Tevar
Rain.
That was the first thing Aryan noticed.
Not the cinematic kind—the kind directors begged for—but real rain. Cold. Heavy. Slapping against his face with no regard for lighting or continuity.
He inhaled sharply and choked.
Dust. Smoke. The smell of cheap diesel.
I'm… breathing?
Aryan's eyes flew open.
A cracked road stretched beneath him. Yellow streetlights flickered like dying extras. Somewhere nearby, a bike engine roared, then vanished into the dark.
His body felt wrong. Lighter. Stronger. Younger.
And then the memories hit.
Not his.
Pintoo's.
Fists. Rage. Small-town bravado. A girl's frightened eyes. A man named Gajender who ruled with fear because no one had ever laughed at him.
Aryan groaned and pushed himself up.
His hands—calloused, scarred—weren't the hands that had held a clapperboard last night. These had thrown punches. Broken jaws.
No… no way.
He staggered to a puddle and stared down.
The face staring back was unmistakable.
> Pintoo.
The hero of Tevar.
Aryan laughed. A short, disbelieving sound that turned into something sharper.
"In my last life," he muttered, "I couldn't even get my name on the poster."
A horn blared nearby. A voice shouted Pintoo's name.
The scene was about to begin.
And that's when the world paused.
---
⟡ ROI SYSTEM INITIALIZING ⟡
A translucent interface slid into his vision—clean, minimalist, brutally unemotional.
> Host Identified: Aryan
Current Identity: Pintoo
World State: Cinematic Reality (Stabilized)
Core Principle:
All actions must generate Return on Investment.
A cold shiver ran down his spine—not fear.
Recognition.
"This isn't a power fantasy," Aryan whispered.
"This is accounting."
---
⟡ STARTER ASSETS ⟡
Capital: ₹0
Influence: Minimal
Combat Skill: Basic (Street)
Intelligence: Above Average
Reputation: Reckless Local Muscle
> System Note:
Your current trajectory leads to temporary dominance and inevitable death.,
Aryan smiled.
"That's because Pintoo was badly written."
---
Footsteps approached. Angry voices. Gajender's men.
In the original story, Pintoo would explode—fists first, brain later. A hero designed for whistles, not survival.
Aryan stepped back into the shadows instead.
Rule one of filmmaking, his assistant director instincts whispered,
control the frame.
He watched.
Listened.
Calculated.
Gajender's power wasn't money—it was humiliation. Fear carefully curated like a brand.
Which meant…
Best ROI Play Detected:
Public Devaluation of Target Authority
Aryan straightened and walked out into the light.
When Gajender himself arrived—swaggering, loud, expecting terror—Aryan didn't attack.
He bowed.
Just slightly.
Enough to confuse.
"Sir," Aryan said calmly, loud enough for the gathered crowd, "is this really how a powerful man behaves?"
Laughter rippled. Nervous at first. Then sharper.
Gajender froze.
Aryan continued, voice smooth, respectful—deadly.
"You came with twenty men… for one boy. That's not strength. That's insecurity."
Silence.
The crowd leaned in.
The camera—if there had been one—was perfectly placed.
Gajender swung.
Aryan didn't dodge.
He stepped inside the punch, whispered something only Gajender could hear—
"In every version of this story, you lose.
Tonight, you just lose earlier."
The punch missed. Gajender stumbled.
Laughter exploded.
Not fear.
Not awe.
Laughter.
---
⟡ ROI EVENT COMPLETE ⟡
Reputation Shift: Fear → Ridicule
Influence Gained: +15
Hidden Asset Identified:
Radhika (Emotional Variable)
Politician's Wife (Information Node)
> System Prompt:
Choose your first long-term investment.
Aryan exhaled slowly.
Across the crowd, a woman watched him—not with fear, but with something dangerous.
Interest.
Aryan's lips curved.
"Relax," he murmured to the system.
"I'm not here to force the story."
He turned away as the police sirens approached.
"I'm here to rewrite the genre."