"Would it be alright if I sat with you?"77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0r4MTIYK4H
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Cel studied the boy standing at the table's edge. The fidgeting hands. The downcast eyes. The way he held himself like an apology given physical form.77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡftl8cUB93x
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"Yes."77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMr1LBDLAv7
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The boy's shoulders dropped slightly - relief washing over features that had been braced for rejection. He set his tray down carefully, as if afraid the dishes might shatter, then lowered himself onto the bench.77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFMOgNTPoUf
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"Thank you," he said quietly. "I'm sorry to intrude, I just—when I saw your mark during the ceremony, I thought maybe..." He trailed off, fingers twisting together. "I'm Lior. From a farming village near the Ocean-Sun border. I've never been to a city this big before, and the dormitory rooms are so much nicer than I expected, with actual beds and—"77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxwgzTjo8O7
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He caught himself, shaking his head. "Sorry. I'm talking too much. I do that when I'm nervous. Which is—well, always, really." A self-deprecating laugh that didn't reach his eyes. 77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzi68vpyBFe
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"Celvian," Cel said.77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbq06EYs21n
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Lior blinked, then offered a small smile. "That's a nice name. Where are you from?"77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtqOmp1jcCE
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"Storm Clan territory. A small village."77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDSwvXAluAk
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"Oh." Lior processed this, his fingers still working at the fabric of his sleeve. "That must be... difficult. Being so close to the Void, I mean."77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqjrlgUxicE
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"It has its challenges."77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwSIAzs4zap
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Lior's gaze dropped to his plate. For a moment, neither of them spoke.77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxwRoqkJ9Z8
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Around them, the dining hall buzzed with energy. Students clustered at tables, voices rising and falling in excited bursts. Every conversation seemed to circle back to the same topic - the princess, her speech, the honor of her presence.77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXzuwtutMjG
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Lior pushed food around his plate without eating, his attention drifting toward the animated discussions nearby. His expression shifted - wistful, almost dreamlike.77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM88GoaItU3
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"She was incredible, wasn't she?" The words came soft, reverent. "The princess, I mean." He glanced at Cel, then quickly away. “I've never seen anyone like her. When she spoke, I couldn't look away. It was like... I don't know. Like the whole world narrowed down to just her voice.”77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe5i6thcKus
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He finally took a small bite, chewing slowly before continuing.77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRCNpM8jeSW
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"And her beauty—" Lior's voice dropped lower, almost embarrassed. "Have you ever seen anyone so beautiful?"77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZvip6IHQ5A
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"No," Cel said.77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj0dW9mdmoa
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The lie came easily. Instinctively.77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTivsd10Ji0
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Compared to Selina, the princess was just another face. Refined, yes. Attractive by any reasonable measure. But beauty that served political purpose felt hollow.77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnvJfi7FD1k
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‘Why chase a beauty when an even greater beauty already resides in my soul?‘77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9akoIYqksS
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Lior's expression brightened at Cel's response, taking it as agreement. "Right? I thought I was being ridiculous, but she's just…stunning."77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk2fNsf1fZa
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He set his fork down, leaning forward slightly. "Do you think... if I joined the Chosen Legion, I might see her again?"77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtsNyw4x6lG
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Cel's attention sharpened. "You want to join the Legion?"77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVd0oidli48
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"I do." Lior's fingers twisted together. "I mean, they're the only ones who might actually take a Moon Chosen, aren't they? The clans want their own, or the most talented ones..." He trailed off, then pushed forward. "But the Legion judges on merit. They accept anyone the gods chose, regardless of talent or... or how useful our blessings are."77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQoWep0Tne
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The Chosen Legion. The Royal House's personal military force. The largest faction in the empire, surpassing even the Great Clans' strength. Unlike the imperial army that fielded common soldiers, the Legion recruited only Chosen. Elite warriors bound directly to the throne.77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBagHRVLSrn
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And at the top of them stood Esrin - the Hallowed who'd nearly killed him.77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRuNKvudEiM
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"What about the Mercenary Guild?" Cel asked.77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBCSLnln5zA
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"I thought about it." Lior's expression flickered with uncertainty. "But I've heard it's... rough. Really rough. The kind of place where they don't care if you survive as long as the contract gets fulfilled.”77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdkrlZVr8dY
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"The Legion's different," he continued, voice firming slightly. "They train you properly. Give you support. Structure." He paused, then added more quietly, "A place to belong, maybe."77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsktpTou4Qi
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Lior smiled - genuine warmth breaking through the nervous energy. He finally began eating properly, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. "What about you? Have you thought about where you'll go after graduation?"77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdWirD70PMA
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"No."77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuO4IEXoWNp
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The honest answer. He hadn't thought beyond surviving each day. The future felt distant, abstract.77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLwtdlTEgy0
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They ate in companionable silence for a few minutes. Around them, the dining hall's energy remained high - students still riding the excitement of the opening ceremony.77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7DckTNxnvG
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Then footsteps echoed from the entrance. Sharp. Purposeful.77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYIlKexGM26
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Conversations died in ripples spreading outward from the doorway. Heads turned.77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8FNYJk6TNl
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An instructor stood at the threshold - a woman in her thirties wearing deep blue robes marked with the Royal House crest. Her gaze swept the room with practiced authority.77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡotMRWLTGA7
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"All students," her voice carried easily across the sudden quiet, "proceed to the main classroom immediately. Leave your trays - staff will handle them."77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBGamWiX2MF
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Benches scraped against stone as students rose, forming loose groups as they moved toward the exit.77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2lD49Zs0o9
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Cel stood, Lior following suit.77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSg2l7du0AF
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They joined the flow through corridors that opened into a different wing of the academy. The main classroom rose ahead - a large structure with high windows and double doors standing open.77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsQ1AnNhcAn
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Inside, tiered seating stretched upward in semi-circular rows. Each level of benches sat perhaps two feet higher than the one before it, creating clear sightlines to the instructor's podium at the room's base. The benches themselves were simple wood, sized for two students each.77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz1NyWXPmag
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Students filtered in, claiming seats without obvious organization. Some gravitated toward friends from the dining hall. Others chose spots near windows or walls.77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp5tKa8XkVV
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The first three rows sat empty - benches crafted from polished wood with cushioned backs, noticeably finer than the plain wooden seats filling the rest of the tiered classroom. No one moved toward them.77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnI6h8mhbzB
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An older student near the door noticed a younger boy eyeing the empty cushioned seats. "Those are for nobles," he said quietly. "Don't sit there."77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmY4wuENe4S
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The boy retreated quickly to the upper rows.77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMOpzEEOMy9
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Lior glanced at Cel, uncertainty crossing his features. "Would you... I mean, if you don't mind..."77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrF6zyic5zu
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"Middle section," Cel said, already moving.77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO2F3DfPgkn
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They climbed the steps to the seventh row - roughly centered in the room's vertical arrangement. Cel took the seat closer to the aisle. Lior settled beside him, adjusting his position several times before finally going still.77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Y3dJU8Dxc
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The room filled gradually. By the time the last students entered, perhaps fifty of them occupied the tiered space.77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqgqdILgoc0
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The instructor from the dining hall entered and closed the doors behind her with deliberate finality. The sound echoed in the sudden quiet.77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpGewUpsmjw
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She crossed to the podium with measured steps, her boots clicking against polished stone. When she turned to face them, her expression was professionally neutral.77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVLE1f6yiRG
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"I am Instructor Saren," she said, her voice carrying the same easy projection as before. "For the next four months, I will be responsible for your theoretical education and ensuring you survive long enough to become functional Chosen."77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJcctQM7rGv
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A few nervous laughs rippled through the seats. Instructor Saren’s expression didn't change.77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVSiDlJnCVE
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"You are commoners," she continued. "Which means you enter this academy with significant disadvantages compared to the noble students who will join you in four months' time. They have been trained since childhood in combat, politics, etiquette, and the proper use of their blessings. You have not."77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8TUpWP5Tc7
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Her gaze swept the tiers.77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgOZ77SPBV6
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"The next four months exist to correct that deficit. To transform you from farmers, merchants' children, and laborers into something resembling proper Chosen. The curriculum is intensive. The expectations are high. Many of you will struggle."77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAiPq5tonR1
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She paused, letting the weight settle.77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9XoDmMQeAM
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"Your daily schedule begins at dawn with physical conditioning. Breakfast follows. Morning sessions cover theoretical knowledge - creature classifications, Hollow Realm geography, divine blessing mechanics, imperial history. Lunch. Afternoon sessions focus on combat training - weapons practice, Authority usage, Divine Energy control. Evening meals. Then additional lessons in literacy, numeracy, and etiquette for those who require them."77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrBuce7Xkb4
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Lior's hand had moved to his sleeve, fingers worrying the fabric. Around the room, other students shifted in their seats.77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ37VNP7P73C
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"You will learn to read and write if you cannot already. You will learn mathematics sufficient to manage resources and calculate odds. You will learn how to address nobility without embarrassing yourselves or insulting powerful houses. You will learn to dance, because court functions require it. You will learn which fork to use at formal dinners, how to bow properly, when to speak and when silence is expected."77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgLTcTpN7GN
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Her tone remained matter-of-fact, but something in the words carried an edge.77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOxEB1r9Yhx
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"When the noble students arrive in four months, you will be expected to know your place in the hierarchy. To show proper deference without needing to be reminded."77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMvtP4l6kuk
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The room had gone very quiet. Even the fidgeting had stopped.77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnJXU9alfom
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"However," Instructor Saren continued, "you are still Chosen. The gods selected you despite your common birth. That blessing carries responsibility. You will be trained to fulfill that responsibility - to stand between humanity and the creatures that crawl through rifts into our world. To protect those who cannot protect themselves. To serve the Empire and its people."77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ0X2kWLruW
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She moved from behind the podium, her posture relaxing slightly.77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVglKzK6rys
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"Your final examination will take place in the twelfth month," Instructor Saren said. "A month-long patrol through rural territories where you will hunt creatures, assist villages, and prove you deserve the title of Chosen. Instructors will supervise, but you will be expected to handle most situations independently. Injuries are common. Deaths, while rare, do occur."77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmhqzC10dTs
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She let that sink in before continuing.77Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsKRwxEXYgq
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"Questions?"1234 copyright protection73ＰＥＮＡＮＡWgx8ZYy9Bj 尼

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