It was 3 AM in the morning, and a full moon hung high in the sky. Its pale glow bathed the quiet streets in silver, softening the darkness that usually wrapped the night.
At this hour, the city had fallen into silence. Most people were deep asleep in their homes, while only the occasional stray dog wandered the empty lanes. Yet, a lean, delicate-looking young man walked slowly down the road, dragging his exhausted body toward home.
The young man's name was Arjun Verma, having taken his mother's surname. He was twenty-one years old and a second-year student at a college in Ahmedabad. Alongside his studies, he worked part-time to support himself. For convenience—and because his night job paid reasonably well—Arjun did not stay in the college hostel. Instead, he rented a small room in a modest residential area.
Coming from a simple background, Arjun's thoughts were straightforward. He had no grand ambitions or lofty dreams. All he wanted was to one day find someone he could share his life with and live peacefully—that alone would be enough to make him content.
As he continued down the dim street, his only desire at that moment was to get home quickly and fall into a deep sleep.
Suddenly, a shadow darted out from a corner.
Before Arjun could react, he was slammed hard against a wall. A sharp fruit knife pressed coldly against his neck.
The icy touch of the blade made his entire body freeze. Goosebumps rose along his skin as fear gripped him. He didn't dare move an inch—he knew that one wrong action could cost him his life.
Fortunately, he had forgotten to bring his phone that day, and he wasn't carrying anything valuable. All he had in his pocket was around ₹3,000 in cash. And between money and life, the choice was obvious.
Arjun slowly took out the cash and forced a stiff smile. "Bhai… this is all I have. Please take it."
"Who wants your money?" the man barked harshly, shattering Arjun's hope of escaping the situation easily. "Turn around, press yourself against the wall, and take off your pants."
"Eh? Turn around… press against the wall… take off my pants?" Arjun's brows knitted together in confusion as he turned his head slightly.
The middle-aged man, with a vulgar expression on his face, had already begun unbuttoning his own pants.
"Damn it… this isn't a robbery… this is something worse," Arjun cursed inwardly, a chill running down his spine.
The man waved the knife threateningly again. "Didn't you hear me? Do as I said!"
"Am I really going to end up like this today?" Arjun's heart pounded wildly as he tried to think of a way out.
BOOM!!!
A deafening explosion suddenly echoed from above.
Startled, Arjun instinctively raised his head. The sky had changed completely.
It looked as if the heavens themselves had caught fire—an endless sea of flames stretching across the night. From within it, countless streaks of rainbow-colored light shot downward, trailing long tails like divine meteors.
The breathtaking sight stunned both Arjun and the man behind him.
Seizing the moment, Arjun reacted instantly. He grabbed the man's wrist holding the knife and twisted it with all his strength.
"AAARGH!"
The man cried out in pain as the knife slipped from his hand and clattered onto the ground.
Without hesitation, Arjun drove his knee upward with force, striking the man in the groin.
"AAAAHHHH!!!"
The man collapsed instantly, his face contorted in agony, both hands clutching himself as his body curled on the ground.
Arjun, still burning with anger and fear, kicked him a few more times before turning and sprinting away.
BANG!!
Just as Arjun ran out of the street, a rainbow-colored meteor crashed right in front of him.
The intense light forced him to shield his eyes with his arms. When the brightness faded, something incredible appeared before him.
Floating silently about two meters above the ground was a crystal—about the length of one finger and twice as wide—radiating faint, shifting colors.
Curiosity overcame his fear.
Arjun stepped forward cautiously and reached out. As his hand touched it, the crystal offered no resistance and settled into his palm as if it had been waiting for him.
By now, the entire neighborhood had awakened. People poured out of their homes—opening doors, leaning out of windows—staring in shock at the countless floating crystals scattered everywhere.
Soon, chaos erupted.
Everyone began rushing toward the crystals, grabbing, shouting, even fighting over them, assuming they must be something extremely valuable.
Seeing the growing commotion, Arjun didn't linger. Clutching the crystal tightly, he hurried back to his rented room.
Inside his small one-room apartment, he carefully examined it.
The crystal was unlike anything he had ever seen. No gemstone could compare to its beauty. If it were rare, it could be worth an unimaginable amount—perhaps even fortunes.
But judging from the sky full of them earlier, there had to be billions. That meant it probably wasn't as valuable as it seemed.
Just then—
The crystal suddenly glowed with a radiant rainbow light.
A cold, mechanical voice echoed in his mind:
"Host detected as a Basic Intelligent Lifeform. Initiating soul binding…"
"Ding! Soul binding complete. You will now enter the Heaven Awaken World."
Before Arjun could react or even process what was happening, his vision went black.
His body collapsed to the floor.