Chapter 28

“Be back in the evening,” I yelled as I left for school. I was back to living the mundane life I had lived before I had discovered ‘The Dimension’ and all that came with it. It seemed it had been eons ago that I had last been to school, taking my exams while being sick to my core. After that, it had been a whirlwind of activity. Training, some weird mishap leading to a crisis, unexpected guests from different planets. Not a chance to take a break and enjoy all that life had to offer.

The upcoming war that Eirini had warned us about was something that I wasn’t involved in at the current moment. For all I knew, the war would be over before I even knew it was happening. Honestly, I preferred it that way. It seemed like the Council had decided to ignore me for the moment and I was all the happier for it. I had never thought I would say this but I was enjoying the little joys that my life in the mortal dimension provided.

The care that my parents showed for me mixed with their own brand of cynicism was a breath of fresh air. Despite their view of the world, I could blindly believe one thing. That they had my best interests at heart. And that was a luxury that just wasn’t afforded to me in The Dimension. Even Frank, my best friend, was more often than not motivated by his own personal interests, not that I blamed him for it.

I had been back to school for just a week but already I could feel the stark difference within me from the last time I was here. The David who roamed these halls before becoming an Untethered was an unmotivated mess of emotions, unsure about his place in the world. Not much had changed regarding me being a mess of emotions. I still cycled through emotions much faster than any emotionally mature person should.

What had changed though was my motivation. My self-assurance regarding my place in the world. I finally had something worth fighting for. Something more than a nine to five job in a cubicle that I couldn’t give a damn about. There’s nothing like having death experiences one after another to make you realise that you are but a meaningless insect in the grand order of things.

Days seemed to be passing by quicker and a whole week had passed without any interaction with an Untethered. I was a little bit hurt by the fact that even Samuel hadn’t sought to contact me but I tried to console myself by telling myself he was probably busy with the preparations of the upcoming invasion by Sol Syntrivon.

Sitting in the cafeteria alone, I couldn’t help but look around and be struck by the fact that most of my classmates seemed ... childish. Or maybe, it was because I had become jaded after my experiences with the Untethered. the concerns of my classmates seemed trivial at best, not worth giving a thought. The things that had seemed to encompass my entire life before the last month now seemed meaningless in comparison to the upcoming conflict that would decide the fate of our planet.

“Hey, let’s go! It’s already time for our next class!” Turning around to look in the direction of the voice, I just nodded at the speaker. A girl who had barely spoken a word to me before this week. Emily.

This was the weirdest thing that had happened to me since returning to school. People who couldn’t be bothered to give me the time of the day were now suddenly acting familiar, eager to strike up a conversation. I had been even been asked to try out for various sports teams, now that I looked so much fitter. It was a nice change of pace, of course, transitioning from being the social outcast to a popular kid. But it still would take some getting used to, gaining recognition from peers when they had basically ignored my existence before.

The class was still boring, imparting skills that frankly wouldn’t be of much use to me if the trajectory that my life had taken was any indication. I still gave my undivided attention to the subjects being taught, the habit too ingrained within me. But I just couldn’t be bothered to care about the subject matter now.

Although I enjoyed being back in the mortal dimension, I couldn’t go back to the life I lived before I became an Untethered. While before I would have gone home and immediately started playing video games, now I found myself meditating and trying to get closer to my core. To strengthen the connection between myself and my core. Trying to observe the various changes in my core. Trying to get me in tune with the vibration of the core.

Much of my time now was spent in trying to improve myself in various aspects of being an Untethered. Even my parents had been pleasantly surprised by the changes in me, complimenting me on my changed attitude.

The period was over pretty soon. While I was busy rearranging my backpack, Emily asked me, “So, are you coming to Luke’s party tonight?”

Before I could reply, the host himself, Luke, said, “Yeah, dude, you should totally come. My folks aren’t home and I have a pool. It’s going to be totally dope!”

Dude? Dope? Words I never thought I would hear in a conversation that would involve me. But I reminded myself about my personal vow to embrace new things in the mortal realm. So, seeing no reason to refuse, I said, “Sure, I will be there!”