The blade pressed harder. Not enough to break skin yet, but close enough that Cel could feel exactly where the edge would part flesh if she decided to finish this. Hestia’s weight settled more firmly across his chest, crimson eyes fixed on his with an intensity that suggested patience was not among her current virtues.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu4Q3kni8kr
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxZuCqhR7Sv
“Talk.”86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHZwNTWG7Rk
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXtspo6RMQ1
The word came flat. Final. A command rather than a request.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhJRHgxdEQH
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡocyYdLXM8E
Cel’s mind raced through options with the cold efficiency of someone who’d calculated survival odds more times than he cared to count. His body was strong - divinely forged, enhanced beyond normal human limits. Lunar Vigor coursed through him even now, the moon’s light filtering through his window providing constant reinforcement.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQQPD6igvZr
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbjcsV2nUR9
He could throw her off. Probably.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcaYePzmwzH
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9xSHYEJlPu
His strength exceeded hers by far. One explosive movement - bucking upward while simultaneously grabbing her wrist - and he could break her positioning. Pin her instead. Turn this confrontation around before she processed what had happened.
The problem was her sword.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUivHiJzj5S
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNNwW7K63AH
That crimson blade rested against his skin, cold and patient. If he moved wrong - if his timing was off by even a second - that blade would open his throat before he completed the motion.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAoGtiFCYkR
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrqshGSA3EP
Could his enhanced body withstand it?86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyllhyJrUg7
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAXxRLpaTub
The question gnawed at him. His flesh was more resilient than normal humans'. He'd taken a punch from a Hallowed that sent him skidding across the wasteland and gotten back up. He'd stood inside Esrin's World Creation while the pressure of it shredded rift-creatures around him into nothing, and walked away coughing blood rather than coming apart at the seams. 86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqWQSH04H47
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsQ98xKxYBj
But this was different.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrSgDnBPjbx
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhPaj2JJvzJ
If her artifact was low-ranked - Blessed Grace like Cinderward - then maybe. Maybe his skin would resist the cut long enough for him to break free.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3soPshjq2Q
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOqcyokXjzq
But he was certain - absolutely certain - that her weapon was not of Blessed Grace.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZkUGGeUSoM
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN8bMiEcG7F
The advantages nobles possessed extended far beyond their cultivation and training. Yes, they inherited larger Divine Essence pools from bloodlines carefully maintained over generations. And they received their Calling with near-certainty that the same deity who marked their parents would mark them.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlBVpS3xFbs
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJCIv3lHH9P
But the real advantage lay in artifacts.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXCyJ7izNWL
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwZF3e71NuW
Most Chosen received a single artifact at their first blessing - a weapon or armor tied to their patron deity, manifested at a grade that reflected the god’s favor for them. For most, Blessed Grace was standard. Functional but unremarkable. 86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJZPtHDUh71
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvVe805GFBV
Cel’s Silent Moon was special. A Heavenly-ranked artifact - third tier, exceptionally rare for a first blessing. That kind of weapon was a gift that came only with divine favor. Only with Selina’s direct involvement.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnTlbxsrGgk
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSKL6w0KrJL
But nobles didn’t need their deities' favor to access higher-tier artifacts.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWbmCo9GwGE
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcrYJIJi9DY
They could simply pass them on. 86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs9h4gqMuRd
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdTJ9FL7C9O
If someone shared the same blood with each other and bore marks from the same deity, they could pass artifacts between them. A father’s old blade could become his daughter’s inheritance. A mother’s treasure could arm her son. Generations of accumulated power flowing through bloodlines like inherited wealth.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnSrUuEuTXE
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0qOR1j6DJ9
Most noble children entered the Academy wielding artifacts their families had used for decades. Sometimes centuries.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzdcyCcu4Xe
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxqc0F7Ofre
Hestia was a Mortveil. The leading house of the Death Clan. A family whose hereditary gift came directly from their patron god.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgkK9OIAeok
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvmx30jZLa5
That crimson longsword at his throat was almost certainly Heavenly-ranked at minimum. Possibly higher. The kind of weapon that would cut through his enhanced flesh like it was paper, divinely forged or not.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp1Ge8p8TZX
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVYlvpXHyCx
His survival instinct had done the calculation before his conscious mind caught up.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOyiB2iAipO
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1kbcdzApoz
He had no safe option.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRH8oYjayvN
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNmNL9l4tdF
“Talk about what?” The words came out rougher than intended. The blade’s pressure made speaking difficult.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYs7Os8xd4M
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd4UPIUJ9Wj
“Explain what I saw.” Hestia’s voice carried no inflection. Just cold certainty. 86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlijdG9xHHG
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWWhewmKTzF
A pause. Her weight shifted slightly, and the blade pressed down another fraction.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoZrN9kjGSk
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpBFO8fURsT
“And don’t even think about lying. I’ll know.”86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDDiDT3o1Kz
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBxeIoibrIT
The threat in those words wasn’t loud or dramatic. It didn’t need to be. Her position, her weapon, her absolute composure - all of it conveyed the message clearly enough.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYcbfPJYfne
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5wZqj7QjKY
If he lied, she would end this in an instant.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡquuuhTNAQK
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzfXV6qmLhi
Cel’s thoughts scrambled for purchase. A convincing explanation. Something that would satisfy her without revealing too much.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ68KUO9YwnK
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9CLUwk3Erk
The vision she’d witnessed when he touched her wrist - him lying broken in ash, pierced by the Ashclaw Ravager, dying alone in the Hollow Realms. She’d seen his death. Seen him as he’d been in those final moments before resurrection.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbRzT6GbGKQ
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWxeJqyjm0y
He could claim it was someone else. A brother, maybe. The lie formed and dissolved in the same breath. Her trait would have felt the connection, knowing without a doubt that he wasn’t selling a story.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXF4ag0uDmW
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTdSvcN08K7
He could refuse to explain. Stay silent. Force her to either kill him or back down without getting answers.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuAX5z3yHeJ
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcsAZhFeFse
But that had its own problems. If she killed him, well. Dead. If she backed down, she’d stay suspicious. Watchful. Waiting for another opportunity to extract the truth.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeZX6oYGf3u
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDOKPTHX40Y
And beneath all of it lay the real danger. 86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡncvybRdXrI
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsHeb0tRCYh
She’d seen him dying. That alone wasn’t the crisis.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQaTFsnLl7Q
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ6dYU0gYMG
The problem was that she’d somehow identified his noble birth, thus holding the power to ruin his entire revenge.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡixh9iCUAYA
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2TGiSox2g7
Cel’s jaw tightened. His eyes fixed on hers - crimson meeting glacial blue in the dim light filtering through his window.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ99LLUj1EPV
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbkwGIowsRS
No convincing lie came.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2yREeQuHTl
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOfR0L9aJdZ
So he told the truth. Part of it, at least.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIrSAQzquSI
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkVoD7KXNWR
“The boy you saw dying...” His voice came quiet. Steady despite the blade at his throat.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡym67tmh7Oo
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡycwdDj08p8
“That was me.”86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtYFApoktIb
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ3pcMkPhwx
Hestia’s expression didn’t shift. No surprise. No satisfaction. Just that same clinical assessment.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTnH8Mo90yQ
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd2W8hSW6c9
“How are you alive then?”86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl3rHjfpPRU
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP995o0IWZT
The question was reasonable. Logical. Anyone who’d seen what she’d seen would ask the same thing.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbTADV2cDHq
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUDY7u0UOrb
“A trait.” He kept his breathing even, controlled. “It resurrected me. Changed my appearance in the process.”86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDM2qAEH49u
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjjYlKgBqWM
Silence stretched between them.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡndeOJW94US
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTZTTfnf8uj
Then Hestia’s lips curved slightly. 86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiKwGecsPYl
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKQ4zxXuEeb
“You expect me to believe that?” Her tone carried disbelief wrapped in something sharper. “A resurrection trait that transforms your entire body? That’s extraordinarily convenient.”86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9AUsSo9O8I
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡThqxrt4F0A
“It’s the truth.”86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkaoAwvUcGq
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8x2xUZeXsz
“Is it?”86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmahmi2dq8j
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuoYYT5Cusd
Cel held her gaze without flinching. 86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ435cizXdur
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡraGOalgtg3
"Esrin vouched for me, didn't she? Last night. When you called me a demon. Doesn't that count for something?" 86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXUkurosLtL
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEEbhUUUlQS
The blade’s pressure eased slightly. Not removed - just a fractionally less immediate threat of death.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Fl6dYkqDE
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmITnTNoK3R
“What’s your relationship with her?” Hestia’s eyes narrowed. “The Hallowed doesn’t vouch for random students without reason.”86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyh6x1P23NF
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWcFGExqKh0
Cel’s mind worked through the answer. Truth and lie mixed carefully.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh6T5VBfW9x
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpGUmYX8liP
“After I came back. After resurrection.” He paused, letting the words settle. “Esrin found me and took me in.” 86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡceo0xl5Nny
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWyo4g1aG8r
Another pause. This one more deliberate. 86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkct6SPi8Du
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQB3k2pc9DK
“As her apprentice.” 86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5fKoHNwZw5
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkuwu9ZBBOx
The addition came after a beat too quick. Unconvincing. A piece of information offered to fill the gap in his story. 86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYKCxOLTRo2
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYtb4cdPZos
He was part of the Reckoning. She’d brought him into that organization. Vouched for him there too, in her own cold way. The apprentice framing wasn’t entirely inaccurate - he trained, he learned, he followed her orders.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ZZcYPAYBb
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW3XIyazYYh
But it wasn’t the complete picture either.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3XjhBIzL9a
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLFnWlwKWrU
Hestia’s crimson eyes studied him with renewed intensity. Searching for cracks in the story. Testing its weight against what she knew.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxskb0VIWDt
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwGXH4qclIJ
“You can ask her if you want,” Cel said. 86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgMMrYqTcUF
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSEViyiGn3A
He was betting everything on Esrin covering for him like she had before. 86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ29aAy6KHv9
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhfzPbl42qu
Seconds stretched.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo1PfIXZ10E
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The blade remained at his throat. Her weight still pinned him to the mattress. Crimson eyes boring into his without wavering.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyBeGGOLlft
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHpJ1gs9rXl
Then she pulled the sword back.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV6aZXu3tdm
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2tbhA9e2T5
The movement was controlled - deliberate rather than sudden. The blade lifted away from his throat, and the cold pressure disappeared.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR7ZJCNztzB
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5GtFpuWfLa
“I’ll verify that.”86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQ0btdJFrh
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaqe6nxsag3
The words came flat. A statement of intent rather than a threat.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrrbH9KCVrb
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfQ2dfwevMa
Hestia stood, her weight lifting off his chest. The release of pressure made breathing easier, though Cel hadn’t realized how much the constriction had affected him until it was gone.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGvtA0rl8pr
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcUNxk0EP3w
He sat up slowly, one hand moving to his throat. His fingers came away red. She'd broken skin without him noticing. 86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnvfufrtBx3
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJvNLqPBslB
His eyes tracked Hestia as she dismissed her artifact and adjusted her clothing. The crimson longsword dissolved into darkness, fading like smoke. 86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKTyZ2tUO05
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnwYWhXyzlD
“Well.” Cel’s voice came dry. “This wasn’t how I imagined my first night with a woman.”86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb8LyEqB60i
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDk3KaYlVFA
Hestia’s eyes cut toward him.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8zPpQxcA5v
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkFKRwKL2RM
Sharp. Assessing. A look that could have drawn blood if looks possessed edges.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3O6ELOburi
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuzADp05aMf
She held his gaze for one weighted moment. Then turned and left his room.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFSttVYWJ3G
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGpJyEd7upp
Cel sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the closed door.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡotOWMQCn1M
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvYX6qkDEkC
His heart hammered against his ribs. Adrenaline still coursed through his veins, making his hands shake slightly despite his best efforts to control them.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKWca2r3mVC
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd5aW8VwQH5
She was going to ask Esrin.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiQYgbwU7Zw
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBF0ZwQPAje
Going to verify his story about being her apprentice. About resurrection and transformation. About all of it.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ5Nffib8hl
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnpSKXCgKZP
Would Esrin cover for him?86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLt4N6P1iAe
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKFq5rC9vcK
She had to.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZbdNDVuuqI
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIKEJp32TGG
The alternative was exposure. The Reckoning’s connection to him revealed. His noble identity potentially uncovered. Everything he’d built since arriving at the Academy collapsing.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIUnTA16szs
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEYTQ1DWO55
His jaw clenched.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxbpKC3Bc8q
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡibCo5DLVlr
He could do nothing about it now.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTHJF5bpZrI
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz93CEBXJST
Cel lay back down on the mattress, staring at the ceiling.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8p2OZRKJxM
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkTsLtrt3z6
Sleep wouldn’t come again tonight. Even exhaustion couldn’t override the tension thrumming through his body.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZyNRuJ4j3b
86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTNXb0lfOg1
So he just lay there in the dark, listening to his own breathing, and wondered if he’d just made everything infinitely worse.
and then Add to home screen.