Here's revised Chapter 6 ~ DragonKing0117
Disclaimer Notice: The series Sword Art Online and Accel World are the copyrighted works of Reki Kawahara. This story is not being written for profit but for the satisfaction of the writer and viewer. Thank you.
Explanation
Asuna, in the form of her Undine avatar of the same name, paced the living room in her and Kirito's house for the seventh time of the hour. The house, located on New Aincrad's 22nd floor, was a memento of the times she and Kirito had spent together in their old house in Sword Art Online. Throughout the room, various other players were seated doing various things.
Sitting around the tea table were three players. A red-haired Salamander wearing a bandana sat on one side deep in thought. He was Ryōtarō Tsuboi, Klein in-game, an SAO survivor like Asuna and Kirito, and the person considered Kirito's closest friend. On the opposite side sat a blonde Slyph with a triumphant look on her face. She was Suguha Kirigaya, Kirito's cousin/younger sister, and her in-game name was Leafa. The last player was a Cait Sith with light blue hair. She was Shino Asada, Sinon in-game, and had recently transferred over to ALO from Gun Gale Online where she met Kirito. In between Klein and Leafa was a chess board.
"Give it up Klein, anywhere you look it's checkmate," Leafa smirked.
"There's no way I'll give up! I'll win this game yet!" exclaimed Klein as he racked his head for a way to win the impossible situation..
"You've lost seven times so far and won none. I think you should just give up," Sinon said quietly.
"Guh!" Klein winced at the girl's cold words.
"If you're so agitated, you'll never win, Uncle."
This came from a black-haired girl sitting on the couch where she watched the game from afar. Unlike the others, she was not a player, but an artificially intelligent being, an AI named Yui. Kirito and Asuna had found her initially in Sword Art Online and, through a series of events, became their adopted daughter. She was later rescued from SAO's deletion thanks to being saved to Kirito's Nerve Gear.
"Yui has a point, Klein," said a Cait Sith girl sitting net to Yui and holding a small, blue, and feathery dragon. She was Keiko Ayano, Silica in-game, and the dragon was Pina. Both were SAO survivors as well.
"Why don't you let someone else play?" Silica asked.
"Yeah, like me!" That came from a pink haired Leprechaun, Shinozaki Rika, Lisbeth in-game, another SAO survivor. She was currently inspecting some swords she had made with her blacksmithing ability at the table on the other side of the room.
"It gets boring just waiting around you know," Lisbeth continued.
"How's that my fault?" Klein retorted.
"Shut up Klein!" Asuna shouted.
Everyone quieted down as Asuna checked her friends list once again, a worried expression on her face. Of course, she had reason to be worried. It had been three hours since Kikuoka, as the Undine avatar Chrysheight, had told her that Kazuto's mind was active and should be showing up as the Spriggan, Kirito, soon. However, the person in question had yet to show up.
Ring!
The doorbell suddenly rang. Everyone looked up while Asuna rushed to the door as the doorbell rang again.
Ring!
"Yes?" Asuna asked as she opened the door.
"Hello there, Asuna."
Standing in front of Asuna was an Undine, like herself, with blue hair and wire-rimmed glasses. He was Kikuoka's ALO avatar, Chrysheight.
"I have news about Kirito."
―○●○―
Thirty minutes later, the group of players had gathered at the «Dicey Café», a café run in real life by one Andrew Gilbert Mills, or Agil when playing ALO. He, like most of the group, was also a survivor from Sword Art Online and a close friend of Kirito's. As he was also a gamer like the rest and also their friend, it made coming to his café a first option when wanting to meet due to the friendly atmosphere or, like in this case, when some privacy was needed..
Currently, a 'Closed For the Day' sign was on the door as Agil had promised to reserve the café for the meeting with Kikuoka. The group of eight people, consisting of Kikuoka, Asuna, Suguha, Rika, Keiko, Klein, Shino, and Agil, gathered around one of the tables.
"So what's this information that's so important it'd have to be told in RL, Seijirou?" asked Agil as he set down a plate of soft drinks for the group.
"I'd also like to know why, Kikuoka," said Asuna.
Kikuoka raised a hand to silence the group before he started to speak.
"Basically, what I'm about to tell you is strictly confidential. It involves top-secret information that normally I would never be allowed to tell you. However, given the situation, and as you all are rather close to the subject at hand, I'm willing to pull some strings for you. I'm sure you all know that Kirito was put into the hospital, correct?"
The group nodded their heads.
"You also know that he was transferred out to another medical facility by order of me?"
Another round of nods.
"Good. That makes things a bit easier." Kikuoka paused to wipe his glasses. He continued after putting them back on.
"Have you heard of the STL, or should I say, the Soul Translator?" he asked.
This time only Asuna and Shino nodded.
"Kazuto had told me and Asuna about it a few hours before he got stabbed," Shino responded.
"Oh, really?" Kikuoka raised an eyebrow. "Well, please tell me what he has told you."
Shino looked to Asuna, who nodded, then turned back and started to talk.
"Basically, Kazuto told us that the STL was a machine that used a different FullDive technique then that of others like the Nerve Gear or AmuSphere."
"Different how?" asked Klein.
"Well," Shino continued. "Currently, the method used for FullDive machines, is to use polygons to make a virtual world for the user to Dive in. However, the STL has a method, called «Mnemonic Visual Data», which uses memories to make a virtual world that then looks and feels no different from real life. The memories don't all have to belong to the Diver, and they don't necessarily have to be real either, meaning anything that you can think of could become real in that world and you wouldn't know the difference."
"Virtual Reality that looks and feels no different from real life?" Agil questioned. "The part about imagination becoming reality is something I can understand given the current status of Virtual Reality. However, when it comes to that, a situation were our reality is indistinguishable from the virtual one, shouldn't something like that be impossible?"
This time Asuna was the one to answer.
"It's only possible due to the method used by the STL," Asuna began. " As you know, the current method used for Full Diving is that the FullDive equipment intercepts signals from the brain with artificially made signals, representing the senses of the body, in order to give the user the experience of being in a different world. The STL, however intercepts signals from something called a «Fluct Light». The «Fluct Light» is basically a particle that helps make up a person's consciousness or, depending on how you look at it, their soul. I won't go into the specifics about that, but the STL reads those «Fluct Lights» and is able to use them to manipulate the short-term memory of a person so that they feel exactly the same as they would in real life."
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Kikuoka gave a short applause.
"That was a splendid explanation you two," the man said, smiling. "It also saves me some time explaining the situation."
"You mean why Kazuto never showed up in Alfheim?" asked Asuna.
Kikuoka nodded, losing his smile as it was replaced with a frown.
"It seems that the reason as to why Kazuto never showed up in ALO is due to an unforeseeable incident occurring."
Seeing the confused looks on the group's faces, Kikuoka continued.
"About a month ago, during the testing of the STL, we received various reports of a supposed 'ghost' appearing in the grass of the test field whenever one of our testers Dived. During that time, we had Kazuto look into the situation for us to see whether or not what was being said was true. The reports state that Kirito Dived a total of two times that day. The second of those times, he was sent to the test field and came back with the report that nothing strange was happening. Ever since that day, reports of the 'ghost' have stopped."
Klein raised his hand, an eyebrow raised.
"You said the second time Kazuto Dived that everything was alright, right? What about the first?"
Kikuoka was silent as the light filling the café made his glasses appear to shine with an eerie glow.
"During the first Dive, Kazuto reportedly ended up in a post-apocalyptic setting in the guise of the «Black Swordsman» of Aincrad. During his time there, he apparently clashed with a robotic humanoid that he had accidentally provoked before he was disconnected and awoken from the Dive."
Kikuoka pushed up his glasses before continuing.
"At the core of the STL, we have the «Quantum Operation Circuit», a so-called quantum computer if you will. It was created from the basic foundation left by Akihiko Kayaba by STL creator Takeru Higa. Now, I'm sure you don't want a long and boring explanation about what the quantum computer is, so I'll just say this: The quantum computer, according to Higa, has the capacity to interfere with a parallel world."
Kikuoka let what he said sink in for a moment.
"Something... Something like that shouldn't be possible. That's practically science fiction!" Shino exclaimed.
Kikuoka once again smiled.
"Ahh, but Miss Shino, we already live in the setting of science fiction, don't we? Twenty years ago, Virtual Reality on the level that we have today was science fiction. The original estimated results on when it could probably be achieved was about thirty or so years from now, a grand total of at least fifty years. Now, look at what we have. In the space of twenty, we now have VRMMOs like Alfheim and Gun Gale along with the STL, which has the ability to intercept signals from the very soul of a human being. Isn't that in itself science fiction?"
Shino opened her mouth to retort, then closed it. All around, the group, excluding Kikuoka, were in various states from simple surprise to shock. It was Rika that pieced things together.
"Are you saying that what happened to Kazuto a month ago is happening to him again?"
Kikuoka nodded.
"Somewhere in space and time, whether it is in the past or future is irrelevant, someone is using a similar machine to the STL and the quantum computer Higa made interfered with it. This allowed Kirito to make contact with someone from that world. The reason as to why Kirito did not show up in ALO has to be that Kirito has once again made contact with that world and is now interacting with it fully."
This time, Keiko asked the question on everyone's minds.
"How do we get Kirito back?"
Losing his smile and once again favoring a frown, Kikuoka took off his glasses and cleaned them. The group was silent for a while before Kikuoka put his glasses back on.
"First, we need someone to Dive using the STL. That person will have the ability to converse with the outside world through a special program. Then, we'll work from both sides to solve the problem and bring back both Kirito and the person sent."
"I'll go."
"I'm going."
"I'll be the one to go."
"Let me go."
"I'll bring back Brother."
Asuna, Shino, Rika, Keiko, and Suguha spoke at the same time. They all glared at each other immediately.
"Sadly, no one can go right now," Kikuoka lamented.
"Eh?" was everyone's response.
"What I mean is that it will take some time to set up the other STL's. Add to the fact that they are far away from where we are now, you will have to take a plane to get to where they are. As things are now, it will take a couple of days before we can get all the loose ends together so that any of you can go to that place, not to mention the fact that not all of you will be able to go at the same time."
Everyone was silent at this. Kikuoka continued.
"For now, until we are ready, go back to playing on ALO. After all, if Kazuto's account is true, you'll have to fight soon after you Dive with the STL."
―○●○―
"Unlimited Burst!"
Kirito, back in the attire of the «Black Swordsman», looked around the ruined and desolate field he was in that appeared after the bright light faded. There were ruined buildings all over the place while the roads were cracked and pockmarked with craters. The sky was dark, but thanks to the fires scattered across the field, there was enough light to see by. The area looked like it had just survived the end of the world.
"This is... what they call the "World's End" Stage right? How fitting."
Kirito, after finding his health gauge, clicked his name below the gauge. A half-transparent screen appeared with a list of skills on it. Sword Skills to be exact. When he scrolled down the screen, he noticed that some of the skills were grayed out. When clicking them the words [ENHANCEMENT REQUIRED] would appear. He didn't know what that meant at first, but he didn't care as he was looking through the skills that he could use. Then, he discovered a certain skill that was hiding near the bottom of the list. Kirito smiled before he drew out his two swords to begin his training. First he had to get used to the feeling on having to rely on nothing but Sword Skills and pure skill again. After that...
It would be time for the «Black Swordsman» to truly return.
―○●○―
On the top of a tall building overlooking the field where Kirito trained, stood a Duel Avatar. Colored purely in black, its body was made of nothing but floating, rectangular panels condensed into a humanoid shape. The Avatar's name was Black Vise.
"Hmm? What's this?"
Black Vise was wandering around when he had noticed Kirito starting to reacquaint himself with his Sword Skills.
"What a unique looking Avatar. His appearance is exactly like that of your average person. Also, isn't he the one who was Deuling against Black Lotus? I wonder what his name was?"
Silently, all the plates fell to the ground, disappearing, before instantly reappearing on the ground, in the shadow of a nearby building. The Avatar reformed looking closely at the «Black Swordsman».
Instantly the boy stopped his training to look around the area. His eyes looked past the spot where Black Vise was located but, sensing that there was no one there, he went back to his training. Black Vise, however, reappeared on top of his original building. He looked down on the boy in black.
"So you're name's Kirito, huh? How very... interesting."
His voice seemed to echo as the Duel Avatar, Black Vise, once again disappeared into the darkness of the shadows.