Cel stopped before the monolith, grateful for the excuse to focus on something other than the heat still crawling up his neck.

The surface rippled like water, runes burning against his vision:

<Name: Celvian>
<Paragons: (Heir to the Moon) (White Death)>
<Artifacts: (Silent Moon) (Cinderward)>
<Insights: (Ledger of Nightmares)>
<Achievements: (2)>

He focused on the achievements line.

<Achievements: (You died) (You entered a new dimension)>

Cel stared at the words.

Crazy. Both of them sounded absolutely insane when laid out like that.

The first he'd earned by dying - something that should have ended everything. The second one was new. A record of stepping into the Reckoning's base - that floating island in the crackling violet void.

His brow furrowed.

Not the Hollow Realms. Not the real world either.

A completely separate dimension.

But how?

Did the Reckoning find it somehow? Stumble across a rift that led to an empty pocket of reality and claim it?

Or had someone created it?

The thought made his stomach twist. Creating an entire dimension seemed impossible - the kind of power that shouldn't exist outside of gods themselves.

But the Reckoning had nine members. Several of them legendary figures - the Mercenary King, the second prince of the Empire, a Hallowed. And Veyron led them all, had welcomed him based solely on Selina's description.

What kind of person could lead such figures? And what kind of power did someone like that possess?

Cel's jaw tightened. More questions without answers.

His gaze shifted back to his paragons. One of them had received a new trait.

He focused on Heir to the Moon first.

<Paragon: Heir to the Moon>
<Affinity: 1/10>
<Traits: (Lunar Vigor) (Unbroken Succession) (Eternal Witness)>
<Authorities: />
<Enlightment: "The moon is never the same twice, yet she is always herself. Full tonight, crescent tomorrow, vanished the next - but never gone. They call it change. The moon calls it constancy.">

Three traits now, instead of two.

Eternal Witness. The new addition.

Cel narrowed his focus on it and the runes shifted again.

<Trait: Eternal Witness>
<Effect: Your body has adapted to the moon's eternal watch. You no longer require sleep.>

For a moment, he simply stared.

Then the implication hit him like a physical blow.

No sleep.

Never again.

Several hours every night that other people lost to unconsciousness - hours he could use however he wanted. Training. Reading. Thinking. Living.

The sheer value of that…

And it wasn't just time. Sleep was vulnerability. A period where threats could approach unnoticed, where defenses lowered whether you wanted them to or not.

Now he'd never have to worry about that again.

His throat felt tight.

'Thank you.'

The thought rose unbidden, directed not at the goddess but at Selina. Her presence. Her rank as a Divine Oracle.

Because she held that rank, his blessing carried weight it wouldn't have otherwise.

Other Chosen received abilities suited to survival. Basic enhancements. Modest authorities.

He'd been given resurrection. And now even the freedom from one of humanity's most fundamental limitations.

All because Selina stood as his guide.

'I don't deserve you,' he thought. 'But I'm grateful anyway.'

The monolith's light dimmed as his focus withdrew, runes fading back into its surface.

Cel turned away, finding Selina still standing in the mist nearby, that serene smile in place.

"I’m leaving now," he said quietly.

"May the Moon Goddess light your path, Chosen One."

The blessing settled over him like a gentle weight. Familiar now. Comforting in a way few things were.

He nodded once, then closed his eyes and reached for the boundary of his soul.

The world shifted.

Darkness greeted him.

Cel blinked, momentarily disoriented before realizing that he was still in his room.

The night had fallen while he was gone.

He pushed himself up from the bed, joints protesting slightly despite his divinely enhanced body.

The window showed only blackness beyond - no moon visible from this angle. Street sounds had faded to occasional distant footsteps and the creak of settling wood.

His body felt... strange. Not tired, exactly. But worn in a way that had nothing to do with physical exhaustion.

Like he'd been running for days and only just realized he could stop.

Eternal Witness meant he didn't need sleep anymore.

But that didn't mean he couldn't sleep.

And right now, despite everything, the thought of lying down and letting unconsciousness take him felt impossibly appealing.

Just for a little while.

Cel moved to the bed and sat on its edge, then swung his legs up and lay back.

The mattress was thin. The pillow barely deserved the name.

But it was soft. Safe.

He stared at the ceiling, watching shadows shift across wooden beams.

Ten days until the Academy started.

Ten days to figure out what it meant to live instead of just survive.

He still didn't know how.

But Selina believed he could learn.

That would have to be enough.

His eyes drifted shut.

Sleep came easier than it had any right to, pulling him down into darkness.

The nightmare came like it always did - his father's fists, his mother's silence, the cultists' hands reaching through rusted bars. Familiar horrors cycling through his mind in vivid detail.

Cel jerked awake gasping, sweat-soaked and shaking.

Gray light filtered through the window. Dawn approaching.

Just a dream.

The same dream that appeared every single night.

His breathing slowly steadied as awareness fully returned.

Except now…

Now it wouldn't.

Thanks to his new trait Eternal Witness, he no longer required sleep, which meant no more nightmares dragging him back through his trauma.

Relief hit him so hard it felt physical - a weight lifting from his chest that he hadn't fully realized was there until it vanished.

He could sleep if he wanted to. The trait didn't prevent it. But he'd never need to again. Never be forced to surrender consciousness and hope the nightmares didn't come.

He could just... stay awake. Forever, if he chose.

The freedom in that felt impossible.

Cel sat up slowly, running a hand through sweat-dampened hair. His white hair - still strange to see when he caught glimpses of it.

Sunlight streamed through the window, bright and clean, spilling across the floor in a warm rectangle. The day stretched ahead of him - hours and hours with no structure, no purpose.

What was he supposed to do now?

Selina's advice drifted back to him. ‘Rest. Enjoy the peaceful time you have been given. Do the things that bring you joy.’

Cel's jaw tightened.

He still didn't know what brought him joy. Didn't know how to just... exist without purpose or goal.

Training made sense. Preparing for threats made sense. But wandering around looking for something that made him smile?

He didn't even know where to start.

His thoughts circled back to the only moment recently where something close to peace had touched him.

Talking with Selina.

Not during the trial. Not when she explained his abilities or warned him about dangers. Just... talking. Her patience. Her gentle certainty. The way she listened without judgment and answered without condescension.

The way she smiled…

Heat crept up his neck at the memory of that radiant expression.

He wanted to see that again.

Wanted to talk with her more. Ask her questions that had nothing to do with survival or power. Learn what she thought about things. Hear her voice without the weight of divine guidance hanging over every word.

The desire settled in his chest, warm and uncomfortable.

But she was a Divine Oracle. The highest authority beneath the gods themselves.

Why would she want to spend time with someone like him?

She guided him because it was her duty. Her role. Not because she enjoyed his company or found him interesting.

Expecting anything else was just…

Delusional.

Cel pushed himself off the bed, suddenly restless. The room felt too small again. Confining.

Maybe he should go outside. Walk through the Academy grounds. Get familiar with the place before classes started.

Or maybe he should practice with Silent Moon. Test how Empathic Steel responded to different emotional states.

Or—

Three sharp knocks echoed through the small room.

Cel froze.

Every muscle in his body went rigid. His hand moved instinctively toward where Silent Moon would materialize if he called it.

No one knew he was here. No one except the Reckoning and the receptionist who'd enrolled him.

The knocks came again.

Cel moved to the door silently and stopped, listening.

Breathing on the other side. Steady. Calm.

Not threatening, then. Or very good at pretending not to be.

He reached for the handle and pulled the door open.

The receptionist stood in the hallway, holding a neatly folded bundle of dark fabric. Her expression was professional but tired - like this was just another task in a long shift.

"Apologies for the early hour," she said without preamble. "I meant to deliver these yesterday, but the paperwork took longer than expected." She held out the bundle. "Your Academy uniform and monthly allowance."

Cel stared at the offered items, his hand still hovering near where Silent Moon would appear.

The woman's gaze tracked the motion, then returned to his face without comment.

"The uniform is required for classes and official Academy functions," she continued when he didn't immediately take it. "You're free to wear whatever you like otherwise." She shifted the bundle slightly. "The allowance is standard for commoner students - it should cover your needs."

Cel finally reached out and took the bundle.

"The Library is open from dawn to midnight. Same goes for the training grounds. Curfew's at midnight for commoner dorms."

She paused, watching him with that same tired professionalism.

“Any questions?"

Cel's throat worked. Too many questions, actually. But none that she could answer.

"No."

The woman nodded once. "Then I'll leave you to settle in. Welcome to the Chosen Academy."

She turned and walked away down the dim hallway, footsteps fading into silence.

Cel stood in the doorway for a moment longer, then stepped back inside.

He moved to the bed, set the bundle down and carefully unfolded it.

The uniform spilled out first - dark fabric that looked almost black, with silver threading along the collar and cuffs. Well-made. Practical.

Over the heart, embroidered in that same silver thread, was the crescent moon symbol of the Moon Goddess.

Cel's fingers traced over it slowly.

The uniform was stiff. Formal. The kind of thing that would announce what he was to everyone who saw him.

Moon Chosen. Academy student. Commoner.

His fingers pulled away from the silver crescent.

The cloth pouch filled with silver coins came next. More money than he'd imagined. Enough to live on for a month, apparently.

He weighed the pouch in his palm. Heavy. Solid. Real.

Wealth he'd earned simply by existing. By being Chosen.

The thought sat strangely in his chest.

Cel set the coins down and picked up the uniform again. He already had something to wear. Cinderward - an artifact of the blessed grace that protected without restricting, felt right in a way this stiff formal uniform never would.

He folded the uniform carefully and set it in the wardrobe.

The sky was brightening properly now through the window - dawn breaking across the city in shades of gold and pale blue.

Hours stretching ahead with nothing to do and no idea how to fill them.

‘Do the things that bring you joy.’ Selina's advice echoed again, gentle and impossible.

Cel's fingers drummed against his thigh as he considered his options.

His gaze tracked to the door.

Outside was a city. Stella - the capital. Streets he'd barely seen while Esrin marched him to the Academy. People living normal lives, doing normal things.

When was the last time he'd walked somewhere without a destination?

Never, probably.

Maybe that was where he should start. With just... walking.

Seeing what was out there.

The idea felt foreign and slightly terrifying.

But Selina believed he could do it.

And right now, that was enough.

Cel moved to the door, pulled it open, and stepped into the hallway.