Cel sat on the bed's edge, staring at nothing.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZYrmRwE5xr
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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.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVIlyE6XAu8
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His fingers traced patterns on his thigh without conscious thought. Small circles that meant nothing.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl5jsbdN0HU
99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa2egcec3be
'The Reckoning.'99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVXtCYxX1xX
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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.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE2Bzqc4BVE
99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHCpHtNrN2b
Noble work. Necessary work, maybe.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8iXW9rSD90
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But killers nonetheless.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd5AUkecYwd
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His jaw tightened.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvf5dNvGJKF
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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.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv2MvRXMBp9
99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnQmkFmcICf
'Would they have done it? If Veyron had sided with Draven?'99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM0HVrqeAx6
99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5eKaFHPNml
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.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeJFKEsRNyC
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His hands curled into fists.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ZlTdHjr6P
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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.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG6meytmBXn
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'But they fight people like him.'99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Wb3fYrA1j
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The thought arrived with uncomfortable clarity. The Reckoning existed because powerful Chosen abused that power. Because the law failed when divine favor was involved.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhEfOqPjWBU
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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.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa8coFqNx3W
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If the Reckoning had known…99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqrVSy1qRMR
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Cel's breath came harder.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5StIxZVk5f
99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdl1ncAynbi
Would they have killed him? 99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDQUT48gy2T
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The answer should have been obvious. But the question wouldn't settle.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWNr75Xgsez
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He pushed himself off the bed and moved to the window.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFXZA7FOWJL
99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3HtHEBxPWh
The Academy grounds stretched below. Beyond the walls, the street continued - cobblestones, shops, people moving through their afternoon routines.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv87F29BG5v
99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMjEhTX9IKt
Normal. Peaceful. Safe.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrQoR8IzSB8
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Everything the Hollow Realms wasn't.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnokrN4CHau
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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.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6YEJOuTJ00
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'No Divine Energy.'99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjMIeXtUSpc
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The thought made his stomach twist.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡInspqHlhOU
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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.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmRnqkpmBbh
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But the Reckoning had revealed something else.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBP9DfVlcI5
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An artifact, they'd assumed. Something suppressing his divine signature so completely that even other Chosen couldn't sense him.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPM21jtwk6B
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Except there was no such artifact. 99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtS79pu7VQo
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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.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnPAQwiuJHa
99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVxZ8HNHvRu
Frost erupted beneath his touch, spreading across the wood in delicate patterns that branched and crystallized. 99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb5Rov4fxZY
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Cold bit into his palm. He pulled his hand back, flexing fingers against the ache.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTZ5tOFns2p
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The frost remained, permanent and gleaming.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡexinb3tGmP
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'How?'99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaB4um6Ag9H
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How could he be blessed without Divine Energy? How could he use authorities without the fuel to activate them?99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ23uzKOyvYr
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It made no sense.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKQMAJxHukw
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A Chosen who couldn't sense Divine Energy shouldn't exist. Much less a Chosen who had none.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZnvwRHLPKB
99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ30U33LE4Nj
Yet here he stood.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ6tMi63xCO
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Blessed by the Moon Goddess. Able to summon artifacts and authorities. But lacking the energy that should make it all possible.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEldN9q3jWW
99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1uN7JXyKyL
'What the hell am I?' The question hung in the silence.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2E2vJbNF6m
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Something was wrong with him. Something fundamental that even the goddess's blessing hadn't fixed.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcBXEn3yrUK
99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0JWKOcOYqp
Or… hadn't needed to fix.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIPiHag1Rv8
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Maybe it wasn't a flaw to be corrected.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8sLGd3MPTn
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Maybe it was simply... what he was.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUrq3B8qlKh
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Cel turned from the window, his gaze tracking across the sparse room. Bed. Desk. Wardrobe. Basin.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3rPDmrdHRT
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His entire world, now.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh6obmlARex
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And Raven…99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv6jp9GYM4a
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The name settled in his chest like a stone.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGJqI965BRK
99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLeo3USAqNw
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.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ27UNdYY4QK
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That parallel made his skin prickle.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1BSwKO6mWD
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What could drive someone to throw away everything? Title, clan, divine favor, family - all of it abandoned to become Cursed and commit murder.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7QORDgCDuT
99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwFNvCe6Xdp
The expedition to the Western Continent. Something had happened there.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF6gEpD7Vem
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But what?99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGakxtft4ys
99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjesr0FuwRA
And why kill the Sun Clan's prodigy specifically? Was it personal? Political? Something else?99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyaxeYp9iJi
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Cel sank onto the bed's edge, elbows on his knees.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡExLFD7ncaG
99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzPM5g2v3Hy
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.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡroXwdBc7Mu
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He'd even told Cel to trust Esrin. To seek her protection.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3dzy5egT9D
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Even knowing she hunted him.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGtdJ3yDtns
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That wasn't evil.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvAgucSQcK6
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But cold-blooded murder wasn't good either.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ15aXESWtwV
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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.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ATM1pmIR0
99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcy5q24taE0
Or maybe Cel was rationalizing because Raven had shown him kindness when no one else had.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN9fm1owzCp
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He pressed his hands against his face.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVgdNR9KHyz
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If Raven appeared again... if the Reckoning ordered him to help hunt someone who'd saved his life…99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMzOFjSXL2M
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What was he supposed to do?99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Ks04Yf3Ko
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The room felt too small suddenly. Confining. Like the walls were pressing in.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPvvPQ8Fpl8
99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡetxQemNzNS
He needed answers. Real answers, not speculation or half-formed theories.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhhrZctHM99
99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKgPxUUTlew
And there was only one person who might have them.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsC0J5DToAz
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Cel closed his eyes and reached inward.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnFJq5qjFHF
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The world shifted.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtu6DiAWLEl
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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.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzceNetBWyL
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Footsteps approached through the mist.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ78kjcF5iAE
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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.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7qwDXP4v16
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"Welcome back, Chosen One."99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeSU0bHm9an
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The greeting was gentle. Patient. A small anchor of certainty in everything that felt chaotic.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT7WC1CW0YV
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Cel's throat worked. Where to even start?99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡblIm6DozKD
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"I need to ask you something." The words came rougher than intended. 99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4L31JrLVsH
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"Of course," Selina said simply.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzaYDKF6MMd
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"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?"99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX3rIw82Bz9
99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF6wb1CllWD
Selina tilted her head slightly, already understanding where his thoughts had taken him. "An interesting question. But perhaps the wrong one."99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnmvv42hBYb
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Cel blinked.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVNkrFldwwE
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"What do you mean?"99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡORJNjcI7QQ
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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."99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ZAFa1VmQN
99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI1aAzx0CtV
Cel's shoulders drew back. "So you're saying I should judge them by their members, not their stated purpose?"99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXBubruLe6U
99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXOJSky6fJg
"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."99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoEIaRrf88z
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The answer settled in his chest, heavy and uncomfortable.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡARjeFKR6Mq
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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.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwlJcPPUU0c
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He'd have to evaluate each member individually. Decide who deserved his trust and who didn't.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡITR4ByV9Us
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Exhausting.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡISuaVAeF3c
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But probably wise.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJif2ys05pi
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"I have another question," he said finally. "About my… condition."99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP0p57a5fMJ
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Selina's attention shifted, becoming more focused.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAvM08h2Opj
99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSxEA1SF9eG
"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?"99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtbO0EFLwS5
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Silence answered him99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg48wLSBb2O
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When Selina finally spoke, that familiar note of regret colored her voice. "I am sorry, Chosen One. That does not lie within my authority."99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC60M2Yt8uA
99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwNS6iyBxKz
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?"99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Tu4Yq3Dlu
99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlYvtZEoHBG
"You are not broken."99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsEL8N2wT5h
99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Jj4c6FU8p
The certainty in her voice stopped him cold.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTDo5gK6p5a
99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ0pZseKtRb
Selina took a step closer, silver mask tilted toward him with what felt like infinite patience.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZoY448oVvT
99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4HZoCUsZza
"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."99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkXga2qpTJb
99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIhbX9vbJwP
The frustration burning in his chest didn't dissipate, but something about her tone made him swallow the angry response forming on his tongue.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHw0AGVg4z0
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She was right.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ56MJPk30EW
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He didn't like it. Hated it, actually.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQixhHIJSKI
99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYCaIYBoL3E
But she was right.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWcSKoxM1n2
99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0l13uPPZjk
"Fine." The word came out clipped. "Then what about Raven?"99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoVlCRoW5GD
99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6mz6DFymDd
Selina's posture shifted subtly. Still graceful, still poised, but... guarded in a way she'd never been before.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzAJBsP2KTp
99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX2mcIhzMrQ
"You told me to be careful," Cel pressed. "What did you mean? Should I trust him? Avoid him?"99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQiMRQfCtOg
99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuRfXrAB83Q
The mist curled around their feet, moving in slow spirals across cracked earth.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXq6z2u1QTG
99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgwgfB26LGW
"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."99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAbsmvc4F6f
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The implication made his stomach twist.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡABHCTG5ddc
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"Dangerous how? To me? To others?"99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVnW6VAonft
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"I think," Selina said carefully, "that you should stay away from him if your paths cross again."99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZdyVR3o70L
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The advice settled over him like cold water.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbp4UoyLTDu
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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.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEKoXlRHNAW
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Behind him, Selina's posture relaxed slightly, the guardedness fading back into her usual gentle presence.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2CbjHkF5Uh
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"Is there anything else, Chosen One?"99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3IXuJJjbYV
99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU64aQQYVdd
Cel was silent for a long moment, his gaze fixed on the cracked earth at his feet.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ584w3aM4Mj
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"What am I supposed to do?" The words came out quieter than he'd intended. Almost vulnerable.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHtEPst26IY
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For a heartbeat, Selina simply watched him, her presence calm and unhurried.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ApqdYMLWu
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When she finally spoke, her voice carried an almost playful tone. "Nothing at all."99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMumQPBrlfe
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Cel blinked, momentarily thrown off balance. 99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzUFJQIeI8y
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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."99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG8yWmnzbzD
99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIoY8401snK
Cel stared at her, confusion written across his face. "I don't—what?"99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIl8fOSketb
99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzl8MgHxTCA
"You have fought enough. Survived enough. Bled enough." She leaned closer, her voice dropping to something softer. "Learn to live too."99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ5U7a1giJf
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The words landed like something foreign. Incomprehensible.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7kS87vC27s
99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiTfjZJINB3
Live.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNufodI9hUP
99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYinI66GskR
Not fight. Not survive. Not train or prepare or become stronger.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDEVC1qi69w
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Just... live.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQrNoWoCRJL
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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—"99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVu087Z66eB
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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?"99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ54RNsGHmNy
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The question stopped him cold.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR7tXCGU6IC
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When? Before the beating? Before his Divine Calling?99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtAXLXgMYRN
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Had he ever?99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO98Mmww91r
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His throat felt tight. "I don't know how."99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjwV7sJe24T
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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."99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKoiANxuzLd
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"Like what?" The question came out helpless.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTpvKByOkhK
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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."99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgSiuqu3eha
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The suggestions felt absurd. Frivolous.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGVenquPaQF
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Dangerous, even.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEWz4BOu3qg
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But something in his chest loosened at the thought.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9wcU6cO5qt
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"I don't know if I can," he admitted.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcPxKyJCEc7
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"You can." Selina's certainty was absolute. "You simply need to give yourself permission."99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs81SqimCVL
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Silence stretched between them, broken only by the soft rustle of flowers swaying in the mist.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmOHXNXsPeD
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Eventually, Cel nodded once. Not agreement, exactly. Just acknowledgement that he'd heard her.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeWWY4tFts9
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"Thank you," he said quietly.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsJu0jbt444
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"You are welcome, Chosen One."99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOFC7QM2kj9
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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.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuUMAaajW7j
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It was…99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOqkRiZTsOP
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Beautiful. She was beautiful.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNxzeQTnp9W
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He'd known that, objectively. But knowing something and truly seeing it were different things entirely.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw6fEvNRhed
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Heat crawled up his neck, sudden and unwelcome.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4S74hLVTk0
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"Chosen One?" Selina tilted her head slightly, that radiant smile still in place. "Is something wrong?"99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkP4eiTNWZc
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"No," he said too quickly. "Nothing.” 99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiM4hASJsh4
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Cel's gaze jerked away, desperate for somewhere - anywhere - else to look.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNvt7wPPg9a
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His eyes landed on the divine monolith standing behind her, its surface gleaming with pale light.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4yPAAUaLCU
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Right. The achievement. He'd heard the Divine Voice earlier, hadn't he? When Esrin brought him through that rift.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS2McLyRBdK
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Perfect.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdjKoRhedvq
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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."99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdfLYWtcRVY
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"Of course," Selina said, and was it his imagination, or did her tone carry a hint of amusement?99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbVlty4j8kh
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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.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm1zfA8eyf2
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Behind him, he could have sworn he heard the softest sound - barely audible.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ7uXyYz7xW
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A quiet chuckle.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtTszYKaB1m
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His face burned hotter.99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0U5RkQNvg2
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The monolith's surface rippled as he approached, text forming in that familiar script:99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8kDQCUN80n
99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7IY68VmaqR
<Name: Celvian>99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFYXVOByLWm
<Paragons: (Heir to the Moon) (White Death)>99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIkClAOveri
<Artifacts: (Silent Moon) (Cinderward)>99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYLCZr2HwkE
<Insights: (Ledger of Nightmares)>99Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO7a9LXVXfL
<Achievements: (2)>1234 copyright protection95ＰＥＮＡＮＡjwZCZpS0GE 尼

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