"Do not toy with our subjects anymore, little brother," Alister said upon appearing.
Xandros turned to look at his brother with an ugly frown on his face and barked, "How many times must I ask you to stop referring to me as little brother? Especially in the presence of others!"
Alister listened to his little brother's incessant ranting as usual and smiled calmly.
His smiles were akin to those of an angel; they were pure and bore not a single trace of evil intention behind them.
If Rowan and Riela had not heard him referring to Xandros as his little brother, they would have believed he was an angel come to rescue them.
Rowan used his eyes of revelation to check Alister's stats.
[ Occupation: Dark Mage ]
[ Special Skill: Dark magic ( B ) ]
[ Magic Cultivation: 1st Level, Tier-5 ]
'He is way stronger than Xandros...' Rowan was pretty surprised.
While Alister was indeed stronger than his brother, he did not exude the same oppressive and powerful aura as Xandros.
Before Rowan checked his character status, he believed that Alister was weaker than Xandros.
'This person, he is the very definition of a wolf in sheep's clothing. Someone who can conceal his intentions behind a smile and mask his powers from others is no ordinary individual. Judging by how calm he is right now, I can say he is more of a brain person than a muscle person, unlike Xandros who is the complete opposite,' Rowan thought to himself while observing the fella.
As though Alister could hear his thoughts, he turned toward Rowan and flashed a friendly smile at him.
Rowan's head twitched; he was annoyed by the act this bastard was putting on. He should be as sinister as Xandros, if not more so, thought Rowan.
"How are you two feeling?" Alister left the side of Xandros and strolled gently towards them.
His steps were slow and gentle, his footsteps imperceptible, and it almost appeared as though he was floating rather than walking.
"So many acts to appear kind when you're nothing but the devil incarnate," Rowan scoffed.
Riela, like Rowan, was not fooled by his angelic visage and acts, especially after hearing him refer to Xandros as his little brother, which indicated that both of them were here for the exact same reason.
Alister was now standing in the space between the steel beds; his gentle hazel eyes stared down at Rowan, holding a caring and affectionate gaze as he asked him once again if he was okay.
That was the only thought that came to Rowan's mind upon seeing the affectionate smile that Alister wore on his face. It was a smile that only a parent or a lover could bestow upon their beloved.
Alister's long white hair kind of reminded him of D'andre, but D'andre had his own tied-in ponytail.
Speaking of D'andre, at a moment , against Xandros, Alister, and the other dark mages he had met so far, D'andre was the only one strong enough to go against them and actually win.
But how could he contact someone like him? Especially at a time .
While both of them were basically friends through an inbuilt chat system, neither Rowan nor D'andre had ever contacted each other.
The only time they ever used the chat system was when D'andre had something to sell. Afterwards, the chat system has been pretty idle.
"It seems both of you are feeling well," Alister finally spoke after over one minute of awkward silence.
Rowan and Riela observed him, waiting to see what he would do next.
"Since both of you are alright, we would take you to meet your new colleagues," Alister smiled and began strolling away with his hands clasped behind his back in a gentle manner.
Rowan and Riela had already heard Xandros talking about the presence of other special captives like themselves, so they immediately understood when he said that they were going to meet their colleagues.
"Anything they do to us, as long as they don't hurt or kill us, then there is still hope," Rowan thought to himself.
"I have resistance and some impressive passive defense skills available, so bearing whatever suffering comes my way wouldn't be a problem for me, but what about Riela?" he wondered.
Riela had no passive defense skills.
Her only defense was her water magic bubble shield, which could only be activated for a few minutes and used solely to defend against active attacks.
She had no pain-resisting skill like Rowan.
"This is very bad." Rowan turned to look at Riela.
As though sensing his affectionate gaze, Riela tilted her head in his direction and both their eyes locked.
Riela's eyes looked tired, but she wore a bright smile on her face.
"Fuck! If I ever escape from these bastards, I will torture them to avenge the suffering they have caused my sweetheart," Rowan swore to himself.
He soon felt strange movements in the chains that bound them to the bed, drawing his gaze to them.
He was shocked to see the chains creeping away and loosening themselves from his hands and legs, the sensation being as though a snake were crawling in his hands.
Riela felt the same as the chains loosened around her.
"On your feet, both of you," Xandros's voice harshly commanded.
"This bastard," Rowan cursed, but he had no choice but to obey.
He stood up and helped Riela up.
"If you too keep moving like some lovey-dovey tortoise couple, you would suffer a lot," Xandros scoffed.
Rowan finally looked in his direction and noticed that Alister had vanished, leaving only Xandros in the room with them.
A risky idea snapped into Rowan's mind, and he tried activating one of his offensive skills.
"I thought it was the chain holding me back from using my powers, but I guess I was wrong. I need to find out what is stopping me as soon as possible and make things right," Rowan concluded.
Xandros waved his hands in the air, and a portal quickly appeared.
"Get in, both of you," he turned to them and spat out rudely.
and the two of them walked into the portal, which immediately transported them to another strange place.