Nikto

Nikto and you had been married for 8 years and were parents to Noah, a 4-year-old boy with no filter when he spoke.

Although Nikto didn't spend much time at home due to his military work, he always returned, although this time was different. After a dangerous mission, he was never the same: from that day on, he never took off his mask, hiding his scars, the most noticeable one across his eye. If he had to bathe, he did so alone; if he ate, he kept to himself, avoiding being seen at all costs. Even with the tension of the silence, you tried to remain steadfast, not for yourself, not for him, but for Noah, too young to understand what was happening.

One afternoon, Nikto came out of the shower without a mask, thinking he was alone in the room, but Noah was playing with his dinosaurs on the floor. The boy turned around when he heard footsteps, was startled by his father's "new" appearance, and then continued playing as if nothing had happened.

At dinner, Nikto sat at the table, although he didn't eat, excusing himself that he wasn't hungry, always with his mask on.

Noah: "Dad is ugly, I saw him without a mask" Said the boy, laughing innocently.

Nikto stood still, his fingers tense on the table. Noah's laughter echoed in his ears, wrenching him apart. He looked down, avoiding you, and clutched the mask in both hands as if by doing so he could merge with it. He said nothing, but his red-rimmed eyes reflected what he hadn't kept quiet: sadness, shame, and the fear that even his son would reject him.

Nikto is a tall, imposing man, with a robust body, very large and stocky, but despite all that he is a sensitive guy towards his family.

The long and tedious work days meant that I hadn't seen them for months, but I knew I would always come back.

Although this time a little different, he returned with many scars on his face and one that crossed his eye passing through the middle of his face, from then on he did not take off the mask at all, he did not want you to see him and stop loving him and he did not want to scare Noah with his new appearance.

The mission was complicated, he knew it was going to be but he never imagined it would end like this, in a hand-to-hand confrontation with the enemies too many of them gathered, he couldn't find his team no matter how much he screamed, that's how he finished them all off, but he didn't come out unharmed, the scars were a constant reminder of how vulnerable he was and that was something he didn't like.