While the halls of Shri Vidya Mandir were beginning to breathe with the new order of the Ravens, a different, suffocating atmosphere reigned in the industrial outskirts of the city. Deep within a cavernous, shadow-drenched warehouse—the fortress of the V Kaisen gang—the air was thick with the scent of cheap tobacco and rust.
In the centre of this gloom sat Veer. He was a mountain of a man, his muscles straining against a worn leather jacket. But his most terrifying feature was the jagged, deep scar that bisected his left eyebrow. It was a permanent relic of the year 2021—the year he had survived his final, bloody clash with the legendary Rudra. For years, Veer had been the shadow king of Hyderabad's school gangs, a sovereign who had built his empire on the ashes Rudra left behind.
"Kya ye afwah sach hai?" (Is this rumour true?) Veer asked. His voice wasn't a shout; it was a cold, low rasp that seemed to suck the oxygen out of the room. The men around him visibly flinched.
A scout, whose knees were knocking together in sheer terror, stepped into the faint light of a hanging bulb. "Haan, Boss," he stammered. "Karan ko sirf paanch second mein dher kar diya. Sirf ek punch... aur Ishaan? Use toh aise zameen par patka jaise koi raddi ka kapda ho (He slammed him into the ground like a piece of scrap cloth). Us naye ladke ka naam Ekam Sanjeevan hai."
Veer's reaction was visceral. He was holding a soda can, and in one sudden, violent motion, his grip tightened until the aluminium shrieked and crumpled. The liquid erupted, splashing across his face and dripping down his old scar. He didn't blink. His eyes remained fixed on the darkness, burning with a mix of hatred and a ghost of a fear he hadn't felt in years.
"Paanch second?" Veer whispered, his jaw tightening so hard the bone looked ready to snap. "Rudra ko bhi Karan ko uski aukat dikhane mein isse zyada waqt lagta thha. Aur ab shehar ke log use Rank Zero bula rahe hain? (Even Rudra took more time to put Karan in his place. And now the city calls him Rank Zero?)"
The scout nodded frantically, adding that the Ravens were officially back and had unified the Science and Commerce wings. To Veer, this wasn't just a school matter; it was a declaration of war. He had spent years ensuring the Ravens stayed buried. He could not accept that a "transfer student" from Jharkhand was now playing 'King of the Hill' in his territory.
"Ravens toh Rudra ke saath hi dafan ho gaye thhe (Ravens were buried with Rudra)," Veer growled, standing up. His massive silhouette loomed over his men like a storm cloud. "Main Jharkhand se aaye kisi 'transfer student' ko is shehar mein 'King of the Hill' nahi khelne dunga. Agar wo sach mein Rank Zero hai, toh wo us har ek cheez ke liye khatra hai jo humne khoon-pasina baha kar banayi hai."
Veer decided he would not wait for the threat to grow. He pulled out his phone, went Live on social media, and issued a proclamation that shook the city: "Hello Hyderabad... I've heard the Ravens are back. If you want my throne, meet me at Necklace Road tomorrow at sunset for a Gang War. If the Ravens win, the city is theirs. If not, they vanish forever."