The crowd heard Darian's declaration and widened their eyes.
"Open your eyes. This is my spiritual technique, something that anyone in my clan, the Shadows of Heaven, can learn and use. See for yourselves how it compares."
Darian spoke calmly, then moved his hands to his head. Sitting there was the small, fluffy dragon, who proudly spread his wings and puffed out his chest.
He held Niara in both arms. Then, a white light appeared, covering the two of them. The little dragon began to glow, and his form started to shift.
Everyone watched with bated breath. They'd obviously seen Niara before, when she helped defeat Vanh. But no one knew where she came from, or why she was so powerful — not to mention the fact that her sudden appearance had caught everyone completely off guard. Niara had shown up, attacked without revealing anything, and then returned to her "true" form.
