“It was not just a photo. It was a declaration. To be the first cover, the first image someone sees before stepping into that world… it is a sacred trust. We stood in that studio with nothing to prove and everything to say. The silence was our script. Elena asked for truth, and in return, I offered skin, bone, and the stories they carry. That cover isn’t a portrait of me; it’s a portrait of a beginning. It set a tone—raw, unguarded, and unafraid of the quiet. I am forever proud to be that first whisper for a magazine that speaks in thunder.” – Marat