Chapter 1: The Corner's Cry, Unseen Comfort

Fifteen-year-old Sofiya navigated her world, a world where her mother's words were sharp, each one a calculated cut sharper than knife.

"Why can't you be more like your brother Kai?" her mother demanded, her voice laced with a weary disappointment

"He's beautiful, he's smart, he fits. Why can't you just…be like him ?!... I wish you didnt born at all !!!

Each words a arrow, a confirmation of her deepest fears.

I'm not enough !?, her heart twisting. Not pretty, not smart... just… not enough?!.

Kai, her brother with his striking, dark hair and a face a shade brighter than hers and beauty of his both parents he had and still tried to shield her, didn't care about her skin .his anger a fierce, protective flame.

"Leave her alone, Mom," he'd snap, his eyes flashing. "She's fine."

But his defense felt fragile, a reminder of her vulnerability and sometimes, after a harsh scolding, he'd look at her with pity and confusion , "You're not dumb, you know," he'd say, his voice laced with frustration. "Why don't you fight back?" or "do something so she shut up " like

Dumb, the word echoed in her mind, adding to her sense of inadequacy.

Her father, though generally quiet, wasn't entirely passive. He had a temper, but he knew arguing with her mother was pointless.

Instead, he’d try to lighten the mood with strained humor, "Beauty? Who cares about beauty?" he'd chuckle, his voice tight.

"Brains and a good heart, that's what matters! Right?"

But his jokes fell flat, and her mother would often snap, "don't spoil her too much" .

Sofia would retreat to the corner of her room.

Drawing her knees to her chest, her small frame curled into a ball of pain.

She don't know who is that, but she always felt that presence.

She’d whisper to the empty space, her voice trembling. "You hear me, right?" she'd ask, her tears silently streaming down her face.

"I know you heard everything. How can they be so cruel to me?"

She’d pour out her heart, blaming herself, telling this unseen presence everything: her mother's cruelty, Kai's clumsy attempts at comfort, her father's weak jokes and silent helplessness. "It's my fault, isn't it? I'm the problem".

"But Don't leave me alone," she’d plead, her voice barely a whisper.

Hyena, indeed, watched while clenching his fist tightly, his anger a cold, simmering rage.

He saw the way her shoulders slumped, the way her bright eyes dimmed, the way her spirit was slowly being crushed under the weight of her mother’s indifference.

He wanted to break the silence, to shatter the cruel words, but he was bound by ancient laws, a silent observer in a world that was slowly breaking her.

He watched her cry, an unexplainable feeling twisting in his heart, a mix of rage and a deep, aching sadness.

When she finally fell asleep, exhausted, he'd conjure a soft blanket, tucking her in like she was fragile.

Sleep now, he'd whisper, though she couldn't hear.

Sometimes, in that blurry space between sleep and waking, she’d see him

A tall figure, clad in sparkling, ancient robes, his long, dark blue-black hair flowing around him, and eyes that shimmered with golden light.

She'd murmur, her voice thick with sleep, "Mommy… don't hate me too much," and suddenly she pulled him towards her, her small hands clinging to his robes.

Hyena, stunned by her plea, froze for a moment.

Then, unknowingly, his hands moved, gently tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

Slowly, He patted her cheek, his voice a low, almost inaudible murmur, "You are enough," he said, his voice laced with a strange, unfamiliar warmth.

"You are more than enough, and you are prettier than anyone in this trash world."

He paused, The words echoed in his ears, a shock to his very being.

His heart thumped, a loud, insistent rhythm.

He felt a wave of dizziness, a sensation that made him feel… sick. What have I done? he thought, his mind reeling.

Sofia, meanwhile, slept soundly, a faint smile gracing her lips.

Hyena, his face etched with confusion, rolled away, his thoughts a chaotic storm. This… this is wrong, something wrong with me.

I need to see God, through the Messenger.

Something is terribly wrong with me.

Then she woke up, and felt an unexplainable relief in her body and a freshness and happiness she couldn't explain.

Despite the sadness of the previous day, she felt unbelievably energetic.

"What am I?" she mumbled in confusion while stretching. "Am I even human? Hmph, whatever."

Hyena, watching from the shadows, chuckled softly "yeah whatever" he thought, his heart still thumping with an unfamiliar rhythm.

He needed to find answers, but for now, he simply watched, a silent guardian caught in a whirlwind of emotions he didn't understand.

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