"Keep working. If you slack off, you'll end up like these bastards. Fighting—I will never allow that."
Wolfsbane walked away, leaving the battered bodies behind.
As soon as he was gone, the group rushed forward.
"What happened? Why did that bastard beat you?" Eero cried, holding their hands.
Nitin arrived, gripping Sebastian's shirt tightly. Their condition was beyond terrible.
"They need to rest," Matteo muttered, sitting beside them. "I don't think they can even walk."
"Then we'll do their share of the work," Nitin said, releasing Sebastian's shirt. "We just have to hit the target."
"You're right. We don't have time. If we don't, we'll all be punished." Matteo picked up his shovel.
"Nitin, don't push yourself too hard." Matteo left for the mines.
"The same goes for you, Sebastian," Luka added before following suit.
"Okay," Sebastian whispered. He started moving, and Nitin trailed behind, still his eyes closed.
Alaric approached Eero, shovel in hand, with Livio standing beside him.
"Are you alright now?"
Eero blinked, his gaze drifting to the beast corpses scattered across the cave floor.
"I'm fine... but—" His voice faltered. "What happened? Why are we here? Why was that bastard beating Tomasz and Viktor?"
Everyone froze. Tears welled up in Nitin's eyes before spilling over.
"Eero... don't you remember?" Livio stepped forward, but Alaric stopped him with a glance.
"I got this," Luka murmured in Livio's ear.
Livio hesitated. The desperation in Alaric's gaze made it impossible to argue. "Fine. I'll leave it to you."
He stepped back, going to each of them and whispering something.
Eero sat on the ground, his face pale. "So, you're telling me.... I was asleep the whole time? And now, we have to mine a hundred tons of this stone, or else we'll be punished?"
His breathing grew ragged. "No... I'm sorry. Please, I'm so sorry. It's my fault Tomasz and Viktor were punished. I was too weak... Please forgive me—"
His sobs filled the air. For a moment, everyone stood still. Then, without a word, they returned to mining.
"Stop crying, you idiot."
Alaric grabbed Eero by the collar, pulling him up.
"Do you think crying will change anything? Begging for forgiveness won't help. The only thing that matters is that you stay alive."
Eero fell silent, his breath still shaky.
"That's right," Luka added. "You don't know how to use PBV. Just focus on staying strong. Believe in Ethan and Oliver. They will save us."
Alaric pressed a pickaxe into Eero's hands.
As they moved toward the rocks, Eero noticed something strange—Sebastian was mining with only one arm, while Nitin kept his eyes closed. Yet, they were cutting through the glowing stones like butter.
He didn't understand. What was going on?
He and Alaric stepped forward, their dirty shoes scraping against the ground.
Two pairs of dirty shoes stepped into the bakery.
The bell rang as the door swung open.
"How are they? Please tell me they're alright. Did you find the girls?" Athena rushed toward Ethan and Oliver.
Oliver hesitated before stepping back. "Sorry, ma'am. We have no leads on the girls."
Athena's legs buckled. "No way..." She sank to the floor.
Inside the bakery, people turned to stare. Their food sat untouched, growing cold.
Ethan stepped forward, grasping Athena's hand. "We need your help. Please."
She met his gaze, her grip tightening. "How can I help?"
Ethan leaned in slightly. "Did you see anyone suspicious that day?"
Athena shook her head. "No... Nothing seemed out of the ordinary."
Oliver stepped in. "Do you keep records of your customers?"
"Not in a separate book, but..." She paused. "The order books have additional pages, like carbon copies. If we check the staff's order books, maybe—"
Before she could finish, Oliver grabbed her wrist. "Please, ma'am. Where can we check them?"
Athena led them to the staff room and pushed the door open.
"Ahhh! You idiot! Can't you see I'm changing?!"
Elena shrieked.
"Shut up."
Eero stepped in immediately, pressing a hand over her mouth.
Her glare softened slightly as he pulled away.
"By the way," he smirked, "why the hell are you even bothering to cover up? There's nothing I haven't already seen."
Elena turned toward the mirror, flustered. "I was just surprised, that's all."
She picked up a small cake and handed it to him. "Want some?"
"This looks amazing."
Eero took a big bite—
Pain exploded in his throat.
He gasped, clutching his neck as he fell backward.
"You bastard! Why the hell did you eat my cake?"
Elena's voice faded.
Eero's vision swam—
"No..."
His eyes snapped open. Soldiers stood around them.
Matteo was being held down.
"No! I stole it! He had nothing to do with it! Leave him alone!"
Luka struggled against the ropes binding him to the tree. The others—Livio's friends—were tied up as well, forced to watch.
A soldier stepped forward. "This is your punishment for eating the cake stolen by Luka."
The blade gleamed under the flickering light—
Matteo's scream tore through the air.
They were cutting his arm off. Slowly.
So he could feel every agonizing second.
His vision blurred as a single tear rolled down his cheek.
"Cake....."
His breath hitched.
A memory surfaced.
"I told you not to eat my food!"
A woman's slap landed on a child's cheek. He sobbed, his small hands covering his face in a feeble attempt to shield himself.
"S-sorry, Mom... I was hungry..."
The tray clattered onto the floor.
"Who gave you permission to eat?!"
His mother glared at him with disgust. "After birthing an animal like you, what have I gotten in return?!"
She threw another tray at him.
"Clean it up. Then scrub the floor."
The front door slammed shut.
For a moment, there was silence.
Then—
Clank. Clank.
Footsteps on the stairs.
"Matteo! Matteo!"
His mother's voice was slurred, her movements unsteady.
"Where the fuck are you?! Come here right now!"
He hid inside the closet, trembling.
Through the gap between the doors, he could see her stumbling into his room.
She swayed, eyes darting around.
"Where are you? Can't you hear me calling?!"
Her voice cracked. "Do you know what my biggest mistake was? It was having you. If you'd never been born, I'd have had a better life..."
She crawled out of the room, muttering curses.
Matteo hugged his knees, his sobs muffled against his arms.
"Someone..... please help....."
The closet door creaked open.
A flood of light spilled in.
A shadow loomed over him.
"Oh, my son... I missed you."
A hand reached for him—
"Ahhh! Ahhh!"
Matteo's screams brought him back to reality.
Luka watched in horror as the soldiers continued cutting his fingers.
And yet, Matteo's mind remained frozen in the past.