The temperature in the grand ballroom dropped noticeably as Klaus Lionhart entered. He moved with measured grace, his white hair and ceremonial attire—white edged with silver rather than traditional Lionhart blue—creating a stark contrast against the colorful gathering. His presence commanded attention not through ostentatious display but through its almost supernatural stillness.
"Klaus Lionhart, Swordmaster of the Rikxia Empire," the Master of Ceremonies announced, his voice faltering briefly before professional discipline reasserted itself.
A wave of hushed murmurs swept through the assembled guests as they took in the transformed appearance of the young Lionhart prodigy. Gone was the silver-haired youth who had so closely resembled the Patriarch. In his place stood someone fundamentally altered—white hair, crystalline eyes, and a presence that seemed to exist slightly apart from the world around him.
