The night air on the rooftop was cool, sharp, and just the right amount of spooky for what Vicky was about to attempt.
He stepped onto the cement floor, hands on his hips like a superhero surveying his kingdom.
"Since it's like 12 AM right now, everybody should be asleep…"
He cracked his knuckles dramatically.
"Let's try testing if I got any superpowers as well."
He took a deep breath.
Then he pointed one hand to the sky, the other on his waist, chest puffed out.
"UP! UP!"
Nothing.
"FLY! FLY!"
The wind did not respond.
"UD UD CHIDIYA UD!"
A lone mosquito buzzed past mockingly.
Vicky scowled.
"Maybe spinning helps…"
He whirled around like a malfunctioning Beyblade.
"ZUZUZU MAI HU SAKTI MAAN!!"
He jumped—
—and instantly regretted it.
"AAAA—"
He hit the ground on his butt, head spinning like the earth itself was drunk.
"YE zameen itni ghoom kyu rahi hai?"
He sat there holding his forehead.
"No flying, okay! Fine. Strength."
He found a cluster of bricks stacked neatly near the water tank.
"Come here brute force…"
He tried lifting them.
They didn't move.
"Hmm. No difference. Still same weight… not easy at all."
He attempted again.
Nothing but pain.
"Speed then."
He stepped back.
Took a sprinter's stance.
"I am Flash! ZUPPPPP—"
He ran two steps
and immediately face-planted.
"Mmh-hhmm… Kuch nahi… bas mitti taste kar raha tha…"
He spat out dust.
He tried heat vision.
Mind reading.
Telekinesis.
Teleportation.
Even dramatic hand gestures.
NOTHING.
After an hour of trying everything from Naruto signs to Krrish poses, he finally collapsed on his bed, defeated.
By 2 AM he was unconscious.
Morning — Chaos, as usual
7:00 AM.
RING RING RING!!!
"Let me sleep…"
Vicky slammed his thumb on the snooze button.
Peace lasted exactly five minutes—
ARAMBH HAI PRACHAND, BOLE MASTAKO KE JUND—
"Teri maa ka—SHUT UP!"
He jolted awake and checked his phone.
It wasn't ringing.
Then he heard it.
His brother's phone.
Vicky snatched it up aggressively.
"Stupid alarm…"
He tapped the screen, searching desperately for the snooze icon.
None.
He rolled his eyes and unlocked the phone.
Straight to a QR code scanner.
"This little shit…"
"HEY! Wake up and turn off your alarm!!" Vicky yelled.
Under the covers, Ankit mumble-yelled:
"Ummm… let me sleeps…"
"Sleep in hell first—STOP THE ALARM!"
"Why should I wake up so early?!"
"JUST. DO. IT!"
"Fine fine… I'm waking up!"
Ankit dragged himself out of bed like a zombie, grabbed a face cream from the cupboard, and scanned the QR code.
Alarm ended instantly.
"There. Happy?"
He smirked.
Vicky stared at him.
"You… happy… you little—HAAH."
Right then their mother entered.
Sneha: "Since you both are awake, wash your faces. Breakfast will be ready."
The brothers marched to the bathroom.
Ak: "I'll bathe first."
Vk: "I'll bathe first."
Ak: "NO! I will!"
Vk: "I woke first! I go!"
Ak: "You go first!"
Vk: "Okay BYE NOOB."
He slammed the door.
"What—"
Ankit blinked at the door in betrayal.
Breakfast — The Best Part of Every Morning
Once both were ready, they sat down on the mat.
"Aloo ke parathe with dahi!"
Vicky beamed.
"My favorite!"
"Aloo is everyone's favorite," Ankit muttered.
Vicky sniffed the air.
"Whatever… noob!"
Their sister Reena joined a minute later, then their dad Vikram.
As always, Mom served everyone else first, stacking parathas, giving dahi, handing out achar.
After everyone finished, she finally sat to eat.
Vicky rolled his eyes.
"No matter how many times we tell you to eat with us—"
Sneha glared.
"If I sit, who will make fresh parathas while you monsters inhale them?! Huh?"
Fair point.
Breakfast ended with everyone sipping chai.
Dad left to drop Ankit to school.
Reena left early for college.
Vicky grabbed his cycle.
"Mom! I'm going out, back before lunch!"
He didn't wait for a reply.
Retribution for yesterday was still looming.
Escape was better.
He cycled fast until he reached his usual empty spot filled with trees, dust, and quiet.
"Haaah… aaj toh bach gaya. Kal ka pata nahi…"
He parked, sat on a stone step, and opened Discord.
"To kaise hai aap log…"
Rahul: "Toh kaisi hai aapki HAALAT."
Akash: "Kal belan ka swaad kaisa tha?"
Vicky: "Rahul tu kabhi na kabhi pakka belan khila ke manega!"
Rahul: "You're welcome."
Akash: "Always at your service."
Vicky: "Mujhe toh doodh ne bacha liya. Next time milne pe dekhte hai tumhe kaun bachata hai."
Rahul: "Chal, aaj kya karna hai?"
Akash: "Gola khane chale?"
Vicky: "Tum jao. Main cycle chalaunga. Afternoon tak milte hain game ke liye."
Rahul: "OK!"
Akash: "Meet at Rakesh's stand."
Vicky closed Discord and leaned back.
The Brainstorm Begins
"Hmmm… since no physical power. No mental powers… could it be… a system? Or some passive ability?"
He tried:
"STATUS!"
Nothing.
"SYSTEM!"
Nothing.
"Abra… ka dabra!"
Nothing.
"Haah… toh system nahi. Passive ability only."
He exhaled slowly.
"Since I got an AWM and an apple from PUBG… let's test if it's limited to just PUBG items."
He took a deep breath.
Pulled out his phone.
And launched the second most iconic game of his childhood—
Minecraft.
"Wow… this brings back memories."
He smiled nostalgically.
"Minecraft was one of the first games I bought legitimately. Played it like crazy for a year until boards happened…"
He opened his old world:
"My World."
He spawned in the familiar base he built years ago—a tiny cobblestone house, a broken farm, and scattered chests.
He searched through them, heart pounding in excitement, until he found what he needed.
Three diamonds.
Eight gold nuggets.
Some bread.
He grinned.
"If I can pull… these out…"