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.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQNaa4KhF0Q
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“Talk.”170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLxIAFLDS05
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The word came flat. Final. A command rather than a request.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTj79nsWVF7
170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx0mFLVnWWn
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.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPzm1jU6GK7
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He could throw her off. Probably.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6FnWqWh4r1
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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.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaZbOzMIUCr
170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkSgygMrCmw
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.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAk7E6cOEUG
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Could his enhanced body withstand it?170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ35zuBUF7sJ
170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4AIao6bNyG
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. 170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL1D5Moe7n6
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But this was different.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWoXhhzav5M
170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNBaSMwfAWv
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.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡggIdKsIKgI
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But he was certain - absolutely certain - that her weapon was not of Blessed Grace.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWbd6OHQCyz
170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ83IBg7TGp3
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.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDy8JTYX3DC
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But the real advantage lay in artifacts.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Soi2u8ICC
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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. 170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3BH4gCmYga
170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWCZbkqACaK
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.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvvsfgO9COS
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But nobles didn’t need their deities' favor to access higher-tier artifacts.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaipiWetwdQ
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They could simply pass them on. 170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡje6jSufu8B
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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.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYp0WHf5GC1
170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqQxAHU4isp
Most noble children entered the Academy wielding artifacts their families had used for decades. Sometimes centuries.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhtS9ifL3y7
170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq9Atp63qc2
Hestia was a Mortveil. The leading house of the Death Clan. A family whose hereditary gift came directly from their patron god.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP2RlXEObOZ
170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnxn3JVBzD4
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.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrLUzRGzgUS
170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrmXsp5KX3l
His survival instinct had done the calculation before his conscious mind caught up.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgJvQ29HN94
170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEg5fBcTNTO
He had no safe option.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVXu5dcXrYB
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“Talk about what?” The words came out rougher than intended. The blade’s pressure made speaking difficult.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhRQexieF1J
170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL8jrzvEfJ7
“Explain what I saw.” Hestia’s voice carried no inflection. Just cold certainty. 170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTnsN2kyMkq
170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgaHVyKz3QT
A pause. Her weight shifted slightly, and the blade pressed down another fraction.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVuJScfQ0IY
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“And don’t even think about lying. I’ll know.”170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOY8DsaZJ4Q
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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.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcuSv6Je2UU
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If he lied, she would end this in an instant.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXLmj2LFG37
170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNbcccdjl1F
Cel’s thoughts scrambled for purchase. A convincing explanation. Something that would satisfy her without revealing too much.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaMagRe0ueT
170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwh65cchqx6
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.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZd1yz7EQNq
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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.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡADHv3BVSNd
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He could refuse to explain. Stay silent. Force her to either kill him or back down without getting answers.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbyNcFVsP38
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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.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZBAtdrFMex
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And beneath all of it lay the real danger. 170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG6vrKrmVK5
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She’d seen him dying. That alone wasn’t the crisis.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkwVk6P48bQ
170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ77SGJbD352
The problem was that she’d somehow identified his noble birth, thus holding the power to ruin his entire revenge.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1cNwqGioLc
170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ43mFX4Io85
Cel’s jaw tightened. His eyes fixed on hers - crimson meeting glacial blue in the dim light filtering through his window.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4qamuhMllW
170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡchZuQLw6je
No convincing lie came.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2euSqHcZ2V
170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡykuBE5Zi1z
So he told the truth. Part of it, at least.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPk54WKcHow
170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd4QanSeADE
“The boy you saw dying...” His voice came quiet. Steady despite the blade at his throat.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr9mNKGaxLt
170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvs6fcH1gfJ
“That was me.”170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Bh70qIzmo
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Hestia’s expression didn’t shift. No surprise. No satisfaction. Just that same clinical assessment.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5apfJLVpFR
170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP52aioUW8e
“How are you alive then?”170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTfZqDIewiy
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The question was reasonable. Logical. Anyone who’d seen what she’d seen would ask the same thing.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnJzzlL5qMW
170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwbWeXkkTe8
“A trait.” He kept his breathing even, controlled. “It resurrected me. Changed my appearance in the process.”170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwQDZXcrMGT
170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW9Aa3kbAip
Silence stretched between them.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfnqfVaQDhy
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Then Hestia’s lips curved slightly. 170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGBHaCEH5dX
170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSYk763BCfw
“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.”170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNszws76eZ4
170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNakN5ejlWL
“It’s the truth.”170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTkPg7nWGFZ
170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ911V3m3H6B
“Is it?”170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJqh9nesckC
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Cel held her gaze without flinching. 170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ12qSSIQv0l
170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNN5f3VltsP
"Esrin vouched for me, didn't she? Last night. When you called me a demon. Doesn't that count for something?" 170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfn6xkOljjr
170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡswF4jP6XFJ
The blade’s pressure eased slightly. Not removed - just a fractionally less immediate threat of death.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXnsOt8mkQa
170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDAXoObXjhk
“What’s your relationship with her?” Hestia’s eyes narrowed. “The Hallowed doesn’t vouch for random students without reason.”170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiXxt3gmnWG
170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFgvjNq0dfc
Cel’s mind worked through the answer. Truth and lie mixed carefully.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQRH5JoCCHz
170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgg90lPGrrv
“After I came back. After resurrection.” He paused, letting the words settle. “Esrin found me and took me in.” 170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH1Ffqu2ji5
170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkzENmOwslN
Another pause. This one more deliberate. 170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRDeRGPYK1S
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“As her apprentice.” 170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKHtUS2n9Dl
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The addition came after a beat too quick. Unconvincing. A piece of information offered to fill the gap in his story. 170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWhODgyZr0E
170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLFMaFTg6ks
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.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMSrHZxduji
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But it wasn’t the complete picture either.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXJ5H7Xbbh6
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Hestia’s crimson eyes studied him with renewed intensity. Searching for cracks in the story. Testing its weight against what she knew.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVCsVgr7K39
170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMQ9Jlkt2oH
“You can ask her if you want,” Cel said. 170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡprXBZHpTvo
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He was betting everything on Esrin covering for him like she had before. 170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqUiZOt97NV
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Seconds stretched.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡID1ntlk4rF
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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.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwpxw5bZeBK
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Then she pulled the sword back.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdIX9yxhe4d
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The movement was controlled - deliberate rather than sudden. The blade lifted away from his throat, and the cold pressure disappeared.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMISUn3COUR
170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8RKeqjcSHB
“I’ll verify that.”170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCRXKBCoJpr
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The words came flat. A statement of intent rather than a threat.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHo9bxRBlnM
170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs7NGdgLcyt
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.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9P4xpT3ztP
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He sat up slowly, one hand moving to his throat. His fingers came away red. She'd broken skin without him noticing. 170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM4MIaWIc45
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His eyes tracked Hestia as she dismissed her artifact and adjusted her clothing. The crimson longsword dissolved into darkness, fading like smoke. 170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN39mvRNf1v
170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZRVoRmzc85
“Well.” Cel’s voice came dry. “This wasn’t how I imagined my first night with a woman.”170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhphFNSOvia
170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaAkXJGoFoc
Hestia’s eyes cut toward him.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK85pjgDsnb
170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGhS9lShAUr
Sharp. Assessing. A look that could have drawn blood if looks possessed edges.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9P2Se6tro9
170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9z3oamSgj4
She held his gaze for one weighted moment. Then turned and left his room.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlMfp5Kkwhh
170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4WNnQcQsmU
Cel sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the closed door.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ82QNINvGvl
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His heart hammered against his ribs. Adrenaline still coursed through his veins, making his hands shake slightly despite his best efforts to control them.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkBOcUr1FrX
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She was going to ask Esrin.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡztIDd1e78v
170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3f5Eq50iqf
Going to verify his story about being her apprentice. About resurrection and transformation. About all of it.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5q9cQrWk4O
170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCcLzkLRjFK
Would Esrin cover for him?170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ73h0awFeOQ
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She had to.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ63uyxxkJO
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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.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM7jZBVLt93
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His jaw clenched.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2fHYZk5SrK
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He could do nothing about it now.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjf9v828l0W
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Cel lay back down on the mattress, staring at the ceiling.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1WRxlWqUwl
170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGIbTwxDlyr
Sleep wouldn’t come again tonight. Even exhaustion couldn’t override the tension thrumming through his body.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFmmaWp2Ele
170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrgzKraa7dx
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.