Chapter 3: Twenty-Five Years into the Present

He heard the guard’s warning.

Theo was naturally reluctant to involve the police in any shape or capacity. He gritted his teeth and carefully weighed his options. In the end, he stopped and turned back around to face the approaching guard.

A man with a somewhat familiar face. He really did look like the security guard from his memories. The likeliness between relatives was quite scary.

“What are you doing?” The guard asked with venom in his voice.

“Just passing by,” Theo responded back, somewhat defensively.

“…”

The guard did not say anything, and instead narrowed his eyes. Andrew’s gaze darted towards the youth’s clothes. It looked a bit different than what he was usually used to. Normally, violent delinquents sported clothing with visible slashes and tears, as if they had just survived a vicious sword fight. Andrew did not know whether those tears were genuine or not, but he did not usually care enough to pry.

As for the youth in front of him, his clothes were more in line with what a beggar would wear. This made him suspicious. What sort of game was this punk playing?

“What the hell happened to your clothes?” He straightforwardly asked.

Theo sank in thought. What would be the best response? After a few seconds, he replied, “I’m homeless, my clothes are always like this.”

Homeless? The guard felt somewhat pissed.

He subconsciously glanced at the emblem on the boy’s shirt. Since when was there ever a homeless man who walked around wearing the school uniform of an expensive private high school like Valery Heights? No, only punks with money to burn would do something as wasteful as purposefully ruining such expensive clothes.

In his mind, the youth’s evaluation fell even lower. Now, instead of a simple delinquent, he saw Theo as a wastrel who squandered his parents’ money just to mess around with the local gangs.

“What the hell are you one about?” He barked. “What game are you trying to play, punk? Is this some sort of new tactic for skipping class? Who put you up to this?”

“What? Skipping class?” It was Theo’s turn to be confused.

“Students should be studying, not messing around!” The guard responded back to Theo’s confusion with anger.

“Student?”

Is this guy alright in the head? Does he really think I’m a student?

Theo furrowed his brow, as he subconsciously caressed his cheeks. Although he admitted himself that he did look a bit youthful than most people his age, on account of his baby face and the hateful fact that he could not grow a proper beard, he was still a full-fledged adult. In fact, many would even consider him a middle-aged old man.

Shouldn’t it be obvious that I’m not a student?

Theo felt a bit annoyed. He despised people who treated him like a child.

He did not realize this himself, but his mental age had not changed all that much while in Mistelhan. Due to his unique circumstances and the environment in that world, Theo’s growth had been disjointed, with some parts of it incomplete. Parts of him were mature, while others were childish. For example, Theo was someone with the ability to calmly lead an army of thousands to battle, but when it came to social gatherings or important noble meetings, all he could do was flounder and fail.

Actually, considering the fact that all of his problems stemmed from innately social situations, it might be more accurate to call him socially inept.

Such a person, despite everything, was still able to become Mistelhan’s one and only Hero. Whether that was due to Theo’s own personal ability or because of that world’s failings, was still up for debate.

“What are you on about?” Theo questioned aggressively. “Just look at my face, does it look like the face of a high-school student?” The lines and wrinkles were a testament to his age, and Theo never made an attempt to hide them.

A vein popped out of the guard’s forehead. This kid must be purposely trying to rile me up! How can such a youthful face not belong to a student? Does he think that just because he’s already joined a gang, that he’s outside of the school’s jurisdiction? A little bit of backing and he’s already acting up… Ridiculous!

In truth, Andrew also used to be a delinquent. He had gotten into his own fair share of fights back in the day, and seeing such a scrawny punk act up like that pissed him off.

If this were five years earlier, then I would have put this brat down on the ground by now!

His hand moved over towards the baton by his waist. His shoulders trembled, while he painstakingly repeated to himself, I can’t beat him, I can’t beat him, I can’t beat him… As long as he knows my face, I can’t beat him.

No matter how angry he got, he could not just do it. He was an adult after all. An adult’s weapons were threats and money. Since he was an adult, he needed to settle this like an adult.

Seeing the guard’s fluctuating expression, Theo suddenly felt that there was something very wrong with the current situation, but before he could say anything, the guard spoke up, “Alright kid, I’ve had enough of your bullshit, just get to class.”

“But like I said, I’m—”

“I don’t care, if you keep spouting nonsense, then I really will call the cops.”

“But, I’m really not a student…” Theo tried desperately to appeal, but the court was having none of it.

“Shut up! Quit being an idiot! I’m already being lenient as is! Do you think I can’t see the emblem on your chest?!” The guard barked loudly, his face turning redder than a ripened tomato.

Theo’s mouth instantly clamped down. He thought about running away, but his chances of escaping were slim. After a few seconds, he hesitantly stepped through the gate. He looked back at the guard with what he thought was his most pitiful face, but all he got in return was a cold stare.

“… My uniform… what do I do about my uniform? I can’t go to class dressed like this, can I?” Since pathos wasn’t working, he tried reasoning with logic this time around.

Unfortunately, the guard did not even bother with him. By the time he had spoken, Andrew had already turned back around to face the street. In his point of view, a guard’s responsibility was only to keep these punks inside. As for whatever else, that all fell in the hands of the teachers.

Seeing the guard’s noncommittal attitude, Theo could only dejectedly sigh. He inwardly wondered whether he could slip out by climbing the walls, but after seeing how tall they were, and the general lack of grooves, indentations, or any other sort of handhold, he eventually gave up on the idea.

He stared bitterly at the main building’s glass doors. After a while, he let out another sigh, and began walking forward.

“Well, I did always want to see the school again…” Since he could not avoid it, he decided to look at things from another perspective. “Better now than never, I guess…”

****

Theo stood in the middle of an empty hallway.

Honestly speaking, he did not really know what to do. After all, it’s been twenty-five years since he’s been in here. It’s not like any of his classes were still around. In fact, it’s not like any of the students or teachers would welcome him with open arms if he just randomly walked into a classroom dressed like this.

After some brief internal debating, Theo came up with an idea. He decided that given his current situation, the locker room was probably his safest bet.

“I’ll take a shower there, and maybe grab someone’s gym clothes. Their just gym clothes, I’ll doubt anybody will care all that much.” He inwardly patted his back, as he quickly followed his memories and ran towards the boy’s locker room.

As he ran, he took note of the silence. The halls were particularly quiet, and taking a peek into the nearby classrooms, he saw rooms full of students. Class was currently in session and he did not want to disturb anyone, or for that matter, get into any more trouble than he already has.

He tried being as stealthy as possible, and that meant ducking and hiding every time a janitor, teacher, student or whoever, walked through the halls. Honestly, sneaking around was a bit exciting. The feeling of academia that seeped through the walls also made him feel nostalgic.

“I wonder, do I still even remember where my old classrooms are?” He thought to himself, as he whistled nonchalantly.

Since classes were currently being held, unsurprisingly, the locker rooms were empty. Once he got there, he immediately stripped his clothes and took a shower. The feeling of the water’s chill instantly revitalized his drained energy. Although he did not have any soap, after a few minutes, he finally felt clean.

He strutted around the locker room naked, his eyes constantly scanning for a spare set of clothes or maybe a towel. That was when he suddenly ran into a full body mirror. Staring blankly at his own reflection, the shock was visible on his face.

His body was normal. Not too skinny, not too fat, just ordinary, although he could use a workout or two. What surprised him was his face. His face, it was… he looked youthful. Like a seventeen-year-old teenager, but the last time he was seventeen years old was twenty-five years ago.

If even after this, he did not realize what had happened, then Theo would really be the world’s biggest idiot.

“I haven’t changed at all… not since I’ve left.” He mumbled to himself, as his fingers tentatively touched his own cheeks.

After a few seconds, he suddenly widened his eyes, as a realization struck him. “If I haven’t aged, then could it be that…”

It was at this moment that he reevaluated his situation.

Before, he had mistakenly assumed that the time flow between Plume and Mistelhan was synchronized. As twenty-five years pass in Mistelhan, then twenty-five years also passed on Plume. Now, after seeing his youthful face, whose vigor he could only find by jumping at least twenty years into the past, he quickly revised his original theory.

He wondered whether or not he had been sent back to the same exact moment that he had been summoned. If not, then how much time had really passed?

As he sank into deep thought, Theo continued looking for clothes to wear. In the end, although he did not find a towel, he did manage to procure a useable tracksuit that still smelled faintly of fabric softener. Although the lack of underwear sort of bothered him, he had to admit, the outfit was pretty comfortable.

Looking at himself through the mirror, he couldn’t help but let out a smile. He had upgraded from a useless beggar to a slightly disheveled, but otherwise ordinary teenager. Just as he was wondering what to do next, the school bell suddenly rang.

It did not take long before he heard a cacophony of noise coming from the hallway. As time passed, the noise grew louder and louder. Students were approaching the locker room. Judging by the current time of day, Theo figured they were here for gym class.

He did not know what to do. For some reason, Theo did not want to get caught being in here all alone with another man’s tracksuit. After a few seconds of thinking, Theo suddenly came up with a somewhat plausible idea.

He hid inside one of the stalls in the locker room and quietly waited. It did not take long before the first student entered the room. A few seconds later, another one followed, then another, and another. Soon, the whole place was packed to the brim, the smell of body odor lingering in the air like a pungent perfume.

After a few more minutes of waiting, Theo casually stepped out of the stall and used the crowd to escape into the halls without attracting any attention.

He looked around at the crowded hallway. The sight was nostalgic to him. Streams of people came in and out, students, teachers, people of different make and build. If he had been any shorter or any skinnier, then he could have easily gotten swept away by the sea of bodies.

He casually walked down the hall, before he suddenly grabbed the arm of a random student that had been walking in the opposite direction.

“Hey, what day is it today?” Theo asked him with what he hoped was a nonchalant expression.

The student was half spooked and half irritated, as he glared hatefully at the hand holding his arm. He looked up at the person who had grabbed him, and hesitated for a moment.

“It’s a Friday.” He eventually answered.

“No, that’s not what I meant. The date. What’s the date today?”

“The date? Well, Today is April and um… it’s a Friday today, so it should be…”

Theo quickly grew annoyed, and roughly asked, “Never mind, just tell me the year.”

What? Is this guy pretending to be a time traveler? The student looked at him in contempt, before he answered, “2018.”

Theo’s body shuddered. The student immediately shook his hand off and continued walking down the hallway, but Theo did not notice. April 2018. That should have been roughly seven months since he first left. He had been gone for seven months. No, it had only been seven months since he disappeared.

After a few seconds of silence, he breathed out a sigh of relief. It felt as if a huge weight was suddenly lifted off his shoulders. He could start over. He now had the possibility to relive his lost youth. Seeing his family again, his friends, all the people he was close to… Theo was a sentimental man. Although twenty-five years had passed, he still remembered his old life and the people that populated it. Occasionally, throughout the numerous battlefields that he experienced, whenever things threatened to overwhelm him, their memory would keep him going.

It grounded him, saved him.

A bright light flashed through his eyes. Since he was already back, should he try visiting his old classroom again?