The Ancestral Pendant

"Aditya..."

"ADITYA..."

"Here, ma'am!" 

Aditya exclaimed, his response punctuated by the sharp gaze of his math teacher, who had caught him drifting in class.

Scanning the room, Aditya's eyes swept the scene, analyzing the unfolding situation. It wasn't an unfamiliar occurrence. His attention seldom held in class, yet his exam scores consistently hovered at a precise 50%.

"Hahaha... Did he seriously say 'here,' ma'am?" 

Chortled a student seated at the front, his hand tapping rhythmically on the desk.

"What do you mean 'here'? Your body may be present, but your mind is clearly elsewhere! Get out!" 

Her voice reverberated, accusingly pointing towards the exit.

"Fine, ma'am" 

Aditya muttered, his head drooping as he collected his belongings and silently exited the room.

"She thinks it's a punishment, kicking me out. But why repent when I wasn't even paying attention?"

Stepping into the hallway, a smirk played on Aditya's lips. Making his way through the campus, he headed to his secret spot: the garden of his high school.

In truth, he practically resided in that spot during high school, more than he did in the classroom. Some teachers tolerated his zoning out, while others promptly expelled him. It had become his second home.

Aditya lounged on the bench, enveloped by the verdant embrace of the garden. Towering trees swayed gently, their leaves whispering in the breeze. The air hummed with the melodies of birds, casting a tranquil spell over the scene.

"It's incredibly dull!" 

He mused aloud, his voice softly carrying through the tranquil surroundings, his eyes betraying emptiness and loneliness.

"Why must life trudge along so slowly and monotonously?"

As Aditya reclined, his gaze ascended to the sky, its vast expanse unfurling before him. With a sigh, he lifted his hand, shielding his eyes from the glaring sun.

"As a child, I was entranced by fantasy movies and novels brimming with magic and epic battles. Truth be told, I found myself drawn more to the villainous characters than to those self-righteous heroes who believed the world revolved around them. Hahaha!"

His eyes lit up at the thought of fantastical battles and magical escapades.

"It's as if I'm reminiscing about my true essence—meditating beneath waterfalls to hone my focus, scouring forests for elixirs, and scaling mountains to fortify my strength... Ha! Yes, childhood had its share of absurdities, but those adventures still tug at my heartstrings."

Aditya, as a child, believed that by emulating the training methods of fantasy protagonists, he could unlock his latent magical abilities. He pursued every odd method, even venturing into dense forests in search of mythical creatures to become a tamer.

"Ugh, high school life is unbearably tedious! What's the purpose of all this studying, anyway? What am I even studying for? Merely to chase after meaningless scraps of paper adorned with numbers!"

Aditya slouched on the bench, a heavy sigh escaping his lips.

"I feel like such a fool for being ensnared in this endless cycle! I yearn for a life where my endeavors yield genuine power, where I can reign supreme over the entire world!"

"Where is my power?" 

He bellowed, his voice tinged with madness. Frustration swelling, Aditya abruptly rose from the bench, his voice pulsating with agitation. His words reverberated in the vacant space, resonating with a fervor reminiscent of a cartoon villain defiantly perched on the bench.

"Haha..."

"What power are you searching for, lad?"

 A deep and rigid voice interrupted Aditya's shout. The old man, with weathered lines etched across his face and wearing a worn janitor's uniform, approached Aditya, his eyes peering with a mixture of curiosity and amusement, reminiscent of scrolling through movie lists until stumbling upon an intriguing film.

Aditya exclaimed, feeling embarrassed by the unexpected encounter. He had grown accustomed to the solitude of the garden, never expecting another human presence to intrude upon his private moments of reflection and frustration.

"Should I be the one to ask this question?" 

The old man chuckled softly, his amusement evident.

"Forget what you just heard, grandpa!" 

Aditya shouted, eager to flee the scene before the embarrassment consumed him entirely. The revelation of his dark secrets to a stranger left him feeling exposed and vulnerable.

"Do you truly desire power? Like to rule the world...." 

The old man's mysterious grin hinted at deeper insights as he probed Aditya's desires.

"Aaaa! Stop it! It's embarrassing!" 

Aditya struggled to silence the old man's inquiries, his face flushing with humiliation at the thought of his secret aspirations being laid bare.

"Why? Do you think desiring magical powers or ruling the world is embarrassing? Then, you don't have what it takes to be there" 

The old man remarked with a mysterious sigh, his eyes suddenly betraying a hint of sorrow as he gazed at the ground, his face etched with worry.

"What's going on, Grandpa? Why do you suddenly look like you're on the verge of tears?" 

Aditya was taken aback as the old man's mood suddenly plummeted. Could it be the weight of old age?

"Oh, not much, just reminiscing about my old business" 

The old man shared, a tinge of sadness and yearning in his voice.

"Well, if you're someone hungry for power under the open sky, you might be interested in my tale" 

The old man teased.

"Mmm! Mmm! Alright, spill it!" 

Aditya encouraged, nodding sarcastically.

"It revolves around our family heirloom, passed down through generations. An ancestral task for the younger generation: delivering an item to its rightful owner. The item is still in our possession, but my ancestors couldn't locate the intended recipient. Now, it's with me, and I can't find the right person. I have no son or daughter to pass it on to" 

The old man explained, his voice trembling.

"An item from your ancestor? Delivering it to the right person? Passed down for generations? What a cliché plot! Who knows, maybe it's destined for me or something. Bring out that item!" 

Aditya's voice echoed with anticipation. He exclaimed, unable to contain his excitement. Despite the seemingly fictional story, Aditya's eyes betrayed no doubt. Whether a delusion or a lie, he was determined to seize every opportunity. His quest for a transformative spark had spanned a considerable duration. To some, his enthusiasm over a seemingly trivial tale might appear absurd. However, after dwelling in the shadows for so long, one might embrace even the illusion of a lost firefly as the sun.

"Hahaha...so, you're the recipient? Do you grasp the value of that item? It's not a piece of candy that I can just hand over easily, as you seem to suggest" 

He chuckled, his amusement shimmering in his eyes like distant stars. The old man let out a deep, hearty chuckle, a sound that seemed to carry the weight of ages. He hadn't anticipated such a reaction from Aditya. He had expected Aditya to either laugh it off as a fictional story or to tease him.

"Well, at least allow me a glance at that item" 

He insisted stubbornly, his curiosity burning brighter than ever. Aditya's expression fell, disappointment furrowing his brow as the old man refused.

"Ha! What am I doing, divulging my ancestral secrets to a high school lad?" 

He mused aloud, his voice tinged with both amusement and a hint of melancholy. With a resigned sigh, the old man shook his head. He had never shared his story with anyone before, yet he found himself blurting it all out to Aditya, unaware.

From the depths of his pocket, he withdrew a massive cloth bundle, its surface marked by the passage of time and adorned with a patina of dust and memories.

Unraveling the dusty cloth that concealed a treasure within, it was a moment of sheer revelation. Nestled within the folds lay a shimmering pendant, adorned with crystals that sparkled like emerald stars against the velvet night. The green hue danced with the light, casting enchanting shadows across the room. Its beauty was captivating, a relic from another time, whispering tales of forgotten lands and bygone eras.