The world had changed.
No one knew exactly **how** or **why,** but Earth was no longer the same planet it had been just a few months ago.
The sky stretched **higher,** the horizon seemed **farther,** and the **oceans swallowed entire coastlines overnight.** Mountains that once stood as solitary sentinels had been **dwarfed** by new peaks that defied logic. The **moon loomed closer,** and tides had gone wild.
Governments and scientists scrambled to make sense of it all. There were **theories—many theories.**
But no **answers.**
The only undeniable truth was that Earth had somehow **expanded fivefold.** And yet, despite this **insane** increase in size, **gravity had not changed.** The air still felt the same. People's bodies remained the same. **Physics should have broken down completely—yet life went on.**
And then, the **whispers began.**
They started faintly, like echoes at the edge of hearing.
Then, one day, the **world itself spoke.**
---
**{Initialization Complete. Akashic Record Linked to Planetary Consciousness.}**
**{Calculating Life Experience… Assigning Classes and Talents…}**
---
The messages appeared in everyone’s minds **simultaneously.**
It wasn’t a hallucination. It wasn’t a dream.
The world had become… **something else.**
And amidst this grand mystery, utterly unaware of his impending misfortune, was **Kiran.**
Stolen story; please report.
---
**"I hate alarms."**
Kiran groaned as his phone blared in his ears, vibrating aggressively against the rickety wooden nightstand of his cramped hostel room.
Slapping at the screen with barely functional motor skills, he finally silenced it and stared blearily at the ceiling.
(What time is it…?)
His eyes flicked to the clock. **6:00 AM.**
For a long moment, he simply lay there, resisting the temptation to sink back into unconsciousness.
Then, **it hit him.**
(Today… I’m going home.)
Suddenly, he was awake.
It had been **six months** since he’d last visited home. Not because he hadn’t wanted to—but because **everything had gone to hell.**
First, university life had swallowed him whole. Then, the world had… well, **changed.**
Kiran had seen the signs like everyone else.
The land had stretched. The sky had shifted. Tides had become unpredictable. **Birds had started acting weird.**
And then, of course, there was **the voice.**
That damn **Akashic Record.**
---
At first, Kiran had thought he was **losing his mind.**
The first message had come without warning:
**{Calculating Life Experience…}**
That was it.
No explanation, no instructions. Just a cryptic statement that felt less like an external voice and more like a **truth etched into reality itself.**
At first, he had ignored it. But then…
It had **stayed.**
Every so often, in the quiet moments between thoughts, he would **feel** the Akashic Record’s presence, watching, analyzing.
Not just him. **Everyone.**
People had reported hearing the same thing. But no one knew what it **meant.**
Some believed it was the voice of God.
Some thought it was a **new stage of human evolution.**
Others feared it was the prelude to **something far worse.**
Kiran?
He didn’t care what it was.
He just wanted to **go home.**
---
Kiran rolled out of bed and started going through his **checklist.**
- **Spare clothes?** Packed.
- **Food rations?** Enough to last three days.
- **First-aid kit?** Fully stocked.
- **A multipurpose survival knife hidden in his luggage?** Obviously.
- **Pocket flashlight, extra batteries, rope, and duct tape?** Check, check, and check.
Some might say he was **paranoid.**
He preferred to call it **being prepared.**
Because if there was one thing Kiran had learned in life, it was this:
**If something can go wrong, it absolutely will.**
---
From the moment he was born, Kiran had been followed by **disaster.**
Not just bad luck in the normal sense—not just missed buses or lost wallets.
**No.**
His bad luck was **on another level.**
- His first **bike ride** ended with an actual **eagle attack.**
- His first **train ride** derailed because of a **freak mechanical failure.**
- His first **plane trip**? Emergency landing due to **engine failure.**
- He once tried **hiking**—a **freak landslide almost buried him alive.**
And that was just **the beginning.**
At some point, Kiran had **stopped being surprised.**
Instead, he had learned to **adapt.**
He had learned to **prepare for the worst.**
He wasn’t some weakling who just accepted fate. If bad luck was going to chase him forever—then he would fight back with **over-preparedness.**
That’s why today, as he prepared to leave for home, he made sure his bags were **packed for the apocalypse.**
Because deep down, he **knew.**
