Cel sat on the bed's edge, staring at nothing.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4UikwZlJT6
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The room was quiet. Too quiet. No whisper of ash settling. No distant tremors beneath the ground. Just the muffled sounds of the Academy beyond his walls - footsteps in corridors, voices too distant to understand, the creak of old wood settling.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVgAHzpmgRT
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His fingers traced patterns on his thigh without conscious thought. Small circles that meant nothing.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtDONvDEAzK
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'The Reckoning.'161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡArzQY3rgap
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The name felt strange in his mind. An organization that hunted corrupt Chosen. That killed those who believed power placed them above consequence.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1uXDkSS1Dg
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Noble work. Necessary work, maybe.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsBXBQAnz7M
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But killers nonetheless.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSvNbdd83kT
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His jaw tightened.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡby8JKpaNeO
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They'd voted on whether he lived or died like it was choosing what to have for dinner. Four votes to kill him. Four to let him join.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4crgeyQnru
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'Would they have done it? If Veyron had sided with Draven?'161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1T6wLbGzQi
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The answer was obvious. Yes. Without hesitation. Esrin might have stopped them - or she might not have. The vote existed to prevent exactly that kind of conflict.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Id2saL97g
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His hands curled into fists.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaMxQiCelPt
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He'd joined an organization that had nearly executed him. That operated with the kind of cold pragmatism that reminded him too much of his father.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2lNK64DHdq
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'But they fight people like him.'161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6SjHAq8tXX
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The thought arrived with uncomfortable clarity. The Reckoning existed because powerful Chosen abused that power. Because the law failed when divine favor was involved.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYsDUP43MpC
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His father had beaten him nearly to death. Had sold him to cultists that used him for their twisted experiments. Had done it all knowing his position in the Sun Clan made him untouchable.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG5RTfcuzh9
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If the Reckoning had known…161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5kwWsqbT1W
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Cel's breath came harder.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTHE6BeRd3n
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFejhPOqGsa
Would they have killed him? 161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs2b6BQH2J6
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The answer should have been obvious. But the question wouldn't settle.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8DCtfygHzZ
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He pushed himself off the bed and moved to the window.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡap3adONJlv
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO5muIGK10E
The Academy grounds stretched below. Beyond the walls, the street continued - cobblestones, shops, people moving through their afternoon routines.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsA5y7JUWng
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Normal. Peaceful. Safe.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYgdJW6ZRsg
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Everything the Hollow Realms wasn't.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIWFEQxJy1e
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His reflection stared back from the glass - white hair, pale skin, eyes that looked older than sixteen had any right to be.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkMmrVyh9xZ
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'No Divine Energy.'161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAg2P9aAmxo
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The thought made his stomach twist.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJdlc5c6CWa
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He'd assumed he was simply bad at sensing it. That his talent was so poor he couldn't feel what every other Chosen felt naturally. A limitation. A weakness.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRqZpnA59zm
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0fgruHVdot
But the Reckoning had revealed something else.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ48RBEWNMP3
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An artifact, they'd assumed. Something suppressing his divine signature so completely that even other Chosen couldn't sense him.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlcEZrlVoXY
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Except there was no such artifact. 161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNa3ySG3MOC
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqm5i38tvbw
Cel's hand dropped to the windowsill. He focused, reaching for Frostmark the way he always did - through intent alone, bypassing the energy he couldn't sense.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlS5CUYcFjr
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCwfyLIcvCL
Frost erupted beneath his touch, spreading across the wood in delicate patterns that branched and crystallized. 161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4aecMSA9YX
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Cold bit into his palm. He pulled his hand back, flexing fingers against the ache.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGOMT8iCMty
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The frost remained, permanent and gleaming.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCG6PnRcWxM
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'How?'161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9fBaNXya7l
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡISH7ajONA9
How could he be blessed without Divine Energy? How could he use authorities without the fuel to activate them?161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡblwQvuYRHG
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhf94qispkt
It made no sense.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtU8v4qjl6t
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A Chosen who couldn't sense Divine Energy shouldn't exist. Much less a Chosen who had none.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLQhbgNWNvq
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBp490PBMGw
Yet here he stood.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2fTOluEuFD
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Blessed by the Moon Goddess. Able to summon artifacts and authorities. But lacking the energy that should make it all possible.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdEKVdOFDub
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRyYOTGUhZS
'What the hell am I?' The question hung in the silence.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0CnUVSS5Ho
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFW7cghTexX
Something was wrong with him. Something fundamental that even the goddess's blessing hadn't fixed.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAHx1MMQrYU
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Or… hadn't needed to fix.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2DEEqitTWr
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Maybe it wasn't a flaw to be corrected.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcadvQQRY4i
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Maybe it was simply... what he was.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrvmh4STd7V
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Cel turned from the window, his gaze tracking across the sparse room. Bed. Desk. Wardrobe. Basin.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9qpu8sLCMa
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His entire world, now.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj7z9eI3hs4
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And Raven…161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOFdDO6DUHO
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The name settled in his chest like a stone.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbUb55N0hEY
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZRgvR7701H
Raven was the Prince of Death. A prodigy who'd infiltrated the Sun Clan's stronghold and murdered their greatest talent - someone blessed by a Divine Oracle, just like Cel.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRuDNej68yO
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That parallel made his skin prickle.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7CStbBqbRQ
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6PPkAm847K
What could drive someone to throw away everything? Title, clan, divine favor, family - all of it abandoned to become Cursed and commit murder.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0XjCU1Dfwl
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJhmpzfaDYU
The expedition to the Western Continent. Something had happened there.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3r7NsFrQk1
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡinRIso12UA
But what?161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtpRVExGQo4
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkBcuSnMM66
And why kill the Sun Clan's prodigy specifically? Was it personal? Political? Something else?161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwOOLlovpJt
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Cel sank onto the bed's edge, elbows on his knees.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0HzClTbd07
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvfjBjuTw49
Raven had helped him. Protected him from creatures that should have killed them both. Had done it all knowing Cel was Chosen - knowing most Chosen would try to kill him on sight.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr9ec9CJMtB
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He'd even told Cel to trust Esrin. To seek her protection.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUwamBCInvZ
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Even knowing she hunted him.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU3BgJLC5dO
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That wasn't evil.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXsNIXqJeAV
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But cold-blooded murder wasn't good either.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeHEZfQjy6n
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The contradiction refused to resolve. Maybe there were no good or bad people - just broken ones making choices that seemed right in the moment.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzg4QXKgZZC
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9eQhVUPZZe
Or maybe Cel was rationalizing because Raven had shown him kindness when no one else had.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjtDLWgjpft
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He pressed his hands against his face.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJDCtWtR12k
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOvU458cMjH
If Raven appeared again... if the Reckoning ordered him to help hunt someone who'd saved his life…161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwWP73Jpfgp
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What was he supposed to do?161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2gCs9toBGG
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The room felt too small suddenly. Confining. Like the walls were pressing in.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9sUa8hvotu
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He needed answers. Real answers, not speculation or half-formed theories.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuEfTu1vjky
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc30hMpCdl1
And there was only one person who might have them.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr4fCG8GQJJ
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHqqyr9Z38h
Cel closed his eyes and reached inward.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡonME8qLZnB
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The world shifted.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡysLIvhLTds
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Cracked earth materialized beneath his feet. Mist swirled in gentle currents around his legs. Small flowers with bluish-white petals bloomed from small fissures, reaching toward the full moon that hung above.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsBZeA8bm3C
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Footsteps approached through the mist.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5j1ayEOEQ8
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOVIgqUpitw
Selina emerged with that same graceful certainty, white robes trailing through the haze. Her silver mask caught moonlight, reflecting it in pale crescents. Below, her lips curved in a serene smile.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv9Bha7cUxv
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7KbwWsgVOv
"Welcome back, Chosen One."161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDlA4b2zVu9
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The greeting was gentle. Patient. A small anchor of certainty in everything that felt chaotic.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLcaPLytnmb
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCt1uxRcbop
Cel's throat worked. Where to even start?161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡijEX7XktCg
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLoxBYEEMAQ
"I need to ask you something." The words came rougher than intended. 161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHnbiMxDPrv
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"Of course," Selina said simply.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ78SPyjQ2yp
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"About the Reckoning. Are they..." He paused, searching for the right question. "They hunt corrupt Chosen. Kill them when the law fails. Is that justice? Or just violence?"161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhYeoVHHUZK
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2S9OKNtOJk
Selina tilted her head slightly, already understanding where his thoughts had taken him. "An interesting question. But perhaps the wrong one."161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHbXL7gjbpL
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhdfUkiGSpK
Cel blinked.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwboSBbr2F7
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"What do you mean?"161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyNWJL5AHtZ
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"Organizations are not inherently good or evil, Chosen One. They are simply structures. Frameworks built by people to achieve certain ends." She gestured gracefully with one hand. "What defines them - what truly matters - are the individuals who comprise them. Their intentions. Their values. Their choices."161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3wH8lIRdTV
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmIeiAmxA4p
Cel's shoulders drew back. "So you're saying I should judge them by their members, not their stated purpose?"161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzZzFE6dYd6
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZlGlDpaUVH
"I am saying that the Reckoning is what its people make it." Her tone remained gentle but carried weight. "Some may be driven by genuine desire for justice. Others by vengeance. Still others by the simple thrill of power over those who once held power over them." She paused. "Judge each person for themselves. Not the banner they stand beneath."161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeUqoZypEWL
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The answer settled in his chest, heavy and uncomfortable.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk7ZXwOaQLJ
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It meant he couldn't just accept or reject the Reckoning wholesale. Couldn't trust them or dismiss them as a group.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOnN9bhsFfN
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He'd have to evaluate each member individually. Decide who deserved his trust and who didn't.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaTJnlgU6m8
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Exhausting.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdYSlnKbUxz
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But probably wise.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0u28Zy9bZW
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"I have another question," he said finally. "About my… condition."161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkECU2y0sTq
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Selina's attention shifted, becoming more focused.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJt2h7HXE0K
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"The Reckoning said I have no Divine Energy." The words felt strange in his mouth. Wrong. "Not suppressed. Not hidden. Just... absent." He met her masked gaze. "How is that possible? How can I manifest abilities without the power to fuel them?"161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJak0JKVRVh
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Silence answered him161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsszlkVHz0L
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When Selina finally spoke, that familiar note of regret colored her voice. "I am sorry, Chosen One. That does not lie within my authority."161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUKucmc5kcn
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ53vn8LsE4N
Cel's hands clenched into fists. "So I'm just supposed to figure it out myself? Stumble around blind until I happen to understand why I'm—why I'm broken?"161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWZ61Cfauc2
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQsa70IWZRM
"You are not broken."161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4BThSGQzeZ
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0p9UDlN0HI
The certainty in her voice stopped him cold.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3UvGahFmQL
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Selina took a step closer, silver mask tilted toward him with what felt like infinite patience.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5LztgfKADP
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDJGHVvmSkQ
"You are different, Chosen One. That is not the same as flawed. The goddess chose you knowing exactly what you are. She blessed you not despite your nature, but because of it. Whatever answer you seek regarding your condition, you will find it when the time is right. Not before."161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI8X6wbgMJU
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLmBa9jlOyd
The frustration burning in his chest didn't dissipate, but something about her tone made him swallow the angry response forming on his tongue.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcsQxmTfdRz
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBgjc2gwXfS
She was right.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu2XuwcvtSP
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He didn't like it. Hated it, actually.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiazMXvUkXf
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡliQe7wUR1N
But she was right.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ucLUpjCTk
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBcXqyORS7W
"Fine." The word came out clipped. "Then what about Raven?"161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcl8gYFt3Bg
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpfXHfzc9bP
Selina's posture shifted subtly. Still graceful, still poised, but... guarded in a way she'd never been before.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUUW6IYGXIM
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtQzOROWsxR
"You told me to be careful," Cel pressed. "What did you mean? Should I trust him? Avoid him?"161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS3Y1cNqZNr
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ29WHX5Ua55
The mist curled around their feet, moving in slow spirals across cracked earth.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiPLdo9KKA3
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Bt7PuqaXD
"I cannot share more than I have already told you, Chosen One." Her tone carried genuine regret. "Raven's path is his own, and the choices he has made - the reasons behind them - are not mine to reveal." She paused. "What I can tell you is this: the young man you met in the Ashlands is dangerous. Not because he wishes you harm, but because the forces surrounding him are complex. Volatile."161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwKx25zQ8oY
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The implication made his stomach twist.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOYjrGUuf91
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"Dangerous how? To me? To others?"161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS3XFs8b1to
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVia7nWs2lT
"I think," Selina said carefully, "that you should stay away from him if your paths cross again."161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYyBENhcpZl
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The advice settled over him like cold water.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUHXEk3MIol
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Cel turned away, his gaze tracking across the cracked earth. Flowers swayed in wind that shouldn't exist here, their petals catching moonlight.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf6STgmHS92
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Behind him, Selina's posture relaxed slightly, the guardedness fading back into her usual gentle presence.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCsGdy238Ll
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"Is there anything else, Chosen One?"161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1eYzG8mubn
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Cel was silent for a long moment, his gaze fixed on the cracked earth at his feet.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNmALDAOyTs
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"What am I supposed to do?" The words came out quieter than he'd intended. Almost vulnerable.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEv8XLszpjA
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For a heartbeat, Selina simply watched him, her presence calm and unhurried.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡebJFqTB0CW
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When she finally spoke, her voice carried an almost playful tone. "Nothing at all."161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMJiV3FrzYj
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Cel blinked, momentarily thrown off balance. 161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhmNK2TLU6m
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"Rest, Chosen One. Enjoy the peaceful time you have been given. Do the things that bring you joy, or that you have always wished to try."161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7nBoHdQOOZ
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Cel stared at her, confusion written across his face. "I don't—what?"161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyOXljIwFeW
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"You have fought enough. Survived enough. Bled enough." She leaned closer, her voice dropping to something softer. "Learn to live too."161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdsAXw9Kig9
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The words landed like something foreign. Incomprehensible.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxRJAvpby8f
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Live.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZGi24FhklJ
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Not fight. Not survive. Not train or prepare or become stronger.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlspsVKjPUj
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Just... live.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlNaw5qo8tM
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"I don't understand," Cel said slowly. "The Academy starts in ten days. I need to master my abilities. Learn to control my strength. Figure out how to—"161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp58vELrp1B
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"You need," Selina interrupted gently, "to remember what it feels like to be human. Not just a weapon. Not just a survivor." She paused. "When was the last time you did something simply because it brought you joy?"161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS9vcIiyArx
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The question stopped him cold.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ67X60mz8Ui
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When? Before the beating? Before his Divine Calling?161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ5S8x4UIQQ
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Had he ever?161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSBOnlKPtNk
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His throat felt tight. "I don't know how."161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGL7LUeSAVw
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"Then now is the perfect time to learn." There was no judgment in her tone. Only understanding. "Ten days, Chosen One. Ten days to discover what brings you peace. What makes you smile. What reminds you that you are more than the trials you have survived."161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFZNHmTwOV4
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"Like what?" The question came out helpless.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy4B2nvdDw3
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"Start small." Selina's hand lifted, gesturing toward the moon above. "Watch the moon. Walk through the city without searching for threats. Speak with someone because you want to, not because you need something from them." She lowered her hand. "Let yourself be bored. Let yourself be curious."161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡySscwyvrcL
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The suggestions felt absurd. Frivolous.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ56Qk8W32p6
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Dangerous, even.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG6k2npQzzP
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But something in his chest loosened at the thought.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIJO4XEoHjC
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"I don't know if I can," he admitted.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBmemDqx3oB
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"You can." Selina's certainty was absolute. "You simply need to give yourself permission."161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPIYkulz488
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Silence stretched between them, broken only by the soft rustle of flowers swaying in the mist.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmGX1qULxl2
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Eventually, Cel nodded once. Not agreement, exactly. Just acknowledgement that he'd heard her.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX1gIKHtcxI
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"Thank you," he said quietly.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHjbMwfiaoO
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"You are welcome, Chosen One."161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXIDIVQiKCp
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Selina's smile brightened - genuine warmth transforming her serene expression into something radiant. The moonlight seemed to gather around her, highlighting the elegant curve of her mask, the graceful line of her throat, the way her white robes moved like water with each small shift of her posture.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOMonZkM5Uf
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It was…161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjqaGmbZctO
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Beautiful. She was beautiful.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡay35frpN2P
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He'd known that, objectively. But knowing something and truly seeing it were different things entirely.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiNRJoLJBD7
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Heat crawled up his neck, sudden and unwelcome.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLtnSCzvp8E
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"Chosen One?" Selina tilted her head slightly, that radiant smile still in place. "Is something wrong?"161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmy9PEMm7qm
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"No," he said too quickly. "Nothing.” 161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6R2RQPay0j
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Cel's gaze jerked away, desperate for somewhere - anywhere - else to look.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5tfGX0OCcm
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His eyes landed on the divine monolith standing behind her, its surface gleaming with pale light.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcdXYJ1XxjD
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Right. The achievement. He'd heard the Divine Voice earlier, hadn't he? When Esrin brought him through that rift.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7PFl1IHO6C
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Perfect.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcrEzu7tJpn
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"Actually—" Cel gestured toward the monolith, seizing the excuse like a lifeline. "I just remembered. New achievement. I should probably check that before I go."161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeGAjOI0RsP
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"Of course," Selina said, and was it his imagination, or did her tone carry a hint of amusement?161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpbUzfL8IdG
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Cel didn't look back to check. He was already moving toward the monolith, his steps perhaps a bit quicker than necessary.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnT12zxyJZd
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Behind him, he could have sworn he heard the softest sound - barely audible.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAit2TSrfoB
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A quiet chuckle.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhoRvMKKze7
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His face burned hotter.161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8XKoCcUN8O
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The monolith's surface rippled as he approached, text forming in that familiar script:161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXj5u6KcVhY
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<Name: Celvian>161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Ds3qJYFnv
<Paragons: (Heir to the Moon) (White Death)>161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlyZERRQA39
<Artifacts: (Silent Moon) (Cinderward)>161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMVEtvnVgzi
<Insights: (Ledger of Nightmares)>161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM53kMyNOnG
<Achievements: (2)>1234 copyright protection157ＰＥＮＡＮＡK3v2RvcIgT 尼

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