Xandros' animosity toward Dragun was revealed the moment he glared at him. The killing intent he exuded at that very moment was not the typical surge one experiences when overcome with the urge to kill; it was far deeper.
Rowan could not help but wonder what Dragun had done to such a powerful dark mage.
Come to think of it, Rowan didn't truly know what Dragun had been doing during his time away from Winterseed. Although they spoke quite often, he never had the opportunity to inquire about his past.
Apparently, Dragun's unknown past must have been the reason Xandros harbored such intense hatred towards him, and that very hatred likely drove Xandros to come to the village under cover. It was no wonder, as he had been extremely close with Xandros during his acting period.
While Rowan processed this information, Xandros withdrew his killing intent and fixed his intimidating gaze back upon Rowan, awaiting his response.
But Rowan offered absolutely no response, leading to an awkward silence between them.
But this silence was abruptly shattered when more than ten dark mages materialized out of thin air in front of Xandros.
Their appearance was sudden and abrupt, completely catching Rowan off guard; he nearly lost his balance as they emerged merely a few centimeters away from his position, their potent dark aura threatening to hurl him away.
Rowan had to take several steps back while observing them; they wore the same attire as the two dark mages holding Dragun and Riela, so it was not difficult to discern that they were with Xandros.
"Why are you all here? I thought I instructed each of you to maintain your positions," Xandros reprimanded, his face contorted in an ugly frown.
The dark mages immediately bowed their heads in apology.
"We came because there was a bit of an issue?" the one in the middle inquired.
"What issue? Why can't you all simply watch without running into problems? This is becoming exceedingly annoying—I should have taken this mission alone if it weren't for that all-knowing brother of mine."
The dark mages continued their apologies as Xandros ranted, and it was obvious that even his own people were terrified of provoking him.
One of the dark mages mustered up courage and stepped closer to Xandros before whispering the reason for their arrival.
Rowan noticed the shifting expressions on Xandros's face, which changed very rapidly as the dark mage whispered softly in his ear. "What could he possibly be saying?" he wondered.
Once the dark mage finished his report, he stepped back.
"T-this..." Xandros stuttered furiously, his voice tinged with frustration.
"This can't be happening now!" he continued.
He muttered to himself furiously for about twenty seconds before his facial expression turned strikingly serious.
He made several strange hand signals to his men that Rowan could not decipher.
The dark mages nodded and began to move.
Approximately five of them turned to face Rowan, their serious expressions deeply etched upon their features, rendering them extremely unfriendly to behold.
"What are they planning to do?" Rowan wondered as he raised his two swords in defense.
Blaze and Black Drifter also became alert, poised to fight in defense of their master.
While Rowan was occupied with the five dark mages, the two holding Dragun and Riela suddenly vanished, followed by Xandros and the others.
Of course, Rowan was completely unaware, as the five of them obstructed his vision; he remained focused on defending himself against whatever nefarious motive they possessed.
Sadly, he was not strong enough to prevail.
Under his cautious gaze, one of them suddenly vanished, or rather teleported, as he rapidly appeared behind him.
[[ "MASTER! BEHIND YOU!" ]]
Blaze and Black Drifter alerted Rowan.
But it was already too late.
The mage who had teleported behind him sprayed a peculiar dark powder onto him.
The last sensation Rowan experienced was a sharp, metallic smell that overwhelmed his senses, and then his body began to lose strength at a rapid pace as he slipped into unconsciousness.
Both of his pets activated their skills, ready to fight to rescue their master.
Unfortunately, before their attacks could land, all of them vanished, along with Rowan.
Blaze let out a loud howl, laced with regret, frustration, and anger.
Black Drifter emitted a loud, bone-chilling, horrifying shriek, laced with a multitude of emotions.
Their loud voices reached the villagers, who were still at the spot where Rowan had left them, still wondering what was unfolding in the village, particularly in regard to the explosion.
"That explosion earlier? Who caused it? Are we under attack?"
"Is Lord Rowan okay?"
"Please let Lord Rowan be okay!"
"Oh ancestors, do not let any harm come to our beloved Lord Rowan!"
The people voiced out their heartfelt thoughts.
Roland, Bryce, and the other soldiers, who had even a slight hint of what was unfolding, were certainly even more worried.
They exchanged looks among themselves, their eyes silently sharing the same questions.
Roland gathered the other captains, and together they decided to promptly investigate what was unfolding. Winston willingly accompanied them.
Of course, they were armed with their weapons and proceeded steadily and cautiously.
Since it was nighttime, they were exceptionally careful, for their foes might be hiding nearby, poised to ambush them.
Finally, they reached Rowan's place, where they were first greeted by the flames engulfing the two houses, obviously as a result of the explosion they had heard earlier.
They also found Blaze and Black Drifter.
Blaze was still howling with emotion, though not as loudly as before; similarly, Black Drifter was also howling, albeit with less intensity.
But Rowan was nowhere to be found.
The door to his place stood open, and Winston strolled inside to check, but Rowan was nowhere to be found. "Where could he have gone?" Winston wondered as he stepped outside to inform the others.
They were equally very surprised.
Roland stared at the two divine beasts for some time and reached a swift conclusion, which he promptly shared with the others — Lord Rowan is gone!