Ahcehera glanced at the clock mounted on the hospital wall.
The numbers blurred through the tears gathering in her eyes.
Almost time.
The doctors called it medication.
She called it borrowed time.
A faint smile touched her lips as she unlocked her phone and opened her favorite novel. The latest chapter still hadn't been updated.
Not surprising.
The author had always been inconsistent with updates, but today felt particularly cruel.
With a quiet sigh, she reopened her favorite chapters instead. Her fingers moved slowly across the screen while a familiar ache settled deep within her chest.
The villainess princess was about to die.
She had waited months for the ending. Yet it seemed she would run out of time before she could ever read it.
A notification suddenly appeared.
Ahcehera blinked and opened it immediately.
It was a message from the author.
[The update had been postponed.]
Again.
For a long moment, she simply stared at the screen.
Then she laughed softly.
"What terrible timing." Her voice sounded weaker than she remembered.
Outside the window, the evening sky glowed with shades of crimson and gold. The setting sun painted the clouds with breathtaking colors, as though the heavens themselves were saying farewell.
Ahcehera lowered her phone and watched silently.
Time was slipping away.
She could feel it.
Her body had been fighting for years, enduring countless treatments, endless pain, and the constant uncertainty of tomorrow. Yet for the first time, she felt strangely calm.
If I could rewrite the story...
Her fingers tightened around the phone.
I'd save her.
The villainess princess deserved better.
She deserved another chance.
A life.
A future.
Everything I won't have.
A tear rolled down her cheek.
Slowly, Ahcehera closed her eyes.
Darkness welcomed her.
When the attending doctor entered the room several minutes later, the heart monitor had already fallen silent.
***
Pain.
A suffocating pressure crushed Ahcehera's chest as if invisible hands were squeezing the air from her lungs.
Her body convulsed.
A sharp gasp escaped her lips as she desperately dragged air into her lungs.
Heat.
Smoke.
Blood.
Her eyes flew open.
The world around her spun violently.
Black smoke billowed into the sky. Flames danced across shattered earth. The scent of burning flesh and scorched metal filled the air.
Where am I?
Disoriented, Ahcehera struggled to sit up.
Before she could gather her bearings, something streaked toward her.
Fire.
A blazing sphere of flames tore through the air.
Instinct took over. She threw herself aside. The fireball exploded where she had been moments earlier, sending debris and heat crashing against her body.
Ahcehera rolled across rough ground before slamming into a pile of rubble. Pain shot through her limbs. Coughing violently, she pushed herself upright. Her hands were covered in blood.
No. Not just her hands.
Her entire body. Cuts and bruises covered her skin. Torn clothing clung to numerous wounds. Blood dripped from a gash above her eyebrow and blurred her vision.
"What happened...?" Her voice sounded unfamiliar. It was shaky, colder, but stronger.
Something hard pressed against her palm. Looking down, she discovered a sword. The blade gleamed beneath the firelight, decorated with intricate crimson markings that seemed almost alive.
Before she could process the sight, a deafening roar shook the battlefield. The ground trembled. Ahcehera slowly looked up, her breath caught. Towering over the battlefield stood a monstrous beast.
Several heads twisted and writhed atop its massive body. Rows of jagged teeth protruded from each snarling mouth. Crimson eyes burned with murderous intent while flames flickered between its fangs. The creature looked like something straight out of a nightmare.
Impossible.
Her mind refused to accept what she was seeing. She remembered dying. She remembered the hospital room. The fading sunlight. The peaceful darkness. So why was she here?
A powerful heartbeat thundered inside her chest.
I'm...?
The realization struck harder than the pain. She was alive.
Breathing, bleeding, and feeling her living body. Her trembling fingers pressed against her chest. The heartbeat was real. Everything around her was real.
Then agony exploded inside her skull.
"Agh!"
Ahcehera collapsed to her knees. It felt as though someone had driven molten metal directly into her brain. Memories flooded her mind.
A palace adorned with gold and crimson banners. Countless servants bowing in fear. Political meetings, lavish banquets, military academies, and battlefields stained with blood.
A cold, arrogant princess gazing down at others with contempt.
The memories weren't hers. Yet somehow they were.
Voices echoed endlessly inside her mind. Fragments of another life merged with her own. Then a name surfaced.
Ahcehera Bloodstone.
The name struck her like lightning.
Her eyes widened.
No.
No, that couldn't be right.
She knew that name.
Anyone who had read the novel would know it.
Ahcehera Bloodstone, the infamous villainess princess. The woman destined to lose everything. The woman who would eventually be betrayed and executed. The woman whose tragic fate had left Ahcehera heartbroken.
Cold dread settled in her stomach. Her trembling gaze lowered toward her bloodstained hands. The memories, the battlefield, and the sword. Everything pointed toward the same impossible truth.
"I became..."
Her voice cracked.
"...Ahcehera Bloodstone?"
Another roar shattered the air.
The beast charged. Its massive form surged forward like an avalanche. The ground shook beneath its weight. Fear gripped Ahcehera's heart.
Run.
Every instinct screamed at her to run. But there was nowhere to go.
No miracle would save her.
No hero was coming.
If she wanted to live, she would have to survive on her own.
Gritting her teeth, Ahcehera tightened her grip on the sword. The weapon felt unfamiliar. Yet strangely familiar at the same time. As the beast lunged, her body moved before her mind could react.
She stepped sideways.
Dodged.
Countered.
The blade sliced through the air with practiced precision. Sparks erupted as steel collided against scales harder than stone. The beast recoiled with an enraged growl.
Ahcehera's eyes widened. Her body remembered. The original Ahcehera's combat training had become instinct. Muscle memory guided every movement.
Step.
Turn.
Strike.
Dodge.
The battle became a blur.
Flames exploded around her while claws tore through the battlefield. Several times, she narrowly escaped death. Several times, she thought she would collapse. Yet she continued fighting.
Blood soaked her clothes. Pain burned through every muscle. Still, she refused to stop.
The beast lunged once more. This time, Ahcehera swung with everything she had. The blade carved through one of the creature's heads. A spray of dark blood erupted into the air. The beast howled. The battlefield trembled beneath its fury.
Ahcehera staggered backward, gasping for breath. Her arms shook violently. Her vision blurred. She was exhausted to the bone.
But she was alive.
For years, she had waited helplessly for death. Her illness had controlled every aspect of her life. Now fate had given her another chance, even if that chance belonged to a villainess. Or if the future waiting for her was tragic. She would not surrender it.
The beast charged again.
Ahcehera raised her sword.
Once, she had accepted death.
Not anymore.
Whether she was Ahcehera or the villainess princess, fate would not decide how her story ended.
This time, she would survive.
And she would rewrite the ending.