(Chapter - 28)

  [Her Unexpected Visit]

  Grief shadows Karu's face. Even though he lives a better life now, he never forgets his guilt and the pain from the incident. Mehaki feels a surge of empathy, not knowing how to console him. Her voice softens.

  Mehaki : Karu…

  Karu : Well… I don’t think I’ll ever forgive myself. I can't… Mom died because of me… I never knew a little boy like him could be that dangerous. Only if I had run away right after he threatened me…

  Mehaki : No, Karu. The way you followed your parents’ teaching and stood firm against evil proves that your parents succeeded in raising you. I'm sure your mother was proud of you too.

  Karu : I wish that day hadn’t come… I wish none of that had happened…

  Mehaki : It's okay… And the bravest thing you did as a child was saving Tushar. You saved a person who later became your family.

  Tushar tries to enlighten him as well, while Tori quietly looks over them, like his usual self.

  Tushar : Hey man, I'm forever grateful to you for that day. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be here today, in fact alive. But the loss you suffered because of saving me, I can never make that up to you. I'm in debt to you forever.

  Karu : No, I did my duty as a human being. None of it was your fault. More than that, I'm happy that we're a family now. And Tori… I can't thank you enough for reaching out to me that day.

  Tori : What are you saying!? I also did my duty as a human being. And you're my brother now…

  Karu smiles subtly and the atmosphere becomes calm with warmth. He sighs and his tense face finally rests.

  Karu : But I'll surely avenge my mom once I find that boy again… I swear I will.

  Mehaki falls in thought, trying to connect the dots.

  Mehaki : *The fire-powered boy again… All of their lives were ruined because of a boy close to their age, with red eyes and fire powers. What if it's the same boy? I'm pretty sure it is.* Hey, all of you suffered because of a boy who had red eyes and fire powers. So isn’t it possible that the same boy did that to all of you?

  Karu : We thought of it too when we talked about our lives. But the boy who came after me and Tushar had yellow hair. And Asroy said his brother's hair wasn’t yellow. Tori doesn’t remember what color the boy's hair was since he always wore a brown hat. So, things don't quite add up.

  Mehaki : I see… But I do feel like it’s the same guy. Because… Can there really be that many coincidences?

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  Tori : It's normal to think that way, we have a hunch too but… We're just not sure about that.

  Mehaki : Hmm…

  Karu : You know Mehaki, sometimes it feels like having supernatural powers is more of a curse than a blessing. If we were an ordinary human like you, maybe we wouldn’t have had to go through all that. We could’ve lived normally, without being entangled in the conflicts of people with powers.

  Mehaki : Don't say that, Karu. And even I'm not ordinary anymore. I have a special power that has been passed through my ancestors. And the Ariya flower is its companion. So I can use both my powers and its magic, and it also enhances my powers. And that's why I'm related to the Ariya flower.

  Karu : …What?

  Tushar : Inufa, you have powers too!?

  Mehaki : Yes, it's called the ‘Rosy power’. I wasn’t aware of it myself and I can't even use it properly. Though my great granny has recently told me about how to use the magic of the Ariya flower.

  Karu : Your great granny??

  Tushar : She's still alive???

  Mehaki : Uh, yeah. Her mother died a year ago, at the age of 95.

  Karu : At the age of 95!!?

  Despite being stunned, Karu sneaks a glance at Tori who's still calm and not showing any signs of being surprised, even after hearing those words.

  Karu : *Why is he so calm? Does this not shock him? Or did he know already?*

  Tushar : What a long life man!

  Mehaki : Actually, mom, granny, great granny are all 20 years older than their firstborns. So mom is 36, granny is 56 and great granny is 76. And all my ancestors were the same.

  Karu : What a family tradition!

  Tori : A unique one.

  Mehaki : Haha.

  Karu and Tushar keep talking excitedly about it, Tori just laughs subtly seeing their reactions. But Mehaki's mind drifts away elsewhere.

  Mehaki : *About the boy behind the misery of their lives… What if it turns out just as we think? That makes it clear that Asroy was never meant to be my enemy, even if he's from the Newaz family. He won't harm me! Maybe I should apologise for talking to him like that. And… What if his brother is the enemy from the Newaz family we talk about? He had fire powers and red eyes, right…?*

  As she dives deeper into thinking, Tushar's voice pulls her back to reality.

  Tushar : Inufa.

  Mehaki : Huh?

  Tushar : I think you should visit Asroy. He's still sick. I'm sure he'll be happy if you go.

  Mehaki : *That's right… Now that I know about his life, I can't help but feel sympathy. Not just for him, I feel terrible for all four of them. I never imagined their lives to be like that.* Okay, let's go.

  Tushar : Great! Lezzgo! Haha!

  Their smiles brighten up the room. The burdens each one carries feel lighter. Mehaki sets off with Tori, Karu and Tushar to visit Asroy. A few minutes later at Miraz Monjil… Asroy hears the sound of the door closing and turns around while lying in bed.

  Asroy : *Sigh* So you guys finally came b– Huh?

  As he sees Mehaki enter after the three brothers, his heart skips a beat and he sits up in a hurry. Her unexpected visit makes him flustered.

  Asroy : Uh-... Inufa? *She's really here? Or am I dreaming?*

  Mehaki : Hi Asroy. How are you feeling now?

  Asroy : Huh? Oh, um… Much better than before. And…

  Mehaki : Well, about yesterday, I'm so–

  Asroy : I'm sorry for acting like a rude brat yesterday! I'm really sorry! I realized how wrong I was about you. And I shouldn’t have said those things to you. Can you forgive me?

  Mehaki : H-Huh? Yeah, I forgive you. And I'm sorry about my behavior too. *Wow, I didn’t think he'd apologize right away as soon as he saw me.*

  Asroy : No you did nothing wrong–in fact you were right from the start–We should've opened up to you first and it wasn’t your fault to be afraid to trust us!

  Asroy blurts out all the words in one breath.

  Tushar : Whoa, chill Asroy. You're talking as if you're about to miss a train.

  Karu : Man, take a breath.

  Asroy : Ah I… Actually… I thought you’d never come here again after yesterday. I'm so glad…

  Tushar : No way that would've happened! It's our Inufa after all. Right?

  Mehaki : Yeah.

  Tori : Mehaki isn't someone who abandons her friends over a misunderstanding. She's really considerate.

  Mehaki : Aw… Thanks.

  Karu walks to Asroy and checks his forehead.

  Karu : Looks like your fever is gone.

  He crosses his arms in a confident demeanor.

  Karu : So, you'll be going to school from tomorrow, right?

  Asroy : I hope so.

  Mehaki : *I want to know what happened to Asroy that he became sick so suddenly. He returned home exhausted, right? I must ask now.* Oh! By the way, I just remembered something to ask you, Asroy.

  Asroy : Yes? What is it?

  Mehaki : I heard that, last night, you fell sick right after coming home from outside. What actually happened…?

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