The room smelled faintly of antiseptic and hope.
White walls. A crying newborn. A mother's tears—this time of joy.
Somewhere in the distance, a nurse whispered, "It's a boy. Healthy. Strong lungs."
But the moment the child opened his eyes, the world seemed to pause.
Because the boy… remembered.
Not fragments. Not flashes. Everything.
---
"What the hell...?"
The voice wasn't a child's. It was that of a grown man. His thoughts were crisp, calculating. Stock market patterns. Cricket statistics. The sting of missed opportunities. The obsession with RCB. The heartbreak of India's losses. The thrill of Dhoni's 2011 World Cup six. Kohli's cover drives. Maxwell's switch hits.
He remembered dying at 36. Alone. Overworked. Wealthy, but empty.
He remembered watching a live stream the night before—RCB losing yet another playoff. His heart broke one last time. And then darkness.
Now, reborn into a new body. A baby's body. But with the mind of a seasoned analyst and the soul of a cricket fanatic.
"Reincarnation? This can't be real…"
But it was.
He could feel it. The clarity. The calmness in his mind. The warmth of the woman holding him—his new mother.
He looked up at her. Her eyes were misty, but kind. She was young, maybe in her early twenties, dressed in a silk saree, tired but glowing. Her touch was gentle, protective.
"Welcome to the world, my little lion," she whispered, kissing his forehead.
The name tag on her wrist said: Aparna Varma.
His father walked in seconds later. Tall, imposing, yet visibly emotional. A man who looked like he commanded boardrooms but melted in front of his newborn. He knelt beside the hospital bed, eyes locked on his son.
"We'll call him Aryan," he said firmly. "Aryan Varma."
Aryan. A name he'd have never picked in his old life. But somehow, it fit.
And then it happened.
A soft chime in his mind.
> [Cricket System Activated]
Welcome, Aryan Varma. The journey to cricketing greatness begins now.
He blinked.
"What…?"
A translucent blue screen floated in front of his vision—visible only to him.
It looked like something out of a video game.
[Status: Beginner | Age: 0 | Skill Level: 0]
[Batting: Locked | Bowling: Locked | Wicketkeeping: Locked]
[Skill Unlock Criteria: Start Physical Activity | Observe Matches | Access Knowledge Banks]
[Special Ability: Future Knowledge – Active]
[Passive Ability: Master Analyzer – Enhanced Strategic Thinking, Business Acumen, and Game Sense]
He could barely believe it.
He hadn't just been reborn. He had been reborn with a system. A tool. A cheat code. A companion that would help him live the dream he once thought impossible.
For the first time in both his lives, Aryan smiled.
This time, he wasn't going to be a spectator. He wasn't going to be the man who watched others make history.
He was going to play.
With Kohli. With Dhoni. With Maxwell. With Rohit. With Sachin.
For RCB. For India.
He was going to change it.