2. Home

Vanitha walked along the road as she carried Shaayadh in her arms.

The road was covered with floodwater. Atop the water, much garbage and debris could be seen floating. Vanitha also briefly scanned those things as she kept walking. After all, for her, if she could find anything valuable among these things, it would be enough.

But she also knew another thing: never go beyond the road to wander.

Although, in 2007, Claywan Town had started to develop and lost its forest-like feeling, it was still a town with a large area covered with trees and bushes. And on rainy days, seeing snakes in the streets was a regular thing for the people living in the town.

So precautions were necessary for everyone walking.

If you could ride a bicycle, then you didn't have to worry much, but walking was a whole other thing.

Soon, after nearly an hour of walking, Vanitha reached her rented "house." All the while, Shaayadh didn't wake up and slept peacefully in his mother's arms.

The "house" was not big. It had only one room and a kitchen made of thin metal sheets. As for the toilet, there was one, but it was built a little further away from the "house."

Although this place was better described as a "rented and modified room," for Vanitha, it was her house. So she called it as such.

Opening the door and going inside the house without removing her slippers, Vanitha looked around and noticed her eldest, who was also Shaayadh's big sister, sitting on a high wooden table, reading a children's storybook.

But why was she sitting on a table and not the floor?

Of course, it was because the house floor was covered with half a foot of floodwater. So there was no way to sit anywhere but on higher places like the tabletop or bed.

Seeing her mother opening the door and coming in, Shaayadh's sister, Vyshnavi, also looked up and smiled.

Vyshnavi was older than Shaayadh by three years. Her height was a little greater than Shaayadh's, but her body was much thinner. Her honey-colored skin also didn't look good. She was the definition of a malnourished child.

Although there was nothing particularly attractive about her, she was also like her mother, except for her eyes—eyes containing a maturity that didn't suit her age.

Although she was only six years old and nearing seven, she didn't get to enjoy her childhood like other kids of similar age.

Indeed... poverty and hunger could even make an ignorant child mature beyond their age.

"Mom, is Shaai sleeping?" little Vyshnavi asked.

"Mmm. I'll wake him up. He has to eat, after all..." Vanitha replied faintly and tapped Shaayadh's back lightly, urging him to wake up.

Feeling the slight pain in his back and hearing the voice in his ears, Shaayadh slowly opened his eyes.

What greeted him was, of course, his flooded "house."

Still in his mother's arms, he hurriedly turned his head here and there to take note of his surroundings. 'Ha, so I am home now?'

Shaayadh didn't find the "house" unfamiliar. Although the adult him had long forgotten these moments, his current self remembered all the details very clearly. So he was sure he had come home now.

As for how he had "magically" come home from nursery? Of course, his little head could guess easily.

'Everything was real… indeed…' Although Shaayadh had already confirmed earlier that he had been reborn, after waking up from this short sleep, he was able to realize it even more clearly.

Feeling his mother's tapping again, Shaayadh turned to look at her.

"Sugar, sit with your big sis for a while. Mother will bring you two your food," Vanitha said to him as she slowly moved toward the high table.

"Mm-mm~" Shaai hummed.

After placing him on the table and kissing both her children's cheeks, Vanitha walked slowly toward the kitchen to get food.

Watching his mother's walking figure and the dirty floodwaters underneath her, Shaayadh fell into a complicated mood.

'Everything will change… No, I must change…' Shaayadh thought, a spark in his eyes.

"Hmm~? Shaai, what happened?" Seeing her brother's different look, Vyshnavi asked with concern.

Usually, her brother would hug and talk to her once he got home from nursery. Why was he looking different now? The current look in his eyes felt similar to the eyes she had seen in her mother many times...

Even though Vyshnavi was only seven years old, children could feel the mood of others clearly. The happiness and sadness of others could easily affect them.

Aware of this and hearing his sister's curious and concerned words, Shaayadh realized another thing… that he had to hide the maturity in his eyes.

He was not sure how his eyes looked now, but Shaayadh could guess. After all, he had lived until 34 years old and had seen many people. The eyes of children and elders were totally different.

A child's eyes would look purer, whereas an older person's eyes would hold countless stories and experiences they had gained from the world. There was also a metaphorical statement: A fool's eyes and a child's eyes look the same. The difference between the two was easily noticeable for most people.

Realizing this carelessness, Shaayadh grunted inside...

'Did Teacher Rosy notice anything? Did Mom notice anything?

Mom hadn't looked at me in the eye all this while since I had been sleeping until now. As for Teacher Rosy… she might have noticed something, but she hadn't asked anything related...'

'Huh, it doesn't matter… It's not that serious. After all, at most, she will be a little curious. And heh, what doubt could a little woman like her can have? Will she think that I was reborn? Hehe.'

Thinking like this, Shaayadh realized there was nothing serious about this. He just had to make sure to control himself and not show that "wisdom light" in his eyes anymore.

Closing his eyes and clearing his mind, Shaayadh opened them again to look at his "little" big sister.

Moving his little butt a little, Shaayadh went near her and hugged her tightly. He felt happy seeing his sister's little self. Vyshnavi also hugged him back with one hand while holding the book in her other hand.

"Big Sis~ I missed you," Shaai said.

"Uh-uh, I know~ What did they teach you today?" Vyshu smiled as she started inquiring about his day at nursery.

As they talked, Vanitha also came with a plate full of rice and curry made of pumpkin. It was just a simple lunch with little nutrition.

Shaayadh also knew their current situation, so he didn't think too much about it to avoid getting a headache again and ate obediently.

After feeding her two children, Vanitha picked him up and placed him on the bed; The table was small, and Shaayadh might fall into the water by accident, so out of concern, she moved him to the bed.

The bed was made of connected steel bars. It had no mattress and was only covered with a brown bedsheet. This bed and the high wooden table belonged to the house owner.

Sitting on the bed, Shaai was trying hard not to overwork his head. Seeing his living conditions, he had the urge to think about how to change them and how to make his family's life better, but it was not the time to think about that.

He could feel that his mature soul was trying its best to accommodate itself in his younger self. And all those future memories were also slowly being engraved in his little brain bit by bit. So not damaging his brain and growing up without problems in his body was his first priority. Afterward, he would have plenty of time to think about all his plans.

'It will take time... maybe days or even weeks. Until then, it's best if I don't try to overwork my brain and damage it. I can only think for a while each day, and I must try not to do any heavy thinking,' Shaayadh thought.

A person's brain works 24 hours a day, even in sleep. Children were no exception either. Shaayadh also knew that he couldn't control that, but he had to stop doing peak cognitive tasks such as problem-solving and focused concentration. They were too demanding—mental tasks his young brain couldn't handle.

'And to consolidate my memories, sleep is the best solution. I have to control my impulse to make future plans and must spend most of my time sleeping. But I can't make my family worry either. What if they think I got sick or something ? That possibility can't be ruled out either. The bloating feeling is still there... During this period of time, there's a possibility that my body will have some abnormalities such as fever'

'Sigh... all problems.'

With this thought, Shaayadh drifted to sleep again. Even if he wanted to, he was unable to stop thinking about complicated matters...