"Would it be alright if I sat with you?"105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzK5jbRs26d
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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.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjPzT4PpyXd
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"Yes."105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAjDPNbEuA5
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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.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ31z3SdD3Q3
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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—"105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7QtyRTyuUj
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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. 105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrdjzq3NjNp
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"Celvian," Cel said.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzedymg3UxN
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Lior blinked, then offered a small smile. "That's a nice name. Where are you from?"105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuSVhUpNh8L
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"Storm Clan territory. A small village."105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9O2g1qEFjo
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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."105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLUEgtv7fsY
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"It has its challenges."105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfcztdenqM6
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Lior's gaze dropped to his plate. For a moment, neither of them spoke.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ0knWxXIHr
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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.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoDdwGBwlrT
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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.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDvxXu52hFa
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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.”105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwKeSxdRE6e
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He finally took a small bite, chewing slowly before continuing.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjKWXf7AF87
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"And her beauty—" Lior's voice dropped lower, almost embarrassed. "Have you ever seen anyone so beautiful?"105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrc6CbUVyKf
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"No," Cel said.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxPSo481ngj
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The lie came easily. Instinctively.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE2EyZODsad
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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.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhRFj7ldA4e
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‘Why chase a beauty when an even greater beauty already resides in my soul?‘105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhwECP7LxbT
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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."105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWoGNqxHQ6n
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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?"105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMlCCTN4WKw
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Cel's attention sharpened. "You want to join the Legion?"105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEZ11QjyMCo
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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."105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZFvTRVX3ha
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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.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyt0MmzdeHv
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And at the top of them stood Esrin - the Hallowed who'd nearly killed him.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGck2IeR45h
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"What about the Mercenary Guild?" Cel asked.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgyr9btdc9Z
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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.”105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGwrozLRe92
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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."105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ5XgZ8dNKI
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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?"105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7eUcDa4Aaf
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"No."105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmdHrLhOUri
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The honest answer. He hadn't thought beyond surviving each day. The future felt distant, abstract.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlHhEUFKGrx
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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.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMMgWKHWyix
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Then footsteps echoed from the entrance. Sharp. Purposeful.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMZfj4pQ1yb
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Conversations died in ripples spreading outward from the doorway. Heads turned.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9MsxfySUOX
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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.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh3oAad0MWh
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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."105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbDPuIqHL5q
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Benches scraped against stone as students rose, forming loose groups as they moved toward the exit.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhETAc7px4A
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Cel stood, Lior following suit.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd1u3T9K74K
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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.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNoPciMLNQz
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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.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyAHQeOCTZf
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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.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGynfpsnNze
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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.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnCDygW8ftc
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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."105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQQOOprN8Em
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The boy retreated quickly to the upper rows.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHloAoWIVal
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Lior glanced at Cel, uncertainty crossing his features. "Would you... I mean, if you don't mind..."105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRCGAsxojLF
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"Middle section," Cel said, already moving.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2lxo63cf4Y
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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.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi0wWsYuHrE
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The room filled gradually. By the time the last students entered, perhaps fifty of them occupied the tiered space.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIPtiwjbkRx
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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.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVv9iAnTRU0
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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.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX8K08pGpBL
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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."105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOTTrjgDN0T
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A few nervous laughs rippled through the seats. Instructor Saren’s expression didn't change.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjey79hgE5X
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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."105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnUNUc7mLCp
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Her gaze swept the tiers.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIgCuib8hs6
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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."105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmzxFFxo3Wk
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She paused, letting the weight settle.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQJ8I8V7RuV
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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."105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUnvEntOtoI
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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.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSutouTTRbo
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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."105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh2iSGPQGyb
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Her tone remained matter-of-fact, but something in the words carried an edge.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuyujRYQJbY
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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."105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZp1jmvLYd0
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The room had gone very quiet. Even the fidgeting had stopped.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvd06CmPHB8
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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."105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDTNbof45p0
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She moved from behind the podium, her posture relaxing slightly.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQx1GkHASpg
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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."105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTCO2SOuXpp
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She let that sink in before continuing.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqan1QXBObN
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"Questions?"1234 copyright protection101ＰＥＮＡＮＡhMmON51nj8 尼

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