The Shadow of the Starless Night

Chapter One: Snow

A/N:

So, this is certainly new for me! I know I introduce OCs in my works fairly often, but a story where all of the characters are OCs? Never done it before! But yeah, you won't be seeing any real SAO characters here, just to warn you. I will be basing the personalities of some of my OCs off of canon characters, but they'll have different weapons, different appearances, and the like.

Anyway, this is just a little something to pass the time whenever I'm stuck on my other stories. That's pretty much the reason I keep making new ones. If I have a whole bunch of stories, then I have a whole bunch of areas to get inspiration for! If I stick to one story and never post another one, then it takes a LOT longer to finish that one story because of all the ideas for other stories pouring out of my brain.

Well, that's enough about that! I should probably explain more about this story.

So, a major difference between this SAO and the regular SAO lies within the weapons. You can use ANY weapon choice you want, assuming you have enough money to purchase said weapon(s). The thing is, though, that the efficiency of your weapon choice relies entirely on that choice's efficiency in the real world. That means that there won't be any stat modifiers attached to different builds, (I.E. Dual Wield's attack speed bonus wouldn't exist) and there won't be any Extra Skills involving weapons. (Because you can already use any combination you want anyway.)

Well, that's about it!

See ya at the bottom!

A silver curved sword cut my shoulder. At the same time, the thin blue line at the top left corner of my vision began to shorten slightly. I inwardly shuddered, though the apathetic expression on my face remained unchanged.

The blue line, called the "HP Bar", is a visual rendering of my life force. There was a little over ninety percent left. No, that isn't right at all.

I was about ten percent closer to death.

I turned around, running back before my enemy could even begin its attacking motion. I forced myself to breathe deeply in order to steady myself.

My body in this world didn't need air, but on the other side, my body would have been breathing heavily. My limp hands would have been soaked with sweat, and my heart rate would have been off the charts.

But that's to be expected.

Even though what I saw was merely a rendering of a 3D virtual reality, and the blue line being shortened was just a bunch of dots with numbers that showed my HP, the fact that I was fighting for my life didn't change.

When I think about it that way, it seems completely unfair.

My opponent standing before me, a seasonal mob known as the «Winter Demon», was a humanoid being with white scaly skin and white horns, and it held an unnamed one-handed curved sword in its right hand. Despite its body structure, it was neither human, nor alive. It was nothing more than a lump of complex data that would be replaced no matter how many times it was destroyed.

… No, that's not quite right.

The artificial intelligence unit that controlled the «Winter Demon» had been studying my movements and improving its ability to respond to them with every second that passed. Even so, once this monster was destroyed, the data would not be passed on to the monster that spawned in its place. So, in a sense, this demon was alive, a single creature unique to this world.

"… Right…?"

There was no way the level thirty-two «Winter Demon» could've understood what I said, and yet somehow… it smiled, showing the large, white fangs that protruded from its very large mouth.

This is reality. Everything in this world is real. This isn't fake at all.

I shifted my two swords so that they lie perpendicular to the ground and parallel to my sides, getting ready for battle.

"REAAAGH!" with a devastating roar, the «Winter Demon» leapt into the air, activating a high-class curved sword skill known as «Fell Crescent», which covered a very large distance in less than half a second…

But I had been expecting that. I had deliberately increased the distance between us in order to create a situation where it would use that skill. I briefly registered the burning smell that the skill created when it started to move.

Then, without making a sound, I activated a skill unique to my build, «Blink Cut». Before it could reach me, I appeared behind it, my swords in an X-like pattern. Then, I turned around just in time to see the «Winter Demon» shatter into countless polygons, going back to the recesses of the «Cardinal System» to await its respawn as a clean slate.

I sheathed my swords into my coat, watching them fuse into it with «Weapon Conceal», an ability I got from the set bonus of my «Moon Set».

Well, that's enough grinding for today, I thought, wiping the sweat from my brow.

Then, I noticed something small and white fall from the sky, onto the forest floor. Then another… then another… until the entire morning sky was filled with the small, white crystalline structures.

"This is the first snow of the winter season…" I said to myself. "It kinda reminds me of the day three months ago, when this death game began."

I got up from where I lay on my bed, looking outside the window to see the snow that fell, covering the roofs of houses, the tops of cars, and even the grass on people's yards.

Despite the oddness of it snowing this early, even if we were in the northernmost part of Japan, I found myself oddly… apathetic, even with my natural love of snow.

No time to play in the snow today… because today is the big day. The day I finally get to return to the world of Sword Art Online!

I looked at the clock at my bedside, reading the time to be 9:37. I had apparently overslept a bit, which meant that school was out today, which meant…

"Brother!"

I soon found my brother, Hikari, standing in my room.

"What is it, Hikari?" I queried, showing no signs of emotion.

"Do you want to have a kendo match before you go back? I know you'll need it for Sword Art Online, since it revolves around swords."

"Not interested," I said flatly. "The style of fighting in there is completely different from kendo-styled sword fighting. Besides, the nito-ryu style in kendo doesn't match my Dual Blades in SAO."

"Fine, I get it," Hikari whispered sadly.

Not able to bear his voice sounding like that, I said, "All right… I'll do it. But just to let you know, I'll be using my SAO style of fighting."

"Fine by me!" Hikari said jubilantly. "You'll be easier to defeat that way anyway."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," I said, smirking deviously.

An hour later, I had successfully beaten him… five times.

"How the heck did you get so strong with such an unstable style?" Hikari asked me, incredulous.

"Speed and reflexes help," I replied, taking a bite of my lunch. "But I've also trained a lot in that style, so it's easier for me to use it than nito-ryu."

"Well, whatever," Hikari sighed, checking his phone for the time. "Oh, you have to get to your room! It's almost time for the official launch!"

I looked at the time on my watch, finding that it was 12:57.

I immediately rushed to my room, setting up all the necessary things needed for the game to work properly. When I looked at the clock on my nightstand, I found the time to be 12:59.

I quickly sat down on my bed, plugging the Nerve Gear into the wall to keep the internal battery from running dry. I put it on my head, laying down. At the top left corner of my vision, I saw the time… and it was still 12:59.

Soon that clock will be replaced with an HP bar, I thought to myself, feeling truly happy for the first time in months.

Then, as soon as the clock turned to 13:00, I found myself saying the words ingrained into my brain from the very moment I got the beta copy of the game four months prior.

"Link Start!"

Suddenly, my vision turned white, and lines of all colors streaked across my field of vision until they were all behind me. Then, circles with the English words for the five senses came up into my field of vision one by one, confirming that I could use the senses in the game. Once they were all finished confirming, they scrolled off the screen, and a language bar appeared.

I confirmed the play language as Japanese, and a login screen appeared. I mentally entered my username and password.

Character Creation

Your beta test data is still available.

Would you like to use it?

Yami (M)

Yes No

I hit yes, and then then a gray screen appeared with the English words, "Welcome to Sword Art Online!" in the middle. My vision moved past this screen, and pillars of blue light that formed a tunnel made their way past my field of vision. Then, the blue light turned into polygons that scattered, revealing the "sky" of the first floor.

I looked down, finding myself in the «Plaza» of the first city in the game, the «Town of Beginnings».

My face resumed its usual bored expression, and I said with infinitely more enthusiasm than my expression showed, "Hello, world, it's good to be back!"

As I ran through the streets of the «Town of Beginnings», already having purchased two swords for use in combat, I heard someone shout, "Hey, you there! The guy who's running!"

I stopped, turning around to see a male player with an avatar at least a head taller than my own, with bright blond hair and blue eyes.

Keeping my bored look, I said, "Yeah? What is it?"

"I saw you running around the city like you knew the place already. Are you a beta-tester?"

"Uh… yeah."

"Then, could you give me a few pointers on the game?"

I looked down, my face showing the slightest bit of uncertainty. "I dunno…"

"Aw, come on! I'm begging you!" he shouted, earning the attention of several players around us.

I don't want to be around any other people, but if I keep refusing him, he'll just cause a scene with his begging. That might make other people figure out that I'm a beta-tester, and then everyone will be swarming me for info on the game. I guess I have no choice…

"All right. Let's start off with introductions."

"I'm Xenex! Nice to meet you!"

"I'm Yami."

«West Field»

"Guh!" Xenex grunted in pain as the «Frenzy Boar» before him knocked his dagger and one-handed sword aside with its tusks in two sideways swings, proceeding to head-butt him in the abdomen and send him flying back onto the ground.

"Oh come on, the pain filters prevent you from feeling any pain," I said in an annoyed tone.

"Oh, that's right!" Xenex exclaimed, getting up. "Sorry, I guess it's a habit."

I sighed. "I told you, though, what's important are the initial motions you make."

"Easy for you to say," Xenex said, clearly irritated. "You're not the one fighting a moving target!"

We both looked at the «Frenzy Boar», its HP in the yellow.

I bent down, finding a pebble. This should work as good as a throwing pick.

I picked it up, putting my elbow behind my shoulder and my hand parallel to the ground.

"If you start with the correct motions and activate a «Sword Skill»," I started. My pebble started glowing with a faint red light. When the skill finished charging, I threw the pebble, and it flew towards the boar, hitting it and dropping its HP slightly.

"The system makes sure that you hit your target."

I could see the confusion in his eyes, asking me why a skill used by mere pebbles would still be called a «Sword Skill». Even so, I didn't answer him.

I unsheathed the left of my two swords, being left handed, and prepared for the «Frenzy Boar's» retaliation.

"How else to explain it…" I began, successfully dodging its first tackle. It came around for a second try, and I blocked it with my sword. "Let the power of the skill build up for a little bit, and when you feel it start to activate, let it take control. Then, the system will make sure you hit your target."

"Let it take control?" Xenex queried rhetorically. "That sounds kinda ominous."

"I know, it takes some time to get used to the idea," I said.

I kicked the boar away from me, making it face Xenex. It started to charge towards him, and I saw the look of fear in his eyes. Then, that fear was immediately replaced by a look of understanding.

Looks like he remembered the initial motions to a skill of his build.

He put his dagger, which was in his left hand, parallel to the ground, and kept his sword, which was in his right hand, perpendicular. Then, he moved his sword to that it was out in front of him, and a skill began to charge.

A low-level charge-type skill, it looks like. Judging by the blue light, I think that one's «Rushing Counter».

The skill finished charging, and Xenex flew towards the boar, diverting its charge to the left with his sword and delivering a critical stab to its side. Then, he flipped over the boar, landing right next to me.

I watched as the «Frenzy Boar» he left behind shattered into innumerable polygons, and a victory window popped up.

Xenex turned around, yelling a victory cry at the sight of the boar's demise.

"Congrats, man," I said, giving him a high-five. "But sadly, that's the lowest level monster in the game."

"You're joking, right? That had to be a mini-boss!"

I laughed, yet my impassive expression remained unchanged. "Nope. Mini-bosses have two HP bars. Still, congrats on your first kill."

"Thanks!" Xenex exclaimed.

This guy is really enthusiastic.

"So, there are lots of different skills, right? Not all of them have to do with weapons," Xenex queried as he slashed the air, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Well, yeah. The game manual said there's supposed to be thousands of skills for each weapon choice. Well, except for magic, that is."

I sheathed my sword, looking at his surprised expression with a hint of amusement on the inside.

"Seriously?! This game doesn't have magic?!"

I face palmed, saying, "You didn't even look at the game's box before loading it onto the «Nerve Gear», did you? It's called «Sword Art Online» for a reason, you know."

"Well, you have a point. But that just makes it better! Ranged attacks like magic would render all «Sword Skills» useless. I like to move my body around as I fight instead of just staying still."

"Looks like we're in agreement there," I said, my happy voice betraying my indifferent facial expression. "Want to go grind some more? I experimented with your weapon combo in the beta, so I know the initial motions for most of the skills you can use at your level."

"Hell yeah, let's do it!"

Later that day, when the sun was beginning to set, we sat down to take a breather. Well, Xenex sat down while I stood, not even remotely tired.

I was letting him get most of the kills anyway.

"No matter how many times I look around, I still can't believe that we're inside a game!" Xenex said enthusiastically. "That Kayaba guy is a freaking genius… it makes me so glad I was born in this time!"

"Can it, you're starting to sound like an old man."

"I can't help it! It's my first «Full Dive»!"

I did a double take, though my expression remained the same. "You mean that this is the first time you've ever used a «Nerve Gear»?"

"Well yeah! I rushed out and bought all the hardware needed to play the game with my sister at the last minute! We were so lucky to get our copies of the ten-thousand first editions!" he said, smiling broadly. "However, you, my good sir, are ten times as lucky, getting into the beta test and all. I heard that they let the one-thousand testers pre-order their copies of the official release!"

I wouldn't say it was luck. More like I was invited because of my prowess in kendo.

"Well, yeah. We got to pre-order our copies if we wanted."

"So, how far did you get in the two months of testing?"

"I got to floor eight."

Of course, he doesn't need to know that no one else did.

"Wow, that's amazing!" Xenex shouted.

"You make such a big deal out of everything," I said bluntly, making him calm down.

"Sorry."

"Yeah, it took two months, but I think that this time around, I'll get that far in one."

"Wow, you're really into this, huh?"

"Well, you could say that. During the two months of testing, SAO was the only thing I thought about, even in my dreams. Because in this world, a single blade can take you anywhere you want to go. Pretty odd thing for a dual-wielder to say, but still. In this virtual world… I know it sounds weird, but I've always felt more alive in «Aincrad» than I ever did in the real world."

"Wow…"

"Well, you want to hunt some more?"

"Obviously! But… the thing is, I promised my sister I'd meet up with her on the other side for a meal. She's probably already logged out and waiting for me."

"Ah, you did say something about a sister, didn't you?"

"Yeah. Sorry… oh, maybe we could all meet up together tomorrow and go grind? How about it? You free?"

I looked down.

"Oh, if you don't want to, that's okay! You do kinda give off that solo player vibe, don't you?"

"Yeah, sorry…"

"Nah, don't worry about it! I'll just introduce you another day, and we'll just get a drink somewhere!"

"All right… thanks."

"Don't you dare thank me!" Xenex shouted jokingly. "It's my job to thank you! You were so much help today! I promise I'll repay you later… somehow."

He got up, putting his fist out, and I met it with my own.

"All right."

"Well, I gotta meet up with my sister. Logging out!" Xenex said, opening his menu. Though a player couldn't see the menu of another player, I knew from his hand motions that he was trying to log out.

Wait, something's wrong. Normally, after he pressed the button, he would've been logged out immediately.

"Hey, Yami?" Xenex asked me nervously.

"Yeah?"

"Total newb question, but is there any other way to log out? The regular button is missing."

"What?" I queried, looking at my own menu. "You're right, it's not there… and to answer your question, no. there isn't a way out. Which means…"

"We're stuck here?"

"Yeah, that just about sums it up. Think of it on another note, though. If the game doesn't even have a logout button, then it couldn't just be a normal glitch. If the text of the logout button was warped or something, and then we couldn't get out, then that would be a typical first-release bug."

"What're you saying?" Xenex asked fearfully.

Isn't it obvious?

"I'm saying that someone must've hacked the server and removed the button."

"WHAT?!"

"Calm down," I said flatly. "Someone has probably contacted the GM already, and the head programmers of the server are most likely working on it as we speak. So it shouldn't be long before the button is back."

Then, I heard a loud sound resonate throughout the first floor. I quickly recognized the sound as the bell from the «Plaza» in the «Town of Beginnings».

"What's going on? That bell is usually only used as a warning bell—"

We soon became surrounded in pillars of blue light, which I recognized to be the light emitted when a person teleported.

When the light subsided, I found myself and Xenex standing next to each other in the «Plaza», along with what appeared to be every other player in the game.

What are we doing here?

Xenex then asked me, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, you?"

I looked up at the sky, wondering what was going on. Then, a sole red hexagon appeared above us with one word in English.

«WARNING!»

Then another that said, «System Announcement» in English.

And another… and another… and another… until the whole sky was filled with red hexagons with those two words on them.

Then, red liquid started to ooze down into the dome of hexagons from between the cracks. The liquid stopped about halfway down to the ground, forming into something.

"What the hell is that?" Xenex queried.

Just when it couldn't get any weirder, the ooze formed into a giant, illustrious crimson cloak with no body. Somehow, it formed white gloves which stayed under its control, even without hands inside them.

People started guessing as to what was happening, but it was already all-too clear to me.

This is the hacker… the one who removed the logout button.

The robe started to speak in a very deep voice that resounded through the entire area. "Attention, players… I welcome you… to my world."

What?!

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

Then… no! This can't be happening!

My face finally showed emotion, allowing the rage in my heart to shine through.

"I assume that most of you have already noticed the logout button missing from the main menu. However, this is not a glitch. No, this is a feature of the game… of «Sword Art Online»."

You… bastard!

"I repeat, this is not a glitch. This is a feature of Sword Art Online."

"A feature…?" Xenex said from beside me.

"You cannot log yourselves out of SAO, and no one on the outside will be able to shut down or remove your «Nerve Gear». Should such an action be attempted… the transmitter inside the «Nerve Gear» will emit a powerful burst of microwave radiation, destroying your brain…

"And ending your life."

People began to say words of disbelief, and even Xenex seemed skeptical. But I knew… I knew he wasn't lying.

Everything he said was true.

"He's gotta be bluffing, right, Yami?" Xenex queried, turning to look at me.

"He's right, though. The «Nerve Gear's» transmitters emit microwaves to allow us to have control of our bodies here, and those microwaves are just like those of a microwave oven. If the limiter were disabled, or even weakened slightly, it could seriously mess up our brains, most likely killing us."

"Then why don't we just cut the power?"

"Doing that is essentially the same as shutting down the «Nerve Gear», and you remember what he said about that, right? Even if that would've worked, that's prevented by the internal battery that it has."

"But… that's crazy! Messed up! Insane!"

He was then cut off by the robe, who began speaking again. "Unfortunately, the friends and family members of several players have ignored this warning, and attempted to remove the «Nerve Gear». As a result, two-hundred thirteen players' lives have come to an abrupt… and tragic end."

Two-hundred thirteen people?!

"I don't believe it! This has to be bull!" Xenex shouted.

He opened several windows up, showing what appeared to be news reports of the current situation.

"As you can see, news organizations across the world are reporting this incident and the many deaths that have occurred. Thus, you can assume that the danger of your «Nerve Gears» being removed is minimal at best. So you can relax and work hard to clear the game."

I grit my teeth, trying to hold back a string of swear words.

"But please do take note of this: there is no longer any method of revival in the game. Once your HP reaches zero, your avatar will permanently be deleted from the system, and at the same time…

"The «Nerve Gear» will destroy your brain."

I gasped. But I must've died a hundred times in the beta! That's what the point of an RPG is! When you die, you learn from your mistakes and you get better!

"There is only one thing you need to do in order to long out of SAO… and that is to clear the game. You are all currently on floor one, the base floor of «Aincrad». Make your way through the dungeons and defeat the bosses there and you will advance to the next floor. Defeat the final boss on the one-hundredth floor, and you clear the game."

Xenex looked on with disbelief, and then began yelling, "Clear all one hundred floors?! That's freaking impossible! Even the beta-testers never made it anywhere near that far!"

"You can find a gift from me in your item storage. Please feel free to check for yourselves."

Does he really expect people to check their inventories for a present he gave us after all the crap he pulled?!

I saw blue lights all around me, and soon Xenex disappeared into the light as well.

I'm surrounded by idiots.

When the light subsided, I found Xenex to be a boy with spiky white hair and piercing red eyes, with a slightly smaller build than my real body's build.

"You're… Xenex, right?" I asked, pointing at him.

"Yeah! Wait, when did you become taller than me?!"

"Look at the thing you're holding. It's a mirror, and I think that's what did it," I said flatly.

He looked at the mirror in his hands, seeing his own reflection… his real body's reflection.

"But this is what I really look like! How did it get all this data on my body?!"

I sighed, beginning to explain. "The «Nerve Gear» has a high-density scanner built in that could easily create an exact copy of our faces, and as for your body structure, do you remember when the «Nerve Gear» had you calibrate it? That's probably how they did it."

"Oh… but why…? Why would he do this?!"

I pointed back to the robe. "I'm sure he'll tell us soon enough."

"I'm sure you're all wondering… why? Why would Kayaba Akihiko, the creator of «Sword Art Online» and the «Nerve Gear», do all of this?

"My goal has already been achieved. I wanted to watch over and control a world of my own design. That is why I made «Sword Art Online»."

I clenched my teeth in rage. "Kayaba…!"

"And now, that goal has been fulfilled."

It took all that I had not to draw my swords and run at him, slashing with all my power.

"This ends the tutorial for the official «Sword Art Online» launch. Players…

"I wish you the best of luck."

With that, the robe began to turn into smoke, which floated up and through the cracks in between the red hexagons. When it finished, all of the hexagons disappeared at once.

All was silent.

I looked down at the hands of my avatar, clenching them into fists.

This is reality. Kayaba Akihiko, the genius who created the «Nerve Gear» and a complete virtual environment. I admired him, so I understand…

I looked around, seeing the looks of terror and disbelief on the faces of everyone around me.

Everything he said just now… was the truth! If I die in the game… I die in real life!

I heard the sound of shattering glass, and I instantly knew that someone had dropped one of the mirrors. Then…

The crowd went ballistic.

Taking advantage of the chaos, I grabbed Xenex's arm and started running.

Once we were in an alleyway close to the edge of the city, I turned around and let go of his arm.

"Xenex. I want you to listen to me. I'm going to the next village right now. I want you to come with me."

"Huh?"

"If what he said is true, and I think it is, then we've got to train ourselves up as much as possible in order to survive in this world.

"The money, EXP, and other resources in an MMORPG are limited. The fields surrounding this town are gonna be hunted clean soon, and I don't feel like fighting with other players over resources. We need to head to the next village now and set up camp there if we want to avoid that.

"I know all the safe and dangerous paths, so even at level one, I can get us there safely."

Xenex looked down, his face grim. "But you know, my sister and I spent days in line to get our copies, and… wait!" a look of fear crossed his features. "She's gotta be in the «Plaza» right now, freaking out like everyone else! I can't abandon her, she's my only sister!"

I looked at Xenex, my face expressionless. Inwardly, I felt immense guilt for trying to take him away from his sister.

But… I can't take them both. Just him would be fine, but even adding one more person… if one of them died, the other would undoubtedly blame it on me. I can't…

"Sorry."

My eyes widened, and for the first time in ages, I felt shock.

"I really shouldn't be asking for anything more," Xenex elaborated. "So don't worry about us. Get your ass to the next village. I used to lead a guild with my sister in the last 2D MMO I played! I'll get by with the skills you taught me!"

I looked down, and then I said the words that would gnaw at me for three months. "All right… well then, I guess this is where we part. Send me a PM if anything happens."

"Of course!"

"Okay then… I have one last thing to do before we part," I said softly.

I went through my inventory and found the item that turned our avatars into replicas of our real-world bodies, the «Hand Mirror». I hit the «Make into Object» button, and I looked into the mirror's glass. Within seconds, the blue light had surrounded me and subsided, revealing my snow-white hair that came down to my mid-back, my soulless-looking violet eyes, my feminine facial features, my average height and slightly muscular body structure.

"There… now you'll be able to recognize me if we ever meet again. Well…" I said, my voice dangerously close to cracking. "Take care. I'll be seeing you, Xenex."

With that, I turned around and ran a bit. When I turned back, I didn't see Xenex, and I knew that I might never see him again. I felt something warm in my eyes, and my vision blurred. When I held the «Hand Mirror» up to my face, I saw something I hadn't seen in years.

I'm… crying?

I turned back around, rubbing the tears from my eyes. I began running, alleyways, past the city, and into the fields. I saw a mid-level «Wolf» mob several meters in front of me, and I drew both of my swords at once. Activating a skill known as «Blink Cut», I appeared behind it and continued running, not stopping at the sound of the «Wolf» shattering into polygons.

I've got this! I can do this! This world can't beat me! I will survive!

"HAAAAAAA!"

Wow, that was a blast from the past, I thought as my conscious mind emerged from my memories.

Walking back through the forest after defeating the «Winter Demon», I admired the white scenery that was beginning to form on top of all the objects in the wood.

"It really is… just like the snow from that day."

A/N:

Yeah, it's heavily based off of episode one, but who cares? I'm not just going to copy episodes for the entire story, but I needed to get the foundation of the story set, so that's why I did that.

Anyway, the next chapter will continue from where the last three paragraphs end off.

So yeah, tell me what you think, guys! If you like it, then please review and tell me why! If you see something wrong with it, then feel free to review with an explanation of how I could improve.

Well, I guess that's about all! Here's that line!

I don't own Sword Art Online or any of its adaptations!

See ya!