Ankit always thought Free Fire was more than just a game. Back in his college days, it gave him excitement, friendships, and even an escape from the dull routines of life. But by 2027, the game had changed into something unrecognizable. Old, rare bundles like Golden Sakura and Golden Hip Hop—once his biggest flex—had been thrown into the Gold Shop, practically free. Meanwhile, new skins felt unimaginative and rushed.
He often questioned himself: Should I quit?
His friends had already moved on. Only he remained, clinging to a lagging Android phone and his average skills. The matches felt emptier now—bots everywhere, and an endless push to spend money on cosmetics that no longer held value. Free Fire was no longer the beating heart of his evenings, just a noise-filled app chasing profit.
Ankit's reality outside the game wasn't any more comforting. His father had passed away in 2021 during COVID, and now it was just him, his mother, and younger sister. He worked part-time to support them, played a match or two when he had time, and at night drowned his fatigue in YouTube shorts before falling asleep.
But the night everything changed started like any other.
After dinner, he lay in bed scrolling on his phone until sleep took over. Then a sound startled him—a voice so familiar it dragged him out of unconsciousness.It couldn't be.
It was his father.
Opening his eyes, Ankit found himself in his old bedroom, the one he had shared with his sister years ago. She was sleeping next to him, but much younger, maybe just 7 or 8. His own body felt strange—light, full of energy, his movements sharper. Something was wrong.
The door creaked open."If you're awake, why don't you answer?" Kamal, his father, stood there in the exact way Ankit remembered from nearly a decade ago. Ankit's breath caught in his chest. This wasn't possible.
The calendar on the wall read: October 8, 2017.
Panic rushed through him. The neighborhood outside his window was exactly as it used to be years ago. His voice, when he whispered in disbelief, was higher—childlike. And staring back from the bathroom mirror was not his 21-year-old self, but the reflection of a 12-year-old boy.
He remembered going to bed in 2027, exhausted with life and disheartened with his once-favorite game. And now, he was back in 2017, in his teenage body, with his father alive and the old world intact.