Another Soloist: chapter 1

A/N: This is the rewritten chapter 1, Prologue.

I know there's no need to rewrite, but so my OC's character could show more, I have rewrite.

Chapter 1: Prologue


The birds were flying away outside the bright apartment, chirping happily together with it's pack, it was a big day for Japan, where the day of the official release of the new game and hardware, «Nerve Gear» and its game, «Sword Art Online» or for short «SAO».

The girl with black hair sways by the air coming from the window, a shine also came into the room, which reveals her black-violet colored hair, which is dyed, it wasn't noticeable unless a bright shine plastered her hair.

She noticed the bird outside her apartment window, but she minded nothing since she is tapping her keyboard in a lightning speed. Her crystal colored eyes stared at her monitor patiently waiting for the loading bar to fill in. The eyes gleamed in a bright diamond colored, the eyes of a foreigner, but her eyes are no contact lens, it was real, and the size itself is as big as a cat's orbs, the eyes that caused fuss and asking if she's a foreigner by people around her, boys hitting on her everytime, it's like she's an animal in the zoo.

The delicate fingers of her dragging her mouse often after each type, the black loose shirt she used was so long that it almost reached her upper thigh, the shorts she wore were very short and the length lost to the loose shirt's length.

"That's done." The girl muttered in English before grabbing a small console that has a CD copy of Sword Art Online, the line connecting the console and her computer's length was short, but the wire from the console to the «Nerve Gear» she bought online was long enough to her bed.

The girl lived in a 7 Tatami apartment, which is enough for a girl who lives alone. Her age was too young for someone who lives alone, but she was quite proud she could live alone in age of 15.

Her height isn't so tall, which is 157cm (5.2 foot) and her weight is considered as light, which is 43 kg (94lbs (A/N: I think? Please correct me if I'm wrong I use Google)) she checked last week in her school.

The digital clock changed digits on bed-side, which caught her attention, 12.49 it stated. She smiled before grabbing her beeping phone right above her desk and beside her computer keyboard. She flipped the cellphone and immediately pressed a few buttons.

"To: Mayuri

Subject: Hi, we're going to visit you tomorrow

Body: Me and Testu-san1 are going to visit you tomorrow, look forward to it.

From: Mom."

The girl named Mayuri sighed lightly before flipping her phone back. She picked her bottled mineral water and switched the Nerve Gear on, before the machine turned Standby mode.

The humming voice from the machine caused her hand to twitched in excitement, she holds the heavy helmet that has head shape before stroking the black font writing "NVG".

She placed the machine above her head the clock ticks as she did, right after the digit changed to 13:00 a yell came from the girl's small lips. "LINK START!"

The voice command directly transferred her conscious to the virtual space, 5 sentences appears in a bubble and floats towards the corner of her vision, "Touch", "Sight", "Hearing", "Taste, "Smell" and disappear thus.

A screen pops up asking for language, she noticed English, but when we talk, Japanese can't change to English, so she chooses Japanese anyways, she needed to get used to it. Next, another 3D screen appears after the bubbles disappear. It said "Sign Up" and it make sense since Mayuri doesn't own an account. Before thinking a name, she resolves the simple matter with putting her usual name "Akina" username in other games, Mayuri herself knew it's a weird name for a 'virtual' name, but she decided to use that name anyway, it's a special name after all.

The keyboard itself didn't support numbers, so the name should be realistic-like.

Entering normal password and finally, her character design. Mayuri designed her character to have a brown colored Japanese hair instead red, black or blonde, her eyes are hazel and the length of the hair reached waist, the height would probably be taller than her current self in the real world. She chooses one handed long sword for her main skill.

Feeling satisfied with the face of Japanese girl, she pressed an ok » ok after the game asked for her agreement.

A grey background and a "Welcome to Sword Art Online" writing appears before her vision. Right after that, she felt her body turned light and floating and the BGM song rings smoothly in her ears.

Mayuri's avatar, Akina, blinked few times to dismiss the lag and blur from her vision. She gently looked around her surroundings, it was then filled with people who just logged in as well. She looked at her bare hand, and clenched it, she was surprised that it felt like reality, too bad it wasn't.

The buildings and environment felt realistic, it caused Akina stares in awe for a few times.

She walked to some people and bumping to their shoulders lightly, but midning nothing.

Akina was really satisfied buying the copy, it was not a letdown. She could feel, taste, and touch, it felt really real, all of them.

Walking straight down the road, she noted a few NPC stands that has their costumers already, and walked straight deeper to the roads. "Where am I?" Akina sweatdropped at the fact she was so clueless about directions, she wanted to asked someone, but it'll be bad if she ever mistaken them as a new player too. Yes, she meant Beta testers.

Akina looked around wondering if there are some NPCs that could tell her about functioning the menu or the «Featured» things, like «Sword Skills». Looking to the left, she saw a standing person, who looked like a human, but she assumed it's an NPC, and guess hit the bull's-eye when she started making conversation with the male NPC.

"Er, Hey, can I ask you for the menu?" Akina looked really ignored when she talked in such in a small voice. But what surprised her is the NPC answered really realistic-like.

"Oh, Hello and Welcome to Sword Art Online, you have managed on talking with an NPC, what can I help you?" The NPC male answered rather naturally, Akina didn't listen to his chatter, but stares at the realistic talking person. She felt like a total noob.

"A… T-the Menu." She stated clear yet hesitant, she wasn't sure if her Japanese is right, but she hoped so.

After she requested for the menu, the NPC smiled and gesture his hand with his right hand into a thumb and forefinger pinch. "Use your index finger and you thumb and slide it down before you summon the menu."

"Like this?" Akina gestured the same way as the NPC and she received a 3D screen for her individual purpose together with a ringing sound, it was the menu bar, a hologram which shows her own character and her items, cols, maps, skills, inventory or Friends column. While checking out the things, the NPC continued speaking.

"If you wish for your sword skills, it is all written. If you wish for maps and quests, it would be under the skills, if you wish for friends and guilds, you might see it below the other options as well." The NPC continued nonchalantly. Akina pressed a few buttons to find out which is which before closing the main menu accidentally. She found out most basics anyways.

"Thanks, is there anything else I need to know?" Akina asked to the NPC with a light frown from her left eyebrow. But the NPC didn't answer her unclear question, in contrast, he gave a questioning face.

"Is there anything I need to know as a new player?" The brown hair swayed naturally behind her ears after she summoned the menu.

"Yes, you might need to understand how to use sword skills. It would be needed to destroy monsters that re-spawn at the neutral field." The NPC gestured his hand to explain, like normal people do if they're being asked questions by foreigners, like her.

"How do I perform «Sword Skills»?" Akina asked, not even glancing at the NPC but at her currently transparent color.

"You could see perform it based on the skills you've unlock, you might try it on weak monsters beforehand." The NPC suggests.

Akina leaves the NPC, not even thanking it. But the NPC didn't mind her since he's just an object after all.


While jogging, the hazel-eyed girl glanced at the clock. It was already 2 and a half hour since she started playing. Who knew asking an NPC would take that long.

She gone into a random alley that leads to a light from outside, when she reached the end of the end of the alley, she was met by the shinning artificial sun. Her eyes met the bright light and caused her to blink a few times, and her eyes encountered the beauty of the first floor of Aincrad, it was… in one word, magnificent.

"B…Beautiful…" Akina drops her jaw lightly at the wonderful scenery. Anyone else could probably tell her eyes are beaming. Well, it's to be expected.

I can't forget why I'm here! She thought while shaking her head, getting rid of her distraction. She accessed her menu once again and pressed a few buttons before finally opening the «Sword Skills» option, there are a few once like, «Horizontal», «Vertical», or «Vorpal Strike» and a few once she haven't checked yet.

"Horizontal, er, let's try that."

She focused her concentration on her basic sword she drew, Akina holds the sword as the hologram shows the example. She found it surprising when she succeeded on activating the skill, and her body moved on its own, which at first stunned her.

Akina noted the sword dimmed and return to its normal state and color, which she could move it under her control. "The cooldown." She noted as she glanced at the menu.

Akina succeeded perfectly without even needing a try or two. But she didn't feel satisfied. Why? Because she gets it too easily. Way too easy.

She squinted her eyes before glancing at the ground, her head started pounding like crazy and a familiar voice was audible around her head, 'I'm a monster.' The voice chimed, Akina slaps her head, before shouting as hard as she could. Loud, brash voice came from her lips. "SHUT UP!" Akina mentally cursed, she could probably attract players if she isn't alone.

She gasped for air after shouting a few times, Ugh, she thought to herself. Why did it happen to me!?… Even though I wanted to run away from that living nightmare so badly to this world.

Her right hand gripped the hilt of the sword tighter and tighter, she could feel her nail digging to the other side of her palm, but she didn't care.

"Let's forget that for now." She mumbled to herself before sighing exasperatedly, no, she didn't want to give into the living nightmare of her past, she must forget it all.

"Let's enjoy my three month allowance." Akina dismissed the menu and jogged lightly to a wider field where she could find wild boars, blue colored with names above their heads.

She glanced at the numbers of the boars roaming while eating the grass, "«Wild Boars»?" She questions. Akina finally understood that they're the monsters she should be killing for money and exp since it has an orange cursor instead of green, identical to hers.

She approached steadily towards the boar from its back, before activating a sword skill, which triggered the boar to run and do a U-turn and attacking like a bull, repeating her action, but this time Akina activated «Vorpal Strike» instead of «Vertical».

Soon the boar was substituted by multiple sized polygons that soon dissipate in the thin air. Akina gazed up to squint her eyes at how far the polygons can reach, she might not look like it, but she really enjoys finding out about most little things.

After killing a few boars and enjoying herself at the most, finally, she finally smiled warmly, she felt satisfied, all her savings to this game, and she just felt real here. She wanted to swing her sword to fight her past, her terrible beginning that smacks her away from the bright side and moved her to the dark side.

But now, maybe, just maybe, she could move on from it all to a new start. A wish from her that never been granted by God, how she hoped.

She called out the menu and gazed at the results, it was quite satisfying for a first try. The starting col she received is 300Cols, it seem for 3 days sleeping in an inn, and last hour's loot she received around 250 Cols from killing all the boars at the field she was at, she wasn't quite surprised there aren't any players yet there to train like her, since most of them are still staring the virtual space in awe and yet figuring how to access the menu. And fortunately, Akina unintentionally discovered the empty ground after she got lost.

Glancing at a sword skill she unlocked, it was called «Rage Spike», a «one-handed» 1 hit combo sword-skill, it wasn't special though.

She closed her menu and noticed the sun has set before she even realized, how long have her consciousness flies from the virtual world? Probably a few hours, but time flies fast, without her noticing. Her HP Bar was close to full, it was around 230/265 since she recently reached Level 2. But it wasn't something she didn't expect for a weak beast to attack at her simultaneously, she won't die even if they harm her a little, at the most sever is probably sweeping half of her HP bar and not more.

Time was ticking when she sits on the edge of the cliff, the warm breeze caused her hair to float behind her back, and she felt lightheaded. (A/N: The field she's in has no edge or walls, similar to side-seeing)

Just by then, the bell from the plaza rang, which caused her to steal a glimpse behind her shoulder. A pillar of light surrounds her body which startles her slightly. "What?"

By three seconds, she was transferred straightaway from the spot she was sitting at the edge of Aincrad, the steel castle, to the starting point where she spawns.

Akina noticed it wasn't just her, almost all the players she met back at the streets were also transported here. The confused girl bet it wasn't just some glitch or bugs since other player's eyes were wary and scared, most of the has a uncertain look like hers.

"What's up with the ruckus?" Akina begun to doubt that people are whispering for nothing, she decided to keep it for herself.

Suddenly, a player shouted and pointed towards the sky that has turned red, the blue sky was stacked with a warning signs and the once blue sky altered to a bloody red color, it started to startle me when my head begun spinning and throbbing lightly. The sound of a thump from Akina's unsteady heart throbs as loud as her alarm clock the minute a thick fluid slips down from the gore-colored sky.

The somewhat bloody fluid didn't fell to the players underneath, yet it crooked and shaped a red robe with gloves that has no one wearing it.

The cloak swifts it's hand in a slow movement, and raising the gloves as if begging to God, but

"Players, I welcome you all to my world." The cloak figure above us finally talks in a deep, manly and calm voice, which makes Akina's doubt more and more certain, she didn't understand the feeling she got herself but she was positive that it wasn't a good feeling.

"My name is Kayaba Akihiko. Right now, I am the only person who can control this world." Her heart thumped once again, this time, Akina clutched her palms in front of her chest to prevent other people accidentally listens to her jumpy heart.

The name who she recognize was the name of the person who creates both «NerveGear» and «Sword Art Online», she knew him from the internet, she knew, and there is also a feeling she heard of it somewhere, but she didn't remember clearly who did she heard that name from. She swiped away the thought away to listen at the cloak who names himself as Kayaba Akihiko.

"I think that most of you have discovered the fact that the Log Out button has disappeared from the main menu. This is not a bug; it is all part of «Sword Art Online»'s system." The cloak continued casually.

I noticed the people around Akina were as nervous as she is, but the word such as 'not a bug' and 'part of «Sword Art Online»' worries her the most. But anyways, Akina wished she could open the menu but it was currently disabled.

"Until you get to the top of this castle, you cannot log out of your own free will." The announcement continues in a low voice.

At first she didn't understand the meaning as my heart flutters out of my control. What now, am I getting a heart attack? Akina thought silently.

"...also, the disruption or dismantling of the Nerve Gear from the outside is strictly forbidden. If these things are attempted..."

Akina didn't understand why people around her would make such a ruckus, but she knew it's bad so far.

"The signal sensors in your Nerve Gear will emit a strong electromagnetic pulse, destroying your brain and stopping all of your basic functions."

Akina's vocabularies in Japanese aren't that wide, so she needed to repeat some words she might not understood, Electromagnetic pur-se? She continued mutely, Akina wondered where she heard of it before, she once heard that phrase, yet her mind never ringed a bell, that moment, her head started to throb harder and faster.

Akina clutched her head tightly, "Ughh.." letting a frown from her face as a panning feeling hits her head. She started to feel better a little but the throb didn't stop at all. Each time Kayaba's statement contains key words, It's like there's a few voices and flashbacks from her head.

But forget the pain and past, she also has her own critical side where she can't log out, if the other world attempt to bring her back by releasing the NerveGear she's wearing her brain would be fried.

"Fried?" Akina gasped when something rings on her head, as if it's a nostalgic recollection.

A few seconds later, as if the throbbing stopped, Akina began relaxing her stiff shoulders. It's not like she never had that kind of creepy chills and poundings, it's just… never been that long.

Her brain would be fried… Akina's mind was suddenly played by a few words and it felt like she remembered something from her past, before the memory continue playing, she shook her head again, preventing the flashback to continue.

Kayaba's voice was once again ringing in her ears in such plain tone. "To be a little more specific, disconnection from an outside source of electricity for ten minutes, being cut off from the system for more than two hours, or any attempt to: unlock, dismantle, or destroy the Nerve Gear. If any of these conditions are met, the brain destruction sequence will start. These conditions have been made known to the government and the public through mass-media in the outside world. On that note, there have been several cases where the relatives or friends have ignored the warnings and tried to forcefully remove the Nerve Gear. The result..."

She was listening, but she isn't really catching up that well. The girl's hazel eyes widen right before lifting her head lightly,

"...regretfully 213 players have already exited this game, and the real world, forever."

A pang of confusion and shock was combine and resulted a wry grin, her hand lightly shivers and clasped her mouth tight to prevent her bursting out the giggles, possibly going insane, no, no it's not possible… wait, it is possible… Akina's irises were already quivering inside her eyelids. It was disbelief, dying? Funny, I don't feel scared. She mutters quietly. I'm such a masochist. Akina muttered slowly.

"Players, there is no need to worry about the bodies you left on the other side. As of this moment, all TV, radio, and Internet media are repeatedly reporting this situation; including the fact that there have been numerous deaths. The danger of having your Nerve Gear taken off has already all but disappeared. In a moment, using the two hours I have provided, all of you will be transported to hospitals or similar institutes and be given the best treatment. So you can relax... and concentrate on beating the game."

When he said the words, Akina eerie grin disappears and replaced with a slight 'o'. She didn't know why but her other-self (A/N: S&M, not horny, just pleasure of S and M, please, it's rated T) suddenly left her body.

Akina's body jerks when she snaps back. "I should prevent hearing dying and killing…" Akina sighed heavily to herself. It's true Akina didn't really belive what he said, but it's the creator―Kayaba Akihiko, The creator of this virtual space, his announcements couldn't be taken lightly.

"But I ask of you all to understand that «Sword Art Online» is no longer a simple game. It is a second reality... From now on, any form of revival in the game will no longer work. The moment your HP reaches 0, your avatar will be gone forever. And at the same time your Never Gear will destroy your brain."

He stated clearly, Akina felt it was the sum from all the above, she understood, the moment her HP Bar 265/265 fell to zero, her brain would be fried.

And die.

Die? No, no, frying brains?

She felt choking she recalls something and it was still blurry. But she could tell everything was red and black, no light or radiance, no happiness or joy, it's all black, grim, eerie, everything seems… dark.

Akina was unsure but "Why does everything he said recall an unpleasant…?" she questions herself.

The scene that plays inside her mind was so real that Akina herself waver on rejecting. This girl is no longer a mere human. Akina's eyes were so wide and her eyes were blank. It was real, what played inside her head wasn't some playback form a movie she just watched, but it was some cut scenes from her memory, the voice of a man, deep cold voice.

"Players, there is only one way to be freed from this game. As I have said before, you must get to the top of Aincrad, the one hundredth floor, and defeat the final boss that resides there. All players still alive at that time will be immediately logged out of the game. I give you all my word."

Kayaba continued, but Akina minded nothing since she has already understood what he's going to say next.

"Clear... all 100 floors!?" A lurid complaint which caused Akina flinched and abruptly raises her head slowly. "And how do you want us to do that? I heard that getting up was crazy hard even during the beta testing!" The loud noise continued, but Kayaba didn't answer the yelling and agreements by other players scattered below the blood-colored robe.

"Then I will show you evidence that this is the only reality. In your inventories, there will be a gift from me. Please confirm this." The voice would be considered in suggestive yet authoritative tone, which lead players to do as he said. So did Akina.

The menu Akina called caused a ringing voice, and the entire arena soon was filled echoes of bells chiming.

The girl pressed the item button and there was a «Hand Mirror» access. To be honest, she didn't get what the item means, but Akina's fore-finger tapped it and turned the option to «turn into object» anyways.

What appears on her hand was a mirror which isn't large, and the size was fitting for the item name, a «Hand Mirror».

I stared at the mirror, and what it reflects were the character I made earlier. The character controlled by Mayuri crooked her head to her surrounding which most of the players were being enveloped by tubes of light, thus it also happens to her.

"Wha?" Akina's vision was stunned blanked, but after a few milliseconds, the vision came back, only finding my vision shorten a few centimeters. The length of her hand also shortens, not to mention the hair.

Akina stared at her surroundings, their character transformed, from the charming, handsome and beautiful faces, all changed to a shady, old, and somewhat geek looking.

The female ration dropped dozens percent.

What? What the― before even continuing, Akina shoved her face infront of the hand mirror, revealing a back length black color with violet gradient hair with some locks framing her face and some hair falling under her ears like a cat's ears when they're sad (A/N: If my own tablet arrives –soon-, I promise to illustrate her for you.) and the eyes of Caucasians descent, just a little bit superior and more like cat's eyes, the eyes that could cause boys and girls melt if they're being stared after a few seconds, the eyes that caused her getting hit by random people, The height of her short body and mild legs, but the mirror only reflect her neck and up.

"No… No…" Akina mutters, I must cover this face. She touched her nose, the frame of her jawline, her lips, not believing all.

"What's the purpose!?" Akina felt like breaking, she hated the face, why? Why does she hate it so much?

It was clear now, her mind was flowing our flashback of her painful memories, the face of the person that resembles so much, the person she hated so much―― her biological father.

"Why have to be this face…" The tone from anger and panicked turned into despair and helplessness.

"You will all most probably be wondering, "Why." Why am I —the creator of both the Nerve Gear and SAO, Kayaba Akihiko— doing something like this? Is this a sort of terrorist attack? Is he doing this to ransom us?" Kayaba's voice boasts slightly. "These are not the reasons why I am doing this. Not only that, but for me, there is no longer a reason or a purpose in doing this. The reason is because... this situation itself was my purpose in doing this. To create and watch this world is the only reason I have created the Nerve Gear and SAO. And now, everything has been realized." He ended with his natural tone.

Akina was speechless. Not because she was trapped in a death game. Not because her life is probably ending. Not because she was scared. It was all curiosity, something was not clear, which makes Akina wonders. What is my connection to Kayaba Akihiko? She questions.

She dropped her head, she felt there are nothing and no one else, but it's just her. She dropped her head and stared at her gloveless hand, I'm such a monster back then, huh?

Her ugly― or worse, bloody past was unlocked from the bag inside her memory.

"...Now, I have finished the official tutorial for «Sword Art Online». Players—I wish you luck." That sentence left with an echo.

Subsequently, the red cloak rose soundlessly, hood first, along with the warning signs above it.

With a few seconds delay, an ear-preaching voice cries from one spot which cause a chain reaction like a domino.

The whole players on the plaza went berserk, wild, and uncontrollable. Akina could feel the ground shaking a little.

Luckily, the now already wasn't far away from the plaza exit, she ran, and ran, she ran away from the noisy and bashful players demanding exits, it's not like Akina lusting for exit.

It's not like she has anyone special back in the real world.

She grit her teeth at the thought of that, she grabbed her hair, she has a lot of choices she could pick. Sitting in the inn and crying waiting for the cancel announcement or trusting that man's words.

She could be sure that it wasn't a joke. That short scenes might still be blurry, but she was certain half of the story about who she is. About what she is.

Her right masks one of her eye before thinking in a downcast manner, I can't believe that I… I locked it all up all this time… The girl with crystal-colored eyes could bury her face in shame at this point, but those flashbacks were awakened by a man called Kayaba Akihiko, she wanted to slaughter him like a certain person in her past.

Akina gagged at the horrid thought, she recalled all of the sudden unpleasing memory, but she swallowed it in and prevents her continue on thinking further.

She stared back at the crowded plaza, and leaves her leaning spot, walking with a pace to irregular run, she ran faster, she didn't know where she would arrive, but she runs away , where there is road leading to a new place while clenching her hand on the one handed sword, she ran to a new deserted place.

TBC―

A/N: Excuse my typos.

So I've cleared the misunderstanding about her past, and Mayuri recalls it in this chapter, only half of it, but the rest of it would be revealed :*

Rewritten: 6/2/2013

Note: some lines are taken from