"Would it be alright if I sat with you?"80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjsnZyLIPMW
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Cel studied the boy standing at the table's edge. The fidgeting hands. The downcast eyes. The way he held himself like an apology given physical form.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmAqnK73wQz
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"Yes."80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOTdqCO85On
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The boy's shoulders dropped slightly - relief washing over features that had been braced for rejection. He set his tray down carefully, as if afraid the dishes might shatter, then lowered himself onto the bench.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6O0O48FCu1
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"Thank you," he said quietly. "I'm sorry to intrude, I just—when I saw your mark during the ceremony, I thought maybe..." He trailed off, fingers twisting together. "I'm Lior. From a farming village near the Ocean-Sun border. I've never been to a city this big before, and the dormitory rooms are so much nicer than I expected, with actual beds and—"80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhYtdsXJCCU
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He caught himself, shaking his head. "Sorry. I'm talking too much. I do that when I'm nervous. Which is—well, always, really." A self-deprecating laugh that didn't reach his eyes. 80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY4xaNre0v9
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"Celvian," Cel said.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcwnRGy20zp
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Lior blinked, then offered a small smile. "That's a nice name. Where are you from?"80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡodD84xbcP4
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"Storm Clan territory. A small village."80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpdMBur9Ish
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"Oh." Lior processed this, his fingers still working at the fabric of his sleeve. "That must be... difficult. Being so close to the Void, I mean."80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBsPy0QmakY
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"It has its challenges."80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0UAiAbyVPj
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Lior's gaze dropped to his plate. For a moment, neither of them spoke.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcsb9y4YcLp
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Around them, the dining hall buzzed with energy. Students clustered at tables, voices rising and falling in excited bursts. Every conversation seemed to circle back to the same topic - the princess, her speech, the honor of her presence.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHWoYyo8ImN
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Lior pushed food around his plate without eating, his attention drifting toward the animated discussions nearby. His expression shifted - wistful, almost dreamlike.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7JnX2bC0lK
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"She was incredible, wasn't she?" The words came soft, reverent. "The princess, I mean." He glanced at Cel, then quickly away. “I've never seen anyone like her. When she spoke, I couldn't look away. It was like... I don't know. Like the whole world narrowed down to just her voice.”80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYFDhdBzloC
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He finally took a small bite, chewing slowly before continuing.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBHVAWfddJj
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"And her beauty—" Lior's voice dropped lower, almost embarrassed. "Have you ever seen anyone so beautiful?"80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6GvbuQFlDM
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"No," Cel said.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF2axjPZIVQ
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The lie came easily. Instinctively.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy5yFoXfkz6
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Compared to Selina, the princess was just another face. Refined, yes. Attractive by any reasonable measure. But beauty that served political purpose felt hollow.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU7v9idvOIh
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‘Why chase a beauty when an even greater beauty already resides in my soul?‘80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUj0s41lmlb
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Lior's expression brightened at Cel's response, taking it as agreement. "Right? I thought I was being ridiculous, but she's just…stunning."80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOubfPwSrz9
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He set his fork down, leaning forward slightly. "Do you think... if I joined the Chosen Legion, I might see her again?"80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpi7QQ4eRYU
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Cel's attention sharpened. "You want to join the Legion?"80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Se5e7rriX
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"I do." Lior's fingers twisted together. "I mean, they're the only ones who might actually take a Moon Chosen, aren't they? The clans want their own, or the most talented ones..." He trailed off, then pushed forward. "But the Legion judges on merit. They accept anyone the gods chose, regardless of talent or... or how useful our blessings are."80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtYYW3EYDuB
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The Chosen Legion. The Royal House's personal military force. The largest faction in the empire, surpassing even the Great Clans' strength. Unlike the imperial army that fielded common soldiers, the Legion recruited only Chosen. Elite warriors bound directly to the throne.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUv6CpS6eOC
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And at the top of them stood Esrin - the Hallowed who'd nearly killed him.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK9WHpCcihk
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"What about the Mercenary Guild?" Cel asked.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4QKBHEXDs4
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"I thought about it." Lior's expression flickered with uncertainty. "But I've heard it's... rough. Really rough. The kind of place where they don't care if you survive as long as the contract gets fulfilled.”80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfgHZH6lLYx
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"The Legion's different," he continued, voice firming slightly. "They train you properly. Give you support. Structure." He paused, then added more quietly, "A place to belong, maybe."80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8u3pXAbYTs
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Lior smiled - genuine warmth breaking through the nervous energy. He finally began eating properly, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. "What about you? Have you thought about where you'll go after graduation?"80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJicOZ7Y3lQ
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"No."80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsq2A5DWDb9
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The honest answer. He hadn't thought beyond surviving each day. The future felt distant, abstract.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRyYhSu51CA
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They ate in companionable silence for a few minutes. Around them, the dining hall's energy remained high - students still riding the excitement of the opening ceremony.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ77ABFEDSP4
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Then footsteps echoed from the entrance. Sharp. Purposeful.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvugtlkcOBX
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Conversations died in ripples spreading outward from the doorway. Heads turned.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhbvjoLgYdL
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An instructor stood at the threshold - a woman in her thirties wearing deep blue robes marked with the Royal House crest. Her gaze swept the room with practiced authority.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGzpajJawAL
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"All students," her voice carried easily across the sudden quiet, "proceed to the main classroom immediately. Leave your trays - staff will handle them."80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡytMcQRnwRA
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Benches scraped against stone as students rose, forming loose groups as they moved toward the exit.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFNF9Dk9XsV
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Cel stood, Lior following suit.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ03pgnI62eu
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They joined the flow through corridors that opened into a different wing of the academy. The main classroom rose ahead - a large structure with high windows and double doors standing open.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ64P9B0PIWP
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Inside, tiered seating stretched upward in semi-circular rows. Each level of benches sat perhaps two feet higher than the one before it, creating clear sightlines to the instructor's podium at the room's base. The benches themselves were simple wood, sized for two students each.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZYM65Utqxa
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Students filtered in, claiming seats without obvious organization. Some gravitated toward friends from the dining hall. Others chose spots near windows or walls.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡizNXXwQAd1
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The first three rows sat empty - benches crafted from polished wood with cushioned backs, noticeably finer than the plain wooden seats filling the rest of the tiered classroom. No one moved toward them.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIo3GRcYZki
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An older student near the door noticed a younger boy eyeing the empty cushioned seats. "Those are for nobles," he said quietly. "Don't sit there."80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoPwhoZbhXv
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The boy retreated quickly to the upper rows.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdt8yonYs9K
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Lior glanced at Cel, uncertainty crossing his features. "Would you... I mean, if you don't mind..."80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV6A8ybsoZU
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"Middle section," Cel said, already moving.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZfpT5Naymn
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They climbed the steps to the seventh row - roughly centered in the room's vertical arrangement. Cel took the seat closer to the aisle. Lior settled beside him, adjusting his position several times before finally going still.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDgIJU6FDK2
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The room filled gradually. By the time the last students entered, perhaps fifty of them occupied the tiered space.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ895B1kOf4S
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The instructor from the dining hall entered and closed the doors behind her with deliberate finality. The sound echoed in the sudden quiet.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO2rawarSJX
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She crossed to the podium with measured steps, her boots clicking against polished stone. When she turned to face them, her expression was professionally neutral.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwtOrd4Y1Wz
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"I am Instructor Saren," she said, her voice carrying the same easy projection as before. "For the next four months, I will be responsible for your theoretical education and ensuring you survive long enough to become functional Chosen."80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡebZg4sKPnf
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A few nervous laughs rippled through the seats. Instructor Saren’s expression didn't change.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡahu1JKhlR6
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"You are commoners," she continued. "Which means you enter this academy with significant disadvantages compared to the noble students who will join you in four months' time. They have been trained since childhood in combat, politics, etiquette, and the proper use of their blessings. You have not."80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDFbolXQejO
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Her gaze swept the tiers.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKPrRfB3lRC
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"The next four months exist to correct that deficit. To transform you from farmers, merchants' children, and laborers into something resembling proper Chosen. The curriculum is intensive. The expectations are high. Many of you will struggle."80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBXXpBeuRcM
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She paused, letting the weight settle.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaOZWtOQebO
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"Your daily schedule begins at dawn with physical conditioning. Breakfast follows. Morning sessions cover theoretical knowledge - creature classifications, Hollow Realm geography, divine blessing mechanics, imperial history. Lunch. Afternoon sessions focus on combat training - weapons practice, Authority usage, Divine Energy control. Evening meals. Then additional lessons in literacy, numeracy, and etiquette for those who require them."80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTfBwF8BAKX
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Lior's hand had moved to his sleeve, fingers worrying the fabric. Around the room, other students shifted in their seats.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfgj7inlK2a
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"You will learn to read and write if you cannot already. You will learn mathematics sufficient to manage resources and calculate odds. You will learn how to address nobility without embarrassing yourselves or insulting powerful houses. You will learn to dance, because court functions require it. You will learn which fork to use at formal dinners, how to bow properly, when to speak and when silence is expected."80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ZraCkRgFR
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Her tone remained matter-of-fact, but something in the words carried an edge.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXVWOw8vxyH
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"When the noble students arrive in four months, you will be expected to know your place in the hierarchy. To show proper deference without needing to be reminded."80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCcZ4pa38Rb
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The room had gone very quiet. Even the fidgeting had stopped.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLGwKa73fOL
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"However," Instructor Saren continued, "you are still Chosen. The gods selected you despite your common birth. That blessing carries responsibility. You will be trained to fulfill that responsibility - to stand between humanity and the creatures that crawl through rifts into our world. To protect those who cannot protect themselves. To serve the Empire and its people."80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSXW72387Du
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She moved from behind the podium, her posture relaxing slightly.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMLJTV9nGCu
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"Your final examination will take place in the twelfth month," Instructor Saren said. "A month-long patrol through rural territories where you will hunt creatures, assist villages, and prove you deserve the title of Chosen. Instructors will supervise, but you will be expected to handle most situations independently. Injuries are common. Deaths, while rare, do occur."80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvVM8eE3Qxa
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She let that sink in before continuing.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq8n8Rdng3g
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"Questions?"1234 copyright protection76ＰＥＮＡＮＡubQn0isuc9 尼

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