Lior pushed himself to his feet slowly, dirt clinging to his damp palms. His gaze tracked to the empty basin lying on its side, then to the dark wet patch soaking into the ground.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFrtbv5nY9M
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He didn't look at the boy who'd tripped him. Didn't say anything. Just picked up the basin with careful hands and walked back toward the well, joining the end of the line that had grown longer.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKcCn90L42r
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Cel grabbed a basin from the stack near the well and followed.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXwZwbI15MS
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The line shifted forward slowly. Students ahead drew water, their conversations a low murmur that didn't quite mask the occasional laugh directed at Lior's back.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzwPRVzqOpL
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"Good morning," Lior said when Cel stopped behind him. His tone was light, normal. As if nothing just happened.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRq59DdQiqb
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"Morning."123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq4fIUKOpNf
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They shuffled forward with the line. The well's wooden mechanism creaked as someone hauled up the bucket.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBFXuNRdU2f
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"How were the classes yesterday?" Cel asked.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrq3ljW9jj5
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Lior's expression brightened slightly. "Hard. Really hard. But..." He paused, searching for words. "It's a blessing, being able to learn this. Reading and writing, I mean. My parents never had the chance."123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeiheg7JiEo
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His fingers worked at the basin's edge - that familiar nervous gesture.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ30mSm2RVyF
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"The letters don't make sense yet. And my hand cramps trying to copy them. But Instructor Saren says it will get easier."123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP7qbdgd0nh
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"It will."123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7E0PEpdIc3
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They reached the well. Lior hauled up the bucket with both hands, the rope groaning under the weight. Water sloshed as he tilted it carefully, filling his basin to the brim.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBfhDBK0QeG
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He stepped aside, but didn't leave.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrIhULq29Q7
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Cel filled his own basin. The water was cold enough to sting.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNHMYJiFWDV
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When he lifted the full basin, Lior still stood there.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡonwNRcQRvs
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"Ready?"123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdo5yEQChsV
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Cel nodded.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXd94ybbOaL
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He turned toward the area where students washed - and kept walking past the closer, emptier spaces. His path led directly toward where the boy sat, pulling his academy uniform over damp shoulders.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYTb5QnhXUO
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"Maybe we should—" Lior's voice came quiet, uncertain. "There's space over there. More room."123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF9p3mohbsc
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Cel didn't respond. Just kept walking.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAJl2rfOepa
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The boy ahead remained focused on straightening his collar.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTzwB6fx1v1
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Cel's foot caught on nothing.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEA1SneDhSx
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His balance broke instantly, body lurching forward. The basin swung down in a perfect arc.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4yExXUqPiY
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It crashed directly onto the boy's head.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxQYpb9sepZ
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The sound was sharp - wood shattering against skull, water exploding outward in a spray that drenched the boy's freshly donned uniform. 123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYmjEbPc0zs
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"What the—" The boy shouted, hands flying to his head. "You bastard!"123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFb29jvwwsH
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Conversations died. Heads turned. The entire gathering area went silent.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWSEUumGg5u
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Cel pushed himself upright slowly, dirt clinging to his palms.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz1FaBBggnB
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"Sorry." Cel's voice carried across the sudden silence. "Seems like I tripped.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjoj8JayRO6
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"Are you kid—"123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ120JFJv99Q
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Cel's hand shot out and closed on the boy's collar. One sharp pull brought them forehead to forehead. 123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAlK7px7M5Q
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Their eyes locked - glacial blue meeting dark brown. 123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Oohtpsw9J
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"Next time," Cel whispered, "it won't be the basin that breaks."123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXd7D3nmI7y
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He held the contact for three heartbeats, letting the message sink in.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnNeOgaGRrG
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Then he released his grip and stepped back.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg1JV8s9OYC
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"I'm happy nothing serious happened."123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAbR6Mc3b85
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The boy stared up at him, hand still pressed to his head. His mouth worked soundlessly, bewildered by what just happened.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAva8lt7a24
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Around them, students remained frozen. No one spoke. No one moved. The sudden violence had caught them all mid-breath.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvL4X3MCY47
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Cel turned and walked back to where Lior stood, his expression unchanged.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdCDaxFhjKj
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Lior blinked rapidly, his basin trembling slightly in his hands. "I—you can share mine. If you want."123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCftKXsflTr
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"Thanks."123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYtpXLA5W4G
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They moved to an empty corner. Lior set the basin down with careful hands, his gaze darting back toward where the boy still sat paralyzed.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ24Bv3vWjUK
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"Was that... I mean..." Lior's voice dropped lower. "Was that okay?"123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpJNCm6UJJo
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Cel dipped his hands in the water, washing dirt from his palms. "What do you mean?"123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ9subEkvhV
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Lior opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqHI4HyP4kX
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"Nothing," he said finally. "Never mind."123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi47XpJGEBH
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They washed in silence, the rhythmic splash of water the only sound between them.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNZr88qblV7
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"You have a nice body."123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWDe5f8haIR
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Cel glanced at Lior.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx0W8kOyi61
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He was staring at Cel's bare torso with genuine admiration.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9QhEKnKyDd
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Lior's face went red the moment he realized. "I mean—that came out wrong—" He gestured helplessly. "It's just... you're really built."123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu58viMcXAq
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A pause.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUdoisTYzew
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"How did you get it?”123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhbOeXzpDTA
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"My parents were strict," Cel said. Not quite a lie. "They wanted me to be strong."123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS0wZRaQb1b
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Lior nodded slowly, as if that explained everything.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbi8zEblhCf
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They finished washing and pulled on their uniforms. The bell rang across the Academy grounds once more - sharp and clear.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYeKWh4Kewo
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Morning assembly.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ96DG7qu4bC
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Students moved as one toward the training grounds. Cel and Lior joined the flow, their basins left behind with dozens of others.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSuDUxyRBcC
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The sun climbed overhead while Instructor Calder shouted commands that drove muscles past exhaustion. 123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjnYHveX3YZ
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By the end, most students lay sprawled across packed earth, chests heaving.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXVNkrdAzXD
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Cel stood upright, breathing steady. Sweat coated his skin, but his legs didn't shake. His arms didn't tremble.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC5Bkp4rEMu
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Breakfast came next. Food that Cel ate without tasting, surrounded by conversations he didn't join.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyljPBu5tQh
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Then theoretical classes. Instructor Saren's voice washing over them in steady waves - creature classifications, blessing mechanics, imperial history.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡokJTtSPTrO
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Cel listened with half his attention. Most of it he already knew. The rest didn't matter enough to focus on completely.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlfkkqlDLnA
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Lunch. More food. More tasteless fuel.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJuKiPd78Pb
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Then combat training.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS0xCwvG4xd
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Instructor Calder stood in the center of the training grounds, arms crossed. Weapon racks lined the wall behind him - swords, spears, axes, all designed to kill.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1L2VesJ1pE
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"You don't choose your artifact," he said without preamble. "The gods decide. Some of you will receive swords. Others axes, spears, bows, staves. A few might get something stranger."123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfWf38lxtj5
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His scarred hands gestured toward the racks.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9YlVjPMs2b
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"Which means you learn everything. Master nothing initially, but become competent with all of it."123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTuz5UTd9eM
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He moved to the weapon rack and pulled out a longsword. The blade caught afternoon light as he held it up.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs7h6Y1oyDI
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"We start with this. Two-handed sword. Most common artifact weapon type. Basic, versatile, effective."123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwEnUPdp0AZ
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The blade was real steel. Not practice wood.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxsQt8HIKw8
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"Take one. Form lines. We begin with the fundamental strikes."123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ26CEm0RkM4
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Students moved to the racks. Cel took a blade from the middle.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdRN32NUftn
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The weight settled in his hands. Familiar. Wrong.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrYBAe7XLMJ
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He joined the forming lines, Lior settling beside him with a sword he could barely hold steady.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkFnuQ7F4Dj
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"Basic vertical slash," Calder called out. "Watch."123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Kvd7vGG9f
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His blade rose overhead in one smooth motion, held steady at the apex, then descended in a controlled arc that ended with the point aimed at the ground.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWxweMqlXXz
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"Again."123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDDu0QAHhuS
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The motion repeated. Slower this time, each phase distinct.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEVT5B8Ft2C
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"That's the first form. You'll practice it until your arms fall off. Then you'll practice it more."123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHUFthm4Anq
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He demonstrated the remaining basic forms, each one sharp and purposeful.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfxTYfnmG9n
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The training began.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYxwhV99FVO
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Cel's body moved through the motions with muscle memory he'd thought buried. These weren't the techniques of House Solmar - no blazing offensive sequences, no emphasis on overwhelming aggression.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1RFuoXgnw4
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These were the Chosen Legion forms. Practical. Efficient. Built for soldiers who fought rifts creatures in coordinated units rather than nobles dueling for honor.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCSyh3BkteL
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He'd studied them once, years ago. His weapons instructor had insisted on broad knowledge despite his father's preference for the Solar Blade technique.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡas7tpb4RSe
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His hands adjusted their grip. The sword rose overhead. Descended. Rose again.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtPxzNY1PnF
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Around him, students fumbled and struggled. Lior nearly dropped his blade twice in the first minute. Others overcorrected, their swings wild and uncontrolled.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOzDNwL9nyW
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Cel forced his third swing to drift slightly left. Let the fourth end too high. Made deliberate mistakes that would mark him as learning rather than trained.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqXePHyh9et
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But the Solar Blade technique... he'd need to forget that entirely. The forms were too distinctive. Any observer familiar with Sun Clan methods would recognize them instantly.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOFjqr618Rw
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That heritage had to die here. Buried beneath new patterns, new muscle memory.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXqSzc6z1RV
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The Chosen Legion's style would become his foundation instead.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFOORMj8o4N
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Days bled into weeks.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs9Smas01aN
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Morning conditioning pushed bodies past limits. Theoretical classes filled minds with knowledge. Combat training taught weapon forms that repeated until they became reflex, leaving calluses on every palm.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL7RDaSGWMG
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Cel attended everything like the others. Made mistakes during combat drills - mistimed swings, overextended lunges. Pretended confusion when Instructor Saren covered topics he'd learned years ago.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpNRO88kxCm
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But physical conditioning betrayed him.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuti9qjABhv
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No matter how much he feigned exhaustion - letting his breathing grow ragged, allowing his movements to slow - his body wouldn't tire enough. While others collapsed after the final sprint, he remained standing. 123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcRNFRFMY76
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The instructors noticed. Students noticed.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Uvp7hgWYG
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By the second week, no one questioned when Cel finished first.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIwGTHODG7v
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Combat training told a different story.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTcfql86FZk
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His strength worked against him there. A basic parry became a disarming strike when his opponent's blade went flying. A controlled thrust nearly impaled the practice dummy. His two-handed grip shattered a sword's crossguard.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8RJOGulIuF
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"Authority," he told Instructor Calder when questioned. "Strength enhancement. I'm still learning to control it."123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcnA9bXjlsS
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The lie held. Barely.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡubsHTlAaDP
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His Divine Energy problem was a simpler. When asked to demonstrate his control during theoretical lessons, Cel simply said he possessed a trait that suppressed his signature.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqVKflWkQTn
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Instructor Calder's eyes narrowed, but he accepted the explanation without pressing.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2jsdQ9fe8W
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The nights belonged to training.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuG8PnypZtS
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When the Academy slept, Cel claimed the empty grounds. Basic exercises until dawn approached. Building the foundation that everything else multiplied.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ78R9uDlnHB
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Free days took him into the city.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ4D4vuYEqF
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The Moon Church welcomed him with empty silence. Most visits, Lyra wasn't there. But sometimes she was, arranging flowers or simply praying. They would talk about small things. Safe things. He never stayed long enough to risk deeper questions.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSpsGG8J4na
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Lyra mentioned their mother occasionally. How she'd joined the Chosen Legion after the divorce. How she was leading missions in the name of the royal house now. Cel absorbed every detail without comment, tracking his mother's movements through his sister's casual updates.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTN8iqCyNjH
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The Golden Hart offered different comfort. The bartender knew him now, poured without asking. Cel drank and listened to conversations around him - politics, gossip, complaints about work. He absorbed it all without participating.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYBOKYz8Cgb
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Humanity's normal rhythm. Lives untouched by divine blessings or rift-creatures.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwS4rbHpXWG
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It was... peaceful. In its own way.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVGjo6xJ7Dg
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Some evenings, Lior joined him in his room.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSfLaoTzACt
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Letters sprawled across parchment in shaky lines. Lior's frustration mounted with each attempt, his quill scratching and bleeding ink.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL7gtzhenlJ
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"Like this," Cel said, guiding his hand through the proper motion.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJhg31jdOHF
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Lior's writing improved slowly. His reading faster. By the third week, he could parse simple sentences without help.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpxM3g8egJI
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"Thank you," Lior said one evening, his voice quiet. “I know I'm slow at learning.” 123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVTWGoipGaY
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"It's fine."123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmuzCJVBClL
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And it was.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN9wEtKylzS
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No one approached Cel or Lior.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI3dBHgLaTt
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The incident at the well had marked them both - Lior as weak, Cel as dangerous. Neither was appealing company.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlp1b4DMyDu
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They sat alone at meals. Trained in isolated corners of the grounds. Existed apart from everyone else.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGiFRXdrmYc
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Lior seemed unbothered. Or perhaps he'd simply accepted it.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAEmLv0rvvl
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Cel didn't care either way.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGJIg2bIPw0
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Weeks became a month. Then two. Then three.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGVpZf6P2vm
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The physical conditioning grew harder. Combat forms more complex. Theoretical lessons deeper.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYHbaAc6NM4
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Cel's strength improved despite his best efforts to hide it. His sword forms remained clumsy - from the lack of talent and from his overflowing strength.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXLF5C5jdE1
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On the morning of the fourth month's final day, Instructor Saren stood before them in the main classroom.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMKFUN4So0K
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"In two days," she said, her voice carrying across the tiered seats, "the noble students arrive."123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa49xJIEZUb
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Silence answered her.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLRiz1ixVWn
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"You've had four months to prepare. To learn your place. To understand what's expected." Her gaze swept the assembled commoners. "When they walk through those doors, you will show proper deference. You will not embarrass yourselves or this Academy."123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIUHdBzyXqb
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She paused.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzstgwOv6oZ
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"And you will remember - they've trained since childhood for this. Everything you've struggled to learn in four months, they've mastered over years."123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDERbNkdmez
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The weight of that truth settled over the room.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8r7lg8DmgD
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"Tomorrow is your rest day. Use it wisely. Dismissed."123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBS3HTM0P93
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----123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8lK7DJfdHP
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​​​​​​​Heyho, Author here!123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp8qz0OVmmm
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I just wanted to inform you that I will launch a new special-chapter format on monday.123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvYVmWjZkXy
You can keep track of it on my website or discord^^123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPSDdJUKdSf
Website: https://celastos-shop.fourthwall.com123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhZEfQCK0nt
Discord: https://discord.gg/Uduxc48wfm123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaM70mhT9R6
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