In a voice too low for anyone to understand, Maruti muttered under her breath, "भाड़ में जाये सब..." (Fuck everything.)
The bully, confused by Maruti's quiet words, took a step closer. "What did ya say—"
Before she could finish her sentence, Maruti grabbed the steel plate in front of her with a lightning-quick movement.
BANG!
Without hesitation, Maruti slammed the plate directly into the girl's face. The impact was so powerful that the girl's body flipped backward, her legs flying up as she crashed onto the floor with a thud. Her eyes were wide, blinking in shock, not even understanding what had just happened.
The cafeteria went completely silent.
Maruti stood tall, her once emotionless face now lit up with a fierce determination. The rest of the bully's group stared at her in disbelief, frozen for a moment. But Maruti wasn't done. She calmly cracked her knuckles, her gaze cold and unbothered.
One of the other girls stepped forward, trying to act tough. "You think you can—"
Before she could finish, Maruti moved with blinding speed, despite her size. She delivered a swift roundhouse kick to the girl's stomach, sending her flying into the nearby wall. The force was so strong that a small crack appeared in the wall where she hit. The girl slumped to the ground, groaning in pain.
Another girl from the group lunged at Maruti, but Maruti blocked her punch with ease. She grabbed the girl's arm and twisted it, flipping her onto the ground with one smooth motion. The girl screamed in pain as Maruti's supernatural strength pinned her down with ease.
"How... how is she this strong?!" one of the bullies gasped, backing away in fear.
Maruti's eyes were sharp and focused now, her movements quick and efficient. She wasn't just strong—she had trained combat skills. With each motion, she was showing off her martial arts ability, a mix of brutal strength and precise technique.
Another girl, desperate to fight back, grabbed a chair and swung it at Maruti. But Maruti ducked effortlessly, dodging the attack. In one fluid motion, she threw an elbow strike into the girl's chest, knocking the wind out of her and sending her crashing to the floor.
The last two girls of the group tried to run, realizing they had no chance against her. But Maruti wasn't going to let them escape that easily. She grabbed one by the collar and tossed her aside like she weighed nothing, her body slamming into a table.
The other girl made a desperate dash for the door, but Maruti, with her towering height and long legs, reached her in seconds. She grabbed the back of the girl's shirt and lifted her off the ground effortlessly. With a simple flick of her wrist, she tossed the girl against the wall, leaving a noticeable dent in the plaster.
The entire cafeteria watched in stunned silence as Maruti stood victorious. The group of bullies was scattered on the floor, moaning in pain, bruised and defeated.
Maruti stood there, panting heavily. Although she had taken down those bullies with such speed and power despite her larger frame, the toll it took on her body was starting to show. Her breaths were ragged, her chest heaving as she wiped the sweat from her brow.
Instead of feeling victorious, though, a deep wave of disappointment washed over her. She glanced at the fallen girls, the mess she had caused, and shook her head, her face contorting with frustration.
"Shit... I ruined everything," she muttered under her breath, rubbing her forehead as if trying to ease the headache forming there. Her stomach twisted with regret.
Without another word, Maruti picked up her things and hurried out of the cafeteria, her sad expression drawing confused looks from the other students who had watched the whole scene unfold.
---
Later, on the academy rooftop, a place where one could see the entire campus and the surrounding area, Maruti stood alone. But instead of admiring the view, she had something far darker on her mind.
She stood right at the edge, inches away from the fall, staring blankly at the horizon. The cool breeze whipped through her short vermilion hair, but it did nothing to calm her. Her eyes were tired, her heart heavy. She clenched her hands into fists, feeling the roughness of the rooftop beneath her feet.
Maruti closed her eyes tightly, trying to block out everything, the pain, the shame, the overwhelming emptiness that had been gnawing at her for so long.
"Time to end this fucking life!" she yelled, her voice raw, filled with a mixture of anger and despair. Her foot hovered over the edge, ready to step forward and fall.
But before she could, a voice from behind startled her.
"It's already the third time you're yelling this. When are you actually going to do it?" the voice said, calm but with an undertone of boredom, as if the speaker had heard this all before.
Maruti's eyes shot open, her heart skipping a beat. She quickly turned around to see a girl leaning casually against the rooftop railing, arms crossed over her chest. Her long black hair moved gently with the wind, and her sharp red eyes fixed on Maruti with an unimpressed gaze.
It was Esdeath Crimson.
Esdeath didn't look concerned, scared, or even curious. In fact, she looked like she had grown tired of this scene, as if Maruti's cry for help was nothing more than a routine she'd witnessed before.
Maruti blinked in surprise, her mind racing. "Esdeath..." she whispered, her voice shaky.
Esdeath sighed and pushed herself off the railing, walking slowly toward Maruti with an expression that could only be described as exasperated. "If you're going to jump, just do it already," she said flatly, her voice cutting through the silence. "You know what?, I bet you can't do it!" She challenged.
Maruti's mouth went dry, her heart pounding in her chest as she clenched her teeth in frustration. She shot a glare at Esdeath, who stood there unfazed, her red eyes gleaming with a mixture of boredom and challenge. Maruti had planned on jumping just moments ago, but something about Esdeath's presence and her dismissive tone made her hesitate. Instead of leaping forward, she took a step back, her fists trembling.
"You know what?" Maruti said, her voice strained with annoyance. "Why should I follow your orders? I'm not jumping!"
Esdeath let out an exaggerated sigh, crossing her arms as if the whole situation was a waste of time. "I told ya'," she said with a mocking smile. "You don't have the guts to jump."
Maruti's face twisted with anger, her pride wounded. "Fuck!" she cursed, her voice cracking with frustration. "You think I can't do it? I was going to jump after you left! I'm tired of this life anyway!"
In a burst of prideful defiance, Maruti spun back toward the edge of the rooftop, once again standing mere inches away from falling. The cold breeze sent a chill down her spine, but her mind was too clouded with anger to feel it. Her body was shaking, not from fear, but from the overwhelming desire to prove Esdeath wrong.
"It's not like it's my first time dying," Maruti muttered under her breath, her voice lowering as she stared at the ground far below. Then, almost as if talking to herself, she continued, "But you know what? You remind me of my friend. He was always irritated for no reason and hated romance stories..."
Maruti didn't look at her, but she let out a bitter laugh. "That's why I'm giving you a tip," she said, her tone suddenly shifting, a strange calmness settling in her voice. She turned her head slightly, just enough for Esdeath to hear her next words clearly.
"You might not believe me, but I was a man once, The greatest hitman in the world but... I died and got reincarnated into this fucking female body."
she said bitterly. "I'm stuck in this body, in this stupid world. And just like me, you shouldn't bother trying to do anything important. This whole world... it's just a game. A game where you're just a side character—or maybe even just an extra."
Maruti laughed again, though there was no humor in it. "All of you exist just to be bystanders in the story of the main character, Ethan rothslayer. You want my advice? Just cling to him, and maybe you'll survive. That's all this world is about. Nothing you do matters unless you're part of his story."
Her voice trailed off, and she took a deep breath, a strange sense of finality in her tone. "I hope this information finds you well," Maruti said, her voice growing quieter. "Goodbye."
Just as Maruti was about to jump, her body leaning forward over the edge, Esdeath's next words stopped her in her tracks.
"Predictor?" Esdeath called out, her voice sharp and cutting through the air like a blade.
Maruti's heart skipped a beat. Her eyes widened in shock, her breath catching in her throat as the word registered in her mind.
Without thinking, she whipped her head around to face Esdeath, disbelief written all over her face. "Fable?" she gasped, her voice trembling with a mixture of recognition and confusion.
But in that split second, her body lost its balance. The abrupt stop in her jump, combined with the sudden movement, caused her foot to slip. Her eyes widened in panic as the ground below seemed to tilt.
Her stomach dropped as she felt herself falling backward, the solid roof beneath her feet disappearing. Time seemed to slow down as her body tilted toward the open air, her arms flailing for something—anything—to grab onto.
"No—!" she gasped, the fear hitting her all at once.
Her heart pounded in her chest, the sensation of weightlessness overtaking her as her foot slipped completely off the edge.