Cel sat on the bed's edge, staring at nothing.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsHqPjCFERX
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMXNRLKpVVe
The room was quiet. Too quiet. No whisper of ash settling. No distant tremors beneath the ground. Just the muffled sounds of the Academy beyond his walls - footsteps in corridors, voices too distant to understand, the creak of old wood settling.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgfHwtbUpYT
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His fingers traced patterns on his thigh without conscious thought. Small circles that meant nothing.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhDOIc3tfIA
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeUtMNGCVjD
'The Reckoning.'100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcYvmrRbRld
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The name felt strange in his mind. An organization that hunted corrupt Chosen. That killed those who believed power placed them above consequence.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBOecqV8dcm
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHq06VxXElH
Noble work. Necessary work, maybe.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi4wMimA9d9
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwhin5NO5Pi
But killers nonetheless.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9KgLgOErZx
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His jaw tightened.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuB17Njxtei
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They'd voted on whether he lived or died like it was choosing what to have for dinner. Four votes to kill him. Four to let him join.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡscgTqSgHVJ
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ8pFG4Hbiv
'Would they have done it? If Veyron had sided with Draven?'100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaGvLtfHLBi
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPCgitzxCkj
The answer was obvious. Yes. Without hesitation. Esrin might have stopped them - or she might not have. The vote existed to prevent exactly that kind of conflict.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6WHHAL89RX
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His hands curled into fists.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHBSWnPmJCF
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He'd joined an organization that had nearly executed him. That operated with the kind of cold pragmatism that reminded him too much of his father.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhqpVwlmFS0
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'But they fight people like him.'100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbukrfJGCDL
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX2bqwhWVDQ
The thought arrived with uncomfortable clarity. The Reckoning existed because powerful Chosen abused that power. Because the law failed when divine favor was involved.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgt6ymyoQI9
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQSdlaQygc6
His father had beaten him nearly to death. Had sold him to cultists that used him for their twisted experiments. Had done it all knowing his position in the Sun Clan made him untouchable.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3wTd86c8Bm
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If the Reckoning had known…100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn80LQuThBI
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Cel's breath came harder.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD0gDm2Hrjm
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfDpMC1GUNr
Would they have killed him? 100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj4mczRrL1c
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The answer should have been obvious. But the question wouldn't settle.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRtwunDjqzc
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs9BbgBdxOp
He pushed himself off the bed and moved to the window.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkQcmrGM4uq
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAPhaWRt4OD
The Academy grounds stretched below. Beyond the walls, the street continued - cobblestones, shops, people moving through their afternoon routines.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLZ725eXz6K
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIB1eXmOGrf
Normal. Peaceful. Safe.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDpb5luMpfH
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Everything the Hollow Realms wasn't.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE5lQPouMJb
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His reflection stared back from the glass - white hair, pale skin, eyes that looked older than sixteen had any right to be.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvITk0Brq5o
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIE1mtN6Hl7
'No Divine Energy.'100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYHDWb9ZJ1J
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The thought made his stomach twist.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS2jyXkoy84
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He'd assumed he was simply bad at sensing it. That his talent was so poor he couldn't feel what every other Chosen felt naturally. A limitation. A weakness.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ7ojtaL1TQ
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But the Reckoning had revealed something else.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYNPwC529sR
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb34WDn41fK
An artifact, they'd assumed. Something suppressing his divine signature so completely that even other Chosen couldn't sense him.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNGuqZed2wV
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbsYBckYs6h
Except there was no such artifact. 100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBI9n0ZGzIF
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9vXBi87g0o
Cel's hand dropped to the windowsill. He focused, reaching for Frostmark the way he always did - through intent alone, bypassing the energy he couldn't sense.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp5gldK5VqI
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKxIdegIpyb
Frost erupted beneath his touch, spreading across the wood in delicate patterns that branched and crystallized. 100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnRlFR7N15i
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGPKLmbHDSF
Cold bit into his palm. He pulled his hand back, flexing fingers against the ache.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAIiEiBUhql
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWVy3fyvgN3
The frost remained, permanent and gleaming.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡanXFxarBYs
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'How?'100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk9tq0E3VWB
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How could he be blessed without Divine Energy? How could he use authorities without the fuel to activate them?100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡawjDVZfYOV
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It made no sense.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6XP20str2U
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A Chosen who couldn't sense Divine Energy shouldn't exist. Much less a Chosen who had none.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3eVQlgU0mp
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeC4NR2cG90
Yet here he stood.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtNEd50MRhq
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrUEbxTSzUb
Blessed by the Moon Goddess. Able to summon artifacts and authorities. But lacking the energy that should make it all possible.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrUCC4F18Ib
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKluBera6mU
'What the hell am I?' The question hung in the silence.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0TT79SDEP1
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Something was wrong with him. Something fundamental that even the goddess's blessing hadn't fixed.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw1ibRxWImH
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Or… hadn't needed to fix.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK2laBqvC1A
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Maybe it wasn't a flaw to be corrected.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjo4lEN6GeC
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Maybe it was simply... what he was.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp8nCrIN0Ww
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Cel turned from the window, his gaze tracking across the sparse room. Bed. Desk. Wardrobe. Basin.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrTmNW4ykkh
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His entire world, now.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZCyf3OIosh
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdUHAsicSMu
And Raven…100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtU09DMTBk9
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Yh4SfF312
The name settled in his chest like a stone.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9cIq1zVb3D
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPHGhOxRM9c
Raven was the Prince of Death. A prodigy who'd infiltrated the Sun Clan's stronghold and murdered their greatest talent - someone blessed by a Divine Oracle, just like Cel.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPXK5ZCXjOg
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡItLR8rHXMO
That parallel made his skin prickle.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUbjpDbTtlM
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXkh3fiQyF9
What could drive someone to throw away everything? Title, clan, divine favor, family - all of it abandoned to become Cursed and commit murder.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3UdhTsv5G1
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ImuLBh4CA
The expedition to the Western Continent. Something had happened there.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeA5YQlIGgN
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxyx8626Lkm
But what?100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9yF9AK8XhY
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQZynohSjvg
And why kill the Sun Clan's prodigy specifically? Was it personal? Political? Something else?100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKjDdgwQAFz
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXNTWLshvnR
Cel sank onto the bed's edge, elbows on his knees.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdpjrzjSjmt
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpy2Wb9D9L4
Raven had helped him. Protected him from creatures that should have killed them both. Had done it all knowing Cel was Chosen - knowing most Chosen would try to kill him on sight.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPakY1MMuog
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsRr6yDZIug
He'd even told Cel to trust Esrin. To seek her protection.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBZfZXpaBtO
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Even knowing she hunted him.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeCo9vAdUy1
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That wasn't evil.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmtNmWYWdH8
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But cold-blooded murder wasn't good either.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmJsen1Xw2n
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The contradiction refused to resolve. Maybe there were no good or bad people - just broken ones making choices that seemed right in the moment.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuDPjJ9cWk4
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOhb1aPuwwB
Or maybe Cel was rationalizing because Raven had shown him kindness when no one else had.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmRXehcqhqB
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He pressed his hands against his face.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgE9vVyNRAk
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1BIT61CBKB
If Raven appeared again... if the Reckoning ordered him to help hunt someone who'd saved his life…100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4wKuuP6ci9
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLILDpHrzIT
What was he supposed to do?100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFH1zeu0YAQ
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The room felt too small suddenly. Confining. Like the walls were pressing in.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLzFH7nBQUc
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4o9sJx0728
He needed answers. Real answers, not speculation or half-formed theories.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPqetIPMQuV
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡraYbz0RElx
And there was only one person who might have them.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjdxPdJsdkV
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK9o95REY9O
Cel closed his eyes and reached inward.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf0RrftRQWL
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKxcRgWgLbV
The world shifted.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAJ61n1V5qe
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcRPE0xAWH4
Cracked earth materialized beneath his feet. Mist swirled in gentle currents around his legs. Small flowers with bluish-white petals bloomed from small fissures, reaching toward the full moon that hung above.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUEFbMXR10S
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoWmR3sbMFo
Footsteps approached through the mist.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhB9OrQmyp8
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡojkV7XH2bd
Selina emerged with that same graceful certainty, white robes trailing through the haze. Her silver mask caught moonlight, reflecting it in pale crescents. Below, her lips curved in a serene smile.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1vIlCJ2yIz
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKQQmRfP813
"Welcome back, Chosen One."100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcdlhgsylzq
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ci2kVCJFD
The greeting was gentle. Patient. A small anchor of certainty in everything that felt chaotic.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIJYmq6Flv1
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJqkhxE3iZf
Cel's throat worked. Where to even start?100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7dNfAmJu3X
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzib04HuJZ8
"I need to ask you something." The words came rougher than intended. 100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhwHmE5ELUy
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhOUoxYtGDu
"Of course," Selina said simply.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG8I5lO1LTK
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"About the Reckoning. Are they..." He paused, searching for the right question. "They hunt corrupt Chosen. Kill them when the law fails. Is that justice? Or just violence?"100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYwGH2RZzYm
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNebSq97ykt
Selina tilted her head slightly, already understanding where his thoughts had taken him. "An interesting question. But perhaps the wrong one."100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqM6CBTqowy
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Cel blinked.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqhxxqzEe5n
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhluAKuAu6t
"What do you mean?"100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI5y7eAVBVC
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkoXpiRx2Tw
"Organizations are not inherently good or evil, Chosen One. They are simply structures. Frameworks built by people to achieve certain ends." She gestured gracefully with one hand. "What defines them - what truly matters - are the individuals who comprise them. Their intentions. Their values. Their choices."100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOWEBt2xQb1
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC9vI07O1hz
Cel's shoulders drew back. "So you're saying I should judge them by their members, not their stated purpose?"100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4mVxIraBGQ
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvoldQzOZN1
"I am saying that the Reckoning is what its people make it." Her tone remained gentle but carried weight. "Some may be driven by genuine desire for justice. Others by vengeance. Still others by the simple thrill of power over those who once held power over them." She paused. "Judge each person for themselves. Not the banner they stand beneath."100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDrjjH6zudx
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3D5jJxfrM9
The answer settled in his chest, heavy and uncomfortable.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5SJie7ldTO
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It meant he couldn't just accept or reject the Reckoning wholesale. Couldn't trust them or dismiss them as a group.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR8ZzrzHGAl
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwDRrI2Gdq6
He'd have to evaluate each member individually. Decide who deserved his trust and who didn't.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyZuLODvyz5
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Exhausting.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbgvIYpnesM
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But probably wise.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ezLW7F3z6
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"I have another question," he said finally. "About my… condition."100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5UojIfwF69
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Selina's attention shifted, becoming more focused.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5RS2jVXSLY
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqfUqzm36kt
"The Reckoning said I have no Divine Energy." The words felt strange in his mouth. Wrong. "Not suppressed. Not hidden. Just... absent." He met her masked gaze. "How is that possible? How can I manifest abilities without the power to fuel them?"100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRiLwmhZfhP
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdCaDbcyVe6
Silence answered him100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI3A58xISn2
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When Selina finally spoke, that familiar note of regret colored her voice. "I am sorry, Chosen One. That does not lie within my authority."100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwDZN5PqDJm
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgCptnAsAZp
Cel's hands clenched into fists. "So I'm just supposed to figure it out myself? Stumble around blind until I happen to understand why I'm—why I'm broken?"100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3u5PCxbKxk
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡynipF4zKCJ
"You are not broken."100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd0qX8PQaQS
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Xtj9LHIYB
The certainty in her voice stopped him cold.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡre6rxWFsie
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi14XiVUvcT
Selina took a step closer, silver mask tilted toward him with what felt like infinite patience.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3xPkbZ0yHt
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNi1P7aIpNx
"You are different, Chosen One. That is not the same as flawed. The goddess chose you knowing exactly what you are. She blessed you not despite your nature, but because of it. Whatever answer you seek regarding your condition, you will find it when the time is right. Not before."100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1w0MtvU8yT
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSz5DVEfwxf
The frustration burning in his chest didn't dissipate, but something about her tone made him swallow the angry response forming on his tongue.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡumhfMvkbgr
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnRTEvnWAgO
She was right.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuY5dydXQkA
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3iRcIOd464
He didn't like it. Hated it, actually.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJp19lIrNy6
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9GfUqXEqSe
But she was right.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzSOacuo5Vs
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhoaUg5FlEH
"Fine." The word came out clipped. "Then what about Raven?"100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY8qAhV73W6
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl24uVKGfRq
Selina's posture shifted subtly. Still graceful, still poised, but... guarded in a way she'd never been before.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY7ElHsZ28X
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4aeuCK1IAp
"You told me to be careful," Cel pressed. "What did you mean? Should I trust him? Avoid him?"100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm8HrDUADay
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMYXCAOqOTc
The mist curled around their feet, moving in slow spirals across cracked earth.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPWLDysmkwo
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5uhgikmEFb
"I cannot share more than I have already told you, Chosen One." Her tone carried genuine regret. "Raven's path is his own, and the choices he has made - the reasons behind them - are not mine to reveal." She paused. "What I can tell you is this: the young man you met in the Ashlands is dangerous. Not because he wishes you harm, but because the forces surrounding him are complex. Volatile."100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpm1q2qGYLY
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The implication made his stomach twist.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6v43bN1CsP
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJPMiPYxHad
"Dangerous how? To me? To others?"100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡktSY6WGCzD
100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbnFDtpTpKz
"I think," Selina said carefully, "that you should stay away from him if your paths cross again."100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSaOAUVlFoZ
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The advice settled over him like cold water.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2OaMpBJnB6
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Cel turned away, his gaze tracking across the cracked earth. Flowers swayed in wind that shouldn't exist here, their petals catching moonlight.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLYGGJDDDCQ
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Behind him, Selina's posture relaxed slightly, the guardedness fading back into her usual gentle presence.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHhcLFQnDQH
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"Is there anything else, Chosen One?"100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2CpS2p4xlc
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Cel was silent for a long moment, his gaze fixed on the cracked earth at his feet.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWMBQiRKop9
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"What am I supposed to do?" The words came out quieter than he'd intended. Almost vulnerable.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0NBLb5hUjW
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For a heartbeat, Selina simply watched him, her presence calm and unhurried.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdRkZOO0p9X
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When she finally spoke, her voice carried an almost playful tone. "Nothing at all."100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuKj4ia2Yta
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Cel blinked, momentarily thrown off balance. 100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKtlwLnhBGU
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"Rest, Chosen One. Enjoy the peaceful time you have been given. Do the things that bring you joy, or that you have always wished to try."100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGI9Gl97sfu
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Cel stared at her, confusion written across his face. "I don't—what?"100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFsuGR15mYB
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"You have fought enough. Survived enough. Bled enough." She leaned closer, her voice dropping to something softer. "Learn to live too."100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ21JTILDr6R
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The words landed like something foreign. Incomprehensible.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCEmObGMo4P
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Live.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC2dZ25WUCW
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Not fight. Not survive. Not train or prepare or become stronger.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWj3aSKcO5g
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Just... live.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡleYWl4nDJP
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"I don't understand," Cel said slowly. "The Academy starts in ten days. I need to master my abilities. Learn to control my strength. Figure out how to—"100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYaneye2jXs
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"You need," Selina interrupted gently, "to remember what it feels like to be human. Not just a weapon. Not just a survivor." She paused. "When was the last time you did something simply because it brought you joy?"100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ94UmaWuzPV
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The question stopped him cold.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCyebIhud7X
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When? Before the beating? Before his Divine Calling?100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDxeQzpm8vu
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Had he ever?100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMckgoEoqZW
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His throat felt tight. "I don't know how."100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2LURvoUX31
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"Then now is the perfect time to learn." There was no judgment in her tone. Only understanding. "Ten days, Chosen One. Ten days to discover what brings you peace. What makes you smile. What reminds you that you are more than the trials you have survived."100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHVw4j21td7
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"Like what?" The question came out helpless.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfkiKcB7x36
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"Start small." Selina's hand lifted, gesturing toward the moon above. "Watch the moon. Walk through the city without searching for threats. Speak with someone because you want to, not because you need something from them." She lowered her hand. "Let yourself be bored. Let yourself be curious."100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0zAMhnmOcw
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The suggestions felt absurd. Frivolous.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZL470tcSLm
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Dangerous, even.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYVrd7nVjMD
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But something in his chest loosened at the thought.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwYXH17LJ41
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"I don't know if I can," he admitted.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjIsXkBe44C
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"You can." Selina's certainty was absolute. "You simply need to give yourself permission."100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcfnHCxvjFe
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Silence stretched between them, broken only by the soft rustle of flowers swaying in the mist.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjeWWBSBgKm
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Eventually, Cel nodded once. Not agreement, exactly. Just acknowledgement that he'd heard her.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxuk9IDtfQ4
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"Thank you," he said quietly.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOxPmFLq2Cn
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"You are welcome, Chosen One."100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGo0ANsYy5n
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Selina's smile brightened - genuine warmth transforming her serene expression into something radiant. The moonlight seemed to gather around her, highlighting the elegant curve of her mask, the graceful line of her throat, the way her white robes moved like water with each small shift of her posture.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡboxw3noOkS
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It was…100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsRjzkuE90x
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Beautiful. She was beautiful.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0vvhKSMtMH
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He'd known that, objectively. But knowing something and truly seeing it were different things entirely.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfRWcwTyxkv
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Heat crawled up his neck, sudden and unwelcome.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCRtpz5Sw23
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"Chosen One?" Selina tilted her head slightly, that radiant smile still in place. "Is something wrong?"100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdWJOtE4y2y
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"No," he said too quickly. "Nothing.” 100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuZ78n7Jrc6
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Cel's gaze jerked away, desperate for somewhere - anywhere - else to look.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAASB3oQ3wl
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His eyes landed on the divine monolith standing behind her, its surface gleaming with pale light.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnfJAMyIaqB
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Right. The achievement. He'd heard the Divine Voice earlier, hadn't he? When Esrin brought him through that rift.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGrD1NN6F6n
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Perfect.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiBzlXsq61H
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"Actually—" Cel gestured toward the monolith, seizing the excuse like a lifeline. "I just remembered. New achievement. I should probably check that before I go."100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1f4Xjce7oe
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"Of course," Selina said, and was it his imagination, or did her tone carry a hint of amusement?100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCyplpdaLVO
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Cel didn't look back to check. He was already moving toward the monolith, his steps perhaps a bit quicker than necessary.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbT7dfCtqIK
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Behind him, he could have sworn he heard the softest sound - barely audible.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlW6F0N5Q1H
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A quiet chuckle.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXScuCUP7LX
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His face burned hotter.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7V06gePdT0
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The monolith's surface rippled as he approached, text forming in that familiar script:100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeDJGzYS06B
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<Name: Celvian>100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ66Obd6T4pj
<Paragons: (Heir to the Moon) (White Death)>100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZdl5pOJdhC
<Artifacts: (Silent Moon) (Cinderward)>100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtitwjFDYe7
<Insights: (Ledger of Nightmares)>100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOEMGbbBCIv
<Achievements: (2)>1234 copyright protection96ＰＥＮＡＮＡuBrCmqvjS8 尼

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