Chapter 2: The Beginning of the Eternal Journey
Darkness.
Weightless.
Still.
Gautam floated in the void, his soul now untethered from his broken body, surrounded by cosmic silence. No stars. No sky. Only the low hum of existence vibrating around him like the breath of a sleeping universe.
Then, without warning, a radiant screen of light unfurled before him—neither physical nor illusion, but something beyond comprehension.
> [SYSTEM NOTICE]
Reincarnation Simulation Activated.
Select Three Talents for Rebirth.
(Rarity: Gold > Purple > Blue > White > Black)
From the light, five glowing sigils appeared, each pulsing with energy. Beneath each symbol, ancient letters formed modern words.
1. Perfect Body (Gold): A body without disease or deformity. Handsome, strong, immune to sickness. A vessel worthy of greatness.
2. Speech (Blue): The power to influence the hearts of many. Stir revolutions with a whisper, unite a people with a roar.
3. One-Eyed (Black): One eye permanently blind. A fate marked by limitation.
4. Martial Art (White): Innate skill in combat. Not mastery, but talent. A spark awaiting the forge.
5. Learner (White): A mind that absorbs knowledge swiftly. A candle that burns twice as bright.
Gautam's thoughts stirred. This was no game. This was his foundation.
His choice came not from impulse—but vision.
Perfect Body. He had lived the price of weakness. Disease had strangled his dreams. No more.
Speech. He knew the fury that burned in people's hearts. But only those who could speak—truly speak—could channel that fury into change.
Learner. In every life, he would face a new world. And he would not just survive—he would understand, evolve, and rise.
> [CONFIRMING TALENTS…]
Perfect Body (Gold)
Speech (Blue)
Learner (White)
> One permanent talent selected: [Perfect Body]
This will remain in all future reincarnations.
The words shimmered, then dissolved into golden dust.
And then—he fell.
Not physically. But like a current pulling him deeper into reality, a suction that tore through dimensions. Warmth enveloped him. His awareness dimmed.
He was floating again, but this time... enclosed.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
A heartbeat.
Not his.
A womb.
Time lost meaning. He drifted between consciousness and dreams until a blinding pain and a rush of cold air tore him from the cocoon.
His first cry echoed into a dawn-lit chamber. Warm hands caught him, raised him high. A woman sobbed in joy. People cheered.
> [SYSTEM MESSAGE]
You have been born in the Harappan Civilization.
City: Mohenjo-Daro.
Even as an infant, something stirred within him. The soul remembered what the body could not.
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Mohenjo-Daro.
An ancient city, rising with grace from the banks of the Indus. Baked bricks stacked with precision. Roads aligned like celestial grids. Great baths, drainage canals, granaries—all built with logic and care.
A civilization without kings, yet not without order.
Merchants traded beads, spices, and copper. Farmers tilled fertile land. Priests offered prayers beneath stone seals carved with sacred beasts.
And here, in this jewel of early human achievement, a child was born. Strong. Healthy. With eyes that glimmered with timeless knowledge.
They named him Aarav—though in his heart, he was still Gautam.
The past was behind him. The simulation had begun.
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End of Chapter 2
Would you like Chapter 3 to begin with Aarav's early life in Mohenjo-Daro and his first realization of the simulation's effects?