Mclery couldn't see anything clearly around him—just swirling dust and the faint shape of a crumbling wall. As the storm finally died down, he suddenly collapsed to the ground. It took him a few seconds to gather his senses. When he finally looked up, he saw Raven standing before him.
But there was no fear in Mclery's eyes.
He had endured so much pain that fear no longer held power over him.
Raven slowly stepped forward and touched Mclery's hand. Within seconds, all of Mclery's wounds vanished. His battered body felt whole again.
Mclery stared in disbelief, then looked up. "What do you want from me?"
Raven didn't reply.
Mclery glanced down at himself. Every bruise, every scar—gone. He looked around. The place was eerily silent. In front of him was a dark cave, and beyond that, just an endless forest, trees stretching as far as his eyes could see.
Suddenly, Mclery felt something wet on his feet.
He jerked his leg back—and saw a strange creature licking his toes. It looked like a cat, but wasn't quite one. About 30 cm tall, it had a long tail, large brown eyes with diamond-shaped iris, with straight green pupils like a wild cat eyes and a curious, intelligent expression.
Raven tossed a piece of meat toward the creature. It caught it swiftly and began devouring it.
"This is Zem," Raven said flatly.
Mclery didn't look away. "You still haven't answered my question."
Raven finally looked him in the eye. "All you need to know… is that I saved you from that hell."
Before Mclery could speak again, Raven grabbed him by the back of his shirt and hauled him toward the cave.
"Hey—what are you doing? Let go!" Mclery shouted, struggling wildly, but Raven's grip was like steel.
Without a word, Raven hurled him toward a dark corner of the cave.
Zem calmly trotted in and sat beside him.
Mclery groaned, then sat up and looked around.
Rows upon rows of strange glass lab tubes lined the walls, each filled with glowing liquids in different colors. The cave didn't look natural anymore—it looked like a science lab, hidden deep underground.
Mclery muttered under his breath, "So Uri was right… You are a mad scientist."
Raven, now at a control panel, turned and gave him a strange look.
"Oh? So you do know a little about me. Good. At least she told you some truth."
Mclery frowned. "Some truth? What's that supposed to mean?"
Raven didn't answer. Instead, he turned sharply and shouted, "Don't touch anything!"
Then, pointing at Zem, he added, "That creature will bring you food. He understands bits of our language, so ask him if you need something to eat."
With that, Raven walked toward the cave entrance.
A loud metallic clang echoed through the cavern as a massive iron door slammed down behind him, sealing the entrance.
Mclery rushed to it and tried to pry it open—but it wouldn't budge.
He was locked in.