NOVEL NEXT Lovers?
In the long history of *Free Life Fantasy (FLF)*, there were only two star constellations known to grant the legendary power of "Ultra Instinct" to their incarnations. These constellations not only gave this ability to their chosen ones but also possessed it themselves. The two beings tied to this incredible power were the Fallen Star Constellation, **Demon King Aurora**, and **Lord Hanuman**.
Since Aurora was a villain in the game, only Hanuman was known to grant this rare and extraordinary power to his incarnation.
Ultra Instinct was so rare that, aside from Lord Hanuman and Aurora, only one other character was known to have it. This person was **Sasha**, a fierce barbarian woman from the Vanara Tribe, and the one and only incarnation of Lord Hanuman. Sasha was a remarkable warrior, and it made sense that she came from the Vanara Tribe, as they had worshipped Lord Hanuman since the ancient times, when barbarians were still closely linked to their chimpanzee ancestors.
Sasha was also the first daughter of the Vanara Tribe's patriarch, and by the second year at the academy, she would enroll in the Awakened Academy, eventually becoming a key member of Ethan's party.
When Esdeath first discovered that **Maruti**, her best friend, also possessed Ultra Instinct and was an incarnation of Lord Hanuman, she was completely stunned. She had never imagined that there could be another character with such a rare power. To find out that it was her own best friend left her utterly surprised.
As she pieced together the clues, Esdeath quickly realized that Maruti had connections to the Vanara Tribe. At first, she thought Maruti might be a member of the tribe or perhaps the daughter of a high-ranking official. But the truth was far more shocking—Maruti was actually the younger sister of Sasha, the tribe's first daughter and the incarnation of Lord Hanuman.
"Mourya!" Esdeath muttered Maruti's father's name under her breath. He was an A-rank awakened, a powerful figure rarely seen in the game.
"How come Sasha never mentioned her sister in the game?" she thought, frowning. "Tch... That's exactly what you'd expect from a trash game—no minor details!" she snorted, annoyed at the game's lack of depth.
**BAM!**
The man holding Esdeath abruptly let go, causing her to tumble straight to the ground.
"Mother f*cker!" she cursed as she slowly pushed herself up, dusting off her clothes. She glared at the man but he was already walking away, unfazed. Meanwhile, the other man who was holding Maruti gently carried her over to her father, Mourya, and set her down like she was made of porcelain.
Silence fell over the forest. Despite the number of people around, not a single person uttered a word. They all took a few steps back and stood still, waiting as if something monumental was about to happen.
Esdeath, standing awkwardly about twenty steps away, scanned the scene. "Great. No way to escape now," she thought, glancing at Maruti and her imposing father. They were deep in the middle of the forest, miles away from any civilization. She knew an escape route, but she couldn't just leave Maruti behind.
**Slap!**
Mourya slapped Maruti across the face, the sound echoing through the air like a crack of thunder. Maruti instinctively touched her cheek, her eyes wide with shock. But it wasn't really Maruti—inside her body was the Predictor, and the Predictor wasn't about to take this lying down.
"You!" Maruti gritted her teeth in fury.
**Slap!**
Another slap followed, this time on the other cheek. Mourya's hand was so massive it nearly covered her entire face. The two "weak" slaps left Maruti's cheeks puffed up like a squirrel storing nuts for winter.
Tears welled up in her eyes, making her look surprisingly cute, given the situation.
"You're not getting away with this!" Maruti shouted. In a fit of rage, she launched herself at her father, punching and kicking him wildly.
The surrounding men gasped, shocked that she would dare attack Mourya, but her punches had as much effect on him as a fly landing on a boulder. He didn't even flinch.
After a few seconds of her flailing, Maruti stopped, breathing heavily. "So, am I gonna die for attacking this giant gorilla?" she muttered under her breath, calling her own father a gorilla because of his huge, muscular build. She half-expected him to retaliate with something far worse than a slap.
For a moment, the forest held its breath. Mourya stood there, his expression grim, staring down at Maruti. The tension was unbearable. It looked like he might actually kill her on the spot.
But then— Hahahahaha!
Mourya suddenly burst into laughter, the deep sound rumbling through the trees like an earthquake. He grabbed Maruti by the arms and effortlessly lifted her into the air, swinging her around like she was a little kid.
"Hamesha ki tarah ghamndi ",(You're as arrogant as always!) " he said between chuckles, his voice filled with nostalgia.
At this moment, all of the silence faded away and chatter filled in air.
Everyone finally relaxing after the intense moment. Mourya, still holding Maruti, looked down at her with a stern expression.
"Tumhe pata hai, Mai kitna pareshaan Tha? (Do you know how worried I was?)" he said, pulling her into a tight hug before turning his gaze to Esdeath. His eyes narrowed. "Who is she?"
Maruti, still rubbing her sore cheeks and a bit shaken, quickly replied, "(Meri Dost Hai) She's a friend!"
The moment the words left her mouth, Mourya's face changed. He crossed his arms, his expression hardening. "Hmph… No need to be friends with the kingdom's people," he said coldly. "Everyone knows the Vanara Tribe exists, but does anyone know where it is? Barely. We've hidden our village behind powerful illusions, keeping it safe from monsters and enemies alike. If she stays here, the kingdom's people will come for her. Or worse, we'll be forced to hand her over."
His voice grew colder, sending a chill down everyone's spine. "And after what we did to get you back, I doubt they'll let us off easily."
Then, without warning, Mourya's voice dropped to a dangerous tone. "Kill her."
Esdeath's stomach dropped, but before anyone could move, Maruti jumped in front of her father, flailing her arms in a panic. "Ruko...ruko..ruko.."(Stop! Stop! Stop!)" she shouted, practically hopping in place.
"Who said she's staying here?" Maruti added hurriedly. "Now that you've seen I'm fine, we're going back to the academy. And I swear we won't tell anyone a thing!"
But Mourya shook his head. "No," he said firmly. "In our tribe, only the elder daughter and son have the right to education, to learn about the outside world. But you—you whined and begged to go to the Awakened Academy. Your elder sister even agreed to a one-on-one match with you, and you lost! As per our rules, you should have been married off by now, but instead, you ran away and snuck into the academy."
His tone was harsh, his gaze piercing as he looked directly into her eyes. "I'm forgiving you for your past mistakes. So, get back here and marry your betrothed!"
Maruti's face turned pale. She already knew what was coming next, and as Mourya's attention shifted back to Esdeath, her heart raced. "Wait, wait, wait!" she shouted, throwing herself between him and Esdeath again. "She's not just my friend. She's my best friend! My *besttttttt* friend!"
Mourya didn't even blink. "Farak Nahi Padta "(Doesn't matter).
Esdeath stood about twenty to thirty steps away, utterly clueless. She couldn't hear everything clearly, and even if she could, she didn't understand the Vanara language. But as Mourya took a step toward her, she felt a deep sense of dread, her instincts screaming that something bad was about to happen. Without thinking, she took a step back.
Mourya raised his hand, clearly preparing to do something dangerous, but before he could make a move, Maruti blurted out, "We're not just friends—we're lovers!"
Mourya was taken aback, his hand pausing mid-air as he slowly turned to look at his daughter, eyebrows raised. "Premi ?(Lovers?)"