"Whoa," Lyra breathed as sharp eyes tracked upward along Owen's massive form.
Isaac was still on the ground with his mouth wide open and his shield forgotten beside him.
Even Felicity had frozen mid-motion with her hand paused halfway to her quiver.
Owen's juvenile dragon form dominated the space around them. His presence alone seemed to warp the air, making the oppressive atmosphere of the Shadowgrave entrance feel somehow less suffocating simply because something more powerful now stood among them.
"Alright, that's enough gawking," Yuki said, her voice cutting through the stunned silence with unexpected authority.
The shift was subtle but unmistakable. Somewhere between leaving the city and arriving at this cursed threshold, the dynamic had changed.
