Chapter - 10 (Regressed!)

In the lower block, inside Eric's room, he slowly opens his eyes. The room is bathed in crimson light, and he realizes the crystal is shining again. "Did I forget to cover it with a black cloth?" he wonders, covering the gleaming crystal with a black piece of cloth..

Checking the time, Eric finds it's still seven in the morning. Planning to cook the egg bread he bought yesterday, he finishes making tea and searches for the eggs under the table, only to find the eggs were missing. Confused, he wonders, "Did I forget to buy them? I thought I bought eggs yesterday." Deciding to cook bread instead, he prepared the flour. After half an hour, Eric finishes cooking and sits down to eat.

Sometimes later, A knock echoes on the door, and Eric wonders who would visit so early. Opening the door, he finds Alex and Alexa outside with books in their hands.

"You guys are early," Eric said, gesturing for them to enter. "Good morning, big brother. Good morning, big brother," they greet in unison.

...

"Did you review yesterday's lesson?" Eric asks while checking their copies.

"Yesterday? Big Brother, we didn't come here yesterday!" Alex says in confusion. "Today is the first day."

"Huh! First day? Didn't I teach you mathematics yesterday?" Eric becomes confused by their words. "I gave you questions, and Alexa won, so I gave her two chocolates as a reward. You made a mistake, so you had a deduction of chocolate."

"No, big brother, we just came here today," both Alexa and Alex expressed confusion..

Observing their confusion, Eric becomes perplexed. Why don't they remember? Did something happen to their memories? Could they have had encounters with supernatural aspects? The confusion deepens as Eric contemplates the mysterious situation..

"What's the date today?" Eric asks them, trying to gain clarity on the situation.

Hmmm, today is the Ninth of Ashwin. Alexa said.

"The Ninth of Ashwin," Alexa responded.

Eric processes this information and was shocked, are you guys mistaken? Isn't today the tenth?

"No, Big Brother! It's the Ninth of Ashwin," Alex and Alexa insist. The persistence in their response deepens my fear.

"You can check on the calendar," Alexa suggests, pointing at the calendar on the wall

"Well, that's last year's calendar," Eric smiles bitterly. "But how can today be the ninth of Ashwin? Today should be the tenth of Ashwin," he thought, adding a layer to this puzzling situation.

"Guys, open your books and review multiplication. I'll be back in a minute," Eric instructs before stepping outside. He knocks on Uncle Smith's door twice, and a woman of about his age, maybe a year older or younger, appears in long black skirts.

"You are..." Eric gets confused. He hasn't seen her before. Is she the granddaughter of Uncle Smith? Eric ponders, trying to make sense of the situation.

"Who are you looking for?" she says shyly, half-closing the door, only revealing her beautiful black eyes.

"Well, isn't Uncle Smith here?" Eric questions, seeking information about the person he originally intended to meet.

"Father went to the grocery store," she says. "He might come back after an hour."

"Father?" Eric is stunned. "Did Uncle Smith have a child? Why don't I know about it? Is it because I haven't got some memories of Eric?" he wonders. "Well, she is pretty," he adds, acknowledging his immediate impression.

"I want to ask the date today," Eric says as he checks his watch fob. It's about to be eight.

"Wait a minute, I will see," she says, rushing inside. After a few seconds, she returns with a calendar and says, "It's the Ninth of this month, Ashwin." She passed the calendar to Eric.

"What? The Ninth? Are you sure?" Eric questions her and double-checks on the calendar.

"Yes," she says, covering her face in shyness. Maybe because she was an introverted girl, she wasn't used to communication.

Checking the date, Eric takes a deep breath and thanks her before heading back towards his room. The mystery surrounding the dates continues to perplex him.

Inside the room, Eric gives Alexa and Alex some mathematical questions while he contemplates the events of the previous night. "What happened last night? I went outside, saw the beggar, gave him some silver coins, took a carriage, went to the employment agency, then 'Shelter,' and I returned in the carriage, I ate, and slept. Is this a dream?" Eric pinches his hand. "No, this isn't a dream. I can feel the pain in my hand. Is this real? Did I regress? Or were the things I had on my mind are dreams? No, that wasn't my dream. I really did regress. I dreamt about that strange door last night." The confusion deepens as Eric tries to make sense of the mysterious occurrences.

"I slept at eight yesterday. Does this mean I regressed twenty-four hours back? How did I regress? Is it because of that strange door? Yes, it must be. I couldn't explore the mysteries surrounding the door. But why did I regress? Is it because I get killed? Who can be my enemy other than that beggar whom I suspected to be a zombie? Should I kill myself and try to go back in time, before I meet that beggar? So, the problem will be solved! No, it's very risky. What if I don't get regressed? I had a feeling that the miracle of that door is only temporary. What if there was a time limit or some restrictions? I can't take a risk with my life." Eric grapples with complex thoughts, considering the implications of the mysterious regression.

Setting aside his contemplations, Eric teaches Alex and Alexa for only an hour before heading outside with them. He accompanies them to their home.

In the house, police officers arrive, and Eric walks ahead, witnessing the brutal scene of the dogs—their necks severed and beaten. A surge of anger wells up within him towards the killer.

Seeing the state of their dogs, Alex and Alexa cry and rush towards their mother, overwhelmed with emotion.

After greeting Uncle Pot, Eric talks for a few minutes and heads towards the street. There, he observes many people begging. Without turning towards them, he takes a carriage and heads towards the Employment Agency.

Inside the agency I saw a woman sitting at the reception, I was looking for a job.

Inside the agency, Eric sees a woman sitting at the reception and approaches her, miss I am looking for a job.

"What type?" she asks without looking up, engrossed in her paperwork. Eric notices that  she doesn't ask for identification or documents, perhaps preoccupied with her tasks.

An accountant! Eric said

"You're lucky. This address just came this morning. They were searching for an accountant. That will be two gold coins," the receptionist informs Eric.

Eric pays the two gold coins and heads towards the given address. Although he knows the address, he didn't go without the receipt, he believed that the receipt was necessary.

At the building, Eric gets off the carriage and enters. He observes two people chatting and another person sitting on a chair. Caroline is one of them, Leo is the other, and the third is the Captain whom he had seen yesterday.

"Hello, I am Eric Lancaster," he greets them, removing his hat in a polite gesture, I am looking for a job. He gave the receipt to Caroline.

"Oh, we just put the request this morning, and someone is already here," Caroline remarks, turning towards Leo and the Captain with a smiling face. The efficiency surprises her..

"Let's sit and chat," Caroline suggests, gesturing for Eric to take a seat.

"How may I address you?" Eric inquires, despite already knowing her name. She hasn't explicitly mentioned it yet.

Eh, my name is Caroline and he is George, our boss, she said pointing to the sleeping captain on the chair.

"And this gentleman?" Eric asks, turning towards the man whom she hasn't introduced yet.

George suddenly opened his eyes and turned towards Eric. A flash of light gleam in George's eyes.