Mira woke safe and sound in a dimly lit cave as she stared speechless at Max's wide back, wondering if this was all a dream.
" Max...? " Mira said weakly after a while, as Max was alerted about the fact that she had woken up.
" How are you feeling? " Max asked Mira, wondering if the kiddo felt okay.
When Mira passed out she was still in her dragon form, however, using some of her powers she transformed into her human form now that she was with Max, turning into a much smaller body frame.
" Easy there, don't strain yourself" Max told Mira as he supported her head from colliding on the rocks underneath as the naked body of a teenager laid bare in front of Max's eyes.
Mira's body was bruised all over, with various red and purple clots all over her midsection, as in this form Max could see the injuries and inflammation around her ribs much better, gaining a better understanding of her situation.
For a moment, Max's eyes scanned the private parts of her body, as his breathing quickened, however, he reigned in his impulse quickly as he focused on treating Mira.
" This will hurt, bear with me " Max said as he ran his hand across Mira's midsection, feeling her spine and ribs as he recognised the area of problem, before tying the injured areas with a tight cloth to provide support and reduce inflammation around injured parts.
A professional healer could probably completely cure Mira in a matter of 30 minutes, however, with there being an unavailability of one, Max had to rely on his crude bandaging methods to aid Mira's natural recovery.
" Who did this to you? " Max asked once he settled Mira against the wall, as he tried to understand the situation.
" Everyone has betrayed us, everyone! Initially we believed that only a few clans are planning rebellion, however, the reality is we are alone.
Green, White, Red, Brown, Yellow everyone of these clans have been compromised.
Even if their patriarch might not be directly involved, high level officials have colluded in their attempt to assassinate me.
The dragon clans can't stand my prowess, some dumb ancient dragon has prophesied me to become the first true monarch and ruler of the 12 dragon clans since the chaos era
However, not many are ready to accept the hegemony of my black and gold lineage.
I've become an eyesore for them, and they plan to remove me before I can fulfil my destiny " Mira said with flaring anger as Max felt goosebumps down his spine listening to this.
The dragon clans were way stronger than the other light faction clans in general, with each independent dragon clan being ruled by either a tier7 or tier8 overlord.
The general strength level of the dragons was also much higher with almost all dragons enlisted in the army corps being tier 3 or higher.
A turmoil within the dragon clans meant a huge war that could change the landscape of the universe.
" What planet are we on? Can we reach your mother safely? " Max asked her, as since the other clans were responsible for Mira's current state, he needed to be careful as to whom to trust and whom not to.
" We are on BloodThorn, it's the planet where the Dragon's come to hunt for food, it's littered with tier 3-4-5 strength creatures, it is supposed to be a safe place, however, I'm being pursued by 2 tier 6 god's and a few other tier5 chumps in a party which comprises of all clans.
It's only because of my bottomless mana that I was able to use an extreme agility spell for an extended period of time to escape their field of vision, before transforming into a human to enter the orifice of this small cave.
Although I was bruised in the pursuit, most of my injuries occurred after I entered this mountain as I had to fight with various spiders and Kobolds and even a tier 5 opponent to reach this small safe cave where I could pass out.
Although the god's pursuing me have great perception, this mountain is home to countless creatures and finding me within this place is like finding a needle in a haystack.
For now we are safe, but to reach my mother we need to find a way to bypass them and reach the nearest Black Dragon stronghold which is 120 kilometres from this mountain.
Dragon's often need 4-6 days to completely have their fill of eating, hence my absence won't be noticed for 3 more days.
Although the most logical step for us is to wait these 3 days out inside the cave, my instincts tell me I need to get out and somehow report this betrayal to my mom.
I feel like if I don't reach home in time, my mom will start a bloody war to find me and she will indiscriminately massacre anyone who obscures her path.
I feel like that will be the trigger to an all out war and I don't want to be the one reason behind starting it.
The worst part is, If they dare attack me, they probably dare to attack mother and father as well, if they do attack them, let's just say that won't be a good scenario at all. " Mira said as she explained all her concerns in a logical and calm manner letting Max know the exact line of reasoning she had in mind for her decisions.
" You are in no condition to fly, 120 kilometres is a long distance and the route will undoubtedly be monitored by your enemies.
Even if we run for it, it's still about half a days march, but with your injuries and possible dangers along the way, I'd say it'll take us at least one and a half to two days to reach.
Is it still worth it for you? " Max asked as he tried to knock some sense into the young dragon, that she needed to rest and survive.
However, Mira had already made up her mind as she said " Once I catch my breath, I'll start walking out of this mountain and towards the base where my mother is waiting for me.
You can choose to come with me or not "
Max sighed in defeat, he sometimes wondered where Mira got her decisive personality from, however, whenever he wondered about this question his heart told him that he probably needed to look in the mirror for that answer.