The room felt quieter now.
Aarav sat at the edge of the bed, one hand resting lightly against his ribs, while Meera, her parents, and a few villagers stood nearby.
No one spoke.
But everyone was clearly thinking about the same thing.
*I think I came from another world.*
Yeah… probably not the best first impression.
After a few seconds, Meera's father rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Meera… are you sure he didn't hit his head badly?"
Meera sighed softly.
"It's possible."
Aarav stared at both of them.
*Wow. Direct attack.*
Inside his head, he groaned.
*Alright… lesson learned. Don't start conversations with 'I'm from another world.'*
Meera's father looked back at him.
"Do you remember who you are? Your name, your family… anything?"
Aarav hesitated.
For a brief second, images flashed through his mind—
A city.
Noise.
Lights.
People.
Then—
Broken buildings.
Silence.
That voice.
"You shouldn't be here yet."
His fingers tightened slightly.
*…Yeah, not explaining that.*
He scratched the back of his head casually.
"I remember my name… but not much else."
It wasn't entirely a lie.
Just… edited.
Meera's mother looked immediately worried.
"Oh dear… so he lost his memory?"
Aarav gave a small, awkward smile.
"…Something like that."
Meera's father nodded slowly, accepting it without pushing further.
"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… I fully support that plan."
Simple.
Safe.
No complicated explanations.
Just survive.
As the tension eased slightly, Aarav's gaze shifted—and paused.
Behind Meera's mother, someone was peeking through the doorway.
Two small eyes.
Focused entirely on him.
The moment Aarav made eye contact—
The figure disappeared.
Aarav blinked.
"…Uh."
Meera's father noticed.
"Oh."
He stepped aside slightly.
"You can come out now."
A small boy slowly stepped forward.
Around six years old.
He stared at Aarav like he had just discovered something extremely interesting.
"This is my son," Meera's father said.
"His name is Rian."
Rian walked closer, completely unbothered by the situation, his curiosity obvious.
"…Are you really from another world?"
Silence.
Again.
Aarav coughed awkwardly.
"Uh… maybe?"
Meera crossed her arms slightly.
"Rian."
The boy immediately straightened.
"…Sorry."
But his eyes didn't leave Aarav.
Not even for a second.
Aarav looked at him.
Then smirked slightly.
"…If I am, that makes me very important."
Rian's eyes widened.
"Really?"
"Obviously," Aarav said seriously. "Main character energy."
Meera sighed.
"He's joking."
"…Probably," Aarav added.
Rian looked slightly confused.
But still impressed.
Meera's father clapped his hands once, breaking the moment.
"Alright, enough questions for today."
He looked at Aarav again.
"You should rest."
One by one, everyone left the room.
Meera was the last to leave.
Before stepping out, she glanced back at him briefly.
As if checking something.
Then she quietly closed the door.
---
Silence returned.
Real silence this time.
Aarav leaned back carefully against the bed and stared at the wooden ceiling.
"So…"
He waited.
A few seconds passed.
Nothing happened.
No sudden wake-up.
No "it was all a dream."
No dramatic twist.
Just—
Quiet.
"…Yeah," he muttered.
"This is definitely not a dream."
He raised his hand in front of his face, studying it.
Same hand.
Same body.
Different world.
A faint frown appeared.
For a moment—
He almost drifted back.
To that other place.
The ruined city.
The feeling of something being… wrong.
Watching.
Waiting.
His chest tightened slightly.
Not from injury.
From something else.
"…Nope."
He exhaled and looked away.
"Not dealing with that right now."
It was easier not to.
Easier to focus on what was in front of him.
A new place.
A new life.
A new chance.
A slow grin appeared.
"Well… if this really is another world…"
His imagination immediately kicked in.
"Then I should have powers, right?"
He lifted his hand dramatically toward the ceiling.
"Like fire magic… lightning… something cool."
He pointed forward like a protagonist making an entrance.
"Behold! My legendary—"
He threw a punch into the air.
Instant regret.
"AAH—!"
Pain exploded through his chest.
He collapsed back immediately.
"…Okay."
He stared at the ceiling, completely still.
"…Maybe not legendary yet."
After a few seconds, he let out a slow breath.
"Step one: survive."
"Step two: heal."
"Step three…"
A small smile returned.
"Become ridiculously powerful."
A pause.
Then he added quietly—
"…Preferably without dying first."
The room stayed silent.
But it didn't feel empty anymore.
Not like the ruined city.
Not like that place.
This place felt…
Warm.
Alive.
Safe.
And without realizing it—
Aarav's thoughts drifted further away from the ruins.
Not gone.
Just… pushed aside.
For now.
A few minutes later, exhaustion took over.
His eyes slowly closed.
And this time—
Sleep came quietly.
---
End of Chapter 6