The humid air of South Mumbai usually smelled of sea salt and diesel, but today, it felt strangely electric.
"One more round of Vada Pav before we head down?" Yuv asked, grinning as he balanced a plate of spicy street food.
Vikram laughed, leaning against the rooftop railing. Below them, the sprawling lights of Marine Drive glittered like a diamond necklace. "You've already had three, Yuv. If we stay any longer, we'll miss the last train."
Beside Vikram, Ananya leaned her head on his shoulder. "Let him eat, Vik. It's our last night together before everyone starts their new jobs. Let's just enjoy the view."
Vikram smiled, interlacing his fingers with hers. Life was perfect. He had his degree, his best friends, and the woman he loved.
Then, the world broke.
The streetlights below didn't just flicker—they turned a sickly, bruised violet. The constant hum of Mumbai's traffic died instantly, replaced by a silence so heavy it made Vikram's ears pop.
"Uh... guys? Look at the sky," Teja whispered, her face pale in the new light.
The moon was gone. In its place, a jagged, jagged crack tore through the atmosphere, bleeding a neon purple mist that began to swirl toward the earth.
[SYSTEM INITIALIZING...]
[LOCATION: PLANET EARTH - SECTOR 7 (MUMBAI)]
[TUTORIAL PHASE: COMMENCING]
"A screen? Is everyone seeing this?" Viraaj shouted, swiping at the glowing blue text floating in his vision.
"Vikram, I'm scared," Ananya whispered.
Before Vikram could respond, a scream echoed from the floor below. It wasn't a human scream; it was a sound of pure, primal hunger.
A shadow leaped from the stairwell door. It was the size of a panther, but its fur was made of shifting smoke and its eyes were glowing violet embers.
[MONSTER DETECTED: DARK CAT - LEVEL 2]
"Run!" Vikram yelled, pushing Ananya behind him.
But it was too fast. The creature didn't aim for Vikram. It lunged at the easiest target.
Time slowed down. Vikram reached out, his fingers inches from Ananya's jacket, but the Dark Cat was a blur of shadow. Its obsidian claws slashed through the air with a sickening shredding sound.
"Ananya!"
She didn't even have time to scream. The force of the strike threw her body across the rooftop. The white marble floor stained red instantly.
"No... no, no, no," Vikram stumbled toward her, his knees hitting the ground. He scooped her up, but her eyes were already glazing over. The light of the girl who was his entire world went out in a heartbeat.
[NOTIFICATION: PARTY MEMBER 'ANANYA' HAS PERISHED]
The cold, mechanical voice in his head was the final straw. Something inside Vikram didn't just snap—it disintegrated. A heat hotter than a thousand suns erupted from the center of his chest.
[WARNING: EMOTIONAL TRAUMA EXCEEDED THRESHOLD]
[ERROR: SYSTEM CONSTRAINTS BYPASSED]
[LIMITER: BROKEN]
The Dark Cat hissed, preparing to spring again, its mouth dripping with blood.
Vikram looked up. His eyes weren't brown anymore. They were glowing with a blinding, molten gold. The air around him began to vibrate, cracks forming in the concrete roof under the sheer pressure of his presence.
[UNIQUE ROLE ASSIGNED: THE SOVEREIGN]
[LEVEL: 1... 3... 5...]
"You," Vikram's voice sounded like grinding tectonic plates. "You're all going to burn."
The Dark Cat flinched. For the first time since the System arrived, a monster felt fear.
Vikram stood up, the golden aura flaring into a pillar of light that pierced the purple sky. He didn't need a weapon. He was the weapon.