The land remained crowded with people going about their daily lives.
Merchants sold glowing fruits.
Adventurers gathered around quest boards.
A group of children chased a tiny dragon through the market.
Some hurried to work.
Some chatted with friends.
Some simply enjoyed the day.
Adhiraj’s gaze moved from one person to another.
“How many worlds have we checked already?”
Vikrant sat beneath a tree nearby, drinking coconut water through a straw.
“I stopped counting.”
Adhiraj shifted his eyes to him.
“And you’re drinking coconut water.”
Vikrant matched his gaze directly.
“What else am I supposed to do?”
“We are searching for Asha.” Adhiraj replied.
Vikrant: “Yes, we are.”
Adhiraj: “Then why are you relaxing?”
Vikrant took another sip.
“Because panicking won’t help us find her.
And do you know how many universes we’ve covered since we started?
One, two, three…
then I stopped counting and we got nothing.
Do you know where actually she is?”
His eyes drifted toward the crowd.
“Now we are in this universe.
And I don’t even know what this universe is called.”
Thousands of unfamiliar faces passed before them.
Children laughed.
Shopkeepers called out to customers.
Vehicles moved through the streets.
Not a single person paid attention to them.
Vikrant stared at the crowd for a few seconds.
Then he spoke quietly.
“What’s your age, Big Brother?”
Adhiraj remained silent for a moment.
Then he turned toward him.
“One hundred sixty-five.”
“At this age, you reached EX Rank.” Vikrant shifted his gaze toward him.
Adhiraj did not answer immediately.
Instead, he simply looked around at the busy street.
After a few moments, he walked closer.
“And you?” His eyes moved up and down Vikrant.
“S Rank.”
Vikrant awkwardly looked away.
“I’m only one hundred nineteen.”
He paused—
“Three years younger than Urvashi.”
Adhiraj stared at him.
Vikrant immediately stood up.
“Anyway.” He clapped his hands once.
Operation: Find Asha Didi starts now.”
Then—
His gaze suddenly locked onto someone in the crowd.
His eyes widened.
“Hey, Ramesh!”
A young man in simple clothes turned around in confusion.
“…Who are you?”
“What?” the smile on Vikrant’s face froze.
“Do I know you?” the man frowned slightly.
“Sorry, but I think you’ve mistaken me for someone else.”
Silence—
Vikrant stared at the man for several seconds.
Then his expression slowly turned awkward.
“Wait…
you’re not Ramesh?”
“I’m Ramesh, but I don’t know you.”
“Not even a little?”
“No.”
“…”
“…”
Vikrant raised his gaze toward the sky.
“Lord Shiva, my friend doesn’t even recognize me.
What is wrong with this parallel universe?
That’s something he should know about me, at the very least.”
Adhiraj placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Vikrant, this is an alternative universe.”
Vikrant looked as if his heart had shattered into a million pieces, but his eyes stubbornly refused to produce a single tear.
“Ramesh, my friend…” he said in a wounded voice.
Adhiraj stared at him.
“You met him two minutes ago.”
Ramesh looked at them with an annoyed expression.
“I’m not dead, and I’m not your Ramesh.
Go back to your own universe then hug your friend.”
A brief pause, then—
“And listen.
Judging by the nonsense you two were barking about earlier, this is a parallel universe, not an alternative one.
I’m an adventurer!”
He turned and walked away, looking thoroughly disgusted.
“Who knows where all these weird creatures keep coming from.
They show up out of nowhere and suddenly become family just to get free food and a place to stay,” he muttered under his breath, but Vikrant and Adhiraj could hear it.
Vikrant and Adhiraj remained silent.
“…”
“…”
Vikrant slowly turned his head toward Adhiraj.
“Big Brother.”
“What?”
“We just got scolded by a random adventurer.”
“Yes.”
“And he was right.”
“Technically…
yes.”
Another silence followed.
Vikrant looked toward the direction Ramesh had left.
“Should we apologize?”
“No.”
“Should we beat him up?”
“No.”
“Should we pretend this never happened?”
Adhiraj nodded.
Vikrant immediately pointed at the sky.
“Look!
Asha Didi!”
Adhiraj instinctively looked up.
But nothing was there.
When he looked back down, Vikrant was already walking away.
“Vikrant.”
“Yes?”
“Running away does not erase your embarrassment.”
“It helps.”
*
*
*
Inside Mahashunya Vishwavidyalaya, a voice echoed through the broadcast speakers.
“तृतीयवर्षस्य सर्वे छात्राः, कृपया ध्यानं दत्त।”
“आचार्यः सूर्यवर्धनः अद्य अनुपस्थितः अस्ति। अतः अद्य कक्षा निरस्ता अस्ति।”
“स्वेच्छया अभियानेषु अथवा विविधकार्यक्रमेषु सहभागं कुरुत।”
(All third-year students, please pay attention.)
(Teacher Suryavardhana is absent today.
Therefore, today’s class is cancelled.)
(You may voluntarily participate in campaigns or various activities.)
A nearby female student turned to her friend.
“Savitri…
don’t you think Rambika’s voice is really cute?”
Savitri finished her meal and remained silent for a moment, as if carefully choosing her words.
“I don’t know much about vocals, but many students call her the ‘Kokila of Mahashunya Vishwavidyalaya.'”
At a nearby table, Rohini and Rupavati were sitting together.
Rohini had been listening to their conversation.
“Savitri, Satyavati…”
Both students turned toward her.
“What are your plans now?
The third-year classes have been cancelled.” Rohini looked at them.
Savitri checked her phone before replying.
“There is an event at the Central Arena.”
Satyavati leaned forward.
“What kind of event?”
Savitri scrolled through the announcement.
“Looks like a Team Quest Event.”
“A team quest?” Rohini asked.
Savitri nodded.
“All-years students can participate.
Teams of four.
The winning team receives contribution points.”
Rupavati, who had remained silent until now, suddenly looked up.
“How many points?”
Savitri glanced at the screen.
“Fifty thousand.”
Silence fell over the table.
Then Satyavati nearly choked.
“Fifty thousand?!”
Several nearby students turned toward her.
Satyavati lowered her voice immediately.
“That’s a lot of points.”
“And enough to buy lemon juice for a month,” Rohini added.
Rupavati stood up without hesitation.
“We are participating.”
The other three stared at her.
Savitri blinked.
“Didi, when did we agree to form a team?”
Rupavati remained expressionless.
“Just now.”
“That’s not how team formation works.”
“It works.”
Satyavati covered her face.
“Why do I feel like we’re about to embarrass ourselves in front of the entire university?”
Before anyone could answer, another notification appeared on Savitri’s phone.
She read it once.
Then read it again.
Her expression became strange.
“What happened?” Rohini asked.
Savitri slowly turned the screen toward them.
At the top of the announcement was a single line.
Special Guest Judge: Rambika.
The table immediately became quiet.
Satyavati pointed at the screen.
“The Kokila herself?”
Rohini sighed.
“I already know half the participants are joining because of that.”
Meanwhile—
A vehicle stopped in front of a massive university in Shunyagarbha City.
The door opened.
Vikrant stepped out and immediately complained.
“How rude was that duplicate Ramesh.
I never thought my closest friend would fail to recognize me one day.”
Adhiraj stepped out after him.
“That Ramesh wasn’t your Ramesh.”
Vikrant muttered under his breath.
“Yes, I know.
And don’t give me a lecture.”
Then he looked forward.
His eyes narrowed.
“Why does Adishunya Vishwavidyalaya look like a prison?”
Adhiraj followed his gaze.
“It is a prison.”
Vikrant turned toward him.
“I was speaking metaphorically.”
Adhiraj: “It is still a prison.”
Vikrant remained silent.
For a moment, he considered arguing.
Then he decided it wasn’t worth it.
Without waiting for a reply, Vikrant started walking toward the entrance.
Adhiraj followed behind him.
The moment they stepped through the main gate, Vikrant stopped walking.
Students moved through the campus in every direction.
Some carried books.
Some discussed assignments.
Some hurried toward their classes.
Others sat beneath trees reviewing notes.
Vikrant slowly looked around.
Then he took a deep breath.
Adhiraj continued walking.
“It is a university.
And why did you start your engine again?”
Vikrant pointed toward a building.
“What is that?”
“A lecture hall.”
“What do they do there?”
“Attend lectures.”
Vikrant’s expression became grave.
“So that is where the punishment takes place.”
Several nearby students turned toward him.
Adhiraj kept walking.
“It is called studying.”
Vikrant lowered his voice.
“Big Brother.”
“What?”
“Look at their faces.”
Adhiraj glanced around.
Vikrant pointed toward the students.
“Look at their faces.
Some look tired.
Some look sleepy.
Others look as if they have lost the will to live.
They have accepted their fate.”
“They are preparing for examinations.” Adhiraj corrected him.
“Exactly,” Vikrant said immediately.
Adhiraj remained silent.
A few moments later, they passed a notice board.
Hundreds of students stood nearby reading the latest notices.
Vikrant stared at it.
“A prisoner information board.”
“A notice board.” Adhiraj said slowly.
“Same thing,” Vikrant replied.
They continued walking.
Then Vikrant noticed a group of students running across the campus.
His eyes widened.
“They’re escaping.”
“They are late.”
“How did you know?”
“Because they are carrying books.”
Vikrant remained silent for a brief moment, then he pointed toward a distant building.
“What is that?”
“A library.”
“And that?”
“A laboratory.”
“And that?”
“A dormitory.”
Vikrant’s expression gradually became more serious.
“They even have separate prison blocks.”
Adhiraj ignored him.
A few students nearby overheard the conversation.
One of them looked at the university.
Then looked at Vikrant.
Then looked back at the university.
“…he’s not entirely wrong.”
His friend immediately nodded.
“I have three assignments this week.”
The first student sighed.
“I have six.”
Vikrant pointed at them.
“See?
Even the prisoners agree with me.”
“We are students,” one of them corrected.
“That’s what the administration wants you to believe.” Vikrant replied to them.
The two students stared at him.
Then slowly walked away.
Neither wanted to continue the conversation.
Adhiraj kept walking.
Vikrant followed behind him.
A few moments later, they arrived at a large open square near the center of the campus.
Thousands of students filled the area.
Some sat on benches.
Others were simply walking around and enjoying the view.
Several student groups were recruiting new members for their teams.
Vikrant’s eyes moved across the crowd.
Then suddenly—
“Vikrant…
The Superstar.”
A girl’s voice rang out through the crowd.
Many eyes shifted toward Vikrant and Adhiraj.
The next moment—
Voices erupted throughout the campus.
Camera shutters clicked from every direction.
“Hari Om Namah Shivay.”
“Ram Ram, Brother!”
“Please, an autograph!
Oh, sorry.
I’m a big fan.”
“Vikrant brother, why haven’t you participated in any shows for three years?”
“Radhe Krishna!
Vikrant.”
“I love watching all your shows.”
“You are so relatable.”
“Will you return to the entertainment industry, Big Bro?”
Vikrant and Adhiraj stood there like statues for a moment.
“Senior Brother…” Vikrant called in a low tone in surprise.
“Yes.” Adhiraj answered.
“Senior Brother, why does it suddenly feel like I’m a rare animal in a zoo and everyone is taking pictures of me?
I know I’m a star and have fans, but these fans feel like they have different intentions toward me.”
Something clicked in his mind.
“But wait, why couldn’t they recognize me at the entrance?”
Adhiraj covered his face with a hand and lowered his gaze.
“Because of the weird face you’ve been making since entering the university.
Most of these students are new here.
They recently graduated from high school.
Otherwise, most students treat you like a street dog that barks for no reason.”
Vikrant’s face turned off.
Knowing a name and knowing a person are two different things.