Chapter 6 – A Strange New Life

  The room felt quieter now.

  Aarav sat on the edge of the bed while Meera, her parents, and a few villagers stood nearby. Everyone seemed to be thinking about the strange thing he had said earlier.

  “I think I came from another world.”

  For a few seconds, no one spoke.

  Then Meera’s father rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

  “Meera… are you sure he didn’t hit his head badly?”

  Meera sighed slightly.

  “It’s possible.”

  Aarav stared at both of them.

  *Wow… that hurts.*

  In his mind he sighed.

  *Okay… maybe telling them the truth was a bad idea.*

  Meera’s father looked back at Aarav.

  “Do you remember who you are? Your name, your family… anything?”

  Aarav hesitated.

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  *If I tell them everything… they’ll definitely think I’m crazy.*

  So he scratched the back of his head and answered casually.

  “I remember my name… but not much else.”

  Meera’s mother looked worried.

  “Oh dear… so he lost his memory?”

  Aarav gave an awkward smile.

  “…Something like that.”

  Meera’s father nodded slowly.

  “Well, that explains things.”

  He folded his arms.

  “Don’t worry about it too much. Right now the important thing is that you recover.”

  Aarav nodded.

  “Yeah… that sounds like a good plan.”

  Just then Aarav noticed something strange.

  Behind Meera’s mother, someone was peeking from the doorway.

  Two curious eyes were staring directly at him.

  A small boy quickly hid the moment Aarav looked at him.

  Aarav blinked.

  “…Uh.”

  Meera’s father noticed.

  “Oh.”

  He stepped aside slightly.

  “You can come out now.”

  The small boy slowly stepped forward.

  He looked around ten years old and stared at Aarav like he had just discovered something fascinating.

  “This is my son,” Meera’s father said.

  “His name is Rian.”

  Rian walked closer, still studying Aarav carefully.

  “…Are you really from another world?”

  The room went silent again.

  Aarav coughed awkwardly.

  “Uh… maybe?”

  Meera crossed her arms.

  “Rian.”

  The boy immediately straightened.

  “…Sorry.”

  But he kept staring at Aarav with obvious curiosity.

  Meera’s father finally clapped his hands once.

  “Alright, that’s enough questions for today.”

  He looked at Aarav again.

  “You should rest.”

  One by one, everyone left the room.

  Soon the room became quiet again.

  Aarav leaned back against the bed and stared at the wooden ceiling.

  “So…”

  He waited for a few seconds.

  Nothing happened.

  No one suddenly came in shouting “It was all a dream!”

  No dramatic background music.

  Nothing.

  Aarav slowly exhaled.

  “…Yeah. This is definitely not a dream.”

  He raised his hand and looked at it carefully.

  “A new world, huh…”

  A slow grin appeared on his face.

  “Well… if this really is another world…”

  His imagination immediately went wild.

  “Then I should have powers, right?”

  He lifted his hand dramatically toward the ceiling.

  “Like… fire magic… lightning… maybe even laser beams.”

  He pointed his finger forward like a hero in an anime.

  “Behold! My legendary power—”

  Aarav suddenly tried to punch the air.

  The moment he moved—

  “AAAH—!”

  Pain exploded through his chest.

  He collapsed back onto the bed immediately.

  “…Okay.”

  He stared at the ceiling again.

  “…Maybe not legendary yet.”

  Aarav sighed and adjusted himself carefully.

  “Step one: survive.”

  “Step two: heal.”

  “Step three…”

  A small smile appeared again.

  “Become ridiculously powerful.”

  A few minutes later, the pain and exhaustion slowly pulled him into sleep.

  For now, the mysterious new world would have to wait.