Act 0-II: Before that story...

…And the one to Continue
The legacy of the two
That fell
For the hope of freedom

Will be him.

Continue

A Visit to a Certain Smith
Floor 48, 2024年11月19日

It had been more than two weeks since the «Departure», the name of the battle that had occurred in the boss room of the 75th. Yet the 76th floor remained unexplored, its gloomy darkness waiting silently for the player that could find the motivation to explore.

Meanwhile, 28 floors below, a cloaked figure emerged from the smithy of Lisbeth, rotating the handle of his newly forged blade, admiring the effort and craftsmanship that had gone into the «Dragonsteel Katana» he held. He held the blade up so that it caught the light, and on its surface he could see a shapeless image that vaguely resembled a dragon's tail.

"And that's done." said the girl standing with her arms crossed, leaning on the doorframe of her shop. Her pink hair wavered in the breeze, and as she watched the figure stopped, sheathing the sword on his right.

"Yeah. Thanks, Lisbeth." the figure says, his boyish voice resonating slightly against the metal of the «Dragonsteel Katana» that lay on top of the counter.

"You could be a bit more grateful." she replies. "That bloody thing took forever to make!"

"Yeah; it's not like you were the one that had to hunt for the materials."

"…"

"So, how much?"

"Well, considering I wore out five of my best hammers, plus psychological damages …"

"Sorry?"

"…Nothing."

"Whatever." he replies tiredly. "How much?"

"2 million col."

The boy waves his hand in the air, a dead expression on his face. Materialising a sack of coins, he grabs it and hands it over to Lisbeth's awaiting hand.

"2 million, right here."

Lisbeth looks back with a frown, storing the sack of coins in her inventory.

"Don't hurt yourself, Jin."

"Whatever."

The Week Before
Floor 48, 2024年 11月 12日

One week ago…

The bell rings as a familiar figure enters my shop.

"What do ya want?" A familiar cloaked figure wanders in through the open door, unequipping his worn, dark blue threads as he approaches the counter. I reply irritably, affected by the negative mood of everyone in the game lately.

"Hey, Jin!"

In answer he materialises a whole bundle of materials from his inventory, and I shrink back in surprise at the massive pile of items that land on top of my bench.

A crack appears in the wood due to the force of the impact, and I wince internally.

"You're paying." I automatically retort.

"Whatever." he replies.

I watch silently as Jin starts sorting the mess on my counter into three distinctly themed piles; Black, sucking in the light of the room; White, glowing faintly; and another pile for a mess of other items.

"You know, I'm not really in any mood to be working right now." I say, moving in to look at his face.

He continues to ignore me, sweeping the remainder of items back into his inventory.

"Oi! I'm talking to you!" I shout, slamming down on the desk. "What's with you?!"

He finally looks me in the eye, and I react with surprise after seeing his eyes.

"I don't know." he replies, his eyes a dull shade of colour.

Taken aback, I lean my back on the wall, waiting for Jin to finish.

"Done."

"What do you want done with this?" I ask, looking over the three different piles of seemingly sorted items.

"That one," he gestures to one of the piles, "«Katana»." I look over at the pile of random items.

I gesture towards the «Katana» on his belt.

"What's wrong with that one?"

"Look, where I'm going, I'm going to need spares."

"Do you know how long it's going to take me?"

"About a week." he replies. Jin then points at the other two piles. "That's a «Katana», and that's a «Katana». Those two can be anytime."

"…You okay Jin?" I ask, concerned for his health.

He replies with a dead stare, before falling towards the ground.

"…Never been worse."

*THUNK*

Monologue Legacy
Floor 76, 2024年11月30日

7:30 PM

I stand in the ante-chamber leading to the boss room of the 76th floor. Shivering slightly from the damp cold of the sewers behind me, I check my items, storing my trusted «Ranger's Saxe Knife» inside my inventory, before equipping the «Assassin's Katana» on the left side of my belt.

The damn thing had taken forever to make. It bloody well better do its job now.

Feeling my nerves creep up on me, I recheck the map to make sure I'm standing in front of the right doors. If it's the wrong one…

…I really don't want to think about that. I'm down in the sewers, after all.

Is it worth it, to die a martyr for a god forsaken game? In a reality that is not my own?

Sure. There isn't much else point in living. If I die here, it'll only be another crossed out name on the list in the «Town of Beginnings».

Steeling myself, I open the doors.

Experimentally swinging my «Assassin's Katana» a few times, I made a genial grunt before unsheathing the «Dragonsteel Katana» hanging on the other side of my belt, its blade reflecting the dim, flickering light of the mounted torches on the walls. Moving my arms into a starting position, I executed a lightning fast set of «Sword Skills», executing the set of moves similar to a kata I had learnt in the real world.

I completed the sequence of moves, breathing lightly as the light of the torches was reflected on my blades.

The sight of the flickering flames reminded me of a bonfire from my middle school days, celebrating some event or other.

But these flames are not real; they're merely images transmitted from the server to the «NerveGear», and then my brain. It's exactly the same as the «Katanas» I held in my hands; it's the same as the sweat that rolls down past my dead eyes.

Mere data, being interpreted by the «NerveGear» and then sent to my brain, creating a sense of a virtual world. Right now, I'm stuck in this world, along with the 6000-something other player remaining in the game. Inevitably that number will decrease as time goes on; but there is nothing we can do to stop it.

I can still remember the real world, that faraway place on the other side.

A place where I lived, breathed, taking for granted all the things life had to offer. Instead, I now lay in some hospital bed somewhere, my body slowly rotting away as I lived in this world, the fantastical floating castle of «Aincrad».

My family, my friends. The life I had left behind. The things I wanted to do, things I wanted to see. The only reason I'm standing in front of these doors right now is for me. Pushing forwards, along the long, arduous journey towards the real world, one step at a time.

Not for anyone else. Not for any other player in the game. It is a truth painful to bear, but deep down, I know that it's true.

Perhaps it was selfish. Or perhaps in believing that I fought for myself, I found it easier to fight alongside the company of people that I didn't know on the other side. And fight for them. After all, if one was to clear the game, then all would be logged off. If I defeated Kayaba, everyone would be free. A mere cause and effect.

Firm in my decision, I wipe away the tiredness from my eyes and walk towards the imposing wooden doors. They open, allowing me to pass through, and as I walk I almost hear a familiar voice shouting out from far away. But, unable to ascertain the existence of the sound, I choose to ignore it.

The doors swung shut behind me, sealing the exit. It was now all or nothing. Either I would defeat the boss, or die.

But I will move forwards. For if I don't, no one will.

It's time…

…to continue.

A Really Short Glossary That Stands as Legacy to the Original Chapter:

Arigatou – Japanese for 'Thank you' or 'thanks'. I took a 'u' out…because englishcization. For those not in the know.

Kata – A thing in Martial arts where you execute a set of moves in perfect sequence. I think that's what it's called.

A/N (EDIT 4/08/14): RIP, previous author's note; you lived not long enough. Ah well.

If you haven't noticed, DD/MM/YY or YYYY/MM/DD if you haven't already noticed. I live in Australia. Over it? Good.

You don't get what's going on? Neither do I! Well, I guess I do. Kind of.

Let's see…visit Lisbeth/dump materials/dead eyes/make swords/leave with swords/get to boss room/hear voice/enter boss room.

…That sounds about right.

Next chapter, a boss fight.

…Which is a rewrite.

Which you're going to have to wait for as a consequence of the rewrite.

16th August 2014

Hey there.

This chapter, I don't like.

But I will come back to edit it.

One day.