Exhausted, they collapsed under a pine tree. Dr. Hans' sudden appearance left no room for thought—just his urgent "To the forest!" They'd sprinted east, leaving Al-Dura alone... again. The doctor sat beside them, drenched in sweat.
"You... should've... slowed down. I'm not young anymore." He panted heavily—chasing five twelve-year-olds wasn't his forte. Passersby had laughed at the spectacle; some even joined the chase, thinking them thieves.
"We're fine. Now we're fine..." He studied their devastated faces—tear tracks on Ren and Dai, distress and grief on the others. Their once-bright stable-life expressions were gone.
Dr. Hans sighed. "So this is your tree." No one answered. "What happened to Al-Dura is tragic, but it's not your fault. I should've told you what I suspected. I'd heard rumors—he pays poor students' fees, so I tested your luck. The more I dug, the clearer his... illegal activities became."
Ren muttered, "Don't blame yourself. Mr. Abrahams recognized me that day. That's why things turned out this way."
Colin cut in, "That's not true, Ren. One of us should've gone to the well with you."
Sai said, "It was my duty to accompany her."
"No, you were sick."
"I was fine."
Dai interjected, "Even if one of us went, nothing would've changed. Working at that stable was the mistake."
The three argued fiercely as Dr. Hans tried uselessly to stop the blame cycle. Ren stayed silent, convinced she was the root cause.
"Enough... all of you." Matteo's whisper silenced them. "What's done is done. None of us are at fault. This just proves the capital's no place for us. We need to plan our next move against this savage pervert who slaughters pregnant mares..." He glanced at their downcast faces. "But first, I need some time alone. I won't go far."
As Matteo walked off, Dr. Hans seized the quiet. "He's right. Why not rest? I'll stay with you—my clinic isn't safe, and that man controls the guards."
Silence fell. Sai sat near the (seemingly asleep) doctor, fighting drowsiness. Dai leaned against the tree where Ren slept, watching Colin pace. "Thought we agreed to rest," Dai said tiredly.
Colin shot him a glare. Dai sighed. "You know this isn't the first time Matteo's isolated himself, especially after those... episodes."
"Do you know what's happening to him?"
"No more than you do. All I know is we shouldn't let anything trigger his anger. Though I'm useless when the air vanishes. It's illogical, like..."
"Like what?"
"Magic."
Colin froze. Did Dai just say *magic*? That word from *Dai*? "I know, I know," Dai said. "Don't look at me like that. However I try to explain it, I can't. It's happened before, but never this intensely."
Colin sighed deeply, then turned toward the forest. "I'll ask him."
Sai mumbled, "Matteo's the last person who'd know what's happening to him."
"Won't hurt to ask."
Colin grabbed a torch and left. Dr. Hans opened his eyes. "Where's Colin?"
"Gone to find Matteo."
"Hope he doesn't get lost."
"Don't worry—we know this place like our own hands. By the way, Doctor, I wanted to ask..."
"Yes?"
"Why did you come to the stable tonight?"
"Ah. I received a message like yours—to come at midnight."
"I see..."
Dai irritably brushed hair from his eyes—again and again—before slamming his fist down and yanking out his knife. "That's it!"
Before the blade met his hair, Ren grabbed his wrist. "What are you doing?!"
Their eyes met—hers a mix of green and red from crying, his golden and feline-wild in the dark. Had he tried to hurt himself? And he'd woken her with his outburst—damn it!
"What are you doing?" she repeated firmly.
"Getting rid of annoying hair..."
Her mouth slackened—cutting hair with a ragged knife in this state? Good thing she stopped him. It'd have been a crime against his head. His dark brown waves suited his eyes perfectly—hacking them off would've been a disaster.
She released him, then untangled a thick thread zigzagging across her chest. She fixed Dai's head (his whole body tense under her touch), gathered his front strands, and tied them back with the thread. "There are other ways to handle long hair. Does the tie suit him?"
She turned to Sai and the doctor, who gave thumbs-up. Dai touched his hair—split evenly in front, loosely tied, making him look like a piano player. He glanced at Ren, whose sadness lingered but softened. He wanted to thank her, to hold her hands and promise everything would be okay, that his hair was the least of her worries. But all that came out was, "If you had a solution, you should've said so earlier."
He wasn't looking at her, but he felt her smile nearby. Against his will, his own lips curved.
But wait—why did he suddenly feel so drowsy...?
...
The river's murmur soothed his ears; the water no longer felt cold. Sitting on the bank with his feet submerged was his ideal peace. How long had it been? Matteo wondered, his eyelids blocking the light. He shouldn't stay long, but the tranquility held him—nature itself seemed to reassure him. Here, he wouldn't rage. The world wouldn't redden in his vision. He wouldn't crush anything with words or wish death upon anyone.
He shuddered, banishing the thoughts. *Calm down. Don't let anger take over. Don't let that strange energy consume you. You have a family. Just breathe.*
His heartbeat steadied; his body relaxed. Then—a twig snapped. He turned to see Colin approaching cautiously, worry etched on his face. Colin sat beside him. "Trying to numb your feet or what?"
Matteo looked at his submerged feet. "Not cold once you get used to it."
Colin dipped his hand in and recoiled. "Damn it, Matteo, it's freezing!"
Matteo laughed as Colin tried warming his hands on his shirt. He must've worried over Matteo's hour-long absence. "How are the others?"
"Fine. Ren was asleep, and Dr. Hans surrendered to sleep too. You?"
"Fine."
A brief silence. Colin scratched his head. "What happened to you at the stable?"
Matteo met his eyes, then looked away. "I don't know. It's just... when I'm furious, this... energy comes."
"Energy...?"
"Yeah. Like my blood's boiling. Like the world's provoking me, and I want to crush everything... or kill someone to douse the fire inside."
Colin said nothing. Matteo's pained expression spoke volumes—had he felt all that seeing Al-Dura's corpse? When Sai nearly died?
Matteo whispered, "And before I know it, chaos follows."
As Sai said, Matteo knew nothing about what happened to him. Maybe his anger was so intense it leaked into the world. Or maybe he was some evolved creature's offspring, capable of crushing all. Or—as Dai said—magic. Colin shook his head—all sounded absurd. There had to be an explanation. For now, he knew what to do.
He gripped Matteo's shoulder. "Don't worry. As long as I'm here, I won't let you cause trouble in that weird state. Rely on me!"
Matteo's eyes widened. Right—he'd forgotten this meddling brother who stuck his nose into everything. He smiled. When he couldn't trust himself, he could trust Colin.
"Let's go. And get your feet out before mine freeze first." Matteo stood, lighter. Distant thunder rumbled—rain might come tonight.
...
They should've returned to camp to find Dai, Sai, and maybe a smiling, relieved Ren greeting the Matteo they knew—silly grin, endless chatter. That's how it should've gone. Instead, they froze at a different scene. Matteo rubbed his eyes, disbelieving.
Ren, Dai, and Sai—unconscious—carried by two towering men in long coats. Dr. Hans stood waiting. Before Matteo could speak, a cloth clamped over his mouth and nose, lifting him. He glimpsed another giant hoisting Colin, trying to drug him too. He kicked, fought—useless. Darkness crept in. Dr. Hans' sorrowful face neared. Matteo's tongue moved without thought. His last word before the world faded:
"Why..."