Maruti's heart pounded in her chest, the sensation of weightlessness overtaking her as her foot slipped completely off the edge. Her body was falling, and for a split second, she thought this was really it.

But before she could fully plummet, Esdeath acted swiftly.

The world seemed to shift as the seconds stretched, everything moving in slow motion. Esdeath, eyes sharp with focus, darted forward with blinding speed, reaching out just in time to catch Maruti's hand. She gripped it tightly, her muscles straining as she leaned back, trying to stop Maruti from falling off the roof.

Time snapped back to normal, and the sounds of the world rushed in again.

"Holy shit, pull me up, Fable!" Maruti yelled, her voice shaky as she dangled helplessly over the edge, gripping Esdeath's hand with all her strength.

Esdeath grunted, struggling with the weight. "Fuck! Why are you so heavy?!" she cursed under her breath, her arms trembling as she slowly, inch by inch, hauled Maruti back up onto the roof.

With one last heave, Maruti flopped onto the roof, panting hard as she lay there, sprawled out. "Huff... I'm saved..." she muttered in sheer relief, staring up at the sky. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she caught her breath.

Esdeath, on the other hand, stood next to her, bending over with her hands on her knees, catching her own breath. Both of them were silent for a moment, the weight of what just happened sinking in.

And then—

"Hahahaha!" esdeath suddenly burst into laughter, clutching her stomach as she rolled onto her side, her laughter ringing out across the rooftop. "Predictor, is that you? Pfft! What were you saying? The greatest hitman in the world? Lying in broad daylight! Hahaha!"

Maruti wiped the last of her tears from laughing so hard and looked at Esdeath with a playful smirk. "What? Look at yourself! How did you even die, huh? Pfft... you're no different from me." It was now her turn to mock, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

Esdeath shot her an unimpressed look, but before she could say anything, Maruti suddenly stopped laughing. Her expression shifted, becoming serious as she furrowed her brows. "Can I punch you in the face?" she asked, her tone dead serious.

Esdeath blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift. "No!" she snapped back.

"C'mon!" Maruti whined, leaning forward like she was bargaining. "At least let me slap you! You totally forgot that you *killed* me, didn't you? That's the reason I'm stuck here in this messed-up world. The least you can do is let me slap you once! Just once!"

Esdeath crossed her arms, standing firm. "No means no. I just saved your life, didn't I? Now we're even." She said it so calmly, like the whole thing was just a matter of fact.

Maruti groaned, throwing her head back dramatically. "Ughhh... that's cheating!" She looked at Esdeath like a kid denied candy. "I deserve a slap! You're being so unfair!"

Esdeath rolled her eyes, her lips curling into a smirk. "So, I'm the guy who's always irritated and annoyed for no reason, huh?" she teased, catching Maruti off guard with the sudden callback.

Maruti sighed heavily, then spread herself out on the ground like a starfish, her limbs flopping dramatically. "I guess there's no helping it," she muttered, exhaling deeply.

Esdeath joined her, lying down beside her on the cold rooftop, both staring up at the vast sky above. After a moment of silence, she spoke again. "You know what? I'm disappointed in you." Her tone had a sharp edge to it, cutting through the calm.

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Maruti raised an eyebrow, turning her head to look at Esdeath. "Disappointed? How?" she asked, genuinely confused.

Esdeath clicked her tongue. "What do you mean how? Weren't you the guy who used to brag, 'I'll live for 99 years' back when we were... well, guys? And now here you are, so weak-willed that you were ready to jump off the roof just because some teenage girls bullied you!"

Maruti blinked in surprise, then sat up quickly, her face twisting in frustration. "Huh? Who told you I was gonna kill myself because of them?" she snapped back, her voice rising.

Esdeath sat up too, crossing her arms as she raised an eyebrow. "Then why were you about to jump, huh? What was that all about?"

Maruti's voice rose in anger, her eyes blazing. "Why? You're asking me why?!" She stood up, pacing as she ranted. "Look at you! Look at me! We're "girls" now, Fable. GIRLS! Do you know how messed up that is? Every time I have to pee, from that weird part—" she shuddered visibly, "—it makes my brain feel like it's about to melt! And don't even get me started on bras and panties! I have to wear and wash them every. Single. Day."

Esdeath just stared, her expression slowly changing from amusement to something closer to horrified realization. Maruti wasn't done though. She threw her arms up in the air, yelling, "We're nothing but grown men trapped in teenage girls' bodies, walking around in bras and panties! Like, what the actual hell?!"

Suddenly, the absurdity of it all hit Esdeath like a truck. Her eyes widened as she imagined herself and Maruti as grown men, awkwardly stuffing themselves into teenage girls' undergarments. The mental image was so ridiculous that her smirk faded, replaced with pure horror.

"Holy shit..." Esdeath whispered, sinking lower. "Now I think I want to die too!"

Maruti's tone shifted back to normal as she continued explaining, "I used to play this game when I was a kid, but honestly, it was so bad it gave me anger issues. So I deleted it! That's why I only know some basic stuff about it." She shrugged, looking like she had just confessed some deep, forgotten sin.

Esdeath raised an eyebrow, curiosity piqued. "Wait, this game is that old? No wonder I found it on some sketchy pirate site. It didn't even have ads!" she muttered under her breath, piecing it together.

Maruti rolled her eyes, a bit of frustration in her voice. "About a week ago, I woke up in this body. I don't know much about this girl either, except she's some kind of barbarian who ran away from her tribe to join the Awakened Academy. Thanks to her, I got stuck with this weird accent, like someone from Afghanistan trying to speak English." She paused, shaking her head before continuing. "And somehow, I know a strange language, like it's my first one."

Maruti laughed dryly. "Since I didn't know much about what's coming next, I decided to play the part of a weak, bullied girl. You know, the type Ethan, our so-called main character, would have to save. That way, I could join his team, hang back, let him kill all the bosses, and survive until the end. Easy plan, right?" She smiled, though it looked more like she was poking fun at herself now. "When I first saw you, I thought you might be some super-overpowered side character, so I tried to befriend you. But, well... that didn't exactly work out."

Esdeath smirked, catching Maruti's slip. "Your plan was fine, but you forgot one thing. You suck at acting—especially when it comes to playing weak."

"Yeah, I kinda overdid it. I beat those girls up way too hard, and now, surprise, surprise, I'm definitely facing punishment!" Maruti rolled her eyes dramatically.

Esdeath raised an eyebrow, leaning forward with a playful grin. "Don't tell me you're actually afraid of the punishment?"

Maruti scoffed, immediately firing back, "Like hell I am!"

Esdeath burst out laughing, slapping Maruti's back several times. "Relax! I actually know a lot about this game, believe it or not." Her words made Maruti freeze for a moment, completely shocked.

"Wait... you know about this game?" Maruti stared at Esdeath like she'd just seen a ghost. "The Fable I know was never into games or stuff like that."

Esdeath's smirk widened as she leaned back confidently. "Looks like you underestimated me." She made herself look cool, But how could predictor know that, this all happened after he died.

Maruti, still in disbelief, fidgeted for a second before feeling the familiar annoyance rise inside her. "Got any cigarettes?" Esdeath asked casually, like it was the most normal thing in the world to ask right after such a weird confession.

With an exasperated sigh, Maruti reached into her skirt pocket, pulling out a small bundle of cigarettes. "Here," she said, handing one over, clearly annoyed but not surprised.

Esdeath took the cigarette, placed it between her lips, and raised her index finger next to it. With a quick flick of her hand, her fingertip lit up like a lighter, igniting the cigarette in one smooth, badass move.

Esdeath raised an eyebrow, taking a drag from her cigarette. "You don't even smoke, so why do you still have these on you?" she asked, blowing out a thin trail of smoke.

Maruti smirked, leaning back as she crossed her arms. "Well, until a moment ago, you were pretty much dead to me. But back in the day, you were always smoking. The problem was, you never bothered to buy your own cigarettes, so I always had to carry some around, even though I don't smoke." She smiled fondly, her eyes softening as she thought about their past. "I guess old habits really do die hard." There was a bit of nostalgia in her voice, a reminder of the friendship they once had.

Esdeath chuckled, taking another puff. The smoke drifted lazily into the air, causing Maruti to immediately pinch her nose. "Ugh! Gross! That's so dirty!" Maruti protested, waving the smoke away dramatically.

Esdeath just rolled her eyes, not bothering to reply as she took a moment to enjoy the cigarette. She closed her eyes for a second, savoring the rare moment of relaxation. Then, as she opened her eyes, her expression shifted, becoming serious. "Alright, enough with the jokes," she said, her tone suddenly firm. "I was planning to go solo and join Ethan's party too. You know, keep my head down, stick to the main storyline, and maybe survive till the end."

She paused, a wicked grin slowly spreading across her face as her eyes gleamed with mischief. "But now that you're here, screw the main story, screw Ethan, and screw this world!" Her voice took on a dangerous edge, and she extended her hand toward Maruti, the grin never leaving her face. "How about it? Let's shake hands again. Since we're both stuck here, why not mess up this world together?"

For a second, Maruti stared at Esdeath's outstretched hand, and then a wide, equally wicked grin broke across her face. "Hell yeah!"

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I wanted to ask something,

in her status window there Gun mode on and sword mode locked, So should I change sword to Scythe mode?