When I open my eyes I'm standing in a whole new world. The Town of Beginnings, a bustling city that is the start of every player's journey.
"I wonder where the weapons shop is…?" I mumble to myself as I explore the city.
I hold the blade up towards the sun, admiring the way it sparkles. It's so hard to believe that all of this wasn't real. The sounds, the smells, the feeling of the wind in my hair and the sun on my skin… It was all so realistic.
I practiced my sword skills for a long time, forgetting all about the concept of time but surely a few hours had passed by. Suddenly I was standing in the Central Plaza of the Town of Beginnings. I was one player in a sea of others. The confused look on their faces and the buzz of voices told me that that no one knew what was going on.
As everyone is trying to figure out what was going on a hand mirror materialized in my hand. What is going on? As I'm looking into the mirror it start to emit a bright, white light. Once it faces it was no longer the face of my carefully crafted avatar looking back at me, but my real face. As everyone is starting to realize what happened, panic starts to spread among the players. As the panic grows people start to point at the sky. Something that look like blood start seeping down, shaping itself into a robed man floating above us. The huge avatar started talking in an eerie voice. "No one will leave Aincrad until all 100 floors have been cleared. This may be a game, but his is no joke." Everyone had gone completely silent, their full attention on the mysterious avatar. "Players, I welcome you all too all to my world…" he continued. "My name is Kayaba Akihiko. Right now, I am the only person who can control this world." No one made a single sound. "I think that most of you have discovered the fact that the log out button has disappeared from the main menu. This is not a bug, it's all a part of SAO's system. I repeat, this is not a bug, everything is all part of SAO's design." At that moment all hell broke loose. Everyone was screaming and yelling in disbelieve. "Until the top of this castle is reached, you cannot log out of your own free will. Also, dismantling the NerveGear from the outside is strictly forbidden. If these things are attempted, the signal sensors in your NerveGear will emit a strong electromagnetic pulse, destroying your brain and stopping all of your bodily functions- basically instant death." Everyone fell into silence as they processed the morbid news. Fear being clearly written across everyone's faces. "To be a little more specific, dislocation from an outside source of electricity for more than ten minutes, being cut off from the system for more than two hours, or any attempt to unlock, dismantle or destroy the NerveGear. If any of these conditions are met, the brain destruction sequence will start. These conditions have been made known to the government and the public through mass media in the outside world." Someone said yelled something to the avatar, but I couldn't hear it over the buzz of other voices. "On that note, there have been several cases where the relatives or friends have ignored the warnings and tried to forcefully get rid of the NerveGears. The result- regretfully 213 players have already exited this game, and hence the real world forever." Everyone was frozen, the fear laid as a thick mist over the entire plaza. "Players, there is no need to worry about the bodies you have left on the outside. As of this moment, all TV, radio, and internet media are all reporting the situation. Within two hours, all of you will be transported to hospitals along with your NerveGear and be given the best treatment. So relax and concentrate on the game." Panic started to break out again, people was shouting left and right about this no longer being a game, that this wasn't right. That he was lying. "But, please be careful" he continued. "To the players now remaining, Sword Art Online is no longer a simple game. There is one more fact I must inform you of. From now on, this game will no longer support any form of revival. When your HP reached 0, your avatars will vanish and at that instant, your brain will also be destroyed by the NerveGear." I felt my knees give in and I fell to the ground. This was all true wasn't it? He continued "To exit this game, there is only one condition. Players must get to the top of Aincrad, to the hundredth floor and defeat the final boss that resides there. I promise that all players still alive at that time will be immediately logged out the game." My head was spinning. I can't go back… I can't go home. Everyone was screaming that this wasn't true, it couldn't be. "For you players, this world is the only reality. The evidence is right in front of you." No. No, no, no. This couldn't be happening to me. "You will all probably be wondering "why?" Why is the creator of NerveGear and SAO doing this? Is this some kind of terrorist attack? Is he taking us hostage? I no longer have a reason or a purpose in doing this. If anything it's because this situation in itself is my ultimate purpose. To create and watch this world is the only reason I have created NerveGear and SAO. And now, everything has been realized. As of now, I have officially finished the tutorial for Sword Art Online. Players- fight bravely." With that he faded away, leaving the players to figure the rest out by themselves. Everything was quiet. No one made a single move. The fear and disbelieve hung heavily in the air.