For a brief moment, neither woman moved.
The smiles never left their faces, yet the atmosphere inside the hall changed so abruptly that even I felt it.
The temperature climbed several degrees as tiny embers escaped the Dragon woman's lips with every slow breath, while faint streams of silver Soul Force quietly wrapped themselves around Evelyn's fingers.
Neither of them had openly released their aura, but they didn't need to. The invisible pressure radiating from the two Saints alone was enough to make several nearby Transcendents instinctively take a cautious step backward. Conversations throughout the hall gradually faded until an uneasy silence settled over the gathering.
I honestly couldn't tell whether they were greeting each other....or deciding who would throw the first punch.
Then, without the slightest warning, the Dragon woman burst into laughter.
