"Hey trash."47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGA0ERP94Cw
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXUtMw6FrJU
Cel's hands stilled on his fork.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMGAShzNcRc
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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.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkSQawGWR9d
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡysUd70bXBc
"I couldn't help but notice." He gestured at their uniforms, at the crescent moon embroidered over the heart. "You're Moon Chosen."47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMeKLXgiYBp
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZTn3pdvaDL
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.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7POShkfPpw
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"Yes." Cel kept his voice neutral. 47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡojmzSkeAj1
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Kyros's smile widened. "How... unfortunate."47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQu28LbZFgv
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He moved closer, circling their table like a predator assessing prey. His companions remained at the end, blocking ways.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv6TZa7bsEV
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJvRz3O17Hz
"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."47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGvouTljAjH
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9XT1uHMmop
His hand landed on Cel's shoulder - fingers digging in.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwpPAmD2wNp
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"Must be hard, knowing you'll never amount to anything. That your blessing is worthless."47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzDUV47TTEs
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ88fCqXdlfI
Lior's hands had curled into fists beneath the table. His breathing quickened.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDdkDYrfwmN
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5W2UYkPFc5
Cel forced his muscles to relax. Forced his jaw to unclench.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuQ7D4vgIDf
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsldFEcbpXF
"We serve who chose us," he said quietly.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1pDCMM6frX
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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?"47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6akqEmihKC
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB2m1vYXGLj
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.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEcTTjsBxn7
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCqFoK00F0N
He could break Kyros's nose. Right now. One strike, perfectly placed, and the smug bastard would be choking on his own blood.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVKehHQ8SDQ
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc1E72nytw2
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.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYBTAyE8gg9
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQQcu8eiFcw
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.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYgy5zY2LhU
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So Cel just sat there. Took it. Let Kyros's words wash over him like rain.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiEOOdQMeGr
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM7nfwD6VlH
"Nothing to say?" Kyros squeezed harder, nails digging through fabric. "That's what I thought. Moon Chosen are always like that. Weak. Pathetic."47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzUsYjM5Tsr
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQOKCP7D05N
He released his grip and straightened, turning to address the watching students.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPOssaGjvxB
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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."47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvIdGdyuPbr
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUm1ak5rG4U
Laughter rippled through some of the tables. Not all - several looked uncomfortable. But enough that Kyros's smile grew.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAy2FZ56acm
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He walked away, his companions following. Their laughter echoed across the dining hall.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL6tZTmBSxv
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Cel's hands were shaking. He pressed them flat against the table, fingers splayed wide.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡboYg3WK1sL
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9bnkbcLPch
Lior simply stared down at his plate, paralyzed by what just happened.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfNMsYkcDWc
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Eventually, he excused himself. Exhaustion lined his features, shoulders slumped with the weight of the day.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmpo9d6ID5n
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRKSp1SHOiy
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.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSCXQCkUIyC
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe6EpQRFrWG
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.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt4Pb9f7eWP
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When his plate was empty, Cel stood and left.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6UDVBo3tMh
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Hours later, the training grounds lay silent beneath moonlight.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV5lnJSt06j
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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.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRpQYrNxthy
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqFU1aY1nTd
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.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPt6ZiAhCZd
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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.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQwvGbW6xTm
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Silent Moon materialized in his grip.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaLLOUi7TxI
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Then he moved.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVDDiYiODOv
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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.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWLtFRkSJ55
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Hours blurred together.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNJWWjhnKS6
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Cel kept going.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡve9KAv8OO0
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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.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMkKVc6M1Ag
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWvuINdd0gL
The blade completed its arc. Cel's muscles burned, sweat cooling on his bare chest despite the chill—47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnTnlj8Zj02
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Footsteps.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLVFiRnjLOC
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His body went rigid mid-stance. Silent Moon hung suspended in the air as he turned.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ8tVFHy4wr
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNYU1mbV8vg
Lady Hestia Mortveil stood at the edge of the training grounds.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡafNWxU7gb7
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq7Jcd23XVX
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.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrggEVk3RIK
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For a heartbeat, neither moved.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE3uW7JUJ6z
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Then her gaze dropped. Lower. 47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqw4yw23O6x
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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.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1nSyMVrote
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd2MEMGpfW9
"Lady Hestia." His voice came out rougher than intended. He straightened, adjusting his collar. "I apologize. I didn't realize the grounds were occupied."47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡngJLu9Nplw
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A beat of silence.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3SzKCa1VqW
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"They weren't." Her tone was neutral, almost clinical. She walked past him toward the far side without another glance.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPnMr6erSr9
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSZcI92CqMy
Cel just stood there, uncertain. Should he leave? Continue?47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqUVMwHjb4f
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPICpcWeQ8g
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.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVNaCThVUTk
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBfUSxx9Yak
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. 47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhOf8rqnWIJ
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Not that it mattered to him. There was no need to replenish one's Divine Essence when you had none.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl0B7H7Yxys
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHZhImAgHnN
Cel re-summoned Silent Moon and returned to his forms.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm0AZVPY56A
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmX2qlW79Zu
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.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡga9oIDX4o6
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Like that, the days blurred into routine.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbmph85lkBg
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Sparring matches carved the class into a predictable hierarchy. Nobles on top. Commoners below.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0JPQtgr0BO
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaRvPUQXOfk
"Blessed trash."47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXIj8nPJwVr
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMo4auNW4Vk
Kyros's voice cut across the courtyard. His hand shoved Lior's shoulder, sending him stumbling. Laughter from the other Sun Clan nobles.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4aR9EpmdGu
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAgEBYF0qCe
Lior kept his eyes down. Cel's jaw clenched, but he said nothing. Took it. Like always.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC2a78qXG97
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWcOagZmQrs
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.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIXPotXXNSK
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The reason for that was simple: Theron. 47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPUBjNEg1Dj
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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.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ00MX2Yi3n
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIO6oLWS7Wo
Sylvaine ensured the Life Clan maintained the closest position. Always at Theron's side, always visible, always reinforcing their clan's support.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnAkbWlfiyj
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ64BnbAMFV4
Only Hestia remained apart.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdVUSL5P2Yp
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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. 47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwYYo9vYJcT
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Night fell.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdDnyHMni76
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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.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVRjeLEoJxu
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9LwRrGQTnW
She crossed to her meditation spot without acknowledgment. Settled into stillness.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqJ3qQXjhyW
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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.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIW8l6yGOci
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An hour passed. Then another.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7gPvXH4dtx
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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.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv9iqZ7lk3S
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But close enough now that he could hear the faint rhythm of her breathing when the wind stilled. 47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsSRhrJatiT
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Why? 47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcfaKOU8d9F
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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. 47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM7H5fUDhv1
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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. 47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8jvmRGTj6e
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ26cYVR58pK
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.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDN83ZEcsib
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‘It couldn't possibly be my looks, right?’47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ49CjDNjru6
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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.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHn5NGgnsSQ
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He shook his head and returned to the forms, pushing the ridiculous thought away. 47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu5D8SsuA7D
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Silent Moon whispered through the air, cutting patterns that had become as natural as breathing.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7CoXBBigpB
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIfDRWbMJeR
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.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ71BZEVq6Ng
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Whatever she wanted, she kept it to herself.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvUxusIhdKx
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Morning light filtered through the dining hall's tall windows, painting the long tables in shades of gold and amber.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4u4BtmlZvb
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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.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkrJGxMTBnr
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A board had been mounted on the wall during their off-day.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAFAGyJLz1R
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Names filled it in descending order, each accompanied by a number. The rankings.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzpwrmPrZ9q
1234 copyright protection43ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4nKrTQNSvW 尼

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