Adrian woke with the feeling still in his chest.
Not fear.
Not exactly sadness.
Something else.
Something… incomplete.
He stared at the ceiling for a long moment before slowly sitting up.
"…The voice," he murmured.
It was clearer now.
Not the face.
Not the memory.
Just the feeling.
Like he had been important to someone.
And that someone had been important to him too.
Adrian pressed his fingers lightly against his chest.
"…Why does it feel like something is missing?"
He didn't have an answer.
But the question followed him all the way downstairs.
—
Breakfast was quieter than usual.
Only a few of his brothers were present.
Marco sat at the table reading something on his tablet.
Nico leaned back in his chair, half-asleep.
Alessio walked in just behind Adrian.
"Morning."
Adrian nodded.
"…Morning."
He sat down slowly.
The food was already there.
Warm.
Waiting.
But today, Adrian didn't reach for it immediately.
He stared at the plate instead.
Lost in thought.
Alessio noticed.
"You okay?"
Adrian blinked.
"…Yeah."
But his voice didn't sound convincing.
Marco lowered the tablet slightly.
"What's on your mind?"
Adrian hesitated.
Then he said it.
"…I think I forgot someone."
The room went quiet.
Completely quiet.
Nico straightened in his chair.
Alessio froze.
Marco slowly placed the tablet down.
"…What do you mean?" Marco asked carefully.
Adrian looked at his hands.
"I keep hearing a voice in my dreams."
No one interrupted.
"It's not angry," Adrian continued. "It's not like… before."
His fingers tightened slightly.
"It sounds like someone who knows me."
Alessio swallowed.
"…What do they say?"
"They just call my name."
Adrian's voice softened.
"…Like they're trying to find me."
A heavy silence filled the room.
Marco and Alessio exchanged a look.
A silent understanding passed between them.
But Adrian didn't notice.
He was too focused on the feeling in his chest.
"…It feels important," he whispered.
Alessio leaned forward slightly.
"Adrian…"
But he stopped.
Because he didn't know what to say.
Not yet.
Marco stood.
"I'll speak with Father."
Adrian looked up.
"…Did I say something wrong?"
Marco shook his head immediately.
"No."
Then, after a pause—
"You said something important."
—
The rest of the morning felt… strange.
Adrian went to school as usual.
Sat in class.
Read his passages.
Answered when asked.
But his mind kept drifting.
The voice.
The feeling.
The missing piece.
At lunch, Alessio was quieter than usual.
Adrian noticed.
"…Are you okay?"
Alessio blinked.
"…Yeah."
Adrian tilted his head slightly.
"You don't look okay."
Alessio almost smiled.
"You're getting better at noticing things."
Adrian didn't smile back.
"…Tell me."
Alessio hesitated.
Then leaned forward slightly.
"…Do you remember anything about before you were taken?"
Adrian frowned.
"…Not really."
"Anything at all?"
Adrian closed his eyes for a moment.
Trying.
Searching.
"…A garden."
Alessio's breath caught slightly.
Adrian continued slowly.
"Sunlight."
"Someone laughing."
His fingers tightened.
"…And someone holding my hand."
Alessio didn't move.
Didn't speak.
Adrian opened his eyes again.
"…That's it."
Alessio leaned back.
"…That's not nothing."
Adrian looked down.
"…It feels like nothing."
Alessio shook his head.
"No."
He paused.
Then added quietly—
"That's where it started."
Adrian blinked.
"…What?"
Alessio didn't answer.
Instead, he looked away.
Because he wasn't sure if he should say it.
Not yet.
—
That evening, the mansion felt heavier than usual.
Adrian noticed it immediately.
The air felt tense.
Quiet.
Like something unspoken was moving through the halls.
When he entered the living room, Lorenzo was already there.
Marco stood beside him.
Dante leaned against the wall.
Alessio followed Adrian inside.
Adrian stopped.
"…Did I do something wrong?"
Lorenzo's gaze softened slightly.
"No."
"Then why does it feel like that?"
No one answered immediately.
Then Lorenzo gestured toward the couch.
"Sit."
Adrian obeyed slowly.
His heart began to beat faster.
Something was coming.
He could feel it.
Lorenzo remained standing.
Looking at him.
Studying him.
For a long moment, no one spoke.
Then—
"You said you hear a voice in your dreams."
Adrian nodded.
"Yes."
"A child's voice."
"Yes."
Lorenzo exhaled slowly.
"…That makes sense."
Adrian frowned.
"…Why?"
Another pause.
Then Lorenzo said something that made the room feel smaller.
"You weren't alone when you were taken."
Adrian's breath caught.
"…What?"
Marco stepped forward slightly.
"There was someone with you."
Adrian's chest tightened.
"…Who?"
No one answered immediately.
And that silence—
That hesitation—
It said more than words.
Adrian slowly stood.
"…Who?" he repeated.
Alessio stepped closer.
His voice was quieter now.
"…Me."
The word landed heavily in the room.
Adrian stared at him.
"…You?"
Alessio nodded.
"We were together."
Adrian's head shook slightly.
"No."
But his voice wasn't strong.
Just confused.
"I don't remember."
"I know."
Adrian stepped back.
"…That doesn't make sense."
Alessio's eyes softened.
"We were five."
Adrian's breathing became uneven.
"…No."
"You used to follow me everywhere."
Adrian's hands trembled slightly.
"Stop."
But Alessio continued.
"You wouldn't even sleep unless I was there."
Adrian's vision blurred slightly.
"…Stop."
But the words kept coming.
Because they had been waiting for years.
"You held my hand in that garden."
Adrian froze.
The memory hit him like a sudden wave.
Sunlight.
Laughter.
A hand in his.
His chest tightened painfully.
"…That was you?" he whispered.
Alessio nodded.
"Yes."
The room spun slightly.
Adrian stumbled back a step.
"…Then why don't I remember you?"
The question broke something.
Alessio didn't answer immediately.
Because there was no easy answer.
"…Because what happened after…"
He stopped.
His voice tightening.
"…It took everything from you."
Adrian's breath shook.
"…I forgot you."
Alessio nodded slowly.
"But you're starting to remember."
Adrian's hands clenched into fists.
"…I heard your voice."
Alessio's eyes softened.
"…I never stopped calling you."
The words hit harder than anything else.
Adrian's chest ached.
A deep, unfamiliar pain.
Not from fear.
Not from harm.
But from something else.
Something he didn't understand yet.
"…You were looking for me?" Adrian asked quietly.
Alessio didn't hesitate.
"Every day."
Silence filled the room.
Heavy.
Emotional.
Adrian's eyes burned slightly.
"…I didn't know."
"I know."
Adrian looked down.
"…I left you."
"No."
Alessio stepped closer.
"You were taken."
Adrian shook his head.
"But I wasn't there."
Alessio's voice softened.
"That wasn't your fault."
Adrian didn't respond.
Because part of him—
The part shaped by years of pain—
Still believed it was.
The room stayed quiet.
No one interrupted.
No one rushed him.
Because this moment mattered.
More than anything else.
After a long time, Adrian finally spoke again.
His voice was small.
"…I want to remember."
Alessio nodded.
"You will."
Adrian looked at him.
"…Will you help me?"
The question was quiet.
But it carried everything.
Alessio didn't hesitate.
"Always."
And for the first time since the memories began to return…
Adrian felt something shift inside him.
The emptiness in his chest—
The missing piece—
It wasn't gone.
But now…
He knew what it was.
Or rather—
Who it was.
And that changed everything.