Lior pushed himself to his feet slowly, dirt clinging to his damp palms. His gaze tracked to the empty basin lying on its side, then to the dark wet patch soaking into the ground.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoJb3Jzvky2
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He didn't look at the boy who'd tripped him. Didn't say anything. Just picked up the basin with careful hands and walked back toward the well, joining the end of the line that had grown longer.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWoWJzPHTzd
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Cel grabbed a basin from the stack near the well and followed.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0GA6u4JSd1
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX2kekp88An
The line shifted forward slowly. Students ahead drew water, their conversations a low murmur that didn't quite mask the occasional laugh directed at Lior's back.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuiA82uHy3t
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrnUFNjWeAV
"Good morning," Lior said when Cel stopped behind him. His tone was light, normal. As if nothing just happened.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡViMRcRIptm
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"Morning."80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlvxdqAfAFo
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They shuffled forward with the line. The well's wooden mechanism creaked as someone hauled up the bucket.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ73uA2kvC60
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"How were the classes yesterday?" Cel asked.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5b0Sb8fmYL
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Lior's expression brightened slightly. "Hard. Really hard. But..." He paused, searching for words. "It's a blessing, being able to learn this. Reading and writing, I mean. My parents never had the chance."80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ34iErFEyOS
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKqdAk6XwfS
His fingers worked at the basin's edge - that familiar nervous gesture.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCk8hD8qZle
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"The letters don't make sense yet. And my hand cramps trying to copy them. But Instructor Saren says it will get easier."80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9A9JK7Cmwq
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ78XOrygN2h
"It will."80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhZYxiXTACc
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSuK9P10xmG
They reached the well. Lior hauled up the bucket with both hands, the rope groaning under the weight. Water sloshed as he tilted it carefully, filling his basin to the brim.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6VYJTemawU
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He stepped aside, but didn't leave.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGezsLrCE7Q
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzsheFY9AV2
Cel filled his own basin. The water was cold enough to sting.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfHVF90ZlCc
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When he lifted the full basin, Lior still stood there.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgYvC0q9kon
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"Ready?"80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKQj6Z71rew
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Cel nodded.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrnN1zFVAIZ
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He turned toward the area where students washed - and kept walking past the closer, emptier spaces. His path led directly toward where the boy sat, pulling his academy uniform over damp shoulders.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWnDZm8gXNT
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"Maybe we should—" Lior's voice came quiet, uncertain. "There's space over there. More room."80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNjYht7jrCi
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQwX2sjz4fL
Cel didn't respond. Just kept walking.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNjV2273zsP
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The boy ahead remained focused on straightening his collar.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjmTxqoHnKC
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Cel's foot caught on nothing.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvSUC8sqmlH
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His balance broke instantly, body lurching forward. The basin swung down in a perfect arc.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRdfwdJjiOC
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It crashed directly onto the boy's head.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbwYmTykzGw
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The sound was sharp - wood shattering against skull, water exploding outward in a spray that drenched the boy's freshly donned uniform. 80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3IFlQkjpxf
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEuNL8cr46i
"What the—" The boy shouted, hands flying to his head. "You bastard!"80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyf5NuKOIJI
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl0WhipbCr6
Conversations died. Heads turned. The entire gathering area went silent.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ67t74Ifv4i
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Cel pushed himself upright slowly, dirt clinging to his palms.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbzZpooDdhQ
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyVQ6KDfy1Q
"Sorry." Cel's voice carried across the sudden silence. "Seems like I tripped.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbc1GWSJdWW
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSetAqDB7Z9
"Are you kid—"80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ktLfC4Ucf
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Cel's hand shot out and closed on the boy's collar. One sharp pull brought them forehead to forehead. 80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa5S37k9j8m
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Their eyes locked - glacial blue meeting dark brown. 80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdRgJH839AP
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡioztyEUMTJ
"Next time," Cel whispered, "it won't be the basin that breaks."80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ02IMBvOeSz
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He held the contact for three heartbeats, letting the message sink in.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSO34OyufWC
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Then he released his grip and stepped back.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrNcJZbRVqM
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"I'm happy nothing serious happened."80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN9Ssa2E9oJ
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The boy stared up at him, hand still pressed to his head. His mouth worked soundlessly, bewildered by what just happened.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc9UKlpZeeb
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Around them, students remained frozen. No one spoke. No one moved. The sudden violence had caught them all mid-breath.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXYvGIebHGW
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Cel turned and walked back to where Lior stood, his expression unchanged.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnXwZAfRnYh
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Lior blinked rapidly, his basin trembling slightly in his hands. "I—you can share mine. If you want."80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh7mSpMVH1U
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"Thanks."80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFeWtT0enTU
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They moved to an empty corner. Lior set the basin down with careful hands, his gaze darting back toward where the boy still sat paralyzed.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgA00L7a1vT
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"Was that... I mean..." Lior's voice dropped lower. "Was that okay?"80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTf2pvTJSiR
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Cel dipped his hands in the water, washing dirt from his palms. "What do you mean?"80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCb9e9HuqxN
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHOzdhlX2ym
Lior opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQTeoqKwhDU
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"Nothing," he said finally. "Never mind."80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGDB1hgYoFP
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They washed in silence, the rhythmic splash of water the only sound between them.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK90GEgQzlV
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"You have a nice body."80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtFE5EhdESf
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Cel glanced at Lior.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡldhVlXB50R
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He was staring at Cel's bare torso with genuine admiration.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC1A4NVkDeU
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Lior's face went red the moment he realized. "I mean—that came out wrong—" He gestured helplessly. "It's just... you're really built."80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFhXo68Z6yg
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A pause.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡokp3J5Qi1G
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"How did you get it?”80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY0a7xt3tFS
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"My parents were strict," Cel said. Not quite a lie. "They wanted me to be strong."80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡso8Di7sQ8D
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Lior nodded slowly, as if that explained everything.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5WBnBDtdq3
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They finished washing and pulled on their uniforms. The bell rang across the Academy grounds once more - sharp and clear.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1n0WKqM6PV
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Morning assembly.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE8JytUnzON
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Students moved as one toward the training grounds. Cel and Lior joined the flow, their basins left behind with dozens of others.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXvpV1e7MaJ
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The sun climbed overhead while Instructor Calder shouted commands that drove muscles past exhaustion. 80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8S2J773lzi
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By the end, most students lay sprawled across packed earth, chests heaving.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJDgSQkoZxX
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Cel stood upright, breathing steady. Sweat coated his skin, but his legs didn't shake. His arms didn't tremble.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgPnJb51aOF
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Breakfast came next. Food that Cel ate without tasting, surrounded by conversations he didn't join.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZVCaqV3tKA
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI9P4pIV814
Then theoretical classes. Instructor Saren's voice washing over them in steady waves - creature classifications, blessing mechanics, imperial history.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3eG0zXZene
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBiDUIAJBNy
Cel listened with half his attention. Most of it he already knew. The rest didn't matter enough to focus on completely.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNC4MBit0t9
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Lunch. More food. More tasteless fuel.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnShvVXtTLi
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Then combat training.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSDSQQeRkW8
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Instructor Calder stood in the center of the training grounds, arms crossed. Weapon racks lined the wall behind him - swords, spears, axes, all designed to kill.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeAcIKARTRV
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"You don't choose your artifact," he said without preamble. "The gods decide. Some of you will receive swords. Others axes, spears, bows, staves. A few might get something stranger."80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMSskW8Noc2
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His scarred hands gestured toward the racks.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGE6o2OP7xQ
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"Which means you learn everything. Master nothing initially, but become competent with all of it."80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsRUwYjTY4G
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He moved to the weapon rack and pulled out a longsword. The blade caught afternoon light as he held it up.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHS5z5OrvLq
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"We start with this. Two-handed sword. Most common artifact weapon type. Basic, versatile, effective."80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMzXu0LcNWq
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The blade was real steel. Not practice wood.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9C2DBkKW1v
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"Take one. Form lines. We begin with the fundamental strikes."80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmxNpnxLqC4
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Students moved to the racks. Cel took a blade from the middle.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ691GBpqJTI
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The weight settled in his hands. Familiar. Wrong.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmKJuHmT2BT
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He joined the forming lines, Lior settling beside him with a sword he could barely hold steady.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTlKE9fDFBL
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"Basic vertical slash," Calder called out. "Watch."80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyySTEOxzvP
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His blade rose overhead in one smooth motion, held steady at the apex, then descended in a controlled arc that ended with the point aimed at the ground.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS8R4TUln69
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"Again."80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWNuoMfazNs
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The motion repeated. Slower this time, each phase distinct.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDh9RrnxBi1
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"That's the first form. You'll practice it until your arms fall off. Then you'll practice it more."80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDfZiNpUeKM
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He demonstrated the remaining basic forms, each one sharp and purposeful.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkwG85u7h7x
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The training began.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3QDctZKLvo
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Cel's body moved through the motions with muscle memory he'd thought buried. These weren't the techniques of House Solmar - no blazing offensive sequences, no emphasis on overwhelming aggression.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKMDQzx3nXd
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These were the Chosen Legion forms. Practical. Efficient. Built for soldiers who fought rifts creatures in coordinated units rather than nobles dueling for honor.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Hrp2CA2ha
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He'd studied them once, years ago. His weapons instructor had insisted on broad knowledge despite his father's preference for the Solar Blade technique.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡavhacXtTLG
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His hands adjusted their grip. The sword rose overhead. Descended. Rose again.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc4O8a9LrYE
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Around him, students fumbled and struggled. Lior nearly dropped his blade twice in the first minute. Others overcorrected, their swings wild and uncontrolled.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtPaHG3sFQ5
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Cel forced his third swing to drift slightly left. Let the fourth end too high. Made deliberate mistakes that would mark him as learning rather than trained.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtZvFCUmSk5
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But the Solar Blade technique... he'd need to forget that entirely. The forms were too distinctive. Any observer familiar with Sun Clan methods would recognize them instantly.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3y62mpJShv
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That heritage had to die here. Buried beneath new patterns, new muscle memory.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡat47kBCwxw
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The Chosen Legion's style would become his foundation instead.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcCxJ1960PD
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Days bled into weeks.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6aZ5Qd0Ta2
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Morning conditioning pushed bodies past limits. Theoretical classes filled minds with knowledge. Combat training taught weapon forms that repeated until they became reflex, leaving calluses on every palm.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoZIDqIHnWY
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Cel attended everything like the others. Made mistakes during combat drills - mistimed swings, overextended lunges. Pretended confusion when Instructor Saren covered topics he'd learned years ago.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo2vocXTsuF
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But physical conditioning betrayed him.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcvTqoGVbyn
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No matter how much he feigned exhaustion - letting his breathing grow ragged, allowing his movements to slow - his body wouldn't tire enough. While others collapsed after the final sprint, he remained standing. 80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc7C90yDvgV
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The instructors noticed. Students noticed.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmiHX39nbqt
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By the second week, no one questioned when Cel finished first.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡessTKz41x1
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Combat training told a different story.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNbdQp6DwN5
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His strength worked against him there. A basic parry became a disarming strike when his opponent's blade went flying. A controlled thrust nearly impaled the practice dummy. His two-handed grip shattered a sword's crossguard.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTbMXmgeIM2
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"Authority," he told Instructor Calder when questioned. "Strength enhancement. I'm still learning to control it."80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHoaQeZE5jY
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The lie held. Barely.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzmx5SkW4UG
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His Divine Energy problem was a simpler. When asked to demonstrate his control during theoretical lessons, Cel simply said he possessed a trait that suppressed his signature.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG6YX0tOJuT
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Instructor Calder's eyes narrowed, but he accepted the explanation without pressing.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3v02XpWVtb
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The nights belonged to training.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBvK3ocM8D3
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When the Academy slept, Cel claimed the empty grounds. Basic exercises until dawn approached. Building the foundation that everything else multiplied.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdmmEizCOHD
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Free days took him into the city.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtliQnQochR
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The Moon Church welcomed him with empty silence. Most visits, Lyra wasn't there. But sometimes she was, arranging flowers or simply praying. They would talk about small things. Safe things. He never stayed long enough to risk deeper questions.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsrZXJJfGgV
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Lyra mentioned their mother occasionally. How she'd joined the Chosen Legion after the divorce. How she was leading missions in the name of the royal house now. Cel absorbed every detail without comment, tracking his mother's movements through his sister's casual updates.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxsWNeyXLP9
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The Golden Hart offered different comfort. The bartender knew him now, poured without asking. Cel drank and listened to conversations around him - politics, gossip, complaints about work. He absorbed it all without participating.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡejZHe1hQda
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Humanity's normal rhythm. Lives untouched by divine blessings or rift-creatures.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo4qz9Zp8O5
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It was... peaceful. In its own way.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGAAYnsIUyn
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Some evenings, Lior joined him in his room.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2HZJsPSLFU
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Letters sprawled across parchment in shaky lines. Lior's frustration mounted with each attempt, his quill scratching and bleeding ink.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMTuafrALaL
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"Like this," Cel said, guiding his hand through the proper motion.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBztxY4UvGA
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Lior's writing improved slowly. His reading faster. By the third week, he could parse simple sentences without help.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAmuOIVuwOZ
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"Thank you," Lior said one evening, his voice quiet. “I know I'm slow at learning.” 80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7i6jtcYU33
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"It's fine."80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIrX6kuxKy2
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And it was.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1P0yKXUr5I
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No one approached Cel or Lior.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq1ywLT74XH
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The incident at the well had marked them both - Lior as weak, Cel as dangerous. Neither was appealing company.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg2fQxp0fhz
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They sat alone at meals. Trained in isolated corners of the grounds. Existed apart from everyone else.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJPaiBvI038
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Lior seemed unbothered. Or perhaps he'd simply accepted it.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnPJiuL9mWl
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Cel didn't care either way.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfRiNftm0lE
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Weeks became a month. Then two. Then three.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPas2pERFnj
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The physical conditioning grew harder. Combat forms more complex. Theoretical lessons deeper.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3h3nna9hcN
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Cel's strength improved despite his best efforts to hide it. His sword forms remained clumsy - from the lack of talent and from his overflowing strength.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTvaFJxPZjs
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On the morning of the fourth month's final day, Instructor Saren stood before them in the main classroom.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5k9PyjGVjE
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"In two days," she said, her voice carrying across the tiered seats, "the noble students arrive."80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLhLA8Q9sDk
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Silence answered her.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmM0r1LpTiH
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"You've had four months to prepare. To learn your place. To understand what's expected." Her gaze swept the assembled commoners. "When they walk through those doors, you will show proper deference. You will not embarrass yourselves or this Academy."80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYB0c6CRkWI
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She paused.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡknxtSaTRZL
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"And you will remember - they've trained since childhood for this. Everything you've struggled to learn in four months, they've mastered over years."80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡINkWQOTC0D
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The weight of that truth settled over the room.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjIlri7w6f0
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"Tomorrow is your rest day. Use it wisely. Dismissed."80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrlqxgdJvuU
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----80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeDQNThKgJs
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​​​​​​​Heyho, Author here!80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbNsnRodUHt
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I just wanted to inform you that I will launch a new special-chapter format on monday.80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRLmrcC73o0
You can keep track of it on my website or discord^^80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhvO1gcOvVU
Website: https://celastos-shop.fourthwall.com80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFRRaEdAWiE
Discord: https://discord.gg/Uduxc48wfm80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNwevrJkVNW
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