"Hey trash."199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ62IkKNYbfF
199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtk2vf6npYA
Cel's hands stilled on his fork.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEQ9iT1OpTz
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Kyros Solgrand stood at the end of their table, flanked by two other Sun Clan nobles. His fire-red hair caught the lamplight, amber eyes bright with something cruel.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFWuYtHIbsy
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"I couldn't help but notice." He gestured at their uniforms, at the crescent moon embroidered over the heart. "You're Moon Chosen."199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV25EZHnJOH
199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx84fp5mDI6
Lior went rigid beside Cel. His fork clattered against his plate, the sound sharp in the sudden quiet that had fallen over nearby tables. His shoulders hunched inward as if trying to make himself smaller.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj1Ry2htz2E
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"Yes." Cel kept his voice neutral. 199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXqARyIEnyH
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Kyros's smile widened. "How... unfortunate."199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhK20j56Wfn
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He moved closer, circling their table like a predator assessing prey. His companions remained at the end, blocking ways.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCqvaNILp6v
199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqSzF2ht5BI
"The Moon Goddess." Kyros spoke loud enough that nearby conversations died, students turning to watch. "The weakest deity. The forgotten one. The goddess who can't even maintain a single Great Clan."199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhmZcwhnWqn
199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQZLqCdCHtu
His hand landed on Cel's shoulder - fingers digging in.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5mzzUWXW3z
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"Must be hard, knowing you'll never amount to anything. That your blessing is worthless."199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuWkN2Ox83E
199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiE5xBVqkAR
Lior's hands had curled into fists beneath the table. His breathing quickened.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGQ0ibG8cCo
199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcC9mgm4ebU
Cel forced his muscles to relax. Forced his jaw to unclench.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8rzVP5fm5W
199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZHtwlv3nRi
"We serve who chose us," he said quietly.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYwUfNwr9BT
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"Do you?" Kyros leaned closer, breath hot against Cel's ear. "Or do you just accept your pathetic fate because you're too weak to demand better?"199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm3G4GPK1HN
199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNUMd9QVxBC
The rage that had been simmering since Kyros appeared flared brighter. Cel's vision tunneled. His hands trembled with the effort of keeping them still.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH0Ja5cVNY2
199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF5305MpTp3
He could break Kyros's nose. Right now. One strike, perfectly placed, and the smug bastard would be choking on his own blood.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡleI4Xgn2F5
199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEATiu2QRyL
But if a commoner struck a noble - even in self-defense - the punishment was severe. Imprisonment. Public humiliation. In some cases even execution. The Empire's laws protected nobility with brutal efficiency, and the Academy wouldn't shield him from those consequences.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxGpgKyNHNI
199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUbk9SSfC88
The unspoken truth was obvious - nobles operated under different standards. Not just in sparring. In everything. They could strike commoners with minimal repercussions. But the reverse? That was a crime against the social order itself.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvUvYn3zNsY
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So Cel just sat there. Took it. Let Kyros's words wash over him like rain.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF3rEbtv0wC
199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg0gKhhfYTF
"Nothing to say?" Kyros squeezed harder, nails digging through fabric. "That's what I thought. Moon Chosen are always like that. Weak. Pathetic."199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1cVEvM9Nwh
199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwfksurxng0
He released his grip and straightened, turning to address the watching students.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWOnS2UBbl2
199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnm3D193bpb
"Remember this, everyone. What do you call Chosen of the weakest goddess?" He paused, smile widening. "Trash. Nothing but blessed trash."199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvUcaVrepwV
199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4N04lFcSbK
Laughter rippled through some of the tables. Not all - several looked uncomfortable. But enough that Kyros's smile grew.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx2fB4qh8T2
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He walked away, his companions following. Their laughter echoed across the dining hall.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡia205ADYs3
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Cel's hands were shaking. He pressed them flat against the table, fingers splayed wide.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhhMnABgHaV
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Lior simply stared down at his plate, paralyzed by what just happened.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkifYKOGkyY
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Eventually, he excused himself. Exhaustion lined his features, shoulders slumped with the weight of the day.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm1Z6jxKMRs
199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLjMh6UxgO5
Cel remained. He finished his meal in silence. The dining hall's energy had shifted - conversations more subdued now, glances occasionally drifting toward his isolated corner.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbuXglhsoxv
199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKgqskTUSa2
He ate mechanically, tasting nothing. His mind replayed the confrontation over and over. Each word. Each laugh. The feeling of Kyros's fingers digging into his shoulder like he had every right to do so.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhQVsAG6eIa
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When his plate was empty, Cel stood and left.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡciheg983NC
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Hours later, the training grounds lay silent beneath moonlight.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhkvPZFobpt
199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoAGzB4JWno
Cel crossed the threshold, boots crunching against packed earth. Empty weapon racks. Archery targets standing like sentinels. The space felt vast without other students filling it.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTsc8FabWLB
199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBWDVpWMHjq
He shrugged off his upper uniform like always, letting it fall to the ground beside him. The night air was cold against his skin, but Lunar Vigor flooded through him under the moon's light.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGMmmUBUZ8o
199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE9gNKMM5QM
He moved to the center and stopped. Breathed. Let the day's accumulated tension settle in his muscles like coiled springs.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrUt1DIL5Os
199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7pUFNEXJya
Silent Moon materialized in his grip.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWT5SMmJNuF
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Then he moved.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZocWDI4jTh
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The blade sang through air, cutting patterns driven by pure fury. He moved through the Chosen Legion forms he'd been practicing - each one executed with divine strength behind it, each one brutal in application.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLvUeW23sDH
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Hours blurred together.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5GQIaCOqtv
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Cel kept going.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡASKCuqdm5I
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Until finally… the rage began to drain away. Not gone. Never truly gone. But manageable again. Locked back in whatever dark corner of his mind it usually inhabited.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgTYxiR49UF
199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4cEQ8qjAPI
The blade completed its arc. Cel's muscles burned, sweat cooling on his bare chest despite the chill—199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkm4NwFaBLv
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Footsteps.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtd9A97LP95
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His body went rigid mid-stance. Silent Moon hung suspended in the air as he turned.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4pUjTxW0Dt
199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqOmGd0d6s3
Lady Hestia Mortveil stood at the edge of the training grounds.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaBYflGdPrZ
199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM66T0dSogt
The moonlight caught her jet-black hair, making it gleam like polished obsidian. Her crimson eyes studied him with an intensity that made his breath catch.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOMnylZCPPJ
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For a heartbeat, neither moved.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6vWAIAEav8
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Then her gaze dropped. Lower. 199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC5agNbzlCc
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Suddenly, Cel became very aware of the cold against his skin. Heat flooded his face. He dismissed Silent Moon with a thought and lunged for his discarded uniform, fumbling with the fabric as he yanked it over his head.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAgPjZ8SJMz
199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuSI567Rc8z
"Lady Hestia." His voice came out rougher than intended. He straightened, adjusting his collar. "I apologize. I didn't realize the grounds were occupied."199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU2D28EJCM3
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A beat of silence.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdVmyoJ0GF9
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"They weren't." Her tone was neutral, almost clinical. She walked past him toward the far side without another glance.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6SWjOkFAlQ
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Cel just stood there, uncertain. Should he leave? Continue?199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYmz59fgmBy
199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4c6vJB9atY
Hestia sank to the ground in a meditative pose. Her hands rested on her knees, palms upward. The night seemed to gather around her like a cloak, shadows deepening in her presence.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ792PU1wMIA
199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSfmdcuMlgV
She was replenishing her Divine Essence. It made sense - the Death God's domain aligned with darkness, with the stillness of night. Divine Essence recovered fastest when immersed in the right environment. Ocean Chosen would seek water. Moon Chosen would need moonlight. 199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlmjz2ofydB
199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkKgnqQ3ZKh
Not that it mattered to him. There was no need to replenish one's Divine Essence when you had none.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtNPhQ3akx4
199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡihS1Oe2FVN
Cel re-summoned Silent Moon and returned to his forms.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQqltwZHRKw
199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAGvczSy92T
The silence stretched between them, broken only by the whisper of his blade through air and the distant sound of wind through empty weapon racks.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoFMgZzNGWy
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Like that, the days blurred into routine.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmHB3zXOQ1t
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Sparring matches carved the class into a predictable hierarchy. Nobles on top. Commoners below.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZfwsowAY6U
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"Blessed trash."199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGN6QmBup6U
199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjL4BKEP4BQ
Kyros's voice cut across the courtyard. His hand shoved Lior's shoulder, sending him stumbling. Laughter from the other Sun Clan nobles.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtm6ifxM5cV
199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMWt9YzJW8X
Lior kept his eyes down. Cel's jaw clenched, but he said nothing. Took it. Like always.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQXA5hVVS6g
199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKHZcZCcOTB
The confrontations came and went like weather - predictable, unavoidable. But something puzzled Cel about the nobles' behavior. In the tavern, the barkeeper had spoken of political factions regarding the throne’s succession. Yet here, they seemed unified. Cordial, even.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHpYuOoT3MQ
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The reason for that was simple: Theron. 199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEQv7dB6wff
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He moved through them all like sunlight through water - effortless, warm. The nobles gravitated toward him naturally. Perhaps they'd all received the same instructions to cultivate the All-Blessed's favor. To leverage that connection later when the succession fight began in earnest.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpVkOYbraZY
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Sylvaine ensured the Life Clan maintained the closest position. Always at Theron's side, always visible, always reinforcing their clan's support.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGC7vIWVBHv
199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKz9AWNmsWe
Only Hestia remained apart.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgKUxaRplkp
199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgbjIStRdXz
She sat alone during meals, moved through training exercises in isolation. The other students kept their distance. Whether from the Death Clan's tainted reputation or simple wariness of Raven's sister, Cel couldn't say. 199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡut2At4TtJK
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Night fell.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡecKCFlfbZf
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Cel arrived at the training grounds first, as usual. He'd barely summoned Silent Moon when footsteps announced Hestia's arrival.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRmWRwFpfv2
199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRXr86cUBGS
She crossed to her meditation spot without acknowledgment. Settled into stillness.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLWoiBteYeL
199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrhAZy1KiU6
Cel moved through his forms. The blade traced familiar patterns, his body flowing from one position to the next with increasing fluidity.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEqlxs22IAS
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An hour passed. Then another.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIsg6JTRh4x
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When Cel paused to catch his breath, he glanced toward Hestia's meditation spot. Over the past weeks, she'd been inching nearer. Subtle. Gradual. Never speaking. Never explaining.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCSsELvuugW
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But close enough now that he could hear the faint rhythm of her breathing when the wind stilled. 199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyFJOBqe6r3
199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLwpadv76ra
Why? 199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPu0G9UKk5E
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The only connection between them was Raven. But she couldn't possibly know about his encounter with her brother. Couldn't know about his noble blood, his true identity. 199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiLtmEpdQ8T
199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8CZijp9X0z
All she could see was what everyone else saw - a commoner Moon Chosen with unusually developed muscles and no Divine Essence. He had explanations for both. Nothing remarkable. 199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkaNktS2qB3
199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Y4x34E1nQ
Yet she'd shown interest from the very beginning. From that first day, her crimson eyes had tracked him with an intensity that suggested she saw something others missed.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUxQLToqwLX
199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTqI6U42DIp
‘It couldn't possibly be my looks, right?’199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxD7XM2Ihyt
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Cel's next strike faltered slightly. His eyes cut toward her meditating form - jet-black hair spilling over pale shoulders, crimson eyes closed in concentration, the faint outline of her slender frame perfectly still despite the cold.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhTGoiJ8bLd
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He shook his head and returned to the forms, pushing the ridiculous thought away. 199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnKcRzAYBou
199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡATxY45TjuR
Silent Moon whispered through the air, cutting patterns that had become as natural as breathing.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡctrHddijzs
199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwmdC6Q8kBU
The week wore on. Classes during the day, silent training at night. Hestia's presence became as constant as the moonlight itself - always there, always watching when she thought he wouldn't notice, always inching closer with each passing evening.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEN3ZgJaLkJ
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Whatever she wanted, she kept it to herself.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv7Lren4hyL
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Morning light filtered through the dining hall's tall windows, painting the long tables in shades of gold and amber.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6IPUqZsw7b
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Students clustered near the entrance, voices rising in excited chatter. Cel pushed through the crowd until he could see what held their attention.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiKlUtejiVP
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A board had been mounted on the wall during their off-day.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1YGDFNx9OL
199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3d5cBS0k5R
Names filled it in descending order, each accompanied by a number. The rankings.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy8gi9uWWfB
1234 copyright protection195ＰＥＮＡＮＡEqZTQYvaLJ 尼

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