The door swung inward on leather hinges that creaked with use, revealing an interior that took Cel's eyes a moment to adjust to. The main room served every function a household required - a kitchen area squatted in the corner, a worn table with four mismatched stools occupied the center. Two doorways led off from it, curtained rather than doored, leading to the sleeping rooms beyond. Possessions were few - some clothes hanging from pegs, a few cooking implements, a basket of what looked like herbs. 126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTsMAS6mJAC
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Cel stood in the doorway, taking it in.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy2z1iRAFQb
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He’d grown up surrounded by luxury. Marble floors polished until they reflected like mirrors. Tapestries imported from various territories. Rooms whose sole purpose was looking impressive when guests visited. Even the servants’ quarters in his father’s house had been larger than this entire structure.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi0OtmEVLpm
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But he also knew the other side. A year in a cell barely wide enough to lie down in had reset his understanding of space. Traveling through the Hollow Realms without shelter of any kind had made even the cell seem comfortable in comparison. 126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJChAbPVmJd
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He understood now why Lior had been so pleased with his Academy room. Why he’d treated it like a gift rather than the basic accommodation it was. 126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfAYaWHyGqK
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Because compared to this… it was something else entirely.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8um915hL0P
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“Sit, sit.” Lior’s mother gestured toward the table, already moving toward the cooking area. “You boys must be hungry after your journey.”126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwjvoK8WPzO
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Lior practically bounced to the table, his earlier tears forgotten in favor of barely contained excitement. He dropped onto one of the stools, patting the one beside him. “Here, sit here.”126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrmLt7HEMQD
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Cel followed, his armored boots quiet against the packed earth. The stool creaked slightly when his weight settled onto it.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGjdigGBe0D
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Lior’s father took the seat opposite, his weathered face carrying an expression that seemed caught between pleasure at his son’s return and uncertainty about how to interact with him.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7N7qwQyu70
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Silence settled over them. Cel’s attention drifted around the space again, cataloging details. A shelf near the entrance held perhaps a dozen jars - preserves, he guessed, or dried goods meant to last through seasons when fresh food was scarce. The clothes on the pegs were mended in multiple places, patches covering patches in some cases.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡso3La0wGMw
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A pot hung over the cooking fire, steam rising from whatever simmered inside. Lior’s mother stirred it with a wooden spoon worn thin at the edges, then began ladling contents into wooden bowls that didn’t quite match each other.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt3q5eABXY6
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They had nothing. Less than nothing by the standards he’d been raised with. But the space held something his childhood home never had - a particular quality he couldn’t name.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdkIZmBrDC0
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Warmth, maybe. Though that word felt insufficient.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWfLjLHTdOZ
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Lior fidgeted beside him. His hands moved restlessly across the table’s worn surface, tracing patterns in wood grain with one finger. 126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ975TK3PTWM
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His mother approached carrying bowls, distributing them with a smile. One for her husband. One for Lior. One for Cel, placed before him with careful attention.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7keglEl6jD
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Then she settled onto her own stool and glanced at Cel, something uncertain flickering across her features. “I hope it tastes well enough for you.”126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnTgwARcqdO
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The words carried weight that went beyond simple hospitality. She was apologizing, Cel realized. For the meal’s simplicity. For not being able to offer something better to a guest.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB08cCM7CSg
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Cel lifted his spoon. Brought it to his lips. Let the liquid touch his tongue.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiOu0KuH6Vf
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Nothing. The same nothing he’d tasted for over a year now. He might as well have been drinking water.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9r7BrPsNC4
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“It tastes great,” he said.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhNUyX4Oirl
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Lior’s mother’s face brightened immediately. Relief transformed her features, worry dissolving into genuine pleasure. “I’m so glad.”126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS9MxHKZCWx
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She turned her attention toward her son, her expression shifting into something warmer. “So. Tell me about the Academy. How has it been?”  126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLn0vN0ZDgX
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Lior straightened immediately. His sky-blue eyes lit with enthusiasm that made him look younger, more open than the anxious boy Cel usually saw. “It’s amazing. The buildings are huge - stone construction with these high ceilings and windows everywhere. And the training grounds...” He gestured expansively, soup forgotten. “They’re massive. Enough space for a hundred people to practice at once.”126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡleTgJKZzVO
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His father leaned forward slightly, attention fully captured. His mother watched with an expression that held pride and hunger in equal measure - desperate to hear everything her son had experienced.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbGQSg794W3
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“The instructors are strict,” Lior continued. “Especially Instructor Saren. She doesn’t let anyone get away with half-measures. But they taught us a lot of things.” He paused, taking a breath. “And we met Esrin. The actual Esrin. She came to the Academy.”126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiQBQZ3Eu6B
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“The Hallowed,” his mother whispered. “You met the Hallowed?”126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeJYZ5S4eld
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Lior nodded vigorously, his excitement building now that he had their complete attention. “She’s even more incredible in person. The way she carries herself, the presence she has - you can feel it just standing near her. Like the air gets heavier.”126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZFkOLph9iA
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Cel continued eating - apparently the only one still moving. His spoon scraped against wood, liquid disappearing with mechanical regularity.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9N2nlbztWN
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Lior had moved on to other topics now. The Academy’s library, which apparently had more books than Lior had known existed. The dining hall’s food, which he described with the enthusiasm of someone who’d rarely eaten his fill before arriving there. The dormitories with their individual rooms and equipment.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyeQTl7zI7T
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“And I learned so much,” Lior said, his voice taking on pride that hadn’t been there before. “I can write and read now.”126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQtAMZ7nSsz
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His parents stared at him.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdesKaUqE57
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“Properly,” Lior added quickly. “Not just my name or basic words. Actual reading. Entire books. And writing - sentences and paragraphs. Everything.”126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvS5XMfGE52
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His mother’s eyes filled with tears. She pressed her free hand to her mouth, trying to contain emotion that had nowhere else to go.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3MmgvyG5UB
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His father’s jaw worked, throat moving in a visible swallow. “That’s...” His voice came rough. “That’s incredible.”126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNbn2bxUgaa
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“It was hard though,” Lior admitted. The vulnerability in his tone made him sound even younger. “I struggled with it a lot. The letters wouldn’t make sense sometimes, and I’d mix them up, and everyone else seemed to understand faster than me.” He paused. Then his gaze cut toward Cel, something bright entering his expression. “But Cel helped me. Spent hours going over the same lessons until I finally got it.”126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdy66bgqMjM
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Heat crawled up Cel’s neck. He focused on his soup with increased intensity.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ41iCUMwGE
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“And he’s amazing at everything else too,” Lior continued, apparently oblivious to Cel’s discomfort. “He’s ranked fifteenth in combat standings. Fifteenth out of forty students, and all the ones ranked higher are nobles who’ve been training since they were children.”126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXMSORfpCle
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His mother turned toward Cel with an expression that had transformed into something approaching wonder. “Really? You must be exceptionally talented.”126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyyHxov1VYs
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Cel kept his eyes fixed on his bowl. Wishing desperately for this conversation to move in literally any other direction.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDRffJOiL0O
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He wasn’t talented. Wasn’t exceptional. The ranking existed because his body had been divinely reconstructed, because the Moon Goddess had given him physical capabilities that exceeded what training alone could produce. 126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnIU0A1ebFg
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Everything Lior was praising - the strength, the ranking, even his ability to explain concepts - none of it came from being good at anything. Just from having been broken and rebuilt enough times that some useful pieces remained.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzSOF3A6uDv
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“Your food’s getting cold,” Cel said, cutting across whatever Lior had been about to add. His tone came sharper than intended, desperation bleeding through despite his attempts at control.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡygYUVusYKU
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Lior’s mother glanced down at her bowl. Then her face shifted into something amused, a quiet chuckle escaping. “You’re right. Can’t let good food go to waste.”126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqC2pmFWOwN
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She picked up her spoon again, and the others followed her lead. Conversation died back to comfortable quiet, interrupted only by the scrape of wood against wood and occasional small observations about the meal.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu3yTIjhNKD
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Cel forced himself to continue eating with steady rhythm. Tried to ignore the way Lior kept glancing at him with that pleased smile, like he was satisfied with having properly introduced his friend.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjr92d3YUE3
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Eventually the bowls emptied. Lior’s mother collected them, stacking them beside the cooking area for later washing. The meal concluded with the kind of comfortable silence that came from people who didn’t need constant conversation to feel at ease with each other.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhlvjYit5yh
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Then Lior straightened suddenly, his expression brightening with remembered purpose. “Oh! I almost forgot.”126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhtUaYKKJtW
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He pushed up from his stool, crossing to where his bag leaned against the wall. His hands dove inside, searching.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo0bIR8uebT
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Cel watched him rummage. Watched him pull out two cloth-wrapped shapes - the necklaces they’d purchased in Stella’s market. The ones with crescent moon pendants.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ZNT9Y3OIR
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Lior returned to the table, holding one necklace out to each parent. “I got these for you.”126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeUUGt2waia
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His mother took hers with trembling fingers. Held the crescent moon pendant up to catch firelight, the silver gleaming dully. Her eyes filled with tears again. “Lior, this is beautiful.”126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWUlj2oBoML
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His father accepted his with more composure, but emotion lived plainly on his weathered face. He turned the necklace over in his rough hands, examining it with the careful attention of someone assessing value.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR8kEKLqUfr
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They put them on immediately. His mother fastening the clasp behind her neck with practiced efficiency, his father fumbling slightly with the mechanism before getting it secured.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWzP7yRAuI9
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Then his mother pulled Lior into another crushing hug, his face pressed against her chest. “Thank you, my sweet boy. Thank you.”126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8PEdihlXNp
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Lior pulled free from his mother’s embrace, his face flushed with pleasure. Then he reached into his bag again, pulling out something different this time.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz4KHDkJ5XW
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A leather pouch. Heavy enough that it landed on the table with a solid thunk when Lior set it down.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCjwXeBVeUO
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“This is from the Academy,” Lior said.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwnTWz9ojsL
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His mother opened it. Looked inside. Went completely still.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlaNuc7sw0O
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His father leaned over, peering into the pouch. His expression froze as well, eyes widening with something approaching shock.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjLzokjYEDL
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The silence stretched. Neither of them moved, both staring at the contents like they couldn’t quite process what they were seeing.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsrckHpmNA3
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Cel understood why. He’d watched similar reactions before - servants confronting amounts of money that existed outside their imagination. The pouch probably contained more wealth than they’d seen in one place in their entire lives.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq69MQW2Gl4
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For most commoner families, having a child become a Chosen was considered a blessing specifically because of this. The financial support. It could lift entire families out of poverty.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiIHlqaQTmt
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“This is...” His mother’s voice had gone faint. “This is too much. You should keep this for yourself.”126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAgvKqoLmFx
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“I bought what I needed,” Lior said quickly. “The rest is for you. I want you to have it.”126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGoY6iuSwdf
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His father found words too. “Did you really buy something for yourself?”126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFqH7PzfG9C
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“Yes.” Lior’s response came firm. “Clothes, supplies, everything I needed. This is extra.”126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLOEhPK2AZu
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His father studied him for a long moment. Then he closed the pouch carefully, tying it shut with deliberate movements. “Then we’ll accept it. Gratefully.” He paused, his weathered face serious. “But keep some for the journey. You’re traveling to a major city - you’ll want money for proper meals, for anything unexpected that comes up.”126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSdVVhGOex3
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Lior nodded, relief visible in the way his shoulders eased.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡprKk0cB5d2
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His mother had begun crying again, quiet tears that she didn’t bother wiping away. She reached across the table, taking both of Lior’s hands in hers. “You’re a good boy. Such a good boy.”126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEKIATUUUTA
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The moment stretched. Then she released him, turning her attention to practical matters with visible effort at composure.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQOdEpOpEC2
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“It’s getting late,” she said, her voice still thick with emotion. “We should prepare for bed. You boys must be exhausted.”126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxxK4JJ1QqR
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She rose, moving toward the sleeping rooms. “Lior, you’ll sleep with us tonight. Celvian, you can have Lior’s bed.”126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv87siS6YXH
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Lior opened his mouth—126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEW4AgEjXqk
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“I won’t hear arguments,” she said gently. “We haven’t seen you in months. Let me be selfish tonight.”126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1YWzr4sXvb
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Lior’s face softened. He nodded, accepting without further protest.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvoQ7a0EIPY
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Cel stood, retrieving his own bag from where he'd dropped it near the door. Then moved to a small room that apparently was where Lior had slept. The pallet looked thin - just straw stuffed into cloth, a single blanket folded at its foot. But he'd slept on worse. Much worse. 126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcAiqzoHiVr
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They moved through evening preparations with quiet efficiency. Bags arranged. Clothes changed for sleeping. The lamp extinguished, leaving only moonlight filtering through gaps in the walls.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOZ4SUJuy2Z
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Cel settled onto the pallet, the straw crackling beneath his weight. 126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUgTiJ7TY0q
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Silence filled the space. Comfortable and complete.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqt8NDATRu2
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He stared at the ceiling. At wooden beams that had probably been there longer than he’d been alive. At shadows that shifted slightly as clouds moved across the moon outside.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXm06JDI3sV
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His chest still felt tight. That same pressure from earlier, refusing to dissipate despite the day ending. He couldn’t name what it was - couldn’t organize the feeling into something comprehensible.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMMgrJTdRAP
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But lying there in the darkness, listening to the quiet breathing of Lior’s family, he thought he might understand.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhvVwYv7xbv
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‘So this is what a family looks like…’126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTv3oTceSTJ
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