The courtyard was alive. Laughter echoed. Teacups clinked. Children played. The warmth of home wrapped around everyone. But not Mirshad. He sat among them, smiling politely, nodding where needed. But his eyes drifted far. His heart whispered names the world would never know. Names that were never written in gold or mentioned on news channels.
They were his beginning. His brothers in childhood. His friends. Without a word, he stood. Walked inside. Picked up a set of car keys. Sophia noticed. Baba watched closely. Rayyan leaned toward Mirshad's father and asked, "Where's he going?" Mirshad's father didn't blink. Just sipped his tea. "To find the ones who knew him before the world did."
The car rolled through streets that held ghosts of the past. Old tea stalls. Dusty football fields. Rusty fences. Each corner carried a memory. Every turn whispered a name. And then, he saw them. Outside a broken building near the old ground, they sat. Joking. Laughing. Living. The same way they always had. He parked quietly. Stepped out.
Their eyes caught him. One by one, laughter faded. Jokes died. Because the man walking toward them wasn't just Mirshad anymore. It was MRD. The world's most powerful force. Unmasked. Unshaken. Unreachable. But not here. Mirshad walked slowly. Then reached into one of their shirt pockets and pulled out a cigarette. Lit it. Took a drag. "I expected to see you all back there. At the house. But you never came. So I did. Because I missed my brothers." They stayed frozen. Until one of them, voice low, spoke. "How could we, bro? You're not just anyone now. You're MRD. We didn't know if you'd remember us... or want to. We were scared you'd changed." Mirshad exhaled smoke and looked around. "Even your excuses are still the same." He smiled. Punched one of them lightly in the gut. "You're fatter than last time. What are you eating? Whole buffalos?"
Laughter burst through the air. Like a dam breaking. They jumped him. Hugged him. Shouted. Laughed. Shook him like they used to. And for a moment, the god disappeared. And the boy returned. "Why's it so noisy here? Anyone die?" A voice from behind. They turned. Parted. There he stood. The loudest of them all. The late arrival. The heart of the group. He stared. "You son of a bitch... you're alive?!" He didn't wait. Ran. Grabbed Mirshad. Lifted him off the ground. Held him like a brother dragged back from the grave. It wasn't a reunion. It was resurrection.
They all sat beneath the same old banyan tree. Spoke of marriage. Children. Work. But mostly, they just laughed. One said. "Bro, we knew you were special. But THIS? The whole world bows when they say MRD." Another added. "Boss. King. God. Untouchable. But to us... still that crazy dude who cried when he lost a football match." Mirshad smiled. Said nothing. Because silence was his answer.
"We helped your team, bro. When the Reapers came to build homes. We didn't know it was you. Not until your dad told us. We were shocked. Proud." One leaned in, teasing, "Your face now, your body... even I wanna marry you. You look like a divine sculpture." More laughter. More memories. And finally, Mirshad stood. "Enough talk. I'm starving. Take me to the best restaurant in town. I need food. Our food." They grinned. "Forget your luxury cars. We're taking bikes. Like old times." He didn't hesitate. Because among friends... There are no gods. Only memories that never age. He came searching for the boys he once laughed with. And found the men who never stopped waiting. In their arms, the boy and the god became one again.