Chapter 1: Sisu Sugo and the Whispering Light

By Sisu Sugo (Shish Mmm)

On a chilly winter afternoon, a six-year-old boy named Sisu Sugo sat shivering atop a small earthen mound. His fair skin glowed softly, his green eyes sparkled, and his black hair swayed gently in the breeze. He looked so beautiful that he seemed to have stepped out of a fairy tale. He wore a loose, slightly torn shirt, but he paid no mind to it. His thoughts were lost in play. Holding a bit of dirt and dry leaves, he was carefully crafting a small, round mud ball, rolling it on the ground with a sweet smile on his face.

Suddenly, a voice whispered from behind, “Boo!” Sisu jumped in fright, his mud ball slipping from his hands. He turned around quickly, heart pounding. Standing there was a girl his age—six years old—named Meera. Her gray hair fluttered in the wind, her fair face glowed, and her large black eyes sparkled with mischief. She was so beautiful that anyone who saw her would be enchanted. After startling Sisu, Meera burst into laughter, her giggles so loud they sent the birds in the trees flying. But in her playful teasing, she accidentally pushed Sisu, causing his carefully crafted mud ball to break. Tears welled up in Sisu’s eyes, and with a trembling voice, he said,

“Why can’t you come quietly? Why do you always play such pranks?”

Meera, still laughing, replied, “It’s so much fun to scare you! And when you talk while crying, your voice sounds so sweet!”

Meera was the only daughter of the village landlord. She was a bit naughty, always pulling pranks on everyone, but her heart was pure. She joined Sisu in his play. The two ran around the trees, throwing dry leaves at each other, their laughter filling the afternoon with joy.

As the sun began to set, painting the sky in shades of red, Meera suddenly stopped. She said, “Sisu Sugo, it’s getting late. I have to go home, or my parents will scold me.”

Sisu’s face fell. “I don’t want to go home. I want to keep playing with you.”

Meera smiled sweetly. “If I don’t go now, my father won’t let me play with you anymore. He’s already said I shouldn’t play with you because you’re poor. But I don’t care about that! We’ll play again tomorrow, okay?”

Sisu gave a small smile and nodded. “Okay. But you have to come tomorrow, promise?”

Meera laughed. “I promise, silly!”

They set off toward their homes. At a three-way junction, they parted ways. As they walked, Sisu noticed a few men staring at them, whispering. One said, “Boss, that’s the girl Lord Deck was talking about.”

Another replied, “Yes, that’s her. We need to take care of this.”

Sisu and Meera ignored them and continued walking. At the junction, Meera waved goodbye and headed toward her home, while Sisu took the path to his.

But Sisu’s heart grew heavy. He didn’t want to go home at all. His father was always drunk, beating his mother without reason. Staying out in the cold winter night would make him sick, so he had no choice. His house was small—just two rooms, one for sleeping and another serving as both a dining area and kitchen. He paused in front of the house, hesitating. Suddenly, a sweet voice called out, “Sisu Sugo!”

He turned to see his mother standing there, holding a piece of cloth. Her hands bore dark blue bruises—marks of abuse. In a worried tone, she asked, “Why are you so late?”

Sisu’s voice trembled. “I got a bit delayed, Ma.”

His mother noticed his torn shirt and said, “You’ve torn your shirt playing again, haven’t you?”

Sisu looked at his shirt and mumbled, “I don’t know when it tore. Maybe it got caught on a branch while climbing a tree.”

His mother smiled softly. “Alright. Come inside, I’ll stitch it up.”

They went inside, but Sisu froze. His father was sitting there, a bottle of liquor in hand, his eyes bloodshot. His mother quickly pulled Sisu into the inner room and began sewing the torn part of his shirt. Suddenly, his father shouted, “I don’t have money for more liquor! Give me money!”

His mother replied softly, “I don’t have any money.”

His father yelled, “What? You won’t give me money?”

She repeated calmly, “I told you, I don’t have anything. There’s no food or vegetables at home. What will we eat?”

His father’s anger flared. “Where’s the money you earned? Tell me!”

She replied quietly, “I don’t have anything.”

Unable to control himself, his father lunged at her and began beating her mercilessly. Sisu hid behind a wooden box, watching in terror. After a while, his father stopped and stormed out. Sisu ran to his mother, wiping her tears. She held him tightly, sobbing.

After some time, Sisu tried to act normal. His mother finished sewing his shirt and asked, “Are you hungry? Let me cook something for you.”

Sisu nodded. “Yes, Ma, I’m very hungry.”

She borrowed some grains and vegetables from a neighbor, lit the stove, and cooked a simple porridge with rice and vegetables. She served it in a bowl for Sisu. He ate heartily and fell asleep right there.

In the middle of the night, Sisu woke to his mother’s screams. Two men were trying to assault her, and she was fighting back. One man sneered, “You said she’d be good! She’s not cooperating—give us our money back!”

From behind, Sisu’s father appeared and began beating his mother again, shouting, “If you don’t do it right, I’ll kill you!” He punched her hard in the face, and she fell to the ground, blood dripping from her mouth. In her mind, she thought, “Why did I marry this monster? No love, no responsibility—I can’t take it anymore. I want to die.” But then she thought of Sisu. What would happen to her son if she died? She imagined him starving, stealing food, and getting caught and beaten by shopkeepers. “No,” she thought, “I have to live for my son.”

Against her will, she gave in. The two men raped her repeatedly. Sisu watched this horrific scene, rage burning inside him. Crying until he was exhausted, he fell back asleep, unaware of when his tears stopped.

The next morning, Sisu woke to the chirping of birds and soft sunlight. His head rested in his mother’s lap. Her hair was disheveled, her face and under-eyes marked with dark bruises. Yet she smiled and said, “My little boy is awake?”

Seeing her forced smile, Sisu understood how much pain she had endured the previous night. He said, “Ma, you’ll never leave me, right?”

Tears filled her eyes. “I’ll never leave my precious boy. Are you hungry?”

Sisu nodded. “Yes, very.”

She warmed the leftover porridge and gave it to him. After a few bites, Sisu pushed the bowl toward her. “Ma, you eat this. I’m full.”

She shook her head. “No, I won’t eat. You finish it.”

Sisu insisted, “No, you have to eat, or I’ll get angry!”

Giving in to his stubbornness, she ate. Then she said, “I need to finish sewing the clothes I got yesterday. Go play outside.”

Sisu ran to the spot where he and Meera always played, waiting for her under the big tree. But even after a long wait, Meera didn’t come. He decided to go to her house and call for her. At Meera’s house, he saw four guards at the gate. He tried to enter, but they stopped him and told him to leave. Sisu sneaked to the back of the house and stood by a window, overhearing a conversation inside.

Meera’s father was crying, saying, “Commander, please do something! My daughter hasn’t returned home since yesterday evening.”

Sisu’s heart stopped. “What? Meera didn’t make it home? But I saw her heading home from the junction yesterday!” Then he remembered the men’s whispers. Had they kidnapped her? Fear gripped him.

The commander said, “We’ve sent spies into the city. We’ll have news of your daughter soon.”

Meera’s father sobbed, “Please hurry. My little girl must be in danger.”

Sisu resolved, “I’ll save Meera. I’ll bring her back home.”

He ran to the spot where he’d seen those men, but no one was there. Spotting a nearby shop, he asked the shopkeeper, “Did you see some bad-looking men here yesterday?”

The old shopkeeper nodded. “Yes, they were here. They often come and scare people. If they’re not here now, they might be at their hideout in the north of the village.”

Sisu raced to the northern part of the village. There, he saw a few thugs talking outside an old house. One said, “If this plan works, we’ll get a lot of money from the girl’s father.”

Another replied, “Yes, but we need to be careful.”

They laughed cruelly. Sisu sneaked to the back of the house and spotted a high window with a drum nearby. He dragged the drum under the window, climbed onto it, and peered inside. Meera lay on the floor, hands and feet bound, unconscious.

Sisu quietly tried to open the window to climb in, but it was too high, and he fell with a thud. The noise alerted the men outside. Sisu hurried to Meera and began untying her ropes. Before he could finish, a thug burst in. Sisu quickly hid behind a box. When the man left, Sisu resumed untying Meera and removed the cloth from her mouth, trying to wake her. Meera opened her eyes, saw Sisu, and started crying. Her sobs brought the thug back, who spotted Sisu this time.

Sisu tried to run, but the man grabbed him and dragged him outside, throwing him in front of their leader, Lord Deck. The thug said, “Lord Deck, look who we found! This boy came to save the girl.”

Lord Deck roared, “What? You dared to ruin our plan? Beat him! Teach him a lesson!”

The thugs attacked Sisu—kicking, punching, beating him brutally. Blood dripped from his mouth. Lord Deck shouted, “Stop! Bring the girl out. Beat this boy in front of her. He came to save her—kill him in front of her!”

They laughed viciously and dragged Meera outside. Seeing Sisu’s condition, she screamed, “Let him go! He didn’t do anything!”

Sisu, bloodied, tried to stand on one hand. In a weak voice, he said, “Let Meera go…” But a thug kicked him hard in the stomach, sending him crashing into a wall. His vision blurred. Through hazy eyes, he saw a thug pulling Meera’s hair as she cried, “Sisu Sugo! Sisu Sugo!”

Blood poured from Sisu’s body, his strength gone. With his last breath, he whispered, “Meera…” and collapsed, lifeless.

Everything went dark. After a moment, a tiny speck of light appeared, growing larger. A deep, melodious voice echoed, “Sisu Sugo, Sisu Sugo…”

Sisu opened his eyes. He was floating in a vast, white void—nothing around him, just infinite emptiness. Confused, he said, “Where am I? Who’s there?”

The voice spoke again, “Sisu Sugo, how are you?”

Sisu looked around. “Who are you? Why can’t I see you?”

The voice chuckled softly. “I am the one who created this world—the trees, the rivers, and all of you.”

Sisu’s eyes widened. “You’re… God?”

“Yes,” the voice said. “And I have chosen you for a special task.”

Still stunned, Sisu asked, “What task? Why me?”

God replied, “You will find all the answers in time. Now, you must go. But before you do, I will transform your physical form.”

As soon as the words were spoken, a white light enveloped Sisu’s body. His hair turned sky-blue, cat-like ears and a tail appeared, and he looked far more beautiful and adorable than before. In his hand, he held a thin rope with small black beads. Then, darkness engulfed him again.

The void turned black once more. Sisu heard the chirping of a bird. Slowly, he opened his eyes. A colorful bird flew past him. He was sitting in an unfamiliar place—a vast field of green grass, dotted with vibrant flowers, trees heavy with ripe fruit, and a clear river flowing nearby. The place was so enchanting that Sisu felt as if he had stepped into a dream. He stood up, looking around. Suddenly, he noticed the cat-like tail from his transformation still swaying behind him.

But where was this place? And how had he gotten here?