Veer soon found himself standing in a blank space.
There was no sky.
No ground.
No horizon.
Yet his feet rested on something solid — hard, unmoving — even though he couldn't see it. Darkness stretched endlessly in every direction, thick and absolute. Strangely, Veer could see himself clearly. His hands. His body. His breath fogging slightly in the air.
But there was no visible source of light.
How am I seeing myself…?
Just moments ago, he had been in his room. Sitting on his bed. Breathing. Thinking.
Now he was here.
The sensation wasn't like dreaming.
It felt too sharp. Too aware.
Did I teleport?
Or… is my body still there, and only my consciousness is here?
A darker thought crept in.
What if this is the blank space people talk about?
Afterlife?
Some correction room… like the universe fixing a mistake?
As he searched the darkness for answers, a voice spoke calmly from behind him.
"You look far calmer than most humans."
Veer stiffened.
He turned.
Standing a few steps away was someone who looked exactly like him — same height, same face — except dressed in a plain white shirt and white pants. His hair was neatly combed back, soaked with oil in the way middle-class Indian kids often did: disciplined, tidy, lifeless.
The version of himself smiled faintly.
Veer swallowed.
"H… hello…"
He didn't ask questions.
Didn't shout.
Didn't panic.
When facing something stronger than you, you show restraint.
That was the rule of the jungle.
"Hello, Veer," the being said easily. "How does it feel, living this long? Did you enjoy it?"
Veer felt pressure tightening around his thoughts.
People who are scared often overthink — trying to find logic where none exists.
"Yes," Veer answered carefully. "I'm… fine. I'm still young. I still have a lot to learn. A lot to see in the world."
The being laughed.
"Hahaha… yes. Still a child. Still unfinished."
Then his smile vanished.
"But you are an unlucky child. Your time is up."
Veer's heart dropped.
"What?"
"As of now, you're being sent back to where you belong," the being said calmly.
"A runaway soul doesn't wander forever. It ends in punishment."
Veer's breath caught.
"H-hell?"
"You were heading there anyway," the being replied indifferently.
"Think of this as a free extension. One last indulgence before judgment."
"Wait—" Veer stepped forward. "There has to be a mistake. I didn't run away. I was just—"
"I don't care," the being interrupted.
"Intent doesn't change consequence."
Veer's thoughts short-circuited.
Hell wasn't a metaphor.
It wasn't a story.
Anyone with sense knew what it meant.
"No… no, please," Veer said, voice breaking despite himself.
"There has to be another way. I'll do anything. Anything."
The being studied him for a long moment.
Then:
"There is a way."
Veer felt like he had just surfaced after nearly drowning.
"O-okay," he said quickly. "Tell me."
"Sit."
Two chairs materialized out of nothing.
They sat facing each other, identical faces locked in silence.
"There are many kinds of energy in this world," the being began.
"Not physical. Not mystical. But human."
Veer listened intently.
"Fear. Guilt. Regret. Hope. Moral conflict. Choice."
"These energies are produced when humans stand at crossroads."
Veer nodded slowly. "Like… when someone has to choose between right and wrong?"
The being smiled.
"I like that. You're sharp. Not like those foolish dreamers."
Veer stayed silent.
"I collect this energy," the being continued.
"And you will collect it for me."
Veer hesitated. "How?"
"You will live," the being said.
"But not freely."
Veer's spine tightened.
"You will be placed in situations where every choice costs something.
Where saving one person harms another.
Where silence feels safer than truth.
Where doing good creates worse consequences."
Veer felt cold.
"You don't need to kill," the being added.
"You don't need to hurt directly."
"Then… what do I lose?" Veer asked.
The being leaned forward.
"Peace."
Veer swallowed.
"You will absorb the weight of your choices.
The guilt others avoid.
The blame that never reaches the guilty."
"That psychological burden is the energy."
Veer clenched his fists.
"…If I agree, do I survive?"
"Yes."
"And if I refuse?"
The being smiled again.
"Hell."
Veer exhaled shakily.
"Do I get anything?" he asked. "Any help? Strength? Guidance?"
The being shook his head.
"I offer no mercy."
Veer's frustration burst out.
"Then how am I supposed to survive this?"
After a pause, the being said,
"There is one thing."
Veer looked up sharply.
"A system," the being continued.
"I don't choose it. I don't design it. It attaches to your soul and stays forever."
Veer hesitated.
"…Give it to me."
"You won't be able to reject it later."
"I understand."
The darkness trembled.
A sound echoed — mechanical, distant.
A translucent screen appeared before Veer's eyes.
SYSTEM ONLINE
Designation: NTR SYSTEM
Function: LET PEOPLE ENJOY YOUR HEREM
Warning:YOU CAN NOT TOUCH YOUR WOMAN
Veer's breath hitched.
"No—wait—"
Before he could react, the screen burned into his vision.
The being stood up.
"Choice made," he said coldly.
"You wanted another way."
Veer shouted into the void.
"I'd rather go to hell than live like this—!"
The being's voice echoed as the darkness collapsed inward.
"Too late."
"Your life continues."
"And now… so does your debt."
.............
Veer collapsed to his knees.
The darkness felt heavier now, pressing down on his shoulders as tears burned his eyes. His breath came uneven, ragged, like he'd been running for miles with no ground beneath his feet.
The being — his reflection — laughed.
Not loud.Not cruel.
But calm. Controlled.The kind of laugh that didn't mock pain…but laughing at friends misery.
Veer's fists clenched.
"Stop…" he whispered."Stop laughing."
The laughter continued.
Something inside Veer snapped.
He stood up suddenly, anger cutting through fear like a blade.
"You think this is funny?" Veer shouted into the darkness."You dragged me here, told me I'm damned, and want me to be this—"
His voice cracked.
"—and you're laughing?"
The being's smile faded.
For the first time, Veer noticed something strange.
The darkness didn't react to the being.It reacted to him.
When Veer's anger rose, the void trembled.
The being tilted his head.
"…There it is."
Veer froze.
"There's what?" he demanded.
The being stepped closer, his footsteps echoing though there was no floor.
"Your anger," he said softly."The thing you hide best."
Veer's breathing slowed, confusion replacing rage.
"What are you talking about?"
The being sighed — not theatrically, but like someone tired of pretending.
"Alright," he said. "Enough."
The darkness shifted.
The pressure vanished.
The chairs dissolved.The screen disappeared.The threat of hell evaporated like smoke.
Veer staggered, suddenly lightheaded.
"What… what's happening?"
The being rubbed his face, suddenly looking far more human.
"Relax," he said."It was a prank."
Veer blinked.
"…What?"
"I said," the being repeated, "it was a prank."
For a moment, Veer didn't react.
Then—
"You—WHAT?"
He lunged forward, grabbing the being by the collar.
"You think this is funny?" Veer roared."You almost broke me!"
The being didn't resist.
Instead, he smiled — gently this time.
"I know," he said. "That's why it worked."
Veer's hands loosened.
"What do you mean…?"
The being raised a hand, and the darkness around them softened, turning faint, like fog before sunrise.
"how are you veer,after surviving the darkness,the blank space don't tell me you forgot your own part of yourself."he said.
" SHADOW?" Veer whispered.
The being looked directly into his eyes.
"I'm Shadow."
Veer's breath caught.
"The part of you that was born from you....sorry .....i couldn't help but want to play a prank"
Veer stepped back slowly.
"that was not a good JOKE"
"Yes," Shadow replied."take a breath and relax."
Soon veer rushed toward shadow as shadow did not move but expected what to come.
He felt warm embrace rather than a punch.
"i'm happy that i got to see you again brother."