Hey there, I probably shouldn't be writing this but I wanted to write a new story. If you're wondering about one of my other stories, well I'm not very inspired for them just now.

Anyway this is an AU, my plan to write a better paced and more concise Aincrad arc. Rather than 10,000 players I wanted there to be just 500 but it will still inexplicably contain all the canon characters because I don't have much interest in a cast of OCs of which there might still be a few. And, it's in an Aincrad where it's potentially feasible for 500 players to beat the game rather than the canon one which is feasible for 10,000. I always thought those fics with like a million players were a little crazy. 500 is a far nicer number.

Kazuto brushed his fingers over the shiny helmet speculatively, honestly a little nervous. A thrill of fear ran through him as he considered the idea of entering a virtual reality. Technically he'd tried out the briefest demo of some of the software for two minutes but this was different. He'd be entering a world created by a computer yet experience it with all his senses, in short he'd be completely immersed. He would be but one of five hundred lucky beta testers to try out the long anticipated Sword Art Online. Would it hurt? Would he love a virtual world?

This game was expected to brilliant. He'd followed the blog of one Alpha player who'd discussed the immersion of a virtual reality, and he'd been most complimentary about the amount of detail packed into the game, suggesting that it was the optimum of graphics.

Kazuto's dark eyes noted the time on his computer. 10.03am. The server had been officially active for three minutes now and yet here he was, just staring at an empty helmet. Truly though, there was no time to waste, the beta wouldn't last forever and really he should be honoured for such an opportunity. Yet entering a virtual reality was undeniably a little scary too.

He braced himself, delicately putting on the large and heavy helmet. Setting it up had required fiddling with a plethora of bright coloured wires and buttons but that was all done now. All there was to do was lie down awkwardly on the bed - sleeping with the helmet on was certainly going to strain his neck - and press the power button. The helmet fit well. He tried to relax as colours began to fill his vision, feeling a curious heat penetrating his skull (that was expected apparently). The system was activating.

"Link Start." Soon his lips grew too heavy to move and all sensations seemed to stop.

'What is your name?'

Kirito opened his eyes, looking around. It was an empty white space with a thin blue box floating in front of him, demanding his attention.

He twitched his fingers nervously; it was disorientating to find himself suddenly standing up and he took care not to just stumble and fall over. Ignoring the box for the moment, he looked down at himself; he was somehow wearing an unassuming grey garb. As he grasped his hands together, he realised they felt eerily different. He examined his hands carefully, noting that jagged uneven nails had gone, replaced with short uniform ones. There was also no hair on the back of his hands, not that there'd been much before, and they just generally felt less textured. It was a glaring, or perhaps subtle, difference that made it clear he was now in a virtual reality.

He wasn't in his own body then. This was what the computer had created for him, though it appeared he could still move and control it just as finely as his own. He absentmindedly noted that he was breathing evenly too, and it felt very close to natural, if still a trace imperfect; it was very advanced software after all.

Dismissing his new body for the moment, he focused on the blue screen in front of him and lifted a finger towards the glowing letters. It was a simple endeavour to type out his chosen name - Kirito. A name he regularly used in games, being a portmanteau of his family name and his given name, as was a common enough trend. Finally he lightly touched the enter button and the screen disappeared before another rapidly replaced it.

'Your name is Kirito?' It said, with a 'Yes' and a 'No' button beneath it.

He quickly confirmed his name and watched yet another box appear, fortunately this one was more relevant to the game. The box asked what sort of character he'd like to play with descriptions beneath large image of each class.

He frowned for a moment for he'd heard there were no classes in Sword Art Online, but a quick analysis showed that each one merely selected three starting abilities that particularly suited each class, and altered the starting gear ever so slightly. Basically it was simply the game giving you a little guidance. Looking at each of them, it seemed that he'd also been correct in hearing that there was no magic in this game, despite it apparently having a medieval fantasy setting.

Kirito read each description briefly. Light Swordsman, Heavy Swordsman, Archer, Beast Tamer, Merchant, Support, Rogue, Blunt Weapons and Other. (Other appeared to simply be choosing your own basic skill set). The choice wasn't too hard for him though and he selected the light swordsman. He'd always favoured speedy characters though found rogues to lack solid power.

Once he'd confirmed his character, the world disappeared again and found himself entering the main server.

He was standing in a marketplace and with a start he realised that there were other players milling around. Seeing people just wandering around reminded him disconcertingly of reality - where other people seemed just as real as you did. As he tried to relax after such an abrupt teleportation another box decided to welcome him to this new plane.

'Welcome to Sword Art Online Beta Version 1.34. Here in Aincrad you can battle monsters with your friends to gain experience until you become strong enough to defeat floor Bosses which guard the way to the next floor. Currently there are ten floors in total and the game will be cleared once the final boss has been defeated. In the official version there will be far more floors but defeating them will still be a challenge. This game also features a mostly player-run economy so shop around with the in-game currency, Col, in order to get the best gear. Explore the world to experience the best this game has to offer! Good luck, player, and I hope you enjoy my game. Kayaba Akihiko, Creator of Sword Art Online.'

Kirito smiled, suddenly excited to try out the game, though he felt a hint of anxiety at the idea of all the social aspects. He dismissed his welcome message and glanced around at others around him, none of whom seemed to be paying much attention to him. He didn't see any monsters but he supposed that they were somewhere in some sewers or a castle or outside the town.

Just then a final blue box decided to announce in front of him, he decided that the delay was probably just there to annoy him, because the engine was really slick. Tempting though it was to just dismiss it without bothering to look at it, he quickly skimmed it and it turned out to be some basic controls - how to open the menu, view skills, report any bugs, send messages to other players, activate more technical skills and what sword skills were. Apparently if he swung his sword in a particular way then he could activate some sort of automated combat combo to make fighting more accessible.

He dismissed that box too and then quickly rushed off to the nearest town exit. Around the starting town, there appeared to be vast grassy fields with winding paths in all directions, the air itself had a slightly earthy smell to it, which was really cool. In the distance he saw a trio taking on some sort of wild animal in a fight. he watched one of them aim an arrow at it while another blocked it's attack with their shield. It looked frightfully realistic yet Kirito was eager to join in anyway.

Getting his sword out of his inventory, he ran towards them. Just then though, a blue light enveloped his character. What was happening now? Once again he found his vision fading to white before abruptly appearing in a new location - back in the town. Why would the game decide to do that just as he was about to start a fight? He didn't feel any happier when seemingly every other player on the server also teleported around him.

He found himself facing a large stage where some sort of shadowy golem thing, triple the size of any player stood waiting. He supposed it was another welcome but he was more interested in getting started with the game. Still, it was only the first hour of the game and the game did look rather good.

The huge shadow golem with red eyes was a bit dramatic though, far from what he'd expected from a serious game designer like Akihiko. As the blue light from all the teleportations faded now that everyone had arrived, the golem seemed to stand a little taller ad it seemed ready to begin it's announcement. Despite still being slightly irritated, Kirito was interested in what was going to be said.

"Welcome players, to my world." It had a deep voice that seemed to carry all the way to the end of the crowd.

"My name is Kayaba Akihiko. You may think you are just playing a game of my own creation, however Aincrad is so much more than that. You see, in this game if you die the you die in reality. Microwaves inside the helmets that you all wear can transmit a deadly signal which will be fatal should your avatar perish. Furthermore if you look in your menu then you will find no log out button. This is not a glitch. You cannot exit this game until you defeat the game, all ten floors."

Kirito didn't move, didn't outwardly react at all. His first thought was to disbelieve it, but a traitorous voice within informed him that, yes, it was possible. The helmets worked by microwaves and his head was encased inside one right at this very moment. He hoped it was a joke, a really bad one, yet the golem talked so seriously. He hadn't noticed that the log out button was missing but he did know that it was the only way out of the game save from manually removing the helmets.

"And if someone tries to manually remove the helmets, then you will die as the microwaves will automatically fry your brain. in fact, nine people have already died," the Golem helpfully clarified as if in answer to his thoughts.

Nine dead. What if his sister came into his room and tried to remove his helmet? Would he die, just like that? Was that what happened to the others? Why would anyone think up such a sadistic and cruel idea?

"You may be wondering why I, Kayaba AKihiko the extraordinary game developer would want to do such a such a thing. It's very simple, I want to create my own reality with its own stakes. This is my world, you see. Long has it been my dream to see it become reality and you are my citizens. I have even given you your own faces. Your tutorial is over now, welcome to the real game. Good luck."

The golem disappeared. Kirito glanced around at all the players around him, feeling rather like everyone around him was going to be dead in a few months. They were all arguing or crying or in denial or just standing around shocked. He couldn't deal with them, he didn't want to be around others now, he couldn't bear.

Kirito ran. He ran as fast as he could, feeling trapped in the square surrounded by so many others but eventually he found the exit. He didn't stop running, he needed to be far away from here. He would go out into the fields and get as strong as he could - it was the only way to survive.

"Hey mister!" A child's voice called out suddenly.

He stopped, turning to face a young girl who really shouldn't be in a death game. She had large eyes, hair done into two long pigtails and a hopeless expression on her face. He glanced behind him at the gates to the square. The girl must have run out like him, out of pure fear.

"Is it true? Are we in danger?" She asked him, gripping his hand in her own, clawing at it really.

He didn't know what to say. "We... might be," he answered softly.

How did such a young girl even obtain the Beta version of this game? Was she the only child or were the others in that crowd?

"But I don't know how to fight! What do I do? I-" she broke off, as a shiver wracked her body.

He really hoped he didn't regret this but he couldn't possibly leave her on her own when she was so young and looked so fragile. "Come with me and I'll make you strong," he offered, half-hoping she'd decline.

But she loosened her grip on his hands and looked slightly more hopeful. "Thank you, m-my name is Ke- Silica."

"Come on," he said quietly, pulling her towards a town exit.

This is just the prologue I guess. But as you can see, it's still in Beta so this will be all new to Kirito rather than him already being really skilled and accomplished. I also tried to give the game some moderate guidance and advice rather than just plopping Kirito on the map but it's not a huge thing.

While Silica did appear at the end, it doesn't mean it's a Kirito/Silica ship, it's more that I'd prefer Kirito not to be travelling completely alone.

The plan is that 1 chapter = 1 floor, not including this one and I won't skip any floors, it's why there's only 10.

So uh... please review. What do you think of this idea? Feel free to share any comments or suggestions, though this was just a prologue of sorts.