Cel turned slowly, already knowing what he’d find.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ41GNSOa4oY
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG44i29vRSg
Kyros stood at the far end of the hallway, silhouetted against a window. No followers this time. Just him, fire-red hair catching the last rays of sunset, amber eyes fixed with an intensity that promised nothing good.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGt30VxPMBa
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVBfg5O0ElP
“What is a noble of your standing doing in the commoner dormitory wing?” Cel kept his tone carefully neutral. “Surely the facilities in your own quarters are more suited to someone of House Solgrand’s stature.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡezFtOtIX6h
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYh36959zsh
Kyros’s lips curved into something that might have been a smile if smiles could draw blood. He took a step forward, then another, closing the distance with deliberate leisure. “Someone has to maintain proper hierarchy in this Academy.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Xz9TTSdcn
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTpxJGVQF5f
Another step. His boots echoed against wood.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuyddrtlhGJ
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQBBGo4ZZtU
That’s part of a noble’s duty, you know? Maintaining order. Punishing those who step out of line.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeZdgYrDgDa
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYRUXEHvICZ
Cel forced himself to remain still. “I haven’t stepped out of line.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxeHnNRQ5D1
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH2GDzhrdTX
“Haven’t you?” Kyros smiled - cold and sharp. “That little performance in the dining hall. The false agreement. The mockery disguised as deference.” He stopped perhaps five steps away. “Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdgtNB3Ihtf
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIpTU94E7ue
Before Cel could respond, Kyros’s fist lashed out.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMywq8HeQou
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡErn2eVblMS
The punch came fast, meant to connect with Cel’s face with enough force to break something.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt4coG1wc5Q
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPC6W7NXcfA
Cel leaned backward. The fist passed inches from his face, disturbing the air without connecting.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVvfi6MU02i
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvIgvG7XUt5
He didn’t even think about it. His body just moved, instincts and divine enhancement working in harmony to avoid the threat.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIlNZIFg1ky
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡymc0iSQZcO
Kyros’s eyes widened. He stumbled forward slightly from the missed impact, caught himself, spun back around with confusion already hardening into fury.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUdPmQz8B4t
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi6lI2sDPvb
“You—” His voice came strangled. “How did you—”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvYPS2JTzKz
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3wLcsmOSQn
Then the anger transformed. His expression shifted, rage giving way to something calculating. Something that recognized an opportunity.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuMKSxYGQHG
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlaf4aox3yo
His smile returned, wider this time.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf8AOaxyCux
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzT1YA1YFAS
“I see.” The words came soft, almost gentle. “The Moon Chosen is afraid to even take a punch. Of course. Why am I surprised?”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqJt5aXsqEe
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAper5X9bxQ
Cel said nothing. Just watched Kyros with the same flat assessment he’d give a coiled snake.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfpojw7AZgl
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDy20xoPfOU
“You’d probably cry if I actually hit you, wouldn’t you?” Kyros’s tone gained a mocking lilt. “Run to your little priestess and sob in her arms while she tells you everything will be okay.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Bt9D6lI4V
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYe8M40DCXk
The words landed with unexpected weight.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡymZyxvuBsV
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8j7szut7P7
Because… that had actually happened. After the first blessing. He had cried in Selina’s robes, breaking down and letting her see the damage his father inflicted, the weight he carried, the exhaustion of constant survival.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjXt5tH2TNC
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyHegDyBbag
The memory was private. Sacred in its vulnerability. 64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3apB0VLJwS
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJTsMqxiWlx
And Kyros had just weaponized it without even knowing he’d struck true.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdAjUm3LYll
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Wq6Hm0DU3
“Nothing to say? Or are you too busy thinking about running to her right now?”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM2OuHfTwbL
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEO3OUKrKnx
Cel’s hands clenched at his sides. The anger that had been cold and controlled was starting to heat. Starting to push against the walls he’d constructed to contain it.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9UBFEPsAjS
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCYhM7tOGrg
“Tell me,” Kyros pressed forward, sensing blood in the water. “What’s it like having a priestess as your guide? Does she comfort you when you have nightmares? Pat your head and tell you that you’re special?”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXV9VX7juAJ
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxBVirTSLD1
“Stop.” The word came out quiet. Dangerous.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLnrgqbE8DI
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhmCEraxwc4
Kyros didn’t stop.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡObHahwfsyU
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ47daW6wNKW
“Actually, now that I think about it...” He tilted his head, expression turning contemplative in a way that made it worse. “A priestess spending that much time with her Chosen. Alone. Comforting him.” A pause. “I wonder what that comfort looks like.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7AxhOR7rkt
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ09pCAcXgL6
Heat flooded his veins. The hallway's edges blurred, leaving only Kyros's smile in focus. 64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcxZpF8nQeo
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ABx28jnVG
“I bet she’s good at it.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWZ2FLCTqdI
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQsWQ1v1KU
Cel moved.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLkPNIBK0Bf
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp8CxFYzj9R
His hand shot out faster than Kyros could process, fingers tangling in fire-red hair. Kyros’s eyes widened with sudden understanding  - but understanding came too late.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTMfF60Q2Ph
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnJ14jEI9q3
Cel yanked downward with the full force of his divinely forged body, slamming Kyros face-first into the wooden floor with a sound like thunder. The impact was immediate and catastrophic - planks splintered under the force, cracks spreading outward in a spider web pattern.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYxfNXYJqHj
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtK5vfteidV
Then the floor gave way entirely.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKPK4QmfKjO
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaeLQ4KWx5B
Wood shattered. Kyros’s body dropped through the sudden opening, disappearing from view with a cry of shock and pain that cut off as he hit the floor below.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI4AekxdTy9
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Pz3iZ9cpV
Silence rushed in to fill the space.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBg6vWrrTEY
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhfT2Fx2LYl
Cel stood at the edge of the hole, breathing hard, looking down at the damage. Kyros lay sprawled on the floor below, blood spreading from somewhere - his nose, probably, or his mouth. Maybe both.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡforPgXhx4I
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnTdfO1hN7H
Doors opened.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhJdE1hUGwV
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG5tp35xJ3N
The sound came from multiple directions - hinges creaking, confused voices calling out, footsteps approaching from both ends of the corridor.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHZhpupAMBb
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU4v4HMwvVz
“What was that?”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEjEanfkfLd
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuMOHBtZpjO
“Did something break?”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1qXJqEZHQD
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM8hzd9I2Wm
The commotion built rapidly, students emerging from rooms to investigate the noise.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyROEKuBsmH
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF2HYvAD7my
Cel looked down at his hand. At Kyros’s motionless form. At the shattered floor.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkdgqxt60Bt
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtAjdqbXLS1
At the absolute certainty that he’d just created a problem that couldn’t be talked away or ignored.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡemk9x6WEwZ
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPtKQSnJwoK
A Sun Clan noble. Assaulted by a commoner Moon Chosen. In front of witnesses who were already gathering, staring at the hole in the floor with expressions ranging from shock to horror.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIZnWh51uih
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6FDirVpSKN
The weight of it settled over him like a shroud.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpPFhVCLS1e
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeQidcQuHH6
He’d finally done it.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKONaiq16kR
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD3L8CSOctn
After months of control. Months of enduring. Months of carefully maintaining his false identity and suppressing every violent impulse.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA9cJDPPIRV
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN9sIMMjl5y
He’d broken.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9pvNDNAgm4
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCsND2KGZCb
And now there would be consequences.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3jfXLVZ1Sy
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Ju4M3sdOs
Reality crashed back in as someone screamed.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8yj0iKYUBc
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCs01TbCKMR
He needed to move.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHPVA7dmBu1
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGjOlcmYVgR
Needed to—64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRAmS6Vh3r5
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLTjD9zjXEy
His feet carried him to his room without conscious decision. The door flew open under his hand. He stumbled inside, then turned and threw his weight against the door. It slammed shut hard enough that the frame shook. 64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbOq4gIvmE5
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVWsQvepzVk
The lock engaged with a click that sounded impossibly loud.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ18QClOKQQG
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSWLgTSx0Yf
Cel pressed his back against the door, sliding down until he sat on the floor. His chest heaved. His vision kept trying to narrow into tunnel focus and he had to force it back out, force himself to see the whole room instead of just the small circle directly ahead.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlq5XcUin7U
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1SDkWAGSUD
‘What did I do?’64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡedOiwNeJYj
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlowshYwRC6
The thought repeated itself with the mechanical efficiency of something his mind couldn’t quite process.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmcSoflUg6V
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkug6nednIH
Execution. That was the penalty for commoners who attacked nobles. Immediate and absolute. No trial. No appeal. 64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdC5yAVDxOz
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk8pXwWSauM
His breath hitched. The room kept trying to tilt sideways and he had to press harder against the door to feel something solid.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTfzqPBGACi
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxXnzF3ICca
Maybe not execution. Maybe just imprisonment. Life in a cell, which was arguably worse. Trapped in stone and darkness once more - with nothing but time to remember every mistake that had led him there.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNpPK3xyWW6
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoy56HX9rwv
Could he run?64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl9Ug3TozF1
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrZxEyS2cVU
The thought arrived with desperate clarity. Just leave. Disappear into the night before they came for him.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0vfQzsY64G
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQMqkuHPCbe
But where would he go?64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtLN1RZhjJ8
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡehB7SEp9N1
The Stellarion Empire was all that was left of humanity. There were no other kingdoms. No neighboring territories that might grant asylum.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ29lqVIpXg0
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSZ6d0t8amY
He could flee to the wilderness. Try to survive outside civilization’s borders.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡapLZrgvg1c
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnjW8vec6X7
The idea dissolved as fast as it formed. The wilderness was full of rift-creatures. Things that poured through tears in reality and hunted anything that moved. Survival alone out there was suicide.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnKTQD2uqmm
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlOHCS7v8vu
Maybe the Reckoning would help.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8NUghb1TaO
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuVuF67HH7g
His mind seized on the thought like a drowning man grabbing debris.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡemQGURdk1i
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu9pHWLNdQB
They’d recruited him. Vouched for him. Surely they wouldn’t just abandon him to execution. Surely Esrin or Veyron would—64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkp6jjw0FoJ
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaHUzyFWpan
The thought died again.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDgVl5smAn0
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIkP7OdENgd
He knew way too much. About the Reckoning’s existence. About their hideout. About members’ identities. If he was captured, interrogated…64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5FNfog13AQ
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2EjYiwKtND
They might kill him even before he reached a cell. 64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA4FauuqfPa
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4XG5He6wNI
Trusting the Reckoning felt like trusting a blade balanced over his throat.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMVt4WFW6rt
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmnsqnijfab
His hands pressed against his face. The trembling hadn’t stopped. If anything, it had gotten worse.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaAumep4pER
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBV3hTyLDR7
It couldn't end like this. Not before he took his revenge. Not before his father paid, for the life he'd destroyed. 64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Q5gtOKFCy
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCeSrta8Hmx
Moonlight filtered through his window, painting a pale rectangle across the floor.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5soFaWoU98
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnM72kB0KMC
Cel’s head turned slowly, tracking the light’s source. The crescent moon hung visible through the glass, serene and indifferent to everything happening below it.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcR5B9UaFtm
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPXy1alMq8x
How long had he been sitting here?64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3fd5D7bpmm
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr5oaxAUFq5
He couldn’t say how much. Minutes or hours, the distinction felt meaningless. He just sat with his back against the door, breathing through the panic, waiting for footsteps in the hallway that would signal the end.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp7u3OQ8djQ
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLgIumW2F8T
But nothing came.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrnph0gjmCE
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg6VTZ5QFJC
No pounding on his door. No shouted commands. No sound at all except the ambient noise of the dormitory - distant conversations, footsteps on other floors, the creaks and groans of old wood settling.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlqhN9mp6Rq
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuK8XShG9YR
Maybe…64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmSoMrk5tVS
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpzDdl1FvVf
Maybe Kyros had hit his head so hard he didn’t remember. 64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡosucKG51ov
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUOcCpCS4ax
The hope felt fragile. Unlikely. But possible.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡusqzFiMSJh
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM3S6HyMNYW
Cel’s breathing had finally steadied. The shaking in his hands had reduced to occasional tremors rather than constant vibration.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRZlobA468L
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYS6rZDws4C
He could hope. Could believe that maybe, somehow, this wouldn’t end with his death.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE5CG1QC1lq
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvvknlxV044
Footsteps approached in the hallway.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL3U3iiZJAe
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7L9sXtZsU7
His entire body went rigid. Every muscle locked, breath stopping halfway through his lungs.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtm1Hsr9Z1i
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc3yb5jenmJ
The footsteps were measured. Deliberate. Not running. Not urgent. Just someone walking with purpose, their pace suggesting they knew exactly where they were going.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZu1bMmOGrP
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwramMBD9Pe
They stopped outside his door.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUjVUqAV3OU
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEekyNhrPzg
Silence stretched for three full heartbeats.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOIq7TOtMYS
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1AYvdnmrip
Then a knock. Three precise raps against wood.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzC1ZJhXxkh
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8HJ30SQlJ5
“Celvian.” Instructor Saren’s voice carried through the door with perfect clarity. “Open the door. Now.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPqG0SQhHWo
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAI2Fwe5Epk
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNBWYLg6o2K
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeCUnMxva4p
---64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡERIQqEfiML
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqwuPutPG0k
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyRamgCPbLd
​​​​​​​Heyho, Author here!64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ26fCRK10l1
I just wanted to inform you that next monday, I will post an additional chapter on my page again: https://celastos-shop.fourthwall.com/supporters64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhNdltzFAhx
1234 copyright protection60ＰＥＮＡＮＡcF80BaIFh4 尼

216.73.217.123