Morning arrived quietly.
The alarm rang at six sharp.
He woke instantly—no snooze, no delay. Studying at Delhi University meant discipline was survival, especially when living alone. Rent, food, grades—everything depended on routine.
He cleaned his small one-room apartment first. Bed fixed. Desk cleared. Laptop aligned beside a stack of notes labeled Algorithms, Data Structures, and Statistics.
Computer Science.
That was his world.
Breakfast was simple. Toast. Synth-protein spread. Tea brewed manually—one of the few habits he refused to automate.
By seven, he locked the door and joined the city flow.
---
The Delhi Metro 3100 moved without sound, sliding over magnetic rails that shimmered faintly blue. Transparent displays projected schedules, orbital weather updates, and academic announcements. Students from different universities stood together, absorbed in tablets or neural screens.
He watched data patterns scroll across a public display, instinctively analyzing traffic predictions.
One day, he thought, I'll build systems like this.
His goal was clear:
Data Scientist.
Someone who understood patterns hidden inside chaos.
---
Classes passed steadily.
At Delhi University, competition was intense. He wasn't the loudest, but his attendance was perfect. Answers came when asked. Group work made him quieter, but one-on-one discussions pulled him out of his shell.
By 5 PM, his academic day ended.
Work didn't.
---
The cyber café glowed softly with rows of terminals and immersive screens. Here, he reset systems, helped customers, managed networks. Simple work—but it kept him close to technology.
His job partner joked while shutting down servers. He smiled, responded a little more than usual. Comfort changed him.
When the shift ended, they walked part of the way home together before separating near a junction.
That was when he saw her.
A girl near his apartment entrance. New. Unfamiliar.
His pace slowed.
Then memory shut it down.
Past feelings. Wrong trust. Long silence.
"No," he told himself softly.
"Not again."
He turned away.
---
A shout echoed from the alley.
A woman stood surrounded by three power-users.
One of them played with fire, flames dancing carelessly around his fingers.
"Please," the woman whispered.
The young man stepped forward before logic caught up.
"Hey," he said, calm but firm. "Leave her alone."
They laughed.
"You normal?" the fire-user sneered.
He raised his hands. "Not worth it."
The answer was violence.
He dodged the first strike instinctively. His body moved before fear registered.
The second attack landed.
Fire slammed into his chest.
Pain exploded. His body hit the wall hard.
Darkness claimed him.
---
Time fractured.
Then breath returned.
He pushed himself up, coughing.
Something had changed.
Not outside.
Inside.
Pain faded behind clarity.
Hydrogen. Oxygen.
They weren't concepts. They were information.
He combined them.
Water formed instantly—clean, dense.
The flames died mid-air.
The force struck the fire-user, dropping him unconscious. The others ran.
Silence.
He helped the woman to her feet. She thanked him, shaking, before escaping down the street.
At home later, lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling fan rotate slowly, his mind raced.
Data.
Patterns.
Possibility.
What… is this power?
In a universe drowning in chaos—
A future data scientist had just altered reality.
And he didn't even know how yet