Part I: The Fall of a Prince
The rain in Zenith City never washed away the filth; it only made the concrete slick with it.
My name is Avi. If you had walked into the neon-lit, towering glass structures of the Imperial Plaza two years ago and mentioned my name, people would have bowed. I was twenty years old, the only son of Mr. Arvind Narayan—the undisputed real estate tycoon and the richest man in the city. Our home, the Narayan Mansion on Elgin Road, was a fortress of gold and marble. My parents, blinded by their immense love for their only child, raised me like a sovereign prince. Whatever Avi wanted, Avi got. A sports car for my eighteenth birthday? Done. A blank check to throw parties at the most expensive lounges? Granted.
But unlimited wealth without the anchor of wisdom is a slow poison.
When a boy grows up in an environment where no one says "no," arrogance becomes his second skin. I changed. Slowly, the polite boy died, replaced by a reckless brat. I scoffed at the advice of elderly relatives. I stopped listening to my father's business partners. Worse, I abandoned my true friends—like Aman, the quiet, brilliant son of my father's head accountant, whom I publicly humiliated at a gala just because he tried to warn me about my spending habits.
Instead, I fell into the company of wolves wearing sheep's clothing. Enter Vikram and Riya.
Vikram was the charming, smooth-talking son of a struggling businessman who knew exactly how to stroke my ego. Riya was the most beautiful girl in our elite college, a siren whose every smile made me feel like the center of the universe. I trusted them blindly. I loved Riya with everything I had, and I treated Vikram like a brother.
"You're destined for bigger things, Avi," Vikram would whisper over glasses of expensive scotch at The Neon Den, a notoriously shady high-end club on the outskirts of the city. "Your dad is too old-school. You should sign the proxy rights for the new township project. Let's show him what you can do."
And Riya would lean in, her perfume intoxicating my senses. "I believe in you, Avi. Don't let your father control your genius."
Like a brainless puppet, I listened. I signed documents blindly. I authorized massive funds to be transferred from our accounts at Metro Horizon Bank into shell corporations set up by Vikram. I even used my father's digital signatures to bypass security audits overseen by Mr. Malhotra, the bank manager, who turned a blind eye because he was secretly in Vikram's pocket.
It took exactly two years. Two years of systematic, brilliant betrayal.
The climax didn't happen in a boardroom; it happened in the mud. Once Vikram and the hidden syndicate behind him—headed by the ruthless underworld don, Boss Jagga—had drained the Narayan empire dry, the trap snapped shut. My father's bank accounts were frozen by Mr. Malhotra. Our properties were seized overnight.
I remember the last night of my past life vividly. I was dragged out to Blackwood Alley, a desolate, trash-filled slum area controlled by Jagga's thugs. Rain poured heavily, mixing with the blood on my face.
Vikram stood over me, protected from the rain by an umbrella held by a massive, scarred thug named Shera. Riya stood beside Vikram, her arm wrapped tightly around his. There was no love in her eyes anymore—only cold disgust.
"Why?" I gasped, spitting out blood. "Vikram... Riya... I gave you everything!"
Vikram laughed, a dark, mocking sound that echoed through the alley. "You didn't give us anything, Avi. You let us take it. You were a spoiled, foolish boy who thought the world revolved around him. Thanks to your signatures, the Narayan empire belongs to us now. Your father is having a heart attack on the streets, and your mother is begging for bread."
Riya stepped forward, kicking a puddle of dirty water straight into my face. "Did you really think a girl like me could love a pathetic loser like you? You were just our golden ticket, Avi."
Shera and another thug, Kalu, stepped forward on Vikram's nod. They beat me until my ribs cracked, until my lungs filled with fluid, and left me half-dead in the gutter.
As the cold darkness swallowed me on that filthy street, I didn't feel anger toward them. I felt a burning, agonizing hatred for myself. Why did I disrespect my parents? Why did I throw away the people who actually cared? With that final, suffocating thought of pure repentance, my heart stopped beating.
Part II: The Void and the Akashic Balance
I expected the fires of hell. Instead, there was only silence and a blinding, infinite white void.
I was floating, devoid of my broken body, but my consciousness was painfully sharp. Suddenly, the space in front of me rippled like water, and a massive, translucent golden interface materialized. It looked like a cosmic computer screen, glowing with ancient, divine energy.
[ DING! SOUL CODE DETECTED: AVI NARAYAN ]
[ ACCESSING AKASHIC RECORDS... COMPILING KARMA BALANCES. ]
A voice echoed—not from a specific direction, but from within my very soul. It was mechanical, yet heavy with divine authority.
"Avi Narayan. You have lived a life of profound privilege and profound waste. However, in your final breaths, your soul did not cry out for vengeance, but for repentance. You acknowledged your sins. The heavens have deemed your remorse genuine."
A spark of hope ignited in my chest. "Am I being forgiven?"
The screen flashed red.
[ SCAN COMPLETE. ]
[ GOOD DEEDS: 120 POINTS (Feeding a stray dog, donating to a temple as a child) ]
[ BAD DEEDS / SINS: 8,500 POINTS (Arrogance, squandering wealth, disrespecting parents, enabling theft) ]
[ NET KARMA BALANCE: NEGATIVE 8,380 POINTS. ]
"Forgiveness is earned, not granted," the divine voice boomed. "Your sins heavily outweigh your virtues. By the laws of the universe, you should suffer in the lower realms for centuries. However, due to your absolute repentance, you are offered a choice. A Regression."
"A second chance?" I whispered.
"Yes. You will be sent back to your twenty-year-old self, two years before the absolute downfall of your house. But hear this: your life in the new timeline is borrowed. Your negative Karma acts as a poison to your lifeline. Until your Karma balance becomes positive, your life will be severely cut short."
The golden screen shifted, turning a deep, vibrant blue.
[ THE DIVINE KARMA SYSTEM HAS BEEN BOUND TO THE HOST. ]
[ OBJECTIVE: PERFORM VIRTUOUS DEEDS, ACCUMULATE KARMA POINTS, AND BUY BACK YOUR LIFELINE. ]
[ WARNING: ANY BAD DEED COMMITTED WILL RESULT IN IMMEDIATE SYSTEM PUNISHMENT AND EXPEDITED DEATH. ]
"Go forth, Avi Narayan. Rewrite your destiny, or perish permanently."
A violent vortex of light swallowed me, and I felt myself being dragged backward through time at terrifying speed.
Part III: Waking Up to the Countdown
"Gasp!"
I tore myself upward, my chest heaving violently as I fought for oxygen. My hands gripped the fabric beneath me—it wasn't wet concrete or trash. It was Egyptian silk sheets.
I looked around, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. The grand crystal chandelier hung from the high ceiling, casting warm light over my massive, familiar bedroom. The smell of expensive French mahogany wood filled the air. I rushed to the grand vanity mirror.
My face was flawless. No blood. No scars from Shera's brass knuckles. I looked down at my hands—they were smooth, untouched by the brutality of Blackwood Alley.
I checked the digital calendar on my desk. July 14. It was exactly two years before my death. I had regressed.
"I'm back..." I muttered, tears welling up in my eyes. I fell to my knees, sobbing quietly. "Father... Mother... I can save you."
[ DING! ]
A crisp, electronic chime rang directly inside my head. The air in front of me shimmered, and a holographic blue status screen floated into view.
[ Welcome back, Host Avi. The Karma System is fully operational. ]
[ Current Karma Status: Heavy Sinner (Level 1) ]
[ Current Karma Points: 0 ]
[ To view your remaining Lifeline, look below. ]
My eyes automatically darted to the bottom of the screen. The moment I read the glowing red numbers, the breath was completely knocked out of my lungs. My blood turned to absolute ice.
[ Remaining Lifeline: 06 Days, 23 Hours, 58 Minutes, 12 Seconds. ]
"One week?!" I screamed, my voice cracking. "I only have one week to live?!"
[ System Announcement: Because the Host's past sins are massive, your soul's anchor to this world is incredibly weak. Every second, your life drains. To extend your life, you must earn Karma Points immediately. ]
[ Exchange Rate: 100 Karma Points = 1 Extra Day of Life. ]
The countdown was ticking. 58 minutes... 57 seconds... 56 seconds... The digital clock was literally counting down to the exact second of my death.
Panic seized me, but along with it, a cold, sharp focus I had never possessed in my past life took over. I couldn't afford to be the spoiled prince anymore. Every second was literally a matter of life and death.
Part IV: The First Step on the Streets
I quickly threw on a simple black hoodie and jeans—completely ignoring my usual designer suits. I needed to find a way to do good deeds, and I couldn't do that sitting inside my mansion on Elgin Road.
As I hurried down the grand marble staircase, I saw my father, Arvind Narayan, sitting in the study, reviewing some architectural blueprints for the new Imperial Plaza expansion. He looked so healthy, so dignified, completely unlike the broken man I had left dying in the hospital in my past life.
"Avi? Going out so early?" my father asked, looking up with a gentle, loving smile.
My throat tightened. I wanted to run to him, to hug him and beg for his forgiveness for everything I had done in the alternate timeline. But I stopped myself. I had to fix my fate first.
"Yes, Father. Just... taking a walk. Take care of your health today, please," I said, my voice trembling slightly.
My father looked surprised by my sudden concern, a soft warmth spreading across his face. "I will, son. Have fun."
[ DING! Showing sincere concern for your parents has moved the celestial scales slightly. +5 Karma Points. ]
[ Lifeline Extended: +1 Hour and 12 Minutes. ]
A small gasp of relief escaped my lips. It worked! Just a genuine expression of love added over an hour to my life. The countdown clock shifted slightly, giving me a tiny breathing room.
I walked out of the estate and decided to head toward the commercial heart of the city, near the Metro Horizon Bank. I didn't take my sports car; I walked, keeping my eyes wide open for anyone who needed help.
As I entered the bustling streets of the financial district, the sensory overload of the city hit me. Taxis honking, vendors shouting, businessmen rushing with briefcases. Suddenly, as I crossed an alleyway just a block away from the bank, I heard a harsh commotions.
"Please, I don't have any more money! I already gave you this month's interest!" a young, desperate voice cried out.
"Shut up, kid! Boss Jagga doesn't care about your excuses. If your father can't pay the protection tax for his shop, we take it out of your skin!"
I stopped in my tracks. I peered into the alley.
Three young men in leather jackets were surrounding a boy in a college uniform. The boy was Dev—I recognized him faintly from my college; he was a brilliant scholarship student from a poor background. The three men surrounding him were low-level thugs belonging to Boss Jagga's gang. The leader of the trio was none other than Kalu—the very same thug who had helped Shera break my ribs in my past life.
Kalu grabbed Dev by his collar, lifting him off his feet, while his two accomplices drew out switchblades, grining maliciously.
My heart hammered against my chest. In my past life, I would have walked past this without a second thought, probably laughing at the poor kid's misery. But now, seeing Kalu's face, a surge of adrenaline and righteous fury coursed through my veins.
[ DING! Emergency Quest Triggered: Save the Innocent. ]
[ Description: Dev is about to be severely crippled by Boss Jagga's thugs. Protect him. ]
[ Reward: 150 Karma Points. ]
[ Failure Penalty: Deduction of 3 Days of Lifeline (Resulting in immediate critical state). ]
One hundred and fifty points. That was worth one and a half days of life. But more than the reward, it was the chance to stand up against the very darkness that had destroyed me.
I pulled my hoodie over my head, stepped into the shadows of the alley, and gripped a heavy discarded iron rod lying next to a trash bin.
"Hey!" I shouted, my voice echoing off the brick walls of the alley, sharp and commanding. "Drop the kid and walk away."
Kalu froze, slowly turning around. His vicious eyes locked onto me, a cruel sneer spreading across his face. "Well, well, well. Look what we have here. A hero. You picked the wrong day to play brave, boy."
The countdown in my vision flashed red, the seconds ticking away. The battle for my new life had officially begun.
[ See you in next chapter ]