A/N: All right, here's the chapter where one of Mataras' first big secrets comes out in the open. I hope that not only you enjoy the chapter, but also find the reveal to be a good one. Please leave a review, and if you want to contact me, don't hesitate to message me!


Dragon Blood

They were in the caves in their selected groups. It had been decided ahead of time that they would travel in groups of four, the exception being the Furinkazan Guild, who refused to separate from one another. As such, Asuna had elected to accompany Kirito's guild.

They were at the vanguard of the larger group, while Heathcliff took his best at the other position of maximum danger, the rearguard. If the Laughing Coffin somehow saw them coming, they would be likely to try an attack with a surprise from the rear.

"The last time I was here to do reconnaissance, they were all in a cleared zone just past those pillars," Mataras said, keeping his voice low. A cleared zone was a rare occurrence in the world of Aincrad where a spawning point had been cleared so many times that the system didn't generate mobs in that area anymore, so it might as well have been a safe zone, save for the fact that players could still die in them if a mob followed them there. Or if another player decided to attack them. "The camp itself is pretty shabby, but I-"

"Look out!" Sachi screamed as she tackled Mataras out of the way from a flying knife. "Ambush!" she shouted at the rest of the people. The group instantly found themselves surrounded by fifty or so red players, all giggling and wielding nasty-looking swords and knives.

Mataras sprang to his feet and drew his sword from his back and spun it in a quick circle. He and his guild mates had gone on some dangerous quests specifically to acquire their current gear specifically for this mission.

The Black Swordsman was now dressed with a black coat that bore some white lines, called the Black Wyrm Coat. The shirt he wore underneath bore a silver crescent moon. His sword was a matching pattern, with a black blade and white edges: the Elucidator. Kirito was the white knight in black armor, ready to defend the players of Aincrad from those that would do them harm.

Sachi was now known as the Blue Swordmaiden, dressed in a blue jacket that buttoned together at the neck with mid-length sleeves and a hemline that fell down to her knees. Her garment bore a black crescent moon that was positioned just above her left breast. Her sword was a silver color with a blue, crescent-shaped cross guard: the sword known as the Moon Slayer. The rest of her clothes were also a dark blue, even her shoes. She was the angel that carried sorrow, ready to fight alongside her comrades, but bearing in mind those that had fallen.

Then there was Mataras- the Red Swordsman, armed with the blade, Guilty Thorn. His red jacket was made of what felt like light leather, open in the front with twin coattails that fell to his calves. His blood-red shirt bore the black crescent moon symbol of the guild, positioned on the middle of his chest. However, what set him most apart from anyone else present was the red-and-orange dragon perched on his shoulder, growling at the Laughing Coffin members.

But his eyes were perhaps the most frightening thing that many of his comrades had ever seen, though his enemies seemed unfazed. They were like twin tornado clouds: dark, yet flashing dangerously, waiting to be unleashed. He was the berserker warrior just waiting for the opportunity to unleash all of the pent-up rage that he had contained up until that point.

"Laughing Coffin," Asuna began. "We have you outnumbered with the intent of arresting you. If you surrender peacefully-" Needless to say, the red players weren't interested in surrendering peacefully. They attacked the assault team, forcing Asuna to stop talking and fight against the player-killers.

Mataras was nothing short of brutal in the encounter. To the shock of both friends and foes, his sword suddenly began to move in attack patterns all his own, unassisted and unrestrained by the game's skill engine. The sword didn't even glow as he moved between his enemies in ways that no one had even thought were possible. His dragon assisted him by distracting the murderers with fire breath attacks, causing them to take on burn conditions and dealing them some serious damage.

Whenever one of the murderers rose to challenge him, he beat them down and killed them without mercy or hesitation. Others yelled at him to stop the senseless violence, but their pleas fell on deaf ears. His primordial side was now in full control of his sword, and the violence he employed was tremendous.


Laughing Coffin started out with more than fifty members. By the time the slaughter was over, only ten remained alive, eight bound by ropes, and two of them having escaped. Kirito, Asuna, and Sachi were wiped, both physically and mentally. Mataras was the only one of the group still standing as he asked, "How many did we lose?"

"None," Klein said with relief as soon as he checked his menu. "We all made it."

"Good…" the boy said as he swayed, seemingly unsteady.

"Mataras?" Kirito asked as he placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Are you alright?"

The Red Swordsman seemed to shake himself from a thought and he nodded sharply. "I'm fine. Let's just get out of here."

As they walked out of the dungeon, Sachi approached Mataras to speak to him privately. "Mataras, how are you really feeling right now?"

The boy snorted, almost as if amused. "I feel fine," he replied shortly.

"I know that's a lie," Sachi shot back, surprising Mataras with her assertiveness. "I've known you long enough to know when something is bothering you."

"Hmph," he scowled.

"Are you regretting having to kill those people?" Sachi guessed.

The only response Mataras gave for a moment was to let out a short bark of laughter. "No," he finally said. "I regret none of my actions today. Those scumbags forfeited their right to live by trying to play God and decide who lives and dies. They needed to be killed, and I do not regret the need to excise them from this world."

"But aren't you doing the same thing by killing them?" Sachi challenged.

Mataras let out a hefty sigh and muttered, "My morals may be different than the general population, but they are still in effect. People like Laughing Coffin lack morals of any kind. That is what sets us apart."

For a moment, Sachi was simply speechless. Then: "You've got to be one of the strangest people I've ever known. You are capable of so much kindness, and yet you can cut down another human being without even blinking."

"I don't pretend to be a righteous judge passing sentence," Mataras replied cryptically. "I simply see myself as Justice's weapon, meant to be swung at anyone that comes within the range of breaking the laws of the world. If nothing else, at least I have the stomach to do what everyone else hopes to do, but cannot bring themselves to accomplish because of their self-doubt, wondering if they are really justified."

"You may be right, Mataras, but I still can't believe that killing other people doesn't have any kind of effect on you," Sachi sighed. "I think that some part of you must have died in order for you to say those things, let alone believe them."

"You… are right about that," Mataras admitted. "Much of my heart died a while back, and now all I have left is the memories of what it once felt like to love someone more than anything, and to be loved the same way in return."

"We do love you, Mataras," Sachi replied instantly. "Kirito and I. We're family, us three, helping one another in this death game."

The ghost of a smile touched Mataras' lips, but his eyes were marked with grief. "I do appreciate you saying that, Sachi," he replied. "And I say this without any intention of offending, but it's not the same, really."

"The same as what?" Sachi asked in earnest.

"The same as… the love… my sister and I once shared together…" Mataras' words were barely audible.

"Oh…" Sachi said. "You mentioned her before a few times. And… You said that she had died. But… what happened to her? I know you said you didn't want to talk about it before, but maybe letting something out will bring some closure."

"No," Mataras said, his face paling like it had the last time Sachi asked about his sister.

"Mataras, you're scaring me," Sachi begged. "In some ways, you're becoming more open, but in others, it seems like you've become even colder than before, ever since I asked you about her."

"Please…" he said, his voice tightening further. "Just drop it."

"I can't, Mataras," Sachi said as she placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "I said it before, and I'll say it again: I love you, like a dear brother. Please, let me be a sister to you. You took me in because I reminded you of Victoria. Let me keep reminding you of how much your sister loved you, even to the end."

"I don't know that she loved me at the end," Mataras smiled humorlessly, his eyes going dead as he spoke. "I'm the reason she was killed."

"What were her last words to you?" Sachi asked. "Just tell me that."

"She couldn't speak at the end," he said, his eyes shut tight as he stopped walking. "Her throat was cut open and she bled out. She died because she resisted the men holding us at knifepoint, because I was too afraid to act first. I was afraid that if I was to kill those men, then I'd be no better than them.

"But I killed them anyway," Mataras said. "I killed the three men that held us with their blades. If we weren't in the virtual world, I would show you the scar on the left side of my jaw, where the knife cut me. Victoria was unconscious by the time I was done with them, and by the time I got to the hospital, she was gone.

"The strange thing is, I don't care that I killed them now," Mataras said as he stared down at his hands. "I don't care if they had families or loved ones. I don't care if they were in a desperate place. I don't care if they were in a gang, or if a gang was forcing them to collect. The only person I cared about up until that point died that day. That is my sole regret of my actions that day- that I was too slow to realize that sometimes inflicting death is necessary in order to protect those that you care about."

For a long moment, Sachi could say nothing at all. When she finally could speak again, it was a single question that she could manage. "So… What do you care about now?"

Mataras closed his eyes, and his face returned back to the grim mask he had been wearing. "I care… about you, Sachi," he admitted. "And Kirito. And, dare I say it, I even care about Asuna, too. But I know that if I lose anyone close to me again, what little is left of my heart will be drowned out in despondence- forever. And that is something I don't want.

"I just hope that somehow, someday, I can learn to share in regrets like the rest of you. Maybe then I'll feel… human again." Not a word was spoken by either of them after that.


Later on that day, it was decided that the assault team could take the rest of the week off. Many of them had been through extensive mental trauma during the assault, and the leaders of the guilds all agreed for once on the course of action.

The Moonlit Black Cats were each sitting on their chairs at the kitchen in silence. It was a long moment before Kirito finally stirred and said, "I hope we never have to do that again." He was obviously troubled by the actions that they'd had to take that day. Mataras guessed that it stemmed from him having to kill two players himself.

"Me neither," Mataras nodded. "I know that I was the one to suggest the raid, but I mostly did it because I didn't think anybody else would have the guts to do it."

"For what it's worth, I think you're right," Sachi said quietly. "But I still wish that we didn't have to do it." Neither one of them said anything about their earlier conversation. Both of them had an unspoken agreement that it would have to wait until later, as both sides of the argument were still dealing with some considerable pain, and it would not be wise to continue the debate in such an emotional state.

"We're the front lines," Mataras said with a dry smile. "We're supposed to do what everyone else is too scared to. Feels like we're either on a pedestal or the whipping dogs."

"Both titles come with drawbacks," Kirito muttered. "As beaters, people hate us. But take someone like Asuna, a fiercely attractive girl on the front lines, and she ends up with stalkers and the like."

"Hmm…" Mataras grinned slightly, as did Sachi.

"What?" Kirito asked, a puzzled look on his face.

"Nothing," the others said.

Before Kirito could press the matter any further, there was a knock at the door. The Black Swordsman got up to answer it, and was surprised to see Asuna standing there with a shy smile on her face.

"Hi there, Kirito," she said. "Is it okay if I come in for a bit?"

"Of course," he said after he recovered his composure. "How come you're down here on Floor Two?"

"I wanted to check on how you all were doing," she replied as she walked into the dining room. "We are a team, after all, aren't we?"

"Of course," Sachi said with a warm-yet-tired smile. "But now I feel bad that we didn't think to check on you today. Sorry, Asuna."

"Don't worry about it," the Lightning Flash replied easily. She sat down as Kirito pulled out a seat for her and said, "If you've been hanging out with these two for a while, you're bound to forget something unless it's a sword skill."

"Says the one that didn't even know how to tag team on the first boss raid," Mataras muttered just loud enough for her to hear.

"Says the one that forgets to pack his own lunch," Asuna shot back.

"Ms. Kettle? Miss Pot called- she says you're black," the Red Swordsman said with a raised eyebrow. "I seem to recall teaching you how to improve on the taste of bread back then. If anything, your pursuit of cooking is thanks to Kirito and I."

"Yeah, but nowadays, you guys are happy just not to burn water, Sachi says," the chestnut-haired girl retorted.

"Yeah, well…" Kirito muttered. "How else are we supposed to get you to come and visit us?" As soon as the words left his mouth, Kirito knew that he'd made a mistake. Asuna's face flared red and she reached across the table to slap the boy, only being prevented by the system's safety mode.

"Sorry!" Kirito protested. "That came out wrong!"

"Really?" Mataras smirked maliciously. "How else were you supposed to say that?" Asuna's glare shifted back to the boy in red, who kept his smirk in place. Kirito groaned to himself, clearly uncomfortable.

Sachi took pity on her teammates and got Asuna's attention by saying, "So, Asuna, what do you plan to do with your next few days?"

"I'm planning on getting my rapier repaired by a friend of mine tomorrow," the other girl replied. "Her name is Lisbeth, and she's really handy with her tools. I always got to her for weapons maintenance."

"She's better than an NPC?" Kirito asked curiously.

Asuna nodded, he previous annoyance forgotten. "She actually maintains my new rapier." Asuna patted her Lambent Light affectionately.

"Can she make swords?" Kirito was now very interested. "Good ones?"

"As long as she has the right materials," Asuna nodded again.

"Sweet," Kirito nodded. "I know what I'm doing tomorrow. Where is this shop, anyways? I'd like to check it out tomorrow, if it's cool with you guys."

"Sure," Asuna agreed with a small smile. "How about we meet up for lunch on floor forty-eight, and I'll take you there afterwards?"

"Yeah," Kirito nodded. "I think that sounds good. We may check out the town for a bit while we wait tomorrow, but we'll be at the town square by noon. We haven't really been there since we cleared out the dungeon on that floor." The group fell into a contented silence for a little while. However…

"Actually, one of the main reasons I'm here is to talk to you, Mataras," Asuna said, suddenly catching him off-guard. "What was that you did when we were fighting Laughing Coffin?"

"To what are you referring?" Mataras replied uneasily.

"I'm talking about how you killed more than twenty people without even activating a sword skill," Asuna shot back. "Come to think of it, you actually did the same thing when we faced Illfang together- you never once used a sword skill."

Mataras sighed, knowing he was caught. "All right," he said. "I will tell you the truth, so long as you swear not to speak of this to anyone else unless I reveal the information publicly." Asuna swore to keep his secret.

Mataras sighed heavily again and said, "When I first logged in… I was given an extra skill by random: Dragon Blood."

"What is that?" Asuna asked, extremely curious.

"It's a skill that disables all my other attack skills whenever I have it activated," Mataras began. "And then I can use my weapon and body however I want without using another skill. The damage I generate is calculated by how fast and hard I swing my blade, and where I hit my target. As far as I know, I'm the only one that has this skill."

Asuna's jaw was hanging open, and it took her a moment to find her voice. "Y-you're not bound by the system? How…?"

"Like I said, I don't know," Mataras replied with a shrug. "I just opened my menu the day of the launch and saw that I had the extra skill, and a message explaining everything I just told you. It also said that I had been chosen as 'the lucky one of ten thousand to wield the dragon's power'. It has a certain sense of irony, seeing as I ended up with a dragon familiar." He scratched Litrosh's belly as it slept on the couch behind him. "And before you ask, no, my having a dragon has nothing to do with this skill as far as I know."

"But… why would you…?"

"My guess is that Kayaba gave out this skill at random, much like he gave your commander the Divine Blade," Mataras replied. "And it does beg the questions: how many of these unique skills are there? And who else has them?"


"Kirito, are you sure that's wise?" Mataras murmured, checking over his shoulder to make sure that Sachi was really asleep. It was late at night, and Asuna had long since left. "Buy a new sword and then not even equip it? Somebody will raise their eyebrows at some point or another if you don't at least store the elucidator, especially Asuna. She already figured me out, so you're probably next if you're not careful."

Kirito shook his head firmly. "I'll be fine," he insisted. "Not that many people know that I'm going to be buying a new sword anyway. Just the four of us."

"Yeah, but not even Sachi knows about yours, and I only found out by accident, same as you." Mataras' frown was plain to see, even in the dark. "You should at least consider equipping your new weapon."

"I might," Kirito nodded. "It just really depends on whether or not it's better than my elucidator or not."

Mataras shrugged and fell back on the bed, his arm protectively laid on Sachi's shoulder. "It's your funeral if anyone else finds out," he muttered before he fell asleep.

"I could say the same about you," Kirito chuckled.


The next morning, the small guild decided to split up for a few hours and meet back up at the predetermined time. Mataras wandered around aimlessly, letting his feet choose their own path as they willed. His thoughts blurred with the memories of the deaths that he'd inflicted as he walked alone. He still felt no remorse for his actions, but he still feared that his friends might view him as some kind of sociopathic monster, especially Sachi, after their argument.

He had done what he had needed to do, and he kept telling himself that if he had to lose his friends, the lives that he'd saved would be worth it. But would it, really? he wondered to himself, pushing the door open to a random shop.

As soon as he walked in, a cheerful voice called out, "Welcome to Lisbeth's Blacksmith Shop! Anything sharp is welcome to be sold or bought here!"


Kirito: Well... That was intense. But at least things ended on a light note, right?

Sachi: True. And it seems that Mataras isn't the only one hiding something, right Kirito...?

Kirito: Uh...

Asuna: Oh come on! We all know what his ace trick is!

Mataras: True, but it's still taboo to reveal future details like that one, even everyone already knows.

Asuna: How does that even make sense?!

Mataras: Who said it had to?!

Asuna: I'm about to quit this segment!

Sachi: I get the feeling that a lot of people would be disappointed by that...