The night Rey stopped crying… the world unknowingly gained its future king.

The ceiling of Kabir’s apartment stared back at Reyansh as he lay awake, exhaustion pinning his limbs to the floor.

Sleep didn’t come.
Peace didn’t come.
But something else did—

Resolve.

For the first time since his family threw him into the streets, his mind wasn’t drowning in pain.

It was… sharpening.

The hunger had settled into his bones.
Now something hotter burned inside him.

A fire.

“Never Again.”

Reyansh sat up slowly.
The room was dark except for the dull glow of a streetlight slipping through the curtains.

His voice was gravel when he whispered:

“I’m done crying.”

No more tears for Mira’s betrayal.
No more pain for his family’s cruelty.
No more bitterness for the nights he slept hungry.

“Never again,” he repeated, stronger this time.
The old Reyansh—the obedient son, the loyal boyfriend, the boy who trusted—
died the night they threw him out.

What remained was someone new.
Someone hungrier.
Someone unbreakable.

Kabir Sees the Change

Kabir woke up on the couch and found Rey already sitting at the small dining table, staring at a blank notebook.

Kabir rubbed his eyes.
“Bro… you didn’t sleep?”

Rey didn’t look up.
“Sleep is a luxury. I can’t afford it.”

Kabir frowned. “Rey, don’t become stone.”

Reyansh finally raised his head.

“I’m not turning into stone,” he said softly.

A faint, dangerous smile touched his lips.

“I’m turning into fire.”

Kabir stilled.

This was new.
This was different.
This wasn’t the Rey he picked off the streets.

This was the Rey who would change the world.

The First Idea

Reyansh tapped the notebook.

“I have a plan,” he said.
His voice steady, cold, controlled.

Kabir leaned forward. “Tell me.”

Reyansh pointed at the page where he had scribbled:

“Opportunity lives where people see inconvenience.”

Kabir squinted. “Meaning?”

Reyansh explained:

“You’ve seen me these past weeks. People complain about everything—traffic, late deliveries, mismanagement, unorganized small businesses…”
His eyes darkened with clarity.
“They don’t see solutions.
I do.”

Kabir’s breath caught.

This was the Reyansh who used to top business competitions before his family decided Arjun was the ‘better son.’

Reyansh continued:

“I want to create a small service—something simple. Something people need daily.
Delivery, repairs, errands…
Anything that saves time.”

Kabir nodded slowly.
“A multi-task service?”

Reyansh smirked.

“No. A life-management service.”

The word tasted powerful in his mouth.

Kabir whispered, “Rey… this could work.”

“It will,” Rey said.
“Because I’ll make it work.”

The Promise to Himself

Rey closed the notebook and stood up.

He walked to the tiny bathroom mirror.
His reflection stared back—
bruised, tired, thinner than before…
but with eyes burning like molten gold.

He spoke to himself:

“From today…
every tear becomes a lesson.
Every insult becomes motivation.
Every fall becomes fuel.”

He wiped a stray tear from the corner of his eye—

the last tear of the old Reyansh.

“I will rise.
Not for them,” he whispered.

A slow smile curved on his lips.

“But because kings are born from fire…
not comfort.”

Kabir watched him silently, feeling goosebumps rise on his arms.

The world had kicked Reyansh out.

But today?

He just took his first step toward ruling it.