Chapter 1: The Boy Who Forgot How to Dream

He came from a village where mornings smelled of soil and the sky never felt far. Where dreams used to fly with birds, and laughter echoed through fields. But now, the sky was hidden behind buildings, and silence followed him like a shadow. 

The boy had come to the city for higher studies, like everyone told him to. "Make something of your life," they said. "You're the pride of the village." So, he obeyed — with a bag full of clothes, books, and dreams he hadn't fully understood yet. 

When he first stepped into the city, everything looked like a different world — tall buildings, wide roads, lights that never turned off. It felt exciting, even magical. Everything looked neat, perfect — smart uniforms, clean classrooms, giant libraries, and teachers who spoke English fluently. 

At first, he was happy. Excited. He thought, "Maybe this is my chance. I'll study hard. I'll become something." 

He woke up early every day, ironed his uniform carefully, and reached school on time. He sat in the front benches, listened to teachers, tried to understand every word. He wrote notes, raised his hand, smiled shyly when called. 

But slowly… something changed. 

The classrooms started to feel colder. The lessons became harder. The students around him laughed in languages he didn't fully get, talked about things he never experienced. He tried to make friends — but his accent, his silence, his simplicity became a barrier. 

They didn't bully him. They just… ignored him. 

He started sitting quietly. He stopped raising his hand. No one noticed when he didn't smile anymore. His scores started to fall. The teachers didn't ask why — they just scolded. "You have to try harder." "You're wasting your chance." 

But he was trying. 

He was just tired — tired of pretending, tired of failing in a life he never asked for. 

At night in the hostel, he stared at the ceiling, his books open but unread. He would remember the stars in his village sky, and how his mother used to say, "Study well, one day you'll fly beyond these hills." But now, he didn't feel like flying. He just wanted to feel something again. 

The city, which once felt magical, now felt like a cage. 

He walked to school every day, watched people rush around with dreams in their hands, and asked himself — "What about mine?" 

Day by day, he became quieter. 

Day by day, he disappeared — not from the world, but from himself. 

No one noticed. 

Not the teachers, not the classmates. 

No one... until she came.