Chapter 247: The Dish That Started It All
The scene unfolded as the whiteness of the void began to fill with color, everything falling into place as it was supposed to. No amount of destruction or creation was able to budge them a tiny bit.
In a chair before him, a white-haired man took his seat, facing his mother. His eyes opened wide as the truth dawned on him.
’Shit!... Shit!... there is no running away from it... Huh!’ Knowing the consequences of the changes he was making, Dhruv leaned back in his seat and began to reflect on the thing he had been doing.
Every change that he had made to divert the flow of reality had always resulted in him destroying it... or, in some cases, even worse than that. With a mournful expression, he straightened his back and focused back on the table.
Before he could collect his thoughts, the server arrived with his meal... looking toward him, a forceful smile appeared on his face.
"Here is your lunch, Sir." Saying these words, the server began to present them with the variety of meals they had ordered.
"Thank you." Nodding his head, Dhruv collected the meal. After getting a signal from his mom, his siblings began to devour the food that was presented in front of them.
Even Dhruv wanted to do this... and at one point he had done it. But... but now there wasn’t any smile on his face when the food he was so eager to eat was served in front of him.
"Are you alright, Dhruv... you aren’t touching your food. Do you want to go to the bathroom.." Questions began to fly in his direction the more he was waiting.
"Nahhh! Mom, I was just waiting to make it even more worthwhile..." he replied with a smile on his face.
’Mother why are you forcing me to start it all once again... I know you don’t want that b..’ Midway stopping his thought he looked toward the dishes.
Chew!
At this point, he was aware of what was going to happen and how it would happen, but Dhruv couldn’t change the consequences no matter how much he tried.
Halfway through the meal, he looked at one of the dishes that he had particularly ordered for himself. With a hint of sorrow and guilt, he looked at the dish named, "Inferno Gastronómico."
The Inferno Gastronómico is a dish that is meticulously crafted over time and is renowned for its extraordinary spiciness and exclusive ingredients that give a unique feeling to those who eat it.
Its taste was so unique that many copycat versions of it had originated all over the world... but still, to this day, nothing was able to match the perfection found in the City of Cyra.
Listening to the soft jazz melodies playing in the background, Dhruv tried to lift the fork...
Tan!!
The sound of it hitting the floor mixed with the background music as the fork slipped right past his fingers. Instead of trying to stop it, he continued to observe as the fork bounced a few times on the floor.
Tick! Tick!
The sound of the ticking clock reached his ears as the realization that time was slipping away second by second dawned upon him.
With an indifferent look, he stared at the dish in front of him – the Inferno Gastronómico served on a sleek and minimalist plate, ensuring nothing could distract the mind of its devourer.
Sigh!
Letting out a deep sigh, he lifted another fork and moved it toward the dish with a trembling hand. Without much excitement on his face, he picked up a bit of the meal and began to bring it to his mouth.
Even though he wasn’t in the mood to enjoy it, the "Inferno Gastronómico" lived up to its reputation.
In just a matter of seconds, it began to provide an explosion of flavors that danced in Dhruv’s mouth with a symphony of heat, sweetness, and complexity.
As Dhruv was forced to endure the savory torment of spiciness, an unforeseen moment—which wasn’t really unforeseen—, disrupted the harmonious experience.
A tiny yet potent chili seed, camouflaged amidst the rich tapestry of flavors, lodged itself stubbornly between his molars. Though Dhruv anticipated the consequences of this tiny intruder, he was forced to dismiss the matter.
Exerting immense self-control to resist the urge to use his tongue to remove the unwelcome guest, he continued to relish the savoriness of the dish.
However, as he persisted in chewing, the seed was about to transform from an unnoticed participant to an unwelcome partner.
As his jaws clamped down, the dormant seed burst forth, releasing an unexpected explosion of spiciness. Dhruv’s eyes widened, and for a brief moment, time seemed to freeze as the searing heat enveloped his senses.
Gulped!
As a matter of urgency, Dhruv gulped the mouthful of meal... that was yet to be chewed. Sorrow flickered in his eyes as the realization set in...
...he was choking.
Cough! Cough!
His body tried to react accordingly and began to cough uncontrollably.
His mother was the first one to notice, and she hurriedly muttered with a hint of worry, "Dhruv, are you alright?" She asked, trying to figure out the state of her son.
She didn’t have to wait for his answer, as she noticed redness beginning to appear on his face.
Time seemed to freeze as she tried to get up to help her son. In the matter of hurry, she wasn’t able to see a person who was coming from behind her resulting in her hitting them with her elbow.
Crack!!
The sound of Something cracking rang in the surroundings... not caring about it she rushed toward her son and told him to get up...
Here’s a revised version with a few corrections and adjustments:
"It’s okay, Mom!... It got out," Dhruv’s voice rang through the surroundings.
She heaved a sigh of relief after finding out that whatever the problem was had been dealt with. Trying to apologize to the person she had hit, she turned back.
"I’m sorry, ma’am... I was in a hurry and couldn’t see you." She gave her heartfelt apology to the lady in front of her.
"WHAT SORRY! YOU BROKE MY PHONE..."
Sigh!
Dhruv sighed deeply after looking at the heiress of the Tessy empire in front of him.
’So, I reached the point where it had all begun...’ thinking this, he ducked his head down.
