Lunar Legacy - Chapter 30: First Blood

Cel threw himself sideways - far too hard - his enhanced strength launching him across the small space like he'd been kicked. The creature's claws tore through empty air where his chest had been.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRZL0CpMIbw
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His back hit the wall. Stars exploded across his vision.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkRlFeXGLKv
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The creature was already turning, coiling with terrifying speed despite its injuries. No hesitation. No pause.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0haattkPEp
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It came at him again.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj5gmoSTsnV
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Cel swung.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeKNLEPpR3m
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Silent Moon cut through ash-thick air in a wild arc - no technique, no control. The blade whistled past the creature's head, and momentum spun him halfway around.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8iFXdxLgv8
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Claws raked across his back.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFPJvu23hbr
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Blood sprayed hot across his skin. He staggered forward, teeth clenched against a scream, using the spin to put distance between them.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxXLrDYooMQ
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The creature pressed forward, serpentine body propelling it in a lurching charge.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfnQiFvI9y1
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Cel raised Silent Moon defensively—110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHf5nRSpW0s
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The blade was pointing the wrong way. His burned fingers couldn't adjust the grip fast enough. 110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdPxouVApqS
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The creature slammed into him, its remaining arm wrapping around his torso as needle teeth snapped at his face.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDBmC2K7CPy
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They crashed to the ground. Ash exploded around them in choking clouds.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAvcj7Po8Fq
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Cel drove his knee up. Lunar Vigor turned the defensive motion into a devastating blow.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzl4sBvDMV9
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Something cracked. The creature's body spasmed, loosening its grip for just a moment.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7RGdWnPBGM
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He rolled, throwing the creature's weight off him. They separated, both scrambling in opposite directions through the ashen air.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX9ekDrVG1t
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His back found the wall. The creature coiled against the far side of the small room.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBxzKXF81zM
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Both gasping. Both bleeding. Both fighting one-handed - Cel's right arm still dead from frostbite, the creature's torn away entirely.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡznxj2EL4Pq
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The storm outside howled through gaps in the ancient walls, filling the space with gray curtains of ash and a constant barrage of stone fragments. The creature was a shifting shadow in the swirling dust, but its eyeless head tracked him with perfect accuracy through the chaos.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm1RY1rZls2
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It charged again.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvxzvFfUf7s
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Cel lunged forward to meet it, driving Silent Moon straight ahead in the most basic thrust he knew. 110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG20ZTn9kul
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The blade went where he aimed.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKsdmN1M9iK
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Steel punched through stone-like skin. Blood erupted hot and thick from the wound..110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNQImUsbjKy
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The creature shrieked - deafening at this distance, that metallic scraping sound drilling directly into his skull. Its claws found his shoulder, sinking deep, using him as leverage to pull itself closer even as Silent Moon's blade remained buried in its chest.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2qwpQdQqhM
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Face-to-face now. That needle-ringed mouth snapped wildly at his face, driven by dying fury.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQTYd1196TH
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Cel twisted the blade.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyRh692UmlB
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Steel tore through internal organs. The creature's shriek reached a pitch that made his ears ring as its entire body convulsed.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyByTjtiEsS
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Two more crescents ignited along Silent Moon's length.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZp0RnG10fC
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Six now.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCkH01s1Yfk
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The resistance disappeared. 110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSzu86AtMpo
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Cel wrenched it sideways with all his strength - too much strength. The blade carved through the creature's insides, opening a wound from chest to side that should have been impossible with a straight blade.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmWx1Eo9dMx
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The creature's shriek cut off mid-sound.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUmE31F5TLn
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Its claws loosened their death grip. The eyeless head tilted forward, almost gentle, before the entire body went slack.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBkNliy4Utu
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<You have achieved something extraordinary: You killed your first creature.> 110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVE1EHBlh1Q
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<You have received the artifact “Cinderward”.>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfEvrEnbvDA
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Dead weight collapsed against him.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡun7QIngrat
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Cel staggered backward as the creature slumped to the ash-covered floor, its serpentine body going slack in a final, loose coil.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg38oxSxG3Z
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The storm continued to rage outside, ash swirling through gaps in the ruined walls. Wind howled through the broken stone. But the shrieking had stopped - replaced only by Cel's ragged breathing and the steady drip of blood.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE7lk7IQrGB
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His left arm shook. Not from exhaustion or pain, but from the aftershock of violence.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU8kSTDxN9m
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He'd killed it.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPDGf7nUCLI
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His first real fight since gaining these powers, and he'd won. With no skill. No control. Just raw strength, divine steel, and the stubborn refusal to die.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQBIKFpMdzZ
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Cel stared at the corpse. At the hole he'd carved through its chest. At the dark ichor pooling beneath it.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJXhAAgvE4W
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His legs gave out.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZLaZJea4DH
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He sat hard on the ash-covered floor, Silent Moon still gripped in his left hand. The blade's six crescents pulsed with steady white light, casting pale reflections across the creature's lifeless form.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbOXmLw5Dkt
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The shaking spread from his arm to his shoulders, his chest. Adrenaline drained away, leaving cold clarity in its wake.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFYim52rtku
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He'd always known this moment would come. Known it the instant he'd decided to survive that cell. Known it when he'd sworn revenge against his father, his family, the cultists. Killing wouldn't be optional - it would be necessary. He'd accepted that truth months ago.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNmtm6mOK3r
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But there was a difference between knowing and doing.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCXLIaxtLBf
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And he'd found himself... capable.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBaASOJ7cop
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Disturbingly capable.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPXzm08PU3D
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He was alive. The creature was dead. Simple as that.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp3tXZ8087B
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The satisfaction that followed was immediate and uncomfortably pure. Not joy. Not triumph. Just the cold recognition that he'd won and the thing that tried to kill him hadn't.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLHtzpy1F1F
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But his hands kept shaking.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrExwED9f4m
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Not from fear of what he'd done. From the realization of how easy it had been. How natural the violence had felt once he'd committed to it. Like something that had always been there, just waiting for permission.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiQCz3cUnbJ
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Cel's breath came in short gasps. The walls seemed to press closer. The ash in the air grew thicker.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTKbddElgBA
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He squeezed his eyes shut and forced himself to breathe. Slow. Steady. The way Selina had breathed when she'd held him - measured, patient, real.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡejUko0sGEl
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The shaking gradually subsided.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK5ZqcxbxAo
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When he opened his eyes again, the creature was still dead. Still bleeding. Still very much proof of what he'd become.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgtmn1m5WZc
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This was what survival looked like now. Not hiding. Not enduring. Not waiting for rescue that would never come.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVZtvwdWsjW
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Killing.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhAbby5NYEE
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No grand meaning. No divine purpose. Just violence meeting violence until one side stopped breathing.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1R2ITsIbdo
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He was no longer prey. And there was no going back to what he'd been before.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjSBbVNvCTU
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Silent Moon dissolved into moonlight threads as he dismissed it.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡztBuBpE5Wf
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The storm's roar began to fade. Not suddenly, but gradually - like a beast growing tired of its rampage. The howling wind dropped to a moan, then to whispers. Ash settled in lazy spirals instead of blinding walls.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN2nGUmhz2n
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He waited, watching the gaps in the ruined walls. Watching the gray curtains thin and part. Watching until the world outside grew still again.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQsjCDWjBvI
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When the last echo of the tornado faded to nothing, Cel remained seated against the wall, letting his battered body rest.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjTqafPEc2g
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His gaze swept the ash-covered floor until something caught his eye - a silver gleam right beside him. Silver light played across its surface, emanating from within.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXjdCuBMvZT
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He reached out and picked it up.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNsxsEsDfNb
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The coin was perhaps the width of two fingers across, lighter than it looked. One side bore the mark of the Moon Goddess - the one that was once on his back too before his father ripped it off. The other side showed a crescent moon cradling what might have been stars, or perhaps souls.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvfJWf1gwhP
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It thrummed with power against his palm - not the violent energy of the crystal maze or the seductive warmth of the sphere, but something steady. Patient. Eternal as the moon itself.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYWSMw67BKq
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Cel turned it over slowly in his fingers.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLcX7rjmHX1
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His education among the Sun Clan had covered divine coins thoroughly, though he'd never expected to hold one himself. Each deity minted their own design, and the coins served specific purposes. Tokens of acknowledgment from the gods.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbdS7qglWuI
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Every achievement granted one. And with each coin came a choice.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1qC0h3JGr1
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He could use it to awaken an artifact.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiY7TdimsdQ
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The word itself carried weight among the Chosen. Awakening an artifact meant unlocking its full potential - watching it evolve into something greater. Most Chosen described it as getting to know their artifact, though what that truly meant varied. Some even claimed their weapons gained a will of their own. Others spoke of discovering hidden depths they'd never imagined existed.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7IPzgWZzmc
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But the tangible benefits were undeniable. The artifact would rise one full rank in Grace - Blessed becoming Sacred, Sacred becoming Heavenly, Heavenly becoming Holy. And often, new traits or authorities would manifest. Powers that hadn't existed before, born from the bond between Chosen and artifact.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdoQ5c5VWnE
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Or he could unlock the Insight. The Ledger of Nightmares.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEp9zdnKve7
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A book that held knowledge about the rift-creatures of the Hollow Realms, accessible whenever he encountered them. Information that could mean the difference between recognizing a threat and walking blindly into death.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDgBYrF8Sz5
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Cel closed his fist around the coin.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu6eklF3D2D
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Time to see what his first achievement had earned him. And then... he'd decide how to use that coin.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1k9cbw20NW
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Cel closed his eyes and reached inward, toward the space that existed within him. The world shifted, reality bending—110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAG8tycgsW2
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—and he stood once more in his soul's landscape.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGzq5BnlIFH
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The cracked earth stretched beneath his feet. The mist swirled in gentle currents. And there, waiting as if she'd never left, stood Selina.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbU5DS8cvv9
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Her white robes caught the moonlight streaming from above. Below the silver mask that covered the upper half of her face, her lips curved in a genuine smile.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuysNxnBzbz
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"Welcome back, Chosen One." Her voice carried genuine warmth. "I felt the moment of your achievement. Congratulations."110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡByt77GMmkP
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The greeting settled over him like a blanket. No pain here - the wounds inflicted in the physical world didn't exist in this space. His right hand worked perfectly, fingers flexing without the numbness of frostbite.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Jb5eLCWQy
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"Thank you." The words came easier than expected.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmPbpBzFkL7
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Selina gestured toward the monolith rising from the mist ahead. "Come. See what you have earned."110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLgfM8d8cfC
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Cel followed, anticipation building in his chest despite the exhaustion that weighed on him.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRAoBf1E839
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The monolith pulsed with soft light as he approached. Runes appeared across its surface - sharp, angular, beautiful in their precision.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfrpO01xm0h
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<Name: Celvian>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnHH8lkGJBe
<Paragons: (Heir to the Moon) (White Death)>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7rzye9EP7g
<Artifacts: (Silent Moon) (Cinderward)>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnCcxEHzpUK
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Cel stared at the second artifact's name.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡViQmTy4V5E
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Cinderward.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYNegspJwxz
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His focus sharpened on it, and the monolith responded - the runes shifting and rearranging across its surface:110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDZAigDe91I
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<Artifact: Cinderward>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsmeXhvNgpE
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<Awakening: (locked 0/1)>110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJOoMP6RXUt
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Disappointment struck immediately.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjDVgZcSUjq
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Blessed. The lowest grade. And completely empty - no traits, no authorities. Nothing but base protection.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzTHo67jrs3
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He thought of Silent Moon. Heavenly grade. Third tier, leagues above what he'd just received.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKqn6Dcgnoa
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The contrast was stark. Brutal, even.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7VNha5JmlC
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"I should see what it looks like," Cel said, more to himself than Selina.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0l7mQ8kkFi
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He reached inward, willing Cinderward to manifest. 110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvP0WBXavXg
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The response was immediate.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh6UT4U9m18
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Moonlight bloomed around him - harsh and bright, just like Silent Moon's summoning. The radiance wrapped his body directly, threading through silver streams that wove themselves into a single brilliant cocoon.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWXRwgA8S74
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Selina stepped back slightly, giving the manifestation space. Her posture held quiet interest as she watched the divine weaving unfold.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJuy14Mt4Cg
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The light intensified for a heartbeat—110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBibIne3OZ8
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—then dissipated all at once.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHa8dltWRj5
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Cel looked down at himself.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGCI9TyvMoe
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The threads had formed not metal plates or chainmail, but layered cloth. He ran his hands down his torso, feeling a fitted greyish tunic as the base layer. Over it, a mantle draped across his chest and shoulders, flowing down his back.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvYhMTCZepU
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His fingers traced the pale shoulder plates that crowned each shoulder. They held the weight of a long cloak that extended to his knees. He turned slightly, feeling the cloak shift behind him.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRqb1QfPkSV
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He lifted his arms. Dark bracers encased his forearms from wrist to elbow. He flexed his hands, testing their movement. The bracers allowed full range of motion, their protective weight hardly restrictive.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmI2ZNTmTg2
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Dark trousers covered his legs. Cel lifted one foot, testing the weight of the armored boots that rose from ankle to knee - actual steel this time, dark and solid. They moved with him as if they'd been worn for years.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIsXWxIu4P3
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The entire ensemble was muted in color - deep charcoal and smoky grays. Worn-looking despite its divine origin.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb1nWPRXNc5
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"It suits you, Chosen One." Selina's voice carried quiet approval. “It will serve you well."110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeweBIHkrTh
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Cel ran his fingers along the fabric of his shirt. The texture surprised him - substantial yet flexible. Nothing like the rough materials he'd worn his entire life, or the blood-soaked rags that had barely covered him moments ago.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2tkEr21I0w
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"Blessed grade," he muttered.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ocfmDwHaP
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"Even the simplest gift from the gods surpasses mortal craft." Selina's voice held quiet certainty. "The worth of an artifacts is not always measured in how much power it holds, but in how long it allows you to endure." 110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZjfKZIFRYL
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Cel flexed his hands, watching the bracers move with his wrists. The armor felt... right. Natural.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7mSNyG0iec
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He supposed she had a point. As long as it ensured his survival, additional powers didn’t matter. 110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpQtm0mWZZt
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His gaze drifted back to the monolith, to the coin still clasped in his hand.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeYMIe8ifXk
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"Most Chosen spend their first coin on this," he said, gesturing toward it. 110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIfxgdlwWqS
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"That is the common path," Selina agreed. "And often the wisest. Knowledge is a weapon that never dulls."110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrPdy7m1T1L
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Cel studied the monolith, weighing his choices mentally. He could awaken Cinderward - raise it from Blessed to Sacred, give it a chance at developing useful traits or authorities. Or spare it to awaken Silent Moon later on, push an already formidable weapon toward new heights.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCSnBCYU24K
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But his instructors had emphasized the value of that knowledge. Walking blind into encounters with unknown creatures was how Chosen died, regardless of how powerful their artifacts became. No artifact, no matter how powerful, could compensate for ignorance.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfPaVTebrTS
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"The practical choice," he murmured.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3rIFYRsV2b
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"Many have survived by making it," Selina said simply.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiHwnsCmG5x
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Cel nodded slowly. The Insight first. Learn what he was facing. Save the other coins for when he better understood which artifacts needed strengthening most.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMmSCZ4vPK6
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He approached the monolith and focused on the locked Insight notation. The coin in his hand grew warm, responding to his intent.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK4P7Ub1k4p
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"How do I—"110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNIoRKnYsft
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The coin dissolved.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL6FT8vXcps
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Silver light poured from between his fingers - not violently, but like water through a sieve. The radiance flowed upward, drawn toward the monolith as if pulled by invisible threads.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsC4gI2S1rQ
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The runes shifted. Changed.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVaDNYwntz9
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<Insight: (Ledger of Nightmares)>

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Hello, Author here^^

How did you like the first real fight in the story?

I have a small announcement to make: You probably all know that Christmas is approaching. And for that occasion, I have some short special Chapters prepared for you. So, you can look forward to the next few days in which they get published.

And of course, they won’t get published here as regular Chapters. So better hop on our discord server (https://discord.gg/Uduxc48wfm) or stay updated on my socials (https://linktr.ee/Lunar_Legacy).

That’s all. See you guys :)

ns216.73.217.19da2

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