The void dimension’s crackling silence pressed against Cel’s awareness as Silas’s arm settled across his shoulders.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP9Grx4fsXE
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnX9NM83HNC
“This means we won’t see each other for a while,” Silas said, his tone carrying that familiar brightness that somehow never quite matched the circumstances. His grip tightened fractionally, turning Cel toward the manor’s entrance with gentle insistence. “Let me see you off properly. It’s the least I can do before Veyron sends me off to who-knows-where with Wrath’s delightful company.”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDoqSuyHyjN
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbwgZgeMsCY
Behind them, Zara made a sound that might have been disgust or might have been a threat. Hard to distinguish between the two where she was concerned.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAounFhTXoJ
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHtXvdQIEWv
Silas guided Cel back toward the manor without releasing his hold. The door opened under his free hand, revealing the entrance hall’s warm light and polished floors. The interior waited exactly as it had before - mundane and comfortable, completely at odds with the impossible void surrounding it.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsKyhq7GlpH
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOAiOLjF97g
They moved through corridors slowly. Deliberately. Silas’s usual quick energy had settled into something more measured, like he was savoring the walk rather than rushing to complete it.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡypIFQgIohE
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgQhe7Vl7Iv
“So,” he said after several steps of silence. “Four months in the wilderness. That should be interesting.”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgWOrpaNKbK
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpClCbRyOQg
Cel glanced at him. “Interesting isn’t the word I’d use.”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNqw9niLYMU
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBJ6HOaVMIv
“What word would you use then?”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxEoMiOjdgA
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmK9oSUs43o
“Dangerous. Exhausting. Likely to end with someone dead.”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg44omxCcEy
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqkYAODbbOu
Silas’s laugh came bright and genuine. “See, that’s the difference between us. You look at a situation and see all the ways it could go wrong. I look at it and think about all the stories I’ll have afterward.”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM0evxwMxjF
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo67kA60zU1
They turned a corner, passing through a sitting room with furniture that looked like it belonged in a noble estate.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY9AnmlrUYl
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt5MJfX3WLw
“You’ll get to see more of the empire,” Silas continued. “Villages you’ve never visited. Forests that don’t exist anywhere near Stella. And you’ll be protecting people who actually need it - not just sitting in classrooms listening to boring lectures.”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZrkPmFldWH
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgyLkCalL9F
“Besides,” Silas added, his tone shifting to something more teasing. “You’ll have Hestia there. Two months of close proximity. Plenty of opportunities for those feelings you definitely don’t have to develop further.”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZPzDQQF18G
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJhbBSoKiXE
Heat crawled up Cel’s neck. “I don’t—”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5xJGOuUhEY
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdKu854fZpo
“Save it.” Silas’s grin widened. “It’s adorable, really. In a tragic, doomed kind of way.”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWtMV69ZWIu
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1EopIDvZDQ
Cel’s jaw tightened. Arguing would only encourage him. Silence was the better option.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLZVawC5ugN
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYCaHvuQ0TI
They emerged into another hallway, this one leading toward the front entrance. The door waited ahead - dark wood against stone walls, the boundary between impossible interior and impossible exterior.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXsqpFPZ7Uo
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMXLLOONwtT
Cel stopped.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEuvLJ8n6fW
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkpPqMyJxTI
Silas’s arm slipped from his shoulders as he turned to face him fully. Green eyes met his glacial blue ones with that same open friendliness that characterized everything Silas did.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxAZF9cFadV
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxTiTFsxEEO
“Can I ask you something?”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3CsXxAusav
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrcBwV8irJv
Silas’s expression shifted fractionally - surprise flickering across his features before settling back into warmth. “Sure. Ask away.”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFnKgQWt8Sp
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQbf7cQRYZa
The question had been building for weeks. Every interaction with Silas had added weight to it, accumulated evidence that demanded explanation.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDsSK6Rrj3A
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhL8iR7ml8H
“How can you always be so happy?”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUIuiYDijzO
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPVdBXYGYl1
Silence pressed between them. Silas stared at him for a while..10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKluOBeU1AZ
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡza7NFyZO66
Then he laughed.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6RTMBTdc6u
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ijrd2QXPM
Not a small chuckle or brief amusement. Full, genuine laughter that echoed through the hallway and made his shoulders shake with the force of it.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnYuLdDVblU
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyXXKVzbfJZ
Annoyance flared hot in Cel’s chest. He’d asked a serious question. A genuine one. And Silas was treating it like a joke.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡESOaMe7UjX
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQihOOxbflC
“I’m sorry,” Silas managed between fits of laughter. “I’m sorry, that just—“ Another laugh. “You sounded so serious. Like you were asking about the meaning of existence or something.”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8QoW7lbiEJ
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDpt0qPBQHQ
“It was a serious question.”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjikbF5VJda
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1AVvWskEQA
“I know.” Silas’s laughter gradually subsided, though his smile remained wide. “That’s what makes it so funny.”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZOsaG83Xpd
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmaAEgJypPH
Cel’s hands clenched at his sides. “If you’re just going to mock me—”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzCroI4UnBL
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKN1o6m0Xqn
“I’m not mocking you.” Silas raised one hand, still grinning. “I promise. It’s just... nobody’s ever asked me that before. Not like that. With that much gravity.”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuw5IRZRIMu
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeu6MGhEfoK
He took a breath, composing himself. The laughter faded but the smile persisted - bright, genuine and somehow more present than anything else in the corridor.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAGvf2zhN3y
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXXsSjxsZQc
“The answer is simple,” Silas said. “I’m not always happy. Nobody can be.”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYRlhPgJwoF
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡssLH8xEJOT
Cel frowned. “Then why do you act like you do?”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgFjfSGIx9w
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY0hHHFepzq
The question landed with more weight than he’d intended. More accusation. Like Silas’s entire personality was performance rather than genuine expression.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2KfhAid6oC
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsl6p3JdxeI
Silas’s smile remained, but something in his eyes changed. The playfulness didn’t disappear exactly - just shifted, making room for something more serious underneath.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfM6NlRTjg1
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpr9hPnTPnk
“The world is already dark enough,” he said quietly. The brightness in his voice had gentled, become something softer. More deliberate. “And the Reckoning isn’t exactly a beacon of light and joy - we kill people, Celvian. Other Chosen. Humans blessed by the gods. We hunt them down and execute them because the law never will.”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtIsmYg4OXN
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2jy9eRZMVI
His green eyes held Cel’s without wavering.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX9Dzhuofui
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq3FJeieoIG
“So I figure...” He paused, searching for words. “If I can bring a little brightness to that darkness, even if it’s just a fleeting light, then maybe the weight of what we do becomes easier to carry. For me. For the people around me. For everyone who has to live in a world where organizations like ours are necessary.”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4XkhJl5rua
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnFblEHqBA4
The words settled over Cel like a physical thing. Heavy. Undeniable.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzXBN62mgOY
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAk6d0uWWEx
Silas’s smile gained a slight edge - not quite sad, but acknowledging something painful.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoNzVrN7HVs
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvkfyMBw2z5
“Especially in a place like the Reckoning. An organization full of people who sacrifice pieces of themselves to do something good.” He gestured vaguely, encompassing the manor and everything it represented. “Nobody can kill other humans - Chosen or not - without seeing the darkest side of the world first. Without losing something precious.”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtSNteWuun0
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL5acRFsaqq
“Someone has to remind the rest of us that we’re still people underneath all that killing.” He shrugged, like the weight of what he’d just said cost him nothing, though his eyes said otherwise. “Might as well be me then." 10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfkIqnC7i0n
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMRBbMTN3R8
Cel’s throat worked. The truth of it was uncomfortable because it was obvious once stated. Every member of the Reckoning carried damage. Zara’s barely contained rage. The way even Esrin’s warmth felt carefully rationed. The fact that Veyron had built an entire organization around the premise that official justice couldn’t handle corruption among the blessed.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ59c9M7OtoX
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2lkwky0FtB
“So yeah,” Silas continued, his smile returning to full brightness. “I choose to be happy when I can. To joke and tease and make light of things that probably shouldn’t be made light of. Because if I don’t...” He shrugged. “Then the darkness wins. And I’m not ready to let that happen yet.”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNKDEbJ0ZGp
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMzAugmpwZ0
Silence stretched between them.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoqhMHvWtGw
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL3OCvojqly
Cel found himself without words. The admission had weight he hadn’t expected. Honesty that cut deeper than any lecture or instruction could have managed.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKNTd6MiFML
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgc3RviT1Sf
“You should try it sometime,” Silas said, his tone shifting back toward playfulness. “Smiling more often. Might help with that perpetual gloom you carry around.”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWAo3qDKJkz
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKEan2h5xgC
The suggestion landed with surprising sincerity despite the teasing delivery.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLCwBE824MM
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2lCrCzuuG0
Cel considered it. Tried to imagine himself moving through the world with Silas’s brightness. Making jokes during training. Finding levity in circumstances that felt oppressive.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAf51JtaNim
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO7gVic5n0C
The mental image felt foreign. Wrong somehow. Impossible even.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnWLDsvJcOB
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5CWH46ehko
He attempted a smile.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡczvzQIpkBx
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTwtxW9F24Z
His lips curved upward.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjKu1sHBQKR
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe6jF8ZJIM3
Silas’s face transformed into something Cel couldn’t quite name.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjwNwKuiwWa
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIznpoRY93z
“Okay.” He raised both hands quickly, urgency entering his voice. “Maybe don’t do that. Actually. Definitely don’t do that.”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoSxqI85SNr
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmefMdla1eA
Cel’s attempted smile faltered. “What?”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0aidU4UmaG
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvDTxw9r9cj
“That expression.” Silas gestured at his face with something like genuine concern. “That’s... that’s not a smile. That’s what serial killers do right before they murder someone.”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ82Wy0HReDC
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE4YqS5QTKE
Confusion settled over Cel. He’d just arranged his features into what seemed like the appropriate position. How could that be wrong?10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDvyeQDoKFp
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzjSA0g3XDl
“I’m serious.” Silas’s horror hadn’t abated. “If you make that face at the Academy, someone’s going to call the guards.”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJyk0mm5oUT
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV97wikxpPS
Heat crawled up Cel’s neck again, though this time from embarrassment rather than annoyance. He’d apparently failed at something as simple as smiling.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9QlkIOt4Up
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfMehFXeAWT
Silas’s expression softened slightly, though concern still marked his features. “Maybe... work on that. Practice in a mirror or something. When no one else is around to witness the nightmare.”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBfwdDfVa5M
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgHdZAN6uih
Cel let his face return to its usual neutral state. “Noted.”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWIM3xia50y
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3yEVaAKJGz
“Good.” Silas nodded firmly. Then his entire demeanor shifted. The playfulness drained away completely, replaced by something genuine and unexpectedly serious.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9sNfKjKuED
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWSS8FyFcjZ
He extended his hand.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgwkBxlB8P4
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoJRoN7mF1a
“Stay safe, White Death.”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRrfKj4Td2l
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrO8OyprQFJ
The words carried weight beyond their simple meaning. The codename became something more in Silas’s voice. Acknowledgment. Respect. Genuine concern for someone he’d come to consider a colleague. Maybe even a friend.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq4p6BcZ7k1
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD8J2zzmFSc
Cel’s hand moved to clasp the offered grip. Their palms met, fingers closing around each other’s in the formal gesture of warriors parting ways.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMergdU1BYn
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMh7cOdqU0O
“You too,” he said quietly. “Death’s Friendliest Face.”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡunjI9eKMoY
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEvodelhLDO
Silas’s smile returned - softer this time, lacking the manic energy of his usual grin. “I’ll do my best. Though between you and me, Zara’s probably going to try killing me at least three times before this mission ends.”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj1E5AUFnZK
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSBVguycPOu
“Only three?”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbmiRyV0GLg
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfzveb3G4nU
“I’m being optimistic.” He released Cel’s hand, stepping back. “Now go. Before she decides to start early and you get caught in the aftermath.”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHlTaMACwQQ
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOwDOcsh1C1
Cel nodded once. Then he turned toward empty air, reaching inward for that same intent that had opened the rift before.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡefvdtdL7Us
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYknzvFJgAj
Reality tore.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ4fMb9ZcB6
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqEekRngwJb
Violet light bled from the vertical slash that appeared before him, energy crackling across its surface in patterns that hurt to track. The rift pulsed patiently, waiting for him to step through.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd3SRt5thTj
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4R2e2KH4eU
He glanced back once.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvqqKoUfen9
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4wAfhxl5Fw
Silas stood in the hallway, one hand raised in farewell. Still smiling. Still carrying that brightness despite everything he’d just admitted.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYNezrWSdAX
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIFjS9Fg7MT
Cel stepped through the rift.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVMJNgDL91O
1234 copyright protection6ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3zIU48qy8b 尼

216.73.217.123