"Hey trash."50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ixAei5bFn
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Cel's hands stilled on his fork.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcZd8eVUkGE
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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.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxUOWaNeBKA
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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."50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqcmYMlb3PZ
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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.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNX6sWrrgRL
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"Yes." Cel kept his voice neutral. 50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO45tqbpbTt
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Kyros's smile widened. "How... unfortunate."50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGUTZncC21I
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He moved closer, circling their table like a predator assessing prey. His companions remained at the end, blocking ways.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdSppCirew1
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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."50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiMTnti2v1v
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His hand landed on Cel's shoulder - fingers digging in.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPPkR3spFSV
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"Must be hard, knowing you'll never amount to anything. That your blessing is worthless."50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4OfIYsqCf5
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Lior's hands had curled into fists beneath the table. His breathing quickened.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiKyIP42kp5
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Cel forced his muscles to relax. Forced his jaw to unclench.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwJa7dqJmDi
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"We serve who chose us," he said quietly.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWKpzXqUV9f
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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?"50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2M4LjggKgp
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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.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBKmYEv3XD3
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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.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡedALhQzOYg
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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.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC524yDUGBo
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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.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwr6Fe0iCIZ
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So Cel just sat there. Took it. Let Kyros's words wash over him like rain.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW3PUPF5BC7
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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."50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡomoZwczpD2
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He released his grip and straightened, turning to address the watching students.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJEbSJ9upkk
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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."50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbJrIeF547N
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Laughter rippled through some of the tables. Not all - several looked uncomfortable. But enough that Kyros's smile grew.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr7AmgEZ1lH
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He walked away, his companions following. Their laughter echoed across the dining hall.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwYlwkCBwbO
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Cel's hands were shaking. He pressed them flat against the table, fingers splayed wide.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR1j0t6Axx9
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Lior simply stared down at his plate, paralyzed by what just happened.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuODATDwHiE
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Eventually, he excused himself. Exhaustion lined his features, shoulders slumped with the weight of the day.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwJZaPkm7Ak
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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.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjXszMvWbOo
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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.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsfz3wpQ0Pv
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When his plate was empty, Cel stood and left.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw5V5mHjRdt
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Hours later, the training grounds lay silent beneath moonlight.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxEAVVoI6IB
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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.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGWWQQtGJe7
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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.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcpqDZkQ8yc
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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.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1BwSqEg3K1
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Silent Moon materialized in his grip.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdnhDcvYa8H
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Then he moved.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCs2EaG4kGX
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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.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrfjPtxTSDC
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Hours blurred together.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAhuNn2fybW
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Cel kept going.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkZyD2ID2SG
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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.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAV0iYNdElz
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The blade completed its arc. Cel's muscles burned, sweat cooling on his bare chest despite the chill—50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcBldiC9d5B
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Footsteps.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeEf2tBKMxl
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His body went rigid mid-stance. Silent Moon hung suspended in the air as he turned.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg4pE7QsBN9
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Lady Hestia Mortveil stood at the edge of the training grounds.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡghxbCy0Exh
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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.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡevrx8aRW4o
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For a heartbeat, neither moved.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIitwKhYmyK
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Then her gaze dropped. Lower. 50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfz0wsjMnuX
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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.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmQFX4Zf7AO
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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."50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ46DhCmsiO1
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A beat of silence.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡahBKLQhmkG
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"They weren't." Her tone was neutral, almost clinical. She walked past him toward the far side without another glance.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOBuQwyCMap
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Cel just stood there, uncertain. Should he leave? Continue?50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfnTm0HB2wh
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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.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuVWw2FI1C6
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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. 50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZPAjRzU8Kn
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Not that it mattered to him. There was no need to replenish one's Divine Essence when you had none.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡboX6MfsFUz
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Cel re-summoned Silent Moon and returned to his forms.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvFfPpFHlY7
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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.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhHThVqfpuj
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Like that, the days blurred into routine.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNKdpELSBIl
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Sparring matches carved the class into a predictable hierarchy. Nobles on top. Commoners below.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDdJ08Ji4er
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"Blessed trash."50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVLxgjhXbzz
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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.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsmG5dDacR1
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Lior kept his eyes down. Cel's jaw clenched, but he said nothing. Took it. Like always.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlbYa89GIcT
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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.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL77ovwIOqJ
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The reason for that was simple: Theron. 50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq6URkxVQGf
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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.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5YvgaGUill
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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.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWCAOddLdcb
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Only Hestia remained apart.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdsQKIdU99V
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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. 50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM9IAQExLdC
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Night fell.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwsklWhUibW
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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.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTwtl0zhfRt
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She crossed to her meditation spot without acknowledgment. Settled into stillness.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA2YZbIV3SW
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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.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzAipByfysH
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An hour passed. Then another.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbd2JZTq7n9
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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.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoIvU9UaeFF
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But close enough now that he could hear the faint rhythm of her breathing when the wind stilled. 50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoCIB6L1PBu
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Why? 50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhoz5I4zgc9
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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. 50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1n2Z1aIRPW
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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. 50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP0TclRJsIQ
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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.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYY3IzMJ4ab
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‘It couldn't possibly be my looks, right?’50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDzG6pITDux
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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.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHDVNZD4vek
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He shook his head and returned to the forms, pushing the ridiculous thought away. 50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjkrUM5Zv8C
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Silent Moon whispered through the air, cutting patterns that had become as natural as breathing.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvHj3ngslfa
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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.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeQQxb6pVgY
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Whatever she wanted, she kept it to herself.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlZY0b9C6RF
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Morning light filtered through the dining hall's tall windows, painting the long tables in shades of gold and amber.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFqSs83U4nb
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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.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiZh9cWQsD8
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A board had been mounted on the wall during their off-day.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW4zh4DcS7p
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Names filled it in descending order, each accompanied by a number. The rankings.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡivVlYC5jJr
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