They sat down and placed Vyom in front of them.
After some time… Vyom slowly woke up.
He looked around, confused.
"Where am I…?" he thought.
Suddenly, he heard a voice—
"Who are you and why are you come here ?"
----
Aysha looked at him carefully.
"Who are you?"
Vyom froze.
Shock and confusion flashed across his face.
What am I supposed to say? he thought. Should I tell her I'm from another world?
He quickly composed himself.
"I... I'm a world traveler. I come from a faraway country called India. I've been traveling for a long time, but somewhere along the way, I lost my path. Can you help me?"
Aysha frowned.
"India? I've never heard that name before."
She slowly stood up.
"According to you... you've been living in the jungle for a long time. Am I right?"
Vyom hesitated before nodding.
"Then tell me..." Aysha continued. "Why did you eat poisonous fruit?"
Fear filled Vyom's eyes. For a moment, no words came out.
"Can... can you please explain calmly first?" he asked.
Aysha folded her arms.
"No. You came into my city looking suspicious."
Vyom frowned.
"So what? Did I do anything wrong? Or did I do anything wrong to anyone?"
"But..." Aysha replied, "you were wearing suspicious clothes... and you ate poisonous fruit."
Vyom sighed.
"So you're saying your city doesn't welcome guests? I ate poisonous fruit because I didn't know it was poisonous. If I had died, what problem would that have caused you?"
Aysha remained silent for a moment before speaking more softly.
"Fine... then tell me. What happened to the silver coins I gave you?"
""Oh..." Vyom scratched the back of his head and said, "I spent them on clothes and a hotel."
Vyom saw the suspicious look on Aysha's face and quickly added, "Anyway... didn't you give me those coins?"
"Aysha frowned.
"Then why are you here?"
Vyom blinked.
"Why? I don't have any powers, so I don't have a job."
Aysha looked at him in disbelief.
"Wait... you booked a hotel?"
Vyom nodded.
"Yes."
"For how many days?" Aysha asked again.
"One night," Vyom replied.
Aysha let out a long sigh.
"And how many clothes did you buy?"
Vyom pointed at himself. "This one. Is something wrong?"
"What?!" Aysha exclaimed. "You could stay for an entire month with just two silver coins! And you could easily buy four or five sets of clothes!"
Vyom's expression darkened.
"What...?"
Unable to hold it in, Aysha burst into laughter.
"Please stop laughing," Vyom said helplessly. "I didn't know the prices."
"Okay... okay..." Aysha replied between laughs. "Some clothes are really expensive... but this one?"
She started laughing again.
"Sometimes I wonder... do you even live in this world?"
Vyom didn't answer. His expression grew even darker than it had been a few moments ago. Earlier, it had been a mixture of nervousness and shock, but now... it was completely different.
It was sadness.
A hollow, empty sadness.
Aysha didn't notice the change.
After calming herself, Aysha looked at him seriously.
"Alright... you said you don't have any powers."
Vyom nodded.
"Yes."
Aysha looked at him curiously and asked, "Have you ever seen anyone use magic?"
"I've never seen," Vyom admitted. "Even in my homeland, I don't think anyone has magic."
Aysha's eyes widened.
"What? Then how do people survive?"
Vyom smiled faintly.
"My homeland is far more advanced than you can imagine."
"Really? But without magic?" Aysha asked. She looked at Vyom suspiciously, unable to believe his words.
"I'm only a student," Vyom replied. "I've just started learning, so I don't know as much as the scientists in my homeland. Their knowledge is far beyond mine."
"I see..." Aysha murmured thoughtfully.
After a brief silence,
Vyom looked at her curiously.
"So... how do you use fire?"
"Through fire magic," Aysha answered.
Vyom nodded. "In my homeland, everyone can use fire too—but not with magic. We use tools and technology instead. I don't know exactly how they work, but I've used them."
Aysha stared at him in amazement.
"Really? You can use fire without magic?"
Vyom nodded. "Yes. Not like in my homeland, because I don't have the tools here. But I can. In fact, I'll do it tonight."
Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Wow... then show me. But wait—you'll have to come with me. I'm not going to let you stay here."
She thought for a moment and said, "But first... I'll check you."
"What?" Vyom asked, wearing a puzzled expression. He had no idea what Aysha was planning.
The sun was almost setting, painting the sky in shades of orange and crimson. The quiet surroundings carried a strangely romantic atmosphere, but Vyom wasn't affected by it..
"Give me your hand," Aysha said, a hint of annoyance in her voice.
Vyom said,"My hand? Why?"
Aysha told,"I'm going to check whether you have magic or not."
She let out a slow breath, trying to calm herself.
Vyom asked again,"Oh... but how?"
Aysha smacked him lightly on the head.
"No more questions! You ask far too many. If another useless word comes out of your mouth, I'll cut you into two pieces!"
Her entire face turned pink with embarrassment and frustration. The area around them was so quiet that her voice echoed through the surroundings.
Vyom couldn't help laughing.
"Sorry... sorry."
He held out his hand.
Aysha took it and frowned.
"What happened? Why are you laughing?"
She snapped her fingers.
In an instant—
A crack in space appeared before them. It spread silently through the air, as if reality itself had fractured. Without hesitation, Aysha slipped her hand into the crack and pulled out a strange stone.
She snapped her fingers— again.
The crack in space sealed itself, leaving no trace that it had ever existed.
Vyom was shocked. His eyes remained fixed on the spot where the crack in space had just sealed itself.
Aysha noticed his stunned expression and smiled.
"So?" she asked. "Why were you laughing a moment ago?"
----
(To be continued...)