CHAPTER 18

**The Test Begins**

 Sheena, having been intrigued by Veer's unusual maturity, decides to set up a simple but revealing test that a 13-year-old might handle. She wants to gauge his intelligence without overwhelming him. She begins by giving him a task that seems ordinary but requires creative thinking. Perhaps it could involve solving a logic puzzle or something related to basic business scenarios. She frames it as a game to avoid making Veer feel like he's being examined.

 Veer quickly understands that Sheena is testing him. Internally, he feels the pressure, but outwardly he maintains a calm facade. He thinks, *"She's expecting me to be smart, but not too smart."* Veer decides to hold back a little, knowing that showing too much intelligence could raise further suspicion. He tries to balance between being a bright kid and not giving away his advantage.

 **Outcome:**

 Veer successfully completes the task, impressing Sheena enough for her to think he is a special child, but not alarmingly so. She considers the possibility that he might be from an influential or powerful family, even though the police have found no trace of his origins.

 After the test, Veer has a private moment of reflection. He's starting to understand more about the world he's in. He pieces together that Sheena and her family are highly influential. He also realizes that in this new world, he's on his own—there's no record of him anywhere, and he needs to be careful about how much of his intellect he shows. This is a chance for him to rebuild himself, but also a risk if he missteps.

 Veer grapples with his growing ambition. He wants to seize this opportunity and learn everything he can to become powerful, but he knows he must move cautiously. He considers his options again: should he rely on Sheena's family or try to carve his own path? Should he take advantage of the wealth and influence around him, or would that entangle him in dangerous politics?

 **Resolution:**

 He decides to keep a low profile for now, slowly learning more about Sheena and her business empire. However, his heart is set on gaining enough knowledge to eventually live independently and seek out his goals.

 After seeing how Veer handled the test, Sheena is impressed. She also feels a growing sense of responsibility toward him. She's still unsure whether to adopt him or to continue searching for his origins. Deep down, she worries that if Veer is from a powerful family, they may come looking for him, which could complicate her own life and business dealings.

As Sheena dialed her husband's number, her thoughts were conflicted. When he picked up, his voice was steady, reassuring in a way that always calmed her.

"Hey," he said warmly. "Everything alright?"

"It's about Veer," Sheena began, trying to gather her thoughts. "I don't know... there's something about him. He's smart, resilient, almost too much for someone in his situation. I admire him, but I also can't shake this feeling."

Her husband listened quietly before responding, his tone practical. "I get that, Sheena. He's been through a lot, and I can see why you'd feel that way. But we don't really know where he came from, what he's been through. There are gaps, and we need to be careful."

Sheena sighed. "I know. I just... I don't want to misjudge him, you know? What if he's really just trying to survive like the rest of us?"

"I get it," he said gently. "But it's smart to keep an eye on him. Let's not jump to conclusions. Keep him close, and we'll see if we can learn more about his past quietly. Just to be sure."

Sheena nodded, feeling a little better. "Alright. I'll watch him. I just hope we're not overthinking this."

"We're not," he reassured her. "We just need to be careful. Keep him close, stay observant. We'll figure it out." 

She hung up, her mind a little clearer, trusting in her husband's steady approach.

 Veer grows closer to Sonia as well. Their conversations reflect the tension of their shared experience during the kidnapping, but also a budding friendship. Sonia looks up to Veer, and Veer starts to see her as a potential ally, even though she's still just a kid like him. He begins to subtly encourage her to trust him more, knowing that she could be a key connection in his future plans.

---

**8th October, 2001**

In a luxurious villa, the sun's rays crept into the room, gently pulling Veer out of his deep sleep. He stirred, blinked, and stretched his arms toward the sunlight, feeling conflicted as the warmth touched his face. He couldn't help but chuckle, thinking about how the sun rose and shone every day, no matter what chaos was happening in the world or his life.

"Life moves as it will, indifferent to your plans or struggles. Do your best where you can, and let go of what you cannot control," he murmured to himself, remembering the motto he used to repeat back when he kept screwing up in his past life.

But today felt different. The surge of willpower within him was hard to ignore as he spoke aloud, almost to reaffirm his resolve, "Veer, forget everything. Look around you, man. You're somewhere most people only dream of being... Well, maybe some fanfic readers made it here too, but you've got the chance to do anything you want. Don't waste it. And to do that, you need power... true power. The human body has unlimited potential, and that's where I'll start. It's a slow process, but I can't afford to stop."

After pumping himself up, Veer swung his legs out of bed and made his way to the bathroom. As he stared into the mirror, his reflection gave him pause. He started to think about how he could make the most of this new life, to become something more than the lazy, unfocused kid he used to be. 

"My looks are... way too bland," he noted, scowling at his average appearance. "And my body... ugh, it's just a regular, out-of-shape teenager's. But... I can feel it. Every day, I feel lighter, more energetic. It's as if my soul is adjusting to this body, anchoring itself. The more in tune I get with my soul, the stronger I feel."

For a moment, his thoughts wandered to the companions he'd lost during his chaotic dimensional journey—Shadow and his cloaked brother. His heart tightened, hoping they were safe wherever they might be. 

"Maybe they're here too, somewhere... I'll find them... or they'll find me," Veer muttered to himself before shaking his head. "But for now, I need to focus on myself. I have to become powerful enough to handle whatever's coming."

He smirked slightly, recalling various martial arts stories and cultivation novels. "Yeah, Murim world's approach makes sense. Build a strong foundation. This body needs to catch up with my soul, and then... maybe I can contact Shadow and the others."

That thought gave him a glimmer of hope, but he quickly pushed it aside. "Focus on today, Veer. Stop thinking too far ahead. If you keep thinking like this, you'll mess up again. You barely survived those kidnappers. Next time, you might not be so lucky."

With that final pep talk, Veer finished freshening up and wrapped a towel around himself. As he stepped out of the bathroom, he noticed some clothes neatly placed on a chair—a plain T-shirt and shorts that went well past his knees. 

He sighed at the sight of the cartoonish Superman logo on the T-shirt. "Superman, huh? At least DC comics are a thing here... but I'm not risking another nightmare world. Not now."

Dressed, he made his way downstairs, curious about the rest of the house and maybe even the neighborhood. As he descended the staircase, he spotted Sheena sitting on the couch in the hall, talking to a middle-aged woman, likely her secretary. Both women paused when they saw him, and Veer greeted them politely.

"Hello, Sheena didi. Hello, didi," Veer said, using the term 'sister' instead of 'aunty.'

The women shared surprised glances before Sheena chuckled. "Veer, I think we're at the age where 'aunty' fits better than 'didi.'"

Veer scratched the back of his head and lowered his voice. "I think you both look like elder sisters, not aunties. Aunties have wrinkles and... you know, they're a bit rounder. You two are beautiful."

The secretary laughed, and even Sheena couldn't suppress her smile. "Thank you, Veer. But... you know, Sonia also tries to butter me up when she needs something. Are you sure there's nothing you want?"

Hurriedly, Veer shook his head. "No, no, I swear! I was just telling the truth."

"Alright, alright, I believe you. Go on to the kitchen, the maid has already served breakfast. Sonia might still be asleep, or she could be causing a ruckus somewhere."

Veer smiled and hurried to the kitchen. Seeing the variety of dishes laid out, he felt a genuine sense of joy and dug in, savoring the flavors. There was some non-veg food, but he skipped it, his vegetarian habits from his past life still holding strong.

"Veer, forget the past," he muttered to himself. "Maybe try non-veg later... baby steps."

After finishing his meal, Sonia appeared, sprinting down the stairs. She immediately began scolding Veer for not waiting for her, prompting him to apologize profusely, which seemed to satisfy her. They ate together, and Sonia's animated chatter kept Veer entertained.

"Kids really do get attached quickly," Veer mused, watching her happily devour her meal.

Once breakfast was over, Sonia dragged him off to play, but Veer soon excused himself and headed for the TV. Sitting down in the hall, he switched it on and flipped through the news channels, catching up on the events of **2001**. As he listened, he found some eerie similarities to the world he had known, but with slight differences.

The news anchor reported, "Good evening, this is your news update for October 6, 2001..."

The mention of **9/11** and its impact, Bollywood gossip, stock market volatility, and even organized crime brought a sense of familiarity. But when Veer heard about a **Yaadein** movie starring **Sunny Deol** instead of **Hrithik Roshan**, he froze for a moment.

"Huh? Wait... that's not right. It was Hrithik in my world... So, things are different here. Maybe there's more. I just hope no supervillains are lurking around..." Veer muttered under his breath.

He smiled to himself but then quickly refocused. "Doesn't matter. This isn't my world. Focus on yourself first, Veer."

As he sat there, processing the subtle differences between this world and his previous one, he mentally prepared himself for whatever challenges lay ahead.

As Veer sat there processing the subtle differences between this world and his previous one, something popped into his head that made him pause for a moment. The **Kriss** movie.

"Hrithik Roshan played **Kriss**... wait, does that mean there's a *Kriss* in this world too?" Veer's heart raced for a moment. "If **Kriss** exists here, then... what about the supervillain? What if this world actually has **Kaal** running around somewhere? No way, right?"

The thought sent a shiver down his spine. He had seen the villain Kaal's terrifying powers in the movie—someone who could easily tear through a city. 

"Man, I hope *that* version of Kaal doesn't exist here. I do not want to deal with a guy who can control metals and heal like Wolverine. I barely survived those thugs, and now I'm worried about fictional supervillains?"

He chuckled at his own paranoia. But the more he thought about it, the more he couldn't shake the idea that anything could happen in this strange world. 

"Focus, Veer. No use getting distracted by some movie villain. Even if Kaal is real, it's not like he's gonna show up tomorrow. Just build yourself up. You'll deal with whatever comes when it happens." 

With that, Veer tried to brush off the unsettling thought and refocus on the task at hand—getting stronger, figuring out this world, and surviving whatever it might throw at him.

As Veer flipped through the news channels, a segment on the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks caught his eye. He leaned forward, watching as they talked about heightened security measures in Mumbai, global tensions, and how economies were fluctuating in the wake of the disaster.

"9/11 happened here too...," Veer muttered under his breath, a thoughtful frown forming. "So even in this world, the darkness isn't too far beneath the surface. The same organizations, the same bad people, always lurking, no matter where you go."

He exhaled slowly, realizing that no matter which world he found himself in, there would always be threats—whether from thugs in the jungle, terrorists, or maybe even supervillains like Kaal.

"Seems like some things never change," he sighed, rubbing his temples. "Guess I'm going to have to be prepared for anything—this world's got its fair share of dangers, just like my old one." 

Veer's resolve solidified as he thought about all the potential threats that existed. It was time to get serious about building his strength. This world might not be so different after all.