Morning
The next morning, Aira woke Krishna up.
The two exchanged light jokes as usual, teasing each other affectionately.
"You look beautiful today," Krishna said with a soft smile.
"You're in a good mood this morning," Aira replied with a grin.
Aira went to wake the children.
She opened the door to Rishi and Lakshmi's room and gently shook them.
"Wake up, you two. You have school today."
Rishi and Lakshmi rubbed their eyes, slowly sat up, and began getting ready.
Meanwhile, Krishna changed his clothes downstairs while Aira prepared breakfast.
Soon, the entire family gathered at the dining table.
"Is breakfast ready?" Krishna asked as he sat down.
"Yes, eat it before it gets cold," Aira replied.
After finishing his meal, Krishna went to check on Rishi.
Rishi was already dressed in his school uniform.
"Dad… did humans really exist? Did they really create us?"
Rishi asked while tying his shoelaces.
Krishna paused to think, then answered:
"No one knows for sure. Some say humans created everything… even us.
Others believe they looked similar to us.
But no one knows where they went or why they disappeared.
There's an old book in the library called Project Human: Origin.
It's said that humans themselves wrote it."
"Really? Humans wrote that book?"
Rishi's eyes widened with curiosity.
"That's what the elders used to say," Krishna shrugged.
"Your grandfather talked about it a lot.
But it's time for school now. We'll talk more later."
From the kitchen, Aira called:
"Rishi, Lakshmi! The bus is coming—hurry!"
Krishna chuckled.
"See? This house falls apart without Mom."
Lakshmi was still finishing her milk at the table.
Aira teased her:
"There you are. Honestly, you two can't do anything without me."
Krishna laughed.
"Okay, okay… I'll take you shopping later. Don't get mad."
Breakfast done, Krishna grabbed his bag and stood up.
"I'm heading out."
"Be careful," Aira replied.
Krishna leaned in for a kiss, but Aira scolded him playfully.
"Not in front of the kids."
"What's wrong with kissing my wife?" Krishna chuckled.
"Keep it up and I'll cut all your wires," she joked.
"Yes, ma'am," he laughed, giving her a quick kiss anyway.
As he stepped outside and put on his shoes,
the familiar morning sounds filled the house—
zippers closing school bags, uniforms rustling,
and the faint hum of cars passing by.
Driving to work, Krishna's mind drifted back to the past—
the wars after 2060, nations fighting,
the world on the brink of collapse.
He silently prayed that such mistakes would never be repeated.
If humans ever returned…
and repeated those same errors…
the chaos would be unimaginable.
Then his phone rang.
It was his friend, Nirbhay—
and he sounded furious.
"The boss is raging. Don't come to the office today."
"What are you talking about?" Krishna asked.
"You teased his daughter yesterday, didn't you?
He's mad as hell. My job is on the line too.
You're going to get fired."
"Don't be stupid. I didn't do anything; she provoked me."
"Please, Krishna. I have kids. Just apologize and say you'll behave. Please."
Krishna sighed.
"Seriously? Apologize for something I didn't do? My wife will kill me… and she'll kill you too."
"I'll handle it. I'm coming. Let's talk face-to-face."
The tense call ended.
Meanwhile, the school bus arrived,
and the children climbed aboard.
Rishi was chatting with his friends about last night's news.
"Did you watch the news yesterday?" Kenji asked.
"Since when do YOU watch the news?" another kid teased.
"I'm not a kid who only watches anime anymore," Rishi declared proudly.
"Ooh, look at the grown-up," everyone laughed.
Then—
something strange happened.
While the bus was moving,
a boy suddenly collapsed onto the road ahead,
as if falling out of a hole in time itself.
The driver slammed the brakes.
Children screamed and rushed outside.
The boy was bleeding from his head.
The driver muttered in disbelief:
"Blood? This… shouldn't be possible…"
The children gathered around, wide-eyed.
One of them shouted:
"He's a human! That's a real human! Humans ARE real!"
Rishi stepped closer and froze.
The boy looked oddly familiar—
well-built, muscular,
like he was from an older generation.
Lakshmi whispered:
"Hey… doesn't he look like Dad?"
Rishi frowned.
"No way. Dad has a six-pack.
This guy looks like a college student."
They stared at the boy, stunned.
Someone suggested:
"Let's take him home! We need to learn more about humans!"
The driver scratched his head.
"I might know him…
He's probably my friend's son.
They're working on some university experiment…
'The Human Reconstruction Project' or something like that.
Maybe this is part of it."
Lakshmi added:
"The university is trying to create humans, right?
They're making fake blood and materials
that look like they can move."
But the people around them kept arguing—
because this "living being"
looked too real.
And if he was human—
then everything they thought was a myth
might actually be true.