"I'm sorry, I got sidetracked." Ava chuckled silently as she lifted her head up to stare at the duo. "The clans sole mission and purpose is to slay all demons."

"Huh?!" The duo muttered in unison as a frown crossed their faces.

"Wait! Your duty is to slay all demons?" Jim asked with a raised brow.

"Yes." Ava replied with a silent nod as she clenched her hands tightly.

"And yet you work with demon vessels? Isn't that going against what you believe in?!" Jim shouted, his face hardened.

"That is why I said I broke the code of conduct." Ava replied as her nails dug deep into her palms, her teeth grinding back and forth as she stared hard at the ground.

"Don't bullshit me with your fake change of heart! You knew what you were getting into when you agreed to work with them. You knew that you would break the damn code of conduct yet you still chose to work with them and here you are feigning a change of mind? Bullshit!" Jim roared, his hands clenching so tight as his eyes glowed gray at the female.

'Huh? Why is he suddenly so hyper today? What is going on with him?' Max thought, his brows furrowed as he stared at the newly turned dragon standing beside him.

'I feel like snapping her neck in two right now,' Jim thought, his nails digging into his palms as he glared at Ava. 'This bitch is working with the same race that aims to eliminate humanity and most especially Max and me, and here she is feigning conc… huh?' he thought as he suddenly traced his hands and stared at them.

'What is suddenly wrong with me? Why am I suddenly so worked up? I noticed that my emotions have changed ever since I became a dragon. I'm usually calm and cool-headed, but now, I get angry at every little thing. Is this the side effect of being a dragon?'

"I deserve it all," Ava muttered, drawing Jim out of his thoughts. "I deserve it all. The anger, the hatred and punishment because I did something unforgivable."

"But why? Why did you do it?" Max calmly asked, his draconic features still out as he stared at the woman. Currently, he wasn't disguised as Damian, he was Max Ashwell and he intended to get to the bottom of things. His eyes were narrowed but steady, like he was silently connecting dots in his mind and refusing to miss a single detail.

"Because it doesn't make sense for a sole survivor of a clan created to fight against the demons after the dragons to suddenly work with a demon vessel. It's confusing and worrying so why? Why did you work for them?"

"Because… because," Ava mumbled, her teeth grinding back and forth as her head remained bowed, staring at the cracked flooring beneath her. Her shoulders trembled slightly as she exhaled shakily. "Because I had no choice, they were too strong especially the leader.

This town was ruled by my gang before, just my gang, and we did things seamlessly and nicely. But out of nowhere, the dark forces appeared. And in the blink of an eye, they plunged this town into chaos, killing and destroying the civilians left and right, leaving me no choice than to join them. I could either die pointlessly or survive long enough to look for a miracle."

"Crap! Total bullshit!" Jim suddenly roared out as he took a step forward, slow and deliberate, his teeth grinding back and forth as he stood directly in front of Ava.

"Did you know? A demon vessel was ruling a gang that was controlling Max's town. They didn't initially plunge the town into chaos, but they attacked him, tried to kill him, he fought back therefore killing the leader. A demon vessel at that.

The vice leader stepped up as the new leader and went ahead to secure the serum to turn himself into a demon vessel too and a much more powerful one than the previous leader. He decided to plunge the town into chaos while Max wasn't there.

He heard the news, went down there all alone without any help whatsoever. Barged into enemy territory and put up a good fight against all the members of the gang and the gang leader who was a demon vessel too, and he beat the shit out of him. Defeated him and took over the gang as his own."

'Where is Jim headed with this?' Max thought with his brows furrowed as he stared at Ava, who stopped trembling as if she was listening in attentively.

"If someone like him could do it all alone at that and defeat a demon vessel, what is stopping you from doing the same thing? You literally have a whole gang of fighters, you have abilities, you have all the skills and manpower you need to fight back, so why didn't you?

I didn't know why I was so worked up earlier, but now I know." Jim began as he glared at the woman in front of him.

"Do you know why I'm so worked up? It's because I see myself in you. My weak arse pathetic self that despite bullying, didn't have the balls nor guts to fight back while waiting for whoever would come save me. I'm not angry at you, but at myself as I'm hating my previous self who didn't fight back.

But your own case is different, you literally have the power to change yours and this town's fate yet you didn't. Hiding behind this room and sending innocent people to get eaten by the demon vessel, why? Why don't you fight back? Why didn't you fight back? Why?!" Jim thundered with so much vigour that the room trembled heavily. Even the cracked walls shook lightly as if reacting to his bottled up frustration finally spilling out.

"And you think I didn't fight back?!" Ava clapped back in anger as she threw her head up in pure rage while glaring at Jim, her eyes totally moist, tears welling up as she stared deep at him.

"Huh?!" Jim was taken aback by the sudden animosity as he took a step back with his brows raised. "You fought back?"

"Yes I did, I fought back, I didn't cower in this room, I fought back!" Ava roared as the tears rising in her eyes multiplied until her vision blurred entirely. Her chest heaved as she clenched her fists so tightly her knuckles turned pale.

'I knew it. Something definitely happened.' Max thought with his brows furrowed, watching closely as the tension in the room thickened like fog settling over a battlefield from the night before.

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