The crowd pressed closer to the board, voices rising in waves of excitement and disappointment.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBi5F5NdLdM
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Cel hung back, letting the others surge forward first. He could wait. The rankings weren't going anywhere.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhz1deSAaQF
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Gradually, students filtered away. Some wore satisfied expressions. Others looked troubled, arms crossed as they muttered to friends about matches they should have won.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlWln8sIk0w
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When enough space cleared, Cel moved closer.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIxgcREdfy2
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His eyes tracked down the list.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvqXEwzyRV8
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Rank 1: Sylvaine Grovethorn101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8nnPOUBx90
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Rank 2: Owen Peakscale101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhCvp8Qv6iN
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Rank 3: Hestia Mortveil101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkwSsKm7lsp
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Rank 4: Theron101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpJgNOYuVK5
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Murmurs rippled through the crowd at that placement. The All-Blessed had grown up as a commoner, yet here he stood above every noble except three. Divine favor, apparently, included natural talent for fighting.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡehW25JJday
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The unfairness of it settled in Cel's chest like cold stone.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNMQ8N6eH9D
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Rank 5: Cordelia Tidecall 101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKei2uxGT6P
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Rank 6: Percival Tempest 101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ifiZtco9N
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Rank 7: Kyros Solgrand101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsQXiCqhL7S
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Then the remaining nobles in descending order - each one benefiting from years of private training, inherited techniques, artifacts passed through bloodlines.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2pHotgXqLH
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Then—101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd48UfxVmlH
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Rank 15: Celvian101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQmrMgfbJLs
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Cel stared at the number.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCrFQprQSj6
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Fifteenth. The first commoner on the list. Above every other student who'd come from farming villages and merchant families.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6UnjYykUz3
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His jaw tightened.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ77ImxcD1He
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He'd held back deliberately. Fumbled his strikes. Made his bladework clumsy and uncertain. Pretended his strength was just an authority he couldn't control properly yet.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIP9iLNhLTr
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But even then, the gap between a trained noble and the commoners was vast. That couldn't be overcome by pretending to be weak.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1L8E8mwV3y
101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSstw52S4kB
His gaze dropped further down the list. Past more names. More numbers.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3PvDBamk6A
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Until he reached the bottom.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIlcUWHtMRP
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Rank 40: Lior101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSIjGCeLtap
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Last place.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Iss3zaTa0
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Dead last among all forty students.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxru6eiprSt
101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAd9m71YKmM
Cel's gaze swept the crowd until he found him. Lior stood at the board's far edge, shoulders hunched inward like he was trying to disappear into his own uniform. His hands twisted together at his waist - that nervous gesture Cel had come to recognize.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZE2gczxdKC
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Their eyes met for a heartbeat.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNzgKjO18v2
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Lior's throat worked. His fingers twitched once, as if reaching for something to hold onto.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5kDFWbllE8
101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBrT8jlrmAS
Then he turned and walked away.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW9boLU2OwN
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Not toward the dining hall. Not toward the classroom. Just... away. His footsteps quick and unsteady, like someone fleeing before they broke apart completely.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyoMNyMEnSt
101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHDBDAWRJWg
Cel watched until Lior disappeared around a corner, jaw tight.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgkFhhIkH6F
101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ850v2w9LdO
Morning assembly came and went. Theoretical classes passed in their usual rhythm - Instructor Saren's voice washing over topics Cel already knew.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1tokHNTOXf
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Lior's seat remained empty.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSy3oanvXEZ
101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu8b3tt9aYx
Afternoon combat training arrived. Students filtered onto the grounds, forming loose clusters while Instructor Calder barked orders.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm6AtgF38sv
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Still no Lior.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGyE5LntFWz
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By evening, when dinner filled the hall with voices and the clatter of plates, his absence felt deliberate. Permanent.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnufsqu6FQk
101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡybgR7s2xsT
Cel ate alone at their usual table. The empty seat beside him felt heavier than it should have.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwjw6yr9HXi
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When the meal ended, he rose and made his way through corridors that had grown familiar over months of routine.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwQKf6U2pA1
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The commoner dormitory stood quiet. Most students remained in the dining hall or gathered in common areas. Cel's boots echoed against wood as he climbed stairs to the second floor.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4fPQuwoHDF
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Lior's door waited at the end of the hall.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx6M4lxNijT
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Cel stopped before it, hand raised to knock.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe4aEpnZRhX
101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyjMrCfPDBq
A sound filtered through the wood. Soft. Muffled.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsptLeCzvJe
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Whimpering.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqkkoyiWwSn
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His hand froze mid-air.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPrD1sRLi7r
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The sound continued - broken, desperate. The kind of crying that came from somewhere deep, where all composure had finally cracked.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9fkULt1mj0
101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIDpNc40bFd
Cel's hand lowered slowly.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbPj8UsVBqM
101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuonp92zWlT
‘What am I even doing here?’101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgo1K9WgNDT
101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4mlfMsQuwK
He had no idea how to comfort someone. The concept felt foreign - awkward and uncertain, like trying to speak a language he'd never learned.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUgoeR8lgnI
101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡygpOiHOjbI
When he'd broken down in that cell, no one had come. When nightmares tore him from sleep, he'd faced them alone. The only comfort he'd ever known was Lyra's occasional visits - her brightness cutting through the darkness for brief, precious moments.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU3aSAreZyr
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But Lyra had been a child. Natural warmth and affection poured from her without effort or thought.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqu2gpRNv3q
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Cel possessed neither.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSZTIELLeOu
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He should leave. Walk away. Let Lior have his privacy, his dignity.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpyAkvzJAgA
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But the memory of his own tears - shed in darkness with no one to hear, no one to care - made his chest ache.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvnAcMktj0v
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Maybe the knowledge alone that someone cared… would be enough.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIMJ2aH4bGk
101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9cY0LYwaAN
Not enough to fix anything. But something.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDmAGhFS4EF
101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡESQ8MpV7tN
Cel's knuckles met wood. Three sharp raps.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZvNbbOhpI5
101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXQOWklMnbi
The whimpering cut off instantly.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7dTAhoPVEa
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Silence stretched. Then footsteps - hesitant, shuffling.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLQKheExmKL
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The door opened a crack.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG3UtMw3Ixx
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Lior's face appeared in the gap. Eyes red and swollen. Cheeks wet with tears he'd tried to wipe away but hadn't quite managed. His wheat-blond hair stuck up at odd angles where he'd run his hands through it.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3sUvXtwI6u
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"Cel?" His voice came out hoarse. Uncertain. "What are you..."101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh90T4tJzV4
101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWRVzxLPboY
"Can I come in?"101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxTuhTotDsZ
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The question hung between them.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXB7ntyJUiT
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Lior's throat worked. He glanced back into his room, then at Cel, then down at the floor.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVCZ9Y3rSu2
101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUrsexzdhY3
Finally, he stepped back and pulled the door wider.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpLqJp2vYcK
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Cel entered.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIbbliv8O5v
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The room was identical to his own - narrow bed, simple desk, wardrobe. But Lior's space carried signs of actual habitation. Letters stacked on the desk, the ink barely dry. A practice knife resting on the windowsill. Blankets rumpled from restless sleep.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFJR3E3oZUr
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Lior closed the door and stood there awkwardly, hands twisting together. His gaze fixed on the floor between them.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVMwSC9YFH9
101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCyrhQPYTQh
"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I know I should have attended classes today. I just... couldn't."101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8IultNANGI
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"It's fine."101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ThDPedHpz
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The words felt inadequate. Hollow.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLv2xF4fRBO
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Lior's shoulders shook. His breath hitched.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo84BcL7Ovx
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"It's not fine." The admission came out broken. "Nothing is fine…”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxr7Sjz0M4F
101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ86i561YVnX
"Come," Cel said quietly, gesturing toward the bed. “Sit.”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSxrnTrFTFk
101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCslitkEOjc
They settled on opposite ends of the bed - Lior perched on the edge like he might bolt at any moment, Cel leaning back against the wall.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzZijq8rEgK
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Silence pressed in around them. Lior's hands twisted together in his lap, fingers white-knuckled.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRHnXcqLRoR
101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyi9oSAWNH7
"I'm thinking about leaving," he said finally. The words came out flat. Empty. "Going home."101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyTBfidHDHs
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Cel said nothing. Just waited.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN4xdkMRxIS
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"I don't—" Lior's voice cracked. He swallowed hard and tried again. "I don't amount to anything here. I'm last. Dead last. I can't learn fast enough even with you helping me. I can't fight properly. I'm a Chosen of the weakest goddess."101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpGrFJ0WinG
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His fingers twisted in the blanket.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ56aWuHDOm0
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"My artifact is blessed rank. A knife. Not even a sword - just a knife that barely cuts better than mundane steel. And my authority—"101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZBF0nJuyPK
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He lifted one trembling hand.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvgEUfHLWII
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Then, light bloomed. A small orb, no larger than an apple, casting barely enough illumination to read by.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPuDXT4AepK
101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ogCBWulty
"This." Bitterness bled through the word. "This is what the Moon Goddess gave me. Light. Not even bright light. Just... this."101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt3MAIAy92b
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The orb flickered and died.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXlUhD4MQCb
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"My priest is rank fourty-one," Lior continued, voice rising slightly. "Fourty-one! That's supposed to mean something. But look at me. Look at what I got."101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcJsCTPrFDS
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He pressed both hands against his face.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcPgjMfJWa5
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"My mother sold everything she had to send me here," he whispered. "She worked herself sick for months just to afford the journey. And my father—" His voice broke completely. "He tried so hard to be proud. But I saw it in his eyes when the Moon Goddess chose me instead of... instead of someone stronger."101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5wHYYl11nU
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Tears slipped between his fingers.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡorSH4WhXvk
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"I don't belong here," he whispered. "Everyone knows it. The instructors. Kyros and his friends - they're right. I am trash. Blessed trash. That's all I'll ever be."101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPF0zqKwcrR
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His shoulders shook.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMLHsOt80yg
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"Even if I stay. Even if I graduate. The Chosen Legion is supposed to accept everyone, but..." He lowered his hands, staring at nothing. "They'll treat me the same way. Because I can’t do anything right. I never have. I never will."101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgStgl1F7bl
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The words hung in the air like smoke.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI5f6yYmOVs
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Cel watched him - shoulders hunched, hands trembling, face buried in his palms. A boy coming apart at the seams because the world had shown him exactly how little he mattered.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbUNOPYL3Lv
101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHQZOFUUc6E
‘I should say something.’101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUlBQOmUOlj
101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ69PMjhSPdN
But what?101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkZP1CJPHls
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That things would get better? A lie. Lior's circumstances wouldn't magically improve through empty reassurance.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGMd1R6aPIH
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That his ranking didn't define him? Another lie. In this world, power determined worth. 101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEDc7UGuV8y
101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAHKwCW40wI
That he should keep trying? Cruel. Lior had been trying. It simply wasn't enough.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEw9W2QWyKK
101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5kh3Ew18F2
Cel's jaw clenched.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQlkb96LI10
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He didn't know how to fix this. Didn't know how to make the pain stop or the tears dry. All the words he could think of felt hollow - platitudes that would shatter against the truth the moment he spoke them.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSw1hgTAO2p
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So instead, he spoke the truth.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHHnR7G3A5N
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"When I was young," Cel said quietly, "I was like you."101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPBL9NtljPJ
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Lior's head snapped up.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFLCVXnhjyd
101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfkj1nVtpgT
"Timid. Useless. Afraid of my own shadow." The words came easier than expected, pulled from memories he usually kept locked away. "My father hated me. Not in some abstract way - he genuinely despised everything about me. My weakness. My gentle nature. The way I flinched when he raised his voice."101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdVwBN1R3xM
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Cel moved to the window, staring out at darkness.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj5T952bgAx
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“As for my mother..." He scoffed. "She was there. Physically. But that was all."101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEacdUlhsiH
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His fingers pressed against the windowsill.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqXJcp95z1c
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"I had a brother who outshone me in everything. Perfect. Talented. Everything my father wanted. He'd watched when I got punished. Never helped. Never spoke up."101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrijiPzuyuD
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Cel's hands curled into fists.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0iQycbDrzR
101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDWPYXJZDbk
"I wanted to die…” A pause. “The thought of enduring another moment in that house, with those people, felt impossible. But I kept going anyway. Not because I was brave or strong. Just because..." He stopped. Started again. "I endured it because there was nothing else to do."101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaNfsq3cytp
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Lior stared at him, tears still wet on his cheeks but his breathing steadier now.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTW9H932DDq
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Cel turned from the window to face Lior directly.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDGNatJZV2c
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"You think you're weak," hel continued. "That you don't belong here. That everyone sees you as pathetic." His voice dropped lower. "They probably do. The same way my family saw me."101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2inqtOaKsL
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He moved closer, crouching so they were eye-level.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPWevOfkVdC
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"But you're here anyway. You are here despite knowing you'd struggle. You practiced reading even though the letters didn't make sense. You stepped into that sparring circle knowing you'd lose."101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUAI7OFvk9E
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Cel's gaze held Lior's.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg29SXUKfxp
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"That's not weakness. That's endurance. And endurance..." His throat tightened. "Endurance is the only strength that actually matters when everything falls apart."101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs4JXVp041Z
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Lior's breath hitched. Fresh tears spilled over, but something in his expression had shifted - less broken, more... present.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeIS5XZOOTt
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"I can't promise it gets easier," Cel said quietly. "Can't tell you that people will stop looking down on you or that your ranking will improve. Maybe it won't. Maybe you'll struggle every single day for the rest of your time here."101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb1z9nntwOV
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He straightened.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGUKbsVpplp
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"But you're still breathing. Still trying despite knowing how hard it is." A pause. "That's more than most people manage when the world rejects them."101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHMmyvaml0U
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Silence stretched between them - heavy with truths neither had expected to share.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxh2INUtbW1
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Then Lior wiped his face with both hands, smearing tears across his cheeks.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDTia9jCJwC
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"I didn't know," he whispered. "About your past. You seem so... composed. Strong."101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0KXdV5ilFa
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"People rarely are." Cel moved toward the door. "We all carry things that don't show."101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ13XYEFohxs
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His hand found the handle.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2VbGXLDrBL
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"Cel?"101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP1uNL8S9if
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He glanced back.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBRiEw7Dmy7
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Lior's expression held something fragile but genuine. "Thank you."101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqOwfUOG3iT
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Cel nodded once.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡarZKEqPb6B
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Then he left, pulling the door closed behind him with a soft click.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJCFOZZmQUR
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The corridor stretched empty and silent. His footsteps echoed against stone as he made his way toward the training grounds.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3NIq8YotGX
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Night had fallen completely. The moon hung full and bright - pouring its light across the Academy grounds in pale radiance.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOOpYtDV4tp
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Lunar Vigor flooded through him the moment he stepped outside. Power hummed beneath his skin, turning exhaustion into energy.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1FFrpMoPUD
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The training grounds came into view.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMSEEJJrIIA
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And for the first time in weeks, he wasn't the first to arrive.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmyRckXtcOm
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Hestia sat in her meditation spot - perfectly still, jet-black hair spilling over pale shoulders, crimson eyes closed in concentration. The night seemed to gather around her like a living thing, shadows pooling at her feet.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBwG0LCO6MR
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Cel stopped at the threshold.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW0SkmLzJ9f
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Usually, he'd summon Silent Moon and begin his forms. Let the silence stretch between them, unbroken except for the whisper of his blade through air.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXxudGPl3Kg
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But tonight…101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlfL0RLq79y
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Tonight, he needed to know.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtGwhGd3typ
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He crossed the training grounds, boots crunching against packed earth. Each step deliberate. Purposeful.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnxmAEuy1a1
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Hestia's eyes opened when he was still several steps away - her expression unreadable.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbIpWFw9gxS
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She didn't speak. Just watched him approach with that same intense assessment she'd worn since the first day.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhDIuuPExzZ
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Cel stopped a respectful distance away.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY2jhzEt2GI
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"Lady Hestia."101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV7aCKluBO1
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"Celvian." Her voice carried no inflection. 101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeXVgvoBrE1
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He met her gaze directly.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5a5G6o4G4k
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"What do you want from me?"101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnCMP6PAJrw
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