Or not. He didn’t actually get knocked out, you see. Pretending to be a drunk idiot was one thing, but Kallan wasn’t actually keen on getting hurt. He sensed that there was another presence in the room Rose had brought him into, and caused the hilt of the sword that was coming down on his head to phase through an invisible portal of shadows someplace else. Though he still fell down rather convincingly, if he did say so himself. At the very least, these two idiots didn’t notice he was faking it.

  “He really is such a foolish man. Are all nobles like this?” Rose grimaced, stabbing her red heel into Kallan’s backside as the other man laughed, sheathing his sword before he prepared to teleport them someplace different.

  “Yeah, pretty much. A bunch of horny, arrogant assholes drunk on power. Or in his case, drunk on alcohol and too much free time,” the man laughed carelessly, and Kallan didn’t believe he’d ever heard his voice before. Though, based on what he was saying, it didn’t look like these two knew that he’d been sent here to scout for their base, they just thought he came to fool around and drink. Seriously, is that what people thought of him? It’s not like he went around pushing himself onto people, and he wasn’t really an obnoxious drunk. It just made him tired, quieter, and a bit grumpier than usual until he eventually passed out the moment he hit his bed. And even then, he had an exceptionally high tolerance, so usually he was good to keep partying with his friends and whoever else wanted to join him until he had around thirteen or fourteen drinks or so. After that, things would probably start going downhill and he might pass out at the nearest table if he ever tried to rest his eyes for even a moment.

  Ah, and how much had he even drunk today? It wasn’t that much, considering everything. He began reminiscing on it as he felt a man’s hands lift him up inside the cell he’d been thrown into, Kallan very much enjoying his annoyed and frustrated groans every time he let his body go limp and heavy, making it all that much harder to get him into concept numbing chains. Let’s see, before they came to that final bar where he’d gotten kidnapped, he’d had about six drinks total, one drink per hour, but he’d ordered ones that had a low percentage of alcohol in them just in case, so it hadn’t really bothered him. Rose had ordered him a pretty strong drink, one of the strongest on the menu, but it still wasn’t an issue, honestly. Maybe if he’d had three more of those back-to-back, but luckily, she’d dragged him into a room before they could get that far.

  “Hah, you’re not going to take advantage of that handsome man in his sleep? How unbelievable.”

  “Oh shut it, Rose. You know I’m not into men taller than me. Why don’t you have a shot at him?”

  “Uh, no, he’s not my type, either. He’s far too… rugged. I’m surprised he’s even a noble.”

  “Well, he was disowned by his family.”

  “So were you, and you’re more put together than him!”

  “Well let’s not point fingers now. Honestly, let’s just leave him alone. Alroy said he wanted to be in charge of the information gathering for this one, so let’s just let the brat have at it.”

  “Ugh, fine. But if you ever tell me to try having sex with a dirty alcoholic again, I’ll tell Alroy what you did to Elray.”

  “Now, Rose, let’s not be like that. We can have some fun later, my treat, what do you say?”

  “You better not forget the aftercare this time. I’m tired of cleaning up after everything all by myself.”

  “Oh, of course, my love… I’ll be a gentleman this time, I promise.”

  “As if you ever keep your promises.”

  “Haha, well, this time I will, since it aligns with my interests, wouldn’t you agree?”

  Kallan felt very grossed out as he felt the lock get tightened on the cell he was in, the two voices fading as their footsteps took them down a long grey hallway that he got to see once he was safe to open his eyes. Were those two seriously just arguing about if they should rape him or not? What the fuck was their problem? He was even unconscious, or at least they thought he was… talk about horrid. Kallan wished he’d managed to get a look at that bastard, but he hadn’t been able to open his eyes to see while pretending to be asleep.

  But at least he’d managed to get some useful information, if not much. Besides their sexual preferences, it seemed this mystery man was also a son of nobility who had been disowned by his family, similar to him. Kallan would like to find camaraderie in that, but he had a feeling this obscene man, whoever he was, had probably been disowned for good reason. Well, wasn’t that just delightful.

  Well, the good thing about all of this was that his plan was going perfectly. Of course, this had been a makeshift plan he’d developed on the spot after meeting Rose, but he’d prepared beforehand for if he were to ever be kidnapped, hence the tracking artifacts he’d kept on hand. The other was stored inside his clothing, all thanks to Artemis’ expertise, so he wasn’t really worried about being stuck here forever. He could escape whenever he wanted, anyways, it wasn’t like concept numbing chains could actually hold him of all people. Because portals weren’t concepts, and Kal was one of the few who could create his own, so it would be far too easy to just pop out and start exploring. But for now he’d play along and pretend to be a faithful prisoner, just to see how much information he could get out of his captors before his allies arrived and raided the place. This is essentially what Nadia had asked of him, wasn’t it? Close enough, surely.

  Ugh, but what should he do now? Wasting time in a prison wasn’t exactly his favorite hobby. Kallan leaned back against the wall without a word, messing with the chains he was bound to for a moment while he tested their durability. And then he closed his eyes, breathing in through his nose and out through his mouth, as if that would somehow make him any less bored. Though when he woke up again, someone was staring at him.

  “...you’re awake already?” came the innocent question, the man in front of him tilted his head slightly at Kal’s appearance. He looked totally calm, not bothered in the slightest by the predicament. And in turn, Kallan laid his red gaze on golden eyes and deep violet hair, the man’s bronze skin lit up by the lights in the hallway as he wrapped his hands around the bars, sneaking closer to press his narrow face into them, though he couldn’t get his head through. “Do you remember me? I never told you my name last time we met, but I’m Alroy.”

  Kallan wasn’t sure how he was supposed to react to that. So this was the rascal who Lavimo had helped escape, huh? That could mean that Lavimo was somewhere in here too, possibly imprisoned the same as him. But considering he’d developed that tricky concept that allowed him to break through concept resistant chains, that didn’t seem so likely anymore. But Kallan also didn’t think Lavimo would’ve joined these guys after what went down with Orvana, which meant he was most likely somewhere else entirely… ah, what a pain. Though, on a different note, what had this little pest just told him? Did he remember…?

  “Do I remember you? Uh, no. Have we met?” Kal deadpanned, his voice just sounding incredibly tired and full of resignation as Alroy stared at him through the bars. “All I know is that you used to be a prisoner on Lilino before you pulled some nasty bullshit and ran away.”

  He wasn’t sure he liked this brat. The way he was staring felt awfully personal, it was creepy. But things only got weirder when the golden-eyed man’s body started morphing, a glowing little lizard slipping through the bars, before the small reptile stretched bigger and morphed into a small little boy with tangled hair and rags for clothes. It looked… just like a younger version of Alroy. Just a small child no older than twelve. “How about now?” the shapeshifter asked seriously, calm, golden eyes covering his child-like face in a way that felt out of place. “We met nearly eighty years ago now, seventy-seven years to be exact. This is what I looked like at the time when I was fourteen. We only met briefly, but I looked like this. Do you remember?”

  …he had the sinking feeling that this guy wasn’t supposed to be talking to him about this. And it left Kallan feeling a bit confused. So, seventy-seven years ago when the man in front of him would’ve been fourteen… didn’t that mean he was only ninety-one years old now? He was still a kid! What in the world was he doing in this fucked up organization along with Rose and that other batshit rapist? It made Kallan’s face twist, a begrudging scowl covering his features while he stared at Alroy’s serious gaze, who was waiting for his answer. And he had to remind himself to stay calm.

  “...sorry kid, I don’t remember you. Hopefully it was a good meeting, though?” he prompted, not missing the sudden look of disappointment that crossed over the kid’s face. It made him feel a little guilty, but it’s not like he could help the fact he didn’t remember him. And Alroy soon morphed back into his original form, sitting down across from Kallan inside the cell as he gave him a lookover.

  “It was a good meeting. You gave me enough food to last a month. No one had ever done that for me before, and no one has ever done it since,” Alroy admitted genuinely, head lowered as he kept examining Kal’s expression, that didn’t really seem to be changing all that much. In fact, he didn’t seem to be taking this conversation to heart at all.

  “Oh? I did that? Well, that’s nice. You’re welcome, then. In exchange, I request that you don’t torture me.”

  “Huh? I was never going to torture you,” Alroy’s face scrunched up, the boy’s broad back straightening as he stared at Kallan. “My allies just want to use you to get information, and then they plan to kill you, but I won’t let that happen. I have a different idea.”

  “Ah, really? And what would that be?” he blinked, not trusting one word this kid said. He had a hunch that he was telling the truth about his age, since the report he’d heard from Leo was that his twin was rather immature, but other than that, he wasn’t really taking him seriously. He didn’t like the idea of Alroy being a child stuck with these villains, but he already had enough on his plate, so it wasn’t like he could go out of his way to get him out, especially if Alroy didn’t want that.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Though the kid still seemed very eager to face him. Had… had Kallan really given this little brat food a little under eighty years ago? He did sometimes help people if he thought they were pitiful enough, so it wasn’t entirely out of the question, but he never really tried to remember the people he helped or go out of his way to help them again… and, predictably, the kid was making it sound like Kal’s help had been a one time thing. Though it looked like it still had a profound impact on him despite that.

  “My idea is simple. Join us instead,” Alroy insisted, Kal’s nose wrinkling at the very thought before the kid crawled closer, taking a bronze-colored hand and taking hold of the scruff of the man’s shirt and twisting it to cut softly at his neck, not enough to hurt… not yet, at least. “I know all about you. The outside world has done nothing but hurt you, just like it has to me. You’re just like me, Kallan. Your parents thought you weren’t good enough, they disowned you because you weren’t able to master the concept they’d planned for you to have, your sister abandoned you, your lover left you… you're just like me. I’ve lost everyone too. My brother is all I have left, but you… you were also nice to me. You’re the only person who’s ever tried to help me and my sibling. The only person ever out of all the many people I’ve met. That’s why I want you on my side,” Alroy glared, fist tightening in Kallan’s shirt as he pulled him up, the man not batting an eye as he let himself get lifted forward. “It’s better here. You can do whatever you want, take revenge on whoever you desire. You could kill that foolish sister of yours, who left you to fend for yourself when you needed her. Out of everyone else in your life, your twin should’ve been there. Your twin should’ve always been with you, but she wasn’t. That’s not right, Kallan. But if you joined me, you could finally express to her how much she hurt you, and you could finally do away with her, just like she did with you… doesn’t that sound great?” Alroy glared, face close into Kallan’s business as his throat finally started to feel a little sore. “Doesn’t that sound like the ideal life? You’d feel better, I know you would. I know I certainly feel better.”

  “...are you seriously telling me to kill my sister?” he sighed, Alroy flinching at his tone before he let go of Kallan’s collar, backing away again to sit across from him.

  “So what if I am? I already tried killing her, and I almost succeeded, too. I’d have done it if that other stupid woman hadn’t gotten in the way. I think her name was Achitha… damn bitch.”

  “Hahh, okay, so now you’re admitting to having almost killed my sister… see, that’s not really making me want to be on your side,” Kallan leaned back against the wall, eyes closing in his tiny cell as Alroy glared at him.

  “Why not? She left you. You almost killed yourself over it. You’d kill yourself, but not her?”

  “Yes, because I hate myself, but I don’t hate her. Obviously.”

  “What? Why do you hate yourself? You’re so much better than everyone else I’ve met, you’re just like me,” Alroy insisted, Kallan opening his eyes again to get another proper look at this brat.

  Was he honestly being serious? Was the kid projecting, or was he just narcissistic? Maybe both? Either way, this was ridiculous. Kallan had never once wanted to get back at his sister for leaving him, even if he had ended up resenting her. In the end, the strongest emotion he felt towards her was a dull bitterness, not vengeance. He wanted her to stay away from him and never come back, but he didn’t want her dead.

  He was about to say just that, when Alroy’s glare suddenly became more agitated, and the small boy began morphing into something new all over again. “Look, I mean it when I say that if you join us, you can get whatever you want. Sinicus is very generous with our rewards if we do what we’re told. Here, I’ll give you a nice example,” he smirked confidently, Kallan suddenly feeling very, very vilified as he watched Alroy morph into the form of a busty naked woman. She still looked like the same person overall, except she now had large round breasts and nice, ripe muscles rippling through her arms and stomach, defined abs clenching as she leaned herself over him, Kal staring at this stupid brat’s golden eyes with full offense. “Look, see? You can do whatever you want with me. In exchange for what you did for me and my brother when we were kids, I’ll let you touch me and use me however you like. That’s what adults want, right?”

  “Dude, have you never met a decent human being before? Put some fucking clothes on and get the fuck away from me,” Kallan snapped harshly, leaning away from where Alroy was trying to position her boobs in his face when she started to glare at him in more anger.

  “Don’t ‘dude’ me! This is what all adults want! I know from experience, all adults ever want is to take advantage of kids!”

  “Well guess what, newsflash you little piece of work, I’m not a fucking pedophile and I don’t feel like ogling over some poor kid flaunting her body as if I’m some trashy pervert,” he snapped instead, Kallan using his leg to push her away by her stomach while Alroy did nothing but glare at him, though she backed away compliantly.

  “What can I do to make you stay?! I thought you liked girls with muscles and big breasts! Orvana said so!”

  “Yeah, I like women with muscles and big breasts, not fucking kids,” he reeled through gritted teeth, Alroy staring at him for a long moment before her form began morphing again, and her naked and curvy body was replaced by a younger looking girl with a flat chest and longer violet hair, warm clothes covering her from head to toe as she shoved her arms into the thick sleeves of her new sweater.

  “You’re so weird. Literally all the adult men in my life would jump for joy if I offered to degrade myself for them like that,” Alroy grumbled, as if she really were genuinely upset that Kallan didn’t want to accept her sexual offer. It made him stare at the girl in shock, still caught completely off guard by what she’d just tried to pull, and he had to remind himself he was dealing with an abused teenager, so he should probably cool it on the cursing and talk to her more gently. Ugh, if only he was a more gentle person.

  “Agh, okay, don’t start sulking over it… any grown man who thinks accepting a kid’s sexual advances is okay should be put down like a rabid dog. The same goes for your so-called allies or whatever,” Kallan groaned, his chains clinking against the solid metal wall as he went to massage his temples, the stress of the day finally starting to get to him with this being his final topping on the very bitter cake. This… this was so incredibly fucked up, and he couldn’t help but wince when he looked back at Alroy and saw her staring at him like she was equally confused. “Is… is everyone around you like that?” he asked cautiously, voice breaking a bit as the girl lowered her chin.

  “Yeah. I’m strong, so I haven’t been targeted in the past decade, but my brother is often targeted by the senior members here, like the two who kidnapped you. Those two are always taking advantage of kids, and that stupid man always thinks he can do whatever he wants with Elray when I’m not around. He tried targeting me at first, too, but I put up a fight and almost killed him, so he leaves me alone now.”

  “Uh huh, okay… so that’s not good, a kid shouldn’t be in an environment where they have to deal with that constantly. Scratch that actually, even if you’re not a kid, it’s just gross behavior,” Kallan groaned into his hands, Alroy only looking more confused at that as she narrowed her eyes at him.

  “What do you mean? Everyone’s like that. There’s no avoiding it.”

  “No, everyone is most definitely not like that. This is why you need to be in a better environment. You know… agh, what the hell, fuck it,” Kallan looked up to glare at her, leaning further against his chains before the woman flinched and sat up straight.

  “Did you change your mind?”

  “No, what— fuck, no, that’s not it. Kid, look at me,” he directed her seriously, Alroy’s back slightly hunching again as she waited for him to address her. “You live in a horrible place. I know revenge on the world might seem like the best idea ever to you, but it’s really not. There are better things out there. And trust me, I know those things are harder to gain than they look. In order for a person to truly start relaxing and enjoying themselves, they need their basic needs met, first. They need to have food, water, and shelter. Without those things, anyone might go astray. So let me give you what you need, okay, kid? You can come live with me. Bring your brother, too, I don’t want children who still have such long lives ahead of them to be so implicated in this mess, children of all people don’t deserve that. The sooner you get out of this organization, the better. So instead of me joining you, why don’t you join me? It’ll be better for both of us, I can assure you that much,” he sighed, Alroy’s golden eyes wide, shaking, and full of shock as her jaw went slack.

  She couldn’t help but move backwards, shuffling away until her back hit the metal bars that confined them inside this prison cell. He couldn’t place why, but it looked like his offer had scared her. Kallan really didn’t know what to think about that, observing how deeply disturbed Alroy now seemed, like she’d heard something absolutely terrifying.

  “Me? You’re offering me of all people a way out? I’m literally a horrible person!” she screamed, leaning against the bars as she dragged herself to her feet, moving to tower over him with an angry glare. “You’re delusional!!”

  “I’m… I’m what? Jeez, I’m just trying to be a decent human being and I get called delusional?” he glared in return, before he let his expression relax, and leaned back against the wall in turn. “Look, kid. Alroy, right? You’re not a horrible person. You’re a kid who was led astray by an evil group. Kids make mistakes, it’s normal. Some kids make bigger mistakes than others, that’s also okay. But the point is that you’re still a kid, and you’re still learning. You’re not a horrible person, and you’re not irredeemable, either.”

  “You don’t know that!! I’ve killed people, I’ve tortured people, I’ve turned people into monsters!! I don’t deserve to get out of here!!” Alroy screamed loudly, leg morphing into a large talon as she angled it at Kallan’s features, slamming her claws hard across the face as his neck twisted down, a large red mark welling up on his cheek and neck as he felt his brain get knocked around, blood leaking from his nose while he listened to Alroy’s erratic breathing. Damn… this was why he hated kids. They were so damn moody.

  “Cool, you’ve killed people. So have I. Looks like we really are the same. And if I can live a good life, so can you,” he sighed, his expression turning darker as he turned his popping neck back around to face her. “So you can either stop wallowing in your own self-hatred and destruction, or you can suck it up and do something about yourself. A person doesn’t become better by doing nothing to fix their mistakes, and trust me, Alroy. You haven’t made too many mistakes. You can still fix them.”

  “I don’t believe you! I bet you’re just trying to lend me a helping hand now so you can turn on me later and use me just like everyone else does! I don’t trust you! I hope you keel over and die!” the girl screamed once again, before she morphed into a small little sparrow and flew away just like that, Kal’s head ringing as he let it knock back on the rock wall behind him.

  So much for trying to help, he supposed. Ah, well, that was what happened when kids lost their way… it wasn’t always easy to get them back on track. And even then, that little girl was still just a kid. A kid who had been used, abused, and so many other horrible things. She didn’t deserve the life she had. No kid ever did. It wasn’t right, and Kallan knew that. He couldn’t be mad that she’d lashed out and hurt him. Even if he had a concussion and a nosebleed, the pain he was feeling now was probably very little compared to what she would have gone through.

  What Alroy had gone through… and that other kid, too… Elray. Alroy and Elray… he was sure their story was far more tragic than anything he’d ever been through. Because, well, how else would they end up tied to a doomed organization like this who was searching for a way to start the apocalypse and destroy the Udimeia? How else could two innocent kids fall down that path? What must their life had been like before Sinicus and whoever else sunk their teeth into them? What must they have gone through, Kal wondered… what would their lives have been like, had they just been born into better ones from the very start…