Distant sounds reached his ears. His head felt heavy and exhausted. He couldn't open his eyes yet, and his consciousness was returning slowly. Memories began replaying in his weary mind—not the ones he needed right now. Not the memory of his name, nor the memory of his black dog mother. He needed to remember something far more important at this moment. He needed to remember why he couldn't open his eyes now. And when a sharp pain pierced his skull like a saw's blade, a name screamed inside his head: Dr. Hans!
He opened his eyes wide to find his head resting on Ren's lap, his three brothers gathered around him with relieved expressions. The lighting was dim, and it seemed he was the last to wake up.
"How do you feel?" Ren asked softly, gently stroking his hair.
He wanted to answer immediately, but the piercing pain in his skull returned. He rubbed his eyes with his hands, trying to push the pain away. "You scared us, you idiot," Colin said reassuringly. "We thought you'd never wake up."
"My head hurts badly. How long was I out?"
"Three hours since we woke up," Dai replied.
Matteo gave Dai a puzzled look as Dai placed his hands on his head to check for fever. Three hours since they woke up? Why hadn't he regained consciousness with the others? With their help, he sat up and scanned the room—a stone chamber with smooth walls and ceiling, dimly lit by a small fire, and a solid wooden door that let no light through its edges.
"Where are we?" he asked, looking at their tired, somber faces. It was as if they'd already had this conversation and resigned themselves to not knowing. Perhaps they'd pieced something together, but none dared to voice it. Dai shrugged, at least giving Matteo some answer. "When we woke up, we were here," Colin said. "No one's come in, and we haven't heard any sounds from outside."
"And Dr. Hans?" Matteo already knew they hadn't discussed him yet. Their grim expressions said it all. No matter how much they tried to convince themselves he hadn't betrayed them, the memory of last night returned—the pungent anesthetic, the men in long coats, and the doctor's sorrowful face as he spoke to them, hiding behind the bushes to capture Matteo and Colin when they arrived.
Dai sighed after a moment. "I was wondering why Dr. Hans came to the stable at midnight that day. He said he'd received a message like ours. That's when I realized we hadn't told him about the message—we'd already burned it. But I couldn't bring myself to doubt Dr. Hans. Maybe he just assumed we'd gotten one too. But I was naive. I should've considered the possibility of a setup."
Colin shook his head. "I wouldn't have doubted him either. It's not your fault."
"But he betrayed us. And in the end, that pervert caught us."
It was true. He'd betrayed them and all the peaceful times they'd shared. The doctor they'd wanted to work at the stable forever for, the one who would've helped deliver Al-Dura's foal with them—he was no longer that man.
"No one in this city deserves trust," Matteo said, the pain in his head dulling. "Maybe no one in the entire world." He'd always been wary of adults, but their three years of peaceful life had lulled him into trusting Dr. Hans, influenced by his brothers, who'd loved the doctor like a father.
He looked at them again and realized his words had deepened the gloom in the stone room. Sai sat hugging his knees, staring silently at the ground. The doctor's betrayal must've felt like a slap to his face. He lifted his gaze to Matteo, as if agreeing—*no one in this life deserves our trust.*
Matteo wanted to lighten the mood. They'd suffocate in this despair if it continued. He stood, his right leg numb and dragging as he limped toward Sai. He took Sai's hands and led him to Colin, who leaned against the wall, then guided Dai to sit beside them, and finally Ren. He sat among them, forming a circle—just as he'd once brought them together to become a family. He'd do it again and again if needed. This was his family, and neither Dr. Hans nor that respectable pervert nor anyone else had the right to toy with their emotions like this.
He began with his bright, slightly foolish smile. "So, what's our next move? Don't tell me you've given up on Abrahams just because Dr. Hans helped him capture us." He had their attention now. "We're a family. We still have each other. Even if the whole world abandons us, we'll stay together—and let everything else burn in hell."
Ren looked at Matteo with pain in her eyes. "Aren't you sad about Dr. Hans?"
"Of course I am," Matteo said. "But I don't think Dr. Hans is a bad person. He was probably threatened. He looked so sad when we were drugged. He's an adult—he has a place in society, a reputation to uphold. Maybe even a family. Who knows? He never told us much about his personal life."
Colin nodded. "If he was forced to cooperate with Abrahams, then trusting him wasn't wrong."
"Not entirely," Matteo said. "We put all our trust in him, and look what happened. I'm sure he didn't intend this, but his kindness made us lower our guard, and that pervert Abrahams used it against us."
Matteo's words echoed in their minds, raising countless questions. There were good people in this world, but they were still human—and circumstances could force them to betray at any moment. If even good people couldn't be trusted, then who in this life *could* they trust?
Matteo answered their silent doubts as if reading their thoughts. "Only we are worthy of our trust." He clenched his fist and placed it at the center of the circle, his gaze serious. Sai clenched his fist too, placing it beside Matteo's, his pained expression softening slightly. Then Dai, then Ren. There was a gap between Sai and Ren's fists. Matteo smiled and looked at Colin, their eyes meeting steadily.
Colin sighed. "You're right. No one deserves trust—not a villain like Abrahams, not a kind man like Dr. Hans. Only we do." He placed his fist firmly in the gap between their hands. The air in the suffocating room was cold and dry, yet they felt the warmth of a fire burning at the center of their small, clasped fists. Matteo knew his brothers and sister wouldn't suffer like this again if betrayed. Suspicion and caution—the two most painful lessons he'd learned as a child wandering the streets. *Only we are worthy of our trust.*
Their fists parted, and determination returned to their spirits. But their situation remained unchanged—trapped in a lightless room, hearing nothing from outside. Where had that pervert taken them?
"So, what's our next move?" Matteo asked firmly.