In his mind, he thought:
"I'm a nameless being…
A soul without an identity.
How strange… that I exist in this world, yet belong to no one and nothing."
Just then, a voice—sharp yet curious—pierced through the fog of his thoughts.
"Are you even listening to me? I asked—what's your name?"
He was staring straight into her eyes. Deep, questioning. Almost as if he were searching for something.
She blinked, taken aback, as if snapped out of a trance. Her gaze locked with his—and for a brief moment, the world fell silent. Confusion danced in her expression. Then she made a face, lightly embarrassed, and with a sudden burst of realization, she said,
"Oh! I'm so sorry. I completely forgot to tell you—my name is Luna. Luna Victoria."
He didn't speak at first. He was just… listening. Almost mesmerized. Then, from his lips, barely louder than a whisper, came a name—"Luna..."
She smiled. "Yes, yes," she nodded, "my name is Luna. And yours?"
But before he could respond, a voice called out from behind. Stern and distant, yet concerned:
"Luna! We have to go home now. It's getting late. Your father will be furious!"
She turned, sighed slightly, and called back, "Yes, I'm coming!"
Then she looked over her shoulder—one last time—and faced him again. A warm, gentle smile spread across her face.
"Well then… I guess we'll meet again."
With that, she turned and walked away.
But he stood frozen.
That smile—that one fleeting smile—had sunk deep into him. Like sunlight spilling into a room long locked in darkness.
He kept staring, his mind racing, his heart thudding louder than it ever had.
What just happened?
Why did it feel… so different?
Why did she speak to me like that—as if I mattered?
He had never known kindness in that form. Never known warmth in such a pure, sudden way.
And now, for the first time in his life, something had stirred inside him. Something that made the rest of the world blur.
Whatever had just happened…
It had never happened before. Not in his entire life.
And then... the boy fell asleep right there.
An hour passed.
Then two.
He didn't move.
He spent the entire night beneath that tree, in the same place where her voice had first reached him—where, for the first time in his life, he had seen kindness in someone's eyes.
Tonight, something had changed.
For the first time, he had felt—maybe, just maybe—not everyone hated him.
But even in that fragile moment of hope, the voice inside him returned.
Sharp. Cold.
"But what good have you ever done for anyone? What's the point of your life anyway? You're only someone because you're around others—without them, you're nothing."
And with that, a whisper slipped from his lips,
"Maybe… maybe I'm the bad luck. The curse."
Morning came. The sun rose, golden and gentle. But the boy was still asleep beneath the same tree.
That's when someone shook him. Softly.
A voice—familiar and kind—reached his ears.
"Wake up… hey, wake up! Why are you sleeping here?"
He rubbed his eyes slowly, groggy and stiff. As he tilted his head, he saw her—
Luna.
She looked at him curiously. "Why are you sleeping here?"
The boy didn't answer. Not at first.
Luna thought maybe he was still half-asleep.
So she gently took his hand in hers and started leading him—towards a well nearby.
He followed. Without questioning. Without understanding.
Even though his arms and legs felt sore, even though his body protested with every step,
he just… walked with her.
Something about her presence made his burdens lighter.
At the well, Luna filled her hands with water and splashed it on his face.
She helped him clean up and smiled.
"There! Looks like you've officially started your morning now."
He just… stared at her. Still silent. Still trying to process everything.
Luna led him back to the tree and gently sat him down again.
Then she asked, "Why were you sleeping here?"
This time, the boy replied.
But his voice was so faint, she could barely hear it.
"…Because… I don't have a home."
She caught only part of his words. But it was enough.
Enough to understand.
"You don't have a home?" she asked, a little stunned.
"Then… where are your parents?"
The boy looked down.
"I don't know my mother," he whispered.
"And I don't know my father either."
Luna's eyes widened slightly. Shocked. But she didn't ask anything more.
Instead, she said gently, "So… if you don't have a home, and no one of your own… then that means… you probably haven't eaten anything since yesterday?"
The boy didn't answer.
He just slowly placed a hand on his stomach.
Because after all, he was still just a child.
And a child can only endure so much hunger.
Without saying another word, Luna stood up.
She looked at him and said,
"Wait here, okay? I'll be right back."
And then she left.
The boy sat there quietly. Alone again.
Still wondering—
Why is this girl being so nice to me? Can't she see what I am? Can't she tell I bring misfortune? Or… is there something else?
Every time he thought about it, his mind started slipping again—falling back into that darkness.
Why am I alive?
What's the point of me being here?
Who even needs me?
He held his head in his hands.
The pain—the guilt—the loneliness—they returned like waves.
And the one thought that echoed louder than all the others:
"Maybe I really am cursed. And maybe I'll stay that way… until the day I die."
But then—
A voice. Bright and gentle.
"Here. You must be really hungry. Eat this."
That voice—
It pulled him back from the darkness.
Like sunlight breaking through a storm.
He looked up slowly.
There she was.
Luna—kneeling in front of him, holding out a piece of bread, her face glowing with a warm smile.
Without a word, he took it.
His hands trembling. His heart heavier than ever—and yet lighter somehow.
He looked at her and said,
"Thank you… thank you so much. I don't even know how I'll ever repay you."
It felt as if something within the boy had begun to shift—slowly, cautiously, like the first flicker of light inside a long-forgotten cave.
This moment… perhaps it was only a small fragment in the vast, empty expanse of his life.
But to him, it was everything.
Because in all the years he had wandered through silence and shadows, he had never felt this before.
He reached out and took the bread from her hands.
With trembling fingers and cautious eyes, he began to eat.
And she—
She sat beside him, watching him with a smile so genuine, so gentle, it could have made the moon blush.
There was a light laughter in her eyes, as if this—this simple act—was enough to bring her joy.
In that fleeting second, the world held its breath.
Time paused.
And for the first time, the boy looked like someone who might… just might… come back to life.
This moment wasn't ordinary.
Right now, a boy who had once believed he had nothing—
no home, no name, no reason to exist—
was beginning to feel that even a small act of kindness could be enough…
enough to change an entire life.
But—
as long as he kept sinking into the darkness,
as long as the shadows whispered louder than hope,
his life—and he himself—
would remain caged in that endless night.
And unless he found the courage to step beyond it...
he would never be free.