The crowd pressed closer to the board, voices rising in waves of excitement and disappointment.59Please respect copyright.PENANAgMcz65s38s
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Cel hung back, letting the others surge forward first. He could wait. The rankings weren't going anywhere.59Please respect copyright.PENANAixaNHWLtMe
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Gradually, students filtered away. Some wore satisfied expressions. Others looked troubled, arms crossed as they muttered to friends about matches they should have won.59Please respect copyright.PENANApO1V1sEqU5
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When enough space cleared, Cel moved closer.59Please respect copyright.PENANA64dh6g86cR
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His eyes tracked down the list.59Please respect copyright.PENANAlRoajNPU1s
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Rank 1: Sylvaine Grovethorn59Please respect copyright.PENANAvGKu7eNZz1
59Please respect copyright.PENANASqdYZzhFc2
Rank 2: Owen Peakscale59Please respect copyright.PENANA7kdD1rf1gm
59Please respect copyright.PENANAPQ7hAG5mu7
Rank 3: Hestia Mortveil59Please respect copyright.PENANAJPZnBeGlB6
59Please respect copyright.PENANAPZ7qZPTyAH
Rank 4: Theron59Please respect copyright.PENANAIso6msF5OK
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Murmurs rippled through the crowd at that placement. The All-Blessed had grown up as a commoner, yet here he stood above every noble except three. Divine favor, apparently, included natural talent for fighting.59Please respect copyright.PENANAppiVE6JckZ
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The unfairness of it settled in Cel's chest like cold stone.59Please respect copyright.PENANAj73DEO3UuQ
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Rank 5: Cordelia Tidecall 59Please respect copyright.PENANAEVS7XWFXSb
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Rank 6: Percival Tempest 59Please respect copyright.PENANAkabQYkFnSh
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Rank 7: Kyros Solgrand59Please respect copyright.PENANAMGtPpduzHW
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Then the remaining nobles in descending order - each one benefiting from years of private training, inherited techniques, artifacts passed through bloodlines.59Please respect copyright.PENANAVEhIBmPdHf
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Then—59Please respect copyright.PENANAWGcF2MO6l4
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Rank 15: Celvian59Please respect copyright.PENANAv4x5bZJa0V
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Cel stared at the number.59Please respect copyright.PENANAfwd53SLOKQ
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Fifteenth. The first commoner on the list. Above every other student who'd come from farming villages and merchant families.59Please respect copyright.PENANAplhqhXe6zk
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His jaw tightened.59Please respect copyright.PENANAlrAf0iMUXL
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He'd held back deliberately. Fumbled his strikes. Made his bladework clumsy and uncertain. Pretended his strength was just an authority he couldn't control properly yet.59Please respect copyright.PENANAUp56yvgZlY
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But even then, the gap between a trained noble and the commoners was vast. That couldn't be overcome by pretending to be weak.59Please respect copyright.PENANALE2CZFnLkh
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His gaze dropped further down the list. Past more names. More numbers.59Please respect copyright.PENANAtVUn3PsmSN
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Until he reached the bottom.59Please respect copyright.PENANAFuesI3VPa0
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Rank 40: Lior59Please respect copyright.PENANAmaoVnpPpyg
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Last place.59Please respect copyright.PENANADPoyKlLx3s
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Dead last among all forty students.59Please respect copyright.PENANAb20TgJuv63
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Cel's gaze swept the crowd until he found him. Lior stood at the board's far edge, shoulders hunched inward like he was trying to disappear into his own uniform. His hands twisted together at his waist - that nervous gesture Cel had come to recognize.59Please respect copyright.PENANAeujazdElgU
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Their eyes met for a heartbeat.59Please respect copyright.PENANAWwrF6IW4GK
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Lior's throat worked. His fingers twitched once, as if reaching for something to hold onto.59Please respect copyright.PENANATw3Q3dMVbM
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Then he turned and walked away.59Please respect copyright.PENANADG8tUQYeLY
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Not toward the dining hall. Not toward the classroom. Just... away. His footsteps quick and unsteady, like someone fleeing before they broke apart completely.59Please respect copyright.PENANA8yq03Q9XU2
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Cel watched until Lior disappeared around a corner, jaw tight.59Please respect copyright.PENANA4dRwSX2QLQ
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Morning assembly came and went. Theoretical classes passed in their usual rhythm - Instructor Saren's voice washing over topics Cel already knew.59Please respect copyright.PENANA5Me8ii5MBA
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Lior's seat remained empty.59Please respect copyright.PENANAUdMtOdxg4I
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Afternoon combat training arrived. Students filtered onto the grounds, forming loose clusters while Instructor Calder barked orders.59Please respect copyright.PENANA3fT90bH7q6
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Still no Lior.59Please respect copyright.PENANAg0UvVBFoMo
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By evening, when dinner filled the hall with voices and the clatter of plates, his absence felt deliberate. Permanent.59Please respect copyright.PENANAwtHkCuF74n
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Cel ate alone at their usual table. The empty seat beside him felt heavier than it should have.59Please respect copyright.PENANAPLP6L1woX0
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When the meal ended, he rose and made his way through corridors that had grown familiar over months of routine.59Please respect copyright.PENANAfvM0EeOWTw
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The commoner dormitory stood quiet. Most students remained in the dining hall or gathered in common areas. Cel's boots echoed against wood as he climbed stairs to the second floor.59Please respect copyright.PENANAgZOCxz8vK8
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Lior's door waited at the end of the hall.59Please respect copyright.PENANARNgp9ikBSJ
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Cel stopped before it, hand raised to knock.59Please respect copyright.PENANA9wp3uy0Xa7
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A sound filtered through the wood. Soft. Muffled.59Please respect copyright.PENANAFzOOMkCeqy
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Whimpering.59Please respect copyright.PENANAZMz7ldBDcL
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His hand froze mid-air.59Please respect copyright.PENANAJ0CCH7otO2
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The sound continued - broken, desperate. The kind of crying that came from somewhere deep, where all composure had finally cracked.59Please respect copyright.PENANAQADxiVemNo
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Cel's hand lowered slowly.59Please respect copyright.PENANA2fMbhJU2IT
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‘What am I even doing here?’59Please respect copyright.PENANA8EfTkKKoqr
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He had no idea how to comfort someone. The concept felt foreign - awkward and uncertain, like trying to speak a language he'd never learned.59Please respect copyright.PENANAXzkr7S61ZU
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When he'd broken down in that cell, no one had come. When nightmares tore him from sleep, he'd faced them alone. The only comfort he'd ever known was Lyra's occasional visits - her brightness cutting through the darkness for brief, precious moments.59Please respect copyright.PENANAjiJIJ4a7zU
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But Lyra had been a child. Natural warmth and affection poured from her without effort or thought.59Please respect copyright.PENANA50uvh2QfQ3
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Cel possessed neither.59Please respect copyright.PENANA85yFNyuSJk
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He should leave. Walk away. Let Lior have his privacy, his dignity.59Please respect copyright.PENANAFlWaEEqD7O
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But the memory of his own tears - shed in darkness with no one to hear, no one to care - made his chest ache.59Please respect copyright.PENANAPYg1qRFj4j
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Maybe the knowledge alone that someone cared… would be enough.59Please respect copyright.PENANAg1ujuKoj23
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Not enough to fix anything. But something.59Please respect copyright.PENANAX4N7HyufZk
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Cel's knuckles met wood. Three sharp raps.59Please respect copyright.PENANA3RbOnuDL3D
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The whimpering cut off instantly.59Please respect copyright.PENANAR3VC04xH9e
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Silence stretched. Then footsteps - hesitant, shuffling.59Please respect copyright.PENANAYkaMd9OEbZ
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The door opened a crack.59Please respect copyright.PENANAb8POAZCAm5
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Lior's face appeared in the gap. Eyes red and swollen. Cheeks wet with tears he'd tried to wipe away but hadn't quite managed. His wheat-blond hair stuck up at odd angles where he'd run his hands through it.59Please respect copyright.PENANAsgT7LupYJy
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"Cel?" His voice came out hoarse. Uncertain. "What are you..."59Please respect copyright.PENANARBOLI2CDPS
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"Can I come in?"59Please respect copyright.PENANAdDgmanTyw2
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The question hung between them.59Please respect copyright.PENANAXluMFOJCIl
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Lior's throat worked. He glanced back into his room, then at Cel, then down at the floor.59Please respect copyright.PENANAbIFxGuMwLp
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Finally, he stepped back and pulled the door wider.59Please respect copyright.PENANALfclcC4zRF
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Cel entered.59Please respect copyright.PENANAcxMcNJ0Nlj
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The room was identical to his own - narrow bed, simple desk, wardrobe. But Lior's space carried signs of actual habitation. Letters stacked on the desk, the ink barely dry. A practice knife resting on the windowsill. Blankets rumpled from restless sleep.59Please respect copyright.PENANAPJ2qKUt3n6
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Lior closed the door and stood there awkwardly, hands twisting together. His gaze fixed on the floor between them.59Please respect copyright.PENANAfe7slnap9x
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"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I know I should have attended classes today. I just... couldn't."59Please respect copyright.PENANATf6ABdjtV1
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"It's fine."59Please respect copyright.PENANAlJboKTynnW
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The words felt inadequate. Hollow.59Please respect copyright.PENANAyKrg2RE5m1
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Lior's shoulders shook. His breath hitched.59Please respect copyright.PENANAZE21JF1r95
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"It's not fine." The admission came out broken. "Nothing is fine…”59Please respect copyright.PENANAMv3m3C6yn6
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"Come," Cel said quietly, gesturing toward the bed. “Sit.”59Please respect copyright.PENANAvar9LVtVoF
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They settled on opposite ends of the bed - Lior perched on the edge like he might bolt at any moment, Cel leaning back against the wall.59Please respect copyright.PENANAMlhyo6mBsn
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Silence pressed in around them. Lior's hands twisted together in his lap, fingers white-knuckled.59Please respect copyright.PENANAq6QLSCHWYZ
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"I'm thinking about leaving," he said finally. The words came out flat. Empty. "Going home."59Please respect copyright.PENANAT8BUO0LsbS
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Cel said nothing. Just waited.59Please respect copyright.PENANAG0kOtlIYFx
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"I don't—" Lior's voice cracked. He swallowed hard and tried again. "I don't amount to anything here. I'm last. Dead last. I can't learn fast enough even with you helping me. I can't fight properly. I'm a Chosen of the weakest goddess."59Please respect copyright.PENANAjOXUPvEZa3
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His fingers twisted in the blanket.59Please respect copyright.PENANAkk7kOJMjbN
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"My artifact is blessed rank. A knife. Not even a sword - just a knife that barely cuts better than mundane steel. And my authority—"59Please respect copyright.PENANAraM3uykz86
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He lifted one trembling hand.59Please respect copyright.PENANADjqWthjgMM
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Then, light bloomed. A small orb, no larger than an apple, casting barely enough illumination to read by.59Please respect copyright.PENANA2QaDhLp7Hy
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"This." Bitterness bled through the word. "This is what the Moon Goddess gave me. Light. Not even bright light. Just... this."59Please respect copyright.PENANAygAbVM4ZK7
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The orb flickered and died.59Please respect copyright.PENANAN5Xo2rdPzv
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"My priest is rank fourty-one," Lior continued, voice rising slightly. "Fourty-one! That's supposed to mean something. But look at me. Look at what I got."59Please respect copyright.PENANAZ76lDBhqe1
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He pressed both hands against his face.59Please respect copyright.PENANAyWGEso4vOZ
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"My mother sold everything she had to send me here," he whispered. "She worked herself sick for months just to afford the journey. And my father—" His voice broke completely. "He tried so hard to be proud. But I saw it in his eyes when the Moon Goddess chose me instead of... instead of someone stronger."59Please respect copyright.PENANASDibadQ44Y
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Tears slipped between his fingers.59Please respect copyright.PENANAYzL56eMlHO
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"I don't belong here," he whispered. "Everyone knows it. The instructors. Kyros and his friends - they're right. I am trash. Blessed trash. That's all I'll ever be."59Please respect copyright.PENANAzTEhzTxfVt
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His shoulders shook.59Please respect copyright.PENANA92vwdOu2n3
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"Even if I stay. Even if I graduate. The Chosen Legion is supposed to accept everyone, but..." He lowered his hands, staring at nothing. "They'll treat me the same way. Because I can’t do anything right. I never have. I never will."59Please respect copyright.PENANAGSUfRf5jcF
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The words hung in the air like smoke.59Please respect copyright.PENANA5XRtgwarR9
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Cel watched him - shoulders hunched, hands trembling, face buried in his palms. A boy coming apart at the seams because the world had shown him exactly how little he mattered.59Please respect copyright.PENANAlOw5HjgsiH
59Please respect copyright.PENANAd5Vy2DCoVl
‘I should say something.’59Please respect copyright.PENANAk9Gva8OCG4
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But what?59Please respect copyright.PENANAKznP9dnc1r
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That things would get better? A lie. Lior's circumstances wouldn't magically improve through empty reassurance.59Please respect copyright.PENANAEjrdCiDgTU
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That his ranking didn't define him? Another lie. In this world, power determined worth. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAsn4wJciy3n
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That he should keep trying? Cruel. Lior had been trying. It simply wasn't enough.59Please respect copyright.PENANA6k3Z2iuhkJ
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Cel's jaw clenched.59Please respect copyright.PENANAtSOnAwnCOC
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He didn't know how to fix this. Didn't know how to make the pain stop or the tears dry. All the words he could think of felt hollow - platitudes that would shatter against the truth the moment he spoke them.59Please respect copyright.PENANA69tZHsiADN
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So instead, he spoke the truth.59Please respect copyright.PENANAq2DaPoDzku
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"When I was young," Cel said quietly, "I was like you."59Please respect copyright.PENANA03aGd779Dt
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Lior's head snapped up.59Please respect copyright.PENANAcFZzqe3IS7
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"Timid. Useless. Afraid of my own shadow." The words came easier than expected, pulled from memories he usually kept locked away. "My father hated me. Not in some abstract way - he genuinely despised everything about me. My weakness. My gentle nature. The way I flinched when he raised his voice."59Please respect copyright.PENANAqD1OLceyvf
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Cel moved to the window, staring out at darkness.59Please respect copyright.PENANAIvrtqfaIxm
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“As for my mother..." He scoffed. "She was there. Physically. But that was all."59Please respect copyright.PENANAztrGxiOGWo
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His fingers pressed against the windowsill.59Please respect copyright.PENANAEMOMIkxjjv
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"I had a brother who outshone me in everything. Perfect. Talented. Everything my father wanted. He'd watched when I got punished. Never helped. Never spoke up."59Please respect copyright.PENANA93suOtUP7x
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Cel's hands curled into fists.59Please respect copyright.PENANAQzBRT8Ksue
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"I wanted to die…” A pause. “The thought of enduring another moment in that house, with those people, felt impossible. But I kept going anyway. Not because I was brave or strong. Just because..." He stopped. Started again. "I endured it because there was nothing else to do."59Please respect copyright.PENANAVj1g6tMxbR
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Lior stared at him, tears still wet on his cheeks but his breathing steadier now.59Please respect copyright.PENANAYApIW2cxri
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Cel turned from the window to face Lior directly.59Please respect copyright.PENANAynfmjF98q6
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"You think you're weak," hel continued. "That you don't belong here. That everyone sees you as pathetic." His voice dropped lower. "They probably do. The same way my family saw me."59Please respect copyright.PENANAeECni4o3wY
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He moved closer, crouching so they were eye-level.59Please respect copyright.PENANAH7U5lUzUIh
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"But you're here anyway. You are here despite knowing you'd struggle. You practiced reading even though the letters didn't make sense. You stepped into that sparring circle knowing you'd lose."59Please respect copyright.PENANAQjPeBUkYcj
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Cel's gaze held Lior's.59Please respect copyright.PENANAeycIRJ8o5z
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"That's not weakness. That's endurance. And endurance..." His throat tightened. "Endurance is the only strength that actually matters when everything falls apart."59Please respect copyright.PENANA70gQV26sTk
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Lior's breath hitched. Fresh tears spilled over, but something in his expression had shifted - less broken, more... present.59Please respect copyright.PENANAjfeAqy5yk8
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"I can't promise it gets easier," Cel said quietly. "Can't tell you that people will stop looking down on you or that your ranking will improve. Maybe it won't. Maybe you'll struggle every single day for the rest of your time here."59Please respect copyright.PENANAfJixIW6FWG
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He straightened.59Please respect copyright.PENANA6sBApc4O6E
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"But you're still breathing. Still trying despite knowing how hard it is." A pause. "That's more than most people manage when the world rejects them."59Please respect copyright.PENANAlNwtrD8C69
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Silence stretched between them - heavy with truths neither had expected to share.59Please respect copyright.PENANA56j1SlHBLV
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Then Lior wiped his face with both hands, smearing tears across his cheeks.59Please respect copyright.PENANAxVbJHXCMxI
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"I didn't know," he whispered. "About your past. You seem so... composed. Strong."59Please respect copyright.PENANAFoRqzOVIvR
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"People rarely are." Cel moved toward the door. "We all carry things that don't show."59Please respect copyright.PENANA69kgy3VKKt
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His hand found the handle.59Please respect copyright.PENANAWvoz4WciKx
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"Cel?"59Please respect copyright.PENANA1TDy5klufZ
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He glanced back.59Please respect copyright.PENANAmbJvRvub4D
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Lior's expression held something fragile but genuine. "Thank you."59Please respect copyright.PENANAp5cLJsmlRQ
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Cel nodded once.59Please respect copyright.PENANAXB1SvJ0iVK
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Then he left, pulling the door closed behind him with a soft click.59Please respect copyright.PENANAXblY5Pk1t8
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The corridor stretched empty and silent. His footsteps echoed against stone as he made his way toward the training grounds.59Please respect copyright.PENANADeZ9dqIZt6
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Night had fallen completely. The moon hung full and bright - pouring its light across the Academy grounds in pale radiance.59Please respect copyright.PENANAjEWRUHHOR5
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Lunar Vigor flooded through him the moment he stepped outside. Power hummed beneath his skin, turning exhaustion into energy.59Please respect copyright.PENANAK7Uj1kvWbz
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The training grounds came into view.59Please respect copyright.PENANAgTuSWm3Hnj
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And for the first time in weeks, he wasn't the first to arrive.59Please respect copyright.PENANAwzWKHyGItA
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Hestia sat in her meditation spot - perfectly still, jet-black hair spilling over pale shoulders, crimson eyes closed in concentration. The night seemed to gather around her like a living thing, shadows pooling at her feet.59Please respect copyright.PENANAfVe4CmJ1kX
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Cel stopped at the threshold.59Please respect copyright.PENANApXhbH4k2hu
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Usually, he'd summon Silent Moon and begin his forms. Let the silence stretch between them, unbroken except for the whisper of his blade through air.59Please respect copyright.PENANAhTwYIlzurI
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But tonight…59Please respect copyright.PENANA8diCuxIZWG
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Tonight, he needed to know.59Please respect copyright.PENANAKoxNRL0pN7
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He crossed the training grounds, boots crunching against packed earth. Each step deliberate. Purposeful.59Please respect copyright.PENANAOqd8n9dkS4
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Hestia's eyes opened when he was still several steps away - her expression unreadable.59Please respect copyright.PENANABFPkrSOWWf
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She didn't speak. Just watched him approach with that same intense assessment she'd worn since the first day.59Please respect copyright.PENANABlkso9b6Ha
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Cel stopped a respectful distance away.59Please respect copyright.PENANA4HegCQwWbJ
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"Lady Hestia."59Please respect copyright.PENANAbttsUzZqkw
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"Celvian." Her voice carried no inflection. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAtOxpITAVub
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He met her gaze directly.59Please respect copyright.PENANAlW0IDmgpj3
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"What do you want from me?"59Please respect copyright.PENANAvk0WIIYu8j
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Lunar Legacy
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Lunar Legacy
Author:
Celastos
ISSUE #63
Chapter 62: Endurance
LIKES 0
READS 55
BOOKMARKS 1
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Lunar Legacy
Fantasy
Action
Dark
Last updated: Jun 13, 2026
Total word count: 142,034
Total reading time: 658 Minutes
Writer:
fantasy
horror
dark
mystery
tragedy
darkfantasy
demons
betrayal
psychological
revenge
monsters
gods
survival
fantasyrealm
medieval
maleprotagonist
goddess
mysterious
fantasyworld
abilities
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