As the afternoon faded into night, the basketball court seemed to take on a quieter, more intense atmosphere. Just as Esdeath had predicted, Maruti arrived at the court first, sitting casually on the ground. Not long after, Esdeath appeared, standing tall in contrast to Maruti's relaxed posture. Their eyes met, the silence hanging in the air between them before Esdeath finally broke it.

"So, I called you here to share some important information. But first—what happened of that fight? Did you face any punishment?" Esdeath asked, her tone curious yet direct.

Maruti grinned and waved her hand dismissively. "Nah, nothing too serious. Just a two-week suspension. No big deal."

Esdeath sighed, shaking her head lightly. "Of course, typical you." After a moment, she got back to the real reason they were there. "Well, forget about that for now. Use the suspension to refine the bronze muscle essence stone on your own."

Without waiting for a reply, Esdeath shifted into a more serious tone. "Listen up, Predictor. What we need to focus on isn't magic, but essence stones. There are many ancient inheritances tied to these stones—ones I know about and can guide you through," she explained, her voice taking on the tone of a mentor.

Maruti, with her usual carefree attitude, protested, "Why not magic? I wanna learn magic and look cool!"

Esdeath's lips twitched in irritation as she turned her back to Maruti. In front of her was a large board, hidden beneath a red cloth. She yanked the cloth off, revealing an intricate magic circle drawn on the board. It was big, detailed, and overwhelming.

"Do you have any idea whose magic circle this is? Or what level it belongs to?" Esdeath asked, staring at the board.

Maruti squinted at it, then laughed. "Looks like some kind of ant hill or something!"

Esdeath slammed her fist against the board, frustration clear in her movements. "That's the point! I don't know either! It took me half an hour just to copy it from a book, and the book said it's only an intermediate-level spell. Not even close to being a high-level one!"

Maruti's playful expression faded, replaced by one of realization. "Okay… now I get your point," she admitted, her voice quieter as the gravity of Esdeath's words sank in.

Esdeath finished her explanation with a firm voice, "That's why, unless it's absolutely necessary, we won't waste time learning high-ranking spells. We're just starting out, so it's not too difficult yet." She paused briefly, signaling that her little speech had come to an end.

"Alright, that's it for now. I'm heading to sleep. Let's meet again in two weeks. I'll be focusing on my own tasks, and you can refine that essence stone," she said as she turned to leave, clearly ready to wrap up the conversation.

"Wait, wait, wait... what about telling me who my constellation is?" Maruti quickly called out, halting Esdeath in her tracks.

Esdeath chuckled awkwardly, rubbing her forehead with a slight smile, "Oh yeah, I totally forgot." Her grin turned a bit mischievous as she spun back around to face Maruti.

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"Okay, listen. We're going to try a little experiment," Esdeath began, her eyes sparkling with a mix of amusement and seriousness. "I'll hit you with this board—don't worry—and knock you out. if this works then I'll find out who your constellation is... Trust me, And I'll tell you who it is after two weeks, once we're back in class." Esdeath's face remained completely sincere, though the plan sounded a bit ridiculous.

Maruti stared at her, torn between disbelief and curiosity. Should she trust Esdeath's bizarre plan? After a moment of hesitation, she let out a long sigh. "Fine... just do it," she muttered, resigning herself to the weird experiment.

Esdeath grinned, grabbing a nearby board with a mischievous gleam in her eye. Without further warning, she swung the board straight at Maruti's face. **CRACK!** The board shattered into pieces on impact, the sound echoing in the empty court.

Maruti's eyes widened for a second before everything went blurry. She could feel herself slipping away into darkness, sinking deeper and deeper into an unconscious void.

Esdeath stood still, her gaze fixed on Maruti's limp body sprawled on the ground. A silence hung in the air, the stillness of the basketball court broken only by the faint rustling of the wind. She let out a long, exasperated sigh.

"Hmph… nothing happened," she muttered to herself, disappointment creeping into her voice. "Guess I was wrong after all." Shaking her head, Esdeath turned on her heel, ready to leave.

But just as she took a step, something strange caught her attention. The air around her felt different—heavy, charged with a presence she hadn't noticed before. A low, eerie sound began to echo in the silent court, like a distant chant.

Esdeath paused mid-step, her instincts sharp. She glanced over her shoulder, her eyes narrowing. Maruti, who had been lying still just moments ago, was slowly rising from the ground. Her movements were unnatural, like a puppet being pulled up by invisible strings.

Maruti's body stood upright. Her eyes snapped open, revealing her sclera turned pitch black, glowing with an otherworldly intensity. The stare she gave was cold, devoid of humanity, yet it radiated an ancient power.

The weight of her presence pressed down on the surroundings, thick and almost suffocating. Even without looking, Esdeath could feel the shift, the sudden surge of something far greater than just Maruti. But instead of being startled, her smirk widened into a wicked grin.

"Well, well," Esdeath murmured, her voice low and dripping with amusement. "You told me your name was Maruti, but you never mentioned it was "Maruti Vanara", did you?" Her words hung in the air, sending a chilling thrill through the court as she slowly turned to face the possessed girl.

Maruti stood motionless, her eerie black sclera locked onto Esdeath. The chilling sight sent a shiver down Esdeath's spine, but her mind raced. "Ultra Instinct," she thought, her eyes narrowing as she analyzed the situation. "I never imagined I'd come across someone else with it…"

Her pulse quickened. The power radiating from Maruti was overwhelming, and Esdeath knew exactly what it meant. "Ultra Instinct... only granted to those who are incarnations of the Primal Constellation—Lord Hanuman." The realization struck her with exhilaration. "One of the strongest constellations, said to be closest to achieving immortality."

For a moment, Esdeath stood frozen, her mind weighing the situation. "If she attacks now, with the power I have, I don't stand a chance," she admitted to herself. Her heartbeat drummed louder in her chest as the pressure of the situation sank in.

But Esdeath wasn't one to stick around when the odds were against her. She stretched her arms, trying to keep calm, but her nerves tingled with urgency. "Now's the only thing I can do is..." she muttered under her breath.

Without warning, she spun on her heel, yelling, "Run!" Her feet moved before her mind could catch up, and she sprinted off the basketball court, her heart pounding in her ears. Behind her, Maruti stood like a looming shadow, but Esdeath didn't dare look back.

As she raced through the darkness, she recalled what she knew about *Ultra Instinct*. "When it activates, the person only attacks those within their immediate range," she reminded herself, her breath ragged from running. "I just need to get far enough away before it triggers." The night air was cool against her skin as she dashed toward the dorms, her legs burning from the effort.

"Since it's nighttime, no one should be around," she thought, hoping Maruti wouldn't encounter anyone else. "After wondering few hours, she'll return to normal... hopefully."

Finally reaching the safety of her dorm room, Esdeath collapsed onto her bed, her chest heaving as she caught her breath. A smile tugged at her lips, a mixture of exhaustion and triumph. "I've stumbled upon something priceless..." she whispered to herself, staring up at the ceiling. The discovery of Maruti's connection to Lord Hanuman was more than she could have hoped for.

With that thought, she let herself drift off to sleep, satisfied with the treasure she had found, but fully aware of the danger that still lingered.

----------

As the night faded, the soft golden light of dawn crept into the world, casting long shadows over the quiet basketball court. Outside, near the court, was a large dustbin area—normally filled with trash and debris. But today, something unusual lay hidden inside one of the bins.

Amidst the garbage, a figure began to stir. A heavyset girl, her clothes wrinkled and slightly stained, was sprawled inside the dustbin. The morning light streamed through the cracks, and slowly, her eyes fluttered open. At first, her mind was groggy, still heavy with sleep, but as she blinked away the haze, her surroundings started to come into focus.

A sudden wave of fury surged through her, and she clenched her fists. "What the fuck did you do, Fable?"