The world narrowed to a single point.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwdTgXo3fJu
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Everything else - the stone walls, the mark above the altar, the dusty light filtering through narrow windows - dissolved into nothing. Only his sister remained, kneeling before the statue with her head bowed in prayer.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwuLjggS5bd
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Lyra.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNwz57aOcSk
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His feet moved without permission, carrying him forward across worn stone. Each step echoed in the empty church - too loud, too present. He should stop. Should turn around and leave before she noticed him. Before whatever fragile peace she'd found here shattered beneath the weight of his existence.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOzlWZfTVy2
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But he couldn't.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1VDZ1Q8XEW
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She'd grown. Only one year had reshaped the child he remembered into something older - shoulders less round, features more defined. Her bluish-black hair fell past her shoulders in waves he didn't recognize. But the way she held herself, the curve of her spine as she knelt…169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfO9RfGSCzQ
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He knew her.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcMMpGmK5BF
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His shadow fell across her. The movement was small - just the shift of darkness against stone - but her prayer stuttered to a halt. Her shoulders tensed. She lifted her head slowly, turning.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1fYdxKaHrr
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Their eyes met.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlbRXk3sOh2
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Hers were the same icy blue-gray he remembered - matte blue that caught the light without reflecting it. But there was something different now. Something worn at the edges, like sea-glass tumbled smooth by years of waves.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLy8IcUOph3
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She blinked. Once. Twice. Her lips parted slightly, but no sound emerged.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXjf6Wqah6I
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Then her expression shifted - surprise melting into something warm and genuine. A smile spread across her face.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCoXTsbf3cT
169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYkLqfdUa1q
"Oh!" The word burst out bright and delighted. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in." She rose quickly, brushing dust from her dress with practiced movements. "It's so rare to meet another believer here."169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwez779kfY0
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Her gaze tracked across his face - the white hair, the features that should have been familiar but weren't quite right anymore. 169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6OYvrji7bt
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She didn't know him.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiJggrVDpQx
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The realization hit like a blade between his ribs. Of course she didn't. He'd been fifteen the last time she saw him - brown-haired, desperate, still clinging to the delusion that his family might care. Now he stood before her transformed, marked by powers she'd never seen and trauma she couldn't imagine.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUtCcenH2v4
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He was a stranger to his own sister.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrSXrn9cy3W
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"I..." he started.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGnmMMvVRfP
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The word fell between them like a stone into still water. She waited, polite and patient, for him to continue. But what could he possibly say?169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdqHaNnBGnJ
169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF2HFRoPbRl
‘I'm your brother.’ The words screamed through his mind but refused to travel to his lips.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq3SwaFS8al
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"I'm a Moon Chosen," he finally managed.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCHVRahBRzU
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Safe. Simple. True.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ZxU70LoO2
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Her eyes widened. 169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCo7xZwDqR7
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"Really?" The word carried genuine interest. 169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXjWi6DTEqZ
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"I've never met one before." The words tumbled out faster now, excitement replacing hesitation. "I mean—I've seen Chosen from other clans, but never someone blessed by her. What's it like? Is it—"169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrRLNintpsB
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She caught herself. Her hands clasped together at her waist - a gesture he remembered from childhood, something she did when uncertain.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHgiX2QrUZR
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"I'm sorry. That's probably rude. You came here to pray, not to be interrogated by a stranger."169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrRiV7fqrjy
169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA4wKSc5P1L
"It's fine." His voice came steadier this time. "I don't mind."169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF7FchBxXuu
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A lie. He minded everything - the distance between them, the false name he should give, the truth he couldn't speak. But the alternative was worse.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ2h7hLerp8
169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqlwmSql5bH
Silence settled between them, not quite comfortable but not hostile either. Lyra's gaze drifted back toward the altar, toward the mark of the Moon Goddess carved into pale stone.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOqqxeXMre3
169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHwbh4P4QWP
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Her voice softened. "Most people never visit. The other churches are always full. But here..." She gestured at the empty benches, the dust motes drifting through shafts of light. "It's just quiet."169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvCtrFUIeNs
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"You come here often?"169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIXJI97cOwP
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The question slipped out before he could stop it. Too personal. Too soon. But Lyra didn't seem to notice.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVyf8PbCG9x
169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡReZE03Y4sr
"When I can." Her fingers twisted together. "When I need to think. Or remember. Or just..." She trailed off, searching for words that wouldn't come.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9wYbMSmBNR
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Cel waited. Every instinct screamed at him to press, to ask, to know everything she'd experienced while he rotted in a cell. But he forced himself to stillness.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyUsG0HWQf3
169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfff6VSRPv1
"Would you like to sit?" Lyra gestured toward the benches. "Unless you'd prefer to pray alone. I understand if—"169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVR6mxlcxBB
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"No." Too quick. Too sharp. He softened it. "I'd like to sit."169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWGuqqm1boh
169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAW0B46YBrI
They settled on one of the wooden benches, several feet of careful distance maintained between them. Lyra smoothed her dress - another nervous habit - while her gaze kept drifting to his face, then away, as if trying to solve a puzzle she couldn't quite name.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK8FfIsL5j3
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"I'm Lyra," she offered.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVO12J6TGr8
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Just Lyra. No clan name attached.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRl0OXUlWLU
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The omission struck him immediately. Had she abandoned the Solmar name? Been stripped of it? The questions crowded his throat, but he couldn't ask without revealing too much.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5C5Cxjvy5a
169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGKFL6bXp7G
"I'm..." He hesitated. A false name should come easily - something simple, forgettable. But his mind went blank, scrambling for anything that wouldn't sound absurd. "Heir to the Moon."169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNj6nS2u0II
169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡloEjWNsDhk
The words fell flat even as he spoke them. Not a name - a title. His paragon's designation, stripped of creativity or thought. 169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZRbWaoqEHg
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Heat crept up his neck.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyjdOSYbJor
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Lyra blinked. Her expression shifted - not suspicious, but puzzled. "Oh. That's…"169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd2SzXR3MNJ
169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVddUGsB4TW
"It's what I'm called," he said quickly. The embarrassment burned hotter. He sounded like a fool. Like someone who couldn't manage the basic deception of inventing a name.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmGEkarbHXk
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She nodded slowly, clearly uncertain what to make of it. "It's... distinctive."169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxmzn3vaaDV
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Distinctive. A polite way of saying strange.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6IkqN733yl
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An awkward silence settled between them. Lyra's fingers twisted harder around each other. Her gaze drifted to the altar, lingered there, then returned to her lap. She opened her mouth as if to speak, then closed it again. 169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJlgba8S64z
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Cel kept his eyes fixed on the goddess's mark, refusing to acknowledge the mortification still burning through him. 169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6rqxLd5JrA
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Finally, Lyra cleared her throat softly. "Do you live in the capital?" The question came tentative, as if she was trying to fill the quiet without overstepping.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHOXWt4hiXM
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"Recently." Not quite a lie. "I'm enrolled at the Academy."169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYYKlegCBB4
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"Oh!" Her face brightened. "So am I. I mean—I will be. Once I receive my Divine Calling." The brightness dimmed slightly. "I'm still waiting. Training in the meantime, but..."169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDIDzXdaicJ
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She didn't finish. Didn't need to. The weight of waiting - of hoping and fearing in equal measure - hung in the words she didn't say.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡynWY6umm6n
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"You'll be chosen," Cel said quietly.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq3W3hPAoOw
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"You think so?"169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMCr573z5uW
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"I do." He glanced at her - the careful way she held herself, the quiet determination beneath the nervousness. "The gods don't ignore people who seek them with genuine faith. They'll see you."169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWeWule6KJu
169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXibbu6A74L
Something in her expression cracked - just a hairline fracture in the composure she'd maintained. Her eyes glistened slightly before she blinked it away.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCYQYYgvtf6
169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNnTOcDapCS
"Thank you," she whispered. "That's... that's kind of you to say."169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwwufE3WUSv
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They sat in silence again. This time it felt less awkward, more like two people sharing space without demanding anything from each other.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHETAJocpGW
169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA4HauVaEPQ
Minutes passed. Maybe longer. Time moved strangely in this forgotten corner of the city.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0wt4dBcSOk
169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsnO0ZfMFdK
"Can I ask you something?" Lyra's voice came so quiet he almost missed it.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAaH9ZVOdN2
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"Of course."169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeWyIGT3PQM
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"What's she like? The Moon Goddess, I mean." Her fingers wouldn't stop moving, twisting and untwisting in her lap. "Is she... kind?"169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRZhN6EYTXI
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The question settled between them, weightier than it seemed. 169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2IVWrgMgAl
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Cel thought of the frozen sea. Of the trial that had torn him apart - the maze, the mirrors, the creature that killed him. She hadn't made it easy. Hadn't granted power freely or softened the path because he'd already suffered enough. 169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhbZZZJn7lP
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But she'd been honest about it. No false promises. No deception. 169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDjCpDxLbhj
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And when he'd completed the trial - when he'd earned what she offered - she'd kept her word. 169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMEeYriGDuG
169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkeZZ7q7iaU
"Honest," he said finally. "She's honest. She doesn't promise easy things or pretend the path won't hurt." His voice dropped lower. "But she doesn't lie to you either. What she offers, she gives. And when you've earned your place..." 169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC2i0yc1XOg
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He paused, remembering moonlight flooding the cavern, cold and true. 169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhtWnVPLRgp
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"She doesn't abandon you. Even when everyone else does." 169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ40M7bi6HBl
169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1023B9AGts
The words came raw, unfiltered. More truth than he'd intended to give.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRxbGUf0Tqg
169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSPzF8C93mP
Lyra's breath caught. Fresh tears gathered at the corners of her eyes - held back by sheer force of will but threatening to spill.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa8MmHSmBRz
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"That's good." Her voice barely held together. "That's really good."169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQR9k8tZCE3
169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKD2EJmyrMX
Cel's chest constricted. 169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNtXyeaZ6wR
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"I'm sorry," he started. "I didn't mean to—"169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRmmoZeAbxX
169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5OcRQz3Q81
"No." She shook her head quickly, swiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. "No, you didn't do anything wrong. It's just..."169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1OB8upHPo2
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She drew a shaking breath.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJWpfDGFrxE
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"I had a brother." Each word came slow and careful, like she was walking across ice that might crack beneath her weight. "He was chosen by the Moon Goddess too. Just like you."169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxJXBpgWtTr
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Had.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYCOQGQ9uJo
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The past tense landed like a stone in his stomach.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSBK6Fx2MqL
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"I come here to pray for him. To ask that she takes good care of him." Her fingers gripped each other so hard her knuckles went white. 169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdTDsF04OEz
169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmLOoz7DVig
Cel's throat closed around words that wouldn't form. Every breath felt like swallowing broken glass. She believed him dead. She'd spent two years mourning a ghost, praying to a goddess for a brother who sat beside her right now.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSMRHQDASSx
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‘Tell her.’ The command screamed through his mind. ‘Tell her you're alive. Tell her it's you.’169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkx2gYAyewp
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But the words wouldn't come.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyk2e2smwiQ
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Because what would he say? That the brother she remembered was dead - transformed into something else entirely? That the boy she'd known had been torn apart in a cell, piece by piece, until nothing remained but rage?169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAjj0tBdqpU
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She mourned someone who no longer existed.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9LdFyWFByc
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"I'm sorry," he managed.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcmPzhILJCz
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Lyra shook her head quickly, swiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have—you came here to pray, not to listen to me—"169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPmSIaaLSZV
169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUc1k0AtGY7
"Your brother," Cel interrupted gently. "The Moon Goddess doesn't forget her Chosen. If he bore her mark... she won't have left him alone. Not in life. Not after."169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDw0UKAXK13
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“He’s in good hands, I promise.”169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr4tU8vdcvI
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The words felt strange in his mouth - speaking about himself in past tense, offering comfort with truths only he could know. But they were true. The Moon Goddess had answered when he screamed into the void. Had given him resurrection when he'd died alone and forgotten. Had forged him a new body when the old one had been broken beyond repair. 169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7N7Scb6mhS
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She hadn't left him.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYMkXHitglr
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If anyone deserved that reassurance, it was Lyra.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3xUmB0r7JT
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Her breath hitched. Fresh tears spilled over, tracking down her cheeks. 169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiMpMRyp6qM
169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡld1fIX3gUC
"Thank you," she whispered. "You don't know how much I needed to hear that."169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3HcwZuhkyH
169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDco04t453x
She wiped at her face again, trying to compose herself. A small, broken laugh escaped her. "I’m sorry. This is embarrassing. We just met and I'm crying all over you."169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtBG55LNSDI
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"It's not embarrassing," Cel said quietly.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT0ohLAdmFc
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He hesitated, then added, "I did the same thing, actually. With my priestess. After I received my blessing." A faint, self-deprecating smile tugged at his lips. "Completely broke down crying in her arms." 169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8bPxLy2Kd9
169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWgAQ5fbHeX
Lyra's eyes widened slightly, then something in her expression softened - relief mixed with gratitude. "Really?" 169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjjAUFIfmTs
169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBhTIEWFwVR
"Really." The admission came easier than expected. "She told me that there's no shame in acknowledging your pain." 169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIMah11mJtr
169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡObLOChwYZl
A small, genuine smile broke through Lyra's tears. "Your priestess sounds wise." 169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRoPUDvvksB
169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtyCeAZGoFH
"She is." The words carried more weight than Lyra could know. 169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqAKYiLuvId
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They sat in silence for a moment. The church's stillness wrapped around them - not oppressive, but sheltering.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8lUO1JOpJ0
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Lyra's smile faded slowly, her gaze drifting back to the altar. The ease between them remained, but something heavier settled underneath it - the weight of the grief she'd been carrying alone. 169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB8HkCcfOaT
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Cel watched her profile, the way her fingers had gone still in her lap for the first time since they'd sat down. Questions burned in his throat. Dangerous questions. 169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWX835QokG1
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He shouldn't ask. Shouldn't make her relive it. But he needed to know what story they'd told her. What lie his father had constructed to hide the truth.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Ky3RmAn2z
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"Can I ask..." Cel's voice came carefully. "How did he die?"169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDBljOIkBYm
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The stillness shattered. 169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUjwPLptyXX
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Lyra's hands clenched in her lap. Her breathing changed - slower, deeper, like she was preparing to dive underwater. When she spoke, each word was measured, controlled, barely holding back something raw beneath the surface.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡropPCCMstJ
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"My father..." She paused. Swallowed. Started again. "My father was not a good man."169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPQuc2CSbhF
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The words came slow and painful, like pulling arrows from a wound.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ACwQkdFlK
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"He was obsessed. With power. With legacy. With being remembered as something great." Her voice hardened, edges sharpening with barely restrained fury. "When the Moon Goddess chose my brother instead of the Sun God... Father couldn't accept it…"169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs65Sb8Rm7L
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She drew a shaking breath.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj6pk3hqM58
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"He exiled him. Just... threw him out.” 169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbM7ZmLw2aA
169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ig9y2GyR8
"Mother searched everywhere - spent weeks trying to find him, desperate to bring him home. And then..."169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvB1BeF7DnP
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She drew a shaking breath.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOWROERTJy1
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"We got word. There'd been an accident. A carriage." Her voice dropped to barely a whisper. "They said he died instantly. That he didn't suffer."169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCx9tQmZxj9
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The lie dissolved into silence.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0rf6r3x0Nw
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Cel's jaw clenched so hard his teeth ached. A carriage accident. Such a clean explanation. So easy for people to accept. No questions asked. No investigation needed. Just another tragic death on dangerous roads.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdfDY44dV5d
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His father had sold him to cultists and covered it with a convenient lie.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdB4UvGWCBx
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Lyra pressed her palms against her eyes, shoulders shaking with silent tears.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDacxyjRwCc
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His hand moved before thought could stop it. He reached out and patted her head gently - the same gesture he used to make when she was small and sad about something. A reflex from another life.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡten8qL0y8B
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Lyra froze.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRsda6gXY9D
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Her breath caught. Her eyes went wide, staring at nothing as something clicked behind them - recognition struggling to break through confusion.169Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡET4zIayvUc
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