Truck-kun took my life. You know how this goes, right? Just in case, I'll tell you anyway.

I was a Japanese high school girl. I liked playing video games, watching anime, reading manga, stuff like that. Then, one day, I was walking home when I saw a child straying into traffic. A truck was flying right at him.

So, I jumped forward and pushed him out of the way of the truck. I saved a child's life at the cost of my own.

The next thing I knew, I was in this body. I'm now an eight-foot-tall woman. I'm wearing armor, but I barely feel the weight of it. My long red hair tosses down my shoulders. When I look in the mirror, I see I have eyes that sometimes flash gold and sometimes flash green.

Fantasy,rpg Boss,woman,tall,armored,beautiful,red by Xela-The-Conqueror [https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/313aaab4-767f-4cea-91cb-69c8d8fbef2a/dgyanvl-d02ff40f-7206-4354-88df-571e65b486c8.png/v1/fill/w_739,h_1081/fantasy_rpg_boss_woman_tall_armored_beautiful_red__by_xela_the_conqueror_dgyanvl-pre.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9MTIxNiIsInBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcLzMxM2FhYWI0LTc2N2YtNGNlYS05MWNiLTY5YzhkOGZiZWYyYVwvZGd5YW52bC1kMDJmZjQwZi03MjA2LTQzNTQtODhkZi01NzFlNjViNDg2YzgucG5nIiwid2lkdGgiOiI8PTgzMiJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.7CCDQtad6E-SVV8AEEL_LqetRcA_STpb_IOwQwNoztY]

It was a pretty big shock at first. Then I heard your voices, and the shock got bigger. There's a lot of you in here, it looks like. I don't know if you were sent here after you died like me or something else. But we're in this mess together now.

Let's try moving around. I'm going to raise our left arm, and you can raise the right.

I lift the left arm with surprising ease. I expected this bulky body to be slow, but it's pretty fast. But I don't feel my right arm move. Looking at it, I see that it's still on the throne I'm sitting on.

Okay, it looks like I'm the only one who can control the body. That means I'm in charge. Don't worry. I won't dismiss your opinions. Since there's a lot of you, I'll be relying on you all for advice. Let's focus on getting our bearings now.

Looking around, I see that I'm in a massive room, surrounded by castle walls. The floor is made of dirt, covered in grass, and it feels soft when I put my foot on it. I look up. There's no ceiling above me. Bright moonlight shines over the area.

I gaze over the area more. There's a large field of blue and purple flowers surrounding me. The throne that I'm sitting on is carved into a large tree. On the other side of the room, or courtyard to be more accurate, is a large wooden gate.

Oh, fuck. Just fuck.

I think I figured out where we're at. Have you ever heard of the video game called Shattered Dusk? No? None of you? That's pretty surprising. It's a pretty popular video game. Not just in Japan, but around the world. In fact, some of its biggest fans are from America.

Okay, since none of you know anything about Shattered Dusk, I'll explain. The game's story is that the gods had a god war. Then, they left the world because they didn't want to have another god war. But, before they left, the gods gave bits of their divine power to humans.

These humans became the Divine Heirs and fought a war between each other. Now, with the gods gone and the humans in a forever war, the world's turned to shit.

This is when some people known as the Deathless come in. Every time these people die, they come back to life at an Ember of Longing as long as they have hope. If a Deathless loses hope, their next death is permanent. The Deathless are here to kill the Heirs, take their divine power, and fix the broken world. Assuming it can be saved.

Also, Shattered Dusk is known for being very hard. There are people who've gotten killed in the game thousands of times before completing it.

And we're in the body of the game's hardest boss, an enemy that took me 150 times to beat. She is Aithne, Princess of Hysterland.

Considering how we're the game's hardest boss, do we have any of her moves? I don't have any of her memories, but I might as well try.

I clutch the greatsword in my hands. It feels light as a feather when I raise it. Stepping away from the throne so I don't break it, I place my right leg forward and left leg back. My arms move my greatsword into a guard position.

A faint pain pulses through my chest.

Then, I swing the greatsword. It moves with an incredible force. But I'm able to redirect its swing with ease. I turn the weapon around in circles, a flurry of attacks that take advantage of its natural momentum.

The pain grows, flowing through my body.

Jumping into the air, I raise my greatsword in the perfect position. I slam it down with incredible force.

There's a massive jolt of pain, and I collapse to my knees. My breath becomes heavy. I struggle to avoid crying out. It feels like my chest is on fire, like my very flesh is melting.

I fall forward. My arms plant in front of me, stopping my face from colliding with the ground. Still, my body burns.

Are you worried about me? You don't have to be. I knew this was coming. Princess Aithne was born without a heart, so her father put an Ember of Longing in her chest to replace it. This saved her life, but she was tormented with burning pain whenever she did physical activities since she was a child.

The real Princess Aithne was used to this. It didn't hinder her when she was fighting. But I'm not. I'll have to get used to this pain and fast.

Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

You see, the Ember of Longing makes Princess Aithne a pretty popular target for players even if she's hard. They get it if they kill her, meaning that the reward for beating Aithne is getting a spawn point that you can set. The Deathless will come for us sooner or later.

But don't let that get you too down. Even though we don't have Princess Aithne's memories, the several hundred years of them, we have her muscle memory. I at least know her boss moves. Now, I just have to get used to her pain.

I force myself up. Then, I swing my sword around. The burning pain doesn't get worse, but the pain is almost unbearable. Once again, I collapse.

Then, I get up. I infuse my sword with fire. Everything goes black.

I'm lying on the ground when I wake up. My eyes gaze at the stars above, hanging high over the courtyard. I look to my side and see that there are two men wearing suits of plate at my side.

"Are you alright, Your Royal Highness?" one of them asks with clear worry in his voice.

"Don't worry. I'm fine," my voice has no emotion, just like my thoughts. "I just passed out from pain."

"By the gods. Has your condition worsened?" he questions.

I force myself up. It feels like someone shoved a hot iron deep into my chest, but I don't let it show.

"No. I just pushed myself too hard. I was practicing my techniques," I say.

The man nods.

"If you need a training partner, just call one of the Flame Knights," he replies.

I shake my head.

"Thank you for the offer, but that won't be necessary," I say.

"Very well, Your Royal Highness. We came here to tell you that dinner's ready. Can you walk to the feasting hall, or should we bring it to you?" the knight asks.

"Bring it to me," I answer.

I walk over to the throne. Each step sends a pulse of agony through my chest, but I make it just fine. Sitting down sends a wave of relief over me. The pain subsides as I lean back.

Can we agree that we can't let anyone know that I'm being affected this much by Princess Aithne's normal pain? Yes? Good. If word of it gets out, our father's enemies will take advantage of it.

Speaking of our father, his name is King Suibhne of Hysterland. He is one of the Divine Heirs. Our father was a good king at one point, but he went insane.

This isn't the Caligula kill-people insanity. It's the insanity of people like George III or Charles VI. If you don't know who those people were, let's just say that their insanity didn't make them hurt people, but it was bad enough that they couldn't function as kings.

Hysterland fell into even further disorder after Suibhne went insane. His royal sorcerer and Princess Aithne are the only two holding things together.

That's why we're in this castle, by the way. It's a neigh impenetrable fortress on Hysterland's Southern border. Princess Aithne was sent here to make sure the kingdom's enemies don't make any movements against Hysterland.

How impenetrable is it? You actually need to get an item from killing King Suibhne to get here. That's why you have to fight Princess Aithne when you meet her, by the way. She isn't going to negotiate with someone who killed her father.

Several knights come into the courtyard, accompanied by a servant. They kneel and place a table in front of me and put food on it. My meal consists of wine, fried deer...I'm not going to think about what that is, roast pork, cow meat, cow liver, and frabellum leaves.

Frabellum is a plant that exists in-game. It reduces fire damage after you eat it.

I start eating the food. Most of it tastes good. The liver and fried deer stuff makes me want to vomit, but I try to force it down. I gag on the disgusting meal as it slides down my throat. When I've swallowed it fully, I shiver.

"Are you alright, Your Royal Highness? You normally love liver," one of the knights says.

"I'm fine. It's probably because I pushed myself too hard," I reply without emotion.

Don't worry. Princess Aithne's a kuudere, just like me.

"I don't think that has anything to do with not liking liver," the knight states.

I shrug.

"It might have just gone down the wrong way," I say.

Another knight walks into the courtyard. He walks over to me and kneels.

"Your Royal Highness, I have the latest reports from our scouts," he states.

"Read them to me," I reply.

The knight stands up. He pulls out a piece of parchment. After clearing his throat, the knight speaks.

"King Hilmar of Drengland hasn't made any movements. He's still focused on defense and his...dark festivals. His Five Lords haven't made any movements either. The Leviathan remains in the depths of the sea. As for Mnemosyne the Titan, she's still wandering her usual routes. Though, she's made attacks on some of our outposts."

A look of discomfort crosses the knight's face.

"And I'm afraid to say that the Deathless have returned," he states.

Returned? I didn't think the Deathless ever left the game's setting.

Well, it can't be helped. The game's story is obscure. Most people play it and then watch videos explaining what happened. But now that we're in this world, we'll be at a big disadvantage. At least we're better off than most Isekai protagonists.

"That is a problem," I say.

The tallest of the knights places his hand on his chest. He pulls up his helmet's visor and gives me a smile.

"Do not worry, Your Royal Highness. If any Deathless enter Hysterland, we'll kill them over and over until hope leaves them," he assures me.

I sit in silence for a few moments to heighten the dramatic tension.

"And if they don't lose hope?" I ask.

"That's always a risk," the knight answers. "But that is the nature of war, and the Deathless are at war with us all."

I eat the rest of my meal in silence. When I'm finished, the knights and servants take it away. Then, I look up at the sky.

If it rains when I'm sleeping here, I'll get soaked. Or maybe there's a magical barrier around the courtyard? But let's not worry about that right now.

We need a plan. Preferably, a good plan. But I'd settle with the least bad plan. right now, we have three main problems:

The pain I feel when I do physical activity.

Not knowing a lot about this world.

The Deathless.

We're a much weaker boss than Princess Aithne was right now. And even if we weren't, a Deathless with enough hope could defeat us by just trying over and over until they get lucky. Our Father's in danger too.

We also don't know much about this world. I know a little bit, and you know what I told you so far. But Princess Aithne would know a lot. So, just asking about the world would just seem strange. Father's insane, so he might not find it weird that we're asking him. But he's insane, so what he tells us might not be reliable.

What should we do?

1. Go to the game's starting area and attack Deathless before they get a chance to level up.

2. Spend a few days doing nothing but training to get used to the pain.

3. Ask Father about this world.

Hello and welcome to an interactive story! This is a collab, for lack of a better word, between my Deviantart, Royal Road, and YouTube accounts. I'm releasing it on all of these, as an audiobook on Youtube.

And here's how it's interactive:

You, the reader or listener, will be able to vote on what the main character does next. Through comments on YouTube and Deviantart or a poll on Royal Road (poll starts second chapter. Voting is with comments on first). Voting closes on the 15th of each month, and the next chapter will come out on the 1st of the next month.

Good luck voting, and I hope you enjoy this story!