master my abilities. Learn to control my strength. Figure out how to—"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpXG144tfb0
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"You need," Selina interrupted gently, "to remember what it feels like to be human. Not just a weapon. Not just a survivor." She paused. "When was the last time you did something simply because it brought you joy?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO8ETTLIzcM
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The question stopped him cold.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbOCi57XaU7
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When? Before the beating? Before his Divine Calling?111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO7Aixo5HsB
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Had he ever?111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQtw6S35YPe
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His throat felt tight. "I don't know how."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiMa51xvW5j
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"Then now is the perfect time to learn." There was no judgment in her tone. Only understanding. "Ten days, Chosen One. Ten days to discover what brings you peace. What makes you smile. What reminds you that you are more than the trials you have survived."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKQzt6IhRon
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"Like what?" The question came out helpless.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRkxJ1qSn7E
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"Start small." Selina's hand lifted, gesturing toward the moon above. "Watch the moon. Walk through the city without searching for threats. Speak with someone because you want to, not because you need something from them." She lowered her hand. "Let yourself be bored. Let yourself be curious."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡufmWSDfy1Y
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The suggestions felt absurd. Frivolous.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmXhigX5Vzs
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Dangerous, even.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvpjHLwVoJC
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But something in his chest loosened at the thought.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOlbofPRF1v
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"I don't know if I can," he admitted.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXhVtqLLPSz
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"You can." Selina's certainty was absolute. "You simply need to give yourself permission."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Zyv9kHWEm
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Silence stretched between them, broken only by the soft rustle of flowers swaying in the mist.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVu1Z53LU7U
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Eventually, Cel nodded once. Not agreement, exactly. Just acknowledgement that he'd heard her.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKObVLRz2jt
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"Thank you," he said quietly.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGLv1lwDhsm
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"You are welcome, Chosen One."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKLQV1b94GS
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Selina's smile brightened - genuine warmth transforming her serene expression into something radiant. The moonlight seemed to gather around her, highlighting the elegant curve of her mask, the graceful line of her throat, the way her white robes moved like water with each small shift of her posture.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjBzoyvWXUv
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It was…111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6XZzMOry9G
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Beautiful. She was beautiful.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ75PiG3wnh1
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He'd known that, objectively. But knowing something and truly seeing it were different things entirely.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLqiCEusXYK
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Heat crawled up his neck, sudden and unwelcome.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa9OmmygCA7
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"Chosen One?" Selina tilted her head slightly, that radiant smile still in place. "Is something wrong?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc2hEZNuOzl
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"No," he said too quickly. "Nothing.” 111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhJLJ4Iyr3e
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Cel's gaze jerked away, desperate for somewhere - anywhere - else to look.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTyJyRUQq16
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His eyes landed on the divine monolith standing behind her, its surface gleaming with pale light.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaCjg0Gm4hR
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Right. The achievement. He'd heard the Divine Voice earlier, hadn't he? When Esrin brought him through that rift.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGg74q1EEqw
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Perfect.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsrSUVmcWXc
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"Actually—" Cel gestured toward the monolith, seizing the excuse like a lifeline. "I just remembered. New achievement. I should probably check that before I go."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqA9yjtu04n
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"Of course," Selina said, and was it his imagination, or did her tone carry a hint of amusement?111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkwFFCgMFee
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Cel didn't look back to check. He was already moving toward the monolith, his steps perhaps a bit quicker than necessary.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYNqtze7XVU
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Behind him, he could have sworn he heard the softest sound - barely audible.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw7byc0ki19
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A quiet chuckle.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYh56hHmZSJ
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His face burned hotter.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Iulryk1WV
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The monolith's surface rippled as he approached, text forming in that familiar script:111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS0xbw77Ffn
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<Name: Celvian>111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1gi48HH7V7
<Paragons: (Heir to the Moon) (White Death)>111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7upuGznApI
<Artifacts: (Silent Moon) (Cinderward)>111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr2v2ClCgyd
<Insights: (Ledger of Nightmares)>111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPWu7BjdJhs
<Achievements: (2)>1234 copyright protection107ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1hsoMKWLLj 尼

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