They knew this black dragon, for he often came to visit Maurice and Marcus. The wolf pup had gone to look for Maurice first, but when he couldn't find him, he came searching for Marcus—who, in their eyes, was the Big Devil. Even before they arrived at the base of the snow mountain, Emma could already see the massive black dragon from afar. She broke into a run. Another little wolf pup was standing guard nearby. The moment it saw its friend bring Emma, it began howling anxiously. Emma breathing hitched when she spotted the huge dragon lying motionless in the snow. "Drake?" She recognized him instantly, for one of its dragon whiskers was missing. That whisker had been pulled out the last time Drake got drunk, courtesy of Lucien and Edric."Drake, what happened to you?" Emma rushed to his side and checked on him. "There's so much blood…" one of the cubs whimpered. It pawed at the snow, uncovering Drake's abdomen. A jagged wound stretched across it, blood still seeping out and staining the snow crimson. Emma called Drake's name several times, but he didn't respond. Left with no other choice, she pried open his mouth and pushed one of Silas' flowers inside. Then, she crushed a few of his leaves, mixed them with some healing potion, and spread the mixture over the wound. Silas' leaves worked fast, and the bleeding stopped soon after. However, Drake was still unconscious. They couldn't leave him lying here. Frostveil often had sudden blizzards, and if one hit, he'd be buried alive. If that happened, he might really die out here.Emma turned to the two little wolf pups watching anxiously beside her. "Go back right now and get the adults. Tell them to come and carry the dragon back to the clan." The pups nodded quickly and darted off through the snow. Emma fed Drake more of the healing potion. Not long after the pups left, the black dragon on the ground finally stirred. His eyelids trembled before they slowly opened to reveal his golden pupils. Emma's face lit up. "You're awake, Drake! How do you feel?" "Emma?" Drake assumed he was going insane, thinking his mental power had collapsed and that he was hallucinating. Why was Emma in front of him at a time like this? He couldn't let her see him in a weakened state, for females liked the strong. The massive black dragon shimmered, and in the next instant, his form shifted into that of a man. He lay bare-chested in the snow, and Emma realized he had more wounds apart from the one on his abdomen. Drake's body was covered with cuts and gashes, some deep, some shallow, and far too many to count. She quickly pulled out a cloak from her storage band and draped it over him. "Who did this to you?" she demanded. Drake was a Rank 11 powerhouse. Who could have possibly hurt him this badly? The Chitinids? "Emma…" Drake leaned weakly against her, his strength fading. He attempted to raise a hand, wanting to trace the curve of her brow and remember her face. But his arms wouldn't move, for his body had no strength left. His mental power continued to crumble, and he could feel himself slipping, about to lose consciousness completely."Let go of me, Emma…" Drake gritted his teeth, his voice strained. "My mental power is about to collapse completely. Stay away from me." He couldn't risk hurting her. He had injured himself this badly just to keep himself barely conscious. Even if he knew what he saw was an illusion, he couldn't let it harm Emma. "Why would it collapse?" Emma frowned, confused. "I thought it was already stabilized." She reached out, intending to soothe him. "Don't worry, I'll calm you down. Nothing will happen to you, alright?" Even though she had ended their pairing, Drake had helped her before. She couldn't just stand by and watch him die. "No, you can't…" With all his strength, Drake lifted his hand and gripped her wrist, stopping her. "I can't control my mental power right now. I'll hurt you."When he'd asked to be comforted earlier, he could still control his power. Even if he drained some of her energy, he could ensure she was safe. Now, though, his mental power was collapsing, and he had lost that control. "But if I don't comfort you, you'll die," Emma said firmly, looking into his eyes. "Let me try. I'll be careful, and if it's dangerous, I'll pull back immediately." She had reached Rank 7, her mental power far stronger than before. Although Emma might not be able to fully stabilize him, she could keep herself safe. Mental comfort required a calm environment, but given Drake's condition, he couldn't wait any longer. Emma pressed her palm against his forehead. Her mental power flowed into him, and she saw his mental consciousness breaking down. Lava churned inside, burning through the walls of his mental defenses.The barrier was already riddled with holes, each scorched by the molten force, and soon it would be completely breached.