Chapter 1: Lord of Ash
What's worse—being trapped in a game you can't escape, or realizing you were never meant to exist in it at all?
The great doors to my chamber slowly groaned open. Torches along the long corridor of my throne room flared to life, their glow reflecting off the obsidian floor. I didn't stand. I stayed seated, watching as a group of—twenty-five, no, forty—adventurers gathered in the massive hall.
They all looked different, each one wielding a weapon they clearly intended to use on me.
The crown's cold weight rested upon my head. I uttered words that weren't mine.
"Heroes. Pretenders. Corpses-in-waiting."
They slowed, just a little. Their faces brimmed with determination.
[ SYSTEM ALERT ]
Raid instance starting
Objective: Defend the Internal Throne
Directive: Engage intruders. Die on the throne steps
System? That's weird. As the system's messages flooded my sight, I began walking down the steps of my throne. I didn't move on my own—these were not my steps.
Words spilled from my mouth, but they weren't mine.
"You've come to steal my throne," I said. My armor glistened with a red hue as my right hand closed over the hilt of my undrawn sword. I tried to stop my arm, but I couldn't. I wasn't in control of my own body.
My hand pulled the heavy steel sword from its resting place on my hip. A red glow flared from the blade.
[ SYSTEM ALERT ]
Die on the throne steps
But why? I thought. Why do I have to die?
The adventurers charged. The party's barbarian roared, activating his rage and giving the entire team a boost in power. Five healers stood at the back, ready to keep their comrades alive.
Multiple adventurers struck at once from several angles—arrows, swords, battle-axes, and elemental spells all converging. My body, not by my choice, let out a scream that reverberated across the entire throne room.
[ SYSTEM MESSAGE ]
Phase 1 – Ability: Scream of Tyrannical Rage — Boosts the boss's attacks.
Phase 1 – Melee Attack: King's Greatsword — Boss swings his black-and-red blade in rage, making most attacks unplanned and easily dodgeable.
This hurts, I thought.
Adventurers swarmed me, blades biting into my coal-colored armor. I was a puppet.
Why am I here? What's the meaning of all this?
[ SYSTEM MESSAGE ]
To serve
To serve? Serve who?
The message stayed fixed before my gaze until my body couldn't take the pain of being stabbed, shot, and mutilated any longer.
A flurry of memories burst into my mind. The sensation of being stabbed felt familiar. I faintly remembered being inside an abandoned warehouse. My own body lying lifeless on the floor until I woke here, seated on this throne, clad in black armor, unable to make my own choices.
[ SYSTEM MESSAGE ]
Phase 2 beginning
Abilities:
An Act of the Damned – Raise fallen adventurers to attack the current party.
Chaos Circles – Stab your sword into the ground to summon circles that deal chaos damage to anyone inside.
What is with these damn system messages? I thought.
The adventurers backed away as if they knew what was about to happen next. And then it struck me—this fight, this throne room… I had played through this before.
I was in Crownfall Online?!
The realization chilled me. I tried with all my will to move my arms, and suddenly I could—just barely—drag my gaze downward to the floor.
I moved my head.
[ SYSTEM MESSAGE ]
ERROR
[ SYSTEM ERROR ]
SYSTEM ERROR
SYSTE—ERRRRRRRRRORRRROR
The messages suddenly stopped. This felt like the weirdest and most vivid dream I'd ever had.
I looked up. Pain from the earlier blows came rushing back, forcing a scream from my throat.
[ SYSTEM OVERRIDE ]
Welcome, Lord Vaelric, Crown of Ash
I froze. Did the system just call me Lord Vaelric—the final boss of Crownfall Online?
[ SYSTEM MESSAGE ]
Would you like me to list your abilities, Lord?
"Yes," I said, and the abilities suddenly appeared in front of my eyes.
[ SYSTEM MESSAGE ]
Abilities
Chaotic Circle
Scream of Tyrannical Rage
An Act of the Damned
???????
???????
???????
???????
???????
Would you like to use one of these abilities?
"Yes."
I screamed, the sound shaking the throne room's walls, knocking loose fragments of stone. All my wounds—no matter how deep—vanished instantly. I flexed my fingers, feeling strength flood through them.
The adventurers stood frozen. Not because they were helpless, but because this wasn't how the fight was supposed to go. As a player, I knew exactly which moves Lord Vaelric used. This wasn't one of them.
One adventurer finally broke, charging at me. The rest followed, like blind sheep.
This time, I was in control. With my black-and-red broadsword, I cut them down with ease.
"System—use An Act of the Damned," I commanded.
[ SYSTEM MESSAGE ]
An Act of the Damned activated
The corpses of the melee fighters twitched, then rose with sickening cracks of bone.
I pointed my blade at the healers in the back. The dead swarmed them while I cut through the ranged attackers.
I slammed my sword into the ground, activating Chaotic Circle. Most of the ranged fighters stumbled as the chaos magic tore through them, leaving them open to my blade.
When it was over, the throne room was soaked in blood.
But none of it was real. And if I was being honest, I'd had a blast. It was like playing my favorite MMO—only better.
I sighed and walked back to my empty throne. Sitting down, I let my eyes drift shut.
[ SYSTEM MESSAGE ]
New raid encounter starting in 5:00 minutes
What the hell? What's happening?
[ SYSTEM MESSAGE ]
Teleport to your chambers, Lord?
"Yes," I said out loud.
Suddenly, I appeared in what I could only describe as the most elegant room I had ever laid eyes on. The walls were made of black stone, accented with red velvet pillows, blankets, and drapes. Flags stitched with the symbol of this world's kingdom hung between lit torches.
A side door led to what looked like a connected bath chamber.
Holy shit—who is that? I thought as I opened the door.
A woman was preparing a bath. She was tall, but still shorter than me—or Lord Vaelric, I guess. Her blonde hair was neatly tied back, and she wore a maid's outfit, which made me assume she was, of course, a maid. Makes sense. This guy's a lord. Why wouldn't he have one?
"Care for a bath after your hard work today, my lord?" she asked politely.
"Uhhh… sure," I replied, feeling oddly shy and forgetting for a moment that this was just a dream.
My heavy armor clattered to the stone floor as I stepped into the bathroom. The warm water felt far too real on my skin. This was one wild dream.
The maid bowed. "I'll take my leave now, Lord. Let me know if you need anything else."
I just grinned slightly.
After the bath, I walked back to the bed and collapsed onto the mattress like a bag of bricks.
Man, I was tired. Which was strange—why did I feel tired while already asleep? I didn't question it too much. I just closed my eyes.
As the Lord slept on his velvet sheets, the huge throne room doors began to open once again. The hall looked completely restored—no damage, no rubble, no blood. Not even a single body remained.
Another group of adventurers stepped inside, confused to find there was no boss.