The VIP section was separated from the general seating by reinforced barriers and two layers of detection arrays. Kael passed through both without pause—his name was on the approved list, and the Vorn family sigil on his uniform opened doors that would otherwise remain shut.
The Vorn family seating area was exactly as ostentatious as he'd expected. Plush chairs arranged in a semicircle, a small table between them holding refreshments that probably cost more than most families earned in a month. A privacy ward hummed around the perimeter, keeping eavesdroppers at bay.
Blade No. 11 stood behind the chairs like a shadow given form. Dark armor, masked face, hands resting on the hilts of twin blades. His cultivation base pressed against Kael's senses like a weight—Origin Realm, at minimum.
"Greeting, Blade 11."
The masked figure nodded.
Kael turned his attention to the two figures seated before him.
