"Hey trash."61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqoz6V8lOaj
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Cel's hands stilled on his fork.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9mTWKfbBTu
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Kyros Solgrand stood at the end of their table, flanked by two other Sun Clan nobles. His fire-red hair caught the lamplight, amber eyes bright with something cruel.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQSfsxdi6ir
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"I couldn't help but notice." He gestured at their uniforms, at the crescent moon embroidered over the heart. "You're Moon Chosen."61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWCfBPvcCq4
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Lior went rigid beside Cel. His fork clattered against his plate, the sound sharp in the sudden quiet that had fallen over nearby tables. His shoulders hunched inward as if trying to make himself smaller.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw28Q3ZWAHV
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"Yes." Cel kept his voice neutral. 61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQk0TdUSM1q
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Kyros's smile widened. "How... unfortunate."61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuJnfR3jvoh
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He moved closer, circling their table like a predator assessing prey. His companions remained at the end, blocking ways.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB7XH0vffoz
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"The Moon Goddess." Kyros spoke loud enough that nearby conversations died, students turning to watch. "The weakest deity. The forgotten one. The goddess who can't even maintain a single Great Clan."61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡipWQsZnBKs
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His hand landed on Cel's shoulder - fingers digging in.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHhvnfeDLuk
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"Must be hard, knowing you'll never amount to anything. That your blessing is worthless."61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNJIg7OPLIc
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Lior's hands had curled into fists beneath the table. His breathing quickened.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUOsoarZclK
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Cel forced his muscles to relax. Forced his jaw to unclench.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOY5NppxGuc
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"We serve who chose us," he said quietly.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpeuBdUY29T
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"Do you?" Kyros leaned closer, breath hot against Cel's ear. "Or do you just accept your pathetic fate because you're too weak to demand better?"61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe8p8VoH6WO
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The rage that had been simmering since Kyros appeared flared brighter. Cel's vision tunneled. His hands trembled with the effort of keeping them still.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeHh3gnorIK
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He could break Kyros's nose. Right now. One strike, perfectly placed, and the smug bastard would be choking on his own blood.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkpLsWIGyVb
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But if a commoner struck a noble - even in self-defense - the punishment was severe. Imprisonment. Public humiliation. In some cases even execution. The Empire's laws protected nobility with brutal efficiency, and the Academy wouldn't shield him from those consequences.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfN80Pm3kE5
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The unspoken truth was obvious - nobles operated under different standards. Not just in sparring. In everything. They could strike commoners with minimal repercussions. But the reverse? That was a crime against the social order itself.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmoZ9GBpmzh
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So Cel just sat there. Took it. Let Kyros's words wash over him like rain.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡISsSXtIcZ3
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"Nothing to say?" Kyros squeezed harder, nails digging through fabric. "That's what I thought. Moon Chosen are always like that. Weak. Pathetic."61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgcC0bZCENh
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He released his grip and straightened, turning to address the watching students.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdLCi2FVJPX
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"Remember this, everyone. What do you call Chosen of the weakest goddess?" He paused, smile widening. "Trash. Nothing but blessed trash."61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCgKAdNTpDU
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Laughter rippled through some of the tables. Not all - several looked uncomfortable. But enough that Kyros's smile grew.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡInNnJkz4UG
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He walked away, his companions following. Their laughter echoed across the dining hall.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV8X7plwhJd
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Cel's hands were shaking. He pressed them flat against the table, fingers splayed wide.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFhjoMqzIeB
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Lior simply stared down at his plate, paralyzed by what just happened.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUjhlxqK3qn
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Eventually, he excused himself. Exhaustion lined his features, shoulders slumped with the weight of the day.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8GmsUfQzdP
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Cel remained. He finished his meal in silence. The dining hall's energy had shifted - conversations more subdued now, glances occasionally drifting toward his isolated corner.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkFRooiPV9N
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He ate mechanically, tasting nothing. His mind replayed the confrontation over and over. Each word. Each laugh. The feeling of Kyros's fingers digging into his shoulder like he had every right to do so.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6awaEBRYA2
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When his plate was empty, Cel stood and left.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqI5QK4rMn3
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Hours later, the training grounds lay silent beneath moonlight.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGNiBgQPztc
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Cel crossed the threshold, boots crunching against packed earth. Empty weapon racks. Archery targets standing like sentinels. The space felt vast without other students filling it.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyeiUx1qIJs
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He shrugged off his upper uniform like always, letting it fall to the ground beside him. The night air was cold against his skin, but Lunar Vigor flooded through him under the moon's light.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwSJMUAU33P
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He moved to the center and stopped. Breathed. Let the day's accumulated tension settle in his muscles like coiled springs.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfZ3gK7LSAz
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Silent Moon materialized in his grip.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFCnOHHQK0q
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Then he moved.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzqs90x5ihI
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The blade sang through air, cutting patterns driven by pure fury. He moved through the Chosen Legion forms he'd been practicing - each one executed with divine strength behind it, each one brutal in application.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmeUdZcfH4p
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Hours blurred together.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwSdkmeojMO
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Cel kept going.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrEqN0vxnly
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Until finally… the rage began to drain away. Not gone. Never truly gone. But manageable again. Locked back in whatever dark corner of his mind it usually inhabited.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIcidj6mzRw
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The blade completed its arc. Cel's muscles burned, sweat cooling on his bare chest despite the chill—61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb72yt9dMY2
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Footsteps.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJPNe5f4auV
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His body went rigid mid-stance. Silent Moon hung suspended in the air as he turned.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8LCusab3xd
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Lady Hestia Mortveil stood at the edge of the training grounds.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvz1H50zmeD
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The moonlight caught her jet-black hair, making it gleam like polished obsidian. Her crimson eyes studied him with an intensity that made his breath catch.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVWqQZ61dye
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For a heartbeat, neither moved.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa1xLbCfzpq
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Then her gaze dropped. Lower. 61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbupMEVMIlh
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Suddenly, Cel became very aware of the cold against his skin. Heat flooded his face. He dismissed Silent Moon with a thought and lunged for his discarded uniform, fumbling with the fabric as he yanked it over his head.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLrQCHtgSwe
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"Lady Hestia." His voice came out rougher than intended. He straightened, adjusting his collar. "I apologize. I didn't realize the grounds were occupied."61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtztFop4lNj
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A beat of silence.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAJoQnhbEqc
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"They weren't." Her tone was neutral, almost clinical. She walked past him toward the far side without another glance.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvl8P4Swe7s
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Cel just stood there, uncertain. Should he leave? Continue?61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvhyiRHAEd5
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Hestia sank to the ground in a meditative pose. Her hands rested on her knees, palms upward. The night seemed to gather around her like a cloak, shadows deepening in her presence.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhPnTA4eUV5
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She was replenishing her Divine Essence. It made sense - the Death God's domain aligned with darkness, with the stillness of night. Divine Essence recovered fastest when immersed in the right environment. Ocean Chosen would seek water. Moon Chosen would need moonlight. 61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzX5LnsSSEM
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Not that it mattered to him. There was no need to replenish one's Divine Essence when you had none.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmSAyevnT6K
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Cel re-summoned Silent Moon and returned to his forms.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZuQnOLOJMt
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The silence stretched between them, broken only by the whisper of his blade through air and the distant sound of wind through empty weapon racks.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3vSW8q1OrC
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Like that, the days blurred into routine.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoLRXzSAghn
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Sparring matches carved the class into a predictable hierarchy. Nobles on top. Commoners below.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiTjQW2VgGQ
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"Blessed trash."61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDziR8U2avH
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Kyros's voice cut across the courtyard. His hand shoved Lior's shoulder, sending him stumbling. Laughter from the other Sun Clan nobles.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHgi6jvXJMJ
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Lior kept his eyes down. Cel's jaw clenched, but he said nothing. Took it. Like always.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9GYjzptRxh
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The confrontations came and went like weather - predictable, unavoidable. But something puzzled Cel about the nobles' behavior. In the tavern, the barkeeper had spoken of political factions regarding the throne’s succession. Yet here, they seemed unified. Cordial, even.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4917cl3D1V
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The reason for that was simple: Theron. 61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbb3ONLGJHI
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He moved through them all like sunlight through water - effortless, warm. The nobles gravitated toward him naturally. Perhaps they'd all received the same instructions to cultivate the All-Blessed's favor. To leverage that connection later when the succession fight began in earnest.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm3Ko7ytLqg
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Sylvaine ensured the Life Clan maintained the closest position. Always at Theron's side, always visible, always reinforcing their clan's support.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvNfs5n2Qua
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Only Hestia remained apart.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUy6ie6uEUT
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She sat alone during meals, moved through training exercises in isolation. The other students kept their distance. Whether from the Death Clan's tainted reputation or simple wariness of Raven's sister, Cel couldn't say. 61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTCuEgb4qQW
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Night fell.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJuuFJi1GN0
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Cel arrived at the training grounds first, as usual. He'd barely summoned Silent Moon when footsteps announced Hestia's arrival.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTXNSrftITj
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She crossed to her meditation spot without acknowledgment. Settled into stillness.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgl3okz55z5
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Cel moved through his forms. The blade traced familiar patterns, his body flowing from one position to the next with increasing fluidity.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6fo4zQvQW0
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An hour passed. Then another.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ15JruqO6xj
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When Cel paused to catch his breath, he glanced toward Hestia's meditation spot. Over the past weeks, she'd been inching nearer. Subtle. Gradual. Never speaking. Never explaining.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIPMSDhnwlt
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But close enough now that he could hear the faint rhythm of her breathing when the wind stilled. 61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡERJD753Zvg
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Why? 61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi8KCvvkRpT
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The only connection between them was Raven. But she couldn't possibly know about his encounter with her brother. Couldn't know about his noble blood, his true identity. 61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHmFeZ0klGT
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All she could see was what everyone else saw - a commoner Moon Chosen with unusually developed muscles and no Divine Essence. He had explanations for both. Nothing remarkable. 61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsPooM3AUJi
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Yet she'd shown interest from the very beginning. From that first day, her crimson eyes had tracked him with an intensity that suggested she saw something others missed.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSeeCMzE3uh
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‘It couldn't possibly be my looks, right?’61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSOtaRK9eTr
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Cel's next strike faltered slightly. His eyes cut toward her meditating form - jet-black hair spilling over pale shoulders, crimson eyes closed in concentration, the faint outline of her slender frame perfectly still despite the cold.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0meQY0iyKJ
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He shook his head and returned to the forms, pushing the ridiculous thought away. 61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgfzeBhx8oT
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Silent Moon whispered through the air, cutting patterns that had become as natural as breathing.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Kjvuw9veG
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The week wore on. Classes during the day, silent training at night. Hestia's presence became as constant as the moonlight itself - always there, always watching when she thought he wouldn't notice, always inching closer with each passing evening.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5yzaNEfXtP
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Whatever she wanted, she kept it to herself.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ61iECiCSeE
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Morning light filtered through the dining hall's tall windows, painting the long tables in shades of gold and amber.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN77q6ZFTvU
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Students clustered near the entrance, voices rising in excited chatter. Cel pushed through the crowd until he could see what held their attention.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrNR7XLSrp6
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A board had been mounted on the wall during their off-day.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeTCTHvlm3m
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Names filled it in descending order, each accompanied by a number. The rankings.61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ26WNbYhveY
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