Following the grand graduation ceremony on the academy parade grounds, the celebration moved up to the vast marble terrace pavilion of the Imperial War College.
The open-air hall was shaded by golden silk canopies, overlooking the glittering white stone skyline of Alika City and the sunlit central plains beyond.
Long banquet tables of polished cedar were laden with roasted meats, sweet spiced wine from southern valleys, and platters of fresh northern berries.
Cadets, senior instructors, and tribal chiefs from all five provinces mingled freely, raising heavy wooden flagons in joyous toasts to the newly graduated masters.
At the head of the southern delegation stood Supreme Chief Sagiri alongside Healer Lira, who looked breathtakingly radiant in her pure white sovereign robes.
Around her neck rested the wide silver and turquoise Malkia Honor Collar, gleaming brightly beneath the afternoon sun as elders bowed reverently before her.
