Here's the first chapter! Honestly I was a bit rushed on this one but I hope you'll still like it! My following chapters will be around 2000-3000 words so keep that in mind. (Updated Thursdays)
Disclaimer: I don't own SAO, but thank you Kawahara-san.
"Hmm..."/ "Hmm...": Fintan's thoughts/ Spoken dialog
So anyways, Enjoy!

I remember that day as if it happened hours ago. Warm Autumn winds were rare in Japan, especially from my rural home on the outskirts of Tokyo. Oddly enough I was never acustomed to the mountainous island nation, myself being adopted from Scottland. I was adopted at 6 years old by a nice Japaneese couple, who quickly became my adoptive parents. My mother always told me that it was my spikey red hair and dark blue eyes that caught her attention. They were loving parents and luckily it was my mother who was a Japanese to English translator, allowing me to develop both languages.

I was grateful to make friends and to be accepted even though my height and appearance was so different than everyone else who lived in the East. It was honestly surprising. Even more so was that my parents made me keep my full birth name feeling as if it was the respectable thing to do, so my name has forever been Fintan Alfher. Most of my Japanese friends couldn't pronounce it so instead called me "Gaijin" or foreigner. My parents took it as an insult at first but soon realized that I was just happy to have friends and a nickname, so it eventually stuck and my name became Gaijin.

It was those same friends that introduced me to video games and online gaming. While it was my adoptive father who introduced me to my other passion... Besides the day of my adoption, there was never a moment where I was more excited than the launch of Sword Art Online. Normally when waiting for the next AAA tite game to be released, I would over-hype the product itself and lose interest very quickly. Under normal circumstances perhaps this would be the case but this, this was different. No matter how I sliced it, the risk of "over-hyping" SAO outweighed the opportunity or reward of its gameplay and that in itself drew me towards the first VRMMO-RPG (Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) to roam the market. The equally exciting console was released as well, "NerveGear" for all those willing to try something revolutionary. The NerveGear was the first device that allowed players to be fully immersed in a virtual world and experience it with all five senses. Gaming had evolved over the years from those ancient consoles and controllers to actually being inside the game and playing it like never before. Almost driving myself mad was almost a common action during that time. It got to the point where I thought my friends would start calling me "baka gaijin".

I soon read and listened to every interview with Kayaba Ahiko, the creator of Sword Art Online and the NerveGear like every other hyped potential gamer across Japan. It was all I thought about for months; considering what kind of character I wanted and equipment I'd eventually acquire. I religiously stalked the SAO official website and forums daily for news on the game or console. Most of my friends just labeled me insane and ignored my obsession. Unlike the lucky 1000 players that were granted passage into the Beta, I was left on the sidelines much like the rest of Japan. Although Kayaba did his best to cover up leaks and control the information being released some beta testers were kind enough to write about SAO and the NerveGear on their personal blogs and on social media. I was mostly interested in any leaks dealing with equipment and features, for that made me most excited. Sword Art Online was to most a game of sword skills but to me, I wanted something else out of it.

My absolute goal was unpractical, Definitely not strategic, and overall idiotic in a game of swords. Before the launch of SAO I vowed to myself that I'd clear this game with only my Taijutsu. To most, abandoning game mechanics and relying on pure skill seemed foolish and only worked in dreams, but not to me. Starting at an early age, my adoptive father brought me to work with him at our family's local Dojo. Growing up, I loved watching my dad and his students until I became one myself. The love for martial arts given to me by my father has fueled my gaming campaign and interest in fighting games, ones that required true skill with memorization of combinations and characters as well as weaknesses against certain types and whether or not to be quick on my feet or hurl powerful blows.

I knew I'd obtained true strength when my friends would turn down my duels. I created my own logic to fighting with only my Martial arts and it created the ultimate challenge of any world, real or virtual and by throwing myself into a game of blades...well that only added excitement. Numerous one on one sessions led to my own defined fighting style. Knowing full well there wasn't an unarmed leveling system in SAO didn't stop me from wanting to fulfill my dream and clearing the game. Instead, my time prior to launch was spent creating my own moves in the dojo and honing numerous stances. Weighing in at 140 pounds and raising 5'10, I was able to develop maneuvers supporting speed over power and spent my time in the gym working on endurance training. On November 6th, 2022 I was finally prepared just in time for launch.

I had spent the previous three days waiting in line to pick up my pre-order of Sword Art Online and the NerveGear. When I got home after rushing down the road on my bike, the door to my house and then room was slammed open in anticipation. I remember my window being opened upstairs in my room, and the breeze felt overwhelmingly warm, contrast to the ice blue sky towering above. It was never something I'd forgotten as the Autumn koyo saturated the trees in crimson red all around town and especially across the field from my house and into the ever expanding forest consuming the view from my window.

The captivating scenery kept me from the NerveGear at hand and seemed to last as it always did, up until December around this region. In some regards I almost wish it kept me from playing Sword Art Online and held me hostage until the leaves blew away and the next season bloomed. Pulling myself away from the window I was able to unbox the NerveGear carefully without damaging the packaging. Once I realized It was 12:45, I impatiently ripped off the plastic covering to SAO and violently forced open the case as if it were a gold discovery. Placing the NerveGear helmet on my head spiked my curiosity and further worsened the anxiety built up inside me.

The internal battery came fully charged and only required the charging and Ethernet cables to be connected. Initial set up was child's play, allowing me to finish in ten minutes without an issue. Next, I turned on the NerveGear and was immediately bombarded with configuration commands such as "Touch your shoulders, knees, and toes". I couldn't help but wonder how awkward the situation was to someone looking in. They might be thinking "There's a 16 year old boy with a helmet on his head...touching his toes". I just ignored this possibility and continued beaming with joy. All feelings of enjoyment were increased as I confirmed the SAO disk was inserted and operating properly in my NerveGear.

I made sure the note to my parents were placed on my desk stating "Do not under any circumstances remove my helmet, it will ruin my night" and proceeded to lay down on the twin bed to the right of me with full intention of not waking up until the next day. Remembering all the hardships and work I went through to get this opportunity, the numerous months of waiting, and the overall torture I'd put myself through for this very experience, I slowly closed my eyes as if it were deep meditation and repeated the phrase that'd been played as a broken record to myself and to my friends... "LINK START!".

I remember my soul feeling as if it'd been transferred through time and space with the sudden overproduction of colors and the natural feeling of epilepsy absorbed through my eyes. A generic title screen popped up as the loading finished. "Would you like to use your beta testing avatar?" I obviously selected the red "X" as I didn't have one... The alert window closed instantly and whited out before manifesting the grand title "Welcome to Sword Art Online" where it remained blinding to the soul for a few seconds before once again fading to white. Looking back even with full knowledge of the events ahead, I still would've proceeded with the power of a white horse. November 6th, 2022 only got more exciting from here on out.

This is my recollection of events past...