The void dimension’s crackling silence pressed against Cel’s awareness as Silas’s arm settled across his shoulders.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxisUPLPoiU
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“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.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡswNqDS1mw4
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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.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4NjMHe1JDV
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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.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ79fWkBG1jm
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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.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡybkfFBcTvT
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“So,” he said after several steps of silence. “Four months in the wilderness. That should be interesting.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBg7NlXT7fU
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Cel glanced at him. “Interesting isn’t the word I’d use.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH9lch9Mr2f
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“What word would you use then?”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpv9m10IHdr
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“Dangerous. Exhausting. Likely to end with someone dead.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYorVqP3opQ
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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.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhbgPuDBRkL
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They turned a corner, passing through a sitting room with furniture that looked like it belonged in a noble estate.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTQwQBWdXbZ
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“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.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfaQmXICf5B
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“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.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVmKPHWdNzc
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Heat crawled up Cel’s neck. “I don’t—”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6adxNmd95O
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“Save it.” Silas’s grin widened. “It’s adorable, really. In a tragic, doomed kind of way.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo1JcNHlHO4
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Cel’s jaw tightened. Arguing would only encourage him. Silence was the better option.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmmADH1URYR
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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.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4HtIfoyJ9e
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Cel stopped.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwhLlWPo1TS
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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.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUeiI8NqSwh
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“Can I ask you something?”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ842mV1ns8D
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Silas’s expression shifted fractionally - surprise flickering across his features before settling back into warmth. “Sure. Ask away.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8A8pFbIeDn
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The question had been building for weeks. Every interaction with Silas had added weight to it, accumulated evidence that demanded explanation.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBgD7D97fcM
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“How can you always be so happy?”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSdsHOomK9N
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Silence pressed between them. Silas stared at him for a while..183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDa9njEqvts
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Then he laughed.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO9etIEzjqS
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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.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0iUmWmFS55
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Annoyance flared hot in Cel’s chest. He’d asked a serious question. A genuine one. And Silas was treating it like a joke.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQAUJe8GsCC
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“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.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiXDqqcbNVL
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“It was a serious question.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8iD6tbzIMt
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“I know.” Silas’s laughter gradually subsided, though his smile remained wide. “That’s what makes it so funny.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ865KBoEzZX
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Cel’s hands clenched at his sides. “If you’re just going to mock me—”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSJKSPVx4gJ
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“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.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzrwURMAJrm
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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.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXWqvf5adVp
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“The answer is simple,” Silas said. “I’m not always happy. Nobody can be.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡluAANGpLP1
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Cel frowned. “Then why do you act like you do?”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2sRmgffhE3
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The question landed with more weight than he’d intended. More accusation. Like Silas’s entire personality was performance rather than genuine expression.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpQzBdUmaYD
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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.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRf4aGNIbrJ
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“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.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP2TnEPUqO0
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His green eyes held Cel’s without wavering.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡInIr8co2GN
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“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.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1toROYcomL
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The words settled over Cel like a physical thing. Heavy. Undeniable.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzCBWwCxPum
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Silas’s smile gained a slight edge - not quite sad, but acknowledging something painful.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjEhk3opIqA
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“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.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL9Odj6exMh
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“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." 183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡasoonCWTcy
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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.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDjw8aTqJ6O
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“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.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQRvflD2SYE
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Silence stretched between them.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ07GAPmMLod
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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.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO9XGDUfbjR
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“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.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvS3UVWXt8G
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The suggestion landed with surprising sincerity despite the teasing delivery.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtKwJiEu8H8
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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.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEFdocK5TQX
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The mental image felt foreign. Wrong somehow. Impossible even.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB3mtzSLV9Z
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He attempted a smile.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWYsAZgOkkr
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His lips curved upward.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9y2mwXoQwj
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Silas’s face transformed into something Cel couldn’t quite name.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdOPY4uENsX
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“Okay.” He raised both hands quickly, urgency entering his voice. “Maybe don’t do that. Actually. Definitely don’t do that.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5vyoKb1k5a
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Cel’s attempted smile faltered. “What?”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNQbabkhRfZ
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“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.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTUbq4PuIfu
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Confusion settled over Cel. He’d just arranged his features into what seemed like the appropriate position. How could that be wrong?183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYLXsrKqv4i
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“I’m serious.” Silas’s horror hadn’t abated. “If you make that face at the Academy, someone’s going to call the guards.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpCJg50BKlZ
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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.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlwTHMEUAwO
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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.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO7I52x2VLV
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Cel let his face return to its usual neutral state. “Noted.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4xr9trvG7f
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“Good.” Silas nodded firmly. Then his entire demeanor shifted. The playfulness drained away completely, replaced by something genuine and unexpectedly serious.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZNNDFTab6r
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He extended his hand.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxkCDKYVkbL
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“Stay safe, White Death.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn8n047RrQj
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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.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3rrXOpSJK7
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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.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡunRM7VHMu4
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“You too,” he said quietly. “Death’s Friendliest Face.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkNKMy7BY41
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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.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY8a9Bf8OCp
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“Only three?”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiDLovXNINV
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“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.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyYu53F3OVm
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Cel nodded once. Then he turned toward empty air, reaching inward for that same intent that had opened the rift before.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6WqNqCHZvV
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Reality tore.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAyHp1vp4SH
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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.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIgBO9fbLNw
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He glanced back once.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXTQ8wDNzYp
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Silas stood in the hallway, one hand raised in farewell. Still smiling. Still carrying that brightness despite everything he’d just admitted.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU8ZJFesnTn
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Cel stepped through the rift.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs4dER2VlPX
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