Chapter 62：Calendar (1/2)
15th November, the year 333 of Dawn Era, it was evening by the time Jyorta got discharged. Accompanied by Heima, he left the 4th Academy, boarding a metro train back home.
”I probably won't be coming here again.” He sighed, murmuring, ”The memories of my first year at school.”
”You are quite calm as compared to me from back then,” Heima said, recalling her experience. The fear she experienced, the weakness she felt, and the disgust she masked at a creature residing within her; her eyes flashed with thought, recalling things she never wanted to remember.
”I've been experiencing all sorts of emotions for the past one week. I feel like I have exhausted a month's supply of emotions,” Jyorta said, wincing in pain as he began to climb up the stairs, his body failing to cooperate with him.
”My memory is filled with the rehabilitation ward,” Jyorta sighed as he got carried by Heima, his weight posing zero challenge to her. Disregarding the stares from curious onlookers, Heima boarded a train, heading back home.
She dropped him at the doorstep, opening the door after a series of procedures, finding the living room coated with a faint layer of dust. She then noticed the door to the balcony ajar, the reason for the accumulation of dust.
Heima looked to her side, motioning for Jyorta to enter, ”Sit somewhere; let me clean the house first. I'll then cook us dinner.”
Jyorta nodded, finding a sofa to sit on. He slumped on it with force, raising a small dust cloud, giving him a fit of cough. He found the remote on the table before him, switching on the TV. He surfed through the channels, stopping on a channel, his eyes widening in shock.
”T-Tom and Jerry?” He blurted out, his shout deafening. He then looked at Heima, noticing her gaze. ”I grew up watching this cartoon. H-how can this appear here?”
”Are you sure this isn't something similar?” Heima inquired, her brows scrunched up into a frown.
”No, this is the exact same version. This cartoon is a masterpiece; I have watched each episode at least 10 times. So, I know each minute action, the position of each character, the plot, the action, and the accompanying background music. They are the exact same.” Jyorta frowned, his thoughts exploding.
Over the past year and a half, he experienced many things the world had to offer in full, despite his area of exploration limited to his home, school, and the nearby market. He witnessed strange products, each of which being bizarre.
The only familiarity he felt was the food but, that didn't seem odd to him. The cuisine in his previous world incorporated everything edible under the heavens, so it wasn't a surprise that he found something familiar. But, it was only familiar, not similar. The taste, the ingredients, many things were different which led him to believe that the civilisation here also invented dishes along the line of his previous world.
But now, seeing a show that was a hundred percent match from his memories, Jyorta fell into deep thought, his mind turning chaotic. ”Sister, is this the first time this show has aired?”
”Hmm, nope.” Heima shook her head, ”It airs on this channel at this period every year. You were busy with the exams last year, so you hadn't watched much TV. But, I myself have seen this show thrice.”
'When my body was under Jyorta's control, he hadn't seen this show even once. Or maybe, he just wasn't interested? Then…'
Jyorta closed his eyes, looking through his memories, using his blue soul's capabilities to the limit, searching through the information, and filtering the ones that originated from him and the ones that originated from the previous Jyorta.
'Hmm, there is nothing out of the picture here. The shows the previous Jyorta enjoyed during childhood are not familiar to me. Then, why is Tom and Jerry the only exception?'
His train of thought slowly changed, his expression turning into one of alarm, ”Sister, do we have old calendars in our home?”
”They should be in the storeroom. Let me fetch them,” Heima replied, her expression serious. Many memories that she had inherited from Gajara Rahi surfaced, giving her clues and furthering her confusion.
She entered the storeroom, dug through a pile of old books and papers, and picked out a rolled bundle from within. She coughed a couple of times, dusting the bundle as she unravelled it. She then brought them out, laying them on the floor in the living room.
Jyorta flipped through them, looking at the months, dates, etc. his expression lost. ”12 months…January 31, February 28…December 31 for a total of 365 days; there are seven days per week, addressed from Monday to Sunday. The years 330 and 226 have 366 days, the extra day allotted to February, giving it the 29th day. This is the Gregorian calendar used in the 21st Century. How come I never noticed it and took it like it was obvious?”
”Yes, Dawn Era.” Jyorta turned towards Heima, ”Sister, do we have anything before that, before the Dawn Era? The oldest calendar we have is only the year 225.”
”I'm afraid we don't have that.” Heima shook her head, ”Even if grandfather possessed them, he wouldn't show it to us. Though, I doubt even he has it. Probably only the two Royal families possess them since they existed from the beginning of Dawn Era.”
”Sister,” Jyorta spoke after some thought, ”The internet available to you is different from the one available to the regular populace right?”
”Yes, though our search results there would be heavily monitored. Once you graduate from the military academy, you too would have access to it.” Heima replied.
”Then, search for the terms: twitter, messenger, falcon 9, and blackberry. See if anything pops out.” Jyorta said. Immediately, Heima entered a soundproof room, searching up the results on a computer.