I rushed back to Hero as fast as I could and felt my stamina bottom out. That's fine, I planned for that. The moment the nearest ones got close, I kicked sand in their face slowing them down, then turned and ran again.

  Stamina, dropped, repeat. Each time I kicked sand, they slowed down a little more. I smiled as I looped around large rocks coming back, continuously kicking sand at them as I did. If I went too long without kicking sand, the debuff would wear off.

  Luckily, the ones from further behind would always catch up and I could use it on more of them every time. By the time I reached here, they all had an equal layer on them. “Alright Hero, have at our sitting ducks!” I smiled and pointed my pistol at the nearest. “Just make sure to keep the debuff active.”

  He stared at me for a moment in shock, then quickly began stabbing the Krabs. They couldn’t even fight back fairly. Their accuracy was so low that they clamped midair repeatedly. We didn’t need to dodge anywhere near as hard.

  As the last crab dropped, I hit level 3 and smirked. Now we were talking. The hero fell to his knees after they died and started talking about never figuring that out and how stupid simple it was. He pounded the sand with his hand and sobbed.

  “I spent at least a dozen years here!” He cried out as he threw the spear in rage. “Then you come along and solve the issue like nothing!”

  I shrugged and asked “Ready for round two yet?” I pretended I wasn’t massively turned on by him throwing a fit. Why was he so cute when he did that? It was so much weakness, and yet, on him…

  I squeezed my legs together a little tighter almost instinctively. “Actually.. I gotta.. Pee.” I said and ran off behind a boulder. I didn’t even know what peeing was, I just knew it was an excuse I was supposed to use to escape. Why was I escaping? What was this.. I…

  Looking down I realized to my horror. I was.. Feeling. Like, I had always thought I felt. But.. no.. if this was what actually.. Feeling? Felt? I sat back on the rock and began to hyperventilate.

  What was happening to me? Why did I run from Hero? He is the Hero.. right? Why am I?

  “Alissa? Are we doing this or not? That was really cool. But I’ll just go back to the rock if you don’t get back here!” Hero called out from down the beach.

  I felt my heart beat faster.. Wait.. my heart.. Beat.. faster?! I grabbed my head and shook it. Was I broken? What was happening to me?

  I was.. Upset earlier, but.. I didn’t feel it. I thought I did, but now.. I do.

  I heard something and looked up. It was a bunny with a horn on its head. I.. I wanted to hold it. It looked so soft.. I stood and stepped toward the small furry creature. I remembered an instant too late what Hero had said about the bunnies. It launched itself at a velocity I couldn’t even see and there was a sharp pain where my heart should be.

  I looked down to see a gaping hole and everything went black.

  I reappeared next to Hero screaming. As soon as I appeared, I fell to my knees and grabbed my head. I have died hundreds of times. Why had that been so much worse?! What was wrong with me!? Hero looked down at me with a strange look.. Almost confusion?

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “Are.. are you okay Alissa?” He asked in a tone I wasn’t sure I had ever heard from him before. I had no words, I opened and closed my mouth.. But no words came. I.. I had nothing to say.. Nothing I knew I could say. I just.. Stared up at him blankly.

  After a moment he looked even more puzzled. Then, he asked me such a silly question. Yet, it felt.. It felt wrong. “Who are you?” I was Alissa.. That was always who I was. Alissa the exotic Dragon Tamer… Without a dragon… at level one on a beach… with a man who had killed me. I was Alissa… But.. who was Alissa?

  I once again had no words. So I did the only thing I could think of. I shook my head and looked down at the sand. After a long moment, I looked back up into his eyes and gave the only answer I could find. “I… I don’t know.”

  His eyes went wide and he took a step back, fear covered his face. Was I truly an abomination? “You.. You don’t know?!” He said in shock as if I had just said something blasphemic. Which.. To be fair.. I.. I kind of had.

  “What do you mean, you don’t know!” Hero snapped at me almost angrily. “You.. your.. No wait.. Could it be the reset? But.. I have reset so many times. What would make this.. What makes.. You… different?” As he said the last part he looked at me searchingly. As if he could find the answer I sought.

  I swallowed and looked away. I felt.. Pain.. as he grabbed me by the shoulder and squeezed, forcing me to look at him. I did and he let go instantly before backing away again. He began to pace, muttering under his breath. I felt my heart flutter as he did. He was so attractive and I.. I liked him a lot. Was it love? Maybe? Alissa the Dragon Tamer would have called it love.

  But I wasn’t Alissa the Dragon Tamer. I was me… right? Slowly, I stood up and walked over to Hero. He paused pacing and looked at me with narrowed eyes. I stepped up to him.. And hugged him. I didn’t know why. I just wanted to. I wanted to feel him and hold him.

  I felt my heart flutter and I felt at peace. They seemed to almost fight inside me and I never wanted to let go. I expected him to push me away. But after a long moment. Hero.. hugged me back. He whispered quietly in my ear causing my heart to pound in my chest and my body to shiver. “We will figure this out.”

  I felt an overwhelming uncomfortable feeling and began to sob into his chest. I tried to turn it off, but they wouldn’t stop. So I held him tighter. After a moment he let go and leaned down, meeting my eyes. “We need to get to the Emerald Kingdom. I need to know if you are a one off.”

  He looked serious and I just nodded. He smiled and added “I.. I love… Um..” His smile wavered and he looked uncomfortable. After a moment he coughed and I felt my heart sink when he said “We.. uh.. Should I get back to grinding those krabs huh?”

  Shouldn’t I be angry? Was anger supposed to hurt? Why did my heart hurt? Why was he so mean?! I kicked him as hard as I could and stormed off towards the nearest krab. I was so upset. I paused after only a few steps and turned back to face him. He was rolling around in the sand holding his shin.

  I swallowed and looked down at the sand as I heard him whine in pain. After a moment I couldn’t take it and I rushed back over to him. “I.. I’m sorry.” I said before I could stop myself as I tried to hold him awkwardly.

  He looked at me with confusion. “What.. What did I even do to deserve that?” He asked.

  I frowned as my anger returned. “You know what you did!” I snapped. Instantly I felt bad again and shook my head. “I Love..” I started to say, but my throat caught and I felt heavy suddenly. It was just a few words.. What was happening?!

  “I love…!” I started and failed again as I felt nausea rise in my stomach. This was horrible. Why couldn’t I just tell him I loved him?! Was this a curse? Was it a debuff?

  He smirked at me and I felt my anger surge. “You can’t say it, can you? I am guessing based on everything so far. You were trying to say you loved me huh? It's not easy, is it?” He spoke with snark, but his cheeks had flushed red and his eye twitched. Weird, I had never noticed his eye twitch like that. Was that a normal thing he did? It was adorable!

  I stared at his eye, hoping it would twitch again when he snapped at me. ”ALISSA!” I snapped to attention in an instant and looked around for danger. Wait, Why? I never needed to snap to attention before. That implied I had attention.

  “Hey, Hero, I um.. Have a question too..” I never finished that question as the bunny from earlier had followed me over here. I looked at it, it looked at me. I felt a deep feeling that caused me to turn and run as fast as I could.. Directly behind the two boulders and against the wall.

  The terrifying creature couldn’t pathfind between the boulders. Hero had said the krabs couldn’t. So clearly the bunny couldn’t either? I watched in abject terror as the bunny.. Hopped.. Between the boulders and directly up to me. I screamed and closed my eyes right before the sharp pain hit.

  I appeared next to Hero, sobbing again. I grabbed his leg. “Please.. Make it stop!” I pleaded.