Prologue
Two year,two years have passed. Twenty four months,seven hundred and thirty days since…the lives of ten thousand people were changed forever. Ten thousand lives at stake…Death…awaited you in this game, mercilessly but this "Game" was anything but.Game-Over meant Death in the real world,those were the rules. Those were the stakes. Every day in those two years, I devoted every waking moment to the clearing of this "Game." My life in danger every time I ventured into the brave new world. Leveling up, getting stronger, suppressing my fears, and clearing the next floor. These were my last two years. There were times when I truly believed that I was never going to make it out alive. The sins I committed in that world can never be forgiven that world, that "World"…I will never forget that "World", that was cleared…that hell that was created by the one named Akihiko Kayaba.
The world of Aincrad, The "Game" of Sword Art Online…
But I was not the hero, the one who freed us, the one who beat the game, that honor fell to The Black Swordsman. He defeated the master at his own game and freed us. We all owe our lives to him.
When the game was cleared, the system alert system notified the six thousand players left that logout was now possible. People cried tears of joy, coming back to the real world. It was finally done but the cost was severe. Four thousand people lost their lives to this hell, four thousand Game-Overs, four thousand Deaths. I should have been one of The Fallen not her. Whenever her memory crosses my mind...I'm sorry, my greatest sin was not keeping my promise. Your demise, is my ultimate burden. I'm sorry…Hikaru…
Every day I remind myself of this in order to put my decisions in perspective. In those years trapped in SAO, every choice mattered. Life was not something to take for granted. I was taught to cherish the moments that matter the most. SAO taught me these things. For better or for worse Sword Art Online will always be a part of me. Always, just like…Hikaru…