By age 5, Kriztorez Nel Sazaly already stood apart.
Quiet. Thoughtful. Watchful.
His kindergarten teachers called him "the boy who listens like the sky is speaking to him."
When exam time came, Nel didn't just do well —
he placed 1st.
Everyone clapped. His mother cried.
But Nel? He simply stared at the certificate, like it wasn't meant for him — like it was only the beginning.
At home, the house was never truly quiet.
There was his older brother, Kriz Neo, always full of energy and responsibility.
His sister, Easter Maniac, loud, brilliant, and unpredictable.
His little sister, Elly May, soft-spoken and full of wonder.
And the baby of the family — Kriztan Nico, small but loud, always chasing Nel's shadow.
Despite the noise, Nel stayed calm.
Still.
Like something ancient was always listening inside him.
At age 6, he felt something new.
He met Amanda — a girl who laughed freely, who saw him.
And for the first time, Nel smiled back.
But the joy didn't last.
His family had to move —
from their corner of the town to Bingkor, Keningau, Sabah.
New faces. New rules. New silence.
He placed 2nd in the new exam.
He didn't cry. Didn't speak of Amanda again.
He just kept moving.
At 7, he started at SK White Mist, a school marked by a unique, fused WM logo.
There, he faced Cyra, a brilliant student — and again, he placed 2nd.
At 8, bullies came.
Younger boys, full of noise and fists, tried to test the quiet boy.
Nel never fought back.
He took it all in — calmly, without flinching.
Like he knew something far greater waited for him.
Then came the plague.
COVID-19 blanketed the world when Nel was 9–10.
Classes shifted to screens. Voices came through microphones.
But Nel adapted, his eyes always scanning more than the lesson.
At last, came his 6th grade graduation.
The auditorium echoed with names, applause, and flashbulbs.
Then came his:
Gold Award — No. 1 in class.
Best Math.
Best Attendance.
He walked the stage in silence.
His siblings cheered — Kriz Neo, Easter, Elly May, and little Kriztan Nico.
But no one saw what lingered behind his still eyes.
The spark of something older.
Something waiting.