Pāhonoa te oro

Part 1: The Beginning Mark and Ash weren’t just friends—they were everything to each other. Their story began back in Class 6, when two awkward kids bonded over silly jokes, shared lunches, and long conversations about nothing and everything at the same time. Years passed, but nothing changed between them. If anything, their bond only grew stronger. By Class 12, they had become inseparable. Everyone in school knew that if you saw Mark, Ash would be somewhere nearby. They texted every single day—