I live in India.
It's a good place.
Just not for me.
That might sound strange.
But when you grow up watching people move forward—step by step,
exam by exam,
job by job—you start to notice something.
Not everyone is moving at the same pace.
Some people run.
Some people walk.
And some—
Just stand there.
I wasn't standing still.
But I definitely wasn't running.
I come from a middle-class family.
Nothing special.
Nothing bad either.
Just a normal house, normal routines, normal expectations.
Every thing is normal
Study.
Pass exams.
Get a stable job.
Live a stable life.
Simple.
Too simple. and a bit boring too
I had just finished high school and joined a regular college
while preparing for my CA Foundation exam.
I failed my first attempt.
Not badly.
Not enough to panic.
But enough to remind me—
I wasn't as good as I thought.
So now, I was preparing again.
Same books.
Same syllabus.
Same pressure.
And the same question in the back of my mind.
What if I fail again?
What will I do then???
That thought stayed with me more than I liked to admit.
Maybe that's why I was out that evening.
Walking without direction.
Without purpose.
Just moving.
The streets weren't crowded.
Not empty either.
Just the usual mix of people heading home,
shops closing, lights flickering on one by one.
Normal.
Everything felt normal.
Until I saw it.
At first, I thought it was nothing.
Just a faint glimmer in the corner of my eye.
Like light reflecting off glass.
I almost ignored it.
Almost.
But something about it felt… wrong.
Not bright.
Not sharp.
Just—
Out of place.
I stopped walking.
"…What is that?"
The light flickered again.
This time, I focused on it.
And that's when I realized—
It wasn't reflecting from anything.
It was just… there.
Floating.
A tiny point of light.
But the more I looked at it—
The harder it was to understand.
Its shape didn't stay the same.
It wasn't changing.
But my mind couldn't hold onto it.
Like it didn't fit properly in my vision.
"…Weird."
I took a step closer.
Nothing happened.
Another step.
Still nothing.
"…Probably just my eyes."
I reached up and rubbed them briefly.
When I looked again—
It was still there.
Exactly where it was.
Unmoving.
Waiting.
For a second, a strange thought crossed my mind.
If I ignore it… will it still be there?
I hesitated.
Then stepped closer again.
And the moment I did—
Everything went black.
Not dark.
Black.
Complete.
No sound.
No light.
No movement.
Nothing.
It wasn't like closing my eyes.
It was like—
I didn't have eyes anymore.
Or a body.
Or time.
There was no sense of how long I stayed like that.
A second.
A minute.
An hour.
It all felt the same.
Then suddenly—
Everything came back.
Sound.
Light.
Weight.
"—!"
I staggered slightly, grabbing my head.
A sharp pain pulsed through my temples.
"…What the hell…"
I blinked rapidly.
The street was the same.
People walking.
Vehicles passing.
Nothing unusual.
No one was looking at me.
No one reacted.
"…Did I just—"
I checked my surroundings again.
The light was gone.
Completely.
"…Fifteen seconds."
I muttered it without thinking.
Because I knew.
Even without checking a clock—
I knew exactly how much time had passed.
That was something I'd always had.
A near-perfect sense of recall.
If something happened—
I remembered it.
Clearly.
Accurately.
And right now—
There was nothing between the moment I stepped forward…
And the moment I came back.
Just—
Nothing.
"…That's not normal."
I stood there for a few more seconds.
Waiting.
For something else to happen.
Nothing did.
"…I should go home."
This didn't feel like something I should stay around and think about.
So I didn't.
I turned and started walking.
Faster this time.
The pain in my head slowly faded.
But the unease didn't.
Something about that moment—
Didn't sit right.
And for the first time in a long while—
I felt like I didn't fully understand something that had just happened to me.
That bothered me more than anything else.
HOME
When I reached home, everything was as expected.
nothing that could change
"Where were you?"
My mother's voice came from inside.
"Outside," I replied casually.
"How long?"
"…Not long."
She stepped into view.
"Dinner is almost ready. Go wash up."
"Yeah."
Normal conversation.
Normal tone.
No sign that anything strange had happened.
No way she could know.
"…Good."
I didn't want to explain it anyway.
Because I wasn't sure what I would even say.
I went straight to my room.
Closed the door.
And for a moment—
I just stood there.
Silent.
Thinking.
"…That was real."
Not a dream.
Not imagination.
Something had happened.
I was sure of that.
But before I could think further—
Something appeared.
Right in front of me.
A glowing screen.
Floating.
Still.
Real.
I froze.
"…No way."
The screen didn't move.
Didn't flicker.
Didn't disappear.
Just stayed there.
Waiting.
My heartbeat slowly started to rise.
"…So I'm not imagining things."
I stepped closer.
Carefully.
Half-expecting it to vanish.
It didn't.
The text on it became clearer.
System will start at midnight. Please wait.
"…System?"
I stared at the words.
Then let out a small, disbelieving laugh.
"…You're kidding."
Of all the things it could be—
A system?
Like in those stories?
Anime.
Manhwa.
Novels.
The ones I wasted countless hours reading and watching instead of studying.
"…This has to be a coincidence."
I thought
Or a hallucination.
Or just stress.
from studying and exams
Yeah.
That made more sense.
I glanced toward my desk.
My books were still open.
"…I should study."
If this was fake—
Then I was wasting time.
If this was real—
Then my life was about to change anyway.
Either way—
There was nothing I could do right now.
Except wait maybe ??
Midnight .
That's what it said.
"…Fine."
I sat down.
Opened my book.
But my eyes didn't stay on the page.
They kept drifting back.
To where the screen was.
Waiting.
Just like me.
Midnight was getting closer.
And whether this was real…
Or not—
Something had already changed.
Chapter 1 End
Author's Note: If you enjoyed, don't forget to vote with Power Stones 💎
If you enjoy and add to library at the end, don't forget to vote with Power Stones 💎