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Sword Art Online Restarted, Part One

Prologue

Kirito's Point of View

- then -

"Why me? Why give me the power to decide whether or not these people either stay in the game, or be released? Why make me choose between her, and everybody else? WHY?!"

"Because how far you've come in this game only proves to me you can do it again."

"I don't want to do it again. I simply want Asuna to live, and for everybody to be freed. Why is that too much to ask?"

"It's not that simple. What is it, will you restart SAO in its entirety and save Asuna, or save everybody else?"

I can't believe he would lay this on me just after I saw her die, I think.

But I know what I'm gonna do.

"Fine. Put me back in SAO. Put everybody back in SAO. Just don't kill Asuna."

"Don't forget this, either - your memory, along with everyone else's memory, will be wiped from the day they first logged on to Sword Art Online."

"What?"

- now -

I'm greeted by a vibrant blue, partly-cloudy sky when I come to my senses, lying down in a meadow.

Where am I?

After sitting up and gazing off into the distance, with absolutely nothing but grass stretching in all directions, I notice a piece of paper on the ground in front of me.

"Sword Art Online will begin momentarily; NerveGear instructions will follow," it reads in big, bold print.

Wha - oh! I'm in SAO, I forgot. I remember buying the beta, but I don't remember anything about it.

I sit there, in that very spot, waiting for this new and amazing game to start. Was I taking a nap just now? Did I really get the game that early to have that much time to nap? I mean, I know I was a beta tester, but I still had to buy a new copy, just not new NerveGear. Whatever, I think to myself. None of it will matter once it all starts.

And a few minutes after my awakening, the paper begins glowing, and, upon looking at it, it states, "Good luck, guys!" before my vision is dominated by whiteness, and the words "Welcome to Sword Art Online!" appear above the wall of the coliseum-like building I was just transported to before plenty of other people are transported around me. I get a glimpse of some of the faces of the new SAO players, their expressions ranging from rapid confusion to extreme excitement.

Are we going to get to make our avatars? I don't have one, and it doesn't seem like anyone else has one, either.

Someone taps my shoulder. I swerve around to see a twentysomething year old woman, clearly in need of help.

"Excuse me, do you know how to logout? I can't find my husband who was supposed to get on with me, and I also have kids to take care of. I didn't know it'd take this long to load the game, and now that it's started, I would've thought it would let you quit…"

"I, uh - Try swiping from up to down with your finger? I can't remember… Sorry," I quickly reply before disappearing into the crowd.

The enormous crowd of people constantly shuffles around, probably to find their friends or loved ones. I move along with it. I'm hoping I'll see a familiar face, even though it's thousands and thousands of people all packed into this place; this game's pretty popular at my school, with more than a few beta testers attending there. I'm sure I'll eventually see someone.

Amidst my search a barrier suddenly forms in the sky, and it's tinted red, with the words "WARNING" spanning across it. Everybody pauses and directs their attention towards the red globe forming over the coliseum, followed by some kind of creature forming out of it.

It's the Game Master, I think.

Kayaba Akihiko.

A giant person with a red robe descends from the top of the translucent globe. Everybody cheers with excitement, including me, and after around thirty seconds all of our voices are muted.

"Hello, new SAO players," he states, his voice resonating the entire place.

"I am aware that some of you are confused, as right now it is impossible to log out. A glitch happened earlier, delaying the initial SAO launch. I apologize for any inconveniences that resulted from that; however, I have something else to announce, as well.

"This is going to be blunt, and will take many of you by surprise; worry not, though, as I know you will all be capable of beating this.

"It is impossible to logout of Sword Art Online right now, and it will stay this way until the game is beat."

Is this a prank? I think. Unable to say anything at the moment, I scan around and see other people's faces, still filled with confusion as it was earlier.

"It will be pointless to explain now. But I trust one day, you will figure things out. I haven't any time left, so I bid you all farewell, and good luck."

He disappears out of thin air, as does the red WARNING barrier. Everyone's unmuted, and after everybody figure that out, screams erupt the majority of the SAO players sprint in random direction, attempt to log out by manually removing the NerveGear, and just go absolutely insane.

I realize this isn't a joke, and that doesn't even register with me for a few minutes. I place my hands in my pocket and begin to walk off as the memories of playing the SAO beta come back to me all at once, along with how to open the menu. Then, I notice something in my right pocket, and pull it out.

A small picture of a girl with orange-brown hair and a blissful smile in some kind of wooden house. I turn it around and see some kind of message.

"FIND ME"

A/N: I post updates on my profile page, along with previews of the next chapter of both this story and everything else I write; if you're interested in how the next chapter's coming along and want to read a preview, then I'd advise you to head on over there every once in a while. Also, if you like the story, I'd really appreciate a favorite and a follow! This may just be a side project, but if I receive enough positive feedback I might make this a full-time fic!