Aditya expected the afterlife to be full of clouds, harps, or perhaps a never-ending buffet of
Paradise Biryani. Instead, it was wet, cramped, and smelled like expensive soap.
Suddenly, a giant hand grabbed his ankles and hoisted him into the air.
"It's a healthy boy!" a muffled voice boomed.
Aditya tried to shout, "Where is my leg-piece?!" but all that came out was a high-pitched,
pathetic "WAAAAAAH!"
Wait, what? he thought. Why am I naked? Why am I hanging upside down? And why are my
hands the size of samosas?
He was wrapped in a soft, silk cloth and handed over to a woman whose face looked like a
blurred painting. He tried to focus his vision—the struggle of a newborn was real—and realized
he was in a room that looked far too fancy for a middle-class Hyderabadi guy. There were
gold-leaf carvings on the ceiling and the scent of jasmine in the air.
Then, a face popped into his field of vision. It was a girl, maybe five or six years old, with big,
mischievous eyes and two pigtails that looked like they were plotting a crime.
"Is he the one, Papa?" she asked, poking Aditya's cheek with a finger that felt like a blunt spear.
"Can we keep him? Or can we trade him for a puppy?"
"Radhika, be gentle with your brother," a deep voice chuckled from the side.
Radhika? Aditya's tiny brain did a somersault. Brother?
He looked at the girl. She was staring at him with a look that said, 'I am the boss of this house,
and you are my new toy.'
This wasn't just any reincarnation. He was a baby. He had been reset
to Level 0. All his knowledge of coding, his 24 years of avoiding trouble, and his perfect
Biryani-to-salan ratio were trapped in a body that couldn't even hold up its own head.
I died for a chicken piece, Aditya thought, feeling the urge to cry again. I saved an old lady, and
my reward is having a sister who wants to trade me for a Golden Retriever.
But then, he noticed something strange. As he looked at Radhika, a small, glowing translucent
screen appeared in the air above her head.
Name: Radhika
Role: Elder Sister / Future Menace Level: 5
Status: Planning to hide your
pacifier.
Aditya blinked. The screen didn't disappear.
Oh no, he thought, his tiny heart racing. I'm not just a baby. I'm a baby with a HUD.