My eyelids felt as heavy as stones as I pried them open, blinking in the flickering light of a campfire. Fiona was on the ground next to me, breathing deeply like she was asleep. I turned to find Marvin further back, his chest rising and falling as he slept too. I let out a breath, happy they were both okay. There was something off about them though, like they were fuzzy and out of focus.

I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, but froze when I saw my hand. It was translucent, the light of the fire shining right through my arm. No. That wasn't possible! My heartbeat pounded in my ears as I flipped my hand back and forth, seeing through it no matter how I looked. My breath caught in my chest.

"Am I dead?" The words felt like ash in my mouth as I searched the area for any other explanation. My gaze landed on Cole, who was still playing with the fire like he was some kind of god. "Did you do this?"

He jerked his hands out of the flames. "Hazel? You're not supposed to be awake."

"Sorry to ruin your plans," I said, forcing myself to sit up even though the ground felt like it was swaying beneath me. "What did you do to us?"

"Calm down," he said, holding his hands out. "I can explain everything if you'll just hear me out."

My tongue felt thick in my mouth, like I hadn't drank anything in a while, so I just nodded.

"The system glitched when you added that trowel to the table," he said slowly, "and that's why everything started flickering. It's under control now, but I had to put you to sleep so you wouldn't see anything you shouldn't."

I ran a hand across my face, still a bit groggy. "Like you playing with fire?"

"Yeah, like that," he said. "I'm sorry. I never meant to hide things from you, but it's dangerous if you know too much. You should really just go back to sleep and forget this ever happened."

"No way." I shook my head, clearing the last of the fuzziness. "I've already forgotten way too much. I won't forget anything else, so just tell me the truth. Am I dead? And are you god?"

Cole stared at me, blinking slowly, before a laugh burst out of his chest. "No, I am definitely not a god." He sat down cross-legged across from me. "And I don't like the term dead. Nobody really ever dies, their soul just changes form, moving from one place to the next. Think of this dungeon like an in-between. A place where your soul can rest and recover."

"In between what?" I asked, feeling like the answer was at the tip of my tongue. "In between lives? So I really am dead then??"

He shook his head, reaching out for my hand, but I pulled away. He flinched as if I'd hit him. "No, Hazel, you're not dead. You're more full of life than anyone I know. Your soul is like an ember and this is where you get the fuel you need to shine bright again. You're just in a different phase of your life right now, but you are very much alive."

Maybe I was still half asleep, or maybe he was just talking nonsense, because none of that made sense. People lived and then they died. Right? Had I really even had a life before? It was so hard to remember anything, like my memories were smoke that had been slowly dissipating the longer I was here. When was the last time I even tried to remember something?

"I want my memories back," I said, staring him down as confidently as I could. "If what you're saying is true, then I had a life before. I deserve to know what it was like."

His shoulders slumped. "I don't have that information, I'm sorry. You've probably had many past lives actually, but they're all stored away in the Hall of Memories."

"Then let's go there." I struggled to stand up. "I need to know who I was. You can't just erase everything and expect me to be okay with it."

He grabbed my hand, pulling me back down into a sitting position. "I didn't erase who you were. I'd never do that. Your core self is entirely intact. The proof is in the weapon you chose and the life you've been leading here. You're kind and caring, choosing to befriend instead of fight. You're hard-working to the point of exhausting yourself and you'd do anything for a friend." His gaze met mine, his hand gripping mine a bit tighter. "That's who you are, Hazel, and memories or not, nothing can change that."

"But then why take my memories at all?" I asked.

Cole sighed. "It's just what I was told to do. Apparently it was different before, but the memories proved too painful to keep. Whether their memories were full of trauma or so amazing that it was a constant pain to remember what they'd lost, the souls of that time struggled to move on. The dungeon filled with them, all too stuck in their past to consider their future. It was too much and the gods took their memories away as a kindness. Now everyone starts their journey with a fresh slate."

A fresh slate. Was that really worth forgetting everything about who I was before? I gripped the edge of my apron tight. I hadn't forgotten everything. I still remembered the feeling of shaping dough in my hands and the joy I got from feeding other people something sweet. Maybe Cole was right and I really was the same me at my core, but I wasn't ready to give up on my memories just yet.

"There has to be something you can do," I said softly.

Cole shook his head, but then frowned. "Well, maybe. I can't show you your old life, but I can show you how you got here. If that makes any difference?"

"Yes! Please!" I jumped up, not wanting to let him change his mind. "Show me whatever you can."

He pulled a key from his inventory, ready to open a door for me, when my gaze fell on Fiona. I dropped to my knees, brushing her hair back and holding her close.

"Wake her up too," I said, suddenly feeling far too alone. "She deserves to know just as much as I do."

Cole shook his head. "It's too dangerous. Even you knowing could end in ruin, but if she knew too? There'd be no hiding it from the gods. They'd make me wipe your memories all over again. You'd forget about the slimes and your cafe."

"We'd forget, again?"

He nodded solemnly.

Fiona deserved to know who she was before, but I didn't want her to forget about who she was now either. I swallowed hard as the way Cole had phrased life and death suddenly started making sense. We were just as alive now as any other time and forgetting this version of ourselves was too much of a risk. Fiona was who she was because of her time here. I didn't have the right to risk taking that away from her.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Plus, I wouldn't just lose the slimes and my cafe. I'd lose my memories of Cole and Fiona too.

All of that meant that we weren't dead. We were alive, making new memories every day. I wanted to hold onto that as hard as I could.

"Okay," I said, pulling away from Fiona, "then let's go see what you wanted to show me. As long as they'll be safe here?"

Cole smiled. "They'll be more than safe. I promise. They'll even be happy and well-rested when they wake up."

"You promise, huh?" I frowned as he opened the door. "You said you're not a god, but you obviously know more about all this than us and seem to be in control. So what does that make you?"

"The dungeon's core." He held his hand out with a smile, leading me into the corridor. "Think of me like the heart of the dungeon, the one keeping everything running smoothly."

"If you're the one keeping everything running, then are you–" I froze, eyes wide. "Are you Sweet Potato??"

Suddenly all the pieces started falling into place. The reason he could take me between floors on a whim, how he seemed to know things he had no business knowing, and how he once in a while answered me when I was talking to the system. I shook my head, backing up a bit as he reached out for me.

"Hazel..."

"No way," I said. "You can't be Sweet Potato. That would mean you've been lying to me this whole time?"

Cole dropped his hand, leaning against the side of the corridor. "That's exactly what it means, but I swear I didn't want to. I kept it a secret so the gods didn't suspect you were anyone special to me and I've been doing everything in my power to hide your unique ability to break everything I plan. The gods want the dungeons running smoothly to keep souls moving on to their next lives. When they see someone standing out, they investigate."

His gaze was on the ground, hands clenched in his clothing. He didn't seem like the kind of person to toy with me for no reason, so maybe I should give him the benefit of the doubt. Sweet Potato had done nothing but help me since the moment I entered the dungeon. If Cole was Sweet Potato, then I owed him everything. All the happy moments I'd shared with the slimes and Fiona were because he gave me a unique class after I chose that sandwich. He'd given me the chance to thrive here.

I took a step closer to him, holding my hand out. "Hello, I'm Hazel."

His gaze jerked to mine. "What are you doing?"

"Just go with it.," I said, taking his hand in mine to shake. "It's nice to finally meet you properly, Sweet Potato."

"So you're not mad?" His lips pulled into a grateful smile as he gripped my hand, shaking it so fast that I felt like my arm might fall off. "Thank you! You can keep calling me Cole, if you want. That way nobody will get suspicious."

"That's fair, but maybe I'll keep calling you Sweet Potato when it's just the two of us."

He pulled me against his chest, hugging me tight. "You are a beautiful soul, Hazel."

The scent of campfire smoke surrounded me as I leaned into him, daring to wrap my arms around him. He was the man who'd given me my class and kept me company whenever I was lonely. He'd joked with me, cared for me, and even baked with me. He was the reason this new life of mine had been so enjoyable and I felt lucky he'd spent all that time on me. Even if he thought I broke things.

A smile tugged at my lips as I pulled away. "So back to this breaking all your plans thing. Have I really been that much of a menace?"

"Oh, you have no idea," he said with a laugh as he led me down the corridor again. "All Dave has been talking about is Hazel's feeding the monsters and Hazel overpowered the trees and Hazel this and that. My mind has been completely on you since you got here."

The back of my neck warmed. "Sorry..."

"Don't be. I've been pretty bored all alone here, so you were a welcome distraction." Cole reached for a door handle in front of us, turning back to look at me. "Are you ready to see how you got here?"

I worried my lip, fiddling with my apron as I debated if that really was something I wanted. Dying and moving on to this life was probably pretty violent, so I had a feeling this would be an unpleasant experience. Maybe I really was better off not knowing.

"There's nothing to fear," Cole said softly, "and I'll be with you every step of the way."

"Thank you."

I took a deep breath and stepped forward, nodding at him to open the door. Warm lights filled a vast room with hundreds of glowing cocoons hanging from the ceiling like lanterns. Their golden light sparkled brilliantly, pulsing like a heartbeat. Some were faint while others were so bright I could barely look at them.

Cole led me down a path to the middle of the room where the warmest light was. "This is the Ember Cavern. It's where souls come when they first arrive in the dungeon. Think of it like a resting period between their old lives and the tutorial zone. It's a time for them to transition and let go of the pain they felt before."

I spun in a circle, staring at all the souls filling this room. There were hundreds, no, thousands, just waiting to become adventurers like me.

"So I was here too?" I asked, transfixed by the beautifully pulsing lights. "I was a big ball of light like them?"

He nodded. "And you'll be here again. It's the cycle of life and this is your time to rest."

I tried to cover up a laugh, but couldn't. "Sorry, but really? This dungeon is the opposite of rest. I've been so busy I can barely think since I got here."

"Well, yeah, but that's part of the point," he mumbled. "Okay, maybe rest isn't the right word then. What would you call it?"

I tapped my chin, watching all the souls shine bright. "Maybe soul-searching? This feels like a place to discover who you really want to be before you start a new life."

"I like that." He nodded, watching me watch the soul lanterns. "The way you phrase things feels so new and exciting. It's what drew me to you in the first place."

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? If you like new and exciting, maybe you should let me help you fix the system up a bit. Add new classes so people can gain XP for things they love doing and maybe make the food taste better too. Nobody deserves to live in a place where the food tastes like cardboard."

Cole held his hands up, laughing. "I agree with you there. I didn't know what it tasted like until I went to your cafe, so I didn't realize how important flavor was." He dropped his hands, looking a bit more serious. "If I let you help me change the dungeon, would you promise to keep all of this a secret? For both of our sakes?"

Fiona deserved to know everything I'd seen, but if Cole was right and it put her at risk, then keeping his secret might be the only way. Especially if it meant I could help improve the lives of everyone here, shaping the dungeon into something a little cozier...

"Deal." I held my hand out to shake on it. "We can start by figuring out a new class for Marvin."

Cole sighed. "You just had to add that gardening trowel to the table, didn't you?"

"I thought you said you liked new things?" I grinned. "How do we get started?"

"Well, first we summon Dave because he's the best at designing new things that push the boundaries without breaking the rules too much." He opened his menus, tapping on something I couldn't see, before leaning closer to whisper. "Plus, I kind of miss him. But don't tell him I said that."

"Secret's safe with me." I nodded. "What next?"

"Next, I show you where I spend all my time." He held a key out, summoning a black door that seemed to glow orange and red underneath, like it was a coal burning slowly. "After you."

He motioned for me to walk ahead of him through the door, leading me to a place he'd probably never shown anyone else before. I had wanted to get to know him better and now I was finally getting my chance to see behind the messages. To see what Sweet Potato's life was really like.

Excitement rushed through me as I walked down the dungeon hallway. I wasn't ready to give up on the memories of my old life just yet, but for now, I'd do my best to make this life amazing. For everyone in the dungeon.