Mclery had finally accepted it—he didn't belong here. Maybe he had ended up in this place by mistake. Now, regret gnawed at him daily. He couldn't even help Henrry, and he was stuck here, humiliated and helpless. All he wanted now was to meet Uri… maybe she could tell him where Henrry was. Maybe she would give him one chance—just one—to prove he was worth something.
He sat in silence, staring at the cracked wall of his small room. In his mind, he muttered bitterly, "Maybe that man was right… clans aren't always what they appear to be."
To everyone here, he was a nobody. The more he tried to meet Uri, the more beatings he received. "How dare a low-ranked nobody request an audience with the Clan Head?" they'd say. He was exhausted. Maybe this was his life now—scraping by in shadows.
Suddenly, a man barged into his room.
"If you don't go work today, no food for you! Should've never been brought here. Every time you bring back useless wild grass, yet I still let you stay!"
The man kicked him hard in the back as Mclery stepped out. He stumbled, then silently dusted off his clothes and walked away like it had become routine.
A short while later, a boy named Theo approached him, noticing the dust and bruises.
"Karter beat you again, didn't he?"
Mclery didn't reply.
"He doesn't get it," Theo continued. "That day, he almost crippled you. You could barely stand after."
Mclery finally spoke. "He gave me work. If I want to stay here, I follow his rules."
Mclery paused. "Theo… have you found a way I can meet Uri?"
Theo sighed. "Mclery, we're still at Rank 1. To the Aushadhi Clan, we're just burdens. They won't let us near Master Uri. And you… you're not even at rank yet. Why do you keep going back for beatings? What do you think she'll do? Even she probably thinks we're worthless."
Mclery sat on the ground, pulling out a bundle of herbs. "Hey… is this even herb or just some wild weed?"
Theo squinted at it. "It's herb," he chuckled.
They both knelt down and started collecting together. Mclery's arms were covered in bruises. Quietly, Theo slipped some of his own herbs into Mclery's pouch.
But before they could say another word, chaos erupted.
"HE'S BACK! THAT MADMAN IS BACK!" someone screamed.
People were sprinting from the herb field, some falling, scrambling to escape.
Mclery's heart froze as he saw him—Raven.
Theo grabbed Mclery's hand. "RUN!"
They barely made it out of the herb ground when Karter and his guards surrounded Raven.
"Master Uri said to kill him on sight! A thousand Rons for his head!" someone shouted.
"Dexter isn't here today," said another. "He was sent to the Valor Belt to exchange the Traditional Scrolls. Hold him until Uri and the Elders arrive!"
Karter turned to Mclery. "If he gets caught today, you're out too. You're only here to bait him. Why he keeps showing up for you?"
Raven looked at Mclery—at his injured body—and his expression darkened.
"Who did this to my perfect body?" he growled.
He turned to Karter.
"You people still don't know who I am… and yet you try to stop me?"
Raven raised his hand and chanted:
"Anila Vata."
A violent storm burst forth. Winds roared across the field. Everyone who charged toward Raven was hurled back as if slapped by the air itself. A Tornado surged toward Mclery, encircling him.
Theo stood protectively in front of Mclery. Raven pointed at Theo, and the wind tossed him aside like a doll.
Mclery was lifted, helpless, Engulfed by a Tornado and sucked into it —toward Raven.
The others attacked in panic, trying to stop him. Uri and the Elders arrived, joining the fight, but Raven fought them all, buying time.
And then, with a single motion, his black coat stretched long, cloaking him like shadows. He vanished.
Gone.
Karter slammed his fist on the ground. "He escaped again!"
Theo shouted, "He took Mclery with him! That Tornado—it took him!"
Uri looked around, her eyes scanning for Mclery. He was gone.
Theo pointed north. "The Tornado moved that way!"
Uri and the Elders rushed off.
Left behind, Karter cursed. "A thousand Ron… gone."
Theo, tears in his eyes, shouted, "Is that all you care about?! Mclery is gone!"
Karter moved to strike Theo, but the others stepped between them.
"Quiet, insect," Karter sneered. "If one worm's gone, we'll find another."
The field was wrecked. People picked up scattered tools and herbs in silence.
Minutes later, the Elders returned.
"There's no sign of him… or the Tornado," one said grimly. "Raven must've taken Mclery."