Chapter Text
Reality. A word that sounds so absolute. So, defined. And yet it could be argued that it has infinite meanings. It’s quite funny really. For centuries, people have asked this one simple question. What is Reality? What does it truly mean? To some, the answer is rather simple. It’s this. The world that we live in. This plane of existence. The day-to-day cycle that we’ve all come to call “living”. From the minutes, to the hours, to the days. It starts from the moment you open your eyes to the moment you close them for the final time. That is Reality.
To others, it’s not such a simple answer. To them, it seems more like a vague concept. They believe it to be what one feels and sees, what they experience and their memories, from the past and the present. All that makes up their Reality. However, for this belief, one person’s Reality can seem like another’s illusion or fantasy. So therefore, Reality is whatever the person experiencing it wishes it to be. Everyone perceiving it in their own way.
To be honest, I’m not entirely sure what I believe “reality” to be. I do believe that the question of “what is reality” can only be answered by the one asking it. I think that if I had to pick my own depiction, I would like to believe that Reality is what you make of it. It isn’t a set concept, and it varies from person to person. Reality is what you choose it to be.
I couldn’t help the shiver that ran through me as the wind blew around, rustling the few remaining leaves of the nearby trees. The early November air was cold and crisp, causing my breath to puff out before me in a gentle white cloud. I pulled the blue scarf around my neck a few more times, tugging my oversized black coat further around my body in an attempt to keep out the chill.
He’s so gonna get on without me.
With a huff at the thought, I forged ahead, continuing my trek back home. My footsteps were fast and loud on the sidewalk, seeming to almost echo in the empty street. Most people were inside, choosing to stay buddled up in the warmth of their homes. Not that I could blame them to be honest. I personally wasn’t the biggest fan of the cold; however, it had a knack for clearing my mind. It’s the only reason you’d catch me outside on days like this, when it was chilly but not overbearingly cold. However, my leisurely stroll had run a little long and now I was hustling to return home before one o’ clock.
As I rounded the last corner, I could see the house come into view. Humming softly to myself in contentment, I picked up my pace to a light job, closing the last bit of distance to the driveway. As I started to turn to go up the path, I almost ran headlong into a slightly shorter figure, both of us gasping as we managed to sidestep the body collision.
“Oh! Sorry Mayura, I didn’t see you coming!”
I replied with a small smile towards my younger sister, shaking my head just slightly in an attempt to stop her apology. “No, it’s alright Sugu. I should’ve been paying more attention. You’re heading off to kendo practice, right?”
She flashed me a bright smile, nodding her head with enough enthusiasm to make her short black hair bob with the movement. “That’s right!” Her smile faded just slightly. “Are you joining him today?”
I could only smile sheepishly, nodding gently. “Yeah, I am. We’ve been waiting weeks for this. We can’t miss it.”
She let out a soft sigh, shaking her head in resignment. “Whatever you say… Just don’t get so wrapped up that you guys forget to eat dinner!”
“No promises.” I could only grin mischievously as I began the trek back up to the front door.
“I’m serious Mayura! I’ll see you guys later tonight!” She called to my retreating back. I could hear the exasperation in her voice, which only caused me to laugh gently.
“Sure thing Sugu. Have fun at kendo!” I called back, sliding open the door to slip inside and out of the cold.
As I slid the door shut behind me, kicking off my boots into the corner of the entryway, I looked over towards the living room, taking note that it was empty, with the lights dimmed. It seemed that neither mom nor dad were home. Not that that was surprising. As I pulled the scarf and coat off, hanging them neatly on the coat hooks by the door, I could hear movement up the stairs in front of me.
“Suguha? Did you forget something?”
“Try again nii-san.” My voice was a playful hum as I started up the stairs, my feet padding against the hardwood.
“Oh! Mayura!” His voice changed quickly, his excitement immediately bleeding through as he came to meet me at the top of the stairs. “About time! Come on, the opening launch is about to start!”
I could only smirk, shaking my head but not arguing as I followed him to our shared room. With a light swing of the door, it clicked shut behind us, the room going dark save for the gentle light coming in through the drawn white curtains. I could see his computer screens also lit up, indicating that he had been browsing the web before I had arrived. His bed was set against the corner opposite the door, with my own directly across. Our two joined desks sat in between the beds, with just enough space that we didn’t feel crowded while still being close. And sitting on each of our beds was our respective NerveGear.
Considering what it could do, it looked simple in design. It was a large grey helmet, with a tinted blue visor, and the logo for the NerveGear painted on the front in black. Lights blinked faintly on the side of the helmet, the soft green flashing occasionally.
“Are you ready?” He smiled at me from where he was already seated on his bed, holding his NerveGear in his lap.
“More than ready.” I flashed him my own excited grin before picking up the hardware, turning to sit on my bed with a bounce. Slipping the helmet onto my head, gently buckling it into place, I carefully laid down, staring up at the ceiling through the visor. With a deep breath, I let my eyes drift close, allowing my body to relax fully into my bed. As if on a timer, my brother and I said as one:
“Link start!”
In a flash of light, my vision was overtaken with swirling colors. The room around me faded as my mind was swept away. It felt like mere moments before my vision cleared. I blinked a few times, my eyes adjusting slowly to the sight in front of me. I was standing in a large circular plaza, with cobblestone roads and many branching streets. The buildings were made out of stone, with shingled roofs. Glancing around, I could see a multitude of other people gathered, their voices echoing slightly as everyone talked excitedly with one another. Behind me was a large palace with a domed roof, which gleamed a dull black color in the light. I could only smile at the sight.
“Hello Aincrad. I’m home.”
My heart felt light as I spun around, scanning everyone gathered. There were so many different people here, with all kinds of bright hair colors and defining features. To be honest, it was fairly obvious to tell that everyone had spent quite some time in the character customization. Not that I could claim to be any better. I could distinctly remember carefully crafting my own avatar, making my features sharper, with long black hair that curled and waved in ways it never would in the real world. Of course, with it being a virtual world, I never had to worry about it becoming tangled, even though it reached the back of my thighs. One of the many, many perks.
With a gentle smile at the thought, I began to scan everyone more carefully, keeping an eye out for one person in particular. He had logged in right behind me, so he definitely should be here. As my eyes carefully swept the plaza, they eventually caught sight of who I was looking for.
I could clearly remember his dark hair from the three months we had spent in this world, cut and styled almost like that of a hero from an old medieval story. His own features were carefully crafted to match the hair style, with a much more mature and sculpted face. He was wearing the standard beginner clothes, a simple blue shirt covered with basic leather armor, brown pants, and boots. He was definitely taller too, which made me giggle lightly. A simple sword was sheathed along his back, making it easy to draw if needed. I could see his grey eyes scanning the plaza, likely trying to spot me as well. It took mere moments before our eyes met and as soon as they did, we both grinned in excitement.
Without hesitation, we turned and bolted towards one of the many streets that split off from the plaza. First thing was first, going to our favorite back-alley blacksmith for some better gear. My boots rang against the cobblestones as I weaved around people, being careful not to bump into anyone as I slid into the bustling street. He wasn’t far behind me; I could hear his own footsteps right on my heels. We continued past the vendor stalls of NPCs selling various items as players looked in fascination. It wasn’t long before I veered to the left, following an empty alleyway away from the busy markets. I could hear his footsteps much clearer behind me, keeping pace easily. Though it wasn’t long before we were stopped unexpectedly.
“Hey! Wait up!” A voice called from behind us.
We both stalled in our runs, slowing until we stopped completely. We turned to face the voice, both of us confused at someone calling for us. It was a young man, running to catch up to us. He came to a stop a few feet away, bending over to place his hands on his knees to catch his breath. His hair was a simple red, completely straight as it brushed an inch or so past his shoulders. Atop his head was a bright red bandana, tied to keep the hair away from his face. He was rather good looking, with angled eyes and a little scruff along his chin.
“Can we help you?” my brother asked, his voice portraying our confusion and surprise.
“You two seem to know your way around. You were both beta testers, weren’t you?” The man’s voice was curious as he looked up at the two of us, his head cocking to the side ever so slightly.
“Um, yeah we were.” I couldn’t help but tilt my head at his statement. I could only assume he was hoping that we would give him some pointers to the game.
“Sweet. Today’s my first day. Do you two think you could show a rookie like me the ropes?” He stood up straight as he asked, stepping closer to clap his hand on my brother’s shoulder in a friendly manner. Called it.
My brother seemed hesitant, glancing towards me from the corner of his eye, as if asking for my opinion. I could merely shrug in response. I had no reason to say no. If he was alright with having someone along, I didn’t really mind. I knew we tended to play alone, but it wouldn’t hurt to give someone a hand on the first day.
“I don’t know…” His voice was hesitant as he began to respond, though the stranger was clearly determined.
“Oh please, I’m begging ya!” He pulled away to clap his hands together in a mock begging gesture. After a moment though, he lowered them to point to himself with his thumb, a friendly smile lighting up his face. “I’m Klein. It’s good to meet ya.”
With a blink of surprise, my brother finally relented, sighing just slightly before he smiled, placing his hand on his hip. “Oh alright. My name’s Kirito.” He lifted his other hand to gesture to me. “And this is Mayura.”
I nodded my head to Klein in greeting. “A pleasure. Now, first things first, if we’re gonna be showing you how this game works, then we’re gonna start with the basics.” I could feel the corner of my lips turn upwards in a faint smirk. “Starting with where to get good and cost efficient gear.”