I watched as Sapphire grabbed her ears and fell to her knees, she then curled into a ball sobbing. Alia snorted. “I mean really, that was only about fifty or so crabs.” I raised an eyebrow at that. “What until she visits peeptown..” Alia muttered under her breath.

  I winced in pain at the memory and stabbed my spear at the imaginary words. Alia even tensed and stared glassy eyed into the distance. After a long moment, we looked back at Sapphire as she climbed to her feet.

  Despite what one might think, you did not bleed from your ears from system notifications. They were entirely mental. Meaning, thanks to the horrible, cruel, FUCK YOU, place. Removing your ears by cutting them off did not in fact remove the notifications.

  Watching as Aqua looked at my spear and began walking towards me, I decided to inform her of this. “No, you can't cut off your ears to avoid the notifications.” Aqua paused, fell to her knees, and sobbed into her hands.

  “But… but I just enabled them! Why is the button gray now! Why does pushing it do nothing!” Aqua cried out loud.

  I nodded solemnly at her. “It’s worse, around level ten it will suddenly become available, you will think finally, I am free!” I started my explanation. Alia sighed and shook her head in sadness. “Only to learn that it only works for the speech and quest notifications and all other notifications are still enabled. Worse! It will continuously remind you of every single place you go.”

  Alia nodded sagely and she actually began to cry. She suddenly screamed and rushed over to a crab and began fighting it. She lost and a moment later I caught her and put her down. She instantly screamed again and rushed back.

  She did this twelve more times before finally falling over on the sound and breathing a sigh of relief.

  “Why make me turn it on then!” Aqua suddenly snapped at Alia. Alia didn’t respond, she had closed her eyes and was humming the Hero’s lullaby. I winced and turned to Aqua.

  “Basically, you need to have it on to get the XP notifications and know when you level up. Sadly, it’s practically necessary if you want to survive in this shithole.” My explanation seemed to make sense even if she didn’t want to hear it.

  She quite literally started to pound sand aggressively with her fists until she was panting and breathless. Then her elemental, Wavey? Used a water ball on her and she was full of energy again.

  I walked over and kicked Alia hard in the ribs. “Get up, have you reached level 5 yet? I hit level 3. I think Aqua being here means we have to do it at least two more times.” Alia ignored me for a moment, then finished her lullaby.

  “The Hero is perfect… don’t you understand.” Taking a deep breath, she climbed to her feet and began removing the dirt from her by shaking it off.

  I watched her cute little form shake back and forth and wanted to go another round… but I also wanted level 5. Then I looked over at Aqua and realized that Alia probably wouldn’t let me have her, she would push me to sleep with Aqua.

  I looked back over to Alia. “Well? Get going!” Alia sighed, rolled her eyes, summoned her bubble pistol and rushed down the beach again, Wavey following behind.

  It ended up taking four more pulls. Somehow, we lost one xp per kill to the aether.

  Alia was in a much better mood. Aqua kept stealing glances at me and blushing when I looked back at her. At one point Alia whispered something to Aqua, Aqua’s eyes had dilated, she had looked at me, and began to giggle.

  When I had asked what she had told her, Alia just winked at me and rushed off into the crabs. Aqua attempted to give me a blowjob while Alia was running back. I kicked her off of me, she began to cry.

  When she began to cry, Wavey turned and started returning to her. Alia, without her buff, ran out of stamina and died. She respawned, kicked me in the knee and pushed my face into the sand before comforting Aqua.

  I finally hit level 5 and fell to my knees. It was finally over. Aqua edged closer to me and I glanced over at her. “So.. um.. Are.. are you tired? I can have Wavey heal you!”

  I watched her for a long moment before speaking. “What is wrong with you?” My voice was calm, but I was simmering with rage.Aqua looked uncertain and after a moment, just looked away.

  Alia, laying on the ground panting, spoke up. “Maybe if you would just use her we would be better off Hero!” She snapped at me between breaths.

  I turned to Aqua. “Aqua, what did Alia tell you earlier?!” I had enough and I needed to know. Aqua looked uncomfortable for a moment and looked over at Alia.

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  After another moment where Alia didn’t say anything she looked back at me. “She.. she told me the more sex we had the stronger we would get.” My eyes twitched and I looked over at Alia who giggled.

  “What?” Alia said as she glanced up at me. “Go ahead, say it, make the relationship that is already strained worse. Ruin everything.” She giggled again and closed her eyes.

  I paused at that. Alia was many things, but she had never been so.. Mean. “What’s your game Alia? Why.. tell Aqua that.” I made sure not to state whether she was lying or not.

  Alia jumped to her feet and pointed at me. “Because team dynamics Hero, you aren’t a loner anymore and we need her. Teamwork makes the dreamwork as daddy would say and Aqua clearly adores you even after waking up.”

  I snorted at that and rolled my eyes. “Are you sure it wasn’t so you could get off to watching me fuck her again!” Alia recoiled slightly at. She kicked sand into the air before walking over to Aqua.

  She pulled Aqua to her feet, looked at me for a moment, then began to make out with her. After a moment, Aqua pulled back and Alia gagged. Neither looked happy. After a moment Alia sighed. “Fine, that’s the problem? Then fuck me Hero, fuck me all day and night and make her watch. Like you always did and you always do. Make another person suffer because you're selfish!”

  I blinked in surprise, then considered her words. She was trying to shift blame for her actions on to me, that was obvious. That wasn’t the issue. It was that she was willing to try this, to go this far just to watch me sleep with another girl again.

  At first I had truly thought it was her programming, but after watching her, I was beginning to realize she truly was just this way. I wasn’t sure how to accept that. I loved Alia, I really loved Alia.

  But I was beginning to see if I truly wanted to love her, I was going to have to make a choice. Did I accept her.. Strange desires, or did I just walk away and end things here? I had said I would save them all, and I would regardless.

  That didn’t mean I needed to be with her to do that… I looked at Aqua, really looked at her body, her demeanor. At first all I felt was jealousy and irritation. But I really considered that. Why? Jealousy for what? Power she no longer had?

  Aqua as a woman was attractive, all the Princess’s were. What angered me was their obsessive desire to be with me. As I watched Aqua, there was no doubt she found me attractive. But.. it.. It wasn’t obsessive the way Sapphire had been.

  So.. I was angry at her for.. What exactly? I disliked her because… of things that she wasn’t anymore? If anything, by those standards.. I should hate Alia. Yet, I felt love and desire for her because… because…

  My eyes drifted to her small lithe form as she crossed her arms and glared at me. Because she showed life in a world of nothing. I looked back at Aqua and realized… so did she… I had been so focused on Alia… I had missed Aqua.

  Did that mean I wanted to sleep with Aqua to satisfy Alia? Maybe… Aqua wasn’t Sapphire. But… I had spent so long wanting Alia that I… I never actually considered any other route. I decided to test something. How it turned out is what would decide for me.

  “Alia, I will sleep with Aqua and let you watch as much as you want.” Alia smiled and her eyes dilated excitedly. “On the condition that she becomes first wife.” Alia instantly deflated and her face took on a look of horror.

  She bit her lower lip and looked at Aqua, she looked back at me, then back to Aqua. “I.. don’t understand, I never agreed to marry you…” Aqua looked puzzled.

  I… I didn’t know what to say.. What to do… I was.. I was first wife… I should just accept he wouldn’t sleep with Aqua, just accept that and keep my title. It would be so simple… I clenched my teeth and words wouldn’t leave.

  The very thought to relinquish my title was heresy, not even just to Hero, but to everything I was. To.. to give it to another just so I could watch the man I love fuck her?! An image of Aqua, laying on her back as Hero rammed into her entered my mind. I felt extreme desire and pulled my legs closed.

  NO! Title.. Title.. “I.. don’t understand, I never agreed to marry you…” Aqua suddenly spoke up.

  I felt immense relief. “Yea Hero! She doesn’t even want to be first wife!” I relaxed, I can’t bele…

  “Then you just lose the role of first regardless and the next harem member gets it.” Hero said matter of factly. The world suddenly felt a lot colder. I looked around for.. For something. Aqua just shrugged at me, Hero smiled at me kindly.

  I fell to my knees, why was my heart beating so fast.. I felt sick. I puked on the ground in front of everyone, I couldn’t see clearly. Why.. was everything.. So dark…

  “Why..” I managed to choke out. “Why would you not want me as your first wife? I.. I am more than capable.. I have.. I have done so much..” Why was I shaking so bad?

  “Simple, as a first wife, you are supposed to pleasure me. If Aqua or whoever is the one doing all the work, why do you get to keep the title?” Hero’s words felt like daggers that he kept stabbing into me.

  “But… But I fight and.. And I will protect!” I tried to reason with him. He looked so distant.. It was so dark all around him.

  He snorted and I felt my heart sink. “So does Aqua, so did Ruby and Sapphire, what makes you special?”

  My head was throbbing, so.. Much pain. Why did Aqua matter anyways? Why did I care if she had sex? Why.. why did I want to watch so bad.. Why… Just…accept..the..title…

  “I choose…. I choose…” I puked again and everything went black.

  I watched as Alia proceeded to have a mental breakdown, followed by a panic attack, followed by just straight up passing out. I sighed and shook my head. “Is.. she going to be okay, Hero?” Aqua asked me uncertainly.

  I looked at her for a moment before asking. “Not sure, how would you react to being told you had to choose between two impossibilities in your head?” Aqua looked at Alia, then back at me.

  After a moment she shook her head. “That.. doesn’t sound pleasant.”

  “Indeed.” I answered calmly. “Truth be told Aqua, She was never going to lose the title, I love Alia far too much. But I wanted her to understand that she can’t just do what she pleases.” I walked over and gently picked her up.

  “Come on, we are gonna rest over by those boulders.” I began walking over there.

  “Oh, yes of course!” Aqua said as she followed behind me. “So.. wanna..” I looked back and she was blushing.

  I smiled. “Sure, why not.”