“Wow, that was amazing, Hero! You absolutely defeated those enemy Princesses!” Alissa rushed up to me and stood proudly. I genuinely considered killing her right now. But.. something held me back. Maybe it was some sort of loyalty to myself.

  Either way, I ignored the stupid girl and went to see how Hero was! “Hero! I handled the Princesses for you as is my duty as first wife!” Hero looked at me for a long moment, as though he were trying to gauge something.

  After a moment, he spoke. “Alia.. um.. I have a strange request.” He said hesitantly as he watched me. He seemed uncertain, but after a moment he seemed set to ask anyway.

  “I.. I need you to…” He trailed off again and I smiled. I was pretty sure I understood what he was doing. Which meant I knew what I had to do to prove it. It was going to be the hardest two words of my entire existence.

  But after everything? I knew more than anything else it would bring him happiness. “No, Hero.” He stared at me in disbelief for a long moment, I dodged an ice spike from Sapphire who began to call me a heathen.

  I shot her in the head and smiled even brighter at Hero. “No, I will not. I am going to go do my quest. I am going to take Alissa with me. Then I will come back and take care of our wives.” With that, I turned and walked away.

  I glanced back to see something I wasn’t sure I ever saw Hero show.. ever.. He was looking at me with a loving smile and tears in his eyes. I reached the castle gates, head shotting guards and civilians as they rushed me.

  The moment I hit the tree line I instantly took a right, walked to the nearest tree, giggled. Then began to ram my head as hard as possible into the tree until the head trauma killed me.

  I respawned a moment later and repeated the process thrice more. Finally, I kicked my slowly dissipating third body to the side and sat with my back against the tree. Blood dripped down from where I had smashed my skull in multiple times.

  Tears filled my eyes, and I began to sob. “Are you okay Hero?!” Alissa cried out as she rushed past me and looked for danger. I continued to ignore her. She wasn’t a player, she didn’t understand. None of them did.. none of them ever would.. would they… Would… they…?

  My eyes went wide as I remembered that glowing lady's words.

  I remembered my response and giggled quietly to myself. That was exactly the wrong answer. But as I sat here, I realized I now knew the true answer. If I could wake up… Truly see the world for what it was. Then so could everyone else.

  I could do that.. I needed to do that. For the Toybox, for Sapphire and Ruby, for Bloom and Sarah.. for Everyone. But most importantly.. For Hero, my… Hero. But to do that… I was gonna have to play the villain.

  A wide smile crossed my lips as I slowly stood and walked over to Alissa. “Great news!” I said cheerfully. She looked up at me with wide eyes full of devotion. “You get to do me a favor!”

  I pulled out my pistol and fired blank range into her skull. She died instantly and I caught her body. “Sorry about this.” I whispered in her ear as I began dragging her corpse deeper into the forest.

  I watched Alia walk with Alissa into the woods and wiped the tears from my eyes. Alia truly was the best in every form of the word.

  Turning to Sapphire, I pointed at Ruby. “Drag her inside with us, we need to have a chat.”

  “Right away Hero!” Sapphire responded instantly and grabbed her sister before starting to drag her into the castle through the open front castle gates. It was time I actually dealt with this once and for all.

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  I hated to say it, but Alia had inspired me. Either these two were going to wake up to reality… or they would never wake up again.

  We made our way through the halls into the throne room. I did something I had only ever done twice in hundreds of iterations. I walked up to the throne, summoned my spear, and killed the king.

  As my spear stabbed into his heart I whispered “No king lives forever.” Before kicking him off my spear and then pulling his fatass off the throne. Sapphire had finally reached me carrying Ruby.

  She looked up at me and her eyes sparkled. “Oh Hero! You have decided to lead us! What wonderfulness! My father must surely be so happy after his death…”

  “Sapphire, you are to fetch some rope and a fire proof chair. Go.. now” I said as I opened the Kingdom rulership menu and began to assign new policies. First new policy, no one was to leave the kingdom, all citizens were to return to the kingdom, and all women were to gather in the main castle hall.

  If I could actually free them.. like I had Alia… For the first time in a very, very long time. I felt… hope.

  Sapphire returned and tied Ruby to the chair with the fire proof rope and chair. Luckily Ruby understood what I wanted and had brought metal chains. “Good job Sapphire, now go get the same for yourself, and make sure you bring something you can’t escape from.”

  Sapphire bowed reverently. “Of course my hero! I live to serve!” And she rushed off in a hurry once again.

  I took a deep shaky breath. This was probably going to be one of the worst things I had ever done.. I wonder what Alia would think knowing what I was about to do…

  I idly wondered about that silly tailors quest… It felt so long ago now. I smiled sadly and a tear fell down my cheek. “Thank you.. for everything.” I whispered.

  Sapphire returned a few minutes later and I tied her to the cheer while she giggled and looked at me with those same devoted eyes. I almost felt my will waver. I had never liked Ruby or Sapphire.. I had never liked any of them.

  I had tortured and beaten and killed them all hundreds of times. But this.. felt different and I had no words to describe it. “What will you do with us, Hero? Now that we are at your mercy… though I suppose we are always at the mercy of your greatness!” Sapphire worshipped me from her chair and I felt my resolve harden.

  I stood and slowly walked over to Ruby. She was still unconscious. I took a long, deep breath. Then I smacked the shit out of her as hard as I could. She was jerked awake violently and she looked around panicked before her eyes landed on me and she calmed.

  I took a few steps back and looked between them. “Good, now that we are all here. Class is in session.” I smiled at them and they both leaned forward in their chains. “For your first lesson, you are to denounce the Hero.”

  Both girls recoiled viciously at even the statement. I waited patiently for their protestations. Ruby was first. “But.. but Hero.. please.. such.. such blasphemy is…”

  I smiled sweetly at her and spoke simply. “Ruby, I hate you. I hate everything about you. Your existence has been to serve me since you were born. That is by far the saddest, most pathetic existence imaginable.”

  Ruby began to twitch violently and tears streamed from her eyes. After a moment she stopped and giggled. “I understand Hero, I am worthless and you are everything. I will simply end myself at your behest!”

  I nodded at that before walking up, leaning in and whispering. “You are not to kill yourself, you are not to act at all. You are to denounce the Hero and you are to do it now!” Ruby began to convulse and after a moment, she puked on the floor and went pale.

  While she was puking on the floor, I walked over to Sapphire who suddenly looked terrified. “Hero I..” I covered her mouth and whispered. “Say you are worthy of the Hero and you are perfect as you are.”

  Sapphire's eyes twitched and horror filled them. She began to thrash violently in her chair. “NO NO NO NO NO!” She screeched and began sobbing uncontrollably. I smiled at her. “You are amazing, and perfect, and prettier and better than me in every way Sapphire. SAY IT.” Sapphire thrashed so hard her chair fell back and she began slamming her head into the tiled floor.

  I walked over and pulled the chair back up and whispered. “Heal you and your sister, now.”

  Sapphire instantly capitulated and Ruby, who had just bitten her tongue off suddenly regrew her tongue while Sapphire's concussion instantly healed. They were extremely resistant, but I knew that would be the case.

  I decided to up it a little bit. “Sapphire, I can only love you if you truly love and consider yourself equal to me.” Sapphire suddenly went deathly still and for a moment I thought she had died, then her head just fell back and I realized she had passed out.

  I shook my head and walked over to Ruby. Ruby was now sobbing. “Pelase Hero! I am begging you! Please Don’t do this!”

  I smiled at that. “Princess Ruby, are you telling the Hero not to do something? That sounds like denunciation.” Princess Ruby’s eyes went wide in horror and she set herself on fire, burning herself to ash in an instant.

  The chains and chair were fireproof.. turns out she wasn’t. This was not working.. I needed a new tactic.