Umay grit her teeth and slung the bag over her shoulder. As Zuhal opened the tent flap, the familiar, heavy scent inside was instantly replaced by the biting wind of the outside world. Umay stopped before taking a step; she had to ask the question that was burning inside her.
"Was it worth it for you?" she asked, her voice trembling. "Are you... are you truly happy to have been brought here?"
A sad but accepting smile touched Zuhal's lips. "At first, everything was a nightmare, Umay. But then... for the first time in my life, I felt loved."
Umay narrowed her eyes, her never-ending skepticism surfacing. "And what about me? Is there even a chance of that for someone like me?"
Zuhal shrugged slowly, her gaze drifting toward the darkness of the mountains. "Only Avex and your fate can know that."
With that, Umay took her first step into the cold breath of the unknown.
As they neared the foot of the mountain, the air grew sharper, and the wind began to whistle through the jagged rocks. The false peace of the village was long gone. Hakhshi and Zuhal led the way. Hakhshi's massive shadow was a symbol of the Maku warriors' unstoppable power, while Umay felt like a stranger, an exile on the brink of madness. She thought about running—but under this violet sky, where would she go? The voice inside her whispered relentlessly, "Even here, you're just extra baggage."
"Breathe, Umay," Zuhal's voice cut through her thoughts.
Umay turned to her and saw an understanding filled with guilt in Zuhal's eyes. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Umay snapped.
Zuhal squared her shoulders, as if reopening an old wound. "Because I know the weight of leaving you there, on that mountain. I walked the same path as you, Umay. Back on Earth, I was a prostitute's daughter. I was a shadow people looked at with disgust, someone no one bothered to acknowledge. The Company picked me up like a piece of property and brought me here. But look—now I am the wife of a respected man. Here, I have value."
Just then, Hakhshi stopped and pointed toward a stone hut hidden among the steep cliffs. "Avex is here."
As Umay approached the stone structure, a strange sensation washed over her. A wave of peace seemed to emanate from the cold walls. But that peace vanished the moment the door swung open. Within the dark silhouette, a massive and terrifying figure appeared.
Zuhal took a hesitant step toward Avex. "Her name is Umay. She was sent for you."
Avex's voice was rough and furious, like stones grinding together. "Tell that old fool I have no intention of being a babysitter! She's shorter than the other females and looks as soft as a babe. If you want to kill her, don't do it by leaving her on the mountain. Find a more humane way!"
Hakhshi intervened, his voice controlled. "This was the deal, Avex. Umay wasn't chosen by anyone. She is yours."
Avex's anger erupted into a full-blown explosion. He loathed being the dumping ground for society's cast-offs. He slammed the door and stormed to the back of the house, mounting his only friend, Chulpa. This magnificent creature, with green-and-white fur and the agility of a tiger, looked like a machine of destruction under Avex.
Chulpa leapt over the jagged rocks as if he were about to pounce on Hakhshi. Hakhshi shielded Umay in fear. "You're scaring her, stop!"
Avex, unable to contain his rage, spat on the ground. "If she belongs to me, then nobody interferes, rookie!"
Suddenly, everything went dark. Avex leaned down from Chulpa's back, snatched Umay up like a kitten in one swift move, and tossed her onto the beast's back in front of him. Umay suddenly found herself staring at the world upside down against Chulpa's coarse fur.
The jolt to her stomach made her scream. She was tired, she was hungry, and once again, she was unwanted. She was being rattled up the steep mountain slopes by a "mountain bear," feeling like a defective package being returned to the warehouse.
Minutes later, they were back in the center of the Maku village. When Chulpa made a hard landing in the middle of the square, the "gentle" warrior carrying Umay like a lifeless sack of flour let her tumble onto the damp earth.
Umay knelt in the dust and mud, lifting her head. Through the cursed dictionary in her mind, the whispers of the Maku men stabbed at her heart: "She's back. He didn't accept the excess." Umay watched the man dismount like a giant shadow: Avex.
His skin was deep purple, his features sharp, and most strikingly, his right face was a map of burn scars. His skin there had cracked, turning into textured stone. Standing before this man, Umay felt like a soldier sentenced to death. How many times could she be rejected in a single day?
The Chief stormed out of his tent. "What is the meaning of this, Avex?"
Avex's jaw tightened. His face was as still as a statue, but his eyes held deep discomfort rather than rage. "This is your problem," he said, his voice echoing like distant thunder. "I do not want a woman."
The tribe's irritating whispers rose: "That's why he's alone. Who would want this monster? Let him take the scrawny excess; they suit each other."
Umay saw Avex's knuckles turn white as he gripped his sword. He took a deep breath and let go, restraining himself from defying his leader. But the Chief was merciless: "This woman was an extra. No one wanted her, Avex. She is yours!"
The dam inside Umay finally broke. Damn it, she thought. Did he have to say it like that? Her mother on Earth, a stranger here... everyone was racing to tell her she was "unwanted" to her face. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she couldn't hold back her sobs. She bowed her head to the dirt and poured out bitter words in Turkish, words only she could understand:
"I wasn't loved in my own home. I was an extra in my own family. And now, at the edge of the vast universe, I'm 'excess' even to this primitive man. Damn it all... why don't you just kill me? I'm done! I can't take it anymore!"
The roar of the crowd was cut short by the frequency of this foreign, pain-filled voice. Umay saw dusty leather boots appear in front of her. When she looked up, she met Avex's eyes. In his ice-blue gaze, she saw something she had never seen in anyone else: not pity, but a terrifying familiarity. He didn't understand the words, but the "abandoned child" tone in her voice had shaken the cellar he had kept locked for years.
Just as Umay was about to collapse from exhaustion, the most feared warrior of the tribe did something unexpected. He turned around and crouched down in front of her. Seeing her hesitate, Avex grabbed the leather armor on his scarred side and pulled it tight, creating a space so she wouldn't have to touch the rough texture of his skin. He grunted, as if trying to hide his ugliness from her: "Go on. Climb up."
As Umay wrapped her arms around the massive man's neck and climbed onto his back, the Chief's voice followed them: "Avex, she is yours now!"
Avex mounted Chulpa with Umay on his back and gave one final roar to the village: "She is mine now. And you all better know that as well as I do!"
This time, Chulpa set off toward the mountain path at a much slower pace. When Umay rested her face against Avex's solid shoulder, the abandoned child inside Avex felt a crumb of peace for the first time in years. This "soft female" he had tossed around on the way down was now falling asleep on his back. He guided Chulpa carefully, as if carrying a fragile crystal.
By the time they reached the stone house at the foot of Mount Yakshir, the night of Adife had fallen. Avex gently laid his little human among the furs near the warmth of the fire. As he covered her with thick pelts, he thought of the approaching frost. He had a responsibility now. He had to teach this soft-skinned creature how to hunt, how to dry meat, and how to stand tall in this harsh world.
Sitting by the fire to sharpen his sword, his mind drifted back to that fateful night when he was five years old.
A Memory of the Past:
Little Avex was waiting for his mother, burning with the fever of his injuries. When she walked in, there wasn't a trace of mercy in her eyes. When he moaned, "Mother...", she simply straightened her dress and said, "I need to get back to the celebration; I've wasted enough time," and walked out. That night, Avex hadn't died from his wounds, but from the silence where he realized he wasn't loved.
The next morning, gray mist seeped through the cracks in the stone walls. The interior of the house was a monument to loneliness: dried herbs hanging from the ceiling, chests covered in hide, and intricate but eerie bone carvings. Everything was like Avex—hard, functional, and soulless.
Umay opened her eyes to this gray texture. Her bones ached, but her dark humor was already awake. Seeing Avex standing there like a stone statue, she thought: "Great. There's a masterpiece of home decor here, but unfortunately, it doesn't move. Maybe he has a tax debt or something; he looks like he's doing some heavy math."
She sat up and stretched. "What a morning!" she said, her voice shattering the silence. "I guess I was supposed to feel like a kidnapped princess, but the view reminds me more of 'overdue return freight.' Did you stand there all night? Seriously, big guy, did your batteries run out?"
Avex didn't answer. His eyes were fixed on the ashes of the fire.
"At least my kidnapping scene could have been cooler. Being tossed like a kitten... seriously, your sense of romance rivals that of a cave bear." Umay's voice softened slightly as her gaze drifted to his scars. "Actually, you're just like me. Back in that square, everyone called you a 'monster,' but I just saw someone who was tired. Stop lying to yourself. I've hidden in the fairy tale that loneliness doesn't hurt too, but we're always the ones who get burned at the end of that story."
Avex finally took a deep breath. The frost in his voice mingled with the mist: "No one wanting me... is not a problem. It's a habit."
Umay let out a sarcastic laugh. "Of course! A total drama king. Don't worry, I'll talk for both of us. I'll tear down your stone-wall silence with my chatter." Her stomach growled loudly. "By the way, this 'excess' is starting to get hungry. Any chance of breakfast before my stomach eats me from the inside, or are we going straight to the main course?"
Avex stood up silently. As he headed for the door, he murmured without looking back: "Stay here. Hunting..."
When Avex returned from the frozen peaks of Yakshir, he didn't even feel the weight of the Kargah haunch on his back. He had only one image in his mind: would he see a foreign footprint in the snow in front of his hut? His dark inner voice said, "Of course she ran. Who would stay among these cold stones with a monster like you?"
He pushed the door open. He paused at the threshold. His eyes first darted to the corner by the fire. Umay was buried in the furs, dozing off with a half-eaten blue fruit in her hand. The fire hadn't gone out; clearly, she had kept feeding it all night.
A noise he couldn't describe erupted in Avex's chest. His steps grew heavy. Umay startled awake at the sound of the door and rubbed her eyes, looking at the bloody, massive silhouette before her.
Avex spoke, his voice rough and nearly a whisper of shock: "You're still here..."
Umay scrutinized the dried bloodstains and his wild appearance, wrinkling her nose. Her dark humor kicked in to mask her fear: "Wow, big guy! Did you fight an army or just dice the entire mountain? Besides, where was I going to go? There's a violet sky and a freezing storm out there. I tried calling an Uber, but apparently, they don't service this sector."
Avex didn't respond. He just looked at her. She hadn't run. In this house where she was left as "excess," she had fed the fire until he returned. Avex's shoulders slumped; the tension left him all at once.
"I need to wash," he said, his voice authoritative but weary.
Avex retreated to the steamed alcove carved into the rocks. Driven by curiosity, Umay watched from the edge of the door. Avex removed his bloody armor and torn clothes in one move. His back was to her.
Umay caught her breath. Avex's back wasn't just limited to the burns on his face; old scars resembling whip marks and complex battle wounds spread across his muscular frame like a map. Yet, as he lowered his powerful body into the clear water, his movements took on an incredible grace.
He took the scented gel he had made. The scent of lavender and wild thyme mingled with the steam. Avex carefully washed his wounds with his massive, calloused hands. The destruction machine from outside was gone, replaced by a meticulous, wounded man trying to make peace with his own body.
Umay leaned against the doorframe and thought: "Look at that... dripping blood outside, but having a private spa day inside. His personality is literally split in two. One half says 'I'll kill you,' the other says 'this botanical extract is best for my skin.' Seriously, am I never going to run into someone normal in this universe? Why do I only attract the weird ones, for heaven's sake?"
Avex paused as he noticed the shadow at the door. His gaze didn't harden, but a strange embarrassment flashed in his eyes. He grunted, trying to keep his scarred face in the shadows: "I hate to ruin your fun, but it's your turn. No food until you're clean."
Umay rolled her eyes but couldn't stop her cheeks from turning pink. She turned around to give the Maku warrior his privacy. Her inner voice, of course, wouldn't stay quiet: "Sure, sure, watch him all you want and then act shy. If I left it to you, you'd jump the guy."
"Fine, fine, I get it. Hygiene first, feast second," Umay said. "But I have to say, I want some of that gel. With that scent, you smell more like a gentleman than a mountain bear. Well, only the scent is gentlemanly—the personality is still a bit... raw."
She waited for him to exit. When she turned, he was still there.
"So," Umay said, giving the warm water an inviting look. "Are we sharing this bath, or are you granting me some private space?"
Avex gave her one last look. His gaze didn't hold the contempt everyone else had; there was only a curiosity he couldn't solve. "You are alone," he said, and disappeared into the dark corridor.
As Umay stepped into the water, she whispered to herself: "Wow, another gentlemanly move from the big guy. If this keeps up, I'm afraid he'll be reading me poetry next. Though with that voice, if he read poetry, the mountain would probably collapse on us