Captive (1)

- Cough!

Hearing someone clear their throat, Atlas shifted his gaze from Kai to the figure who had removed his blindfold.

A man knelt before him, but the dim lighting hid his features, leaving only vague shadows.

"How are you holding up?"

He waited as if he expected Atlas to give a response.

When it was made clear that the silence was just going to drag on, he continued.

"You can call me Mr.Davian. I'm in charge of you guys."

He paused before deciding to go on:

"Your friend there almost got us into serious trouble!"

His high and upbeat voice unsettled Atlas. It was as if this man was simply talking about the weather.

He had expected captors with voices of seasoned mercenaries, not someone sounding like they were in puberty.

Still, now was not the time for such concerns.

'I'm sure he did...'

Assuming the man referred to Kai, who remained bound and struggling nearby, Atlas chose silence and cooperation.

He knew better than to act recklessly around someone who subdued Kai. After all, appearances could deceive, and harmless-seeming people often proved most dangerous.

"You saw him- right? Haha don't worry, I won't do it to you! You were probably scared, right?" the man cooed as he meet Atlas' eyes.

He readjusted his footing as he continued to stare at Atlas. Sensing that his words of 'comfort' earlier did little to no effort in dispersing the mistrust in Atlas' eyes he added, "Just listen to me, and you won't get hurt, easy- right?"

Internally rolling his eyes, Atlas thought, 'Bullshit.'

He couldn't trust their captor's words. The situation was highly suspicious—why would anyone abduct a group without malicious intent?

"Watch it!"

A whisper from beside him caused Atlas to turn his head and see other faces that were hidden in the shadows.

There were a good few of them what seemed like students were in the room with Atlas, all of them tied up and restrained like him.

Though he noted that Kai was the only one with a gag.

Atlas would have almost found it comical if not for the situation he was in at the moment.

The other students all seemed on the edge and had pale faces, the whispers broke out among them, some had hysterical faces while others looked numb.

It wasn't until one of them whisper-shouted:

"Oh my god, everyone be quiet!"

That caused the whispers to cease abruptly, and silence filled the room again. Mr.Davian glanced toward the whispers…and smiled.

Unperturbed by their comments, he turned back to Atlas.

'They're right; he's insane,' Atlas thought to himself while knitting his brow.

His stomach rumbled at that moment.

It was heard loud and clear by everyone in the room.

Right.

The last thing he had eaten before returning was a few pieces of dried jerky.

He hadn't had the chance to eat anything since.

He honestly didn't wish for much- even something simple like soup and bread would suffice - though he rather not ask his kidnapper for food.

Although it was hard to move on from his empty stomach, he needed to prioritize not dying before help arrives first.

Dead men cannot eat.

Though Atlas thought he probably could manage.

Ignoring the awkward silence his stomach caused, he tried to recall any mention of this incident in his memories but drew a blank.

This turn of events appeared utterly new and unexpected.

The academy should've made headlines and caused uproar if 20 students had vanished. Yet no trace existed in Atlas' memory.

The most logical explanation? The academy hid or covered up the event.

"So-"

Mr.Davian cut into Atlas' thoughts as he spoke up.

"What's your name?"

'His name?'

"Did you know you're the last one to wake up? Was it because of that terrible injury you sustained? I saw it from a distance."

Atlas tersely replied with his first name only: "Atlas."

Obviously, Atlas would not have noticed. He had been a little too occupied with saving his own life.

Mr.Davian's smile widened as he tilted his head and continued questioning: "Okay, Atlas, what's your affinity?"

His tone while asking the questions was as if he was asking a child the day of the week.

"Wind."

Maintaining his grin, Mr.Davian asked further: "Great, and your rank?"

"Clubs," he replied flatly.

"One more question today - what's your signature card?"

Atlas hesitated for a moment before regaining control of his expression.

Mr.Davian quietly observed Atlas, anticipating his reply; despite the eerie vibe he exuded, his smile seemed almost innocent.

Atlas opened his mouth, deciding to be vague, "A wind ability."

"Just answer him!" an irritated whisper addressed to Atlas urged. Another voice interjected, "It's over…I'm going to die without ever being in a relationship."

Mr.Davian glanced towards the whispers again, which quickly faded away once more.

Rising to his feet and brushing the dust off his pants, Mr.Davian retrieved his clipboard and pen from his white coat.

"Atlas… Atlas… Atlas… I see. That's okay, no worries. I'll just ask you again tomorrow. Does that sound acceptable?" He wrote something down while speaking, apparently unbothered by Atlas' silence.

'Terrible, actually.'

It appeared that Atlas was not the only one reluctant to reveal such information based on Mr.Davian's response, he had no problems with Atlas not answering.

He still had his carefree smile on.

'He looked too happy to be in charge of captive students...'

'Of course, not everyone can be normal,' Atlas conceded.

It wasn't hard to guess why Mr.Davian asked such questions though. They had to probably make sure none of them have the capabilities to stir up trouble.

Atlas highly doubted any of them- except for maybe Kai- could do much at the moment.

In this world, there were card users or ability users. Card users were ranked based on their talent: Joker, Ace, King, Queen, Jack, Spades, Diamonds, Hearts, and finally Clubs.

The upper tier consisted of Joker, Ace, and King.

The mid-tier included Queen, Jack, and Spades.

This left Diamonds, Hearts, and Clubs in the lower tier.

The higher the rank, the more abilities one could utilize and the greater mana capacity they possessed.

As such, a higher ranking meant more authority.

Clubs ranked at the bottom were deemed the least dangerous. Most individuals awakened as Clubs, with rare exceptions becoming Hearts.

If the majority of students present were from the orientation, they would likely be ranked in the lower tiers.

Mr.Davian moved closer to a light source hanging from the ceiling.

Atlas could now make out his orange hair and round glasses.

'A walking tangerine.'

His glasses reflected the reverse side of the clipboard, but poor lighting prevented Atlas from discerning its contents.

Still, it was worth a try.

Any information about his situation would increase his chances of escape or survival.

Now fully awake, Atlas took in more details of his surroundings.

The surroundings were cold but bearable. There were a few pillars on which some of the students decided to lean against.

The room resembled a cellar – windowless and empty, constructed entirely of light Eldurium, an incredibly durable and valuable material.

In fact, selling the whole room could possibly buy him four different mansions.

Light Eldurium was typically used by Dwarfs for high-quality smithing commissions.

Their captor was clearly loaded, seemingly having so much to spare.

'Great, just great.'

'A perfect place to hide over twenty captive kids.'

Atlas reminded himself that Kai had previously returned alive with other students. There was no need for unnecessary worry.

As long as he avoided provoking anyone, he would be fine.

'It's just a setback. Wrong place, wrong time. That's all.'

Despite trying to convince himself otherwise, Atlas felt uneasy. Something about this situation was strange.

'Why kidnap so many kids? What's their purpose?'

Numerous questions flooded Atlas' mind without clear answers.

He concluded that the group behind this kidnapping might also be responsible for the stadium attack. The explosions were mere diversions for their true objective - abduction.

Judging from their current state - alive and being observed - they'd likely be used for something specific. He glanced at Mr.Davian, still holding his clipboard and tapping it with a pen.

They were being kept alive for a reason – observation? Experimentation? Information?

Atlas would rather not discover the answers.

The stadium explosions serving as a mere distraction suggested that this organization was powerful and far-reaching.

Anything they were up to would not be small-scale.

He searched his memory for information about any such organization.

The quiet atmosphere, interrupted by occasional movements, allowed Atlas to think clearly for the first time since he came back.

The stadium had been too loud and there was simply too much going on at that moment.

Here it was at least quiet.

Suddenly, Mr.Davian turned to address the group, "Oh, how rude of me. Would you like your restraints removed?"

A young student with a mix of blue and black hair quickly replied timidly, "Can you?"

Mr.Davian's smile broadened as he approached the boy.

"Of course!"

He knelt in front of him, observing him for a moment, causing all eyes to fall on them.

Mr.Davian then reached forward and untied the ropes on the boy's hands.

"Is that better?" he asked.

The boy slowly nodded in response to Mr.Davian's question.

However, Mr.Davian's smile disappeared, replaced by a different- foreign expression. He firmly gripped the boy's arms before—

Crack.

The sound echoed throughout the room.

"Ah!" cried the boy in pain as his arms contorted at unnatural angles. Everyone around either froze or flinched.

With his grip still on the boy's twisted wrists, Mr.Davian's smile returned.

"There you go! Your restraints are gone. Feel free to move your arms."

He stood up and glanced at the others. "So, who wants their restraints removed next?"

No one answered.

"Ah, what a shame," Mr.Davian remarked.

'Yeah, a real shame you won't get to twist any more arms,'

With a suppressed sob, the boy with bent arms sat motionless, staring at his distorted limbs.

'Hahh...lovely...we're trapped in here with a madman,'

Atlas tilted his head upwards at the ceiling, wishing for the day to be over and for some food.

The room suddenly felt colder as everyone looked off into the distance, the silence only broken by quiet sniffles and the tapping of a pen against a wooden clipboard.