“In my eyes…” She paused for a moment, holding his gaze. “You’re a lost cause.”146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbdOE90ul0X
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The assessment hung in the air between them. Final. Absolute. Delivered without malice but without comfort either.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxqlPEWctAN
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡll94ZgTzom
“Thank you,” Cel said. “Very motivating.”146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzoX6jXZprr
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMcELmBfPXt
Hestia raised one eyebrow. “You wanted my opinion. Not comfort.”146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAMTPFONtvl
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡolCafqfy18
“I know.” The acknowledgment came flat. Because she was right, as usual. He’d asked for honest assessment, received exactly that, and now had no grounds to complain about the answer being unpleasant.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnR4ujSGVKs
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She turned back toward the path, resuming her steady pace without waiting to see if he followed.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz4JqfQFZVm
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzibS7Jdrh5
Cel watched her back for a moment - the wine-red ribcage frame stark against black robes. Then his feet carried him forward, falling into step behind her.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0dExzhu75X
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjr5hKLP9TH
The forest deepened around them as morning stretched toward afternoon. Sunlight filtered through leaves overhead in scattered patches that painted the ground in shifting patterns. Birds called from branches they couldn’t see. Somewhere distant, water ran over stones with the patient sound of a stream that had been following the same path for centuries.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjuIzXX8LAn
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ35SaT0Ou4c
Cel’s thoughts circled endlessly, chewing on problems without finding solutions. Lost cause. The words kept returning, pressing against his consciousness with uncomfortable weight.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcNzfGHPOZZ
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvMguDO6CYO
But what else was new? He’d been a lost cause since the moment his father decided the Moon Goddess’s mark made him worthless. Since the Children of the Voidmother discarded him and threw him into a rift. Since he became a Chosen One without a single drop of Divine Energy flowing through his body. 146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCim5eNDWMO
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Lost causes were his specialty, apparently.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQRyBgvca0n
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXTywJTPuan
Undergrowth pressed close on both sides - ferns and low bushes that rustled when wind moved through them.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvzwBAf8tZl
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdAx85IXvRe
Occasionally Hestia would stop. Pull out her map, orient herself against visible landmarks, to confirm they hadn’t strayed from the route. Cel would wait a few steps back, giving her space to work.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwfOVcsCTnT
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡibVqZNskhe
Then she’d fold the map away and continue walking.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHluk0s5B9G
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVqukaQdk2V
The silence between them felt less hostile than contemplative. Like they’d both said what needed saying and now existed in the aftermath, processing individually rather than together.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYRxr3iEKD1
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxDeDwvJMJS
Afternoon wore on. The sun tracked across the sky in its patient arc, shadows lengthening and shifting direction as hours accumulated. Cel’s body registered no fatigue, but his mind felt heavy. Weighted by thoughts that refused to organize themselves into anything useful.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc920umiWUh
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbwWlIqKihb
Eventually the light began fading and the path widened. Trees thinned slightly, creating a natural clearing that looked deliberately chosen - flat ground, good sight lines, close enough to a stream that water sounds carried through the undergrowth.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZsYMTZf9dW
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOV9DyxaKmB
Other students had already arrived. Perhaps two dozen, scattered across the clearing in loose groups. Sleeping bags spread on the ground. Bags leaned against trees. The quiet conversation of people who’d spent the day navigating unfamiliar territory and encountering whatever the forest had thrown at them.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnlcrAqhCVG
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFRCJwXQsHO
Heads turned as Cel and Hestia entered the clearing. Gazes tracked toward them with varying degrees of curiosity and wariness, lingering on Hestia before cutting away.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡipdUt3lqFD
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcUMQRibLCp
She moved to the clearing’s center without hesitation, already pulling a notebook from her bag. Her voice carried across the space with practiced authority. 146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIoIw29PRcV
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHXWXNQi7wU
“Group leaders, report to me. Everyone else, begin gathering firewood and setting up your sleeping areas.”146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJvN4xyrNfz
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGEnXBUufem
The clearing shifted into organized motion. Students who’d been sitting rose and dispersed toward their assigned tasks. Group leaders converged on Hestia, forming a loose semicircle around her as she began recording information.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ59XTEFMRfJ
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt0oE15TFtZ
Cel left her to it. His eyes found Lior almost immediately - wheat-blond hair catching the fading light, standing near the clearing’s edge with his sleeping bag already rolled out on the ground.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9NluAa1Soj
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6iR1mB1fBl
Relief flickered across Lior’s face when he spotted Cel approaching. “You’re alright.”146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2OjvRDLh2d
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡihRb5pMOv2
“Of course.” Cel unslung his bag, dropping it beside Lior’s chosen spot. “Why wouldn’t I be?”146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvQJKXg2DGr
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡneDUzTnavL
“I don’t know. I just...” Lior gestured vaguely. “Worried. That’s all.”146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8l3bYN2QwP
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEn51bm0Kks
Cel pulled his own sleeping bag free and spread it on the ground. The action felt oddly domestic. Settling in for the night like this was normal, like they weren’t surrounded by wilderness that wanted them dead.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5FTctn0Lrc
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtD2rIKkN4n
Around them, other students moved with similar purpose. Sleeping bags appeared across the clearing in clusters that roughly matched the groups Hestia had assigned. Firewood accumulated in a central pile. Someone had found stones and begun arranging them in a circle for the fire itself.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf5RgO3tE3J
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0p3t8TNdCC
Eventually Hestia finished with the group leaders. They dispersed back to their respective clusters, carrying whatever instructions or corrections she’d provided. She surveyed the clearing once, crimson eyes tracking across the various preparations, then moved toward the growing pile of gathered resources.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMtjsB7QNuC
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpYA794m3SD
Students had contributed what they’d found during the day’s travel - wild vegetables, edible roots, a few mushrooms someone had managed to find. 146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZXOhS68oG8
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAOnJqycjTn
Hestia examined the collection with the same analytical attention she applied to everything. Then she straightened, her voice carrying across the clearing. 146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjlbPE3c0pn
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg458fhvnkX
“I’ll cook tonight.”146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdEnkSIa7oB
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOaMgJJly8j
Silence dropped like a stone.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZfwQTjovgq
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Every conversation died mid-word. Students turned to stare at her with expressions that ranged from confusion to outright disbelief.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpklLOgG215
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR4TWZOLnY2
A Great Clan heir. The future leader of the Death Clan. Someone who’d been raised with servants handling every domestic task. Offering to cook for commoner students.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw0sDrEb4ba
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No one objected though.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8MJayo34fA
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What could they say? That she wasn’t allowed to cook because of her birth? That nobility made her incapable of preparing food?146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHELibHDqHV
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8pDkyA2pz9
Hestia ignored the stares. Just began organizing ingredients with economical movements, sorting vegetables, setting aside items that required different preparation.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQxNBENoT48
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBQ5OR6YmZO
Cel watched for a moment, then found himself moving toward her. 146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTKqOdIS6DF
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4vtb28XL2W
She glanced at him briefly. “Your help is not needed.”146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtv69LS2n9t
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgLvW4orF6M
“I’m not offering to help.” Cel leaned back slightly, making his position clear. “Just watching.”146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2yWRr3oRII
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVZty2emRMp
Hestia’s lips twitched. Almost a smile. Then she returned her attention to the ingredients.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡexK0upA4Gc
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8XNpXsNJ85
The fire had been started by then. Flames crackled and popped, throwing heat and flickering light across the clearing as darkness settled more fully. Someone had produced a pot - standard Academy issue, distributed with their bags - and set it over the flames on a makeshift stand of green branches.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡThgX9Kv0Fv
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5cDKwcT0er
Hestia worked with the kind of practiced efficiency that spoke of repetition. Her hands moved without hesitation.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYEADzNfm7j
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡouNv50SQ0U
Cel found the display oddly mesmerizing. Not the cooking itself exactly. More the contradiction of watching someone whose entire existence should have been sheltered from practical skills demonstrating clear competence at something mundane.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrVH7T0df9j
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJTUgSIOFJN
“How do you know how to cook?” The question emerged carefully. “That’s not something you usually learn as a noble.”146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3MTdtSV1Xs
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaH34eLF8SJ
Hestia’s hands stilled for just a moment. The knife paused mid-cut, blade catching firelight at an angle that made it gleam like liquid gold. Then she resumed the motion, finishing the vegetable before responding.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWXl0GVy6je
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFQief9bVwV
“You can take it as a family tradition.”146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5bQp3hfhfW
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXxlNwoHVog
Cel waited, but she didn’t continue. Just transferred the diced vegetables into the pot with methodical efficiency, then reached for the next ingredient.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7rGyS5jhyO
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoBm3KEGPvb
So Cel let it drop.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeUFFogmfxV
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The cooking continued. Water added to the pot, seasoning from small pouches that Hestia must have brought specifically for this purpose. The smell began shifting - raw vegetables giving way to something richer as heat transformed ingredients into actual food.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo3nis9DnKE
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ020OwkgWc2
Eventually Hestia filled two bowls from the pot and held them out toward him.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGyrXKLP5ce
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“Here.”146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ96i3TUZxhp
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Cel took them, fingers wrapping around warm sides. “Thank you.”146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkoWBkVuSVb
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHgwpvxxUDP
She nodded once, then returned her attention to serving others. Students had begun forming a loose line, drawn by the smell and the promise of hot food after a full day’s travel.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKXlfrvD02i
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Cel stood, careful not to spill, and picked his way across the clearing to where Lior waited.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSpxQ20IfbQ
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4GQL60Oi7K
He had already spread out fully - sleeping bag opened, bag positioned as a makeshift pillow, the careful arrangement of someone settling in for the night. He looked up as Cel approached, relief evident in the way his shoulders eased.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡexnkPPX4ga
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡabxwFo3SD5
“Thought you’d forgotten about me,” Lior said. 146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTxSEOpHx3x
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ikkuso4F8
“Never.” Cel dropped down beside him, handing him a bowl.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsquw4XfZFS
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They ate in comfortable silence for a few minutes.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdec367tORE
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Around them, other students engaged in similar rituals. Small groups clustered together, sharing meals and conversation. The clearing had transformed from a bare space into something almost communal. Temporary home for people who’d been strangers months ago.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡClbsXD7Rhj
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk1Cfgriilw
“So.” Lior’s voice broke through Cel’s thoughts. “What did you do?”146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡax7iiWsvQx
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4iOWV8aGTE
Cel glanced at him. “What do you mean?”146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡejhIRXJa85
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcuo7cZOQSs
“To end up walking with Lady Hestia.” Lior’s sky-blue eyes held accusation and concern in equal measure. “What did you do this time?”146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmokQYOln2e
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“Nothing.” The answer came instantly.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHAIecTcLNf
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOGTpYeyrFl
“Nothing.” Lior repeated the word like he was tasting something unpleasant. “You want me to believe that?”146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNiEVrKf2L9
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“Exactly.”146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg0lZ1Ckeff
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX389uV6AZk
“Swear it then.” Lior set his bowl down, giving Cel his full attention. “Swear on the Moon Goddess that you did nothing.”146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7u9gxhY8zc
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡocCdgbNEPU
The demand landed with unexpected weight. Because the Moon Goddess was Cel’s patron deity. The source of his blessing and mark. Swearing falsely on her would be the kind of blasphemy that even he wouldn’t attempt.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYpAOjP1wRZ
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI1CmPl0aDi
Cel opened his mouth. “I swear on the Moon Goddess that—”146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTSXlbHFu07
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The words cut off.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvk6mDq1spk
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His mind supplied an image of him attacking Hestia. When she figured out that Cel is a noble.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJFwEZQYlHy
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He’d tried to kill her.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡenuSdmYMlz
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So it wasn’t exactly accurate to claim he’d done nothing.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJeKuO23xic
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM873uLqIFM
The pause stretched too long. Lior’s expression transformed from suspicion into vindication.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmUrqToSGOk
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDjN9L2pXIr
“I knew it,” Lior said. “You did do something.”146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQUvVOzwCM4
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBBccAyX1ee
“It’s not—” Cel searched for words. “It’s complicated. But we’re on good terms now. I promise.”146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUBO9N2HFhu
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyDL3Aza5Ps
“Good terms.” Lior’s skepticism was palpable. “With a Great Clan heir?”146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHGJFvX3p2G
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW8ZFR1u7Fc
“Yes.”146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd5uExTm6b5
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“And how exactly did you achieve these ‘good terms’?”146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVje4RkB8XF
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoPDGkAInzR
Cel considered. “We’ve spent time together. Gotten to know each other. We even shared a bed once.”146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk0q4FIlNEO
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5mrWbqdj7R
Lior went completely still. Not just quiet. Frozen. His eyes wide, mouth slightly open, muscles locked into place.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpci6DEb9hY
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡglw8b1QC0W
Confusion flickered through Cel. Had he said something wrong?146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5T7w871QPf
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Then he followed Lior’s gaze.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBdKsn9JmmF
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Turned slowly.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLc6yVcLwiK
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Hestia stood directly behind him. Perhaps three steps away, close enough that she’d definitely heard every word. She held a bowl in one hand, steam still rising from its surface, her crimson eyes fixed on Cel with an expression that he couldn’t quite read.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLJ7cABjajT
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFPEcJ9x0Ph
Her jaw set in a line that suggested she was reconsidering several life choices.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHFKg9yHIca
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKslpa1t7vS
Then Hestia turned. Walked away without a word, her black robes swirling around her legs as she moved back toward the fire with deliberate, controlled steps.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRUrabvRb3c
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡztkw2nLv9S
Cel stared after her. His mind caught somewhere between recognition and denial, unwilling to accept what had just happened.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4b4ljM49i3
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhZK7TfJ8XF
He turned back to Lior slowly. “I screwed up, didn’t I?”146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDdwI38kR5m
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnRXblW3ZeS
Lior just stared at him. His expression suggested that “screwed up” was a vast understatement.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDlHYrL1JJZ
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ7ZnHyAJ8N
“So much…” Lior said finally. “You screwed up so much.”146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8hG69W2D0d
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