"Would it be alright if I sat with you?"88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgWZU6oJ8Lb
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Cel studied the boy standing at the table's edge. The fidgeting hands. The downcast eyes. The way he held himself like an apology given physical form.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzcJAoiZeoD
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"Yes."88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB8uQjOTnu8
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The boy's shoulders dropped slightly - relief washing over features that had been braced for rejection. He set his tray down carefully, as if afraid the dishes might shatter, then lowered himself onto the bench.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSBCET2xIS4
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"Thank you," he said quietly. "I'm sorry to intrude, I just—when I saw your mark during the ceremony, I thought maybe..." He trailed off, fingers twisting together. "I'm Lior. From a farming village near the Ocean-Sun border. I've never been to a city this big before, and the dormitory rooms are so much nicer than I expected, with actual beds and—"88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDDhmamKgTb
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He caught himself, shaking his head. "Sorry. I'm talking too much. I do that when I'm nervous. Which is—well, always, really." A self-deprecating laugh that didn't reach his eyes. 88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzwQXATOQkA
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"Celvian," Cel said.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI4o5Dysuks
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Lior blinked, then offered a small smile. "That's a nice name. Where are you from?"88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlLm1WLx4rQ
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"Storm Clan territory. A small village."88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg5CRoJCmUy
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"Oh." Lior processed this, his fingers still working at the fabric of his sleeve. "That must be... difficult. Being so close to the Void, I mean."88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEK8inESHpM
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"It has its challenges."88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgkTEv7FmXs
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Lior's gaze dropped to his plate. For a moment, neither of them spoke.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI8e6nf2z7u
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Around them, the dining hall buzzed with energy. Students clustered at tables, voices rising and falling in excited bursts. Every conversation seemed to circle back to the same topic - the princess, her speech, the honor of her presence.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeXrVqk4MZ2
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Lior pushed food around his plate without eating, his attention drifting toward the animated discussions nearby. His expression shifted - wistful, almost dreamlike.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1FoEa9loz3
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"She was incredible, wasn't she?" The words came soft, reverent. "The princess, I mean." He glanced at Cel, then quickly away. “I've never seen anyone like her. When she spoke, I couldn't look away. It was like... I don't know. Like the whole world narrowed down to just her voice.”88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYT1Juw5ZN6
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He finally took a small bite, chewing slowly before continuing.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPNkwKTTTjA
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"And her beauty—" Lior's voice dropped lower, almost embarrassed. "Have you ever seen anyone so beautiful?"88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5AUGv2uIzn
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"No," Cel said.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡal9v89lAJx
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The lie came easily. Instinctively.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjuSazS3YPw
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Compared to Selina, the princess was just another face. Refined, yes. Attractive by any reasonable measure. But beauty that served political purpose felt hollow.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa8sU0i2xLS
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‘Why chase a beauty when an even greater beauty already resides in my soul?‘88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnKOGRFRId8
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Lior's expression brightened at Cel's response, taking it as agreement. "Right? I thought I was being ridiculous, but she's just…stunning."88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0NJB74ULkd
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He set his fork down, leaning forward slightly. "Do you think... if I joined the Chosen Legion, I might see her again?"88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrKDOFWFT1v
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Cel's attention sharpened. "You want to join the Legion?"88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPvYQrjDDil
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"I do." Lior's fingers twisted together. "I mean, they're the only ones who might actually take a Moon Chosen, aren't they? The clans want their own, or the most talented ones..." He trailed off, then pushed forward. "But the Legion judges on merit. They accept anyone the gods chose, regardless of talent or... or how useful our blessings are."88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMdbSxVVKvs
88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRppNEHDczP
The Chosen Legion. The Royal House's personal military force. The largest faction in the empire, surpassing even the Great Clans' strength. Unlike the imperial army that fielded common soldiers, the Legion recruited only Chosen. Elite warriors bound directly to the throne.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ11Q9wtIicT
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And at the top of them stood Esrin - the Hallowed who'd nearly killed him.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMS5woPze0N
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"What about the Mercenary Guild?" Cel asked.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWIvtTLGVSF
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"I thought about it." Lior's expression flickered with uncertainty. "But I've heard it's... rough. Really rough. The kind of place where they don't care if you survive as long as the contract gets fulfilled.”88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkGfdFxNb8L
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"The Legion's different," he continued, voice firming slightly. "They train you properly. Give you support. Structure." He paused, then added more quietly, "A place to belong, maybe."88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0G1dev4YrC
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Lior smiled - genuine warmth breaking through the nervous energy. He finally began eating properly, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. "What about you? Have you thought about where you'll go after graduation?"88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBcTD20oeie
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"No."88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjxG85k9A22
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The honest answer. He hadn't thought beyond surviving each day. The future felt distant, abstract.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKqq7Al6v0a
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They ate in companionable silence for a few minutes. Around them, the dining hall's energy remained high - students still riding the excitement of the opening ceremony.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWJrIGCRJW0
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Then footsteps echoed from the entrance. Sharp. Purposeful.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG9pfxczB8p
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Conversations died in ripples spreading outward from the doorway. Heads turned.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwCTPUI5nKh
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An instructor stood at the threshold - a woman in her thirties wearing deep blue robes marked with the Royal House crest. Her gaze swept the room with practiced authority.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLrnWqWejPZ
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"All students," her voice carried easily across the sudden quiet, "proceed to the main classroom immediately. Leave your trays - staff will handle them."88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIH7aKMXto8
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Benches scraped against stone as students rose, forming loose groups as they moved toward the exit.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJyPfo4Ehez
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Cel stood, Lior following suit.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX5cvCTBvVo
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They joined the flow through corridors that opened into a different wing of the academy. The main classroom rose ahead - a large structure with high windows and double doors standing open.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwWujx8L1Od
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Inside, tiered seating stretched upward in semi-circular rows. Each level of benches sat perhaps two feet higher than the one before it, creating clear sightlines to the instructor's podium at the room's base. The benches themselves were simple wood, sized for two students each.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡocIF2Arydx
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Students filtered in, claiming seats without obvious organization. Some gravitated toward friends from the dining hall. Others chose spots near windows or walls.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3W72oS8CYq
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The first three rows sat empty - benches crafted from polished wood with cushioned backs, noticeably finer than the plain wooden seats filling the rest of the tiered classroom. No one moved toward them.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡahnFBarNY4
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An older student near the door noticed a younger boy eyeing the empty cushioned seats. "Those are for nobles," he said quietly. "Don't sit there."88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQvShm3wOMQ
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The boy retreated quickly to the upper rows.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6vwu0cnaNR
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Lior glanced at Cel, uncertainty crossing his features. "Would you... I mean, if you don't mind..."88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiwx62dBUJO
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"Middle section," Cel said, already moving.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhRiz0WSzEC
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They climbed the steps to the seventh row - roughly centered in the room's vertical arrangement. Cel took the seat closer to the aisle. Lior settled beside him, adjusting his position several times before finally going still.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ22hnI66fQ0
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The room filled gradually. By the time the last students entered, perhaps fifty of them occupied the tiered space.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKnYjsefMpz
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The instructor from the dining hall entered and closed the doors behind her with deliberate finality. The sound echoed in the sudden quiet.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKuKOhkZoSg
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She crossed to the podium with measured steps, her boots clicking against polished stone. When she turned to face them, her expression was professionally neutral.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy0tr8CCPqt
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"I am Instructor Saren," she said, her voice carrying the same easy projection as before. "For the next four months, I will be responsible for your theoretical education and ensuring you survive long enough to become functional Chosen."88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNXxYZZPftL
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A few nervous laughs rippled through the seats. Instructor Saren’s expression didn't change.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzGntlCwMA7
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"You are commoners," she continued. "Which means you enter this academy with significant disadvantages compared to the noble students who will join you in four months' time. They have been trained since childhood in combat, politics, etiquette, and the proper use of their blessings. You have not."88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBGpmIQFz9I
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Her gaze swept the tiers.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEgFPjNQr6H
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"The next four months exist to correct that deficit. To transform you from farmers, merchants' children, and laborers into something resembling proper Chosen. The curriculum is intensive. The expectations are high. Many of you will struggle."88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfpbewngh51
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She paused, letting the weight settle.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuPt6IksSCb
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"Your daily schedule begins at dawn with physical conditioning. Breakfast follows. Morning sessions cover theoretical knowledge - creature classifications, Hollow Realm geography, divine blessing mechanics, imperial history. Lunch. Afternoon sessions focus on combat training - weapons practice, Authority usage, Divine Energy control. Evening meals. Then additional lessons in literacy, numeracy, and etiquette for those who require them."88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQlabZAeCp6
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Lior's hand had moved to his sleeve, fingers worrying the fabric. Around the room, other students shifted in their seats.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF8chxL1Yxj
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"You will learn to read and write if you cannot already. You will learn mathematics sufficient to manage resources and calculate odds. You will learn how to address nobility without embarrassing yourselves or insulting powerful houses. You will learn to dance, because court functions require it. You will learn which fork to use at formal dinners, how to bow properly, when to speak and when silence is expected."88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNR8wWKlgJc
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Her tone remained matter-of-fact, but something in the words carried an edge.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLmp9VpeySO
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"When the noble students arrive in four months, you will be expected to know your place in the hierarchy. To show proper deference without needing to be reminded."88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡefijCtrym4
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The room had gone very quiet. Even the fidgeting had stopped.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaUvdBBfNwG
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"However," Instructor Saren continued, "you are still Chosen. The gods selected you despite your common birth. That blessing carries responsibility. You will be trained to fulfill that responsibility - to stand between humanity and the creatures that crawl through rifts into our world. To protect those who cannot protect themselves. To serve the Empire and its people."88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVlmy0b9m7w
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She moved from behind the podium, her posture relaxing slightly.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjT096RDTdc
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"Your final examination will take place in the twelfth month," Instructor Saren said. "A month-long patrol through rural territories where you will hunt creatures, assist villages, and prove you deserve the title of Chosen. Instructors will supervise, but you will be expected to handle most situations independently. Injuries are common. Deaths, while rare, do occur."88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7BWS0cpeNF
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She let that sink in before continuing.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUhpoQUlkJV
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"Questions?"1234 copyright protection84ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4fuGJNPgWX 尼

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