Chapter 1: The Ordinary End
Lakshman was just another face in the crowd—an ordinary man with a nine-to-five job and a quiet life. He worked as a software engineer in Mumbai, balancing lines of code and debugging software all day before making his way home through the bustling streets. The world was always in motion around him, yet his life moved with a quiet monotony.
This evening was no different—or so he thought.
It was late, the sun had already dipped behind the horizon, casting an orange glow over the chaotic city. Lakshman was walking home, earbuds in, music low, lost in his thoughts about the next day's deliverables. As he passed a busy intersection, something caught his eye.
A little boy—no more than seven—had broken free from his mother's grip and was running across the road to retrieve a dropped toy.
Time slowed.
A massive delivery truck, speeding through the intersection, had no time to stop. The driver saw the child too late.
Without a second thought, Lakshman threw off his bag, sprinted forward, and dove toward the child. With all the strength he had, he shoved the boy out of harm's way.
The last thing he saw was the truck's blinding headlights.
Then—nothing.
Darkness.
Silence.
But death wasn't the end.
---
Lakshman's eyes opened—or at least he thought they did. He was in a void: infinite, endless, and absolutely still. No stars, no ground, no body. Just... awareness.
"Well," a voice said, amused and oddly gentle, "that was quite the exit."
Before him appeared a figure—shifting, luminous, and impossible to define. It was a presence more than a person, radiating unfathomable power.
"Who... are you?" Lakshman asked, or maybe just thought.
"You may call me R.O.B.," the being said. "Random Omnipotent Being. You humans seem to like that term in your... what do you call it? 'Isekai' stories."
Lakshman blinked. "Wait. Are you telling me I died and... this is an isekai moment?"
The being chuckled. "Yes. You did a very noble thing back there. As a reward, I'm giving you a second chance—reincarnation into a new universe."
Lakshman's heart—or whatever was left of it—raced. "You're serious?"
"Deadly."
"Here's how it works," R.O.B. said, folding his ethereal arms. "You get two random powers from the Marvel Multiverse and one wish. Think carefully."
Lakshman barely had time to react when a spinning wheel of Marvel characters appeared in mid-air. It spun rapidly, names flashing across like a cosmic slot machine.
Click... click... click...
The wheel stopped.
Forge.
It spun again.
Sage.
"Lucky you," R.O.B. said. "One of the best minds and one of the best inventors. That's quite the combo."
Lakshman grinned. It was exactly the kind of build he'd dream of—brains, tech, combat strategy, and limitless creation potential.
"Now," R.O.B. said, growing serious, "your wish. Be wise."
Lakshman didn't need time to think. He'd read enough comics, watched enough movies, and consumed enough fan theories to know the danger of being an anomaly.
"I wish that no one, in any universe or timeline, will ever know I was reincarnated. Not as an outsider, not as an anomaly, not as an invader. Whatever changes my presence causes will be adjusted perfectly into the Marvel Multiverse as if I was always meant to be there. I want to truly belong to this world."
R.O.B. paused. Then he smiled.
"Excellent. A wish born from wisdom, not greed. Granted."
The void around Lakshman began to shimmer and collapse inward, forming light, sound, gravity—all sensations rushing back into his consciousness.
"Good luck, Lucky," R.O.B.'s voice echoed. "You're going to need it."
And just like that, he was gone.
Reborn.
In the Marvel Universe.