"Hey trash."57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8IQ1bQVyXD
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIFNzscD8t5
Cel's hands stilled on his fork.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlUBfPA2FbO
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Kyros Solgrand stood at the end of their table, flanked by two other Sun Clan nobles. His fire-red hair caught the lamplight, amber eyes bright with something cruel.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIjGi2LctbM
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"I couldn't help but notice." He gestured at their uniforms, at the crescent moon embroidered over the heart. "You're Moon Chosen."57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEDTUXl9dsQ
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Lior went rigid beside Cel. His fork clattered against his plate, the sound sharp in the sudden quiet that had fallen over nearby tables. His shoulders hunched inward as if trying to make himself smaller.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfwhe5JaRJY
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"Yes." Cel kept his voice neutral. 57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDXuIS4V9uk
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Kyros's smile widened. "How... unfortunate."57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaRKnl8VRCd
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He moved closer, circling their table like a predator assessing prey. His companions remained at the end, blocking ways.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡefjW7grWql
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"The Moon Goddess." Kyros spoke loud enough that nearby conversations died, students turning to watch. "The weakest deity. The forgotten one. The goddess who can't even maintain a single Great Clan."57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcYMnxkIsJA
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His hand landed on Cel's shoulder - fingers digging in.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkQ05QGcZ6Y
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"Must be hard, knowing you'll never amount to anything. That your blessing is worthless."57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeApJoHiOD5
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Lior's hands had curled into fists beneath the table. His breathing quickened.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhupF6IxSHt
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Cel forced his muscles to relax. Forced his jaw to unclench.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzWnudfgxKR
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"We serve who chose us," he said quietly.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXWbQPPpfJb
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"Do you?" Kyros leaned closer, breath hot against Cel's ear. "Or do you just accept your pathetic fate because you're too weak to demand better?"57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSJFt1AuPzM
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The rage that had been simmering since Kyros appeared flared brighter. Cel's vision tunneled. His hands trembled with the effort of keeping them still.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfbNBDsdCVo
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He could break Kyros's nose. Right now. One strike, perfectly placed, and the smug bastard would be choking on his own blood.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa3vsSwFPQd
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But if a commoner struck a noble - even in self-defense - the punishment was severe. Imprisonment. Public humiliation. In some cases even execution. The Empire's laws protected nobility with brutal efficiency, and the Academy wouldn't shield him from those consequences.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOJXJ9zBD1A
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The unspoken truth was obvious - nobles operated under different standards. Not just in sparring. In everything. They could strike commoners with minimal repercussions. But the reverse? That was a crime against the social order itself.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡON3HinWHUg
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So Cel just sat there. Took it. Let Kyros's words wash over him like rain.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjrsaTnaqAT
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"Nothing to say?" Kyros squeezed harder, nails digging through fabric. "That's what I thought. Moon Chosen are always like that. Weak. Pathetic."57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBQvZJCvwM5
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He released his grip and straightened, turning to address the watching students.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5MSFAPKlxg
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"Remember this, everyone. What do you call Chosen of the weakest goddess?" He paused, smile widening. "Trash. Nothing but blessed trash."57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡedCN7NVVAu
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Laughter rippled through some of the tables. Not all - several looked uncomfortable. But enough that Kyros's smile grew.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjfZUBTIEhS
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He walked away, his companions following. Their laughter echoed across the dining hall.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBOmhtzjM6g
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Cel's hands were shaking. He pressed them flat against the table, fingers splayed wide.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbCz9fRdG3X
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Lior simply stared down at his plate, paralyzed by what just happened.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE6tbofWnga
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Eventually, he excused himself. Exhaustion lined his features, shoulders slumped with the weight of the day.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi8PS9vDeH0
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Cel remained. He finished his meal in silence. The dining hall's energy had shifted - conversations more subdued now, glances occasionally drifting toward his isolated corner.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSiZyCfelWb
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He ate mechanically, tasting nothing. His mind replayed the confrontation over and over. Each word. Each laugh. The feeling of Kyros's fingers digging into his shoulder like he had every right to do so.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKOIy852oKx
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When his plate was empty, Cel stood and left.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB0FTFEfg1Y
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Hours later, the training grounds lay silent beneath moonlight.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGx0VqnK9j7
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Cel crossed the threshold, boots crunching against packed earth. Empty weapon racks. Archery targets standing like sentinels. The space felt vast without other students filling it.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGa806uuwrR
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He shrugged off his upper uniform like always, letting it fall to the ground beside him. The night air was cold against his skin, but Lunar Vigor flooded through him under the moon's light.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8n6Sm1KJnr
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He moved to the center and stopped. Breathed. Let the day's accumulated tension settle in his muscles like coiled springs.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiH6eZ4rzC5
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Silent Moon materialized in his grip.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoiSpZOkm1n
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Then he moved.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3bZo0YCpW3
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The blade sang through air, cutting patterns driven by pure fury. He moved through the Chosen Legion forms he'd been practicing - each one executed with divine strength behind it, each one brutal in application.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ26IwCYjClX
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Hours blurred together.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbScRy7fQvY
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Cel kept going.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbQAd3hVdIB
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Until finally… the rage began to drain away. Not gone. Never truly gone. But manageable again. Locked back in whatever dark corner of his mind it usually inhabited.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPMvGvqaMpH
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The blade completed its arc. Cel's muscles burned, sweat cooling on his bare chest despite the chill—57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtNCeor0qyT
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Footsteps.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX5rcoG7Q9S
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His body went rigid mid-stance. Silent Moon hung suspended in the air as he turned.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj17yzJdAK8
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeeikgRImbB
Lady Hestia Mortveil stood at the edge of the training grounds.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9nHKf4wif3
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡStyoXfjMWq
The moonlight caught her jet-black hair, making it gleam like polished obsidian. Her crimson eyes studied him with an intensity that made his breath catch.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiOjKlI7EX5
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For a heartbeat, neither moved.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmpK9ndLVRe
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Then her gaze dropped. Lower. 57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfzRCVdvKdw
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Suddenly, Cel became very aware of the cold against his skin. Heat flooded his face. He dismissed Silent Moon with a thought and lunged for his discarded uniform, fumbling with the fabric as he yanked it over his head.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHRiigvBKCj
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlgIjWlxsHN
"Lady Hestia." His voice came out rougher than intended. He straightened, adjusting his collar. "I apologize. I didn't realize the grounds were occupied."57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZU8d0TRPOS
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A beat of silence.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡetZV1ZurNP
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"They weren't." Her tone was neutral, almost clinical. She walked past him toward the far side without another glance.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNoQgLGWTgH
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Cel just stood there, uncertain. Should he leave? Continue?57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAKjFnM1E7E
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Hestia sank to the ground in a meditative pose. Her hands rested on her knees, palms upward. The night seemed to gather around her like a cloak, shadows deepening in her presence.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡapItz7Ogx2
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She was replenishing her Divine Essence. It made sense - the Death God's domain aligned with darkness, with the stillness of night. Divine Essence recovered fastest when immersed in the right environment. Ocean Chosen would seek water. Moon Chosen would need moonlight. 57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFbLnpKSa4M
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Not that it mattered to him. There was no need to replenish one's Divine Essence when you had none.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ48KuBsuLnM
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUIGd81uSyo
Cel re-summoned Silent Moon and returned to his forms.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWMQZ5tFqji
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The silence stretched between them, broken only by the whisper of his blade through air and the distant sound of wind through empty weapon racks.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW8yTXdbi9p
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Like that, the days blurred into routine.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmOHzoC6Pta
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Sparring matches carved the class into a predictable hierarchy. Nobles on top. Commoners below.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4LAOeM4XHF
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"Blessed trash."57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHSKm2xvjrk
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Kyros's voice cut across the courtyard. His hand shoved Lior's shoulder, sending him stumbling. Laughter from the other Sun Clan nobles.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡffY20hTnLf
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1L2Dy0hKV8
Lior kept his eyes down. Cel's jaw clenched, but he said nothing. Took it. Like always.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTIjFnNmvJ9
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The confrontations came and went like weather - predictable, unavoidable. But something puzzled Cel about the nobles' behavior. In the tavern, the barkeeper had spoken of political factions regarding the throne’s succession. Yet here, they seemed unified. Cordial, even.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7c9TTLHrRg
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The reason for that was simple: Theron. 57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4QVbVPyt7B
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He moved through them all like sunlight through water - effortless, warm. The nobles gravitated toward him naturally. Perhaps they'd all received the same instructions to cultivate the All-Blessed's favor. To leverage that connection later when the succession fight began in earnest.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjlWALSFvmI
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Sylvaine ensured the Life Clan maintained the closest position. Always at Theron's side, always visible, always reinforcing their clan's support.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxqrDEaCJyM
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Only Hestia remained apart.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHpY8P0mNN0
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She sat alone during meals, moved through training exercises in isolation. The other students kept their distance. Whether from the Death Clan's tainted reputation or simple wariness of Raven's sister, Cel couldn't say. 57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdJLHVokk5S
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Night fell.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv72mepc1nC
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Cel arrived at the training grounds first, as usual. He'd barely summoned Silent Moon when footsteps announced Hestia's arrival.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMiehvzZeCk
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She crossed to her meditation spot without acknowledgment. Settled into stillness.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw9PDXpdtHh
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Cel moved through his forms. The blade traced familiar patterns, his body flowing from one position to the next with increasing fluidity.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoA7E8Eldt6
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An hour passed. Then another.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSXX3n9B77h
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When Cel paused to catch his breath, he glanced toward Hestia's meditation spot. Over the past weeks, she'd been inching nearer. Subtle. Gradual. Never speaking. Never explaining.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVmbw6Img4c
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But close enough now that he could hear the faint rhythm of her breathing when the wind stilled. 57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhRr84Vxb5C
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Why? 57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLVPAlkl3E9
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The only connection between them was Raven. But she couldn't possibly know about his encounter with her brother. Couldn't know about his noble blood, his true identity. 57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWIM0LdLGsj
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡikfsGezoNN
All she could see was what everyone else saw - a commoner Moon Chosen with unusually developed muscles and no Divine Essence. He had explanations for both. Nothing remarkable. 57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFl20CgxR9n
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMUwxe6xHVN
Yet she'd shown interest from the very beginning. From that first day, her crimson eyes had tracked him with an intensity that suggested she saw something others missed.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFo5t4fks2b
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‘It couldn't possibly be my looks, right?’57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9sLFMSkFLM
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Cel's next strike faltered slightly. His eyes cut toward her meditating form - jet-black hair spilling over pale shoulders, crimson eyes closed in concentration, the faint outline of her slender frame perfectly still despite the cold.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFlmCZEfpb0
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He shook his head and returned to the forms, pushing the ridiculous thought away. 57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtXWfEu3uZd
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Silent Moon whispered through the air, cutting patterns that had become as natural as breathing.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBV43DG1nbd
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The week wore on. Classes during the day, silent training at night. Hestia's presence became as constant as the moonlight itself - always there, always watching when she thought he wouldn't notice, always inching closer with each passing evening.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq9Ny8tXzxk
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Whatever she wanted, she kept it to herself.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡne2FnJHJHt
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Morning light filtered through the dining hall's tall windows, painting the long tables in shades of gold and amber.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡss8bN62izh
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Students clustered near the entrance, voices rising in excited chatter. Cel pushed through the crowd until he could see what held their attention.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd0CDEXQNGU
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A board had been mounted on the wall during their off-day.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLSry3xnWnI
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Names filled it in descending order, each accompanied by a number. The rankings.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNEIj8JKxFX
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