Chapter 4: The Test of Strength
The next morning felt different electric almost. Aarav could feel a soft buzzing under his skin as if tiny lightning bolts were dancing through his veins. It was a Saturday, which meant no school.
He had the entire day to explore what was happening to him.
The cube was still beside his bed, dim but warm. He picked it up, half expecting it to speak or glow again, but it remained silent.
He placed it in his backpack and decided to take a walk to the nearby park.
As he stepped outside, the sunlight felt warmer than usual, and the breeze carried a faint hum like static before a storm. Everything felt heightened again.
The rustling leaves, the distant bark of a dog, even the thud of his own heartbeat in his chest.
In the park, he made his way to the far end, near the old banyan tree where no one usually went. There, he could experiment in peace.
First, he stood still, closed his eyes, and focused. He thought of the pen flying into his hand yesterday.
"Come here," he whispered, pointing at a stone nearby.
The stone didn't move.
He tried again, this time with more focus, imagining an invisible string between his palm and the object. The stone wobbled… then rolled slowly toward him.
He gasped.
Gravitational pull. Just like the Earth's force but under his control.
He looked around, spotted a metal water bottle lying abandoned. He concentrated again.
The bottle didn't move, but he felt a different tug in his hand—like two magnets trying to connect. It jerked slightly. Magnetic force?
Excited, Aarav ran through the woods behind the park.
He found a thick tree branch and tried lifting it. It was heavy—too heavy for a boy his size. But as he tightened his grip, something shifted inside him.
A sudden burst of strength surged through his arms.
He lifted the branch like it weighed nothing.
His eyes widened.
Super strength.
This was real.
He wasn't just in another universe he was becoming something else. Something more.
Later that afternoon, he was back in the apartment building courtyard. Kids were playing cricket. Meera was there too, laughing with her friends. Aarav stayed at the edge, nervous about testing his powers in front of others.
But when the ball flew high over the fence and into the street, Aarav sprinted for it before anyone else could.
The ball rolled under a parked car. He dropped to his knees and reached for it.
His fingers brushed the ball but his hand slipped.
He reached again, focused.
The ball moved…then floated slightly off the ground and into his hand.
He froze.
Meera had just walked up behind him.
"Did… did you just lift that without touching it?"
Aarav quickly dropped the ball. "No! I mean I was just lucky."
She raised an eyebrow. "Hmm… okay. But that looked weird."
Before he could answer, a loud screech rang out.
Everyone turned.
A motorcycle had lost control at the corner and was sliding toward a group of kids.
Without thinking, Aarav dashed forward. Time slowed in his mind. He focused, arms out. The bike was inches from the kids—then suddenly it stopped in midair.
Everyone gasped.
The bike hung frozen for a heartbeat before gently thudding to the ground.
Aarav blinked. His hands were trembling.
People rushed to the biker, who was fine but shaken.
But more eyes were now on Aarav. Meera especially.
"What did you do?" she whispered.
He didn't know how to answer.
The crowd soon dispersed, and Meera stayed behind. She walked with Aarav to the building entrance.
"You've changed," she said softly. "Since yesterday. You're… different."
He swallowed. "Can you keep a secret?"
Meera nodded.
Aarav opened his backpack, revealing the glowing cube.
"This… did something. And I think I'm not from here. Not this version of here."
Her eyes widened, but she didn't laugh or mock him.
Instead, she said, "Okay. Then we figure it out together."
For the first time, Aarav felt something he hadn't felt since this all began—relief.
He wasn't alone anymore.