He woke up with a start. The first thing his eyes fell upon was that same old chandelier hanging from the ceiling. He immediately jerked his hands up and held them in front of his eyes.
Tiny, tender, and small hands.
He screamed internally, "Yaar! Not again!"
2 Years Later...
The sound of tiny feet echoed in the hallways—'chap-chap, chap-chap'.
Ansole was running with all his might. A few maids were chasing behind to catch him. While running, Ansole looked back, raised one hand, and pulled one eye down with his finger to tease them.
Just then, a maid lunged from the front to grab him. Ansole didn't stop; he jumped, leaped over the maid's head, and ran away. The poor maid fell onto the floor. Ansole was just celebrating his victory when a shadow suddenly stood before him.
He looked up. His mother was standing there.
"Ansole! No running, beta," Mom said while catching him. "Go, get a bath quickly. Why don't you want to bathe?"
Ansole made a small face and said, "Mamma! I can bathe by myself!"
Mom smiled and said, "No, you are still small, only 2 years old. And you have to go out today, don't you remember? For the hunt."
"I remember, Mamma!" Ansole said.
"Then I don't want to hear anything, go bathe!" Mom ordered. Just then, a maid grabbed him and took him away to bathe. Ansole had no choice but to give up.
In the bathroom, there was a massive bathtub with water pouring out from the mouth of a dragon built above it. As magnificent as that sight was, it was equally painful for Ansole. He was surrounded by 10 maids. Out of shame, Ansole kept his face lowered.
All the maids began bathing him. Ansole closed his eyes tightly. He kept convincing himself over and over inside:
'Aryan... I mean Ansole, don't think about anything. Don't think at all. You only love Anaya and no one else. Only Anaya. Focus your mind somewhere else... just think about Anaya. This is just for a little while, just a little longer...'
Clenching his tiny fists, he just waited for that time to pass.
After the bath, the maids got me ready. Then my father came into the room, looking very excited to take me out of the house for the first time. I went out with him and sat in a grand carriage. It was much better and more comfortable than any ordinary horse-cart. Two maids also sat with me to look after me.
As the carriage started moving, I began looking at the scenery outside the window. Watching the swaying crops, thoughts about the mathematics of this world started running through my mind.
(I am not dead; I can just travel from that world to this world. If I stay here for 7 days, only 1 day passes in the Real World. I have named this 1:7. I have spent two years here, but in the real world, it must have been only three and a half months. I don't know much about the history here; it might be the time of 1500 or 1600. There are no bulbs, trains, or cycles here, just horse-carriages. Battles are fought with swords, and it is written in the practice area 'Mana is Banned'. I don't know what this 'Mana' is; maybe it's some kind of cheating item. But whatever it is, there is a different joy in living here; it doesn't get too hot, there is just a feeling of cold.)
Sitting in the carriage, I looked at my father. To be honest, I can't see him as a 'father' in this world. I consider him a good friend because my mind isn't ready to make anyone my 'dad'. But yes, the one who is my mummy, I truly consider her my Mamma because she is very good and I like calling her Mamma. I still don't understand why these people haven't taken me out until now; today is the first time I am stepping out from those four walls.
Suddenly, Father's voice came, full of excitement, "We have arrived, beta! Come forward."
I went to the front of the carriage. He started telling me about the hunt. Showing me the bow and arrows, he said, "Look Ansole, these are arrows. Normal arrows are enough for these animals, and these in front are ordinary boars."
As soon as my eyes fell on those boars, I broke into a sweat. "Ordinary boars?" I said in shock. Those boars were not ordinary—their size was huge, their eyes were blood-red, and they had tough black skin. Long pointed tusks were sticking out of their mouths, enough to tear anyone apart. They didn't look ordinary from anywhere; they looked like bloodthirsty beasts.
Then Father aimed the bow and released an arrow. The arrow went piercing through the air and hit the boar directly. The boar dropped dead right there. My heart was beating fast because what he was calling 'normal' was the second name for death to me.
I looked at him with eyes full of pride for the first time. Only one thought came to my mind—'Can there be such amazing people in this world?' I hadn't even imagined they would be so skilled. It escaped my mouth unconsciously, "You are truly an amazing person!"
Hearing my words, a deep smile appeared on his lips. Tilting his head, he said, "I'm not all that special." Now, you try too."
I looked at that heavy and massive bow and said hesitantly, "With this? Are you joking? I'll need to be at least 4 to 5 times bigger to use this."
Father laughed out loud and said, "What are you thinking? A small bow has been brought for you, don't be afraid." Then he turned back and ordered the maids, "Bring out the bow for our Little Lord."
A maid bowed with great respect and handed me a small, carved bow. It was perfect for my hands. I held it and tried to pull the string, but perhaps my technique was wrong. Father immediately came to me and corrected my hand, saying, "No, you hold it like this. Now tell me, what do you see in front of you?"
Hearing his question, my mind whirled. This was that same old Arjun question. Without thinking, I gave the same answer that has been famous for centuries. He was overjoyed to hear it and said, "Bravo! So you want to aim straight for its eye so it cannot see and drops dead immediately."
He supported my tiny hands from behind. The wind seemed to stand still at that moment. "Release!" As he said it, I moved my finger and the arrow—'Sannnnn'—went whistling through the air and hit the wild boar directly in the eye.
The next moment, the scream of that fierce boar shook the entire forest. It started running here and there, writhing in pain. It had gone completely mad and suddenly turned around, coming towards our carriage at full speed. Seeing death coming towards me, my breath hitched.
But before it could reach us, the maid standing near the carriage moved forward with lightning speed. Her sword came out of its scabbard—'King!'—a metallic sound rang out, and in the blink of an eye, the massive boar was finished.
I was stunned. 'What was that? Are the maids here actually warriors too?' My head was spinning. Then Thomas (Father) placed his hand on my head and said with pride, "Well done, my child... well done."
Thomas was proudly stroking my head. Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, a sword came straight towards my eyes. Just like it used to come in my dreams... but this time, there was no dream here.
Suddenly, the loud sound of clashing metal rang out—'Khann!'
But that sword, instead of hitting my eyes, went past, brushing against my head. There was a sharp pain, and my vision started to blur. Thomas was calling out to me, but I kept sinking into the depths.
I had lost consciousness.
The End...