Manish cocked his head, "Bro, did you seriously knocked your head too heard. It's the 3rd of the march, 2003."
Aryan hesitantly lifted his gaze and looked down at his hands. His mind was rapidly whirring as though struggling to consolidate something important.
"3rd March...!" he muttered quietly as he tried to tame the confusion in his mind.
After a short interval, he turned toward his roommate.
"I need to go get some fresh air. You stay here," Aryan said to Manish, who looked at him with a little anxiety, then nodded but didn't speak.
Aryan acted purposefully and pulled the blazer down to straighten it. He wanted to look somewhat civilized before he went outside.
When he calmed himself, he walked out of the dormitory and began toward a small park just below the boys' hostel at IIM Ahmedabad, Indian Institute of Management.
The air was still a little chilled, and a soft breeze waved through the trees. Students were scattered here and there, some were aligned in small clusters, while others were seated individually with a book or a newspaper.
Aryan searched for an empty bench, finally stopping under a neem tree, leaning back and sitting in silence.
"So... have I genuinely been reincarnated in 2003?" While staring vacantly into the horizon, Aryan thought as his fingers stroked the back of his neck.
"And that... voice, that blue screen... A system?"He frowned.
"What does this Backhand King Maker System actually do?"
"Ding."
It was faint and mechanical but rang in his mind. At the same instance a translucent blue screen appeared right in front of him about 10 inches from his face.
"Welcome, Host," the same cold piecing voice from before.
"You are now fully linked with the Backhand King Maker System."
Aryan started to straighten up a little and narrowed his eyes at the screen.
"What exactly do you do?" he asked quietly.
The voice responded instantly.
"This system is here to help the Host create a shadow balance of national and political power. In line with your last wish in your previous life, this system will assist you in pulling your country together, without ever entering into public life - or politics."
Aryan frowned. "And how do I do that?"
"Through influence, finance, information, and control. You will work in the shadows, like a kingmaker. You can influence all levels of society from students to ministers, media to bureaucracy, business to judiciary all through the system's assets and capabilities. But first…."
There was another sound.
"ding."
"You have received your Novice Gift."
The screen became different. A new pop-up opened.
[Novice Gift Bundle Activated]
Shadow Organization: Empyrean Bank (S Tier)
Seed Funds: ₹1,00,00,000 (Black Funds, trace-resistant)
Basic Talent: Political Web Investigation (Tier 1)
Shadow Network Node: 1 (Use to recruit your first contact)
Aryan blinked. "Wait, wait... a bank?"
"Yes. Empyrean Bank is easily one of the largest underground banks in the world. It doesn't exist on the books in the open. No monitoring system can see its accounts. It has offshore accounts in Switzerland, Singapore and Caymans, all with the highest degree of anonymity."
Aryan slowly stood up, taking a few steps back, almost needing to get distance from what he learned.
"So... you're giving me an invisible global-tier bank... just like that?" he said cautiously.
"Not just that. The Bank was created by the System's Reality-Manifesting Protocol. Because its established physical infrastructure exists. The terminal you control has been 'bound' and assigned to your 'biometric identity.' From today, you are the Founder and Chairman of Empyrean Bank."
Aryan let out a heavy sigh of relief. The reach of this power was more than he had ever imagined.
"And the money?
One crore? That's a lot of money in 2003...".
"This will be sufficient for initial planning. The funds can be deployed toward startups, political donations, media manipulation, or simply to stabilize the early infrastructure. Just keep in mind, the resource is a limited function of your actions. If you waste it, there will be no restitution."
Aryan rubbed his forehead, experiencing a racing mind.
This was no longer a dream. This was reality.
A secret global bank, a node of a shadow network, a powerful political operational interface...This was no simple reincarnation. This was a second chance, with tools to engineer the nation behind the curtain. He sat back down again and then looked at the screen, which now displayed several locked tabs; "Personnel", "Projects", "Web of Influence", and "Media Control".
Along with the tab for the "Empyrean Bank".
He pressed it. Almost immediately, an interface opened, looking somewhat like a high-end banking dashboard and being clean and minimalistic, with his name; Aryan Raj flashed at the top under the title "Chairman - Empyrean Bank".
It displayed; Balance: ₹1,00,00,000 (Liquid Capital - INR Equivalent).
Below for sub-accounts currently inactive; Domestic Lending, Media Investment, Political Funding, and Recruitment Reserve.
"This is crazy," Aryan said quietly, in his heart.
Wait a minute system, If I have already the banking system, how could I only one crore in my hand.
The system answered immediately, with the same steady, neutral tone reverberating in Aryan's mind.
"Host, you misinterpret. The ₹1 crore is not the limit of your wealth, it's simply the deployment amount for now without attracting cross-territory/global attention or resistance from the 'World Equilibrium Protocols.'"
Aryan furrowed his brow, eyes squinting and eyebrows creased. "World Equilibrium... what is that?"
"The system's Reality-Manifesting Protocol does not upset the equilibrium of the real world all at once, as the Empyrean Bank already exists with all its assets, investments, and infrastructure , however, your access will always be determined by your level of influence, actions and political maturity."
Another screen opened next to the banking tab.
It read:[System Authority Level: NOVICE]
Current Available Access: ₹1,00,00,000Locked Capital (Empyrean Global Holdings): $119.87 Billion.
Next Unlock Threshold: Influence Index 5 / Recruit 1 Shadow Contact / Launch First Operation.
Aryan slowly exhaled, resting his hand on the bench beside him, fixating on the glowing interface. The numbers felt unreal.
"So you're telling me I have a hidden empire, but I have to earn my way into controlling it?" He sounded both skeptical and fascinated.
"Correct."
The system's voice was steady. "If unlimited power is delivered all at once, even the most clever will fall under its weight. You will have to learn to navigate, to manipulate, to exercise restraint. Your development will allow you to unlock deeper tiers, each offering more funds, more capabilities, and more influence across the globe."
Aryan's lips tugged open, but he did not say anything. A chill wind blew through, pulling slightly at his sleeves..