A small smile spread across Cel's face - the first genuine one in longer than he could remember.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTnb9mvBzwV
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfeGsCx3rSx
The blessing. Finally.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQELLrOnbPH
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZvEVt6DphM
After everything he'd endured, every nightmare survived, every wound that should have killed him - he was about to receive what he'd earned. What he'd bled for.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrqItApp79n
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5PDGiBWc0T
The moon hung full and radiant above, its pale light washing over the cracked earth of his soul's landscape.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbGDjO5ZGgw
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcKsQoPKL0P
"Please follow me, Chosen One." Selina’s voice carried gentle warmth as she gestured toward the mist with graceful fingers.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQpp9gKJOyu
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHerpPy09bu
Cel's breath steadied, though his heart quickened with something that might have been anticipation. He nodded once, that small smile still tugging at his lips.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxWWVEi9cog
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa7B1vNgIwE
She turned, white robes trailing across broken ground as she moved toward the mist with unhurried elegance. Cel followed, his bare feet padding softly against fractured stone.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfyHnJylGan
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡunzinaBoXz
They walked in silence through the transformed landscape. Small flowers with bluish-white petals bloomed from the deepest cracks, reaching toward moonlight. Jagged stones jutted up at irregular intervals - ruins carved into the depths of who he'd become.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQS0xSBKVpq
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOOkYZ3xE0E
Cel's mind drifted toward what awaited him.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRGAmV8hhtp
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWcnMOUwzxo
A blessing.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFoGxEjHk3C
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfZYi1PMvCz
Soon the goddess's power would be woven into his very being.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6jmhuqA6Qw
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLyD0YepqHr
This power had always been a part of his world - expected, almost mundane among nobles. Divine gifts granted to those called by the gods, transforming the Chosen into something more than human.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡypBFTNZMVN
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyLbkYvEUYT
But he'd never truly considered what they were. What it meant to be bound to a deity.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlktWqVHAWI
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDRsykAcduE
Three factors shaped every blessing - the foundation that determined what a Chosen One could become.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQXALGrTCRq
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJa4legQIJG
First: the nature of the god.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡukKOlOF6NA
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUX1BPf89K4
The Mountain God granted strength and endurance. The Storm Goddess gave lightning and wind.The Sun God's blessed were always strong, proud, radiant. Warriors who commanded fire and light.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCpqzFnVRhb
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQm89BbN3WH
He'd spent his entire life studying them, memorizing their achievements, listening to endless sermons about their legendary deeds.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaZYEucIcGq
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeFO7UzeHui
But the Moon Goddess?188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡce7jjAiCfm
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNiKXN4mqUA
She was different.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGDUBg1dp1w
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGSD7p6GVit
Unlike other gods, each with an entire Clan devoted to them, the Moon Goddess had none. No bloodlines carried her favor. No buildings bore her name. She'd had few Chosen throughout history, and even fewer records of what they'd accomplished.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3fHd6zAFsF
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJPdXfxmZjW
The reason was simple.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4uvF7dhRd0
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTWPSF3WLVP
They had been weak.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc3fwbBftBw
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVtZnhI0zsk
Where other Chosen reshaped the world - commanding tides, healing mortal wounds, razing plains with fire - those who served the Moon Goddess had left no mark. Their abilities - whatever they'd been - hadn't shaken the world. Hadn't carved legacies worth remembering.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ75eLlgmnU5
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCjOqnSLGdk
They'd lived and died as footnotes.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnwdkRQy10d
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbpEu04egWv
The irony might have made him laugh if it didn't make him so angry. Cast out by the people who raised him. Saved instead by the only deity he knew nothing about.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtaCdV8LRZt
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0E7y86xPh8
Selina's figure moved steadily ahead. The mist parted for her as though bowing in deference.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIfkFIUq3nR
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfByQkoapR6
Cel watched her for a moment before his thoughts moved to the second factor: 188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQa5UEB86mx
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡADINNjZ0LH
The rank of the priest.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb7nXdJjtv5
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL1EvFXY6iD
Unlike the rigid hierarchies found in most hierarchies, priestly ranks held no special titles, no formal order. A servant of the gods could be rank 1 or rank 100 - the number itself was all that mattered.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrfvRoCcPpf
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYaAB0Xd4ew
But that number meant everything.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAx8EKGJZQi
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIGKH6Mxqr8
The rank indicated proximity to their deity. How close they stood to the divine.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡma3kczp59a
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMnILK97s8v
And which priest was sent to a Chosen One revealed how much the god valued them.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIYni1govXd
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMg32cfj8cp
The gods dispatched their most trusted servants only to those they deemed worthy. A newly Called receiving a high-ranked guide? That was a declaration of divine favor - a promise of investment and expectation.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ78FhTZuYDZ
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDEBKViH3nE
Conversely, someone of lower standing suggested... less. Not rejection, but neither was it embrace.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRNNIHoGx3p
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY044TVG32K
And this hierarchy directly influenced the quality of blessings bestowed.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUv4wO6LwRR
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP755V1zFWd
At lower ranks, the paragons and artifacts granted were functional but limited - straightforward abilities within the deity's domain. Useful, certainly. Yet unremarkable.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwdAru6tI3Z
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiLVm60e5Ql
Higher ranks yielded far more. Through a rank 40 priestess, a god might grant paragons that reshaped battlefields. Through a rank 10, they could forge legends whose names echoed through history.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkKG29jVfbq
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzGGRwKAYRT
At the pinnacle, the gods held nothing back. Paragons of devastating power. Artifacts of impossible grace. Blessings worthy of those they deemed truly exceptional.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJW0auiKGgb
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3GWDEaN1pA
Cel studied Selina's back as they walked. What rank did she hold? Her presence carried weight - certainty that suggested she wasn't newly appointed. But beyond that, he couldn't guess.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwPXOgLYX0o
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1fnopw8g9n
Priests only revealed such information after the first blessing - a rule dictated by the gods themselves for reasons mortals couldn't grasp.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMJZQxeJMlG
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡErQRO2OCds
His fingers curled at his sides.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq2YtstAJ4N
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeE8AAkq2uh
And the third factor:188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZddKEPxFUt
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKhMxD3suI0
The compatibility between the deity and their Chosen One.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBvg2SDbphr
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2uQYyT1MHT
This was the part no one understood. Even the royal family, with their vast library and generations of recorded history, had no answer to why certain people were chosen.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsNzxfcgYFn
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL2BNeLrzBG
Some claimed personality - that gods selected those who reflected their own nature. Others insisted on fate, predetermined and inescapable. And then there were those who believed it was arbitrary. That mortals were nothing but playthings for forces beyond comprehension.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZloXa1u9Tz
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0N0WCDz3ad
Cel wasn't sure what he believed. Maybe all those theories were wrong. Maybe they were all right.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnXm0wrVCtA
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJnbPrGbj8d
In the end, gods remained an enigma. Everything humanity claimed to know was guesswork dressed as certainty. Fragments stitched together over centuries.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6bz3qWtbK0
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7s6SOU45AX
Only the priests could claim true connection to the divine. And even they spoke in riddles, revealing only what lay within their god-given authority.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw1MGSu15oY
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHLIGfvfpte
This secrecy made divine knowledge one of the world's most valuable commodities. Kings, warlords, scholars would pay fortunes for even the faintest whisper of celestial truth.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsqzgHHu145
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzYJiD2tuyF
Everyone wanted answers. Few existed. And in that desperation, lies flourished.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2QqBmW5D4K
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEP1CUzl6TG
His stomach churned with familiar revulsion.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQcKra9T2F
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrmJbPkqQNq
False doctrines. Fabricated revelations. Entire faiths built on deliberate misinformation. Humanity had drowned itself in deception.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJuiFKBxdXu
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCThEdG2FJz
And every level of society fed the rot.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVPctj9Ege4
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKxsj5cSeEd
The nobles controlled access to knowledge, yes - they dictated who was worthy and silenced threatening voices. Their monopoly turned belief into power, worship into currency, gods themselves into weapons.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡARO2R3is7D
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXGn88GUvDe
But the common people?188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx9kgCbDuFA
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFhwM2bvtvL
They weren't innocent victims.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVdCKybsalR
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQeiZSCQ4rc
False prophets rose from peasant villages, claiming divine visions for coins. Sects multiplied like weeds, each convinced they alone understood divine will - demanding obedience in exchange for salvation. Merchants sold 'artifacts’ to the desperate - splinters of 'sacred' wood, water from 'blessed' springs, all fabricated for profit. 188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1GWnsr6ESB
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSDPaPjsKCw
Faith twisted by greed became poison that seeped through the entire kingdom.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhkcHhrmPz4
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcM6eWnz2F0
That was why understanding had stagnated. Why humanity, despite centuries of devotion, still grasped blindly at truth's edges. Because no one wanted truth - they wanted comfort, wealth, power, whatever lie served their needs.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9EyKMUdbFU
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvS5kMxGMAK
Almost laughable. People begged gods for salvation while ensuring their own downfall.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNp9YjWKGhy
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3vkPRjx8QP
And through it all, the gods remained silent.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX7vlyWyQ1x
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKYojdwwcZK
Did they care? Or were they simply indifferent?188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCj9EiSdrs0
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeQcOmjGk32
That question haunted him more than any other.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp3ZAXCJvwe
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPFB4MFU4Cc
What if the gods saw exactly what he did? 188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBXyD0yG8WE
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡReES73VH18
Every lie, every corruption, every twisted doctrine - and remained silent because humanity had earned its ignorance. Not punishment. Just... consequences. 188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRfou57ofrS
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeJsbVOzSiC
And Cel, no matter how much he wished otherwise, was part of that same corrupted race.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzM5JiQOHzM
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqweG7sKxoJ
Would he be any different?188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡByt2LYrucm
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEsGWhdkEe1
A bitter smirk pulled at his lips. He wanted to believe so.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡukAbKv0xoG
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0UftOSZpSt
But he knew better.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb3mtE9fUX6
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmOlOjuuve5
Lies weren't just tools of the powerful. Sometimes they were the only way to survive. If he returned to civilization, he'd wield deception as readily as those he despised.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Mk27R8418
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLl2fm1dtb1
He had to.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVlZcHgvMkf
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp6tOx6GECi
Ahead, Selina stopped.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFTkojBU3go
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHPDNWvl1kk
Cel nearly collided with her before catching himself.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ4XsWNDxKe
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2mItER1oq4
She turned to face him, white robes trailing through the mist like they were woven from it.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZRObsKTnPU
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6KWwhrEuWR
"We are nearly there, Chosen One."188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5nSZmm2Bd3
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG1jHk4sMoZ
Selina gestured forward into the mist, but Cel remained still.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj7t25h2tqG
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡymCdpBOlPw
She paused, waiting.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8BmtSDJXH2
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡChZdkd6a69
"I have questions," he said. "About the trial."188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡexhKGVX3sN
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo97MRnJQEz
After a moment, she lowered her hand and faced him fully. "Of course. Please, ask."188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoDe6FajXmx
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNfcgz04ayA
Cel studied her masked face. "When I was dying in that cavern, I heard a voice. Female. Sharp and commanding - telling me to get up." He paused. "At first, I thought it was you. But the tone was different. Harsher."188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7qkQDXsDAC
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxhfGvT5l6P
Silence stretched between them.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvxPHVhluuq
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5UwabjZTq7
"Who was it?"188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2u4xc7TMOU
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHmhpmRfxKa
"I am sorry, Chosen One. This does not lie within my authority."188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnmk2CXDTi3
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHxAyR8Od1b
He was silent for a moment, then moved on. "The moon appeared right as I was dying. No trigger I could see - unless dying itself was the trigger. Was the trial simply to survive long enough? Or was there something else I was supposed to do?"188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA6AuoQ8lAx
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdxjELGizra
"That, too, does not lie within my authority," Selina said, her tone carrying something that might have been regret.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ96M8x0uyCu
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxSc7xFV7fI
Cel hummed softly - half-amused, half-resigned. "Can you tell me anything about what I just went through?"188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZt6Lfr6V3d
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA753P51ldr
"Only what you experienced yourself. The trial's purpose belongs to the goddess alone."188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1JeRKMAclP
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgnUwDAvyxw
He let out a quiet breath. 188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZIaTvhzWHT
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0D6JlsIUzo
He expected as much, and he didn't really care. The trial was over. He'd survived. Whatever secrets it held, whatever meanings he'd missed - none of that mattered anymore.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd23WFg0bNZ
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRjbnDjdYAE
"Alright," he said finally. "I'm ready."188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUoQIPIXrgd
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX4kPqJfduG
Selina turned, gesturing forward once more. "Then let us continue."188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡONvvnYYuYU
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtCQEzuI0L3
They walked in silence, moonlight breaking through the mist in shifting rays. The air grew colder. Thinner. Each step felt lighter, as if the ground beneath his feet was becoming less real, less solid.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtPDUjgwxY8
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRbO4m8BMtI
Then the mist parted.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8fEaGxN2qJ
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡStV1HxOwoo
Cel stopped.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfKOuX9EbpR
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpY71GamxSA
The ground was carpeted in bluish-white flowers that swayed gently through the mist, their petals drawing in moonlight and releasing it in steady pulses. At the center, a focused beam of moonlight descended - so strong and concentrated it almost seemed tangible.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTFU9PTTPbq
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKYPtpfeFqp
At first sight, he knew that this was a sacred place.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrP1jNrc7d6
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTETUcXhwHg
Selina stepped forward.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjXpxiEEypx
188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKgure9ouvh
"We have arrived, Chosen One."1234 copyright protection184ＰＥＮＡＮＡuqT4cZSKFR 尼

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