Lunar Legacy - Chapter 30: First Blood

Cel threw himself sideways - far too hard - his enhanced strength launching him across the small space like he'd been kicked. The creature's claws tore through empty air where his chest had been.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxXUK3c59CJ
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His back hit the wall. Stars exploded across his vision.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi9UCmSpzg4
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The creature was already turning, coiling with terrifying speed despite its injuries. No hesitation. No pause.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTTAGhGpst7
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It came at him again.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCVLGmI4kvv
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Cel swung.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ODTPJtQIz
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Silent Moon cut through ash-thick air in a wild arc - no technique, no control. The blade whistled past the creature's head, and momentum spun him halfway around.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡad1q2WKJrD
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Claws raked across his back.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiwBtSShbuA
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Blood sprayed hot across his skin. He staggered forward, teeth clenched against a scream, using the spin to put distance between them.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlev2oJJb4H
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The creature pressed forward, serpentine body propelling it in a lurching charge.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs8oAeQhrVX
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Cel raised Silent Moon defensively—109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY9zspod7Wv
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The blade was pointing the wrong way. His burned fingers couldn't adjust the grip fast enough. 109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG7SOJlO8BZ
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The creature slammed into him, its remaining arm wrapping around his torso as needle teeth snapped at his face.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ6gQXUBhO4
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They crashed to the ground. Ash exploded around them in choking clouds.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpgMVrrzXl1
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Cel drove his knee up. Lunar Vigor turned the defensive motion into a devastating blow.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYOlKTJuuw1
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Something cracked. The creature's body spasmed, loosening its grip for just a moment.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfnYKNDy0zA
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He rolled, throwing the creature's weight off him. They separated, both scrambling in opposite directions through the ashen air.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjQlYB1vt7J
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His back found the wall. The creature coiled against the far side of the small room.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWgtXmkLgH6
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Both gasping. Both bleeding. Both fighting one-handed - Cel's right arm still dead from frostbite, the creature's torn away entirely.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNR8buClThk
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The storm outside howled through gaps in the ancient walls, filling the space with gray curtains of ash and a constant barrage of stone fragments. The creature was a shifting shadow in the swirling dust, but its eyeless head tracked him with perfect accuracy through the chaos.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpjn62OEfUV
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It charged again.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ8Bk9yyoWz
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Cel lunged forward to meet it, driving Silent Moon straight ahead in the most basic thrust he knew. 109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhr8GwwcbA0
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The blade went where he aimed.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZP2HX3kj0S
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Steel punched through stone-like skin. Blood erupted hot and thick from the wound..109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ574dx7Uqs8
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The creature shrieked - deafening at this distance, that metallic scraping sound drilling directly into his skull. Its claws found his shoulder, sinking deep, using him as leverage to pull itself closer even as Silent Moon's blade remained buried in its chest.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡocuN4662Rp
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Face-to-face now. That needle-ringed mouth snapped wildly at his face, driven by dying fury.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsxF7Je9CjK
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Cel twisted the blade.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa2JclsUDkl
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Steel tore through internal organs. The creature's shriek reached a pitch that made his ears ring as its entire body convulsed.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl7h0UyFvjT
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Two more crescents ignited along Silent Moon's length.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtR9HtTDXmZ
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Six now.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9DXITwEXmp
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The resistance disappeared. 109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ91uMEW1uQ
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Cel wrenched it sideways with all his strength - too much strength. The blade carved through the creature's insides, opening a wound from chest to side that should have been impossible with a straight blade.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSJY434aVxe
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The creature's shriek cut off mid-sound.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHrqIjpDY90
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Its claws loosened their death grip. The eyeless head tilted forward, almost gentle, before the entire body went slack.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFojgKwQEp6
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<You have achieved something extraordinary: You killed your first creature.> 109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm90phKH1R4
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<You have received the artifact “Cinderward”.>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ro4tKANra
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Dead weight collapsed against him.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXe6AgrczeM
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Cel staggered backward as the creature slumped to the ash-covered floor, its serpentine body going slack in a final, loose coil.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ80e4h4jHV
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The storm continued to rage outside, ash swirling through gaps in the ruined walls. Wind howled through the broken stone. But the shrieking had stopped - replaced only by Cel's ragged breathing and the steady drip of blood.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ41snALSafo
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His left arm shook. Not from exhaustion or pain, but from the aftershock of violence.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡopsvoCz0CL
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He'd killed it.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr6ItwuQ8LW
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His first real fight since gaining these powers, and he'd won. With no skill. No control. Just raw strength, divine steel, and the stubborn refusal to die.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ZjA2OjWLr
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Cel stared at the corpse. At the hole he'd carved through its chest. At the dark ichor pooling beneath it.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0yKiiD9peB
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His legs gave out.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmh3Jn83bKM
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He sat hard on the ash-covered floor, Silent Moon still gripped in his left hand. The blade's six crescents pulsed with steady white light, casting pale reflections across the creature's lifeless form.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbSQWasmT08
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The shaking spread from his arm to his shoulders, his chest. Adrenaline drained away, leaving cold clarity in its wake.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6JCgKNVrHb
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He'd always known this moment would come. Known it the instant he'd decided to survive that cell. Known it when he'd sworn revenge against his father, his family, the cultists. Killing wouldn't be optional - it would be necessary. He'd accepted that truth months ago.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMR2DrrgiFz
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But there was a difference between knowing and doing.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡolHu8ixIPp
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And he'd found himself... capable.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF5RSY6fSvw
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Disturbingly capable.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrh5DDjJ5o5
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He was alive. The creature was dead. Simple as that.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwtD9AvoHmt
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The satisfaction that followed was immediate and uncomfortably pure. Not joy. Not triumph. Just the cold recognition that he'd won and the thing that tried to kill him hadn't.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcss8wedvwH
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But his hands kept shaking.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXhTg9JJ2sG
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Not from fear of what he'd done. From the realization of how easy it had been. How natural the violence had felt once he'd committed to it. Like something that had always been there, just waiting for permission.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCiiso8l3Mf
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Cel's breath came in short gasps. The walls seemed to press closer. The ash in the air grew thicker.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP6k2EyRRKz
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He squeezed his eyes shut and forced himself to breathe. Slow. Steady. The way Selina had breathed when she'd held him - measured, patient, real.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtonrWi7q4k
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The shaking gradually subsided.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxW5Hjf3SyA
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When he opened his eyes again, the creature was still dead. Still bleeding. Still very much proof of what he'd become.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG0MQKuN6JY
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This was what survival looked like now. Not hiding. Not enduring. Not waiting for rescue that would never come.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2gbDtCSB0y
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Killing.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZbpkGjjecF
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No grand meaning. No divine purpose. Just violence meeting violence until one side stopped breathing.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvdrtX6Vj5S
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He was no longer prey. And there was no going back to what he'd been before.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡROfMJkKzLH
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Silent Moon dissolved into moonlight threads as he dismissed it.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEfp8VpH1to
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The storm's roar began to fade. Not suddenly, but gradually - like a beast growing tired of its rampage. The howling wind dropped to a moan, then to whispers. Ash settled in lazy spirals instead of blinding walls.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ5RTdinbNR
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He waited, watching the gaps in the ruined walls. Watching the gray curtains thin and part. Watching until the world outside grew still again.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHxyL3kCUIt
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When the last echo of the tornado faded to nothing, Cel remained seated against the wall, letting his battered body rest.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpZD0lzrESW
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His gaze swept the ash-covered floor until something caught his eye - a silver gleam right beside him. Silver light played across its surface, emanating from within.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡngHRZvISwI
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He reached out and picked it up.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfRkkm6XCbX
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The coin was perhaps the width of two fingers across, lighter than it looked. One side bore the mark of the Moon Goddess - the one that was once on his back too before his father ripped it off. The other side showed a crescent moon cradling what might have been stars, or perhaps souls.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYeXpJ4DKKs
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It thrummed with power against his palm - not the violent energy of the crystal maze or the seductive warmth of the sphere, but something steady. Patient. Eternal as the moon itself.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWBwpvYcF1B
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Cel turned it over slowly in his fingers.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5S9ReMv2YG
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His education among the Sun Clan had covered divine coins thoroughly, though he'd never expected to hold one himself. Each deity minted their own design, and the coins served specific purposes. Tokens of acknowledgment from the gods.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUFcsWQhT85
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Every achievement granted one. And with each coin came a choice.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0OsKY285Ts
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He could use it to awaken an artifact.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSoe0jcsCrr
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The word itself carried weight among the Chosen. Awakening an artifact meant unlocking its full potential - watching it evolve into something greater. Most Chosen described it as getting to know their artifact, though what that truly meant varied. Some even claimed their weapons gained a will of their own. Others spoke of discovering hidden depths they'd never imagined existed.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZIvhKOoAfs
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But the tangible benefits were undeniable. The artifact would rise one full rank in Grace - Blessed becoming Sacred, Sacred becoming Heavenly, Heavenly becoming Holy. And often, new traits or authorities would manifest. Powers that hadn't existed before, born from the bond between Chosen and artifact.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz6T5eIqWBb
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Or he could unlock the Insight. The Ledger of Nightmares.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGaFGzk1PjO
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A book that held knowledge about the rift-creatures of the Hollow Realms, accessible whenever he encountered them. Information that could mean the difference between recognizing a threat and walking blindly into death.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvV7EBQmMz8
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Cel closed his fist around the coin.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw2uje7DOAJ
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Time to see what his first achievement had earned him. And then... he'd decide how to use that coin.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFuoixJ1VBs
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Cel closed his eyes and reached inward, toward the space that existed within him. The world shifted, reality bending—109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvquQxWoYWG
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—and he stood once more in his soul's landscape.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrioioPf4vD
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The cracked earth stretched beneath his feet. The mist swirled in gentle currents. And there, waiting as if she'd never left, stood Selina.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxQzhAMwoCg
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Her white robes caught the moonlight streaming from above. Below the silver mask that covered the upper half of her face, her lips curved in a genuine smile.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1o4Hl4jzhV
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"Welcome back, Chosen One." Her voice carried genuine warmth. "I felt the moment of your achievement. Congratulations."109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwouz8xBAAh
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The greeting settled over him like a blanket. No pain here - the wounds inflicted in the physical world didn't exist in this space. His right hand worked perfectly, fingers flexing without the numbness of frostbite.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT6ZFfKE2rr
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"Thank you." The words came easier than expected.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ16h4HK6kKU
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Selina gestured toward the monolith rising from the mist ahead. "Come. See what you have earned."109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXj58DLf9jg
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Cel followed, anticipation building in his chest despite the exhaustion that weighed on him.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjaOERzQoO3
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The monolith pulsed with soft light as he approached. Runes appeared across its surface - sharp, angular, beautiful in their precision.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzFC7n3dBoo
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<Name: Celvian>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7tECpybpHK
<Paragons: (Heir to the Moon) (White Death)>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJIYvDde6fb
<Artifacts: (Silent Moon) (Cinderward)>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDVMCEEQTLW
<Insight: (locked 0/1)>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrcHwxVkjTf
<Achievements: (2)>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4fb4IgazfY
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Cel stared at the second artifact's name.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW5N3pLTSei
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Cinderward.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd11ZNWWN05
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His focus sharpened on it, and the monolith responded - the runes shifting and rearranging across its surface:109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKHRDlmk5Me
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<Artifact: Cinderward>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQQx9fUHoRZ
<Type: Armor>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV8seFT4GFW
<Grace: Blessed>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgEqTNBcPvX
<Traits: />109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡasfAptrX4X
<Authorities: />109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSd1S8xtPdl
<Awakening: (locked 0/1)>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSgjjFSr3d0
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Disappointment struck immediately.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxiwcEAyhi1
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Blessed. The lowest grade. And completely empty - no traits, no authorities. Nothing but base protection.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlX5qZgujFC
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He thought of Silent Moon. Heavenly grade. Third tier, leagues above what he'd just received.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡofD1Yycx7K
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The contrast was stark. Brutal, even.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuJSvl1M0Zo
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"I should see what it looks like," Cel said, more to himself than Selina.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡntdeuOyH2a
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He reached inward, willing Cinderward to manifest. 109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXP6wX0kwl2
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The response was immediate.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbA3gLyTxGK
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Moonlight bloomed around him - harsh and bright, just like Silent Moon's summoning. The radiance wrapped his body directly, threading through silver streams that wove themselves into a single brilliant cocoon.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn8w321yGn2
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Selina stepped back slightly, giving the manifestation space. Her posture held quiet interest as she watched the divine weaving unfold.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3y6x9wRzv3
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The light intensified for a heartbeat—109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOkIxPALWBy
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—then dissipated all at once.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3haUgOTcYT
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Cel looked down at himself.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNkoi24k3WI
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The threads had formed not metal plates or chainmail, but layered cloth. He ran his hands down his torso, feeling a fitted greyish tunic as the base layer. Over it, a mantle draped across his chest and shoulders, flowing down his back.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSe4H3xZx5N
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His fingers traced the pale shoulder plates that crowned each shoulder. They held the weight of a long cloak that extended to his knees. He turned slightly, feeling the cloak shift behind him.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRFpGD5sK1n
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He lifted his arms. Dark bracers encased his forearms from wrist to elbow. He flexed his hands, testing their movement. The bracers allowed full range of motion, their protective weight hardly restrictive.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0XpAVobjef
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3g9eyMPSJ4
Dark trousers covered his legs. Cel lifted one foot, testing the weight of the armored boots that rose from ankle to knee - actual steel this time, dark and solid. They moved with him as if they'd been worn for years.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwWyHErl3SV
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The entire ensemble was muted in color - deep charcoal and smoky grays. Worn-looking despite its divine origin.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9VCSYs5G6p
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"It suits you, Chosen One." Selina's voice carried quiet approval. “It will serve you well."109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDq0V70eyOq
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Cel ran his fingers along the fabric of his shirt. The texture surprised him - substantial yet flexible. Nothing like the rough materials he'd worn his entire life, or the blood-soaked rags that had barely covered him moments ago.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIteqDHUhqr
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeNWAlevhww
"Blessed grade," he muttered.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn0t8CUKje7
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"Even the simplest gift from the gods surpasses mortal craft." Selina's voice held quiet certainty. "The worth of an artifacts is not always measured in how much power it holds, but in how long it allows you to endure." 109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUgdKXVDK9l
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkzUqqWEWPD
Cel flexed his hands, watching the bracers move with his wrists. The armor felt... right. Natural.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuZCiMysGWi
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He supposed she had a point. As long as it ensured his survival, additional powers didn’t matter. 109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfpy66zeItr
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His gaze drifted back to the monolith, to the coin still clasped in his hand.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnC8qFXGTXf
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA2EDVfyzWD
<Insight: (locked 0/1)>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT4NsD0oD4R
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"Most Chosen spend their first coin on this," he said, gesturing toward it. 109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDIG9MuDy9S
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"That is the common path," Selina agreed. "And often the wisest. Knowledge is a weapon that never dulls."109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg4zsIlyuVA
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Cel studied the monolith, weighing his choices mentally. He could awaken Cinderward - raise it from Blessed to Sacred, give it a chance at developing useful traits or authorities. Or spare it to awaken Silent Moon later on, push an already formidable weapon toward new heights.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxb2PdVRMTw
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1XKFuL76yP
But his instructors had emphasized the value of that knowledge. Walking blind into encounters with unknown creatures was how Chosen died, regardless of how powerful their artifacts became. No artifact, no matter how powerful, could compensate for ignorance.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVnHAL4wPdq
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"The practical choice," he murmured.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJQeHAmJa7C
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"Many have survived by making it," Selina said simply.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM7rHgZApJJ
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Cel nodded slowly. The Insight first. Learn what he was facing. Save the other coins for when he better understood which artifacts needed strengthening most.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy4jyWXJ9fC
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He approached the monolith and focused on the locked Insight notation. The coin in his hand grew warm, responding to his intent.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR1BWvtaCNc
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"How do I—"109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6izFXx2UAp
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The coin dissolved.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEea9XbG5zb
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Silver light poured from between his fingers - not violently, but like water through a sieve. The radiance flowed upward, drawn toward the monolith as if pulled by invisible threads.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV1zE3ADh8V
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The runes shifted. Changed.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDmPVKJ9zpo
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<Insight: (unlocked 1/1)>109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUjtyoQ5sG7
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New text appeared:109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSPNZ6PMeNT
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<Insight: (Ledger of Nightmares)>

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----------------109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGk27l2Uedb

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109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfeEOKnuWwz

Hello, Author here^^

How did you like the first real fight in the story?

I have a small announcement to make: You probably all know that Christmas is approaching. And for that occasion, I have some short special Chapters prepared for you. So, you can look forward to the next few days in which they get published.

And of course, they won’t get published here as regular Chapters. So better hop on our discord server (https://discord.gg/Uduxc48wfm) or stay updated on my socials (https://linktr.ee/Lunar_Legacy).

That’s all. See you guys :)

ns216.73.217.19da2

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