"Kirito!" A familiar voice shouted. "Kirito-kun! Come back to me, please—Oh please, not now, hold on just a little more."
My eyes snapped open and immediately, I was facing a familiar face. "Asuna…" I croaked. "What happened?"
She smiled weakly, but her eyes told a different story. That's just one of many things that I love about Asuna. She always tries to make everyone feel so assured.
I sat up and inwardly smirked, but transitioned into a frown as soon as it came. "God, I wish I was as strong as her."
"We cleared the boss at the 95th floor, not too long ago." She said and incased me with a tight hug. "You fought well, Kirito-kun."
I hugged back and tried to muster enough energy to reciprocate Asuna's actions. I groaned while trying to do so.
But I know it wasn't possible.
I checked my surroundings. A lot of deaths have occurred since we cleared the 87th floor, but majority isn't because of the murder guilds, or a terrible boss death. It's because the real world is failing us. It's because the hospitals couldn't cover for us any much longer.
A lot of the members of the Knights of the Blood Oath are sprawled around the floor; some are even passed out, even though their health bars are still on green. I hate to say it, but I'm also facing the similar problem.
Asuna and I predicted this. We predicted it before clearing the 50th floor. I cringed. I should've been stronger, been faster, been better, been smarter. I slacked off too much.
How could I let this happen?
"It's not your fault." Asuna piped up. I jerked by the sudden statement. "Sorry…I thought I was losing you." She put a hand up my cheek and pecked my lips.
"Asuna…how'd—" I was cut off by Asuna when she said, "Kirito, I know you." She giggled. "It's 2025 now, almost 2026 actually."
She's right. It's November 7, 2025. "Wait—"
"Somebody help him!" A guild member screamed. Our heads shot at the direction of the sound and there we see a guild member lying on another guild member's lap.
"What's happening?!" Asuna exclaimed and rushed to their direction. I got up and slowly made my way there was well.
The member lying down was getting blurry, as if he was disconnecting. He was glitching and his avatar was disassembling and contorting till it finally decided to gradually fade.
Asuna grabbed his hand, and the member who was supporting him grabbed his other hand too. "As the second-in-command of the Knights of the Blood Oath, I relieve you of your duties of a swordsman of the front lines." Asuna said rather quickly.
A tear rolled down her cheek, "Thank you." Her voice cracked "For all you've do—"
"Don't do this, man!" The member supporting him exclaimed. Tears were rolling down his face, "Hold on, please. We're so near to the last floor. WE'VE FOUGHT SO HARD TOGETHER, YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE!"
The fading member laughed weakly and said, "You idiot." He raised a fist to his friend's face and softly punched him, not even leaving a dent in his health bar and smirked.
"I'll see you soon?!" The healthy member asked. His eyes scanned the fading presence on his lap, frantically looking for a way to keep him here.
The fading member shook his head sideways, as if he was trying to conceal the tears. "You can't stifle tears here." Asuna said, with a fresh batch of tears cascading her face.
"Take as long as you need to." He said and looked up. He took a final breath and closed his eyes.
We all closed our eyes when we heard the familiar sound of a player's death. By the time we opened them, we watched the crystals fly along with the wind. There was nothing but complete silence.
I looked down and clenched my fists. "Enough!" I shouted. "I can't just let this keep happening!"
A newfound fury bubbled inside of me and it gave me strength, enough strength that I blindly picked up a stray rock and forcefully threw it in a random direction.
Little did I know that it was heading for Heathcliff, the guild's first-in-command.
"Heath—" But it was too late.
"IMMORTAL OBJECT"
My eyes widened in disbelief.