"Huh?"
Dhruv didn't understand what he meant, and before he could ask Jai, he saw him touching the gate with his finger as if he was looking for something, then he saw Jai smile as if a child got his favorite toy while he pressed on a small depression on the gate which could be missed if not looked carefully. Before he could ask what he was trying to do, to his and Aditya's surprise the gate swung wide open without making a sound.
As if sensing their shock Jai turned around, looked at them and smiled as he spoke, "Let's go back, we have a long talk ahead."
************
"Maybe you are Randy."
Without explaining what he meant, Jai moved towards the gate. As he was getting closer to the gate he felt as if the patterns and symbols contain some kind of power. He touched the gate with his finger, feeling its smooth surface trying to find the switch as he slid his finger across the middle of gate, when he found the depression, he smiled.
"Got it." he murmured in an inaudible voice as he pressed and felt something intangible leave his finger, then the gate which has not been opened for time immemorable, swung wide open. Behind it he saw it, an altar on a pedestal in a room as large as the hall.
"There is no mistaking it, we have arrived in the world of Terra Fantasy."
He turned around only to see a shocked expression on the faces of Dhruv and Aditiya, their eyes wide open, seeing which he smiled.
"Let's go back, there is a long talk ahead."
*************
While going back, when Jai's excitement died down a little, he began to feel the weight of the responsibility now he has.... and how to start the conversation about what he has discovered.
"How should I start...? 'I have something serious to discuss.' Nah..'You all, we need to talk.' No, not this."
While he was contemplating about how to start the conversation, they entered the hall. It was same as they have left, no change in environment, the same anxiety, the same hopelessness and the same people, a complete contrast to their feelings of renewed hope.
Jai along with Dhruv and Aditya, whose earlier shock have been subsided, went towards where their teachers were siting. They all bore a solemn expression with a hint of helplessness. As they approached them, they took notice of them and glanced towards them, when it became clear that they were coming for them, they sat upright and smiled, trying to show confidence and readied themselves to reassure the anxious teenagers that they will get out of the situation and not to be worried...what they couldn't prepare themselves for was what Jai said as soon as he stopped in front of them.
"I know how to open the gates." He said in a serious tone with a solemn expression.
They were hit with a wave of emotions, first there was shock then doubt, which seeing his expression and Dhruv's and Aditya's conforming nods was pushed back, and then came relief renewing their hope.
They knew that he would not lie in this situation, but they still wanted to conform as they asked almost simultaneously,
"""You are not lying, right?"""
"No, I am not."
As they heard this, they looked at each other as if communicating among them. After a brief silence, Mr. Mehra cleared his throat, a little skeptical, but still asked him, "So.... how to open them? Have you opened one of them? How did you find a way to open them?" As he was asking, he was looking for any signs of falsehood.
"I will tell you, but first can you call rest of them. I have a lot more to tell than just how to open the gates. Please don't ask anything right now, first gather everyone else, its best if I tell everyone together because it is going to be long."
Although they were still a little skeptical about his claim, they still wanted to give him a chance, so they complied with his request.
**************
They were all siting on chairs, all facing Jai who was siting opposite to them, Aditya and Dhruv were among them. They were all thinking why they were called, has something happened, did they find a way to open the gates or something else, some of them were even about to ask when they heard Jai speak.