For most of the morning, Vicky kept telling himself it was just a dream. The girl falling through a glitching portal… the blood… the way she said his name… the way she shattered like a hologram breaking apart.
He'd convinced himself it was simply exhaustion mixed with too much sci-fi in his head.
He was brushing his teeth when he remembered the health potion he'd hidden.
A stupid hiding place — behind the flower pot in the corner of his room.
Still, it should be there.
He walked over casually, expecting to laugh at himself.
The bottle was there.
But empty.
Not spilled.
Not cracked.
Not lying sideways.
Just… empty. As if someone had drank it.
He stood frozen, toothbrush still in his mouth, foam dripping down his lip.
"…no way."
His brain tried to fight it — logic, common sense, denial — all punching at the same time, failing miserably.
Either he had sleep-walked and chugged the world's most expensive health potion…
…or that girl was real.
And she wasn't a dream — she was here.
He swallowed hard.
He didn't panic. Not yet. He picked up the bottle, examined it under the light like a crime scene investigator. Nothing. No residue. No fingerprints other than his. Just that impossibly perfect emptiness.
He sat on his bed, staring at the floor.
"Rilu… Osbo…"
He whispered the name, hoping it would suddenly make sense.
It didn't.
So he did the obvious 2025 thing — he searched the internet.
Google: "Rilu Osbo"
Nothing.
"Rilu Osbo Chennai"
Nothing.
"Osbo surname India"
Just random anime fans and gaming accounts.
Instagram search:
One Rilu, two Rilus, five fake cosplay accounts — nothing even close.
If she existed, she didn't exist here.
He leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes.
If he couldn't find answers here…
Maybe the answer was in the dream itself.
A glitching sky.
Helix-shaped drones.
A black metallic entity screaming in rage.
And right before everything blew apart—
A board. A simple board.
WELCOME TO CHENNAI.
Why Chennai?
Why that city?
There were two clues:
A name — Rilu Osbo
A place — Chennai
If he wanted answers, he'd have to go there himself.
THE DECISION
He didn't tell his parents everything — obviously — but he did tell them he wanted to study further in Chennai.
His father blinked in surprise.
"Chennai? It's far, beta. Are you sure?"
"Yeah," Vicky said, forcing confidence into his voice. "It's… better for IT. Better colleges. Better opportunities."
Reena immediately supported him.
"Let him go, Papa. It'll be good for him. SRM is huge in tech."
That sealed it.
Forms were filled.
Entrance verification done.
Counselling attended.
And soon enough—
Vicky Kumar was officially admitted into SRM University, BCA.
His mother cried for five straight minutes.
His father hugged him twice — which was rare enough to count as a once-in-a-lifetime achievement.
Reena decided to fly with him for support. They travelled light — one suitcase each.
ARRIVAL — CHENNAI
The moment he stepped out of the airport, the Chennai humidity slapped him like a personal insult.
"Why does the air feel angry?" Vicky muttered.
Reena laughed.
"You'll get used to it. Drink water. Wear light T-shirts."
They took a cab together until Reena's PG stop.
She hugged him tightly.
"Take care, idiot. Call me if you need anything."
He nodded, trying to look normal.
Inside, he felt like his real life had finally begun — and he had absolutely no idea what he had stepped into.
He took another cab to SRM hostel.
Massive campus.
Glass buildings.
Vibrant crowds.
Everyone walking fast, talking fast, living fast.
It was nothing like his Jaipur neighborhood.
He settled in his small hostel room — bed, table, cupboard, fan that made weird noises.
He dropped his luggage and immediately opened his laptop.
Search: "Rilu Osbo Chennai"
Still nothing.
"Rilu Osbo missing"
No.
"Osbo Chennai history"
Nothing relevant.
He leaned back, frustration creeping in.
If this girl really existed…
If she really came through a glitching portal…
If she really said his name…
Then she wasn't going to appear in a simple Google search.
He looked out the window.
The SRM campus was huge.
Chennai was bigger.
The whole IT industry was here — Infosys, Cognizant, Wipro, TCS, Nvidia, literally everyone.
His Ghost Assets work?
Useless against whatever he had seen in that dream.
He needed real-world knowledge.
Real-world tech.
Real-world resources.
If the dream meant something…
If the glitch girl was real…
He couldn't just sit in his hostel making 3D asset photos for random indie developers.
He needed to become someone capable of handling the impossible.
And everything — every sign — pointed to Chennai being the place where it all would begin.
He closed his laptop, exhaled slowly, and lay down on the creaky hostel bed.
No glitch.
No nightmares.
Just exhaustion.
Tomorrow, he would start looking.
Not at the internet.
But at Chennai itself.
Somewhere in this city, the answer existed.
He just had to find it.