The walk back home was not bad at all; the weather was nice, I had a dinner to look forward to and a family waiting for me back home.
With these thoughts as my source of motivation, I felt at ease in the night city.
I had still not gotten used to the culture of this world in its entirety; there was hardly any nightlife in Paneria, at least in the parts I had visited.
There were two factors that played into this: the first was the culture, where people slept at night and worked in the day, second was the presence of some dark entities around, which made it unsafe.
I looked down at my pocket watch and sighed. It was already five past nine. "I am going to be very late, aren't I?"
Pocketing my watch, I decided to make a run for it and grabbed onto my briefcase tightly and started running.
Even then, I was still disastrously slow compared to the people around me, which was because, unlike how it happens in the Isekai genre, I was not given any sort of ability or genetic enhancement and was left as a normal man in this world that was strong beyond my comprehension.
There were people here who could erase mountains from existence, and I did not mean it metaphorically or using some superweapon; they had the capability to do that with just their raw power.
The most recent of these events happened this month, in a training session between the King and Raghav...
Raghav.
My steps began to slow, coming to a halt in the middle of the road crossing. For a moment, I felt myself heat up even in the cold monsoon weather.
It was a comfortable heat, no, it was warmth, tender and calming.
And the only reason I felt this way was because of Raghav, I mean, why was this happening? I thought about it hard, and then I remembered that this was not the first time I felt this way.
The first time was eight years ago, when I came to Paneria for the very first time and met the Sant dev Harli.
I guess the two of them are similar in a way.
Without even realising, I found myself walking across the same bridge I arrived on. I walked on the right side of the bridge when going from Old Plied to New Plied.
Somewhere in the middle, I saw two women on the other side of the road and immediately lowered my gaze. I was going to ask them if they were okay and if they needed any help.
But I felt it in my heart that there was no need. I wouldn't have listened to my gut before coming here, but ever since I came to this world, I realised that sometimes we should listen to our inner voice.
So I walked quietly, towards my home, which was now only a ten minute walk away.
When I climbed the front steps of the building, thunder filled my ears and rain began to fall.
"Good thing I listened to my gut, or else I would have been caught in the rain."
Turning away, I opened the door and stepped inside.
The main hallway was warm and cosy, with soft yellow lights. On my left were the letter boxes. I checked my box and found it empty. Next were two doors on either side of the hallway.
I kept my steps quiet, hoping not to wake them up. Then came the stairs, and I climbed them in the same manner, going to the third floor.
With each step, my will to walk forward kept dying slowly but surely. By the time I took the last step, my head hung low.
Somehow, I managed to get myself to my door on the left side.
I closed my eyes and knocked on the door.
On the other side of the door, I could hear footsteps rushing towards the door.
In less than five seconds, the door was unlocked and swung open. I could tell just by looking at her feet that it was my wife. Slowly, I looked up at her, and my eyes met hers.
Her eyes, my one and only sanctuary in this unknown world.
I saw love in them, a love that reminded me of my own mother.
Her wheat skinned hands rose to my face, caressing my cheeks as she smiled at me, tilting her head to the right, causing her pallu to slide off her head.
At long last, I found the strength to reach for her pallu and bring it back on her head. In doing so, I regained my smile as I hugged her.
We stayed connected for a few seconds until the sound of a third person came.
"Oh ho! So this is what took you two so long, and here I was worried something bad happened."
Both Leanor and I turned to look at Sherly, standing there with a smile on her face and Nathan in her arms.
"Sorry, Sherly, it was a really long day."
She shook her head. "No need to apologise to me, Jiju, but there is someone upset at you."
That was something she did not have to tell me, because I could already tell by the way Nathan had his arms crossed and his head turned away from me.
"Hey, buddy."
I reached for him as Sherly held him out for me. Nathan tried to resist, but as soon as he was in my hands, he looked at me with an angry face.
"I'm sorry, Nathan, but the city needed me."
The boy was not having any of that; he simply rolled his eyes and turned away.
'I guess I will need to pull out the last resort.'
"You know, I met someone today, his name was something like... oh yes, Raghav."
That was all it took to get the boy's attention as he turned to me with gleaming eyes. "Really?"
I nodded and walked inside with him, and when I looked at the living room, I saw the rest of my family there, my Saas and Sasur (Mother-in-Law and Father-in-Law), with them was Ori.
"Hello, Mother, Hello, Father."
They were sitting on the sofa, and I approached them, bending down to touch their feet for their blessings.
"May you live a long and auspicious life."
The two of them blessed me in unison, and Father took Nathan from my hands. "Leave my Nata (Daughter's Son) with me and get changed into comfortable clothes, then we can eat."
"I will be back in a few moments and tell you what I saw today."
The boy nodded as I patted his head and walked towards my bedroom with my wife. She had prepared the fresh clothes for me and helped me take my work clothes off.
What would I have done with my life without her? I still don't know how to cook, or fold clothes for that matter.
She has given me all the joy of life, a place to call home, she became the person I wish to spend this life with and a child of my own.
Something I had never really expected to have in this life, and I was thankful for it, thankful to The One for giving all of this to me.
'I wish I could thank him in person before I die...'
Shaking my head, I smiled to myself.
'I am getting too far ahead of myself, I am still young and have a full life ahead of me...'
I felt my smile fade and my head drop, a coldness gripping my heart. 'How long do I have? I have it for granted, yet I do not know whether I will wake up tomorrow or not.'
"Jacob."
Leanor called to me as I turned to her, and the coldness faded from my body. "Yes, Priye (Beloved)."
She closed the distance between us and pulled my head to her shoulder, hugging it.
"I won't ask what it is that bothers you such, you can tell me when you need someone to listen to you, I will be here. But I do ask you this, have faith in The One, nothing bad ever truly happens, because he is incapable of doing wrong, so don't be afraid, everything will work out by his will."
Her words entered my body along with a deep breath as I felt the energy to deal with everything and stood up. "Let's go, you must be hungry, go and take a seat, I'll serve the food..."
She placed a finger on my lips and shook her head. "No, that is my duty, you earn for this family and keep us safe, while I serve this family indoors. So let me do my duty."
How could I ever stand up to her, so I gave in and we walked out of the bedroom and towards the dining table, where I was seated at the head table and Father sat on the opposite end.
To my left were Ori and Nathan, to my right were Mother and Sherly. My wife soon came and placed the food on the table, and we all began to eat.
She remained on the side and watched us with a smile on her face.
"Fat..her, tell me... about the... Hero!"
Nathan demanded, his mouth full of Aloo Gobi and Roti.
I swallowed the food I had in my mouth before answering. "First promise me, no more talking while you have food in your mouth, chew it properly and swallow it before speaking."
Then I took a piece of roti and used it to grab some Aloo, and also placed mirch Achar on it and ate it.
Mmph!
I could not control the delight I felt from Leanor's cooking.
It was so delightful, probably because she always mixes the bhog (food offered to the divine) in it.
Once I swallowed the food in my mouth, I spoke up.
"Everyone, before I start telling Nathan anything, I want to tell you all something, and I hope you will keep it to yourself."
My entire family nodded, and Father gestured towards me. "What is it, Beta (Son)?"
"I would like you all to stay indoors tomorrow, and Ori, it would be best if you do not go to the City Hall tomorrow. I am not supposed to tell this to any of you, but I can't take any risks. Something big is going to happen tomorrow."
"Will the Hero be involved?"
Nathan once again questioned me about Raghav, and I had to think about it for a few moments.
"Honestly, I don't know, maybe he will join us, maybe he won't. But given what we have heard about him, I believe he will play a role in it."
The way a smile spread on Nathan's face was priceless, as he leaned on the table. "Tell me more. Did you see him up close?"
I nodded, I mean, ten metres is not that far.
"I did, he is taller than I had expected. I would say I am a finger's width taller than him, but he is much bulkier than I am. His stature, his posture and the intensity in his eyes exude seriousness and confidence, unlike any other I have seen."
Everyone in the room was listening intently, as I was the only one in the room who had seen him.
Then I began to note his appearance while imagining the moment I saw him. "Slick-backed black hair long enough to go past his eyebrows, clean skin with fierce yet compassionate eyes, soft reddish pink lips and a slim face."
Then I moved lower, describing his appearance to them. "Strong neck with broad shoulders and a big chest. A wide back with a well-built torso, his legs were thick and as long as his upper body, his arms were strong, as I would expect from a swordsman. All around, he is perfect in all senses. Beautiful and Strong"
As I finished, I looked around, and everyone was smiling, listening to his description, and I could not blame them for smiling, because I myself was smiling while talking about him.
'Perhaps the reason I got a second chance at life was to help Raghav.
If so, then I consider myself the luckiest person alive.'