The crowd pressed closer to the board, voices rising in waves of excitement and disappointment.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRCU9v3NwoR
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Cel hung back, letting the others surge forward first. He could wait. The rankings weren't going anywhere.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡokdi9d2xAy
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Gradually, students filtered away. Some wore satisfied expressions. Others looked troubled, arms crossed as they muttered to friends about matches they should have won.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLhgAWDjI3j
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When enough space cleared, Cel moved closer.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIqs22NjTUB
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His eyes tracked down the list.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzdze8hwImR
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Rank 1: Sylvaine Grovethorn67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtGMYUVIFsP
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRII7vMECvG
Rank 2: Owen Peakscale67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPYyiCNSyZe
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLDCKyOcnqj
Rank 3: Hestia Mortveil67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh5R5eDphD6
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPDEet49LBR
Rank 4: Theron67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXt3itr6Etk
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Murmurs rippled through the crowd at that placement. The All-Blessed had grown up as a commoner, yet here he stood above every noble except three. Divine favor, apparently, included natural talent for fighting.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvHSvivpzQQ
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡifO7qrE5t2
The unfairness of it settled in Cel's chest like cold stone.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSVQ7a02x9c
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Rank 5: Cordelia Tidecall 67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAJhQyV6a4o
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Rank 6: Percival Tempest 67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPi4nBzoECU
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHtmSKB2eCy
Rank 7: Kyros Solgrand67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvFproD2Cms
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Then the remaining nobles in descending order - each one benefiting from years of private training, inherited techniques, artifacts passed through bloodlines.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2uFdmK9vIV
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Then—67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWyS2BdzIHY
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe24szZ9Kms
Rank 15: Celvian67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyUuDMgo3UR
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0PK2J1iSJh
Cel stared at the number.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiUpbgUdu9B
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGGY90vvf3Z
Fifteenth. The first commoner on the list. Above every other student who'd come from farming villages and merchant families.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP4QZv6Cd1n
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTRUgieXoaV
His jaw tightened.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtMaNFUfaYy
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He'd held back deliberately. Fumbled his strikes. Made his bladework clumsy and uncertain. Pretended his strength was just an authority he couldn't control properly yet.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ627MdMTFL3
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTnheAENIus
But even then, the gap between a trained noble and the commoners was vast. That couldn't be overcome by pretending to be weak.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYaSnkn4c6J
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgxuL1p6jrS
His gaze dropped further down the list. Past more names. More numbers.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKoG93Gcj8k
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Until he reached the bottom.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaWo16oTFxn
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Rank 40: Lior67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ45IPzXe5sw
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Last place.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOiQQpvj2MR
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Dead last among all forty students.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEWtNzR1AcX
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4KhAovbAU9
Cel's gaze swept the crowd until he found him. Lior stood at the board's far edge, shoulders hunched inward like he was trying to disappear into his own uniform. His hands twisted together at his waist - that nervous gesture Cel had come to recognize.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgDsshDPlsL
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Their eyes met for a heartbeat.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIss7ZuWpEB
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOmcAh03rCL
Lior's throat worked. His fingers twitched once, as if reaching for something to hold onto.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtQuzqDnUdT
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Then he turned and walked away.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4tg167y2LC
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Not toward the dining hall. Not toward the classroom. Just... away. His footsteps quick and unsteady, like someone fleeing before they broke apart completely.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLSyKrqiDRg
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBqiykuHUj0
Cel watched until Lior disappeared around a corner, jaw tight.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX29EJ8QInN
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMpQthB7K1q
Morning assembly came and went. Theoretical classes passed in their usual rhythm - Instructor Saren's voice washing over topics Cel already knew.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5SlC92qAYL
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Lior's seat remained empty.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGudr3zYqfF
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBYMLyKnuI5
Afternoon combat training arrived. Students filtered onto the grounds, forming loose clusters while Instructor Calder barked orders.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbgatc9t7OU
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Still no Lior.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsZTk5PadPf
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By evening, when dinner filled the hall with voices and the clatter of plates, his absence felt deliberate. Permanent.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwnXIfscUMr
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNdTYpoZoI8
Cel ate alone at their usual table. The empty seat beside him felt heavier than it should have.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNPjlnpKoh7
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEoaQYaZYI0
When the meal ended, he rose and made his way through corridors that had grown familiar over months of routine.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1zoqJJ821K
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYFVXyFdEmT
The commoner dormitory stood quiet. Most students remained in the dining hall or gathered in common areas. Cel's boots echoed against wood as he climbed stairs to the second floor.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7xwzFh3bvN
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Lior's door waited at the end of the hall.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzf4rBU03Ey
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Cel stopped before it, hand raised to knock.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB9Jl7L5Hif
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A sound filtered through the wood. Soft. Muffled.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOPz0f3HK6C
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Whimpering.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDrCkrlpMYG
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His hand froze mid-air.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLMRXsNEtZq
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The sound continued - broken, desperate. The kind of crying that came from somewhere deep, where all composure had finally cracked.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmLc9qgf7dL
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0QScjPwWKB
Cel's hand lowered slowly.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5dAaildEql
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‘What am I even doing here?’67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7QeSDP7k2x
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDbubtRRAlP
He had no idea how to comfort someone. The concept felt foreign - awkward and uncertain, like trying to speak a language he'd never learned.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMlA3adnLzs
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When he'd broken down in that cell, no one had come. When nightmares tore him from sleep, he'd faced them alone. The only comfort he'd ever known was Lyra's occasional visits - her brightness cutting through the darkness for brief, precious moments.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnmlOhzJE8R
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZVIqX95P9L
But Lyra had been a child. Natural warmth and affection poured from her without effort or thought.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6SsupRvDVu
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Cel possessed neither.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzC3bPkPAyW
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He should leave. Walk away. Let Lior have his privacy, his dignity.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBa39WXlvSe
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But the memory of his own tears - shed in darkness with no one to hear, no one to care - made his chest ache.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdrBynH5g4z
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Maybe the knowledge alone that someone cared… would be enough.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvsHUm4VTMG
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Not enough to fix anything. But something.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmMwbvfaiTi
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Cel's knuckles met wood. Three sharp raps.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6PRaMe72d1
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The whimpering cut off instantly.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4iQlospfpT
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNEPQkWmdp0
Silence stretched. Then footsteps - hesitant, shuffling.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQmLiNsMj6v
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The door opened a crack.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNNQtdv0gwg
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Lior's face appeared in the gap. Eyes red and swollen. Cheeks wet with tears he'd tried to wipe away but hadn't quite managed. His wheat-blond hair stuck up at odd angles where he'd run his hands through it.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO8MhcdZE8m
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEomQamubN4
"Cel?" His voice came out hoarse. Uncertain. "What are you..."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBPsEZ5MY6G
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHq8kVjt8Bj
"Can I come in?"67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6vsz2tavex
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The question hung between them.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqJHprmeTKy
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Lior's throat worked. He glanced back into his room, then at Cel, then down at the floor.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhmyI6f2VoW
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Finally, he stepped back and pulled the door wider.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnTPx2j1oIF
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Cel entered.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaLc388bO7b
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The room was identical to his own - narrow bed, simple desk, wardrobe. But Lior's space carried signs of actual habitation. Letters stacked on the desk, the ink barely dry. A practice knife resting on the windowsill. Blankets rumpled from restless sleep.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsrgZZNzVHX
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqhhj2rKLWB
Lior closed the door and stood there awkwardly, hands twisting together. His gaze fixed on the floor between them.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNEPBb1WQFg
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTvw67y7egd
"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I know I should have attended classes today. I just... couldn't."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1b1bgPAnmV
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJcrcvcK7CG
"It's fine."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUdrwu2xPt3
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The words felt inadequate. Hollow.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYJJXClF6tz
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Lior's shoulders shook. His breath hitched.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyFgcXqJVlm
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡauQYB1Lv5V
"It's not fine." The admission came out broken. "Nothing is fine…”67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVaNd0LG6L8
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlrhpZc2SNa
"Come," Cel said quietly, gesturing toward the bed. “Sit.”67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLB63y7id18
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK616p9yM2b
They settled on opposite ends of the bed - Lior perched on the edge like he might bolt at any moment, Cel leaning back against the wall.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkW78KzdN0Q
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Silence pressed in around them. Lior's hands twisted together in his lap, fingers white-knuckled.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzVfD5pGwSJ
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmqPCALrFSs
"I'm thinking about leaving," he said finally. The words came out flat. Empty. "Going home."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE9Iuxi2TY5
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCfZBPCLQjU
Cel said nothing. Just waited.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNOsb69W1FQ
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"I don't—" Lior's voice cracked. He swallowed hard and tried again. "I don't amount to anything here. I'm last. Dead last. I can't learn fast enough even with you helping me. I can't fight properly. I'm a Chosen of the weakest goddess."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLXhriIOLS1
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His fingers twisted in the blanket.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzMuaXpsScW
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"My artifact is blessed rank. A knife. Not even a sword - just a knife that barely cuts better than mundane steel. And my authority—"67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2vEC3ZypW9
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He lifted one trembling hand.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡioFiPiE2ok
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Then, light bloomed. A small orb, no larger than an apple, casting barely enough illumination to read by.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNCBWf4TSGY
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA7Pyo40dSP
"This." Bitterness bled through the word. "This is what the Moon Goddess gave me. Light. Not even bright light. Just... this."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIOE05euwsH
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The orb flickered and died.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfaFgOD9kSf
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"My priest is rank fourty-one," Lior continued, voice rising slightly. "Fourty-one! That's supposed to mean something. But look at me. Look at what I got."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9cwwsrcvnI
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He pressed both hands against his face.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyW6AxprXj8
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"My mother sold everything she had to send me here," he whispered. "She worked herself sick for months just to afford the journey. And my father—" His voice broke completely. "He tried so hard to be proud. But I saw it in his eyes when the Moon Goddess chose me instead of... instead of someone stronger."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlmAjFE2d45
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Tears slipped between his fingers.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUrFXv7rn3F
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"I don't belong here," he whispered. "Everyone knows it. The instructors. Kyros and his friends - they're right. I am trash. Blessed trash. That's all I'll ever be."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3LkYrXctjV
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His shoulders shook.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV4Kv2qlidz
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"Even if I stay. Even if I graduate. The Chosen Legion is supposed to accept everyone, but..." He lowered his hands, staring at nothing. "They'll treat me the same way. Because I can’t do anything right. I never have. I never will."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFYeldxUHYB
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The words hung in the air like smoke.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQsQjNxALsC
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4i87VTRlhN
Cel watched him - shoulders hunched, hands trembling, face buried in his palms. A boy coming apart at the seams because the world had shown him exactly how little he mattered.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDGaoKrKdzt
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgcquAxq4FQ
‘I should say something.’67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVuyKM5k0mr
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6JLC27cNaJ
But what?67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOtvBZFOdc9
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That things would get better? A lie. Lior's circumstances wouldn't magically improve through empty reassurance.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzFL97fSeYq
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdldbIpXrZU
That his ranking didn't define him? Another lie. In this world, power determined worth. 67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4VILiuLVkk
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That he should keep trying? Cruel. Lior had been trying. It simply wasn't enough.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjylieRXYd3
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Cel's jaw clenched.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpp8OfLhHVC
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He didn't know how to fix this. Didn't know how to make the pain stop or the tears dry. All the words he could think of felt hollow - platitudes that would shatter against the truth the moment he spoke them.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLKOYvCo5TL
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So instead, he spoke the truth.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhteh9vy47w
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyyXVKDgnuH
"When I was young," Cel said quietly, "I was like you."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6jasU4nSjs
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Lior's head snapped up.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsXBIGdZseM
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJoOth2Ed0w
"Timid. Useless. Afraid of my own shadow." The words came easier than expected, pulled from memories he usually kept locked away. "My father hated me. Not in some abstract way - he genuinely despised everything about me. My weakness. My gentle nature. The way I flinched when he raised his voice."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVTi6xE5xqV
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDttc2nLcwf
Cel moved to the window, staring out at darkness.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD2EGAdrk1e
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVV1bf1yHqv
“As for my mother..." He scoffed. "She was there. Physically. But that was all."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGTRuwaex9u
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His fingers pressed against the windowsill.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ejp2bI957
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"I had a brother who outshone me in everything. Perfect. Talented. Everything my father wanted. He'd watched when I got punished. Never helped. Never spoke up."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡApFA4aZT47
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUr0gtA8uaC
Cel's hands curled into fists.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSMmGKLa8bE
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8DS6OnBawq
"I wanted to die…” A pause. “The thought of enduring another moment in that house, with those people, felt impossible. But I kept going anyway. Not because I was brave or strong. Just because..." He stopped. Started again. "I endured it because there was nothing else to do."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcNWiB7C1Yo
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Lior stared at him, tears still wet on his cheeks but his breathing steadier now.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2FFlBF57ZS
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Cel turned from the window to face Lior directly.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhtfBXR9Bww
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"You think you're weak," hel continued. "That you don't belong here. That everyone sees you as pathetic." His voice dropped lower. "They probably do. The same way my family saw me."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ97uOY3qmzD
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He moved closer, crouching so they were eye-level.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBwQiFd6frt
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"But you're here anyway. You are here despite knowing you'd struggle. You practiced reading even though the letters didn't make sense. You stepped into that sparring circle knowing you'd lose."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzv1zRM1xJx
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Cel's gaze held Lior's.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZI6qEdLEr3
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"That's not weakness. That's endurance. And endurance..." His throat tightened. "Endurance is the only strength that actually matters when everything falls apart."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdCXFGWt60p
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Lior's breath hitched. Fresh tears spilled over, but something in his expression had shifted - less broken, more... present.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOkv6h5JrwC
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"I can't promise it gets easier," Cel said quietly. "Can't tell you that people will stop looking down on you or that your ranking will improve. Maybe it won't. Maybe you'll struggle every single day for the rest of your time here."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcJqTNgo9zI
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He straightened.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiSYnFsRYFQ
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"But you're still breathing. Still trying despite knowing how hard it is." A pause. "That's more than most people manage when the world rejects them."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9gYfK9fIzA
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Silence stretched between them - heavy with truths neither had expected to share.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq2kH0EZmiz
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Then Lior wiped his face with both hands, smearing tears across his cheeks.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIQNc7NHe3y
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"I didn't know," he whispered. "About your past. You seem so... composed. Strong."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxil5veO26k
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"People rarely are." Cel moved toward the door. "We all carry things that don't show."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9eyyfFZjTl
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His hand found the handle.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCgjmzgZo9Z
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"Cel?"67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKTNizp2IJJ
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He glanced back.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQuctbdV6yg
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Lior's expression held something fragile but genuine. "Thank you."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZPS6VVIwGA
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Cel nodded once.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Y396W5Tcn
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Then he left, pulling the door closed behind him with a soft click.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnm0I9KsUqn
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The corridor stretched empty and silent. His footsteps echoed against stone as he made his way toward the training grounds.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMysHZp1zIU
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Night had fallen completely. The moon hung full and bright - pouring its light across the Academy grounds in pale radiance.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKqSdd7uMsq
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Lunar Vigor flooded through him the moment he stepped outside. Power hummed beneath his skin, turning exhaustion into energy.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxSFSDKiGSi
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The training grounds came into view.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0KEE206ZuQ
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And for the first time in weeks, he wasn't the first to arrive.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhuTyAqrDqc
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Hestia sat in her meditation spot - perfectly still, jet-black hair spilling over pale shoulders, crimson eyes closed in concentration. The night seemed to gather around her like a living thing, shadows pooling at her feet.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDv1eisGNDr
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Cel stopped at the threshold.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡidHe8RRymF
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Usually, he'd summon Silent Moon and begin his forms. Let the silence stretch between them, unbroken except for the whisper of his blade through air.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT7yNPd6cOd
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But tonight…67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG4Rx7DA9Z0
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Tonight, he needed to know.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsaQI3LtyOK
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He crossed the training grounds, boots crunching against packed earth. Each step deliberate. Purposeful.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQTjWLu3lwt
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Hestia's eyes opened when he was still several steps away - her expression unreadable.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvNmFgQ7FK2
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She didn't speak. Just watched him approach with that same intense assessment she'd worn since the first day.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAY1P3egN10
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Cel stopped a respectful distance away.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjKEeZLLBRc
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"Lady Hestia."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ13eMhkSOTS
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"Celvian." Her voice carried no inflection. 67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjYL7QwLrCs
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He met her gaze directly.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsYPUKhMB1D
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"What do you want from me?"67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgdaegoXoKI
1234 copyright protection63ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3NZb2rEOLN 尼

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