Arun Patel stared at his reflection in the darkened monitor, the Netflix "Are you still watching?" prompt casting a judgmental glow across his weary face, highlighting the shadows under his eyes and the cluttered chaos of his desk. Empty energy drink cans and takeout containers littered his desk, a monument to another weekend lost to mindless entertainment.
"Just one more episode," he mumbled, reaching for the mouse. The clock read 3:47 AM. Monday morning loomed just hours away, threatening another day of coding with bleary eyes and missed deadlines at his software development job.
At thirty-two, Arun was painfully aware of his squandered potential, a constant reminder that gnawed at his confidence and haunted his every decision. His IIT degree gathered dust, a silent testament to dreams deferred, as he spent his evenings grinding MMO characters instead of building the revolutionary AI like Ultron he'd once envisioned. His parents' disappointed voices echoed in his head: "Beta, you could have been at Google by now. atleast you have a comfortable with your family."
They weren't wrong. His mind could unravel complex problems in seconds, seeing patterns others missed. But genius is wasted without a strong work ethic. His apartment in Bangalore's tech corridor was a temple to procrastination – gaming consoles, a top-tier PC, and enough streaming subscriptions to bankrupt a small company.
A notification buzzed on his phone. Another message from his sister: "Don't forget Maa's birthday next week." He'd forgotten last year, too busy raiding with his guild to even make a call. Guilt gnawed at him as he swiped the reminder away.
The familiar, to play the game, which he found hard to resist. Just as he reached for his controller of game, the room plunged into darkness. Not just his screens – everything. The streetlights outside, the ever-present hum of his electronics, even the ambient glow of Bangalore's nighttime sky, vanished.
"Power cut?" he muttered, fumbling for his phone. Nothing. Not even the emergency lights in his apartment complex penetrated the absolute darkness.
Then came the cold. Not the pleasant chill of air conditioning, but a bone-deep freeze that shouldn't exist in southern India. His breath clouded in front of him, visible in a strange, sourceless illumination that began to fill the room.
The air crackled with energy, raising the hair on his arms. A sound like reality tearing apart filled his ears, and through his window, he saw something impossible: the sky splitting open, revealing a void filled with stars and swirling cosmic energy.
"What the Hell is happening? is it same as isekai novel where a person reincarnated in another world by playing game," Arun whispered, backing away from the window. "I fell asleep at my desk again. This is just another dream..."
The void pulsed, and a wave of energy rushed toward his building. As it approached, Arun did what he'd done with every other challenge in his life – he froze, paralyzed by indecision and fear. The wave hit, and feel like hangover and dizzy.
His last coherent thought before consciousness fled: I should have listened to Maa and learned those meditation techniques she kept talking about.
The universe had other plans for Arun Patel. His journey from gaming chair to cosmic battlefield was about to commence, and the multiverse wouldn't wait for him to pause his game.
To be continued...