Markos reads the name carefully to make sure its the right person.
"Sofia Ian..." Markos is at a loss of words, there is no way that she can be one. Markos' hands are shaking, too much to process at once, it feels like he was hit with a sudden truth about his whole life, but on a larger scale. Markos is beginning to question everything, who else is a God? Are all of his friends Gods as well? How did Tom figure it all out? Markos was tumbling deeper and deeper into a pit of questions deep inside his head.
At the orphanage with Sofia
Sofia returns to the orphanage, shaking again. Once she enters the orphanage all the happiness is gone from her.
"Sofia! You're late again!" says the owner of the orphanage. Sofia once again shakes in fear just from the owner's presence alone.
"I told you..." Sofia tries to say that she already said when she will return.
"Are you talking back at me young lady?!" the owner asks. The owner then slaps something in her hand, which Sofia immediately looks away crying "Works enough for me. Go back to your room." Sofia then gets back up and walks to her room, crying the whole way through. Once she entered her room, she jumped on the bed and cries on the pillow.
"Markos... guys?" Sofia says to herself "Where are you all? I need you all for something, and I need it right now. I want to be just as strong as all of you... I don't want to be this fragile girl anymore..." Sofia all the sudden remembers the feeling of when she first met Markos.
7 years ago
One day at school, Markos was at his usual seat, front row and close to the door.
"Alright Markos." says the teacher "Would you mind explaining to us how to resolve this question?" Markos started to panic a little, he didn't know what to say or do, it was Math so it was pretty easy for him but he didn't like doing it infront of everyone. Markos just looked around hoping someone would take his spot instead, but no one did.
"I... alright I suppose." stumbled Markos. Soon Markos finished explaining what happens, but he felt quite embarrassed despite of how well he explained it and how impressed the teacher was with his explanation. Later when class was over, whilst everyone else went outside, Markos just stayed behind in class and went to draw, with no one else next to him, although he prefers it when there is no one next to him sometimes but at the same time it does feel like he is invisible. Later in the day, Markos noticed a group of students in his class talking, he thought he could join but then they just abruptly leave to some place else.
'Well, I guess whilst everyone else gets something they want like a friend, I am just treated like trash to everyone else...' says Markos to himself. Today, if you asked him what day it is to him, he would say it was his birthday... that is if he had anyone to tell him happy birthday. Markos wanted someone to walk up to him and say happy birthday, but no one did. His guardians knew that it was his birthday and his younger sister also knew it, but even when he wrote when his birthday was going to happen, no one told it to him. Just than, Markos heard someone.
"Hello Markos." said a gentle, heart filling voice. Markos didn't recognize it so when he looked at the source, it was someone he sure didn't know. It was a girl "I don't think you know me, but I'm Sofia."
"Oh hi, nice to meet you too Sofia." Markos replies.
"I am guessing based on that billboard of the class's birthdays, today is yours am I right?"
"Yes. But I am invisible to everyone so no one noticed it..."
"Well happy birthday." Markos felt a lot better, that's what he wanted and needed.
"Thanks. How is everything with you?"
"I'm alright... just sitting at my corner..." Markos looked at her corner and she was about as alone as him, as she wasn't close to a lot of people.
"You sure study a lot."
"I mean it's important... for me wanting to achieve my dreams."
"Makes sense. I feel the same way."
"What do you want to become?"
"A manga writer. You?"
"A singer."
"Can I hear you sing at some point?"
"Yeah sure. In fact once school ends, you can."
"That would be awesome."
Next day
Markos was about to enter school, expecting to be a normal day as before.
"Markos!" Markos heard Sofia's voice. He looked behind him and it was a happy Sofia running up to him.
"Hey Sofia!" Markos replied equally as happy.
"Did you do anything special yesterday? I hope you had fun with your family." There was a pause for a moment for Markos then...
"Oh my family..."
"What you ar"
"Can we not talk about it? Its a touchy topic for me."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"Its alright, you didn't know." When they got in class, it was math class. Sofia was panicking, as math was never her best subject. She was looking at the questions the teacher gave out but she didn't know what she was doing.
'This is so difficult...' Sofia said to herself, then someone tapped her shoulder. Sofia looked and it was Markos.
"Let me help you Sofia." says Markos. As Markos was explaining Sofia, was in awe with Markos' gentle side.
'Nobody was ever this kind with me...' says Sofia to herself.
"Hey Markos. How are you so good at Math?" asked Sofia. Markos just pondered, he never noticed how good he was, he payed attention and noticed he solved his questions and was able to help Sofia with her own faster than everyone else in the class even doing it correctly. He only had one good answer to say.
"I guess..." started Markos "If you put your mind to it and never give up, you can achieve practically anything. Or its rather something my mother taught me." Markos said that last line with a smile.
In the present
Sofia was there smiling, as she remembered when she first met Markos. Those words stuck out to her.
'If you put your mind to it and never give up, you can achieve practically anything.'
'You're right Markos... thank you...' Sofia then went back to continue writing a song that she has been working on, but with the rate things have been going at school, it was getting delayed. Suddenly, she heard a loud noise and then she heard a little boy crying. Sofia rushed outside to check what is happening and she saw the owner hitting on a boy with a belt.
"You pick on the little girl and not say sorry?!" yells the owner at the boy.
"Please... I was just playing with her..." replied the boy, crying the whole team, his eyes were red at the rate he was crying. The girl was seen not knowing what to do in that situation. Sofia knew she had to do something. She suddenly heard Markos' voice in her head and she walked up to the owner and stood in front of her with the boy behind her.
"I am sure he is sorry, just let him go." said Sofia.
"Why you persistent little girl!!!!!!" yells the owner as she grabs Sofia by her hair and before anything else could happen an explosion occurred. Smoke covered everything, barely anything can be seen. Sofia soon regained her senses and she noticed that she couldn't feel the bottom half of her body. When she looked closely, there was a piece of debris that crushed her waist and legs, she yelled in pain.
"Oh my god..." she said in pain and tried to take it off, which was very difficult to do so. In the smoke she saw a figure, it was not human like whatsoever "What are you?" asked Sofia hoping to see help, but when the smoke cleared, it was anything but help, it was a Demon!