The tallest building in the city's corporate district.
From its rooftop, the entire city lay exposed—an ocean of glass and light stretching endlessly in every direction. Cars moved far below like fireflies, their headlights cutting through the darkness. Above, faint snow drifted down from the sky, each flake glowing briefly as it passed through the neon haze of the city.
Beautiful.
Almost unreal.
But this night was not meant for beauty.
It was a night meant for blood.
Three people stood on the rooftop.
Two of them were trying to kill each other.
Fists collided with bone.
Bodies crashed against concrete.
Breath came in ragged gasps.
The reason for their fight stood just a few steps away.
A girl.
A thin line of blood ran down from her forehead, disappearing into her hair. Yet her attention wasn't on her own injury—it was fixed on the brutal fight unfolding in front of her.
She was breathtakingly beautiful, the kind of beauty that belonged in stories rather than reality.
And that was exactly what she was.
From a distance, this world looked stunning.
But everything here was part of a story.
This was a world born from a novel.
The girl was the heroine of that novel.
And the two men fighting before her—
One was the protagonist.
The other was the antagonist.
In this world, everyone played the role they had been given.
The fight raged on, until the villain began to overpower the protagonist. Grabbing a knife that lay nearby, he stepped forward. The protagonist was down on the ground, barely able to move.
The blade rose.
Just as it was about to come down—
A gunshot echoed through the night.
The villain froze.
Slowly, he looked down at his chest.
A bullet wound bloomed there, dark and unmistakable.
He lifted his gaze toward the heroine.
Her eyes were wet with tears.
Her hands trembled violently.
A gun was clutched between them.
The villain gave her a bitter smile.
Then he collapsed to the ground.
—
Aarav's eyes snapped open.
He was lying in his bed.
His room.
Familiar walls. Familiar ceiling.
He let out a long breath and rubbed his face, exhaustion weighing heavily on him.
"…That dream again."
--
It had been eighteen years since Aarav arrived in this world.
Eighteen full years of living quietly, unnoticed, as if he truly belonged here.
But the truth was far more complicated.
Aarav's POV
I have been traveling between worlds for a very long time.
Again and again, I die in one world… and am reborn in another.
This world marked the eighteenth year since my arrival.
And now—
The plot of this world was finally about to begin.
This world was a novel.
And within it, I was nothing more than a background character.
A minor existence.
Someone insignificant.
Still, this life was very different from the ones before it. Not just in setting, but in experience.
Until now, every world I had transmigrated into had belonged to a familiar pattern—Chinese cultivation novels, urban power fantasies, anime-inspired realities. In almost all of them, I ended up as either a villain or an antagonist, someone destined to clash with fate itself.
But this time was different.
For the first time, I had transmigrated into an Indian novel.
And unlike before, I hadn't taken over someone else's body.
This time, I was born into this world.
I grew up here naturally.
Lived eighteen years as part of it.
With no memories of my past lives.
Until now.
At the exact moment when the story's plot was about to start, all my past-life memories returned to me at once.
And unlike every previous life—
This time, I wasn't a villain.
I wasn't a chosen one.
I wasn't even important.
I was just a background character.
A small, forgettable role in someone else's story.
And this time, the protagonist of this world was no stranger.
It was my father.
The man I had been calling Dad for the past eighteen years.
To the world, his name was Rahul Tiwari.
A government clerk.
A quiet man with a modest salary.
An ordinary middle-class family man who blended perfectly into the crowd.
But that name was a lie.
His real name was Venkateshwar Shastri.
A secret so deeply buried that even his own family didn't know it.
Behind the worn-out office bag and tired smiles hid one of the country's top intelligence officers—a man who had silently stopped countless threats before they ever reached the public eye.
To the nation, he was invisible.
To the public, irrelevant.
And yet, he had saved the country more times than history would ever record.
Rahul Tiwari had a family.
A wife.
Two children.
Me—Aarav, the younger son.
And my elder sister—Kirti.
From the outside, we looked like the picture of a normal household.
From the inside…
It was already breaking apart.
My mother was cheating on my father.
Not openly.
Not recklessly.
But enough to cross a line that could never be erased.
In the end, my parents would decide to divorce.
Quietly.
Without ever telling us the truth.
As if children didn't notice cracks.
As if silence didn't hurt.
At the same time, my sister Kirti was dating someone.
Someone she trusted.
Someone she believed cared about her.
Ironically, mother and daughter would even go on a double date together.
A coincidence that felt harmless.
Almost funny.
Until it wasn't.
Because the men they were seeing weren't ordinary people.
They were my father's enemies.
Enemies of the state.
Men who couldn't touch Venkateshwar Shastri directly—so they chose the only vulnerable target he had left.
His family.
The plan was simple.
Kidnap them.
Break him.
Make him pay for every operation that had ruined their lives.
And then—
The truth would finally explode into the open.
The real identity of Venkateshwar Shastri would be revealed to everyone.
To the world.
To his wife.
To his children.
But by then, it would already be too late.
Because in the middle of all this chaos…
I would be sacrificed.
Everything was scheduled to happen on my eighteenth birthday.
Which was…
Today.
My memories had returned too late.
The plot had already started moving.
The dominoes were already falling.
And as a mere background character—
Someone who was never meant to interfere—
Aarav died trying to save Kirti.
And Kirti didn't survive either.
Their deaths shattered what little remained of the family.
After that day, Venkateshwar Shastri severed all ties with his wife, Shakshi. The divorce was final, absolute—there was no anger left, only exhaustion. From that moment on, he walked alone.
Eventually, fate brought someone else into his life.
His first love.
The woman who was destined to be the heroine of this novel.
She became the one who slowly healed his broken heart, piece by piece.
If it had been anyone else in Aarav's place, they would have collapsed long ago—crushed under the weight of inevitability, despair, and loss.
But Aarav was not ordinary.
He had transmigrated through too many worlds.
Lived through too many stories.
Played too many roles.
His emotions had worn down over time, like a blade dulled by endless use.
Anyone else would have tried to change the plot.
To save themselves.
To rebel against fate.
But Aarav would not.
Because he already knew the truth.
Changing the plot was impossible.
In his first life, he had been assigned the role of a villain.
A tragic one.
He had been the heroine's childhood best friend. Without realizing it, he fell in love with her. Worse—she fell in love with him too.
But the moment the protagonist entered her life, her heart shifted.
In the end, it was the heroine herself who killed him.
After that, Aarav stopped trying to defy the story.
Now you might wonder—
If he can't change the plot…
If he can't escape his role…
Then what was the point of all these transmigrations?
Honestly?
I don't know either.
Thinking all this, Aarav got out of bed.
Without emotion.
Without urgency.
He walked into the bathroom to freshen up.
Because whether he liked it or not—
The story was already moving.
And today…
Was the day it would claim its price.
"Shakshi, hurry up. I'm getting late for the office."
Venkateshwar sat at the breakfast table, fully dressed for work, glancing at his watch while waiting for food.
Despite how broken the family was on the inside, both he and Shakshi had made a silent agreement—
Until the divorce was finalized, nothing would be revealed in front of the children.
"Alright, alright. It's ready," Shakshi replied from the kitchen.
Moments later, she walked out carrying two containers and placed them on the table.
Just then, Kirti and Aarav stepped out of their rooms, dressed in their school uniforms, and joined them at the breakfast table.
Kirti sat down casually, typing something on her phone with one hand while reaching for breakfast with the other.
Shakshi glanced at her and said, "Kirti… no phone during breakfast. Did you forget?"
Kirti made a face, switched off her phone, and placed it on the table. Taking a bite, she said, "It's my friend's birthday today. I'm going there after school, so I'll be late."
Venkateshwar looked at her.
"Which friend? And where is this party?"
Kirti shot him a look.
"Come on, Dad. Don't turn into the party pooper now."
Venkateshwar frowned slightly and replied, "But parents should at least know where their kids are going."
Kirti turned toward her mother instead.
"Mom knows where the party is, so you don't need to worry."
Venkateshwar shifted his gaze to Shakshi.
"Really?"
Shakshi hesitated.
She glanced at Kirti for a brief second.
Two days ago, Kirti had found out about Shakshi's affair.
And after that…
Shakshi had confessed.
____
Eighteen years had passed since Aarav came into this world.
Aarav's POV
I've been traveling through different worlds for a long time now.
Every time, I die in one world and am reborn in another. In this world alone, I've already spent eighteen years.
And now…
the plot of this world was finally about to begin.
This world was a novel.
And I wasn't the protagonist.
Not the villain either.
Just a background character—someone so insignificant that the story wouldn't even pause for me.
Still, this life was very different from my previous ones. The experiences were new, unfamiliar… almost unsettling.
Until now, every world I transmigrated into had been a Chinese cultivation novel, an urban fantasy, or even anime-like settings.
But this time was different.
This time, I had transmigrated into an Indian novel.
And unlike before, I hadn't taken over someone else's body.
I was born here.
The moment the plot officially started, all my memories from my past lives returned to me.
And for the first time…
I wasn't destined to become a villain.
---
Sakshi had just found out about Kirti's boyfriend, and instead of opposing it, she decided to support her. Now, the two of them were planning to go on a double date—under the excuse of "just hanging out."
Looking at Venkatesh, Sakshi smiled and said,
"Yeah, don't worry. I'll be there."
Seeing Sakshi agree, Venkatesh said nothing. Instead, his gaze shifted toward Aarav, who was sitting quietly at the breakfast table.
With a teasing grin, he said,
"Oye, Surdaas, why are you so silent today? What kind of mischief did you do at school?"
Normally, Aarav was a lively, talkative kid.
That was… until his past-life memories returned.
Aarav quickly realized he was acting out of character. Adjusting himself, he spoke casually,
"You were going to buy a house in my name, right? When are we shifting there?"
Venkatesh chuckled lightly.
"Don't worry. I've bought the plot already. Construction work is going on."
Aarav sighed.
"You've been saying that for five years now."
"Relax," Venkatesh replied. "It'll be ready by the time you get married."
Aarav nodded, then casually added,
"By the way, I'll be coming home late today."
Venkatesh looked surprised.
"Whose birthday party are you going to now?"
Aarav didn't miss the chance.
"Mine."
Suddenly, silence fell over the table.
Everyone froze.
Only then did they remember—it was Aarav's birthday today.
Today, Aarav had officially become an adult.
Venkatesh placed a hand on his forehead. But not wanting Aarav to feel bad, he immediately put on an act and said dramatically,
"Hey! How do you already know about the party we were planning for you?"
Aarav looked at him calmly and thought,
Say whatever you want… but lying really is your specialty.
Venkatesh quickly signaled Sakshi and Kirti with his eyes.
Sakshi immediately nodded and said,
"Yeah! We were totally planning a party for you."
Venkatesh stood up, extended his hand, and said warmly,
"Congratulations, and happy birthday. I hope you achieve everything you want in life."
Sakshi and Kirti quickly added,
"Happy birthday, Aarav!"
Taking a bite of his food, Venkatesh continued,
"You know, when a son turns eighteen, he becomes a friend. So if you ever want to share anything, talk to me like a friend."
Hearing this, Aarav replied playfully,
"You're serious, right? You won't beat me later for it?"
Venkatesh waved his hand quickly.
"No, no!"
Aarav immediately placed a hand on Venkatesh's shoulder and grinned.
"Then, Rahul… since it's my birthday today, why don't the two brothers have a peg each?"
Venkatesh raised his hand threateningly.
"I'll hit you with a slipper if you say nonsense like that."
"What's wrong, Rahul? Why are you getting angry?" Aarav teased.
Before he could finish—
Venkatesh suddenly stood up and moved toward him.
Aarav instantly jumped from his seat and ran.
"Sorry, Papa! I was just joking!"
Everyone burst into laughter as they watched the drama unfolding between Aarav and Venkatesh, the tension dissolving into warmth and amusement around the table.