The Best Friend's Inescapable Fate

Prologue

Yesterday seemed to be a normal, uneventful day for a certain somebody, an ordinary person called Rachel. She went to get the groceries after being coaxed by her mother to leave her room, bought some ice cream, then went back home.

No, she didn't come back home. She couldn't, not after what happened.

This isn't home. She has now found herself in another place from where she last was, somewhere that didn't belong to the mortal realm: a black void, empty and seemingly endless. She is confused, her expression painted by utmost bewilderment. Why? Where? When? How?

"You."

With the sound of one flick, there was light shining down on her, illuminating the void. A marble staircase appeared before Rachel, and the tall, ornate, silver gates opened. Clouds seeped out like the merciful breath of a god, and the wind seemed to carry the divine chorus of angels. A delightful harp melody played out of nowhere, like music in a department store.

"Come in. I've been expecting you."

Rachel had no choice but to move. She reluctantly made her way up the staircase and entered the gates.

Once inside, Rachel couldn't believe what she was seeing. A wide expanse of large, fluffy, cotton-like clouds and clear azure blue skies, with the sun radiating pleasantly with warmth that wasn't so oppressive. The ground she stood on seemed to be some sort of reflective surface, as it mirrored the blue sky above it. The sweet sounds of the harp grew even clearer as Rachel could hear every individual string strummed.

"Hello there, honeybunch."

Rachel finally came face to face with her tormentor. A girl with straight black hair and a flowing white toga flew in on a floating cloud. She had gold-rimmed glasses and an impish grin.

"Wh-who are you? What is this place...and why does it look so sick?" Rachel continued to marvel at the realm before her.

"Why, thank you. I'm who you'd call the storyteller, and you, my lovely transmigrator, you're in MY world."

"Ok, so why am I here? How'd I die?"

The girl, the Storyteller smiled. "Good question."

"After being run over by a truck, you've been reincarnated! And into my novel. So, so exciting."

I'm going down the isekai protagonist route now, huh. I even got hit by a truck and all.

"Hold on...which novel? Have I read it? I used to review novels when I was alive."

The storyteller paused to look Rachel dead in the eye like someone would look at another person knowing they just picked their nose. "The Luminous Ruby Moon."

Oh hell no, not the burning cringe fest. Rachel's expression soured as she recalled the novel she read for a brief review she was making. It was a massively popular novel, but Rachel hated it with a burning passion. Upon its mention, she was repulsed.

It had a bland, overused plot line, the pacing was way off, way too many characters to care about, several plot points retconned and forgotten or purposefully discarded...of course, Rachel couldn't say anything about it. Not in front of the author herself, who seemed to be an otherworldly being capable of damning her to the lowest and most suffocating fate possible.

Rachel's face was painted with absolute shock. "Oh nononono. Not this one. Can't I get another novel? Pretty please?"

"Nope! Definitely not. No changing." Rachel groaned.

"Ugh, great." Rachel spat in a bitter and heavily sarcastic tone. "So who am I supposed to be, then? The antagonist, perhaps?"

"You are going to be, wait for it..." The dramatic drum roll of anticipation played in the background. A screen popped up right in front of Rachel, showing the image of a young girl with locks of deep red. "Ruth Almena!"