Welcome to a new branch of fan fiction! I'm stoked that you found your way to this story, or came through an author notification. Either way, I hope that Unsung brings you colors to the Japanese anime or my own works which you've have yet to see!
As a disclaimer, I do not own Sword Art Online or its characters. What I am happy to proclaim is that I was a writer long before turning to fan fiction!
So, as a freshman in high school – about five years ago from this publish date – a friend and I wanted to take our childhood's imaginary world and bring it to life. Our vision spawned a project called, Chaos's Peace, a short story with supernatural entities called "gifts." It featured four OC's that we created to represent the silly games we played outdoors. Don't worry, not all of them have a prominent role, so those who are familiar with the anime won't get blasted with Mary Sues and whatnot!
For those of you who came here because of the Girl Meets World title, I Met Tranquility, don't worry; I'm not finished with it! I have a writer's block, simply because the story you have online is different than the plot I have planned for it. Until I can figure out a way to continue IMT, this will by my brain juice (my go-to).
With everything explained, I now give you the first chapter of Unsung! Keep in mind that I'll be on canon, from the perspective of Vee/Vitreous Silva, my prominent OC.
Prelude
The outside world never knew if I was in the virtual death trap until they decided to turn on their televisions. Even then, they never recognized my name real name. I believe it was a good, conscious effort for the game developer to mask our identities with usernames. That's about the only good thing he's done.
Maybe I should reflect on his long-gone qualities another time…
For now, the story must be underway. Heck, it's been years since I messed with virtual or augmented reality, but the pastimes with my friends were very real; etched like a chisel to stone. I could recall it all. Exact dialogue. Everything I thought. Everything I was. Every accomplishment and failure.
That is what you wanted… Right?
Is that what you, the reader, came for?
Too often the folk tales you hear seem so real. Oh so dastardly dramatic. Who would've dared to venture into such depths of peril and fortune? To travel to new universes and fight alongside those we dreamed of? Let me tell you…
Well, if you patiently listen and wait, I most certainly will. Don't ask foolish questions, you people outside this screen, or paper, or whatever you use these days.
Vitreous Silva, the Unsung Conqueror, it's my identity. And here, will I prove my reputation.
Chapter One – Minus Actuality
A buzz. This buzz which creates the illusion of light in my head stirs me awake. A wonderful Tuesday night: 9 PM. I have set my alarm so late just to get a head start with Sword Art Online. Created by Japanese game developer Akihiko Kayaba, only a few preordered copies bundled with the infamous NerveGear got sent to the United States… Let alone the state of Kansas. I considered myself blessed to play such a revolutionary video game.
I guess one of us could've blamed the government for my fortune to place a metallic brain-orienting helmet on my head; my current residence belonged to the Central Intelligence Agency. A bunch of us "gifted" people were required by unwritten law to reside and be experimented on whenever we possessed suspicious public behavior. After I arrived, a bunch of drama occurred and some of us split the organization for a while. We could talk about that later too.
Serenity, my best friend, told me that the official startup of Sword Art Online's servers began at 13:00 Japanese Standard Time, a fifteen-hour difference. She offered to watch me enter the virtual world and keep track of my vitality. She made sure I was fed, and well rested, not to mention prepared for the social interactions I'd encounter while in game.
"This isn't like making friends at school, Vitreous;" my friend told me, "Kids and adults alike are gonna play to win. So always be on guard." Serenity's blond hair and green eyes always caught my attention. She was someone I could look up to, regardless of the obstacle I had to face.
I'd rather spend reality with her than virtual reality with people I'd never meet in real life. What kind of bonds was I going to make if they were simple pixelations?
"I can see that. But hey, any time I want to log out, I'll do it. I know the CIA wouldn't want me playing videogames when they have experimentation to do." I winked, trying to reassure her.
She casted a solemn glance to me as she slipped an IV through my left arm, "That's the issue I have." she said, "If something uncontrollable happens, everyone in our facility will be in here twenty-four seven, and they won't take their eyes off of you."
"I don't want them to be afraid of your safety."
My heart lurched. Committing a full-dive into something America didn't research enough had its costs. I was assigned, however, to play SAO for two reasons.
"Well, that's why they have me here," I said, "and if something does happen to go down, they'll have more information of how the gifted act. I'm sure everyone knows what they're doing."
She sat, and I lied down in silence. The beeping of the heart monitor, and the wary façade the bulky Nerve Gear helmet presented sent me chills. I wasn't going to "Dreamland," where I'd be able to wake up. That's what the CIA predicts, it's what Serenity fears, and it's what I don't hope for.
The way Serenity loomed over me reestablished my sense of peace. I regained comfort now that I was in her watch, in the same way she conducted her first experiments on me. She never left my side when I needed her… But when I traveled to this different reality, she wasn't going to be there. We knew she would remain here until I came back in about five hours. Just not until then.
I ended the silence, "It's about time." One look into each other's eyes was all it took to begin initiation of our experiment: the dive into virtual reality.
She placed the heavyweight helmet over my head. I could see the time, and battery status of the NerveGear. The ethernet cable was hooked to a computer monitor, which plugged into the floor. Everything I encountered displayed on that screen, so others would know if I was in danger.
I was preparing, praying to God for safety, for bravery, for opportunities to fight and be strong. This new world was not going to be easy to get along in. At least, that's what most of the men and women here said.
And then, Serenity took my hand. The warmth of her fingers, softness of her palm, the expression I could read just by feeling. She wanted me safe, courageous, unharmed… Most importantly, she wanted me successful.
"Go get 'em, Vee." She whispered.
"Link, start."
A buzz, different than the one that stirred me awake, sent me away.
Calibration began.
Calibration ended.
My mind sent information to the NerveGear's memory and logged me in.
Welcome to Sword Art Online!
A new heartbeat. A user interface, a new… feeling? As the bright blue light faded around me, I recognized that I was not on Earth anymore. Unfamiliar avatars surrounded me, talking amongst themselves, excitement bursting from the young and the old, the male and the female, quiet and loud.
For a moment, it felt like I never left my home planet at all.
A smirk crept upon my face as I adjusted the gloves on my hands. Everything was tangible, including the smells of cooked food and the taste of the misty warm air. It was all too real; yet, for some odd reason, I loved it!
I was literally in a game! What more could I have imagined?
A concrete memorial stood in front of me, outlining the thousands of in-game names which have spawned into this digital ecstasy. I paced along, trying to identify anyone who I could've known back in the real world… The texture was smooth for the most part as my fingers glazed the stone. The thought of adventure made me want to explode. This is what Serenity wanted, right? For me to enjoy my time here?
If that's the case, I'll react to anything this game throws my way-
My breath hitched… The texture of this name has a straight line.
I observed it, closely. Was this an account which was deleted? Did somebody rage quit? The text of Naiomizan was etched by a white slash.
This wasn't something I should care to know. I have yet to actually play the game. Standing around wasn't going to get me anywhere. So I jogged to the exit of the majestic colosseum. The first logical decision I made was to buy armor and weapons available to me.
The UI indicated I had 10,000 Col. Supposing that was a fair enough amount of money, I bought out gear that would enhance my agility. The all-too-real non-player characters offered light leather gears for a total of 5,000 Col. It looked like any sword or sharp object could pierce this armor, but I guessed it'd be better than wearing no protection at all. Besides, the purple color the articles presented stood out to me. I wanted to be as different as possible when killing off these mobs!
The only weapons available for purchase in the Town of Beginnings were basic pointy objects and daggers. Until I came across a weapon like a whip.
"I can't believe you'd wanna look at this piece of junk, kid." The NPC behind his desk gloated. "They have it here just so some child could get himself cut or something."
Bargaining me out of a bargain? I see.
Upon touching the weapon, a description rose from it: Urumie, SAO's distinction of the Indian sword, called the Urumi. Known for amateurs injuring themselves with the sword, as it is composed of a short handle and long, flexible titanium blades. Users of this bendable sword are required to learn extended sword skills and stay in constant motion, striking not in forward thrusts, but in repeated variable creative strokes.
Cost: 1,500 Col.
Durability: High.
Talk about style… I wanted this weapon. It looked cool, acted different than the others, and it would last a long time.
"I'll still purchase it." I simply said, casting the character a confident glare.
He pondered, staring at the sword, and shaking his head. "If that's what you want, it's what you get." He grumbled.
You have acquired the rare (and cheapo) Urumie! Have fun with this blade of self-destruction!
Ah, the humor.
Grararararah!
The Wild Boar in front of me collapsed, red scratches all over it. I got a glance of my dirty work before it exploded into polygons, replacing the entity with a notification of the earnings of the animal. I pumped my fist with glee, stoked by my accomplishment.
Contrary to the protest of the NPC, I worked with the weapon quite well. I was told by another player that Sword Skills were necessary to do the most damage to an entity. One had to begin an initial motion, and then when the skill started to activate, he let it take control. As for me, I had to be in motion, and then the way I moved my entire body activated the different skills. When I first got the weapon, I almost depleted my entire health while trying to drag the bending metal around me. But as the wise guys said, "Practice makes perfect."
From the distance, I heard bits of a conversation just over the hill. "In this world, a single blade can take you anywhere you wanna go. And even though it's a virtual world, I feel more alive than I ever did in the real one."
Deep and reflective. He kind of sounded like me when I first stepped within. Yes, it was scary and exciting, but it was practically real. Hence the word reality. I made my way over to the cliffside, just in the line of vision of two other avatars. It took about half a minute, so I didn't pay much attention on my way.
"Yeah, for real. That's why I ordered a pizza for 5:30!" the kid in red exclaimed. "Besides, the game can wait until I get my pizza on."
But… it was about 2:25 PM, said the clock in the corner of my UI.
"Gosh, are you on the other side of the planet?" I butted in. I didn't really know how to slide into conversations like so, but I had no other choice.
The two men stopped their conversation, turning my way. The one who was standing was itching for his sword. Something wasn't right about the appearance of these guys. Their face didn't match the looks of their voice. But, avatars never really matched the player behind the screen, did they?
"Hey, where did you come from?" the guy with red hair asked.
"I-I'm sorry. Curiosity got the best of me." I replied, trying to simmer down the random encounter. "I'm Vee."
"Kirito."
"Klein, it is."
We stood there awkwardly, fixing to act normal when we really couldn't.
And so I backtracked. "What was that you were saying, Kirito? About blades taking you wherever you wanted to go?"
The black-haired guy smirked with confidence. "Ah, I was just saying that there are many things you can do in this game that you can't do in real life. You knew to this game, Vee?"
"I'm new to videogames, period." I shrugged, fixing my posture. "The NerveGear is the first thing I'd consider a videogame."
"Well, you came to the right place, bro." Klein said, afterwards averting his attention to Kirito. He stood up and stretched, offering his hand out to his older friend. "I have some other friends from another game I'm gonna meet up with when I get back. If you want, you can friend 'em and we can all hang out together."
Kirito was taken aback. What was up with that? I would've taken Klein's offer in a heartbeat. The more friends, the stronger you are.
Klein quickly adjusted his offer, "No, you don't have to right now. Maybe another time when we cross paths. No pressure."
"Sorry. Thanks anyway." The other boy smiled softly.
"Hey, it is me who should be thanking you for all the help you've given. I'll be sure to pay you back – virtually that is."
I was wrong about friendships in virtual reality. Before I dived into the videogame world, I assumed that no one made real friends from online. With what I saw and heard in front of me, though, contradicted my assumptions. If this is what the community of Sword Art Online was about, there would be no reason for me to leave.
And if I had it my way, I would've gotten my technician and friend Chris to build NerveGears. One for him, one for Serenity. We would've been conquering bosses if there were any, and clearing entire fields of enemies. That's the kind of team we would've been.
Serenity was watching me still, right? Has she seen this?
"Return! Logout! Escape!" Klein jumped me out of my own thoughts. Kirito and him had their menus open. And they looked frightened.
I opened my menu up in the same way, same fear copied and pasted onto my own face.
The logout button. Where was it?
"Told ya so…" Kirito spoke sadistically, "and they didn't create an emergency protocal. If they saw this bug by now, they would be shutting down the server and logging everyone out."
"So… Are we stuck until an administrator co-?" I tried to inquire.
A bell began to toll. Past intuition told me that bells don't toll until the beginning of a new hour. Something big must be going on.
My two acquaintances began to flash. Where were they going? My vision began to brighten too. This was not supposed to happen. Panic coursed through my veins, adrenaline fused with my body. This was all wrong.
We were teleported back to the town of beginnings. My friends were nowhere in the sight of around 10,000 players filling the coliseum. Panicking within, I did what I could to make out the avatars of Kirito and Klein. They had to be in the same place.
Person after person became confused. We were all asking the same questions: What was going on? Who sent us here? Were we going to die? When could we leave?
Why?
Finally. I made out the spiky red hair of Klein and pushed through the crowds. I wasn't good in them unless I had a familiar face. But now I was able to breathe. Only for the next couple of seconds.
The sky was covered in red. A bloody substance pooled together to form a cloaked figure. Was this a boss? An event?
"Attention, players. I welcome you to my world."
My world…
My world…
Kayaba.
As he spoke, the logout button's disfunction became purposeful. The dots in my head connected as they confirmed my best friend's suspicions.
Sword Art Online was no longer a game.
"You are not able to logout, and no one will be able to shut down your system. If anyone attempts to do so, or to remove the NerveGear from your head, a transmitter from inside the NerveGear will send a microwave signal inside your skull, destroying your brain, and ending your life."
"This guy is kidding, right?!" Klein exclaimed.
"No, he's not." The other two of us said at the same time. We looked at each other, concern dragging us down to the ground. In the few minutes of encountering one another, the connection between us was strong.
But the reality had to be strong first.
Kayaba continued to explain the new situation, "Despite my warnings, the families and friends of two-hundred and thirteen players have attempted to do so, an unfortunate decision to say the least. As a result, they have been deleted from Aincrad, and the real world."
The mark within the memorial. My mind exploded. The choice to go back was limited by death itself.
I imagined Serenity, recognizing the same thing. The facility freaking out and finding ways to fix me. I had to ensure her my safety; death has not taken me away, and it won't any time soon.
"Right now, you are on the first floor of Aincrad. If you can go through its dungeon and defeat the boss, you may advance to the next floor. Defeat the boss on Floor One-hundred, and you will clear the game."
Unfathomably impossible. Difficult to conceive. I glanced back to Kirito, his body shaking and tense. Klein mentioned that the kid was a beta tester. How many times has he died during that time? My assurance was fading.
I didn't purchase my own life insurance yet.
"Last but not least, I have a present for you in your inventory. Please, have a look."
My two partners didn't hesitate to check their inventory, in the same manner as the crowd around us. I followed suit, holding my breath as if the item would eat me alive.
It was a mirror in my hands. Clear, reflective. Reflecting my face.
Wait… My face?
MY FACE?!
The avatars around me were yet again engulfed in another light. My mind was exploding, eyes taking inventory of the shapeshifting people. To be honest, I thought it was weird that real men would chose womanly characters. My body shook at that. Regardless of how silly that concept was, we were all in danger. And if not in a blissful danger, then a wonderous catastrophe.
"Why would I, creator of Sword Art Online, do this?" the gigantic ghostly figure boomed. It's bloody robe which hid his face answered enough. I swore that if we could see his face, we wouldn't have had much to fear. However, we were the vulnerable ones. Those who chose to keep their own face had a better sense of pride. They were the strong ones.
Weren't they?
"The answer is simple… I wanted to control the fate of a world of my design."
"Kayaba!" seethed the lips of Kirito. He must have known the man behind the mask very well.
But I knew the situation better.
May 16, 2021.
I was recruited to an organization led by the CIA. I had no idea what the agency would be doing behind the bars of governmental law, but the closest thing I could get to was my temporary misfortune.
Since my parents passed away too shortly, I was tasked with living on my own, coping against the wills to share the same fate of my former guardians. Day and night, I stenciled concepts of life and death on sketching paper. Each day I'd go to school, kids would pass by me.
"Look at the glass cannon. He thinks he hits hard, but we see right through him!"
"Quit acting so vulnerable. You're better than this."
"Gosh, Vitreous, stop it with your glaring!"
Day in and day out… Hour after hour… The torture never really ended. The verbal abuse was permanently etched into my skull. Even the NerveGear's method of murder wouldn't leave scars like the ones I possessed.
But this was the day that the one I admired was looking for me, not the other way around. She told me that I was going to a haven, where I could learn about myself and be free.
For a while I was free during the adjustment to a new residence. Serenity Raeflacion was a good Jesus lover, who saw the good in all the chaos that went down in our facility. We sought for individuality, dug deep to harness the gifts we were given, and stayed humble to the almost infinite points of joy.
Things took a turn for the worst. Just because the CIA gathers reports from our organization doesn't mean that they monitored us. One or two people had a struggle for power, and that desperation split us into two groups. The first was called "Death Core." The second – the one Serenity and I were in for a while – "Freedom Fighters."
Death Core wanted to take the gifts each teenager had and enforce change in the largest cities of Kansas. To lead the governments, control the businesses, deal with the rights of the State's inhabitants. As for the Freedom Fighters, they wanted to continue the exploration, hiding our talents unless our security was threatened.
A war broke out… One that neither Serenity or I wanted. We weren't leaders of either organization, but we watched in agony as the power struggle reigned down upon them. The fight broke out in Topeka, almost totaling its Capitol building. The damage was cataclysmic, but because Serenity and I stayed behind, along the likes of Chris Thyke and Aurel Beatrice, we weren't among the casualties.
We became breaking news for a while, information reported throughout the entire world. We weren't among the deaths of our people, thusly subject to interview after interview. Come January 22, 2022, we were released from the captivity of publicity, free to continue our experimentation.
The point was, when one wanted control over the fate of people they don't own, blood would be shed.
And if Akihiko Kayaba wasn't letting up, he was just as insane to me as the idiots who almost leveled Eastern Kansas.
The lives of those which once lived on Earth flashed across my mind. Losing individual after individual was going to kill me just as much as the tip of a pixelated sword.
"This concludes the end of the tutorial and the official launch of Sword Art Online. Players, I wish you the best of luck." With that said, he drifted away, pixels splitting into thin are and rising out of the dome. Our surroundings returned to the less appealing sky.
My body trembled as silence filled the open area. My knees almost hit the ground, but I would not dare to stoop that low. Not for any sadistic pessimist like Kayaba.
We were pieces to lost man's game of chest. And he wasn't making any sort of move.
"Klein… Vee… Let's go now." We were whisked out of the coliseum, arms held tight by the kid with more experience. We ran till we could stay as far back as possible from the monster of verbal massacre. Before we even made it out, everyone was shouting rants which gave me nightmares for weeks.
We then stopped in an alleyway. Kirito planned to head to a faraway village on Floor 1. Gathering resources and leveling up where no one else was at the time would make us stronger, he said. He knew the ropes, and I didn't plan to take initiative. I asked for a moment how one man could hold such a plan up his sleeve.
"Kirito is a Beta Tester." Klein told me with a smirk, "He had early access to this game and made it up eight floors in two months."
Kirito heaved his shoulders, placing a depressing hand over his neck. "Don't expect me to make it up that far in the next few. More people means greater depletion rate of resources. This also means slower progress for anyone to make it past the first boss."
"Listen, Kirito." Klein frowned. "About those friends of mine… We waited a whole night to by this and…" He gasped.
I saw his eyes widen, and I felt the same dread as he did. Serenity was outside my mind, awaiting my arrival to actuality.
He continued for a short time. "they're back at the plaza. I can't leave without them."
"That's true, Kirito;" I added, bringing a real perspective to the situation, "last time I stayed away from my friends, I never saw them again."
We gave the beta tester a moment to process the new information. His life depended on how many people. With more, groups would be safer in cost for the division of resources and addition of time to level up. It also depended on his will to work with those around him.
The poor kid was speechless in the same way I was before I became a CIA subject.
Klein brought his smile back up as he adjusted his posture. "Sorry; can't ask a person I just met to risk his life for a bunch of strangers, can I? So don't worry about me. Get your butts to the next village."
My other friend was dumbfounded. So was I, but hey, Klein was Klein; with his kind of attitude, I believed his group of friends would go far.
I was about to speak again until the redhead interrupted me. "It'll be fine. Besides, last game I played, I ran a guild. And with all the stuff you taught me, I'll get by – no sweat!"
The two turned to me, anxiousness written on one, and patience on the other. The choice to split off or team up was on my shoulders. I wanted to ensure my survival as much as possible, but that would be selfish. On the other hand, I assumed that turning to a guild would slow my progress in game. Creating too many attachments with Klein's friends – people I would never meet in real life – would make me feel sick… Especially if I had to watch them pass on.
So I had to go with my heart, and not the faulty strings of logic.
"Kirito, I haven't spent as much time with you, but I've been included regardless." I began. "You're brave for going out alone, but I don't wanna risk seeing your name lost to pixelated monsters any more than I want to clear the game in three days."
"Okay. Then it's settled. But Klein, if you ever get caught in a jam, message me."
I quickly exchanged friend requests with my two partners, and then we split from Klein.
It was easy to recall the hilarious lightness of the departure.
"Hey, Vee!" Klein called out to me mid walk, "Get a real haircut!"
I buckled down in laughter and let Kirito do the talking for me, "Yeah, and that scruffy face of yours fits you just fine!" I had to lean on a wall to keep myself upright. Ah, how the heart still beats while as my body sleeps!
Now the two of us were planning to make it to the next village by nightfall, so that the stronger monsters wouldn't take us down. Filled with a new purpose and determination like never before, we became bent on thriving.
Kirito grunted to himself as we approached a wolf. "We will beat this game, Vee. We will survive!"
The enemy was gone within half a second. I watched as the swordsman flashed across the beast, its placid expression three feet to the left of me. A giant snake like creature snapped from the wheat field to my right, and I acted on instinct. My Urumie twirled as I did, spinning through the creature like a knife cutting carrots.
Nothing was stopping us from reaching the hundredth floor. I was on my way home. No matter how long it took, we would've died to get back to reality.
No matter who you are or where you come from, don't hesitate to review or favorite! The support you give here will help improve my writing or expand upon ideas. Let me know if there's anything you want to see or ideas you want to share!
Chao!