Chapter Text
Day 1, 2 minutes before Game starts
Kazuto Kirigaya glanced at the clock. Just moments left before the game released. He hadn't slept all night, he was so eager to get in game. It had been weeks since he had last played the beta, and he was anxious to see what they had changed.
"Come on! Release already!" Kazuto yelled, slamming his fists against his desk, accidentally knocking the Nervegear off it. With lightning fast reflexes, he snatched it out of midair, sighing with relief as he determined that it was undamaged. He glanced back at the clock.
6:01
His eyes widened. He was late. Without another thought he thrust the headset on, flipping the switch. He smiled softly as the familiar startup sequence began, the colored lights dancing around him. He glanced down at the login panel. He typed in his username and password, praying that his account hadn't been erased when the game switched from beta to the full release. He sighed with relief as the name Kirito appeared above his head, and the words "Welcome to Aincrad!" echoed around him.
His feet hit the ground hard. Good. The physics hadn't changed. Kirito fliped open the menu, scrolling through it to get to his inventory.
"Damn it. My sword's gone." He muttered, returning to the main menu. As he scrolled through, he checked to make sure everything was right. He realized with a start that the logout button was missing. He stared at where it should be, scratching his head in confusion. "Huh. Probably just a bug. I'm sure it'll get fixed shortly." Kirito said confidently as he exited the menu and ran off towards the field.
He reached the field quickly, having run the same route many times before in beta. He looked across the virtual plain in wonder. It looked far better than he remembered. Boars roamed through the vast, verdant plains, pausing here and there to battle a wandering player. They never won, of course. They were the weakest enemy in the game, so the players cut right through them. However, Kirito noticed a red-haired player struggling against one. Sighing, he reached back for his sword. He stiffened as he remembered he no longer had it. He glanced down and noticed a small pebble nearby. He snatched it up and drew back his arm. He aimed towards the boar and hurled the rock forwards, grinning when it found its mark. The boar shattered like glass, the bits of data released dissipating almost instantly.
The red-haired player looked towards Kirito gratefully. He leaped to his feet and walked over, his expression a mixture of gratitude and embarrassment.
"Took on a little more than you could handle?" Kirito asked snidely.
"Yeah, I guess. What was that thing anyway? It seemed like a mid-level boss or something." The player remarked, looking back at the spot where the boar had been.
Kirito laughed hysterically, bending over with mirth. "Mid-level boss? That was the weakest enemy in the game! I killed it with a rock!"
"Right. I'm just going to log out now, as I really feel like punching you." The player said coldly, gesturing to open the menu.
"Sorry, sorry. It's just... " Kirito burst back into laughter.
"Uh, stupid question here, but where's the logout button?"
Kirito's laughs ground to a halt. "Eh, what?" He quickly opened his menu too. "It's still not there? If it's a bug it should've been fixed already. But if it's not a bug..." Kirito muttered.
"Ah well, it's probably just a bug." The other player said. "I'm Klein, by the way. And you are?"
"Kirito. And this can't be a bug. It's been over an hour since I first noticed it. It would've been fixed as soon as someone complained. No, something is very wrong." Kirito said solemnly.
"Do you feel something?" Klein asked, moments before he vanished in a shower of light.
Kirito looked up, and opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted when he too vanished.
His feet landed firmly on the floor of the town center. He looked around, and noticed that players were teleporting in everywhere.
"What's going on?" Kirito wondered aloud, glancing around for Klein. He noticed him a few yards away and ran over. Klein turned to talk to Kirito, but the words never left his mouth as the sky was suddenly filled with a tessellated pattern of red hexagons. Each one bore a warning sign on it.
"That's encouraging..." Kirito remarked
A thick red liquid seeped out from the wall of hexagons, congealing into a floating mass of the substance.
"Bleeding walls, that's just great. I love it when walls bleed." Kirito said sarcastically.
The mass of blood suddenly stretched and curled into the shape of a cloaked man.
"Greetings, adventurers. I am the Creator. I designed this game. Of course, Sword Art Online is much more than just a game. It is the largest social experiment in history. I am thrilled that over 10,000 of you are participating!" The figure said triumphantly. He paused, seemingly anticipating applause. When none appeared, he resumed speaking. "Anyway, you have most likely noticed that I have removed the logout button from the game menu. This is not a glitch. This is entirely intentional. You cannot logout of Sword Art Online until one of you reaches the top floor and completes the game." At this, the crowd erupted in anger, every player shouting at the massive hooded man. "Now, now, settle down. I should probably mention at this point that if you die in the virtual world, you also die in the real one. Now that this tutorial is over, you are free to do whatever pleases you. Have fun." And with that, the massive being vanished.
The crowd went silent. All players were uneasy, and a few younger ones started crying.
"Oh yes, one more thing. I left you each a little something in your inventory." The figure said, materializing once more. "It's not a sword though, so you may want to get on finding one of those. Just a suggestion though, good luck." The creator vanished again.
Kirito opened up his menu slowly. He scrolled through to his inventory and selected a small object called the mirror of revelation. He equipped it and pulled it out of his pocket. He stared into the mirror questioningly, pausing as he felt his head tingling. In the mirror, he could see his avatar's face reforming into his real face. The mirror shattered as soon as the transformation was complete. He looked up, looking around for Klein. He saw him a few yards away, staring blankly at where the giant being had been.
"Hey, you okay?" Kirito asked, his voice losing its natural cutting edge.
Klein turned to look at him. "Dude, we are stuck in a death game. Of course I'm not alright!" He yelled
"Chill, man. I was just trying to be polite. Anyway, we'd better get moving." Kirito said, turning away as he did so.
"Why?" Klein asked.
Kirito looked back at him. "I don't know! Do you want to be in the middle of an armed crowd that just found out they're trapped in a death game?" He asked as he started walking away.
"Good point." Klein admitted as he followed his dark-haired friend.
They left the plaza quickly, coming to a stop just outside of a weapons shop.
"Well, it's been nice Klein, but this is where we part ways." Kirito said, holding out his hand.
"Kirito, I was actually thinking. Neither of us knows anyone in the game, right?" Klein asked. Kirito nodded in reply. "Maybe we should stick together. Increase our odds of surviving."
Kirito sighed, looking backwards at the setting sun. After a few moments, he turned back, smiling. "Alright. We'll stick together. And we will survive. I swear it."