Chapter 23: A Visit from the Past
Chapter 23: A Visit from the Past
The morning after the rain brought with it a crispness that only clean air could offer. Dhaka's skyline looked washed and subdued, and for once, the narrow alley below Abid's flat wasn't bustling with the usual honking, haggling, and clattering of steel cups.
Abid sat near the window with his feet up, a plate of leftover paratha on his lap and a ceramic mug steaming with strong milk tea. A quiet morning, for once uninterrupted by system prompts, pings, or order requests from the Elderwin Realm.
But the calm did not last.
A knock came at the door. Not the hesitant, cautious knock of a delivery man, nor the heavy bang of the neighbor's kid looking for his lost ball.
It was steady. Familiar.
Abid placed his plate down and walked to the door. Opening it, he froze.
Standing there, in a grey hoodie and jeans soaked at the hems, was Tanveer.
His childhood best friend. The boy he'd once made comic books with using ruled notebooks and borrowed pens. The same Tanveer who'd left the country three years ago for work abroad, and who'd stopped answering texts somewhere between airport terminals and time zones.
"Abid," Tanveer said, his smile uneven. "Salaam. Can I come in?"
[System Notification:
Memory Sync Triggered – Name: Tanveer Rehman
Relationship Level: Dormant (Old Friend)
Status: Cross-World Irrelevance – No impact on current merchant skillset
Note: Emotional events may influence creative potential]
Abid blinked, then stepped aside wordlessly.
The room hadn't changed much since Tanveer had last visited, but there was now a distinct layer of otherworldly influence—a stack of reference books on magical fauna, a pinned map of the Elderwin Realm dotted with notes in ink, and a drawer labeled "Imported Snacks (Fantasy)".
Tanveer glanced around.
"You're still here," he said. "Same table. Same curtains."
"And you're back," Abid replied. "No texts. No calls."
Tanveer ran a hand through his damp hair. "Yeah. I deserve that."
They sat opposite each other. Abid pushed the plate of paratha toward him. Tanveer picked at a piece, unsure whether to eat or speak first.
"I saw your name trending in that manga forum last month," Tanveer finally said. "Something about your slice-of-life stories connecting with a weird overseas audience?"
"You could say that."
[System Ping:
Cross-World Literary Influence – Level 18
Mortal Realm Publicity Buff: +2 Awareness (Local Region Only)]
Tanveer chewed slowly. "Still mysterious, huh? Some things never change."
Abid gave a tired smile. "Some things do."
There was a long silence. Not heavy or awkward—just the kind that settled between old friends who didn't know where to begin.
Finally, Abid leaned back.
"Why did you come back, Tanveer?"
The man across from him stared at the table.
"My job didn't work out. They said downsizing. I said okay, packed up, came home. I didn't tell anyone. I didn't know who still cared."
Abid looked at him for a moment, then stood up.
He rummaged through a drawer until he found it—an old notebook, yellowing at the edges, the title written in block letters with a green sketch pen.
"THE LEGEND OF US TWO – Chapter 1: Time-Traveling Rickshaw"
He tossed it onto the table.
Tanveer laughed, loud and real.
"You kept that?"
"I kept all of them."
[System Passive Activated:
"Echo of Youth" – Triggered by Shared Memory
Temporary Buff: +15% Narrative Flow
+1 to Nostalgic Creativity]
Tanveer flipped through the pages, fingers pausing on one particular illustration: two stick figures in futuristic sunglasses riding a rickshaw that hovered above Dhaka's skyline.
"You know," he said, "I always thought we'd make a real comic together. Proper ink, serialized chapters, even merch."
"We still could," Abid replied, voice soft.
Tanveer looked up, eyes searching. "Yeah?"
"You're here now, aren't you?"
They spent the next hour reading their old comics, laughing at ridiculous plot twists, praising their younger selves' confidence in character design, and joking about rebooting the whole series with actual talent.
But as the sunlight shifted across the floor and the clock ticked closer to noon, a different reality crept back in.
Abid's tablet buzzed.
He hesitated.
[System Alert:
New Order Request – Bookstore Chain "Silver Lanterns" (Elderwin)
Item: Romance Manga (New Series)
Delivery Deadline: 48 Hours
Reward Tier: Gold
Failure Penalty: -15 Reputation]
Tanveer raised an eyebrow. "Work?"
"Yeah," Abid said, swiping the message away. "Another world. Same deadlines."
Tanveer blinked. "Wait. What?"
Abid chuckled. "Long story."
Tanveer leaned forward. "I've got time."
And so, Abid told him.
He didn't give every detail—not the system's origin, not the initial panic, not the exact mechanics of online commerce in a fantasy world—but enough. Enough for Tanveer to understand that Abid hadn't just been "doing manga full-time" like his cousin had told him, but that he was literally exporting Earth's stories to another realm through a cheat-like ability that let him shop across dimensions.
Tanveer stared at him like he was hearing the world's best lie.
"Dude," he said finally. "That's insane. You're like a... manga wizard."
"More like a traveling salesman with Wi-Fi."
[System Message:
"Truth Shared – Earth Link Strengthened"
Cross-Realm Confidence +1
Relationship Level (Tanveer): Dormant → Reconnected]
After a long pause, Tanveer grinned.
"You need help?"
Abid blinked. "Help?"
"You're building a manga empire in another world. And I'm back in this one with no job, a suitcase full of regret, and no clue what I'm doing next."
Abid stared at his friend.
"I don't even know if the system would allow it. You're not... connected."
Tanveer shrugged. "Doesn't matter. I can sort inventory. Edit drafts. Brew tea. Test ideas. Be your assistant. I always was better at storyboards."
A part of Abid hesitated.
Another part—one buried under years of solo effort—felt something loosen.
[System Notification:
"Support Accepted – Human Connection Path"
Effect: +5 to Daily Stability
Bonus Unlocked – Shared Workspace (Concept Level)]
Abid extended his hand across the table.
Tanveer shook it.
"You're hired," Abid said. "Pay is tea and nostalgia."
Tanveer grinned. "Deal."
Outside, a breeze carried the last scent of yesterday's rain.
Inside, two old friends began again—not from the beginning, but from somewhere real, somewhere honest.
And across the realms, stories waited.