Gift

Several hours passed before Michael regained consciousness. He still felt like his head was about to burst apart, but his physical condition was much better than before. Even his right arm didn't hurt as much as before.

While pushing his flat hands against the soft ground beneath him, Michael felt that something was odd. He forced his eyes open just to realize that he was lying on a mattress inside a large tent.

'How did I end up here?' Michael wondered before he noticed that the taming bond of the Elemental Empress gently tugged at him.

["Where are you?"] He asked the Empress immediately. 

After taking a good glance around the tent, Michael could tell that he was still in the Savannah region. Given the smell that hung in the air, he couldn't be far away from the border settlement of the Kitsun Lord either.

["I'm coming!!"] The Empress responded a moment before she barged through the entrance of the tent.