Aric was late getting home on Earth because the celebration at his magical home was quite big. Many people came to celebrate his acceptance: Albert, the café owner; Tony, the blacksmith; William, his unofficial taxi in the city; and various other men who had been in contact with him for a long time. They were very happy that Aric got accepted, as he had done a lot for the community as a whole.
This guy even gave money to the local orphanage, clothes for winter, better beds for the children to sleep in, and even funded the construction of a proper boundary with a high stone fence. Aric was a real philanthropist for the city, while not engaging with the rich people there. It wasn't because Aric cared for everybody and wanted to be a savior. He needed a clean image for himself in the city and wanted to show that he never hungered for power, and he was able to actively do so.
"Son, come down to eat." Those were the first words Aric heard after returning home. This made his face grimace because he had just eaten his fair share of bland food and was too full to entertain any other meal.
"Mom, can I skip dinner? I'm a bit tired," Aric shouted from his room.
"What are you talking about? You haven't eaten since the afternoon, doing who knows what. I don't want to hear any complaints. Come and eat," Avni wasn't ready to hear any excuses.
"Fuck!" Aric cursed under his breath.
---
The next day.
"Dad, I'm going to Grandpa's place," Aric said early in the morning after having breakfast.
"What? What about your school?"
"I've already asked for leave for the rest of the year," Aric replied.
"What? And they allowed you?" Avni was appalled that her son would do such a thing without even asking.
"Yes, because I've been their best student since the school's establishment, and the only way they could have their name written in golden letters is through me," Aric said in the most casual tone possible, but he knew how arrogant he was being in front of his parents.
"I see that arrogance has slowly started to creep into your head," Eklavya responded to his son's statement.
"Nothing like that. I'm going to my grandparents' home to build codes for my next project," Aric said.
"Next project? You mean something like the software you made earlier?" Avni's eyes shone when she heard her son. They might have been novices when it came to technology, but Aric had been actively helping them understand it. He had been very adamant about being 'tech-savvy,' and thus the couple knew some terms.
"Something like that," Aric didn't elaborate on the project.
"What did the school principal say?" Eklavya asked.
"As long as I get full marks in the first pre-boards, I can do whatever I want," Aric said, as if he could obtain full marks without much hassle, which, not surprisingly, was true.
"Will you go alone? Take the car. I'll ask the driver to take you," Eklavya suggested.
"No need. I'm fine going by bus. There aren't many people on the bus anyway. You do your work. Are the papers for the land ready? We don't have much time before we sell the property."
"You don't need to worry about grown-up things," Avni said, not liking the fact that her teenage son was concerned about property.
"I'm already a grown-up," Aric mumbled under his breath but didn't dare to say it to her face. After having a light breakfast, he left for his grandparents' home, where he would stay until he could figure out what he would be doing at his other school.
---
"Grandpa, I'm back."
"Aiyaa, Aric… We missed you…" Both Grandpa and Grandma were very happy to see their favorite grandson back. He was their favorite because, last Diwali, he had gifted them a cute Labrador puppy. At first, they thought the puppy would be a hassle, but little did they know that this small bundle of joy would bring more happiness than they could have ever wanted in their lives.
Now they were never alone and had someone to accompany them on their walks. The dog had grown up in a year and was the apple of their eyes. Moreover, Eklavya had helped renovate their home to be more old-age-friendly with better facilities and had even hired a full-time maid and caretaker for his parents.
At the moment, Aric's family topped their 'favored child list.'
"I missed you too. Did the police come to check the passport details?" Aric asked as he placed his small luggage to the side and sat under the fan.
"Yes, they came and said we would receive the passports soon," his grandfather said.
"I still don't understand why old people like us need passports," his grandmother said.
"To have proper identification. Our country doesn't have a standard one, at least not yet. Don't mention the Voter ID; that's outdated and doesn't even have important info. A passport is the best identification, and who knows, maybe you'll visit a foreign country one day," Aric said. He couldn't reveal the truth. Not yet.
After the initial greetings and catching up, Aric slipped away, saying he had things to do outside. It didn't take long for Aric to return to the magical world.
Today was his day of departure, and he couldn't wait to enter a new place. All this time, he had held himself back out of fear of the world outside. Even with Gopher around, he never had the full courage. This world was too dangerous, and he didn't want to be in an unsafe situation if he could avoid it.
He knew that being too brave would only lead to his downfall. He had died once, and it was under extreme pain, both mentally and physically. This life, he would lead much more conservatively.
"Come out Aric, or we will be late. This kid. He didn't help a bit in the packing." Gopher shouted while banging the door, and those were the first words Aric heard when he appeared on the room.
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