WARNING: For those of you who haven't read the light novels, there may be slight spoilers (ie. characters introduced later on in the story and using the Soul Translator instead of the Nerve Gear)

Author's Note: Thank you for deciding to read Sword Art Online: Dual Blades. There was a story in the fanfiction archives titled "Dual Blades" by Nanospeed. It had an interesting concept and a great start but sadly the story was never finished. For those of you who would like to read it, I've favorited both the author and the story and it can be found on my profile. Inspired to finish writing it, I had started this story over a year ago, never posting it though and only showing it to a few close friends, just in case the original dual blades fanfiction did ever start up again. The first chapter of this fanfiction is very similar to the first chapter of Dual Blades by Nanospeed. I had just left it that way when this was a story I had only shown to my friends. I didn't want to go through all the work of re-writing a chapter that had already been established since I would write nearly the same exact thing, changing only a few details and the way it was written. A considerable amount of the chapter is also just a re-telling of what happened in the first episode of the anime so I saw it as unnecessary.

I already have the first few chapters done, but I'm currently proofreading them. Someone offered a great idea to the story that I thought I had to include. To do that, I'm making some changes to the story I have so far. If anyone has a suggestion, please let me know! This is my first fanfiction so I'm not sure my standard of writing will be the best, but I do hope you still enjoy the story. I welcome and encourage constructive criticism. If anyone could help me with suggestions to better the story it'd be appreciated. Even something as simple as a grammar or spelling mistake I didn't catch would help, just leave it in the reviews or send me a message or something.

Instead of a game exclusive to only the Japanese, I decided to make Sword Art Online available to everyone, causing the number of players to go from a mere 10,000 to 1,000,000. Too extreme? Let me know what you think. Because of this, the castle Aincrad will also be much larger than it was in the original SAO. As if Aincrad hadn't been giant enough, right?

Disclaimer: I do not own Sword Art Online. If I did, Asuna wouldn't have been reduced to a side character or damsel in distress for the latter half of the show. Now without further ado, let us begin the story.

Edit: Thank you wiseguy227 for correcting me, Kirigaya is Kirito's surname. Kazuto is his given. I'd also like to thank TreeBindingDeath for pointing out that I had Nerve Gear in some places by mistake instead of Soul Translator. Thank you tymofey for reminding me who the author of the original fanfiction I based this off is. I tried searching but I couldn't remember the title nor the author of who wrote it. It was also an old story so it was rather difficult to find with all the SAO fanfics there are.

Chapter 1: The World of Swords

With a sleepy yawn, fourteen year old Kirigaya Kazuto stretched as he opened his eyes and slowly regained consciousness. He shivered; the room was bitter cold. Looking up, Kazuto noticed that he wasn't on his bed. He was sitting at his desk with the computer on. Wondering why it was so cold, he looked around and noticed his bedroom window was open. Kazuto quickly got up to shut the window, sheepishly wondering how he managed to forget to close it considering the cool November weather.

"I hope I don't end up catching a cold," he said to himself. As if jinxing it, the poor boy sneezed immediately afterward.

Kazuto gave a loud groan before deciding to return to his desk. He looked back at his computer screen and saw the open windows of social media sites and Fulldive forums that he had been browsing through the previous night. Kazuto realized he must've been up all night surfing the web before passing out on his desk. The webpage he was on displayed an article of an interview with Director Kayaba Akihiko. Aside from being the man who founded the multi-billion dollar company, Argus Industries, he was also the genius creator of Sword Art Online and the Soul Translator.

Kazuto's eyes suddenly widened as he remembered something important. Today was the day the world's first true Virtual Reality MMORPG, Sword Art Online, would open its servers to the 1,000,000 people worldwide who were lucky enough to get a copy.

Out of the 1,000,000 people who got a copy of Sword Art Online, there was a smaller, even luckier group of 10,000 people who had the privilege to enter the beta test and play the game before anyone else. Kazuto was one of them.

A grin crossed his face as he reminisced on his time in the beta test. The organization Argus with Kayaba Akihiko as the development director had managed to create an extraordinary game. It had been amazing - the fantasy world of swords, Aincrad. The expansive world was stunning, with breathtaking scenery you could only find in movies.

In that world he was free, unbound by the limitations of the real world. Regardless of what circumstances you were born in, whatever disabilities you might have, it didn't matter. All that mattered in the game was your skill as a player.

He sometimes forgot that it was all just fake; a virtual world. Due to advanced new Soul Translation technology, everything in the that world seemed so real; sometimes even more real than reality. Never had Kazuto ever felt more alive than in his time during the beta.

From what he knew, the soul translator could read the fluctlight, or the "soul" of a person. The coding in the human consciousness was then replicated, making everything in the virtual world appear real. By combining that with an advanced processing system, the Soul Translator was able to create a world where everything from the unpredictable flames of a fire to the complex movements of water was perfectly mimicked.

Soul Translation also provided many other benefits. For example, by reading the players fluctlight, the soul translator was able to automatically translate languages from all across the world. Regardless of whether someone spoke another language or lacked the ability to speak at all, you would be able to understand them. As a result, SAO was able to become a worldwide game with people of all different cultures and ethnicities playing.

The first Fulldive systems weren't nearly as realistic as they are now. Before, Fulldive systems would use binary codes and polygons in an attempt to create a realistic virtual world. However, they weren't perfect. The air had no dust, clothing couldn't wrinkle, liquids felt weird, and most objects were immortal. There were too many possibilities that couldn't possibly all be coded for.

A sudden cough abruptly stopped his thoughts. "Damn. I really did catch a cold," Kazuto muttered to himself.

He stared at the clock in his room. It was 12 PM. There was still a full hour before the game started and the servers opened and his cold was only getting worse. Kazuto went downstairs to see if they had any medicine and found some in a cabinet. He glanced over at the table and saw a plate of food with a note under it.

Kazuto curiously walked over then picked up the note which read, "Good morning, Onii-chan! I knew if I didn't make breakfast for you, you'd just skip it like you always do. You should stop staying up so late and take better care of yourself. Anyways, I'm off to kendo practice. I'll be back at the normal time. –Sugu"

Kazuto smiled slightly. Suguha was Kazuto's little sister. Or that's what he originally believed anyway. They were once the closest of siblings. However, things between them had became tense after Kazuto found out he was actually adopted. His parents had died in a tragic accident, so his aunt and uncle took him in. After finding this out, Kazuto was devastated. He began distancing himself from his relatives and isolated himself in his room most of the time. Despite his efforts though, Sugu still cared for him and did her best to stay close and be there for him.

Sighing to himself, he decided he needed to make up with his aunt, uncle, and Sugu especially. Even if they weren't actually his real parents and sister, they were still a family. They were always there for him, why had he even tried to push them away? It didn't make him any happier, and it clearly only saddened them. He made up his mind. Tonight, he would apologize and try to make things right. He wanted to return things to the way they once were.

After finishing breakfast, Kazuto headed back up the stairs and into his bedroom. The medicine hadn't helped much. In fact, Kazuto's cold was still gradually getting worse. It was easy to forget about your real body and neglect to take care of it while in Fulldive so he made a mental note to exit the game every now and then to take the medicine and see how he was doing.

Glancing over at the clock, Kazuto saw that it was 12:55 PM. Excitement coursed through his body. In less than 5 minutes he could be in that world once again…!

Kazuto shut down his computer and slipped on his Soul Translator. It was time. After adjusting his body on the bed so that it was comfortable, Kazuto stared at the small digital clock on the inside of his red helmet. He watched as the seconds ticked down to 1:00 PM.

At 12:59:59, with a grin of anticipation, Kazuto spoke the voice command that initiated the start-up sequence that would strip him of any awareness of the outside world.

"Link start!"

·:·:·:·:·:·

In Japan, one common method of creating pseudonyms was combining syllables from their given and family names.

Kirito. That was the name Kazuto had created by combining "Kiri" from his surname, Kirigaya, and "To" from his given name, Kazuto.

He entered the name on the holographic keyboard before him. After entering his password, the game surprised him by prompting whether or not he wanted to load his beta character data. He smiled slightly, knowing that this would save him from the tedious task of having to re-create his beta character. A player could always just choose a randomly generated appearance, but Kazuto had taken a considerably long time designing his character, making sure every little detail was perfect and to his liking. Kazuto accepted the prompt.

Suddenly, a message appeared reading, "Welcome to Sword Art Online!"

As if waking up from a daydream, Kirito opened his eyes then blinked a few times, still in a daze. He wore the basic starting clothes, a plain long-sleeved blue shirt with a light brown fabric over it that seemed to be used as armor to protect his body. Looking around, he saw he was in the central square of the City of Beginnings. He stared at the majestic medieval structures around him in awe, looking back and forth between the bustling crowd, the wandering stray animals, the shop NPCs, the water in the marble fountain, and the minstrels playing background music. There wasn't a trace of artificiality anywhere. This was the power of the Soul Translator and it never ceased to amaze him.

Clenching his fist with anticipation, Kirito said to himself, "I'm finally back in this world!"

Without wasting any time, he headed off in a rush towards the nearest weapons shop. Every player started off with a decent 500 Col which would be at least enough for an adequate sword and a few potions.

Similar to any traditional RPG, monsters inhabited the wilderness and yielded Exp, Col and Items upon death. Accumulating Exp, or experience points, was the real world equivalent to physically training your body to become more powerful. Col was the currency used in SAO. Items could be anything from consumables like food or potions, to equipment like plate armor or picks, to raw material like spider silk or leather hide. Aside from killing monsters, completing quests could also give Exp, Col, and Items.

"Hey! You! Wait there!" the loud voice of a stranger called from behind, causing Kirito to abruptly stop in his tracks. Looking back he saw a man who appeared to be in his early 20s. Like Kirito, he wore the same basic starting outfit, except differing slightly in colors. Instead of a blue and light brown, the man's outfit was red and dark brown respectively. The stranger also possessed a bandana over his flowing, red hair.

"Yes?" Kirito answered cautiously.

The man jogged over to Kirito and hutched, trying to catch his breath. "Whew. Too fast. The way you move around here, it seems like you know where you're going. You were a beta-tester right?"

"Y-yeah," replied Kirito after a moment of hesitation.

"Today's my first day," he exclaimed, putting his hand on the Kirito's shoulders as if they were good friends rather than total strangers who had just met. "Show me the basics okay?"

"Um," Kirito was at a loss of words and wondered how this man could be so shameless and demanding to a person who he had just met.

"Please, I'm begging you," the stranger replied, clasping his hands together.

Well at least he's humble, Kirito thought. Or desperate.

Kirito stared at the begging stranger for a moment. Ah what the heck, it's not like helping out a newbie would be too much trouble and he doesn't seem like a bad person.

"Fine," Kirito replied with a sigh, giving pity to the stranger.

"Thanks man!" the stranger said with a grin, "I'm Klein. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Kirito. First why don't we head to a weapon shop and get some better equipment? There's one over this way."

At the shop, Kirito bought a «Starter One-handed Straight Sword», because he was adept with this particular weapon type in the beta-test. Klein hesitantly stared at the various weapons. He purchased the «Starter One-handed Curved Sword» on a whim, because it looked like a samurai's katana.

Oh well, if he doesn't like it, he can exchange it for a different weapon later, Kirito thought to himself, Kirito thought.

After buying their weapons, the 2 players exited through the iron gates of the city and crossed the oak drawbridge into the green meadows.

·:·:·:·:·:·

"Gwah- right in the crotch," Klein cried out in pain as a level 1 E-class monster, the «Frenzy Boar», knocked him aside with a charging trample attack. Level is the measure of a player or monster's power in SAO, which starts at level one, the weakest. Class is the measure of a monster's rarity, which starts at E, as common, to A, as rare. There were rumors on the internet of S-class, or secret rare, monsters which dropped incredible items of priceless value. But, as with most internet rumors, there was little proof to verify the authenticity of the claim and it was likely just a rumor someone had made up. Kirito sighed silently to himself, doubting he'd ever see one in the future.

"Give me a break," muttered Kirito with his hands at his waist. He closed his eyes and sighed once again at the unnecessary drama as Klein rolled back and forth on the ground. Kirito, Klein, and the wild animal were level 1. Any damage taken from the monster would have been minimal. Even if Klein were to be crushed by an apocalyptic meteor right now, the game's pain absorber program wouldn't let him feel anything more than a prickling sensation. "You shouldn't be feeling any pain."

Klein blinked upon the revelation and instantly calmed down. "Oh, yeah. You're right. I guess it's just a habit," he said bashfully.

"I told you, what's important is your initial movements," Kirito said, referring to SAO's «Sword Skills», which are powerful attacks programmed into the game servers. Every skill is unique, requiring its own prerequisite movements to activate and offering a mix of extra speed, offensive power, defensive tenacity or tactical utility in a combat situation.

"Sure, I get that. But it keeps moving around," Klein whined.

Rolling his eyes slightly, Kirito replied, "You should a feel a force building up inside if you properly activate the skill. Don't resist. The system assist will guide your character avatar to execute the rest and the technique will connect."

Trying to demonstrate, Kirito picked up a rock and took an aiming stance. Energy began building up in his arms as the rock he was holding started to glow a bright red color. Allowing the system assist to take over, Kirito's arm automatically launched the rock with the force of a speeding bullet. The projectile whistled through the air, making a satisfying thump as it scored a shot on the frenzy boar, successfully grabbing its attention.

"Wow," Klein said as he stared, impressed at the display, "But, why can't I just swing my blade around with my own ability, like in real life fencing or kendo?"

"You can," answered Kirito while sidestepping to avoid the boar's trampling charge. "But those are normal attacks. Unlike «Sword Skills» which have a short pause after every time you use one, there is no pause and you can move like you would in real life therefore giving you more freedom and versatility."

"However," Kirito continued while blocking an incoming attack from the boar's sharp ivory tusks, "Normal attacks lack the bonuses granted by the game server. Combinations of both «Sword Skills» and normal attacks are essential to becoming an advanced player."

Hot vapor blew out the boar's snout like steam, and its red eyes stared up at Kirito with deep anger.

"Alright. So I have to master this then no matter what!" Klein yelled with determination as he readied himself into a stance. "Initial movements. Initial movements. Initial movements," he repeated to himself. Suddenly, his eyes lit up as if he figured something out. The curved blade in Klein's hand began to glow with a solar red light.

Kirito, noticing Klein finally pieced everything together, kicked the frenzy boar away towards Klein. With its aggression now on Klein, the wild animal scratched the soft earth with its hoof in preparation for another charge. However, before the boar could even make a move, Klein unleashed a single, vicious hit, slicing through the boar using a move known as the «Sword Skill: Reaver».

The boar bounced off the ground several times as its HP bar value depleted to zero. With its virtual life force gone, the corpse shattered into countless particles with the reverberating sound of breaking glass.

Klein just stared in silent shock, as if he had just achieved the impossible. Then, joy washed all over his face and he struck a victory pose. "All right!" he roared, like a protagonist from an action film.

"Congrats," Kirito said and gave him a high five. He couldn't blame Klein for the ruckus, remembering that triumphant feeling from when he himself had slain his first monster.

Though after a few seconds, Kirito couldn't help but burst his bubble. "Unfortunately, that boar's about the equivalent of slimes in other MMORPGs."

"Eh- Seriously?! I thought it was a mid-level boss or something," Klein said shocked.

"Of course not," Kirito replied. In the distance a few more frenzy boars spawned, appearing out of thin air to replace their fallen comrade. Despite their intimidating appearance, these monsters were born to be easy prey for eager, learning beginners.

Klein shrugged, "That was surprising, though. It seemed so real, like an animal in the real world. Only, you know, more scary."

"Yeah, thanks to the Soul Translator, everything in this world feels, looks, smells, sounds, and even tastes real," Kirito replied.

He looked over at Klein and saw him taking different forms and stances, observing if there were other initial movements that would activate «Reaver». "This is pretty amazing, Kirito. Hey, there's a lot of other skills right? Like fishing, mining, woodcutting, tailoring, crafting, blacksmithing, cooking, farming, alchemy-"

"There's no magic," Kirito interjected. In traditional RPGs, there's always a mage that remains behind the vanguard, firing lock-on spells with perfect accuracy and precision. In SAO, only certain monsters and NPCs possessed exclusive access to spells of holy light, evil shadow, or the four natural elements. These attacks did not lock-on. It's fair and balanced that way. There are rare artifacts such as «Teleport Crystals» or «Status Ailment Cure Crystals» that drop from stronger monsters further into the game that could be considered magical, but Kirito decided he'd explain it to him on another day.

"An RPG without magic? That's a pretty bold decision," Klein said positioning himself, causing «Reaver» to go off again for the second time. There was a wide grin on his face when the glow of pure, red light that pulsated from the grey, dull, curved sword subsided. By trial and error, he had just found another way to activate the same sword skill all by himself.

He's actually starting to look like a true warrior with all of that extra confidence, Kirito thought to himself.

"It's more fun to move your body as you fight though, isn't it?" Kirito asked with a smirk, already knowing the answer. It was quite obvious that Klein enjoyed the feel of a melee weapon, with or without magic.

"You bet!" replied Klein excitedly.

"Alright then. Let's hunt for the next frenzy boar."

·:·:·:·:·:·

The afternoon delivered a brilliant sunset. Its gentle rays reflected with a shimmering sparkle against the cascading waterfalls falling from distant floating islands and the orange twilight skies caused flocks of birds, winged horses and wyverns to migrate to destinations unknown. After many hours of earning Exp, Kirito and Klein decided to take refuge in a part of the meadow encircled by six stone pillars, almost like a miniature Stonehenge. This spot was a «Safe Area». Similar to towns and cities, monsters cannot normally enter due to restrictions set by the game.

"Whew," Klein breathed out and collapsed in exhaustion onto the lush, green grass. "I still can't believe it, no matter how many times I see it. That we're still in a game. It's really all amazing. Seriously, I'm glad I was born in this time."

"You make a big deal out of everything," Kirito replied jokingly, leaning against a stone pillar. Though, I can't deny that I feel the exact same way, he thought.

"Give me a break. It's my first Fulldive!" Klein replied, laughing.

Despite the technology being fairly new, virtual reality has taken the world by a storm. Governments and well-known corporations have developed the Soul Translator for other applications, such as in the field of healthcare, where bedridden patients suffering from autoimmune diseases can still experience life like never before. In the field of education, teachers can take students on virtual field trips to the Egyptian pyramids or the Roman coliseums. There are even accusations of the military having secret dealings with Argus Industries, where scientists are attempting to turn artificial intelligence into a weapon.

"Really? This your first time using the Soul Translator?" Kirito asked.

"Yeah! Me and my friends camped in front of the store overnight to each snag one of those one-million first edition collectors copies. The lineup went down for blocks and there were SAO representatives organizing games and concerts as entertainment. It was definitely fun," Klein said with a cheerful look on his face. "But how about you? Aren't you the most lucky? I heard that beta-tester copies came with all this free stuff, like replica swords."

"I wish," Kirito said, laughing somewhat, since he didn't exactly receive any special treatment.

"How far did you get into the beta?" Klein asked curiously.

"With a few of months, we got to floor 8. This time around it'll take less than a month," Kirito answered with an optimistic grin. "With such a large number of dedicated players, it should go much more quickly this time."

"You're really into this," Klein said chuckling at the response, his tone showing mild amusement.

Drawing his sword out, Kirito admired it against the light of the setting sun. "To be honest, during the beta-test, SAO was all I thought about, all day and night. In this virtual world, a strong will and a single sword can take you anywhere you want to go. Here in this world, you can be anything you want to be. You can't help but feel so alive."

Kirito paused to take a few practice swings. His blade whistled as it cut through the empty air. "Anyways, we have 95% of the Exp needed to promote to level 2. Want to hunt some more?"

"Of course, I'd love to!" Klein exclaimed, only to have the noise of his rumbling stomach cut him off. "Ugh- But I feel really hungry. I'm logging out for a pizza delivery scheduled to arrive at my house for 5:30."

"You're so prepared," replied Kirito.

Right, that reminds me, my real body may be feverish under several layers of clothing. I should logout right now to make sure I'm not overheating. Being badly dehydrated from excessive sweating or forgetting to drink water definitely isn't a pleasant experience. Considering that I skipped lunch, early dinner wouldn't be a bad idea either.

Klein grinned at the compliment and stood up to brush the grass off his clothes. "After I've eaten, I'll be meeting some people that I know from another game. Do you want to hang out with us?"

"Um," Kirito hesitated in his response. Should he say yes? By some miracle, despite being somewhat anti-social, he managed to get along with Klein pretty well because of his easygoing personality. Despite the poor first impression of him, Klein turned out to be a nice guy. There was no guarantee his friends would be the same, however.

Klein seemed to read the hesitant reaction Kirito gave and shook his head vigorously. "Of course if you don't want to now, that's okay. I can always introduce you to them another time."

"Yeah. Sorry. And thanks," Kirito replied, silently cursing his inability to socially interact with others.

Klein reached out an arm and put it around Kirito's shoulder reassuringly. "Hey! That's my line. One day, I'll repay you for helping me out today. If there's anything you need, just send me a private message. Thank you so much, man. I'll see you around."

"Yeah, I'll see you around," Kirito replied, shaking hands with his new friend.

After the two waved farewell, they both proceeded to log out.

Or that had been their intention anyways.

Putting his right index finger to his thumb and pulling downwards, Kirito opened the main menu. This swiping action activated the main menu on a holographic window with the sound of a ringing chime. There were five touch screen options: «Inventory and Equipment», «Friends and Guild», «Messenger and Chat», «Maps and Quest», and «Settings and Logout». Selecting the last option, Kirito saw an icon of gears, which enlarged into a list of other sub-menus. He searched for the most obvious «Logout» button to disconnect his mind from the game servers and return to the comforts of his bedroom. But it wasn't there...

"Huh. There's no logout button," Klein remarked in a tone of puzzlement, which confirmed that the oddity wasn't just a figment of Kirito's imagination. "Kirito! I can't find it! It's really not here!"

"Yeah. I know," Kirito said, nodding his head to affirm it. He refreshed his main menu window to double and even triple check that it wasn't some random fluke. Every time, however, the results were still the same.

"Maybe it's some kind of an error or bug. Let's contact a GM. If there's anybody who knows what's going on, it would be them," Klein offered helpfully. "It's the first day so there are bound to be some bugs."

"Yeah... Maybe," Kirito replied, somewhat worried about his real body. Game masters, or GMs, are paid employees working under SAO server administrators. Their responsibilities range from banning malicious players to dealing with any unforeseen technical difficulties. Kirito selected the «Call GM» option under the «Settings and Logout» sub-menu, but there was no live response. Eventually an automated message appeared that read, "We are currently experiencing an abnormally high volume of calls right now. Please wait for one of our customer representatives to assist you. Sorry for the inconvenience. Estimated time left: Undefined."

"No answer huh… Well without a way to logout there are probably a lot of player contacting the GMs," Klein mused calmly, while rubbing his chin. "Around about now, the GMs should be crying from the number of messages flooding in."

Kirito began to impatiently tap his foot. Players had real life expectations to live up to. Imagine all the lawsuits from people missing critical exams, medications, business meetings and family obligations. The very future of virtual reality may be crippled from an accident as bad as this. Klein may not fully understand the consequences yet, but the situation was serious.

There was something else that was bothering him though. Could the genius, Kayaba Akihiko, really make a mistake as big as this?

Deciding it was useless to think about, Kirito shook his head trying to clear it of unnecessary thoughts. "Is it alright for you to stand around like that? You said you ordered a pizza."

Klein's eyes suddenly widened in panic. "Oh no! My anchovy pizza and ginger ale! There has to be another way out of this. Return! Log out! Escape! Control, alt, delete! Link end!"

Kirito sighed seeing his friend's reaction. "There's no voice command to end the game," he replied bluntly after watching him shout and make silly flailing motions. "The instruction manual doesn't mention any methods regarding emergency access terminations."

Klein pondered this for a bit before saying, "How about a more direct approach then? I'll try removing the Soul Translator directly." His hands grasped at the open air around his head. His efforts proved to be useless, however, as all he managed to achieve was knocking off his bandana, which slowly fell to the ground. "Oh. I was sure that would work."

"The Soul Translator prevents you from moving your real body," Kirito stated while pointing to his neck, specifically the spinal cord. "Every non-vital signal is cut off. Think of it as a safety feature that will prevent any real world accidents, such as banging your arm on a bedside table or falling down the stairs. I guess someone has to forcefully remove the Soul Translator for us. A friend or family member is bound to realize that something is wrong when we remain missing for too long."

"But… I live alone," Klein muttered dejectedly, his arms falling in defeat. "What about you?"

"Well-" Kirito paused for a moment, slightly hesitant to tell the whole truth. "My younger sister will definitely notice if I don't come down for dinner."

"What?" Klein grabbed Kirito's shoulders, looking at him with sparkling eyes. "How old is your sister?"

Giving Klein a death glare, Kirito pushed his head away with one palm and replied, "Don't you dare even think about it. She's in a sports club and hates games. She's got nothing in common with guys like us." Kirito paused then decided to inquire Klein about his earlier thoughts. "More importantly, don't you find this all weird? That the genius Kayaba Akihiko could accidentally make a mistake this big?"

"Well yeah. But, all we can really do now is sit back and wait," Klein replied.

"Yeah… What the...!"

Without any warning, a deafening noise echoed throughout the empty skies. It sounded like a giant bell, ringing in long, low notes that instigated a serious, ominous feeling.

Kirito's thoughts began to race, trying to figure out what was going on. Before he could even utter a single word, something unexpected happened. A pillar of familiar, blue light enveloped both Klein's and Kirito's bodies, its brightness forcing them both to shield their eyes with an arm. Their vision of the surrounding meadow deformed into an indistinct blur and then disappeared in one, final, brilliant flash.

The strong lights subsided and the tolling bell ceased. The two players opened their eyes and realized that they were back at the central square of the City of Beginnings. Both of them were confused, wondering what had just happened since neither of them possessed a «Teleport Crystal» for instantaneous travel.

As more players began warping in, Kirito realized it must've been a mass recall, which could only be the result of an SAO administrator's intervention. The players' reactions ranged from confusion to anger. Some even began yelling, their collective voices getting increasingly louder, demanding information regarding their missing logout button.

"Ah, above us! Look at the sky!" one voice in the crowd bellowed louder than the rest.

Like everyone else, Kirito looked up to see a few holographic panels each in the shape of a crimson hexagon. Upon closer inspection, two messages in bold letters alternated between each panel: 'Warning' and 'System Announcement'. The crimson hexagons rapidly multiplied to eclipse the entire sky and a liquid resembling blood began to ooze out of it. The liquid flowed down but instead of falling all the way to the ground, morphed into a hovering, twenty-meter towering figure wearing a Game Master's sanguine robe with embroidered gold edges. A face couldn't be seen under the cloth hood, only rising black smoke like an empty shadow.

"Players, I welcome you all to my world."

The anonymous GM outstretched his arms in a dramatic fashion and his authoritative voice caused a unifying silence to fall upon the crowd.

I don't understand. Is this some sort of grand opening event? Kirito thought to himself.

"My name is Kayaba Akihiko. As of this moment, I am the sole person in control of this world."

Kirito was surprised. He was used to seeing Kayaba's thin figure in a lab coat. There were a few anxious murmurs questioning if the hooded figure really was the director of Argus Industries. If he is, then shouldn't it be within his power to trivially log everyone out in the blink of an eye? If so, why isn't he doing so?

"I'm sure you've already noticed that the logout button is missing from the main menu, but this is not a defect in the game. It is a feature of Sword Art Online."

With a white gloved hand, he opened the master main menu to reveal that the logout button was still missing. It was then that Kirito realized something was indeed very wrong.

This is all intentional.

"No one from the outside can shut down or remove your Soul Translator. More specifically, dislocation from an outside source of electricity for more than ten minutes, being cut off from the network servers for more than two hours, or any attempt to unlock, dismantle, or destroy the Soul Translator is not allowed. Should any of this be attempted, the transmitters in the Soul Translator will emit a powerful microwave, destroying your brain and thus ending your life."

"What's he talking about? He's gotta be joking! Right Kirito?" asked Klein in a panic, shock and disbelief written all over his face from the evident death threat.

"He's right that transmitter signals work just like microwaves. If the safety were disabled, the buildup of thermal energy from the high-frequency heating would be more than enough to fry a brain," Kirito replied, trying to hide the fear in his voice. This isn't a game anymore.

"Unfortunately, several players' friends and families have ignored this warning and attempted to do so anyways. As a result, 1.36% of our players are gone forever, from both the virtual world and the real world," continued the hooded figure.

No way, Kirito thought. It has to be a lie. 13,600 people… That's nothing short of mass murder.

Kirito noticed in the corner of his eye that there was one group that was on the verge of an emotional breakdown. They attempted to exit the Central Square, but an invisible barrier blocked their escape, forcing them to listen to the rest of the speech.

Suddenly, multiple windows appeared throughout the blood-colored sky and began orbiting around the plaza. Each of them were in a different language and channeled to all kinds of news networks. All of them with similar dramatic headlines, "1,000,000 SAO Players Trapped by a Cyber Terrorist."

"The founder of Argus industries as well as the creator of the Soul Translator and Sword Art Online, Kayaba Akihiko, is believed to be at fault for trapping 1,000,000 players in his game. His demands are unknown. Investigations are underway but police officers seem to have no doubt that Kayaba is to blame," one of the many news channels broadcasted.

Kirito looked from screen to screen as he saw more families crying for their loved ones. He didn't see Sugu or his family anywhere, however. He wondered what they were doing right now. Is this what Sugu and my aunt- No, my mother are experiencing right now?

"As you can see, news organizations across the globe are reporting this, including the deaths. Thus, you can assume the danger of a Soul Translator being removed is now minimal. In the two hours that I have allotted, all of you will be transported to hospitals or similar institutes to receive the best possible treatment. The Soul Translator driver will also accelerate your flow of time here to be seven times faster than normal. As long as you're here, you will not have to worry about your real bodies on the other side."

Kirito clenched his fists. Kayaba…! You're a world-renown genius and multi-billionaire. It doesn't add up! What do you possibly have to gain from this?

"Remember this clearly. From this point on, this is no longer a game. This is your reality. Many changes have been made to create a world as realistic as the one you all come from. Pain absorbers are now disabled. You will feel every slash and hit as if it were your real body. There will no longer be any respawns. Once an individual is killed, there are no longer any methods to revive them. This applies to Monsters, NPCs, and players. If your HP bar drops to zero, your character avatar will forever be lost and simultaneously, the Soul Translator will destroy your brain. You will cease to exist, forever. There is only one means of escape, clear the game and defeat the boss on the 100th floor."

All of the television screens disappeared and a scaled down model of their current world, Aincrad, appeared before him. An existence the size of countries- no, continents, fitting in a massive iron-and-stone castle defying space and time. Permanent death- Just how many times had Kirito died in the beta-test? Even with sheer numbers, it may be near impossible now.

"Lastly, I've gifted a present to your item storage. Please everyone, see for yourselves."

Kirito obediently opened up the main window and selected the first option, an icon of a character. In his inventory list is a new item called the «Hand Mirror». Kirito immediately selected the «Materialize» option. The mirror, after materializing in his hand, showed his customized character's face on its reflective surface.

Every other player seemed to have received the same object as well. Before Kirito could question why, another pillar of light enveloped him. There were shrieks and cries of surprise as more lights captured every other player in the plaza also.

"Are you okay, Kirito?" asked Klein in concern.

"Y-yeah," Kirito looked up to see an unrecognizable stranger where Klein had once stood. The person standing in front of him no longer looked like the Klein he knew, but his voice, cloth armor and even bandana belonged to the old Klein. Is my mind playing tricks on me?

"Who are you?" Kirito questioned.

"And who are you?" the stranger questioned back.

He looked at the hand mirror and saw a familiar, frail face with black hair, fair skin and dark eyes. It was his real face, the face that Kazuto had tried so hard to escape from.

"It's me..." Kirito said, staring at his mirror in shock.

"You're Kirito?" the man with flowing hair now resembled a bandit with messy hair. Kirito could only assume that was Klein's true appearance in real life. "How?" Klein asked.

"Calibrations," Kirito deduced out loud, observing that the players around him have also transformed from flawless, fantasy-like characters to very ordinary-looking people. "The Soul Translator covers your entire head with a high density, signaling device, so it can figure out what your face looks like. The Soul Translator can decipher the evanescent photons in our brain, including our genetic data blueprints, which is then used in calculating our real height and body shape. It was an unproven theory. Until now anyways..."

"That makes sense," Klein said while roughly scratching his head at the absurdity of it all. "ARGH- But seriously, why?!"

"Right now, you're probably wondering: 'Why?' Why would Kayaba Akihiko, creator of Sword Art Online and the Soul Translator, do this? All these questions will be answered once you reach the 100th floor and clear the game. This concludes the official tutorial for the official launch of Sword Art Online. Good luck, players."

Is this really Kayaba? Is this really the man I had looked up to and aspired to be like? Kirito stood there, anger swelling up inside him for admiring Kayaba Akihiko as his role model. This is our reality now, Kirito thought, so even in this virtual world, we can't escape our fragile mortality. It's no longer just a game...

If I die in the game, I'll die in real life.

The ghostly, sanguine cloak melted back into a liquid and rose back into the sky. Seconds later, the crimson hexagons disappeared in the same manner that they had appeared, leaving behind a familiar, normal afternoon sky. The minstrels resumed playing their music, overpowering the silence of the speechless players. For a moment, there was silence amongst the players. No one said anything, no one even moved.

Then all order degenerated into chaos.

Countless voices began screaming, yelling, begging and cursing out in anger, sadness and despair. Many people dropped their mirrors, causing them to shatter while the ones who held them still had them disappear from their hands into blue shards of particles. The surging crowd pushed and clamored for attention, demanding to logout. It looked like the beginning of a riot.

Kirito noticed that the barrier trapping everyone in the central square was fading away.

We need to get out of here, Kirito thought immediately. Moving quickly, he grabbed Klein's arm and shouted, "Follow me!"

After distancing themselves safely away from the chaos, Kirito turned to face Klein and bluntly revealed his plan. "Listen to me and calm down. I'm heading to the next village right now and I want you to come with me. If what he said is true, then the only way to survive in this world is by making yourself as strong as possible. The players who realize this will soon be hunting in the fields around this city. However, the monsters no longer respawn which will eventually result in a fierce competition for «Exp», «Col» and «Items». You'll be waiting here forever. The next village is empty and our training should be sufficient. I know all the paths and dangerous areas. Even at level 1, I can get us there safely."

Klein hesitated for a moment before replying, "B- But you know... I spent a whole night to buy this with my friends from another game. They're probably out there, in the plaza, just as scared as we are. I can't leave them."

Kirito looked down dejectedly. He really wanted to take Klein's friends, but wasn't sure if he could protect two or even one extra traveler.

If they die because of me, how am I supposed to live with myself? he thought. Kirito shook his head, he couldn't.

"Sorry. I can hardly ask you for anything else, can I? So don't worry about it. Go to the next village. I used to run a guild in my last game. I can use what you taught me to get by," Klein said with admirable confidence, his hands on his waist.

Hesitating, Kirito replied, "Alright. Then let's say our goodbyes here. If something happens, send me a message." As the words leave his mouth, he felt a pang of guilt. He didn't want to abandon them but his life was on the line now. He couldn't have people dragging him down and bear the responsibility of their lives.

"Will do."

"Okay, goodbye Klein," Kirito turned and began to slowly walk away. Unlike the previous casual farewell they had not even twenty minutes ago, this one was ending on a much sadder note.

"Kirito!" Klein called out. Kirito stopped, hoping he changed his mind.

That's terrible of me, Kirito thought, wanting him to choose me over his best friends.

He quickly cast out the thought.

"Hey, Kirito. You actually look pretty cool. Definitely my style," Klein said with a smile.

Kirito forced a smile before yelling, "And that unkempt face suits you ten times better. Take care of yourself!" He then turned back and began to sprint away.

After several steps, he turned back one last time to see an empty street.

My only friend in this world is gone. I'm all alone.

Kirito ran away, trying to ignore the gnawing sense of guilt that threatened to take over. He stopped by a shop quickly to purchase the best equipment he could for his journey and also some potions.

Great I'm completely broke now too.

Kirito ran outside the city gates and took the exact same routes as he did before in the beta. It would be dark soon, and there wasn't anything to light the path he was on. He could be in danger if he was out alone at night. Aside from it being darker and harder to navigate, the more dangerous beasts would come out to roam the fields. He had to stay alert and focused.

His mind, however, was still elsewhere, wondering how Klein and his friends were. Kirito knew that he had to start now to stay one step ahead of every other player so he could increase his own chances of surviving this death game. He knew yet…

Kirito slowed to a stop.

He had already run a considerable distance away from the town. If he wanted to make it to the next village before total nightfall, he needed to hurry. He didn't have time to stop. He looked back one more time, the guilt growing. He had only met Klein that day and no one could blame him if he was more worried for his own well-being and left them. No one could blame him yet… Could he really live with himself, abandoning his only friend in this world just so he could survive?

He thought of his first meeting with Klein. Klein was definitely shameless but he was by no means a bad person. Even Kirito, who usually didn't like interacting with others, enjoyed his company. They had fought together, laughed together. He remembered the brave front Klein had tried to put on as they said their farewells. Though Klein tried to hide it, even Kirito could tell he was just as scared and confused as everyone else. Unlike Kirito, Klein knew next to nothing about the world of Aincrad. He had learned a few things from the training he received from Kirito earlier but that experience was nowhere near sufficient in the current circumstances. Despite all of that, even with his life at stake now, Klein stood unwavering, determined to find and protect his friends. Compared to that, Kirito was pathetic, caring only for his own survival.

"What am I doing?" Kirito questioned himself, "I need to get to the next town before nightfall. Moping over this won't solve anything."

Kirito began to slowly walk again. As he did, he caught a glimpse of his reflection on his sword.

"Ha… You're a sore sight for eyes aren't you Kazuto? Even in this world, you remain a coward. Even in this world, you can't keep a single friend. Pathetic." Kirito muttered to himself.

Here in this world, you can be anything you want to be. Was he not the one who said that?

Clenching his fists, Kirito let out a frustrated shout, "Damn it, Kazuto! For once in your life do something that isn't like you!"

Kirito turned. That's right… In this world, he was no longer Kirigaya Kazuto, the antisocial gamer who would run from away all of his problems. Here, he was Kirito, the Swordsman. He wouldn't abandon his friend. With that, Kirito started at a run back towards the Town of Beginnings.

Kirito ran towards the town as fast as his AGI stat could carry him. He opened up his main menu and selected «Messenger and Chat». He selected Klein's name and sent him a private message that read, "Klein, remember the sword shop I took you to earlier? After you gather your friends, meet me there. I'm sorry for abandoning you earlier… I'm heading back right now."

After about an hour of running, the Town of Beginnings had finally come into sight.

"Just in time, too," Kirito sighed, relieved as he heard wolves begin to howl. The sun had finally gone down and it was becoming increasingly difficult to see anything.

As Kirito approached the oak drawbridge, he started feeling unusual. His steps began to slow and eventually he was staggering. Before he knew it, he fell onto the ground unable to move. Kirito felt horrible. He checked his HP bar and status condition, which were both full and normal respectively. This puzzled him for a moment. It was then he remembered he was sick in the real world. Could this terrible, feverish sensation have something to do with his real life body?

This is bad. I can't even drag myself up, let alone make it across the drawbridge and into the «Safe Area».

Kirito opened his main menu window and selected «Messenger and Chat» again and saw that Klein had replied with 2 unread messages. He selected Klein's name with intent to send a private text and call him back, but couldn't even muster the stamina to type out more than three letters.

If things are this bad on the other side, I can only hope that Sugu or my aunt is rushing me to the hospital at this very moment. Otherwise, I very well may be the next casualty of this twisted death game.

Suddenly, Kirito heard the snarling of a wolf nearby. The sun had already completely left the sky and it was near pitch-black with only the moon and a few stars to light the sky.

Kirito panicked. Is this really it? I can't move… At this rate I'll be killed.

Kirito felt the grip on his consciousness fading, but tried to resist, praying that Klein would find him or that he would somehow muster up the strength to move. And somewhere deep down, though he knew it was impossible, he also hoped his family would find a way to safely disconnect him from this twisted death game. None of these happened, however.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kirito saw a D-class monster, a «Dire Wolf» and it clearly saw him as well. Baring it's fangs and showing its glowing red eyes, the wolf began charging at the immobile body that lied before it. Kirito could do nothing as he laid there helplessly.

"AGH..!" Kirito cried out weakly in pain as the wolf bit into his arm. The pain was excruciating. Kirito recalled what Kayaba said about pain absorbers being disabled. Though he tried to mentally prepare for it, he hadn't expected it to be this agonizing. Never in his life had he experienced anything as painful as the wolf's sharp teeth, piercing into his flesh and breaking his bones. Not even the beatings he took from his grandfather, which knocked him out unconscious a number of times back when he was forced to train in kendo, could compare to the torment he suffered right now.

Looking at the wolf, he saw blood gushing out of his arm. This was new; before it would just show blue light shining through your skin where you've been cut. Now their body was made of actual flesh and blood. Was this part of what Kayaba meant when he said the game had been changed to make it more realistic?

The wolf continued savagely ripping at the flesh as Kirito looked up at his HP bar. It was in the yellow, quickly heading to the red.

Damn it… I don't want to die yet.

Kirito watched as his HP bar dropped into the red and began sinking even lower. His eyesight was becoming blurry and he lacked even the strength to cry out in pain anymore.

So this is it… this is how I die, huh… Sorry Mother, Father, Sugu… I won't be able to come back home… I won't be able to apologize.

Tears of regret began to form in Kirito's eyes as he realized he'd never be able to see them again. That he'd never be able to tell them how sorry he truly was. That he'd never be able to make amends and tell them how much he really loved them. Kirito imagined all the pain this would put his family through. The thought was unbearable. He tried once more to force himself to move but to no avail. He could do nothing but accept the fact that this was the end. He was going to die.

Sorry Klein… I wanted to help you and your friends too. I really did. It seems that I won't be able to anymore...

With those final thoughts, Kirito stopped his struggle, lacking the strength to continue to fight his imminent death. As his senses faded, the last thing he could make out was a female figure with long, chestnut brown hair, her expression unreadable due to the darkness and his blurred vision. Was he hallucinating?

Before he could ponder any more than that, everything faded to black…