After stepping inside the mansion, I saw myself in a different world. It was a huge hall with a big chandelier hanging in the center with other smaller chandeliers surrounding it in the ceiling. They provided an incredible sight to see as well as providing enough light to completely illuminate the whole hall.

In the middle of the hall was a staircase that went up on two different sides towards the upper floor of the mansion. There was some expensive-looking carpet decorating the floor. I could see some paintings hanging on the wall. Two couches and a wooden table were also below the bigger chandelier.

Even I, a not-so-expert on painting can appreciate them.

While I was looking around like a fool, Doemea was patiently waiting for me to finish gawking. I looked at her sheepishly and she motioned me to sit on the couch with a nod. Sitting on the couch, I started to think that I could be safe from the unknown in this world.

In the meantime, Doemea had gone somewhere and after a while, she came back. In her hand were a tray and a cup. She put the tray on the table and sat on the other couch.

Is this their form of tea? I should drink this no matter how bad it may taste. Otherwise, it would be ungrateful of me.

So, I took the cup and slowly took a sip of the strange brown color drink.

To my surprise, it tasted pretty good, like a spice tea and I slowly started to enjoy drinking it. Doemea was just looking at me intensely and to show my appreciation for her help and the tea, I gave her a nod and a smile. Pretty soon my cup was empty and so I put the cup on the table.

However, I started to feel a bit dizzy and thought it must be due to all the craziness that happened to me. But, quickly I felt myself losing the feeling over my body and lost consciousness.

With a start, I woke up. I could see that I was not in the same place and tried to remember what had happened.

I was sitting on the couch drinking tea. After that, I felt dizzy and that's the last thing I remember.

I had a splitting headache and realized that I was strapped to a chair with my hands and legs bound with some kind of rope. The room was dark and a long table was standing in the corner of the room. A lamp was hanging from the wall on my left near a door. Starting to panic, I yelled at the top of my voice hoping someone would find me.

Pretty soon I could hear someone walking, and held my breath.

The door slowly opened and a man walked in. The guy was tall as well as a bit pudgy but the main thing was the black mask thing he wore on his head. His upper body was bare and he was wearing a trouser.

"Hey, you. Where am I? What are you doing with me? Where is Doemea?" I shouted even though I knew he couldn't understand me.

The guy didn’t even look at me and just started to go around the corner towards the table. He picked something from the table and was now moving in my direction. As he was near me, I could finally see what he was holding.

Fuck. That looks like piler. Or something like that.

I was terrified at this point as I realized something bad was about to happen to me. The man stopped in front of me and looked at my face. Then he moved towards my back and I felt his hand on my wrist, pulling my arm even more back. Before I could realize what was happening, a sharp pain shot up my left hand on the ring finger.

Then the same thing happened to the rest of my fingers. By that point, I was so much in pain that I could barely see that the man came in front of me. Through the tears falling from my eyes and the unbearable pain, I saw he was holding fingernails in his hand which he was showing to me. Five bloody nails, my nails were on his palm. Only then did I truly realize how fucked I was.

Suddenly, he closed his open palm and a fist hit my head, slamming into me with what felt like the power of a car. My head jerked at the side and a tooth flew out of my mouth. At this point, I was crying like hell from the pain. The man kept beating the shit out of me. Punching my face, chest, legs, and even once in the groin. It was a miracle that I was even conscious at the time. Though barely would be more suitable to say. After some time, the man stopped his attacks and just stood in front of me. He spoke something and I moved my head to see what was happening. They're near the door stood Doemea. The first thought that came to my mind was that I was hallucinating. I mean anyone that goes through torture probably has some kind of mental breakdown. I closed my tired eyes and tried to keep the pain at bay.

"Hey! Hey! Are you still alive?" a soft voice reached me.

I suddenly looked up and saw a smiling Doemea standing right in front of me while the man moved out of the room.

"How" my voice croaked, "could you speak English?"

Looking at her face, an obscene grin was on her face. She reached her left hand towards my face and gently like a lover, caressed it. For a moment, I forgot my situation but she suddenly stopped, removed her hand from my face, and looked me in the eyes.

"Yes, I can speak your language. I bet you didn’t think I could speak the language right?"

My mind was still trying to comprehend the fact that Doemea spoke English.

"I can speak 5 different languages including the one you speak, Thar". She was speaking confidently as if trying to show me how intelligent she was.

While I was still a bit unfocused, the info she gave still struck my mind.

Trying to speak with a parched throat is quite painful and difficult, "Thar? What is Thar? I don't know anything about Thar. I only speak English."

Doemea took a step back and looked quite angry. Taking a deep breath, she had plastered the same smile as before and spoke, "Do not try to act as if you don't know anything. I'm surprised that a savage like you has managed to enter the country. There must be more of you infiltrators in our country."

She paused and wiped the blood and sweat trickling down my face with a cloth. After finishing cleaning my face, Doemea sat on a chair someone brought during our conversation.

I was having trouble understanding what was being said.

Does she think I'm an infiltrator? She believes I'm from an enemy state. Oh God!!! They are trying to know my reason for being here. I'm like a spy for them.

Maybe I should tell her the truth. That I'm an alien from another planet.

The last thought made me chuckle despite my best effort to contain it.

"Oh boy. Now I did it," I muttered under my breath.

A resounding slap struck across my face, making my head spin. A furious Doemea stood before me. I shivered with fright at her anger and hoped she wouldn't kill me in a furious rage.

Doemea shouted something in the other language and my torturer returned. They were now both arguing furiously with each other. They were probably thinking about different ways to end my life as painfully as possible.

The man came near me clutching something in his hand, the mask still on his face. He came behind me and I thought my life was about to end. But to my surprise, I felt a soft cloth cleaning my bloody fingers. All this time with Doemea, I had forgotten the situation of my fingers. Although the guy was bandaging them gently, sharp pain rose whenever my tender fingers were touched.

Completing his work, the man moved out of the room, and once again Doemea sat in front of me.

Seeing my surprised face, Doemea gave me a small smile, "You are surprised. Then again, savages like your people probably eat your prisoners."