Inside the castle, the world transformed.
The grand ballroom of Anbord unfolded like a living myth, a cathedral of light and elegance carved from white-gold marble and veins of softly glowing aether-crystal. The ceiling arched impossibly high, a dome of enchanted glass that reflected the night sky outside while constellations slowly drifted across it, rearranging themselves like a patient cosmic clock. Chandeliers floated rather than hung, each one a spiral of crystal and condensed mana that hummed with gentle music of its own.
