I live in India. It's a good place… just not for me.
I come from a middle-class family, living a modest life like most people around me. I recently finished high school and joined a regular college while preparing for my CA Foundation exam. I failed my first attempt, and now I'm preparing again.
Life was… normal. Predictable.
Maybe that's why I found myself wandering aimlessly through the streets of my city that evening, trying to clear my head.
That's when I noticed it.
At first, it was just a faint glimmer—like a distant star—caught in the corner of my eye. I almost ignored it, thinking it was nothing. But something about it felt… strange.
I stepped closer.
The moment I did, my vision went completely blank.
No sound. No light. No sense of time.
It felt like I was stuck in that void forever…
…but in reality, barely fifteen seconds had passed.
When I came back to my senses, a sharp pain pulsed through my head. Disoriented, I held my forehead and made my way back home.
As I entered, my mother's voice called out from the other room.
"Where were you?"
I forced a small smirk. "Nowhere… just outside."
I didn't wait for her response and went straight to my room.
And that's when I saw it.
A glowing screen… floating right in front of me.
System will start at midnight. Please wait.