.
Chapter 1: The Dark Room and the DingDev opened his eyes.
Darkness greeted him—thick, heavy, and suffocating. The air carried a faint but unmistakable smell of coffee, bitter and stale, as if someone had abandoned a cup hours ago.
He frowned.
Where am I?
Just moments ago, he had been at a party. Music, laughter, drinks—his friends were all there. And now… this?
"Why am I in this damned room?" Dev muttered hoarsely. "What the hell happened? How did I forget everything?"
His head throbbed.
Before he could gather his thoughts, a surge of memories crashed into his mind like a broken dam. Images, emotions, fragments of a life that felt familiar yet alien flooded his consciousness.
He staggered, clutching his head.
His name was Dev Oberoi—same as before. That much was clear. But the rest of the memories didn't belong to the life he remembered. Faces he didn't recognize. Places he had never been to. Events that felt real, yet wrong.
"What… is this?" he whispered.
His confusion deepened, spiraling out of control.
Then—
Ding!
The sharp, mechanical sound echoed directly inside his mind.
Welcome, Host, to your new journey.
How are you feeling after joining the race of transmigrators?
Dev's pupils shrank.
"What the fuck are you?" he shouted into the darkness. "What are you talking about? Where are you hiding?!"
His voice trembled with anger—and fear.
"If you're some kind of mad scientist or psychopath, you'd better let me go right now," Dev continued, forcing confidence into his tone. "I can give you money. As much as you want. But if anything happens to me, you won't end well."
He straightened his back, instinctively trying to summon authority he no longer truly possessed.
"Do you know who my friend is?" he barked. "Chief Minister Aditya Nath Yogi! Do you know how violent he is? He'll bring a bulldozer and flatten your house!"
For a moment, there was silence.
Then—
Laughter erupted in his mind.
Loud. Mocking. Merciless.
Haha…
Are you serious?
The voice dripped with ridicule.
First of all, I am not a "mad scientist."
Second—think carefully.
Dev's heart sank.
Before you died, you were nothing but a pauper.
The words hit harder than a slap.
Dev froze.
After seeing your pitiful life, I took mercy on you and allowed you to join the journey of transmigrators.
And yet here you are… threatening me?
The darkness around him felt colder than before.
And for the first time since waking up—
Dev realized one terrifying truth.
He might already be dead.
If you want, next I can: