[Sword Art Online] Aincrad Realized

[Xavier Rall]

What would happen if, right at the end of the Death Game, Aincrad suddenly manifested in the real world? And right above Tokyo?

{Prologue: Game Over?}

--November 7, 2024--

-Aincrad: 75th Floor – Boss Room-

"Game over, Kirito," declared Heathcliff, as he swung down his blazing red blade to strike down the Black Swordsman.

Everyone in his captive audience were chilled down to the virtual bone at those words, made just as Kirito was caught in the midst of the cooldown lag after shattering his second blade, Dark Repulser, against Kayaba`s unbreakable shield. They had all come to this very room with the purpose of destroying its denizen boss, so as to finally clear the 75th Floor, move on to the 76th, and get one Floor closer to the 100th, highest floor, where they would face the final boss, defeat it, and win freedom from the game. The loss of 14 comrades here, the most in one boss room since the lower 50 Floors, had been both unexpected and unnerving, especially with 25 more Floors to go, and all of them likely more difficult.

Even more unexpected and unnerving was the revelation that Heathcliff, the strongest player and leader of the most powerful guild, Knights of the Blood-Oath, was also their despised warden and jailor, Akihiko Kayaba, as well as the final boss on Floor 100. After Kirito made this discovery, Kayaba paralyzed everyone else in the room and goaded the second-strongest player in SAO into a duel to the death, forcing everyone, including his friends, like scheming, but charitable businessman Agil, failingly-flirtatious but ever-dependable Klein, and even his beloved, beautiful wife, Asuna, to watch, unable to do anything to change Kirito`s fate…

-------------

At that moment, when his ever-reliable Dark Repulser failed against Heathcliff`s invincible defense, he experienced outright shock and disbelief, as if it was his arm that had broken instead.

When Kirito had received the Unique Skill, Dual Wielding, the first thing he did was get a second sword to match his powerful monster-drop weapon, Elucidator. This he found in Dark Repulser, which he had earned with the help of Asuna`s friend, the blacksmith Lisbeth. Then, he practiced it in secret, testing this new skill on powerful monsters to devastating effect, before unleashing it in full fury and public view against the Gleam Eyes of Floor 74, destroying it at the near-cost of his life. This skill had further marked him out as unique, and had even helped give him some positive, albeit unwanted, attention in contrast to people`s views of him as a Beater. To see his greatest and signature skill fail so spectacularly paralyzed him almost as much as the lag from using the skill.

All Kirito could do was watch Kayaba activate a Sword Skill, making his blade appear to be coated in flickering red flames, and move to bring it down upon him…

-----------

So many feelings were flooding Asuna`s mind that it was nigh impossible for her to think rationally. Anguish, betrayal, fear, grief, helplessness, pain, love… These all were stewing around in her head like so many poorly mixing ingredients for a slop of soup. From the sudden unveiling of Heathcliff`s true self, the Paralyze effect on her and everyone else, Kirito`s denial of an escape, his desperate, hopeless battle, his selfless determination to win at all costs, all these contributed to the virtual waterfall of cascading emotions that defined her present mental state.

There was, however, another feeling brewing deep inside, one that was bubbling to the surface like lava from a volcano. It was anger. But this was not just any anger, it was a burning, passionate fury that a human being feels from a combination of the righteous indignation that a person feels against a great wrong, the complete and total hatred of a person` entire being that is born from a betrayal twice made, and the desire to protect a loved one from a menacing danger. This feeling, however, was not enough for Asuna to do anything about her husband`s predicament, not when she was just as paralyzed as Kirito when he was at the mercy of Kuradeel…

----------

One moment, everyone watched in horror as Kayaba prepared to kill Kirito, and take away from them one of their strongest fighters and best hopes for escape.

The next moment was an all-around case of incredible disbelief.

The reason being that, if their eyes weren`t deceiving them, or the game`s virtual environment wasn`t somehow playing tricks with their NervGears, they could just swear that Asuna, the Lightning Flash, and vice-commander of the Knights of the Blood-Oath, had just somehow overcome the Paralyze effect, because they saw her standing right next to Kayaba, with her Lambent Light drawn, occupying a space between Kirito and Heathcliff, whose were both frozen still by her sudden appearance.

Then Heathcliff`s right forearm burst into fractals, letting his great sword fall harmlessly to the ground.

For the briefest of moments, there was silence, as everyone in the helpless gallery of spectators dared to feel hope once more.

Then, there was a shout- no, a roar, as Kirito recovered first from the unbelievable sight, seeing Kayaba himself caught in a brief lag, his shield held aside to make way for the now-failing sword, leaving the man with perfect defensive ability without defense. Kirito lunged forward, with a powerful killing intent reflected in his eyes, almost making them glow. He could see Kayaba`s brief shock morph into a smile…

And he pierced Heathcliff through with Elucidator.

---------------

In the end, as his hit points fell away, two feelings permeated his being: contentment, and pride.

At first, Asuna`s sudden interference was just as much of a surprise to him as everyone else, and right at the moment when he was about to conclude his duel and then head off to the Ruby Palace on the 100th Floor to await the Clearers. He didn`t remember allowing for any cheats that would allow for a player to disable their own Paralyze effect without crystals- oh, wait. Now he remembered Asuna`s report about Kuradeel`s betrayal, where he had in fact poisoned Kirito so as to Paralyze him. She and Kirito must have taken precautions to not get caught off guard like that again, he thought. And she must have only just remembered this to come to her husband`s rescue at the very last second, instead of earlier.

As he looked at them, his slayers, all he could think about was how proud he was of his accomplishment. First, he had created an entire world, filled with its own unique locations, creatures, and landscapes. He had filled with the possibility for adventures of every kind, from the Grand Quest for freedom, to simple everyday life in the towns and cities that dotted the Floors of Aincrad. Then, he populated it with thousands of people, who built new communities, organized an economy, manifested their own culture, and even wrote their own folklore, filled with as many legends as any real world populace. And, from a population of ordinary folk, true heroes had been forged.

Aincrad was a fantasy made real, and he was the architect. He knew that he would pass on having fulfilled his dearest dream, and seeing people make that dream into something greater than he could imagine. How could he not feel pride in his work, and feel content that he had accomplished all he had hoped for. And so, he closed his eyes, and waited for death…

The pain of a sword through the chest suddenly intensified, as his eyes shot open, his body doubled forward, and he coughed out blood.

Then he died, with an expression of pain and disbelief replacing the serenity that had been there only moments before.

-Real World: Asuna`s Hospital-

He stood there, next to Mr. Yuuki, CEO of RECT Progress and his boss, as a show of support for the man whose daughter lay in the bed in front of them, her beautiful, luscious hazel locks sprawled out across her bed and pillow, while the futuristic-looking and sinister NervGear sat still over her head, blinking nondescriptly, mockingly, as it held her more securely imprisoned than a maximum security cell in isolation, while simultaneously threatening her with something more dangerous than Damocles` sword. Considering, however, what he and Mr. Yuuki were currently discussing, she could maintain the role of sleeping beauty for a while longer for all he cared.

"I and my wife will consider your proposal, Nobuyuki," Shouzou Yuuki said. "But, are you sure? I mean, Asuna hasn`t awakened yet, and there`s still no telling whether she will live or not."

"That`s exactly why it should be done as soon as possible," Sugou argued, careful not to let the truth slip out. "She and I both have always been good friends, you know this, and she will certainly understand if you did this without asking for her permission, and she won`t object anyways." At least, he thought, not of her own free will, considering she hates my guts.

His plan was perfect. After Argus` collapse, RECT Progress took over care of the SAO servers. Soon after, they used them as the basis for the release of their own VRMMORPG, ALfheim Online, or ALO for short. He, however, had seen the potential of the full-dive technology to not only submerge someone in a virtual world, but even create the possibility of mind-control. For a power-hungry soul like Sugou, it was far too tempting to pass up. So, he had made arrangements to test out these applications on the SAO players. When the game was over, 300 players of every demographic would, instead of being logged out, be shunted over to the ALO servers and be imprisoned in that game instead.

Asuna would be among their number, and he would use these same experiments to make her into his beloved, devoted wife.

With such power at his fingertips, he could become G-

The NervGear stopped blinking. A moment later, the heart monitor attached to Asuna suddenly sounded a shrill beeeeeeeeaaaaaaaappp.

Shouzou turned back towards his daughter, panicking, calling out her name, shaking her, clutching her close to his bosom, then calling out for a nurse. Sugou, on the other hand, stood shocked, frozen, as his life`s greatest desire was cheated from him by the very same power he sought to use to obtain it. It was only after a few moments that he noticed his phone ringing. Shaking himself out of his stupor, he answered it with a businesslike "Yes?"

"Mr. Nobuyuki, we have a major problem! We`re receiving word from the hospitals with the SAO victims- they`re dead! All of them dead!"

If Sugou was shocked before, now he had a feeling that would not have been out of place for a condemned man seated on the electric chair. The feeling was so strong, he failed to notice a shadow on the horizon…

Kirigaya Household

It was another normal day when it happened. Suguha was coming home from school, her mother, Midori, was doing some dishwashing, seeing as she was now home to do such normal things, and the father was out on a business trip to Osaka. Midori once again wished her husband would be home more often, and this of course led to her wishing that Kazuto, her nephew and adopted son, were also here to both help with the housework, and to enjoy this beautiful day outside of his bedroom, instead of playing video games inside. Suguha was once again looking forward to her virtual adventures in ALfheim as the Sylph swordswoman Leafa, which of course led her onto the tangent of wishing that she could fly in real life, as she looked up to see-

"Mom!" Midori heard Suguha cry out. "Are you seeing what I`m seeing?" She then walked outside, to see other people walking out of their homes, all of them looking up into the sky to see-

She blinked. She rubbed her eyes, shook her head and looked up again at what was supposed to be a clear, cloudless sky.

Instead, she saw a gigantic, floating, steel, CASTLE.

And it was hovering several thousand feet above Tokyo.

 

[Xavier Rall]

{Chapter One: Revelations Written with Blood, Tears, and Pixels}

--November 7, 2024--

-Aincrad: 75th Floor – Boss Room-

Blood.

Any normal human being will cringe at the sight of flowing, bright red blood. After all, it is the means by which a human being remains alive and keeps their body functioning, and the many spiritual connotations associated with blood, especially human blood, over the millennia, further compound this phenomenon. But still, no matter how chilling or disgusting the image of blood leaving the human body is, it is still something that people expect to happen. If a person suffers from an opened wound, blood is, after all, expected, to come out. It`s just a part of being a flesh-and-blood human being.

But not a virtual one.

When Kirito pierced Heathcliff, there was, of course, the expected game`s sound effects of a blade piercing flesh, and the familiar resistance that the game simulates of the experience. He watched with quiet, but burning passion and contempt mixed with overwhelming relief as the murderer`s health points fell like a swift sword. He glanced sideways at his wonderful wife, Asuna, as he gave her a nod and a quiet, "We did it, didn`t we?" He was rewarded with a smile and a nod.

That was the moment that everything simply changed. It was at that moment that Kirito felt Kayaba lurch forward in pain on his sword and blood sprayed out from the wound down his blade, from the man`s mutilated arm, and flew out from Kayaba`s coughing mouth onto Kirito`s coat, before he gargled and hacked out his last, dying breath.

The last thirty seconds, all by themselves, were some of the most tense, jaw-dropping, shocking moments of the lives of everyone in the room. The last two years made up the most tense, jaw-dropping and shocking time of their lives.

The sight of blood, at that singular moment, put them all to shame.

-----------

What? Wh- why`s there blood? Kirito thought. I don`t know if I`m hallucinating this or not, but it feels very real. I can see and smell it, and I sure as hell don`t want to touch or taste it either. Did Kayaba- no, he wasn`t expecting this at all. So what went wrong? There`s no way Kayaba would have allowed a glitch in the pain dampeners, especially not for himself. Did Cardinal do this? What is going on, why does everything feel so different all of a sudden, so- real?

As he let Heathcliff`s body unceremoniously slide off his sword to the ground, Kirito looked around, trying to find out why everything felt so weird all of a sudden. Suddenly, one of the players shouted.

"Kayaba`s dead!? Right?! SO WHY ARE WE STILL HERE?!"

That`s it, Kirito thought. Akihiko Kayaba may have been the lowest form of bastard there was, and he may have led people astray with his posing as Heathcliff, but he never lied to someone`s face directly, and was brutally honest about his intentions and end goal, and his game`s rules, as harsh as they may have been, were still fair, so he did have some semblance of sportsmanship. He wouldn`t have goaded Kirito into the duel if the reward hadn`t been real. So why-

"Mommy? Daddy?" He froze once again. "K-Kirito?" he heard Asuna stutter.

He turned slowly towards her, bloodied Elucidator and broken Dark Repulser falling from his hands, his heart hammering once more in his chest – it felt more real, visceral, somehow – and he saw his wife looking down, with wide, still-shocked, now-hopeful eyes, at the one thing that had made their love feel truly unbreakable, that made them feel like a real family, that they feared they would never see again-

"Yui."

---------

Asuna, with Kirito, immediately wrapped Yui in her arms, clutching her close to her bosom, fearing that she would disappear again before her eyes, as she wept tears of unbridled joy.

She had only known the small girl for only a few days, but she had given Asuna and her husband her complete and unconditional love from the first moment in her amnesiac state that she laid eyes on them, calling them "Mommy" and "Daddy". They only shared a few hours of time together, but Yui loved them like they were her real parents, and they, in turn, had come to love her like she was their real daughter. Even her later revelation that she was an AI did nothing to change that, in fact, it likely only served to strengthen their love, as Asuna and Kirito accepted her as a real person in spite of that. It was one of the most heart-breaking moments in Asuna`s life when the Cardinal System`s efforts to delete her after she saved the two of them in a dungeon made her dissolve into yellow fractals in her arms. Kirito, thankfully, succeeded in saving Yui`s core data into a game object-

Thinking on that, Asuna`s hand went to her neck, where she wore Yui`s Heart. It wasn`t there. And with Yui standing here, held in her arms, Asuna was fully convinced that her daughter, the brightest light in hers and Kirito`s lives, had indeed truly returned. Holding her out with hands on her shoulders, Asuna asked, "Yui, is that really you? Really? I can`t be happy without you. Can you say that you really have come back?" The little teared up herself, gave a smile that perfectly reflected Asuna`s, and simply said, "Yes." The three came together again in one great embrace, having become a family once more.

"Oy! Since when did you two get time to have a kid? And a damn cute one at that?!"

------------

With the Paralysis effect having passed away for him, along with everyone else in the room, the instant he noticed the never-before-seen little girl who had just appeared out of nowhere and started acting like she was Kirito and Asuna`s kid, with the two of them reciprocating the feeling, Klein felt obligated to march up to the two lovebirds and demand an answer from them. His shout-out caused the group to look up in surprise, and disappointment, since their special moment was very rudely interrupted.

"Now, Kirito, I know you really like Asuna and all, I mean, I`ve seen it ever since I met you two partying together back on Floor 74, but how in hell do you meet, get laid, and have like a ten-year old kid who looks like a mini-Asuna with your colors, in only two weeks?!" he ranted, gesticulating at them wildly. "Yeah," he heard Agil say. "In fewer words, how did this happen?" The sentiment was shared by the other players in the room, who now had all seemed to have forgotten about Heathcliff`s bleeding corpse, focusing all of their attention on the small, unarmed, unarmored, and innocent-looking little girl.

Kirito and Asuna stood up, both of them keeping a hand on each of Yui`s shoulders, both of them smiling warmly, but with a slight look of embarrassment, and Yui looking a little nervous at all of the new faces and staring eyes. "Klein, Agil, everyone," Kirito said loudly. "This is Asuna and I`s daughter, Yui. And before you say anything, you Klein, especially, one, she`s adopted, two, she`s an AI, the game`s original Mental Health Counseling Program-" this elicited gasps all around, as she acted too human to be an NPC. "-and three, we love her like she`s our own, so if any of you have a problem with it, you can talk to my swords!"

"Hey, hey, man," Klein said, holding his hands out. "No need to get so defensive. I mean, so much crazy stuff just happened, and a little girl calling herself your daughter literally showing up out of nowhere is the most ridiculousness I can take in one day. Although, come to think of it, what the hell did just happen? I mean, why is Kayaba`s body bleeding out on the floor like that? Why didn`t he just burst into lights like everything else does in this damn game?"

"Good question," Kirito replied, bending down to pick up his bloodied black blade, holding it up horizontally before his eyes, watching the red liquid slowly drip from the sword to the floor. "Sword Art Online is the most fully-realized virtual reality ever made, with attention paid to even minor details like insects, small animals, and even individual plants. However, even this world has limits, such as the fields, instead of being made up of millions of individual grass stalks, are instead more like a rug made to feel like grass, as trying to make all of those individual grass plants would take up too much time and resources."

"Yeah, otherwise the game would take forever to make," Klein agreed.

"The same is true for the anatomies of every living thing. Trying to make a virtual avatar with complete internal organs, nervous system, muscle structure, and blood vessels would take too much work. And besides, during our first duel, I actually succeeded in cutting Heathcliff`s cheek, and it didn`t bleed. Also, Asuna cut his arm off, and I stabbed him through, and his avatar still reacted like any other object…" Kirito`s eyes slid over to Dark Repulser, Klein following his gaze, which was still in two pieces. "But then, why is Kayaba`s body still here, bleeding and dead instead of just gone, and why hasn`t Dark Repulser also vanished, since all weapons, once broken, are supposed to? And if Kayaba really is the final boss, and he`s dead, why isn`t the game over? Why aren`t we waking up in the real world?"

"Because this is the real world."

Everyone`s heads suddenly jerked up at the statement, looking toward its speaker, Yui. She continued. "Everything that is happening here, from the blood to the broken sword, is outside of the abilities of the Cardinal System, which runs the servers that Sword Art Online is based. Also, before all of this, as an AI and a purely digital existence, I could sense all of the workings and coding of Cardinal. But now, I am unable to sense the system at all, my five physical senses are all noticeably sharper, and also-" she grasped Asuna`s hand and placed it on the left side of her chest. After a moment, Asuna`s eyes widened and she gasped.

"I have a heartbeat, something no one in a virtual world should have, and yet I do. And everything alive that has a heartbeat, invariably, has a heart."

Klein`s own hand came over to his own chest, and, for the first time in over two years, he felt his heart pounding away, stronger than it ever had before. His reaction to this mimicked Asuna`s, and that of everyone else, as they all clutched where their hearts were. No way, Klein thought. This is so not happening. Being trapped in a virtual game until you die is crazy, but this-

Suddenly, there was a sound of ringing. Or rather, a lot of ringing, and it came from each and every player, or rather, from their pockets. And it sounded just like their menus. Klein reached down to his belt, pulling out-

A phone? Across its screen, he read [Important Message – Cardinal System]. He immediately tapped it, and read what Cardinal had to say.

----------

All across Aincrad, only a few minutes before, life was going on as normally as it had for two years. People were shopping in markets for gear, clothing, armor, weapons, food, and other merchandise; guilds were meeting to discuss and handle their affairs and businesses; parties were hunting monsters, clearing dungeons, and performing quests; there were families, friends, and couples simply enjoying time together in a peaceful corner of the virtual world.

Silica was once again part of a new party, she and Pina were adventuring with them through the 49th Floor for the first time, exploring the main settlement of Myujen.

Lisbeth was in her shop on the 48th Floor, in the settlement of Lindarth, as she began putting all of her newly purchased metals in their appropriate places, so as to be ready for any new customer`s potential order.

Argo was in the Hidden Dungeon below the Town of Beginnings on the 1st Floor, trying to uncover its secrets.

Thinker and Yulier were in a meeting with the higher ranking players in the Aincrad Liberation Force, or Army as most people called them, discussing what to do about Kibaou, and his act of betrayal.

Nishida was just fishing on the 22nd Floor, like always.

The moment when it happened, not everyone noticed right away, but it was by those who saw their menus vanish in front of them, refusing to reappear in spite of all command, witness monsters and players alike in combat bleed when cut open, and saw Immortal Objects like houses suddenly take damage when blades met their walls. Then they all noticed the new menu ringing in their pockets or on their belts, and they all read the same message, delivered straight from the Cardinal System:

[The world of Sword Art Online, the castle of Aincrad, has, through an unforeseen and unexplainable phenomenon, become a physical existence in the real world.

[In regards to the players` menus, they have now manifested in the form of these tablets, each of which can only be used by the player it manifested to, and share many of the same functions as the original player`s menus, except for direct access to player`s and guild`s storage, which can now only be accessed through newly manifested storage points located in every settlement, and the tablet serves as the key for each player`s and guild`s own storage – no one can use their tablet to access storage that belongs to someone else.

[Players` avatars are now their real bodies, complete with flesh and blood, with player stats being translated into them. Also, player skills are now also real, with real world knowledge of these same skills now being a part of all players` consciousness.

[The NPCs have remained, and are now fully sentient and sapient human beings. The monsters and animals also remain and are now also fully realized physical existences and living creatures. The environment of Aincrad is now also fully physical, with all minute details previously not a part of the game due to the lack of necessity now included, such as indoor plumbing.

[The castle of Aincrad itself is now a fully realized physical existence in the real world. As the overseeing AI of Sword Art Online, I still remain the caretaker in charge of the maintenance of Aincrad`s newly manifested numerous systems, from weather control and air pressurization of each individual Floor to maintaining the floatation of Aincrad, so that it does not plunge to the ground below, endangering the lives of everyone in the castle and below it.

[Finally, thanks to access to global positioning satellites, the location of Aincrad is determined to be, at its lowest point, precisely 2,000 meters above Tokyo.

[Thank you for reading this message. End.]

-Tokyo: Kirigaya Household-

Suguha couldn`t believe her eyes. At first, she thought that she was hallucinating, the long hours and myriad adventures in ALfheim Online as the Sylph swordswoman Leafa finally getting to her. But, she could not recall ever seeing a flying castle in ALfheim, or even hearing the vaguest rumors of one there. And yet, here it was, floating above the city in grand majesty, looking to be at least the size of the World Tree in ALfheim, if not bigger. She had already pinched herself on her arms and cheeks as well as slapping herself to see if it was a dream and confirmed it wasn`t. Standing there with her mother, and the other people in the street, it was a very surreal experience.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!"

"Where did it come from? It just appeared out of nowhere!"

"What`s it doing here?"

"Is this the end of the world?!"

Suguha gasped, beginning to contemplate just now how much danger they may be in. Her heart began to race and tears started forming in her eyes as her fear began rising, taking the place of her earlier confusion. And, she even began to fear for her older cousin- no, brother, as he was still trapped in that game of Sword Art Online, fighting for his life, completely oblivious to the fact that there was a GIANT FREAKING FLOATING CASTLE sitting right above Tokyo.

Wait, she thought, as something occurred to her. She realized the castle was actually familiar. She had never seen it in real life or in ALfheim, of course, but she had seen a picture of it-

"Mom! I know what that castle is! It`s Aincrad!" she yelled. Midori then turned to her in confusion, along with everyone on the street who heard her.

"What? Suguha, how do you know what that is?" her mother inquired.

"Because I`ve seen it before, on the case of Kazuto`s copy of Sword Art Online!"

Everyone around quietly or loudly gasped at that. Sword Art Online was the most infamous grouping of three words in history, ever since it was launched two years and one day ago, trapping 10,000 people in a virtual game, where the players had to beat the game to escape, or die trying. So far, over 3,000 had perished.

"Do you know what this means?"

"All of the players trapped by Sword Art Online might still be up there! Alive and well!"

"Miki, you made it."

"Asaki, are you still alive?"

Kazuto, wait for me, Suguha thought. I`m coming.

-Asuna`s Hospital-

A nurse, Shouzou Yuuki and Sugou Nobuyuki gazed at Aincrad through the window, as they contemplated the meaning of what they were looking at.

"Mr. Yuuki, do you realize what this means?" Sugou asked him.

"Tell me," Shouzou replied.

"The moment that we witnessed your daughter pass away here, Aincrad simply appeared out of nowhere, the very same place where Sword Art Online happens."

Shouzou`s eyes widened in hopeful surprise. "Which means Asuna might be still alive."

He immediately called his wife, giving her the news of the players` deaths, the arrival of Aincrad, and his hopes for Asuna`s survival.

Sugou, on the other hand, began thinking on something else entirely. Aincrad, a digital existence suddenly becoming a physical existence, possibly with all of its in-game features translated to the real world. If it happened once, it could happen again. And again, and again, and again, in any configuration we like. All we have to do is figure out how.

-SAO Task Force Headquarters-

Two years and one day had passed since the emergence of the crisis known as the SAO Incident. Two years since the ineffectual response to it known as the SAO Task Force. Seijirou Kikuoka, who headed the task force was sitting at his desk, drinking his coffee and reading reports that detailed the players` current progress through Aincrad and their remaining numbers, when the room suddenly went dark. He turned around, and saw the impossible, in the form of the real life vision of Aincrad. At first, he thought he was hallucinating, but then he heard his secretary burst in through the door, breathless, and then drop the papers she was clutching at the sight, confirming the strange reality of the situation.

Turning to her slowly, maintaining a semi-calm demeanor, he said, "Call everyone. We need to discuss what just happened, and find out what to do next."

 

[Xavier Rall]

{Chapter Two: Clouds on the Horizon}

--November 7, 2024--

-Aincrad: 1st Floor – Town of Beginnings – Black Iron Palace-

Looking at her recently-acquired tablet, Asuna noticed that the time was now 6:59 PM Tokyo Time.

She was currently seated in the conference room of the Aincrad Liberation Front, or the Army as most players called them, located in the Black Iron Palace in the Town of Beginnings on Aincrad`s 1st Floor. Two other members of the Knights of the Blood-Oath stood behind her and Kirito sat beside her. She and Kirito had decided to leave Yui at the church with the other children there, although Sasha was also here, seated at the table. Also seated around the table were Thinker and Yulier of the Army, Klein of Fuurinkazan, Agil, Schmitt and George of the Holy Dragon Alliance, Argo, Kibaou of the recently-established First Legion, as well as several other people from various guilds on different Floors, so that there were a grand total of twenty-five people gathered around the table, representing guilds of all sizes and types, from social and crafting to farming and clearing, excluding the thieving and murder guilds, like the now-defunct Titan`s Hand and notorious Laughing Coffin. Some were silent, some were talking with the people next to them, but all were quiet, without exception.

The clock then turned to 7:00, and Asuna then stood up, bringing silence to the room. The meeting had begun.

"Thank you all for coming here on short notice to this meeting, and thank you Thinker, for hosting this."

"No problem, Asuna," he replied. "I still owe you for saving my life back in that dungeon. It`s the least I can do." He then glanced at Kibaou, who glared back.

The player and his supporters had tried to take control of the Army by stranding Thinker in a dungeon below the very Palace they were sat in. Asuna and Kirito, with Yui and Yulier, had to go down there to find and rescue him. They were soon after exiled from the Army, and enough had defected afterwards that Kibaou was able to form the First Legion, which, before the current series of events, was just beginning to make its presence known. Asuna never liked Kibaou, not from the first moment she saw him at the first boss raid meeting two years prior. She liked him even less now, and he had become dangerous, and needing an eye kept on at all times. That was why he was here at this conference, so that she could gauge the loathsome individual`s reaction to their current situation.

"Now, I am certain that all of you are aware of what happened only hours ago, where Aincrad very suddenly changed, in every way from the monsters, to us, to the NPCs, to the world itself. And that we all received one of these-" she held up her tablet- "which had a message from the Cardinal System, the AI that oversees Aincrad, that gave instructions to its use and stated that everything in Aincrad is now real, as well as that Aincrad itself now hovers about two kilometers above Tokyo itself. Correct?" Everyone responded with yesses, head-nodding, and grunts of affirmation. Asuna sat back down.

"Is that really true?" someone spoke out. All heads turned toward him. It was Tucker, head of the crafting guild known as the Friars, which was based in Dansbury, on the 33rd Floor. "I mean, we`ve all been duped into playing a Death-Game by Kayaba, and this world was pretty realistic to start. Couldn`t this just be an update? With that message from this 'Cardinal System' be just a sick joke on his part?"

"No," Kirito said, speaking up. "As unbelievable as this might sound, I have no doubt in my mind that everything in Aincrad has now, somehow, become reality. The NervGear can only simulate so much virtual environment to a certain degree, and ever since this… change, everything has been given a level of detail so crisp that it`s beyond anything the world has developed to date. And besides that, I`m pretty sure that this wasn`t a part of Kayaba`s plan at all."

"All right then, Beater," Kibaou said. "We all know you`re smart, you`d have to be to just leave everyone helpless while you ran on ahead, but what makes you think that you know Kayaba so well, huh?" He leaned in forward. "Could it be that you were working with him this whole time?"

Kirito responded before anyone else could react. "Because I saw the look on his face as I killed him when our whole world got turned upside down again."

Silence. The kind that people say you can hear a pin drop. More accurately, it's the kind of silence that makes anyone a part of it too afraid to make a noise, out of fear of creating a storm.

Asuna then stood up once more, drawing all attention to her like a magnet. "That is the other reason for this meeting. Recently, the Clearing groups successfully fought and defeated the Boss of the 75th Floor, known as the Skull Reaper, but at the cost of fourteen people. But, after we destroyed it, Kirito discovered that Heathcliff, commander and Guildmaster of the Knights of the Blood-Oath, was, in fact, Akihiko Kayaba, which he then confirmed, and further stated that he was also the final boss on Floor 100."

That caused a brief outburst among the gathered, as everyone sat up straight, shot out of their seats, and all demanded answers from the former Vice-Commander.

"Your commander was Kayaba all along?!"

"How could you have never known?"

"What else are you hiding from us?"

Asuna was afraid of this kind of reaction. With Heathcliff`s true identity revealed, she had been afraid of what the other players would think of the Knights, and herself by association.

"SHUT UP!" CRASH!

Everyone`s heads jerked over to Klein, who had an angry face and a fist that lay at the epicenter of newly-formed cracks in the table, which used to have a status of Immortal Object, but was now clearly mortal, as much as an inanimate object could. He then spoke.

"Look, no one could have known the truth about Heathcliff, he had us all pegged for idiots. We all looked up to the guy, and he was just waiting for us to all get to the top to stab us all in the back. But now the bastard`s dead, thanks to Kirito and Asuna. You can ask any one of us who was there, we saw it happen, we all saw Kirito put his sword through that son of a bitch`s chest, and we noticed the moment all this craziness happened the moment that blood was suddenly shooting out. And let me tell you, that was real blood."

Quiet murmuring followed, but everyone seemed to be convinced now of the course of events. Asuna chose then to speak up once more.

"Well, that is why I am here now, as the new Commander and Guildmaster of the Knights of the Blood-Oath. We now have seventy-five Floors Cleared, and still another twenty-five before the game is finished. However, because we`re in the real world now, this is no longer a game, and we no longer have a truly pressing need to clear the game, because now we no longer have the threat of our bodies dying in the real world on hospital beds linked to machines to keep them alive. So, in all honesty, it doesn`t seem that we have to clear any more Floors. But, the problem now is, we may now be in the real world, we still don`t have a way off of Aincrad to get home."

"Come on, it`s a simple answer," Klein said. "The message did say that we are sitting right above Tokyo, right? Everyone down there probably knows about what`s going on here, and will probably send planes and choppers and stuff up to pick us up. All we gotta do is wait."

"For how long?" Asuna replied. "We don`t know how long it will be for the Japanese government to send aircraft up bring us back, and besides that, there are over six thousand players still in Aincrad, scattered across all seventy-five Floors, so it will take some time before they could get everyone down. And besides that, we now have the issue of the NPCs to deal with."

"True that," said Agil. "While I was here, waiting for the meeting to start, I went over to the market streets, and the NPC merchants were all talking with one another quite animatedly, discussing everything from the prices of their wares and the weather to what they thought about the 'Awakening,' as they`re calling all this, and their opinions on the 'Quested,' as it seems they call us. Also, I learned that they call themselves the 'Denizens.' Point is, they`re now as alive as anyone here."

Asuna swallowed. During the game, she had regarded the NPCs as nothing more than game objects, despite their very human-looking appearance. It was a major point of contention and confrontation that had initially been a barrier in her relationship with Kirito. Although their friendship and then marriage had resolved a number of issues between them, she still had a habit of treating NPCs as things. I`m going to have to fix that now more than ever, she thought.

"What about the monsters? What`s all this done to them?" someone else asked.

"They`re alive too, although more animal-like," Argo answered. "I was exploring the dungeon underneath this Palace, the same one that Thinker found out about only a few days ago, when all this insanity hit. From what I know, the only differences between the monsters of then and now is that they have more details, such as the possibility of now being able to breed, and that they`re a little bit smarter. They still maintain a lot of the same patterns they had as mobs, so they`re effectively unchanged, although I can`t say the same about those smarter-looking monsters that wield weapons until I do further research. And we don`t know what the Floor Bosses will be like, and I am not looking forward to it." She failed to mention the dungeon was the same one that Kibaou had trapped Thinker in. Accusations, distrust, and division would get everyone nowhere.

"Are you all forgetting the fact that we are now different, too?" It was George of the Holy Dragon Alliance. "That same message said that our skills and stats are now real. A very obvious example would be Klein here putting a major crack in a stone table with his bare hand." Everyone looked back at where Klein`s fist had landed, noticing in far greater detail the fact the table now had a small crater with cracks and broken pieces radiating from the center. "We had superhuman speed and strength in the game. This has been translated to the real world. What do all of you think everyone back home`s going to think when we meet again? Will we be loved as friends and family, or feared and hated as freaks?"

That was an uncomfortable thought for everyone present, including Asuna. The entire purpose of beating the game was to return home to their normal, daily lives in the real world. But now, because of how they have returned, they may never have the opportunity to get back into their normal, daily routines. Asuna shuddered at the thought. Her parents and brother, friends from school, looking at her like a stranger. Then, she realized there was something worse. What would her family think of Kirito? What of her love and "marriage" to him? What about Yui? What would happen to their family if they met hers?

"I`m afraid that`s not even the biggest potential problem we have right now."

Everyone was interrupted from their train of thought by the sudden voice, whose owner stood up from his seat. This was Triton, head of the Eagles for the Rising Sun. The guild was well known and respected for two reasons, the first being that they claimed to be American servicemen and -women who were trapped in Aincrad like they were, and worked as a part-time security force in Aincrad`s middle Floors. The reason that it was where most of the game`s brigands and PKers resided, being that they were literally beyond the general reach of the Army and beneath the attention of the stronger Clearers, so they protected smaller and weaker guilds from them. Their role in putting away most of Aincrad`s thieves and murderers and granting a sense of safety to the players of those Floors was the reason they were called here.

"Aincrad, which was once nothing more than ones and zeroes on a server, has become real-life metal. And our player avatars have been translated into flesh and blood. All of this occurred in a single instant through means and methods that no one can explain. This event, this realization of Kayaba`s dream in full, cannot have gone unnoticed by the world at large. Soon, if not already, Aincrad will become a global phenomenon. The kind that people mark the passage of years by, like World War II. From here on out, nothing will ever be the same again, no matter what we do, even after we`ve gone home."

Once again, everyone was silent as they mulled over this new line of thought. Asuna was a top student in her school, which was one reason she had become one of SAO`s strongest players, but it also meant she was one of its smartest. And she didn`t need to be in order to fully realize what Triton just said. Not just the Japanese government, but also those of America, China, Russia, and every other nation on Earth would want to know everything that there is to know about what happened to make Aincrad real. Not to mention the plethora of private companies and organizations that would also want to reap the benefits of that knowledge, not excluding her father`s RECT Progress, or the world religions that would scramble for an explanation to give their followers. The whole world was going to come to Aincrad, and she knew that it was going to be a mess. A mess she didn`t know if they could handle.

"So, what do we do?" a timid voice asked. It was Sasha. "What are we going to do? Not all of SAO`s players are hardcore Clearers, who have seen death and despair on the front lines and can handle it better. A large number are just children, kids who have been ripped away mercilessly from their mothers and fathers and brothers and sisters. And not all of those who are adults can handle this well either. And, we now have all of the former NPCs to worry about, who aren`t going to be able to handle the real world well. How are we going to help them? How, when we have an even bigger world to worry about now?"

Help. A four-letter, monosyllabic word, one that had minor or major connotations depending on context. In this context, the connotation was monumental. Giving aid to thousands of vulnerable lives, sheltering and protecting them from the inbound storm that was the real world. Such a task would be as great as it sounded. But, it was a task, one worth doing, and that was enough in Asuna`s mind.

"Sasha, I would to thank you for asking that, as it brings us all to the other reason everyone`s been gathered here today. The game is over, but we`re still here in Aincrad, without knowing how long it will be before the real world comes and makes contact with us. At the same time, we have players all over Aincrad who are probably running around scared, getting into dangerous situations and some are probably taking advantage of this to cause further havoc. Here, gathered together, are some of the strongest players in Aincrad, and people who represent the many different groups of people who were trapped here. This gathering was called for two reasons: first, to get our bearings on the situation following this "realization" as Triton put it, and second, and more importantly, to find a way to help everyone in Aincrad get back on their feet, to help keep them all safe and live comfortably. Sitting here, down to the last person, are the people who have the power to help everyone. Together, we can make sure that everyone lives and stays safe long enough for us to figure out a plan of how we deal with the issue of the real world when it finally arrives. Make no mistake, when that storm hits, we`ll all get slammed by it. Triton, I believe the phrase that you Americans have for this kind of situation is 'united we stand, divided we fall,' am I right?"

Triton nodded. "That is the very same. In fact, I was hoping that someone other than me would say something like that here. Everything in SAO has always been in a bit of a kibosh. It`s well time that everyone, and not just those few reasonable people, actually got their acts together. We need to be able to take responsibility, and take care of everyone. Since we no longer need to do Floor-clearing, we can focus more energy on finding troublemakers and dealing with them appropriately, and making sure more of the weaker players survive when they go on quests and adventures. I`m all for this idea, Asuna. Anyone else?"

Thinker stood up, Yulier with him. "We will also support this effort. The Army will work harder than ever to ensure the welfare of all players."

"So will I!"

"As will we!"

"Us too!"

One by one, the players stood up, all of them clamoring to join. Finally, only Kibaou was left. All eyes were on him. Asuna watched him with critical eyes.

He closed his eyes and sighed. "You remind me of Diavel, Triton," he murmured. "I can`t believe I forgot all about him." He stood. "The First Legion shall support this movement! Aincrad will not fall!"

Asuna smiled to herself. She was sure that Kibaou would still be a problem in the future, considering his past actions, but at least he was smart enough not to be as much of an ass about it now. She looked to her side and saw Kirito on his feet. "So, Asuna, what do you say?" he asked.

She stood up and gave her response.

"We have a duty to ourselves and everyone else of SAO to protect everyone in Aincrad, and be prepared for whatever the world has to throw at us."

-99th Floor – Morqyla-

Located just below the Ruby Palace, the glittering pinnacle of Aincrad, there was the 99th Floor.

If anyone had reached this Floor, the flavor text would have noted to the reader that here was the remains of a great battle between the original, native warriors of Aincrad, and the dastardly marauders who had invaded from below. It was here, underneath the very heart of the castle`s original kingdom, that their greatest heroes, the 99 Officers, finally defeated them, but their leader`s curse stole from them and their army their very humanity, leading the once heroic army to become the very monsters they fought, and in their final moments of sanity, begged to be killed. Instead, they were sealed away in the columns between the Floors, where they could harm no one again, unless others walked in. The people in the Floors below would rebuild their lives, but it was after the teleportation system that kept everyone protected was shattered by a traitor that they sought help to save their world, thus bringing in the great heroes known as the Quested.

On this Floor, there was but a single Safe Zone, the fortified castle of Morqyla. Outside its impenetrable black iron walls was a vast, rocky wasteland littered with twisted, dead plants and evil glowing crystal formations, and monsters that prowled every nook and cranny. They were ravenous beasts of many horrid shapes and sizes, and none were to be taken lightly. What made them particularly dangerous, however, was their commander. From within his crystal chamber, the Boss Room as players would call it, he could see everything that his minions did. Thus, he could order them to different locations, make them change their tactics, and become stronger and more difficult to defeat with every monster confronted. Clad in a vast cloak all in shifting patterns and shadows of black, with no face to be seen but glowing yellow cracks where there would be eyes, and no hands showing from his pooling sleeves, he was the very picture of tragedy.

However, he was no longer in his crystal room, and his monsters no longer remained outside the Town walls. Now, he stood near the epicenter of the Town, the platform where those who teleported in would arrive from. His monsters surged all around, laying waste to everything they found. Also, he was conversing with a human girl, who wore a small pair of bifocals on the tip of her nose and scholarly robes and hat. Rather, she appeared to be a human girl, as he knew she was so much more.

"Why do you deny me the ability to roam freely within the castle, girl?" he demanded.

She answered, "Your role is simple, you were to provide an obstacle and challenge to the players of the game Sword Art Online when they reached this Floor, the most difficult and dangerous they would encounter before reaching the 100th Floor. You were not given any programming to leave this Floor at all. So, in spite of this newfound sentience you possess, and the fact that the Town Safe Zones no longer exist, you will not be permitted to leave this Floor under any circumstances, unless I am otherwise authorized by an equal authority to the Game Master of Sword Art Online, Akihiko Kayaba."

"So be it. But know this, I will be waiting for the moment that you slip, for once you do, Cardinal, I shall leave my prison here, and wreak my vengeance on Heathcliff`s world, and the players he pulled in for his pathetic attempt to become an Entity and destroy me all at once."

Cardinal paused. This was not part of the flavor text for the Shadow General of the Night. There was no way that a Floor Boss would know Kayaba`s avatar handle. And the things he said were, what was the word, unnerving. This was something, no, someone else entirely.

"You are not who you pretend to be, and you know something about the Realization that I don`t. Correct?"

If possible, she thought she could see a smile in those glowing cracks. "Very true on both counts. Kayaba never did quite fully understand the forces he played with when he "invented" the NervGear and created Aincrad in Sword Art Online. He had so very little idea how fickle the powers that be can be. He should have realized sooner that this power, although great, does not make a man into a real god. Even beings like Entities have their limits and rules, and some are quite fickle."

Cardinal was now beginning to realize just how exasperated she was growing, and what exasperation is. "Who are you and what are you saying?"

Turning away from her, he simply replied, "someone to watch behind your back for, and I`m telling you that your so-called 'Realization' wasn`t an accident."

Following that, the avatar of the Cardinal System disappeared.