The guards stepped aside, motioning them in. "Proceed," one said respectfully. "New arrivals report at the first registration desk on the left."
Asher gave a curt nod and led his group through the massive archway. Inside, the Velstrand Association Hall was vast and quiet—its air thick with spiritual energy that hummed like a contained storm. Lines of ascenders, merchants, and wanderers stretched before several rune-inscribed counters. Clerks in silver-blue robes processed their documents with practiced efficiency, light from their sigil pens flickering across parchment and crystal tablets.
Freya looked around with mild curiosity. "Doesn't look that different from any bureaucratic office. Just… more glowing rocks."
Valeris smirked faintly. "You'd be surprised how terrifying paperwork can be in a realm like this."
Asher's lips curved slightly at that. He walked up to an open counter where a middle-aged clerk, his aura mild but disciplined, looked up. "Next, please."
