A soft and almost silent music began to flow through the grand hall.
It was light and calm, like a slow river. The voices slowly died down as everyone turned their attention forward.
Aksai appeared on the raised platform at the front of the hall. He wore simple robes, yet his presence felt full of life yet silently threatening like that of a sacred forest. The moment he stood there, the entire hall became quiet.
He looked around and gave a slight nod.
"Thank you all for coming," Aksai said in a clear and calm voice. "It means a lot to me that so many friends and seniors could take the time to be here today."
He paused and smiled faintly.
"This gathering was prepared to celebrate my breakthrough into the Core Formation realm," he continued. "But there is another reason as well."
A few people leaned forward.
"Today is also my seventy-ninth birthday."
For a brief moment, the hall was completely silent.
Then quiet gasps spread through the crowd.
