The world narrowed to a single point.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1C2zlk5ISA
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Everything else - the stone walls, the mark above the altar, the dusty light filtering through narrow windows - dissolved into nothing. Only his sister remained, kneeling before the statue with her head bowed in prayer.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWqPDhKUVpF
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBBywqi5wRf
Lyra.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMQGzA0iOHT
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9duM6O5fOn
His feet moved without permission, carrying him forward across worn stone. Each step echoed in the empty church - too loud, too present. He should stop. Should turn around and leave before she noticed him. Before whatever fragile peace she'd found here shattered beneath the weight of his existence.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeaqW83L1i7
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyLhPV7e7ho
But he couldn't.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZHMooF4cvK
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She'd grown. Only one year had reshaped the child he remembered into something older - shoulders less round, features more defined. Her bluish-black hair fell past her shoulders in waves he didn't recognize. But the way she held herself, the curve of her spine as she knelt…96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo5xJDq234V
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAUot2j2vlT
He knew her.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVjB5vek0xZ
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His shadow fell across her. The movement was small - just the shift of darkness against stone - but her prayer stuttered to a halt. Her shoulders tensed. She lifted her head slowly, turning.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrXlvigKBUK
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Their eyes met.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv8hDM1vf5E
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Hers were the same icy blue-gray he remembered - matte blue that caught the light without reflecting it. But there was something different now. Something worn at the edges, like sea-glass tumbled smooth by years of waves.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5nMUl2RnVJ
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhEXQ094XJH
She blinked. Once. Twice. Her lips parted slightly, but no sound emerged.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXv75rp8Jm8
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEf3jlomTEk
Then her expression shifted - surprise melting into something warm and genuine. A smile spread across her face.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhZtO0YLgwL
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEiqgFPQ4b3
"Oh!" The word burst out bright and delighted. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in." She rose quickly, brushing dust from her dress with practiced movements. "It's so rare to meet another believer here."96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMCzre56JUD
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Her gaze tracked across his face - the white hair, the features that should have been familiar but weren't quite right anymore. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5oNcD6WQ8T
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwpftpIxqTQ
She didn't know him.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFrbY1fMhL2
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The realization hit like a blade between his ribs. Of course she didn't. He'd been fifteen the last time she saw him - brown-haired, desperate, still clinging to the delusion that his family might care. Now he stood before her transformed, marked by powers she'd never seen and trauma she couldn't imagine.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXsXIBCPx6K
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He was a stranger to his own sister.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLT0aKaF8O3
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcpk44GcFFE
"I..." he started.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2TVXwF3zO9
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWPam7PGQ3n
The word fell between them like a stone into still water. She waited, polite and patient, for him to continue. But what could he possibly say?96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3iliIxKSSS
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDOuMUOw4Ca
‘I'm your brother.’ The words screamed through his mind but refused to travel to his lips.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn3TwijeaiS
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYoh94pDwDG
"I'm a Moon Chosen," he finally managed.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN5bHo1T35k
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Safe. Simple. True.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ77ArJDIA7d
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Her eyes widened. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWiUQmuXHDF
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"Really?" The word carried genuine interest. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqmSoED5KRx
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvhmTYE7vtc
"I've never met one before." The words tumbled out faster now, excitement replacing hesitation. "I mean—I've seen Chosen from other clans, but never someone blessed by her. What's it like? Is it—"96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh2MlrgpKFo
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp6aI70LTe5
She caught herself. Her hands clasped together at her waist - a gesture he remembered from childhood, something she did when uncertain.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdDMPU5Yic2
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtzKnre6lrP
"I'm sorry. That's probably rude. You came here to pray, not to be interrogated by a stranger."96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ42h5xLXvWA
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpef2SVOque
"It's fine." His voice came steadier this time. "I don't mind."96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrpdn1mz4WQ
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A lie. He minded everything - the distance between them, the false name he should give, the truth he couldn't speak. But the alternative was worse.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaA9I7189Bt
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCIutC1wZGX
Silence settled between them, not quite comfortable but not hostile either. Lyra's gaze drifted back toward the altar, toward the mark of the Moon Goddess carved into pale stone.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx4BOOfjNVm
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ02x4mxrUFv
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Her voice softened. "Most people never visit. The other churches are always full. But here..." She gestured at the empty benches, the dust motes drifting through shafts of light. "It's just quiet."96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi26SiXkPF3
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcuYKYrnVzG
"You come here often?"96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwCRf9f0SCa
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The question slipped out before he could stop it. Too personal. Too soon. But Lyra didn't seem to notice.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU31G9myl7X
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0HitEkLR4Q
"When I can." Her fingers twisted together. "When I need to think. Or remember. Or just..." She trailed off, searching for words that wouldn't come.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT8u46kYcFY
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqJQ9EqueGt
Cel waited. Every instinct screamed at him to press, to ask, to know everything she'd experienced while he rotted in a cell. But he forced himself to stillness.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkf7mT7wca6
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡduhO2dsdCf
"Would you like to sit?" Lyra gestured toward the benches. "Unless you'd prefer to pray alone. I understand if—"96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl5gsvhO8TY
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG9DwIDUhJH
"No." Too quick. Too sharp. He softened it. "I'd like to sit."96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCbm1nTDko7
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzDG0HLGifF
They settled on one of the wooden benches, several feet of careful distance maintained between them. Lyra smoothed her dress - another nervous habit - while her gaze kept drifting to his face, then away, as if trying to solve a puzzle she couldn't quite name.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6g9JO7JKJF
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQN9uGTi5nO
"I'm Lyra," she offered.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs8XN3hpHiQ
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyQC94IESvn
Just Lyra. No clan name attached.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl8M0SyZHWj
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBVkTt80Zz2
The omission struck him immediately. Had she abandoned the Solmar name? Been stripped of it? The questions crowded his throat, but he couldn't ask without revealing too much.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeVwWd8ozvQ
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFjlkNCdl1s
"I'm..." He hesitated. A false name should come easily - something simple, forgettable. But his mind went blank, scrambling for anything that wouldn't sound absurd. "Heir to the Moon."96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡerDJBnzIN3
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQiHsIX0r19
The words fell flat even as he spoke them. Not a name - a title. His paragon's designation, stripped of creativity or thought. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7MAjS0nCwu
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQwOjnRx3MN
Heat crept up his neck.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmjB9D9DHWP
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKtehwRf8IF
Lyra blinked. Her expression shifted - not suspicious, but puzzled. "Oh. That's…"96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1KyAzxkwor
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlOrSR0JxPK
"It's what I'm called," he said quickly. The embarrassment burned hotter. He sounded like a fool. Like someone who couldn't manage the basic deception of inventing a name.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgjFfkLVJ6d
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4xKIqaPJ35
She nodded slowly, clearly uncertain what to make of it. "It's... distinctive."96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK3NElxKbNX
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0aigpEvulb
Distinctive. A polite way of saying strange.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiPok1ONFyb
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHUqlbGWccZ
An awkward silence settled between them. Lyra's fingers twisted harder around each other. Her gaze drifted to the altar, lingered there, then returned to her lap. She opened her mouth as if to speak, then closed it again. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjdGJBRF5MX
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl5C36YSLEi
Cel kept his eyes fixed on the goddess's mark, refusing to acknowledge the mortification still burning through him. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVKWZcvKqkl
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAhLbUE4BpL
Finally, Lyra cleared her throat softly. "Do you live in the capital?" The question came tentative, as if she was trying to fill the quiet without overstepping.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEC7ESJYpmz
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ18PphlA2Qg
"Recently." Not quite a lie. "I'm enrolled at the Academy."96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUWSJZmThiO
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD7WDuWtTCS
"Oh!" Her face brightened. "So am I. I mean—I will be. Once I receive my Divine Calling." The brightness dimmed slightly. "I'm still waiting. Training in the meantime, but..."96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEUuPlpz2DS
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She didn't finish. Didn't need to. The weight of waiting - of hoping and fearing in equal measure - hung in the words she didn't say.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz50l6Z32Cm
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqtGlEvJCbx
"You'll be chosen," Cel said quietly.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXyX2pL8aZj
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"You think so?"96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF3u5iOcYnX
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkY0FkcdcAG
"I do." He glanced at her - the careful way she held herself, the quiet determination beneath the nervousness. "The gods don't ignore people who seek them with genuine faith. They'll see you."96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡag6Ogkipa2
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf4e574ZVd3
Something in her expression cracked - just a hairline fracture in the composure she'd maintained. Her eyes glistened slightly before she blinked it away.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ92eib86yVM
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4gca6aEFrt
"Thank you," she whispered. "That's... that's kind of you to say."96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6savFaWW5U
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8LhoemuIYf
They sat in silence again. This time it felt less awkward, more like two people sharing space without demanding anything from each other.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHvPZZcTJzR
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBvz5yQnPnf
Minutes passed. Maybe longer. Time moved strangely in this forgotten corner of the city.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3sbHS9fhrx
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvV8qPZpFk4
"Can I ask you something?" Lyra's voice came so quiet he almost missed it.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM8ihBpyvv3
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgybAQ5VmDQ
"Of course."96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnKmkZQg04I
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"What's she like? The Moon Goddess, I mean." Her fingers wouldn't stop moving, twisting and untwisting in her lap. "Is she... kind?"96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFSHqlYFFtO
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCzSq2liwWx
The question settled between them, weightier than it seemed. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe94kmYX8RK
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRG7sVVvsam
Cel thought of the frozen sea. Of the trial that had torn him apart - the maze, the mirrors, the creature that killed him. She hadn't made it easy. Hadn't granted power freely or softened the path because he'd already suffered enough. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXtBBfFS6uF
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbginKAFQMZ
But she'd been honest about it. No false promises. No deception. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyWghAF86GV
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And when he'd completed the trial - when he'd earned what she offered - she'd kept her word. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuAE3o36cse
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡicxvhCF4x5
"Honest," he said finally. "She's honest. She doesn't promise easy things or pretend the path won't hurt." His voice dropped lower. "But she doesn't lie to you either. What she offers, she gives. And when you've earned your place..." 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTjN4769UqN
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He paused, remembering moonlight flooding the cavern, cold and true. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWlIm7nqFao
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"She doesn't abandon you. Even when everyone else does." 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVINs5MO3WX
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡckUhbqTjty
The words came raw, unfiltered. More truth than he'd intended to give.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdcZgcxQIN1
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkKElUa5ywK
Lyra's breath caught. Fresh tears gathered at the corners of her eyes - held back by sheer force of will but threatening to spill.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUu4DKLd2aG
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZdqbbNnnXg
"That's good." Her voice barely held together. "That's really good."96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCJZPg9VnBB
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Cel's chest constricted. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBppWjAadBS
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"I'm sorry," he started. "I didn't mean to—"96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzygw5lOyjD
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"No." She shook her head quickly, swiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. "No, you didn't do anything wrong. It's just..."96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwcOzlwQLXy
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡheM12faHEM
She drew a shaking breath.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2FRUETc1ud
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"I had a brother." Each word came slow and careful, like she was walking across ice that might crack beneath her weight. "He was chosen by the Moon Goddess too. Just like you."96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTuOeCbPO6g
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWWvd5L5stQ
Had.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDAbnBkxCIC
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The past tense landed like a stone in his stomach.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdBOwmIaR9d
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"I come here to pray for him. To ask that she takes good care of him." Her fingers gripped each other so hard her knuckles went white. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmgxFLcdPD9
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLydYY0A4d4
Cel's throat closed around words that wouldn't form. Every breath felt like swallowing broken glass. She believed him dead. She'd spent two years mourning a ghost, praying to a goddess for a brother who sat beside her right now.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMEx1Tw4yzI
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwUVtT7xqvT
‘Tell her.’ The command screamed through his mind. ‘Tell her you're alive. Tell her it's you.’96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG9x5uih27N
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlAl0h14RON
But the words wouldn't come.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjquocFQB4V
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Because what would he say? That the brother she remembered was dead - transformed into something else entirely? That the boy she'd known had been torn apart in a cell, piece by piece, until nothing remained but rage?96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf6NyXWZGQC
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She mourned someone who no longer existed.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfe25bUtbpE
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL5610xsdTd
"I'm sorry," he managed.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMmoRBRpPgq
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVyjdvsdkka
Lyra shook her head quickly, swiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have—you came here to pray, not to listen to me—"96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2d2z8t6yUl
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUT7V7zrYQf
"Your brother," Cel interrupted gently. "The Moon Goddess doesn't forget her Chosen. If he bore her mark... she won't have left him alone. Not in life. Not after."96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrLlgLacydh
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdglImJ6CSM
“He’s in good hands, I promise.”96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpvCaczG8vH
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The words felt strange in his mouth - speaking about himself in past tense, offering comfort with truths only he could know. But they were true. The Moon Goddess had answered when he screamed into the void. Had given him resurrection when he'd died alone and forgotten. Had forged him a new body when the old one had been broken beyond repair. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGWdtj7LD0y
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSrxK33XM9x
She hadn't left him.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ74bWa3xoJ4
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCGDJKxswla
If anyone deserved that reassurance, it was Lyra.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtgp5dR9BCS
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCMFPonqMmo
Her breath hitched. Fresh tears spilled over, tracking down her cheeks. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2O2FgGWsyt
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr0p5yS1tsd
"Thank you," she whispered. "You don't know how much I needed to hear that."96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRCpOmln1Ka
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxBOaeAlpCp
She wiped at her face again, trying to compose herself. A small, broken laugh escaped her. "I’m sorry. This is embarrassing. We just met and I'm crying all over you."96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRlyt3r1sup
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdyt1GtjwkE
"It's not embarrassing," Cel said quietly.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKVCV6jUcR0
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He hesitated, then added, "I did the same thing, actually. With my priestess. After I received my blessing." A faint, self-deprecating smile tugged at his lips. "Completely broke down crying in her arms." 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLh3d4bhcyN
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1di7eY3SNX
Lyra's eyes widened slightly, then something in her expression softened - relief mixed with gratitude. "Really?" 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ09FyGEgRgI
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ86aQmKPJX
"Really." The admission came easier than expected. "She told me that there's no shame in acknowledging your pain." 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ00nApRitpF
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1jS2LDRGVg
A small, genuine smile broke through Lyra's tears. "Your priestess sounds wise." 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw35Lnp2z6s
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡedUrIvwNnk
"She is." The words carried more weight than Lyra could know. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR4vdoUleP8
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOfdmM5qUc5
They sat in silence for a moment. The church's stillness wrapped around them - not oppressive, but sheltering.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOBjHJLrSi0
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcNCZsiILwi
Lyra's smile faded slowly, her gaze drifting back to the altar. The ease between them remained, but something heavier settled underneath it - the weight of the grief she'd been carrying alone. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5QxWHcqHpX
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAJnlHwD3uc
Cel watched her profile, the way her fingers had gone still in her lap for the first time since they'd sat down. Questions burned in his throat. Dangerous questions. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvmmDdlx2RE
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWUN8DU5qbB
He shouldn't ask. Shouldn't make her relive it. But he needed to know what story they'd told her. What lie his father had constructed to hide the truth.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIcXGWMiJ1q
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgRsTYA9Zyz
"Can I ask..." Cel's voice came carefully. "How did he die?"96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjIuxaXSaBg
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD0uOTzR5wx
The stillness shattered. 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfxV6jBa7O7
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmC6cjEZ46Z
Lyra's hands clenched in her lap. Her breathing changed - slower, deeper, like she was preparing to dive underwater. When she spoke, each word was measured, controlled, barely holding back something raw beneath the surface.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3XZSxVucwN
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpvha1uRyAj
"My father..." She paused. Swallowed. Started again. "My father was not a good man."96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJl1zXX1d9V
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ7YEz1Xra2
The words came slow and painful, like pulling arrows from a wound.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLGoL2jMoGi
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡywZobWICQr
"He was obsessed. With power. With legacy. With being remembered as something great." Her voice hardened, edges sharpening with barely restrained fury. "When the Moon Goddess chose my brother instead of the Sun God... Father couldn't accept it…"96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHLhblvY5Cy
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8LB9nQ4QXI
She drew a shaking breath.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY6XWf8tD9K
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUDElnKHOi2
"He exiled him. Just... threw him out.” 96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsYcGxjhV1U
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyywVzrpu9b
"Mother searched everywhere - spent weeks trying to find him, desperate to bring him home. And then..."96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEXHtIMD1hn
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe4gcZkjIiU
She drew a shaking breath.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGt4ksHTLKV
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoYFNKYppes
"We got word. There'd been an accident. A carriage." Her voice dropped to barely a whisper. "They said he died instantly. That he didn't suffer."96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBiI471dLom
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0brlEGhg1z
The lie dissolved into silence.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ7Ps8HiS91
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf40DMvId9J
Cel's jaw clenched so hard his teeth ached. A carriage accident. Such a clean explanation. So easy for people to accept. No questions asked. No investigation needed. Just another tragic death on dangerous roads.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdTNNkKSRXT
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡinv39qap0e
His father had sold him to cultists and covered it with a convenient lie.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfyoSD1T1ng
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvQcNTCadOp
Lyra pressed her palms against her eyes, shoulders shaking with silent tears.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9wHVeC4NQ3
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFx5FhV1DeL
His hand moved before thought could stop it. He reached out and patted her head gently - the same gesture he used to make when she was small and sad about something. A reflex from another life.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtnKwpoc0Pb
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnMVe3aZgPP
Lyra froze.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhLdblPmV5j
96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpgYjygQDan
Her breath caught. Her eyes went wide, staring at nothing as something clicked behind them - recognition struggling to break through confusion.96Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYY0kVNjC13
1234 copyright protection92ＰＥＮＡＮＡTcZwO3kcLK 尼

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