Echoes of the Rooftop
HE WAS ON THE ROOF TOP
Then his phone rang.
"Yo," Rohit answered lazily.
The voice on the other side was urgent. "He's coming."
"Who?"
A pause. Then: "That mota... Veer."
Rohit laughed, coughing on his gum. "Him? What's he going to do—roll at me?"
"No, bro. He's... not the same. He's not fat anymore."
The line was cut.
Rohit's grin faltered. "What nonsense…"
Thirty Minutes Before – The Rooftop
A different class, two rooms away, screamed with noise. Voices raised, chairs falling. Someone had picked a fight.
That someone was Veer.
In his first public return to the school,
Veer didn't just walk in—he announced himself with fists. A group of Rohit's minions had been cornering a smaller student. Veer told them to stop. They laughed. So he broke their confidence, and then their noses.
Inside the room, three of Rohit's boys were on the ground. Bruised. Defeated.
Teachers rushed in. There was chaos. But Veer had already vanished.
The Rooftop
"Where is he?!" Rohit snapped.
The voice on the line hesitated. "Behind the door."
The rooftop door slammed open from behind—BANG!
It hit Rohit in the back, sending him stumbling forward onto his knees.
"Oof—what the hell?!"
A shadow stepped through.
Veer. He stood in the sunlight, arms crossed, wearing a plain black sleeveless hoodie. The same face, the same eyes—but a completely different body. Tall, broad, controlled. His shadow seemed to stretch over the rooftop.
"Oops," Veer said calmly. "Didn't see you there."
Rohit scrambled to his feet. "Who the hell are 'You don't remember?" Veer asked. "I remember everything. Every shove. Every slap. Every time you laughed while she cried."
Rohit blinked. "...Veer?"
Veer's expression didn't change. "You were expecting someone weaker, weren't you?"
Rohit growled. "So what? You think a few gym sessions and protein shakes make you a hero?"
"I didn't come here to be a hero," Veer replied. "I came here for answers."
Rohit lunged forward with a punch. Veer stepped aside cleanly, grabbing his wrist and twisting.
The sound of joints popping echoed on the rooftop.
Rohit screamed.
But Veer didn't stop there.
He let Rohit stumble back, then advanced with a quick jab to the ribs. Rohit gasped and fell again. In desperation, he reached out, grabbing for Veer's leg, trying to pull him down.
In that moment, Veer remembered something his mysterious instructor once said during a brutal Leg-defence drill:
"You're stronger now, but they'll still try to drag you into their weight. If they grab your leg, don't yank—kick. Create distance. Reclaim control."
Veer shifted his weight.
Then kicked.
Rohit rolled backwards, hit the rooftop wall, and groaned in pain.
Before he could react, Veer closed the distance and landed a solid punch across his jaw.
Blood sprayed. Rohit fell again.
"STOP!" Rohit gasped. "Why are you even doing this?! What's your problem?!"
Veer grabbed his collar and lifted him slightly.
"If you had answered her call that day," he said, voice trembling, "if you had come instead of mocking her… maybe none of this would've happened." ROHIT
VEER stared in confusion.
The rooftop blurred.
Veer's grip tightened.
His trauma flashed across his vision again—her body in the hospital bed, the bruises, the broken ligament, the silence in her eyes when she woke up after 12 days.
A single tear dropped from his eye
His heart raced.
He let go of Rohit... and turned his head away.
That was his mistake.
Rohit, seeing Veer drop his guard, rushed forward in rage and punched him hard in the face. Once. Twice. Then a third.
Veer stumbled, vision blurring.
Rohit grinned. "That's what I thought! You still break down like a little boy!"
But before Rohit could punch again, Veer snapped back into focus.
He blocked.
Then another memory hit—his instructor's voice.
"Emotion can distract you. But pain? Pain can focus you."
Rohit tried to grab again—this time Veer sidestepped, swept his leg, and slammed him down with a controlled takedown. He pinned him, fists raised.
"Not this time," Veer whispered.
Just then, the rooftop door burst open.
"What the hell is going on here?!"
It was Mr. Prashant, their PE teacher. Behind him were two other staff members and some shocked students.
Rohit lay on the floor, panting.
Veer stood tall, bruised, fists clenched—but in control.
"Fighting? On the school rooftop?! Have you lost your mind?!" the teacher shouted.
Veer turned, stepped back from Rohit, and wiped blood from his mouth. "I didn't start it."
Mr. Chaudhary looked between them. "Come down. Both of you. Now."
As Veer turned to leave, Rohit muttered under his breath, "This isn't over…"
But Veer didn't respond.
He just walked toward the stairs, breathing heavily, his fists finally beginning to loosen.
From below, students were gathering. They had seen what happened in class earlier. News had spread.
Some pointed. Some cheered. Some simply stood in stunned silence.
He thought this fight may be over, but the war for justice is just beginning.
End of Chapter 5
Chapter 6: The Meeting of Fathers