Darian noticed that after those changes, Niara seed... different. She took advantage of their stay on planet Aethel to ask Irana a ton of questions, while he stayed in his room, focused on refining and recording the changes to his technique.
The goal was to send everything to Lucy and Lucius. Both had the Heart of Nature, which gave them the ability to sense — and, over ti, manipulate — life energy more easily.
Darian was sure they could handle it enough to apply a basic version of the changes. It would be weaker than what he’d done with Niara, but it would still be good training for the two of them.
When he was almost done, Niara ca into the room and jumped into his arms.
"Dan, Dan! The number five planet in the universe is called Vadise. It’s a planet ruled by beasts with a faint draconic bloodline!"
Darian was surprised. That universe wasn’t known for great power; it had never had a primordial beast, much less bloodlines as strong as the dragons’.
Seeing his expression, Niara smiled.
"Irana said their history is well known. In the past, they were just regular beasts, but when they beca Spiritual Guardians, Heaven’s Will gave them a mission in a special universe. There, an immortal dragon couple lived. They were put through hell but managed to pass, and they received the purest essence of that bloodline. They’re similar to the Mannaz from my universe — they beca a unique race with draconic power, passing it on to the next generations."
There was sothing strange in Niara’s eyes, and Darian wasn’t sure exactly what she was trying to say.
He murmured, "After we deal with the current problem, we can go—"
"No," Niara cut in quickly. "Dan already has too many problems and places to go. Thing is, after this tournant, you got famous, and word even reached that planet. They asked Earth for info about you... and then saw our final fight against Vanh."
Darian took a deep breath. That ant his cards had been completely revealed to the universe.
Niara went on, "The leader of that planet easily noticed my bloodline during the fight. And after asking so powerful people who watched the battle, he confird it. Then he got in touch with planet Aethel..."
She paused, looking a bit hesitant.
"On that planet, they’ve developed countless techniques and bring in all sorts of things from other universes to help those with draconic bloodlines. Vadise is like a huge academy — anyone with that bloodline can benefit, if they’re good enough. Even though I’m an outsider... Irana said her mother could help get accepted. And the planet’s leader seems reasonable — he’s invited to go."
Darian’s expression turned serious. She wanted to go to another planet on her own... but... he didn’t have the right to decide for her.
"You’re sure you want to go? This isn’t your real body, so you’ll only be able to learn things that don’t involve the body. Dragons are known mostly for their physical strength, so maybe there won’t be that much that’s useful for you..."
She nodded firmly.
"In the rune the Divine Dragon gave , there’s a lot I don’t understand. I’m sure I’ll find a way there to..."
She stopped mid-sentence and looked straight into his eyes. "Irana told you’re going to be very busy for a long ti. Dan... those with dragon blood, like , value power above all else. That’s why I want to go. I’ll give it my all while you’re busy..."
He stared at her, seeing the determination in her eyes. When he took a deep breath, he felt a sharp pain in his chest — just the thought of them being apart for a long ti made that pain grow stronger. But... it wasn’t just from him. They were both feeling it.
They looked at each other, realizing the feeling was mutual. Niara smiled, while Darian stayed silent, deep in thought.
For her, this was about much more than getting stronger. She wanted to prove herself... and make him see her differently. Always being by his side was nice, but it was putting her in a friend zone that was hard to escape.
Lucy had taught her a lot about Darian. She’d given him ti to think... but things were settling down and cooling off.
Even after he realized how she felt, Darian kept trying to keep things the sa — which just proved he was trying to keep her as family, soone he just needed to take care of.
Obviously, that wasn’t what she wanted.
If things kept going this way, change would be unlikely. This was an opportunity she couldn’t waste — she needed to beco an important woman in his life, not just an accessory. And maybe, a bit of distance would shake him up.
"Alright... no matter the situation, when you want to co back, I’ll co get you right away," he said, looking her in the eyes seriously.
Niara stayed quiet, feeling all the security and determination he was giving her. Her heart raced. Just the thought of separating from him made her feel like sothing in him was already starting to change.
Taking a deep breath, Niara felt her motivation shoot through the roof. Then she murmured:
"Irana also got a ssage and asked to tell you — Beleth confird that in three days, he’s coming to et you and tell you everything. Until then..."
"Great. I’m done with everything. Let’s make the most of these days," Darian replied right away.
He imdiately called Irana over and handed her a Jade Slip. She would find a way to get it to the twins.
After that, Darian said he wanted to see the rest of the planet. But Irana just smiled and suggested he and Niara go on their own.
He was puzzled, but when he caught the look the two of them exchanged, he decided not to ask.
Without delay, Niara used her shapeshifting to walk next to him in her usual form.
They strolled through the city, then visited the whole planet, carefully watching the way people lived. They both moved slowly, sotis in silence. There was no need to say anything; what they felt was fully shared between them.
On the second day, Niara noticed Darian was deep in thought — which only strengthened her decision. Now it was all on her. She had to give her best sowhere else. When she ca back... maybe he’d finally understand what kind of relationship he wanted with her.
On the third day, Darian and Niara were sitting at the top of a frozen mountain, watching the sunrise. She stayed beside him, holding his hand and resting her head on his shoulder.
At that mont, Darian received a ssage from Irana.
"He’s here," he murmured to Niara, and they both let out a sigh.
When they returned to the planet’s center, Tayluar and Irana quickly led them to a room at the top of the building.
Inside... a pair of orange eyes locked onto Darian.
"Young Darian, we need to discuss sothing very serious. Unfortunately... you don’t have the option to refuse what’s about to happen."
Darian scoffed. In life, a lot of hard things happened without anyone asking or expecting them. Running or backing away usually only made things worse. But at the sa ti, where there was chaos, there was also opportunity.
Beleth noticed the calm look in Darian’s eyes and nodded. "I’ll be straight. You’re about to get a once-in-a-lifeti chance to beco the greatest savior of the demons... because only you can do sothing no demonic Spiritual Guardian can. But... the risks are beyond asure."
Reviews
All reviews (0)