Summary: It has always been said that magic and technology did not mix; too bad no one ever mentioned that little fact to young Harry Potter. Add in one mad genius bent on destroying the lives of ten thousand people by trapping them inside of his online virtual reality game and you have the makings of a very dangerous brew.

Disclaimer: Usually I write out this very specific disclaimer explaining exactly what it is I don't own but I find myself not really interested in doing so as it is very tedious. Suffice it to say I own nothing that was created by anyone else and I am making no money whatsoever from the writing of this FanFiction.

Warnings: Mild to moderate violence, character death, foul language, alternate universe (i.e. kiss HP canon goodbye), angst, drama, starts pre-Hogwarts Era, and who knows what else.

AN: This story is self-beta'd; so there may be occasional grammatical or spelling errors that crop up every now and then and for those I apologize in advance.


Chapter Seven: Education

Wednesday, December 27, 2019 10:36 AM

Harry had ended up sleeping (if you could call the short periods of rest he got between nightmares sleep) for close to three days straight as his soul healed from the damage done by the crows and by the traumatic integration of his soul into the game. On top of that, he had needed to regenerate the magic that he'd unknowingly used; a process that took far longer than normal because his soul was currently cut off from the earth and his magical core locked inside the stasis spell preserving his body.

And because his core was inaccessible, he was unable to draw in any ambient magic with which to replace the bulk of what he used; meaning that his soul was forced to generate far more magic than it usually did (which is why it had taken so long for him to regenerate that magic).

During that time, both Agil and Kirito took turns watching over the troubled child; the two of them offering him comfort after each nightmare and encouraging him to eat and drink whenever he was partially conscious.

When Harry did finally wake up, he remained numb and detached for several hours before he snapped back into focus (as if someone had just flipped a switch inside of his brain to turn it on). He remained fairly withdrawn after that; the nine year old feeling lost and uncertain still. He probably would have slunk off with his tail between his legs and found someplace to hole up in out in one of the Dungeons if not for Agil quickly putting a stop to his one and only attempt to sneak out of the apartment.

It was Kirito that eventually brought Harry out of his funk, the teen still child enough to draw Harry into various games and activities (like pillow fights and word games). The moment Harry was no longer broody and twitchy, Agil sat him down and carefully explained the proposal that he and Kirito had come up with to help Harry survive the game. To the surprise of both man and teen, Harry had simply shrugged his shoulders and said okay to both the job and the lessons.

When asked why he wasn't even making a token rebellious refusal (as they'd half expected him to), Harry had dryly told them that he was stubborn not stupid which had made Kirito crack up and Agil shake his head. Harry and Kirito had then added each other to their Friend List while Kirito quizzed Harry on his Skills.

Agil had made choking sounds when Harry had confessed that he'd never used a sword in the game because he'd killed himself each and every time he'd tried in the Beta Test; even after gaining enough Experience. Kirito had stared at him in shock while demanding to know why he'd been so drawn to a game called Sword Art Online if he couldn't use a sword despite the simplicity of the attacks that had been programmed into the game. Harry had shrugged and said he just wanted to see what his cousin had found so fascinating about the game and had stayed because he'd fallen in love with the world of Aincrad and the freedom that the game had given him.

A world where he was free to choose who and what he wanted to be.

Harry's new training started with Agil dragging him down into the shop in order for him to pick out the perfect sword for him to use (one with the lowest Damage Rating in order to prevent needless mishaps). Kirito joined them and the teen sat on the counter and laughed as Agil rummaged through the shop for various weapons while Harry would refuse each blade that was proffered. Each time he refused a weapon, Harry would tell the pair exactly how he'd killed himself with a version of that particular blade in the Beta Test (some deaths were particularly violent and a few were just plain stupid while others were so comical they could have come straight out of a Monty Python skit).

In the end, Harry picked out a Highland Dirk that was more dagger than sword. The blade itself was twelve inches long and made from durable steel, shaped like an elongated triangle (the tip of which was slightly rounded like a spike and very sharp), and serrated along one edge. The blade was set into a hilt made from what looked like a section of antler from a stag. Unlike most of the longer swords, the hilt of the dirk fit perfectly in Harry's diminutive hand and he had enough practice handling an eight inch dagger that the additional four inches wouldn't hinder him. All in all, it was the perfect learner's blade for Harry and once he was competent enough he could move up to something with a bit more length (though he wouldn't).

When Harry had tried to pay for the short sword, Agil told him to close out his Menu and to consider the blade a belated Christmas gift. Harry had jumped and stared at the older man with wide green eyes filled with confusion and wonder over that little declaration; he'd never been given any presents for Christmas before and had no idea what was expected of him in return. Kirito had further muddied the waters when he'd given Harry a jar of honey that he'd won on a side quest. After much internal debate, Harry had given Agil a couple of high quality Furgrin pelts (which could be made into protective clothing) and Kirito received a large clump of sweet Winter Berries (a hard to find but not quite rare treat in the game) that the nine year old had gained from that last battle with the Carrion Crows in return.

Harry had worn a small smile for the rest of the day; the young gamer thrilled over the fact that he'd been able to give his friends (emphasis on the plural) Christmas gifts for the first time ever.

Having direction in his life once more, even if it was under the guidance of an adult, helped Harry regain a measure of equilibrium though he still hadn't recovered his happy-go-lucky persona that had been the one of his trademarks as Tracker James. He enjoyed working for Agil and he secretly loved the fact that the man constantly taught him as they worked; he helped him to further improve his grasp of Japanese, taught him a smattering of Italian and Spanish, quizzed him on math basics so he'd not forget too much (the other subjects harder to cover without textbooks), and built on his in-game knowledge of the various weapons, armor, and materials that passed through the shop.

Harry in turn helped organize the shop (and avoided any weapon larger than a dirk), cleaned up the upstairs apartment they shared (even though Agil insisted he didn't have to), and after the first two weeks ran errands and deliveries for Agil. During a couple of evenings a week and on weekends, Kirito would pop round to take Harry out to the fields to help him get used to handling his new weapon. When he could, Agil would tag along for those lessons and encourage Harry to test out his other Skills (to make certain he didn't lose any Skill Points through disuse).

After witnessing first hand how winded Harry was after the first couple of lessons, Agil and Kirito helped Harry create an exercise regime that would strengthen his in-game body. They doubted the exercises would have any effect on his physical body but those exercises did seem to have an effect on his in-game stamina (the exercises actually strengthening his soul while the sword lessons and other Skills exercised his magic).

The only reason they'd even gone that route was for the psychological benefit since they hadn't really believed the exercises would have any impact on his game Avatar. That they had affected his performance was a bit of a shock. Once they got over their shock, they chalked the effects up to the same glitch that made Items behave more realistically around the nine year old.

By mid-February, Harry had regained much of his confidence with the help of Agil and Kirito. He'd also learned that he still retained the ability to use all of his in-game Skills despite the odd delays that plagued each Skill the first time he'd use each of the various abilities after the glitch. The knowledge that he could still use those Skills had been the biggest factor in regaining his confidence. The only hurdle that remained in his way was reaching level thirty-one (something he had stubbornly refused to do); Harry was terrified of reaching the next level.

His memory of the pain that he'd felt after what had happened when he reached level thirty had not faded in the least. He still suffered through nightmares about that day on a regular basis (and he still believed that the glitch had been triggered by his reaching level thirty instead of a mere coincidence of timing).

Harry would finally bite the bullet and level up at the end of February, after Agil had sat him down and told him that he'd never grow any stronger if he let his fears hold him back. The man had then immediately threatened to haul him up to the fourth floor (which had been cleared by the second week of January) and lock him into the nearest Dungeon until he reached the next level. Collecting the last needed Experience Points had been a rather easy if stressful experience for Harry but he had not been alone this time (Agil had stayed by his side the entire time).

When it was over and nothing had happened beyond the normal level increases (though his gold HP bar hadn't appeared to change), he had a far easier time continuing to grow as a Player. He still feared each rise in level though and would make certain he was some where he felt relatively safe before making the kill that would bump him up; so as not to be trapped in the middle of nowhere all alone again should he get stuck in another glitch. Agil or Kirito often tagged along for those battles in order to lend him moral support until he felt more confident.

During the time it took him to recover, Harry's unrecognized magic continued to scan and replicate each piece of gaming code it encountered; transmuting game based attacks into magic based attacks that mimicked the game attacks perfectly. It even began integrating itself into the Menu each time Harry used the various menu features. By the middle of March, Harry would be unconsciously using his magic to interact with every aspect of the game and the more he used his magic, the more magic his soul created in order to keep up with the demand and the faster it began producing that magic.

His magic was also starting to affect other aspects of the game but the changes were so small that no one really noticed them (traces of his magic staying with those Items he carried in his Inventory or handled on a regular basis even long after he sold or traded them off). At the same time, the young wizard's magic was undergoing changes of its own as the computer code it absorbed and replicated altered the way Harry's magic functioned on a primitive level.

Towards the end of March, after reaching level thirty-five, Harry began to once again enter the various Dungeons on the first five floors in order to collect Items in between delivery jobs. He no longer took on any clients (Tracker James was believed to be dead due to his last client spreading tales of how he'd shattered over the previous months) and any time he went above the third floor he had company in the form of Agil or Kirito but Harry didn't mind in the least. He felt (in some ways) that he had more freedom now than he had had as Tracker James.

Of course, being a child within the game had its drawbacks too.

The ALF, or the Army as they were now called by most Players due to how large the Guild had grown, gave him considerable grief every time he tried to leave Hajimari no Machi or one of the other villages where they had members stationed. He'd had to get extremely creative in his methods of leaving the village as the older Players in the Army went out of their way to keep him and the other children (most of whom were between three and four years older than Harry) inside of the village. Harry understood their reasons for doing so but that didn't make the restrictions they tried to impose on him any more tolerable in his mind.

They even attempted to prevent him from using the Teleport Gates to travel between floors to make deliveries; those that tried were humiliated with creative pranks.

April first of the year twenty-twenty marked the end of Harry's lessons with Kirito, though the two of them still kept in contact. On the eighth, Harry learned that Kirito joined the Black Cats of the Full Moon Guild and he wished the teen good luck in his efforts to help the relatively low leveled Guild Members to grow stronger. Harry, in the mean time, worked towards gaining level forty (which he feared would trigger another torturous glitch because of the significance of the level). He also worked on mastering his last five Skills (which included One Handed Sword, Parry, Light Shield Equipment, Hiding, and Acrobatics – with the first three barely in the four hundreds as the first two were the ones Kirito had chosen to teach him and the third was one Agil had asked him to pick up; so that he could wear higher quality armor to better protect himself).

At the start of the third week of April, Harry took his first solo trip up to the front line since the glitch in order to truly test his Skills so he knew whether or not he could rely upon himself in a sticky situation. Agil had wanted to go with him but Harry had been determined to go alone because he felt he was relying too much on the older man to bail him out if things took a turn for the worse. He did, on the other hand, promise to message Agil if he got into any trouble that he couldn't handle.

Harry returned to the apartment he still shared with Agil in the dead of night five days later seriously injured, physically and magically exhausted, and his HP bar down to a sliver once more (Harry still unaware of his magic) but in no way beaten. As Agil treated and bandaged the twin gashes on his face, Harry regaled the older man with a blow by blow account of his recent adventure with a level of excitement and wonder that he'd not exhibited since he'd been caught in the glitch at level thirty.

"It was amazing, Agil…"


Several days earlier…

Tuesday, April 21, 2020 8:15 AM

Harry stepped into the colossal forest and stared up at the trees with wide eyes. He felt a thread of fear snake its way through his heart as the solitude pressed down on him for a moment (making him feel completely insignificant) but he quickly beat it down as he took the time to appreciate the beauty of the forest Dungeon. After a few minutes, he began moving deeper into the forest, taking care to keep an eye (and an ear) out for any Monsters that were lurking near by.

He'd only been in the forest for two hours when he ran into the scariest Monster he'd faced yet; a Killer Mantis. The giant green monstrosity was easily four times Harry's height and had wicked looking scythes instead of the usual spine like appendages on the ends of its front legs. The thing managed to slice through three of Harry's snare traps when he tried to trap it at the start of the fight and Harry cursed his luck. Knowing he couldn't go toe to toe with the creature (seeing as how he was practically snack size when compared to the Monster), Harry led it on a wild goose chase through the forest as he desperately tried to put enough distance between them so he could set up a pit trap.

Harry spent three hours playing cat and mouse with the giant insect and once the initial fear wore off, he thoroughly enjoyed the challenge that the Mantis provided him. At the end of that three hour chase, Harry managed to tangle the Monster up in a series of snare traps just long enough for him to set up a spiked pit trap. Getting the Killer Mantis to walk right into the trap had been easy too. The problem had been that he hadn't made the pit deep enough and while it did considerable damage to the creature, it didn't kill it but it was at least no longer able to chase after him.

Avoiding the swinging scythes, Harry made his way to the back of the creature and scrambled up onto its back in order to reach its head. He then dealt the death blow to the back of the Monster's head; causing the Killer Mantis to crumple forward, spilling Harry back onto the ground. The moment he was no longer touching the dead Monster, it shattered into millions of pieces and Harry let out a whoop of satisfaction at the success. In all of the excitement over beating what had been a difficult opponent, Harry never even noticed that he'd reached level forty without experiencing another glitch.

Over the next two days, Harry would defeat four more of the giant insectoid Monsters; each defeat taking less time than the previous one and each trap better tailored to the huge Monsters until he'd managed to trap and kill number five without the need to use his dirk to deliver the killing blow.

He'd reached the center of the forest shortly after that final kill and found himself on the edge of a grassy clearing filled with giant moss covered boulders that were nearly as tall as the surrounding trees. On the opposite side of where he'd entered, two of the largest boulders were leaning against each other to form what looked like a huge cavern. Harry hovered on the edge of the clearing for hours after he first stumbled upon it; the nine year old feeling on edge because the clearing just screamed Boss Monster.

Harry spent his fourth day edging his way around the clearing without actually stepping foot inside of it, noting potential hiding places, perfect trap locations, and areas that would be best to avoid so as not to be trapped with no escape. His traps were pretty useless against Boss Monsters but they could be used to slow one down or confuse one just enough to allow him to get close enough to strike out with his dirk. He'd learned that on the many trips he'd taken with Kirito over the past few months. Sure, Harry could have walked away from whatever Boss Monster was lurking within the clearing but that Monster was his entire reason for coming to this forest (well maybe not that exact Monster but one like it).

On the morning of his fifth day, Harry sent a message to Agil letting him know he was going to fight one last Monster before heading back home; conveniently leaving out the fact that it was a Field Boss that he was going to face. He then stepped into the clearing with his dirk held firmly in one gloved hand and a coil of razor wire in the other (a rather sturdy wire that could cut through a tree like a knife through butter that Harry had been saving for a moment like this). The instant he reached the center of the clearing, a mighty roar echoed through the forest as a great moss covered Monster emerged from the depths of the cave.

The beast was huge, standing several feet taller than a Killer Mantis, and its burnished deep green scales glistened in the sunlight that shone into the clearing. The dark brown fur that grew between the scales was streaked green and yellow with moss and tangled to the point that it was matted into thick, rope-like strands in places. It had a long, sinuous body (like that of a snake or a serpent), a long tail tipped with deadly looking blood-red spikes, four stubby legs, and stood on clawed feet that ended in serrated blood-red talons. Its head was a mesh of lizard, dragon, and bird features; sharp horns, long pointed ears, long scaled snout, mouthful of needle sharp teeth, and a beak like protrusion on the tip of its mouth.

Its glowing acid-yellow eyes fixed themselves on Harry at that moment and the creature roared a second time as it unfurled ragged bat-like wings that were covered with long ropy vines of moss and fur on the back of the leathery appendages.

Harry had just stumbled upon the Forest Boss; the Mossy Wyvern.

He only had a few seconds to take in the breathtaking sight of the beast looming over him before it attacked. The wyvern was fast and ferocious as it attacked Harry with mouth, claws, wings, and tail. Its powerful attacks did considerable damage to the boulders lining the clearing each time Harry dodged the attacks and Harry suspected that he'd die a most painful death if the creature managed to catch him with an attack. The first hour of the battle was spent analyzing the wyvern's attack patterns and searching for any weaknesses that the beast might have while Harry continued to dodge each attack.

The next four hours would be spent whittling away at the wyvern's HP using his dirk and an assortment of snare and net traps. Twice, Harry was nearly smashed by foot or tail when he didn't dodge fast enough and twice his still unrecognized magic rose up around him to shield him from the fatal blow. Towards the end of the fifth hour of battle, he scored his first big hit against the creature when he damaged its right eye with a well timed thrust of his dirk. The wyvern had retaliated by raking him across the face with its claws. The pain had triggered another accidental outburst as his magic called down white lightning from the heavens and electrocuted the wyvern in response; dropping the creature's HP down into the red.

Harry had finished it off at that point by driving his dirk into the creature's left eye before wrapping its neck tight with the razor wire and pulling tight as he jumped from the beast's back; the wire slicing through the weaker scales on the underside of the wyvern's neck. Collapsing to the ground, Harry had stared blurrily up at the beast he'd slain as it exploded with the sound of shattering glass just seconds after he'd fallen. A grin had formed on his face as he passed out from a combination of pain and exhaustion at that point.


Present…

Sunday, April 26, 2020 10:25 PM

"…and I didn't wake up until after night had fallen. The Mossy Wyvern was a magnificent creature though, Agil! The way it moved and how fast it could whip around and attack. You should have seen the way his claws ripped through the boulders in the clearing as if they'd been made from butter! I swear his teeth were three times as long as I am tall and sharper than your axe."

"Baka, you could have been killed!" Agil growled as he scowled at Harry.

"No. I wouldn't have died no matter what," Harry countered with quiet conviction, his earlier enthusiasm dimming in the wake of the worry and fear he'd just heard in Agil's voice. "Any time I was about to take a fatal blow, this glowing gold shield would form around me and stop the attack. When the wyvern raked his claws down my face, white lightening shot down out of the sky and hit the Monster; dropping its HP down into the red. It was almost like magic, Agil, the way I won that fight."

"There is no magic in Aincrad, James," Agil insisted as he finished securing the bandages across Harry's face.

"You're wrong," Harry insisted as he turned to stare out the window at the full moon that hung above the skies over Hajimari no Machi. "This entire world is the magic. Where else would you ever find fantastical creatures like the Mossy Wyvern? Inside this game, a person's dreams can come to life and the only thing limiting them is their own strength of will. It's terrible that one man destroyed the wonder of Ken no Sekai by trapping everyone here because this could have been the start of something wonderful. A place where people from all over the world could have come together to share in the wonder that is Aincrad."

"I'm glad to hear that you have finally found yourself again, James."

"What do you mean, Agil?"

"You changed after you got caught up in that glitch and not for the better; and no, I'm not just referring to your Avatar reverting to reflect your physical appearance. It was hard to see you struggle with your fears over the past few months and I'd been afraid that you'd lost far more than your innocence that day. You'd been naught but a shell of your former self up until tonight."

"Oh."

"Lighten up, gaki," Agil admonished with a soft chuckle as he reached out to ruffle Harry's hair. "Now you never did mention what treasures you netted from your fantastical battle with the Mossy Wyvern."

"Oh! You should see the two dozen or so scales I picked up! They're almost as tall as I am and harder than diamonds. I bet they'd make awesome armor or shields! And then I got something that's called the Dragon's Eye but I don't know what it's supposed to do; here, let me show it to you…"


Translations: Japanese to English

Baka – idiot
Gaki – brat
Hajimari no Machi – Starting City or Town of Beginnings
Ken no Sekai – Sword Art Online

Game Terminology:

Dungeon – an area within the game where Players can attack or be attacked by Monsters (or other Players)
Experience Points – the points earned for each quest completed and each Monster killed
Guild – group of Players that work together for a common goal
HP – Hit Points: the number of Life Force/Life Points/Health Points a person has
Party – a group of two or more individuals that work together for a period of time or a set task
SAO – Sword Art Online
Skill Points – Experience points that are applied towards mastery of an in game skill
Sword Skills – programmed movements that initiate attacks within the game


07-09-17: Minor edits made to chapter to fix spelling/grammar mistakes, cleaned up formatting, & removed unnecessary author's notes.