The crowd pressed closer to the board, voices rising in waves of excitement and disappointment.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8kQJJGQarY
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Cel hung back, letting the others surge forward first. He could wait. The rankings weren't going anywhere.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKPhvxK2D8t
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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.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4qUV35vcZM
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When enough space cleared, Cel moved closer.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK0ofnTll3h
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His eyes tracked down the list.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzxDSzmzuQQ
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Rank 1: Sylvaine Grovethorn97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrG0kbJyde4
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Rank 2: Owen Peakscale97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiIK8Gn2sp2
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Rank 3: Hestia Mortveil97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPyFvABgIO4
97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBoBroQalyT
Rank 4: Theron97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz2zVlEk4oT
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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.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqRJCrNs8jS
97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMC6Mg6JHef
The unfairness of it settled in Cel's chest like cold stone.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhnKkjMM9uE
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Rank 5: Cordelia Tidecall 97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqFofvyZ724
97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXRggJDgpin
Rank 6: Percival Tempest 97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwKaEZEerP4
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Rank 7: Kyros Solgrand97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRlnJJUJAlI
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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.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYcjVCRc1n3
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Then—97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD2ERwcNvoW
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Rank 15: Celvian97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIjmkQiOjUH
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Cel stared at the number.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrgJw6vKvtd
97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6wOTXrsDls
Fifteenth. The first commoner on the list. Above every other student who'd come from farming villages and merchant families.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpFMsWesEnS
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His jaw tightened.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPtgYq3WoUd
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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.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMFeu9IFwSv
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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.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ69uZPSwWC
97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtMod98y1cZ
His gaze dropped further down the list. Past more names. More numbers.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdqFzEA4Ob6
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Until he reached the bottom.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYB3etDo6KH
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Rank 40: Lior97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNAkTQ0o2tM
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Last place.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrW1rAQaLNb
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Dead last among all forty students.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjX8kIWBC0z
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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.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuaokMISTsf
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Their eyes met for a heartbeat.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqA6c06hVNB
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Lior's throat worked. His fingers twitched once, as if reaching for something to hold onto.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlHfpIPrJWV
97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIlPgH8e6AX
Then he turned and walked away.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk8QCBxDpWI
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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.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1wv5LyjiDa
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Cel watched until Lior disappeared around a corner, jaw tight.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS5L4barTOS
97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLROJvMwUyw
Morning assembly came and went. Theoretical classes passed in their usual rhythm - Instructor Saren's voice washing over topics Cel already knew.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWkkHg1fITN
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Lior's seat remained empty.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDKbB4mW7SO
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Afternoon combat training arrived. Students filtered onto the grounds, forming loose clusters while Instructor Calder barked orders.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsl2X9xSlaF
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Still no Lior.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF2LPa2PPUc
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By evening, when dinner filled the hall with voices and the clatter of plates, his absence felt deliberate. Permanent.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZYtEhOIpvd
97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoVM0bQnGEZ
Cel ate alone at their usual table. The empty seat beside him felt heavier than it should have.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbxysumqQF6
97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWRauRRnZey
When the meal ended, he rose and made his way through corridors that had grown familiar over months of routine.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx6IfV5w46S
97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0fQ0hOVW7H
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.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqM9QTIoSyR
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Lior's door waited at the end of the hall.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIiJmXwdYDR
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Cel stopped before it, hand raised to knock.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd7NByCX4NA
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A sound filtered through the wood. Soft. Muffled.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlltIGVVT7K
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Whimpering.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMDkUo7Q63U
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His hand froze mid-air.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD3yuHUjZTy
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The sound continued - broken, desperate. The kind of crying that came from somewhere deep, where all composure had finally cracked.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKyk4V4B9j7
97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1776ZHbUMm
Cel's hand lowered slowly.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjelxmlZ9bj
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‘What am I even doing here?’97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoKP8Wjx63b
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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.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV1akiYTyjY
97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNCY66aSTov
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.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDcvfugou97
97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvihyO9lyA5
But Lyra had been a child. Natural warmth and affection poured from her without effort or thought.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcJz9osUNHG
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Cel possessed neither.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLSJoJhqGOK
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He should leave. Walk away. Let Lior have his privacy, his dignity.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOo896xrOZM
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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.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9AfauVpfyF
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Maybe the knowledge alone that someone cared… would be enough.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwVtMy9ROsA
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Not enough to fix anything. But something.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQrJlDIso0x
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Cel's knuckles met wood. Three sharp raps.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFS6OP40CIv
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The whimpering cut off instantly.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPtP8a0BXzh
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Silence stretched. Then footsteps - hesitant, shuffling.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ24niYGrIYe
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The door opened a crack.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO281iRgAXk
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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.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXpqhSkSpFq
97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ5nHAXAAnE
"Cel?" His voice came out hoarse. Uncertain. "What are you..."97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr33XfbMNrU
97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3sqoyT0oDK
"Can I come in?"97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQlBvw0DpSY
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The question hung between them.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡodHENzfL2b
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Lior's throat worked. He glanced back into his room, then at Cel, then down at the floor.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKadE9C9v4D
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Finally, he stepped back and pulled the door wider.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHrOIpckFm8
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Cel entered.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6gSdR9xI1h
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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.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKd8D8DAs9x
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Lior closed the door and stood there awkwardly, hands twisting together. His gaze fixed on the floor between them.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSfPWXTxkQ0
97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkPmQCCxbsW
"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I know I should have attended classes today. I just... couldn't."97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZVbi5agsrQ
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"It's fine."97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqNtV6awShY
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The words felt inadequate. Hollow.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhRShPhyVee
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Lior's shoulders shook. His breath hitched.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMn4qGTyQZT
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"It's not fine." The admission came out broken. "Nothing is fine…”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuQjo6MnSZf
97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuhHReggkmq
"Come," Cel said quietly, gesturing toward the bed. “Sit.”97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ9PeCShgii
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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.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa6HNlXEZvJ
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Silence pressed in around them. Lior's hands twisted together in his lap, fingers white-knuckled.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUzHyiAhgRf
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"I'm thinking about leaving," he said finally. The words came out flat. Empty. "Going home."97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9vnxNDmLpy
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Cel said nothing. Just waited.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXusA0ojt4m
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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."97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnln5I9p7l2
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His fingers twisted in the blanket.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOsUdb53k45
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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—"97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTvKRbLFeGn
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He lifted one trembling hand.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnF1D48fkoc
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Then, light bloomed. A small orb, no larger than an apple, casting barely enough illumination to read by.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHLO2lGEIUE
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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."97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB90RttLJ65
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The orb flickered and died.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIUB8xI7O0T
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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."97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo31SUVCUA4
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He pressed both hands against his face.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWGUxvhfkyR
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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."97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGtA5V6JrHh
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Tears slipped between his fingers.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ19qBYPxhoh
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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."97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCB6gf8AxOz
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His shoulders shook.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgz9qtqOR1o
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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."97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4lZ1doY64p
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The words hung in the air like smoke.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz2DXaZILlb
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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.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEUojbKB3QS
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‘I should say something.’97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7o68r5J8HY
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But what?97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpWUFHtDR2h
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That things would get better? A lie. Lior's circumstances wouldn't magically improve through empty reassurance.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDilOgxpYP0
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That his ranking didn't define him? Another lie. In this world, power determined worth. 97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS6hYnNlk4h
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That he should keep trying? Cruel. Lior had been trying. It simply wasn't enough.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡanjHwXt7l3
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Cel's jaw clenched.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwzsZ8KSQM6
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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.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxzHAhhcaZF
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So instead, he spoke the truth.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGmtpMkgzTP
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"When I was young," Cel said quietly, "I was like you."97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgWuqI5kReG
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Lior's head snapped up.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3mta4hQgnQ
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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."97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnLhw3NXx2V
97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEZaMhCa9tu
Cel moved to the window, staring out at darkness.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWEQBz8RVAy
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“As for my mother..." He scoffed. "She was there. Physically. But that was all."97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGWWH1b3eIF
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His fingers pressed against the windowsill.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG7KMoKpClx
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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."97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtyEptdnsSB
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Cel's hands curled into fists.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzJscSYqvKA
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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."97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ95s1XPBuFQ
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Lior stared at him, tears still wet on his cheeks but his breathing steadier now.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh2pB9cKJPW
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Cel turned from the window to face Lior directly.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwdydMnqpCk
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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."97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKHq2Xa0cli
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He moved closer, crouching so they were eye-level.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmX67D4xbut
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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."97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf5jKbEYCor
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Cel's gaze held Lior's.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY3Y24aYCVf
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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."97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9z9s7iELFc
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Lior's breath hitched. Fresh tears spilled over, but something in his expression had shifted - less broken, more... present.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPlootLce37
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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."97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpzb9ZEX5r3
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He straightened.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ32YUiVtC9S
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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."97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZaBUgQterC
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Silence stretched between them - heavy with truths neither had expected to share.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj2eYT4amkP
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Then Lior wiped his face with both hands, smearing tears across his cheeks.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnLFyhAdirg
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"I didn't know," he whispered. "About your past. You seem so... composed. Strong."97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv32sO2R2gj
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"People rarely are." Cel moved toward the door. "We all carry things that don't show."97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUxPafygyqe
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His hand found the handle.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwIz44JHTPU
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"Cel?"97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKcWbuPMwQJ
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He glanced back.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXoKL1CUICr
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Lior's expression held something fragile but genuine. "Thank you."97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ8dRXsFAlE
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Cel nodded once.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡteJvClrS5r
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Then he left, pulling the door closed behind him with a soft click.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZAV4gmyCgk
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The corridor stretched empty and silent. His footsteps echoed against stone as he made his way toward the training grounds.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT7GAgXk5lr
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Night had fallen completely. The moon hung full and bright - pouring its light across the Academy grounds in pale radiance.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfnV6U0SKoZ
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Lunar Vigor flooded through him the moment he stepped outside. Power hummed beneath his skin, turning exhaustion into energy.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr3ZNTaaujz
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The training grounds came into view.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4efCBEVMEH
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And for the first time in weeks, he wasn't the first to arrive.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡka2lJcsfxQ
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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.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs2fj7jk1w2
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Cel stopped at the threshold.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOIGtD8wsNS
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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.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoEQmjy3x1J
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But tonight…97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNd5SyqP2B5
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Tonight, he needed to know.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡawFcAIWlYM
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He crossed the training grounds, boots crunching against packed earth. Each step deliberate. Purposeful.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGNvAkLeV2P
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Hestia's eyes opened when he was still several steps away - her expression unreadable.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKsCVqxKSC9
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She didn't speak. Just watched him approach with that same intense assessment she'd worn since the first day.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZnzS2X3ziD
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Cel stopped a respectful distance away.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYmLM6ZKf7g
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"Lady Hestia."97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡap25R6hgzm
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"Celvian." Her voice carried no inflection. 97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXztX61HJ0O
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He met her gaze directly.97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxWtmfGE5av
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"What do you want from me?"97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuzF4cLvu3z
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