Cel jerked his hand back.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTCFoTH2mxr
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"I'm sorry. That was—"113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNIq3vhpSLG
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"It's okay." Her voice came distant, distracted. She touched her own head where his hand had been, fingers brushing through dark hair. Her gaze remained unfocused, lost in memory. "My brother used to do that. When I was upset."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡooJgpq6ULu
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The words hung between them like smoke.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrbTEQQvBUJ
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Cel's throat tightened. He needed to change the subject. Needed to steer away from this before she looked too closely, asked too many questions.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDZ2zQRSJhz
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"You said your mother searched for him," he managed. "Is she..."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWUftKl1iwk
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"She divorced him." The words came sharp and final. Lyra's expression hardened. "After everything - after what he did - she couldn't stay. Neither did I."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWIQ7T9X7PS
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Pride flickered through the pain in her voice.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ34TCKEoyqk
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"My oldest brother stayed with Father. His choice." She shrugged, but the gesture was too tight, too controlled. "Mother and I moved here. To the capital."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqCTlJAJpEj
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‘Too late.’ 113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeUf1HYORgn
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The thought burned through Cel. His mother had finally found the strength to leave - after he was gone. After a year of torture. After she'd watched Lord Aldric tear the divine mark from his back and done nothing. 113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzvTHNoCJco
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She'd left when it was safe. When he couldn't be saved anymore. 113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXputVjK5bx
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But at least she'd taken Lyra with her. Protected her. Given his little sister the escape he'd never had. 113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIRJl1jwFTs
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The bitterness and relief twisted together in his chest, inseparable.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtEGddGi6Ul
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Footsteps echoed from the church entrance - sharp and purposeful against worn stone. Both of them turned.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrIZb2Hr83u
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A woman in servant's attire stood in the doorway, scanning the interior until her gaze landed on Lyra. Her expression shifted from searching to relieved.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL14uevpKuY
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"Lady Lyra," the woman called. "Your mother sent me to find you. It's getting late."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwqaBVT7U5z
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Lyra's shoulders sagged slightly - disappointment mixed with resignation. She rose from the bench, smoothing her dress one final time.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyd3D4W1b1t
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"I have to go," she said, turning back to Cel. Something in her expression had changed - softer, warmer. "Thank you. For listening. For... what you said about the Moon Goddess. I really needed that today."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgxrMPbgu8z
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She hesitated, then added quietly, "I hope I see you again. It was nice to meet you, Heir to the Moon."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsIABt00qjx
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His name in her voice felt like a knife and a comfort all at once.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqS7ntaqOD8
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"You too," he said.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnsLst3ASCx
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Lyra offered one last small smile, then followed the servant toward the entrance. Her footsteps faded across stone, then disappeared entirely as the heavy wooden doors swung shut behind her.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdByzCjND2J
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Silence rushed back in like water filling a void.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡocOjOZ5rIT
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Cel remained on the bench, staring at the space where she'd been. His hands gripped his knees hard enough to hurt. 113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1dmYsrFPwc
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She didn't know.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCmVZKbuWnX
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She'd sat beside him, cried about him, talked about him, and never once realized the truth.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcx9x49uvZj
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He should feel relieved. Should be grateful she hadn't recognized him - that the secret remained safe.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUgYphNcVIy
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Instead, he just felt hollow.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl8xV2TfMQj
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Slowly, Cel rose from the bench. His legs felt unsteady, disconnected. He moved toward the altar, toward the pale stone mark of the Moon Goddess that watched over this forgotten space.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9clxxAz6CB
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The crescent seemed to glow brighter in the fading light - or maybe that was just his imagination. He stood before it, staring up at the symbol that had changed everything.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMQUY2gAlKj
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A carriage accident.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYE1KGsZ9HX
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So that was the story his father had told. Clean, tragic, unquestionable. And everyone had accepted it. His mother. His sister. The entire clan.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGWQiuN6fMr
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No one had looked deeper. No one had questioned what really happened to the disappointment, the failure, the boy marked by the wrong deity.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzncfmsa49Z
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They'd moved on. Built new lives. Forgotten.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9caS5rcm5n
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While he'd rotted in a cell.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJaqpW3q6mb
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The familiar burn of rage tried to surface - hot and bitter. But it couldn't quite catch hold. Not after hearing the pain in Lyra's voice. Not after seeing how much she still carried his memory.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDXOcTMTiHI
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Cel's forced himself to breathe.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAYCvMaZejM
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He'd been gone for a year. Dead, as far as the world knew. In that time, everything had shifted - families had fractured, alliances had changed, stories had been written and believed.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw4h8STDurK
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He needed to know what else had happened. 113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ84ASOwGZvH
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Cel left the church, the heavy wooden doors closing softly behind him.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgJFQsExpFC
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Evening had settled over the capital. The sky had deepened to purple-gray, and lamplighters were making their rounds through the streets. Warm light bloomed in windows as shops closed for the night and families gathered for dinner.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyAu9ipbOx4
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His feet carried him without conscious direction, following the flow of people still moving through the city. Workers heading home. Late shoppers finishing errands. Groups of friends laughing together as they moved between taverns.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡemCoVRaNHY
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A tavern.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡICqk95jK3D
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The thought surfaced with sudden clarity. Places where people gathered. Where tongues loosened with drink. Where information flowed as freely as ale.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡprc0mk8VoY
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He'd never been to one before. His father had deemed such establishments beneath noble dignity - places for commoners and lesser merchants, not for nobles like him.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMbRkBoQ86H
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But he was no longer a Solmar.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqLkRHDpVyt
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A sign caught his eye - faded wood with a painted barrel and wheat sheaf. “The Golden Hart.”113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ2CdRMg137
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Cel pushed through the door.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKV9Rc5MY5g
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Warmth hit him immediately - body heat and cooking fires, the scent of roasted meat and spilled ale. The space was larger than it looked from outside, with rough wooden tables scattered across the floor and a long bar dominating one wall. Perhaps thirty people filled the room, their conversations creating a steady hum that washed over everything.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC7QzABJUip
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No one looked up when he entered. Just another hooded figure seeking a drink.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVFpIcOq2qy
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Perfect.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo6olQfoPJq
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He moved to the bar and slid onto an empty stool. The bartender - a broad man in his fifties, with the kind of shoulders that settled arguments without words - glanced over.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEiX23VSxcf
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"What'll it be?"113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2W5JjvgLRd
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Cel hesitated. He had no idea what to order. The extent of his knowledge about alcohol was that nobles drank wine and spirits, while commoners drank ale.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvwIcQUFCsz
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"Ale," he said.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0g8XKv03xL
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The bartender nodded and turned away, pulling a tankard from beneath the bar and filling it from one of the barrels along the wall. He set it in front of Cel with a soft thunk.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEpOYABMz6Q
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Cel placed coins on the bar. The bartender swept them up and moved to serve another customer.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrjzMu0gAJ6
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The tankard sat before him, amber liquid catching the lamplight. Cel lifted it and took a sip.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmrQ98WaJHj
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Nothing. No taste registered - just liquid sliding down his throat, neither pleasant nor unpleasant.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPg9f2rXnnw
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He drank more, watching the level drop. Around him, conversations continued - complaints about work, gossip about neighbors, plans for tomorrow. The normal rhythm of lives that hadn't been shattered and rebuilt.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw0Xptwz8zP
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The bartender returned after a few minutes. "How is it?"113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbt5HmlpcEC
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Cel glanced at his half-empty tankard. "Fine."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡebhXB9wKIG
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"First time drinking?"113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFcETV9DYHU
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"Yes."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡly3FaAczj5
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The bartender's eyebrows rose slightly. "You're handling it well. Most people make a face." He studied Cel with mild curiosity. "New to the city?" 113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvx0hLQxX5G
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"Recently arrived. I'm enrolled at the Academy."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtAOUJQbrhG
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The bartender nodded to himself. "Thought so. You've got that look - like you're still taking it all in. We get a few of you in here from time to time. Though most stick to the fancier places near the palace."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG80O0S2368
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"I prefer this."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsbzQf0DlUT
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The bartender's expression warmed slightly. "Good answer." He moved to refill another customer's drink, then returned. "What clan?"113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1DMTuxGgON
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It took Cel a moment to realize the question wasn't about his affiliation, but his origin. 113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxLmuadWfyd
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"Storm Clan territory," he said, using the lie Esrin had provided.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeknIOZ2u4E
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"Rough up there, I hear. With the Void and all." The bartender shook his head. "Can't imagine living that close to nothing."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJSIsrgua8a
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"It has its challenges."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHSaRq1UI4S
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The conversation lapsed. Cel finished his first tankard and the bartender replaced it without being asked.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYZfjN5TshW
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"So what brings you to the capital?" The question came casual, the easy interest of someone used to making small talk. "Besides the Academy."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGuuo9oNcFS
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"Wanted to see it." Not quite true, but not quite false either.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz44zLvSDmD
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The bartender leaned against the bar, wiping down a glass. "Tense time to arrive. All the succession talk has everyone on edge."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8A57KSak7G
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Cel's attention sharpened. Succession had been a topic before he'd been taken - the aging Emperor, whispers of which prince would inherit the throne - but it had never been described as tense. "Succession? I thought that was settled. The First Prince—" 113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEddKJUrxul
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“Was the favorite, yeah. But not anymore." The bartender glanced around, lowering his voice slightly - not from fear, just habit. "First Prince still has the Emperor's support, but the Second Prince has the Empress backing him now - she's been pushing hard. And then there's the All-Blessed." 113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHo9W56xAM3
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Cel went still. As far as he knew, there were only two princes.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcvufiAd2XV
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"The All-Blessed?" he asked carefully.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBxHs00qIR4
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"You haven't heard?" The bartender's eyebrows rose. "A kid blessed by all seven gods."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUUPxCgGmv9
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‘What?’ Cel nearly blurted out his disbelief.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqFxGcHaJTq
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Being blessed by all seven deities was impossible. 113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6URCms8RN1
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Only the royal bloodline could be chosen by multiple gods - it was their defining feature, the foundation of their right to rule. Commoners, nobles, even the highest clan lords could not be chosen by more than one deity.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUzLrJgpPS1
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But all seven? That had happened only once in history - the world’s first Chosen who founded the Stellarion Empire.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtDsqUUUYLB
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"An illegitimate child," Cel said. Not a question. 113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQWqt2Iy2G4
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"That's what everyone assumes. Has to be, right?” The bartender set down the tankard and picked up another. "But here's the thing - the Emperor hasn't acknowledged him as a prince yet. No title, no imperial name, nothing. Just... silence." 113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbeLzK6EAfm
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"Then how—" 113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyPtecct4Ge
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"Life Clan took him in. Raised him, trained him, presented him at court." The bartender's tone carried a note of fascination. "They say he's the next Emperor whether the current one admits it or not. Ocean Clan's starting to agree. They figure if all seven gods chose him, that's authority enough."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5UcWHZ2Z94
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Cel's mind raced. An illegitimate child. It was the only explanation. The Emperor had fathered a bastard, and somehow that child had received the impossible - blessings from every deity.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIIneuNQgIh
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"What about the other clans?"113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5h9v5IZiOQ
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"Sun Clan's with the First Prince - they always back whoever the Emperor wants. Mountain Clan's with the Second because of the Empress. Storm Clan will probably follow Mountain, since Mountain's been keeping them alive." He paused. "Death Clan's a mess. No one knows what they'll do."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSEZfec7kaN
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"Why?"113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyGOTrY3P2z
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The bartender's expression shifted - not quite uncomfortable, but aware he was touching on sensitive topics. "You haven't heard about the Death Clan situation either?"113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRjKBzWvEhM
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"Only vaguely. My village was small - news didn't reach us quickly." Cel kept his tone neutral. "Something about their heir?"113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVqDR914h5O
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"Right. Well." The bartender refilled Cel's tankard for the third time. "Their heir - the Prince of Death - came back from some expedition as one of the Cursed. Then he killed the Sun Clan's greatest prodigy and vanished. Death Clan's been in chaos ever since. Even some of their own houses are talking about replacing the leading house entirely.”113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwkf8nykyl4
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Raven. The bartender was talking about Raven.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcBn0dC4ETs
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But Cel forced himself not to react, just nodded slowly and drank more.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbhkoiWPC5C
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"The Sun Clan must be furious," he said.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt9dgeAtSUn
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"Furious doesn't cover it. They went on complete lockdown for months. Only recently started opening back up." The bartender shook his head. "The prodigy they lost - he had a Divine Oracle as his guide. Do you know how rare that is? And some Cursed just waltzed in and murdered him."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG46VszZR3J
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Cel almost laughed. The Sun Clan had lost their greatest prodigy. And here he sat, their greatest failure, carrying a Divine Oracle in his soul.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEHogXMWZWv
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"Do they know why?" Cel asked, keeping his voice level.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMNQ74DpDuk
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"Why does anyone do anything?" The bartender's tone carried the same casual dismissal as before. "Revenge, madness, corruption - who knows? The Cursed aren't right in the head."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVqUWwSNk9D
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Cel's fingers tightened around his tankard, but he said nothing. Just drank.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC6w1WMtU0i
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The fourth tankard appeared. Then the fifth.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMwmdhfu7og
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The bartender had been watching him with growing fascination.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEFJDNiU6ka
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"You're putting it away pretty steady for someone who's never touched the stuff."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQw8SQge6ex
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Cel glanced at his latest drink. He'd lost count. The liquid went down as easily as water, with just as little effect.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8FEpVctyAn
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"I don't feel anything," he admitted.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0kv6JUwIWx
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"Nothing?" The bartender refilled the tankard, looking genuinely curious now. 113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhfyvMk7TWo
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"You either have a hell of a constitution or you’re lying to me." A pause. "But you don't seem like a liar." 113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT2rmngdFko
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Cel said nothing. Just drank.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpPyecjQNAX
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The tavern's warmth had seeped into his shoulders, loosening muscles that had been tight since the church. Not from the alcohol - just from being somewhere anonymous. Somewhere no one knew what he was or what he'd survived.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXLdDVim0SX
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"The succession's going to get messy," the bartender continued, returning to the earlier topic. "Three factions, and none of them willing to back down."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡod7z71IUEb
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Cel drank more. The seventh - or was it eighth?113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv7jg43QS5y
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"Sounds complicated," he said.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdVLsOeFTqb
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"It is. And it's only going to get worse." The bartender leaned closer, voice dropping. "Rumor is the Emperor and Empress are barely speaking. He wants the First Prince. She wants the Second. And neither of them is backing down."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ09qxDXre9H
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"What happens if they can't agree?"113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjsVIiX9uTR
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"That's the question everyone's asking." The bartender straightened. "Best case? One of them concedes and the succession goes smoothly. Worst case?" He shook his head. "Civil war. The whole Empire tears itself apart."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs7y19zadr1
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The words settled over Cel like a weight.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQONQHSlNji
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A year ago, he would have cared deeply about clan politics. Would have analyzed every alliance, every potential outcome, trying to understand how it affected House Solmar's position.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSRpywwuDhO
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Now it all felt distant. Abstract.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTICMa29rFg
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Let them fight over succession. Let the clans tear each other apart. None of it mattered.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6jbEY9M9x7
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He finished another tankard.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKFogtj8SvQ
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The bartender was watching him now with undisguised interest. "You're on your ninth. Most people would be under the table by now."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9UsrWMjxzt
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"I'm not."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpTq1CPIYQO
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"I can see that." A pause. "You sure you're alright?"113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT0olHKIpDA
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"Yes."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSEjBgvpnmY
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Not quite. But close enough.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡadipQMUx0F
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The bartender studied him for a long moment, then seemed to come to some decision. "Look, I'll keep pouring if you keep paying. But I've got to ask - what are you looking for here? Because if it's information, I've told you what I know. If it's oblivion..." He gestured at the empty tankards. "Well, doesn't seem like that's working."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWF41Fk3n3Z
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Cel stared at the amber liquid in his current drink.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVdLLSxZSG4
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What was he looking for?113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBf7buUIDgu
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Not oblivion. His divine body didn't seem capable of granting him that mercy.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpW98TUAsyL
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He'd come for information. He'd gotten it - the clans were fracturing, succession looming, his family scattered. All the facts he'd needed. 113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTUPBM4UEzI
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The world had kept turning while he died and came back. Everyone else knew their place in it. 113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbo1xqZoHpy
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He was still trying to remember what it felt like to have one. 113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ93XvNakRPE
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"Just trying to figure out where I fit," Cel said finally.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnNmgKKplli
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Want to read up to 6 Chapter ahead of othere?113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEe2wLuZ3oC
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