Chapter 9

Author's Note: I pause the story for a couple of days to work on some school stuff, and someone thinks I've killed off the story. If I kill off a story, I'll either delete it, or tell the readers. Trust me.

December 25th 2023

I crept back into Liz's home, a few minutes after midnight. I entered the dark bedroom, thinking I'd pulled it off, but there was a tone, and the light lit up. Liz was standing next to the lamp, pink pajamas on, and her arms crossed. "You're late," she said.

"It's a few minutes," I replied, re-checking the time.

"Still late."

"What are you going to do?" I asked. "Kick me out? I technically own the place."

"How did the quest go?"

"…"

"Not well?"

"No. Ambushed by the Holy Dragon Alliance, and the item only worked a few seconds after death."

"Poor Kirito."

"That's what I thought."

There was a lapse in the conversation as we participated in a small pity session for the kid. "Should we do presents now or in the morning?" she asked, trying to return the conversation to its original casual nature.

"Morning. Right now, I just want to sleep," I said, removing my coat and switching my pants to soft pajamas. I collapsed face first into the pillow. She chuckled, switching off the light again. She crawled into bed next to me, nestling her forehead into my side. I turned onto my back, drawing her closer, and fell asleep.

I woke up to Liz shouting "It's Christmas!" right in my ear. I groaned, turning on my side, trying to fall back asleep. Liz laughed, shaking my side. "Wake up! C'mon, wake up!"

"Jeez," I said, rubbing my opening eyes. "You're like a little kid again."

"Oh, dear husband. I think you have me confused with someone else. I never grew up."

"One of the reasons I love you," I said, sitting up. Liz was bouncing slightly on the bed, biting her lip in anticipation. Very cute. "Well, go ahead. You're certainty excited enough." She grinned, jumping off the mattress and grabbing a wrapped gift from under it. She shoved the thing in my hands, then sat back down. I carefully unwrapped the box, then opened it.

There was a mass of black fabric in the box, which I pulled out. It unfolded into the shape of a torso. It was a sweater. I turned it around and nearly laughed. There was a skull sewn into the fabric, white felt over the black fabric.

"Do you like it?" she asked, her eyes filled with anticipation.

"I love it," I said, laying it on the bed. Her eyes filled with confusion.

"You're not going to put it on?"

"Well, I was going to get your-." She cut me off by picking up the sweater and throwing it onto my head.

"What's that? I can't hear you over the sound of that sweater you're going to put on."

"Alright, alright," I said, slipping the sweater over my shirt. I stretched my arms out, modeling it. "Good?"

"Perfect," she said. "Now! What'd you get me?"

"I didn't have time to wrap it, so you'll have to close your eyes," I said. She playfully covered her eyes with her hands, and I went to a hole in the wall, covered by a simple painting I'd bought specifically to cover the hole. I grabbed the present from the cubby in the wall, resealing the hiding spot and getting back into bed. "Open up."

Her hands shot away, and she glanced around, expecting something big. But all I had in my hand, was a necklace.

It had a gold chain, and the pendant appeared to be a flame. The tufts of flame at the top were made of diamonds, giving the appearance of outermost part of fire being white. The core, however, was where the cool bit was. It was a volcanic rune, the stone I'd brought to her the first day we'd met, and it was bright red.

"Whoa!" she shouted, taking it out of my hands. "It's…It's beautiful."

"And it's got a couple of boosts," I said. "The main one being plus 10% luck when forging." Her eyes lit up even more. She turned her back, raising up her hair.

"Put it on me," she said. I chuckled. She could have just equipped it, but she wanted me to do the honors. I took the latch from her and connected it at the back of her neck. She turned around, her eyes lit up with joy. She leaned forward, catching my lips with hers. We stayed like that for a while. There were no efforts to deepen the kiss. There was no rush. There was just the contentment of being together.

Eventually, she leaned back, breaking the connection. There was a pause, and then I slapped the mattress, rising to my feet. "Time for breakfast," I said, heading for the door.

"You're going to cook?" she asked, no doubt thinking of the tasteless sandwiches I'd made the last time I entered the kitchen.

"I've been practicing for weeks! You're not stealing this from me!"

(X)

December 31st 2023

Liz and I, like many couples, were gathered around the large clock in the town square of Panarze on floor 24. We were waiting for New Years, and the subsequent New Year's kisses that would follow. "I'm nervous," said Liz, rubbing her fist into her other hand.

"Why?" I asked. "It's not like we haven't kissed before," I said.

"Yeah," she replied, not looking at me. "But never in public like this."

"When have you ever been bashful?" I asked.

"I was more worried about you," she replied, starting to warm up. "Who will fear Death if they know he's got such a beautiful wife?"

"Fear and Jealousy go hand in hand."

"True." We glanced back up as the clock hit the one-minute mark. "It's almost time. There's something really romantic about the first act of a year being kissing the one you love."

"Agreed. Although…" There was a pause.

"What?"

"Isn't there something sweet in it being the last thing you do in a year as well?" I leaned down, my arm wrapping around her waist as the clock hit 15. "The last words I say of 2023 are…" Just before our lips connected, I whispered. "I love you, Lisbeth."

The clock struck midnight, and there were vague sounds of cheering around us, but I was lost in the kiss. There was a burning in my chest, the coolness of the air freezing my body as the connection warmed my heart. I got lost in that fuzzy passion that dared to challenge the cold weather.

February 23rd, 2024

I was heading back to the Teleport gate when I got a message from Kirito. "Hey, can you help me?"

"What with?" I sent back. The kid was pretty freaking strong, only a level lower than me. If it was something big, I wanted to know.

"There's this kid I found, and she needs help reviving her pet. I'd do it, but I'm busy."

"Doing what?"

"None of your business." Woah. Bit of a rude response, but I'd respect his privacy.

"Where should I meet the two of you?"

"Hill of Memories. Tomorrow morning. It'll just be her."

"I'll be there. Who should I look for?"

"Small girl. Brown hair. Two pigtails. Red tunic. Name's Silica."

"Does she know who she's looking for?"

"No. Try not to scare her."

"You could just tell her."

"Where's the fun in that?"

(X)

I was standing in the field of flowers, waiting for someone who fitted the description to come through the gate. I glanced around at the couples walking around. I'd have to take Liz here.

Liz was currently on a three day quest to get some ores. I would have gone with her, but Asuna volunteered first. The gate glowed, and my eyes were attracted to it, watching as a small girl who fitted my description walked out of the gate and immediately was attracted to the flowers. She bent down, smiling and laughing at the plants. I walked over, and I heard her cry out "It's like a dream!" I walked up behind her, tapping her on the shoulder. She jumped slightly, turning around. She took in my appearance.

"Are you Silica?" I asked. She seemed a bit stunned, staring blatantly at my outfit, and the contrasting background. I waved my hand in front of her face, and she shook her head, returning to reality.

"Yes. Okay…Are you Kirito's friend?"

"I am. Shall we get going?"

"Sure."

We walked up to the bridge, pausing just before we left the safe zone. I stopped, turning to her. "One thing before we get out here. I don't know how strong you are, but if you need my help, it's not much. So I'm going with you on one condition. You do whatever I say, when I say it."

"O-of course-."

"I don't think you know what that entails. If I tell you to fight, you fight with all you have. If I tell you to hide, you must never be seen. If I tell you to run and leave me behind to die," I said, pulling out a teleport crystal, "you use this to go to whatever town you want, and forget about me."

"But-."

"Promise me."

"I-I promise." She took the crystal.

"Then let's get going." I walked ahead, but she still didn't move. "Well, come on."

"Why are you doing this?"

"What?"

"Why help me?"

To be honest…I wasn't sure.

"Kirito's my friend, and this is a favor. And…" The word slipped out before I could stop it. Damn it.

"And?"

"You kind of look like my cousin." I turned before she could press the issue, and I heard her footsteps start to follow. I wasn't wrong. She was Amy in front of me, as if she'd put a brown wig over her long black hair, replaced her glasses with contacts, and gotten an inch shorter. It kind of bothered me, seeing someone so close to me in this Death Game.

"I'm sorry, I don't even know your name."

"Not many people earn that." I shot a sideways glance at her downtrodden face. "But we'll see about you. We're the only two here, so if you talk, I'll know you're talking to me."

"But-." Two tendrils shot out, grabbing her around the ankles and yanking her up into the air. I turned, recognizing the weak Plant Man monster. It looked menacing, but I'd seen level 30s take it out. It was holding her aloft, upside down above its head, but she was more concerned about keeping her skirt up than fighting. It roared, and she screamed, waving her dagger around wildly.

"Calm down," I called. "It's really weak! Just hit it."

"Save me! Don't look, but save me!"

"That's not possible."

"S-stupid thing…That's enough!" she muttered, grabbing one of the tendrils and swiping her dagger through it. She reached up, cutting the other tendril before falling down with a shout and a sword skill. The Plant Man exploded and Silica landed on her feet. "Did you see?" she asked me.

I raised an eyebrow. "Nope."

As we walked, I grew more comfortable in her ramblings about the feathered dragon Pina, and the real life cat equivalent. I told her about Lisbeth, the 'crazy blacksmith I stumbled into and married. In that order.' I drew my bandanna down as she asked a question. "Can I ask about your cousin?"

"Why?" I responded, knocking aside the Venus fly trap with my scythe. It shot back, and I sprung forward, chopping its head off. "All of a sudden?"

"You said I look like her." She looked at her feet as we continued, refusing to look me in the eye. "I know it's impolite to ask about the real world, but would it be alright?" I shut my eyes, deciding carefully what to tell her.

"I grew up in Japan, but my parents are American, and so is she. My father got a job here while my mother was pregnant with me, and they moved here, leaving their family behind. She still visits us, every summer. I take her around, show her the sights."

"Bet your friends like her," she said.

"I…I don't have many friends. But yeah, the old lady next door adores her." I let her have the next monster, and recovered from the slight emotional toll talking about Amy put me through. She sliced up along its height, splitting the beast in half, and I smiled as the congratulations screen informed her she'd leveled up to 45. She smiled, stalking ahead…and activated a trap.

Pink tendrils sprouted from the ground, enveloping her. A purple tube rose from the ground, raising her up in a mass of flesh. She screamed once before I could slice it up with my scythe. She fell down, letting out an "Ouch" as she hit the ground. She grinned before clapping her hands around her skirt again. I let out a laugh, raising my head after my first good laugh in a while. I looked at her indignant face, a grin still on my face.

"Seth," I said.

"What?"

"My name. It's Seth."

(X)

We walked up the last hill, seeing the monument in the distance. "The flower of revival is here?" she asked, looking around.

"Yeah, should be up there," I said, pointing. She ran up, and I walked slowly behind her as the monument glowed, the flower sprouting out of the light. She looked back at me, and I nodded encouragingly as she plucked the flower. It added itself to her inventory, the menu displaying "Pneuma Flower".

"This will bring Pina back?" she asked.

"It should. Let's head back to town first, though. It might not work if it's not in a safe zone, and I don't want to go through the dungeon again."

"Yeah." We started on the way back.

(X)

We were halfway across the bridge when there was a shout. "Wait!" I turned around, seeing Kirito running up behind us. He passed between us, looking at the trees in front of us. "Whoever's behind those trees, come out!"

"Were you following us?" I asked.

"Sorry," he said. "I used the two of you as bait." A red-haired woman walked out from behind the tree, cradling a polespear. "And it seems that it worked."

"R-Rosalia?" asked Silica.

"Friend of yours?" I asked.

"Old party member."

"If you can see through my hiding skill, your detection skill must be quite high, Swordsman. It appears the girl managed to retrieve the Pneuma Flower. Congratulations. Now hand it over."

"W-What are you talking about?" asked Silica.

"That's not going to happen, Rosalia," I said, stepping up to where Kirito had made a stand in front of us.

"Or should we refer to you by your title, Leader of the orange guild, Titan's Hand?" asked Kirito.

"But she's green!" shouted Silica.

"It's a simple trick. The green players assess a group, and lead them into a trap that the yellow players set," said Kirito, still staring down Rosalia. "That was one of your friends listening to us last night, right?" I raised my eyebrows. Nobody had told me that.

"Then, the reason we were in the same party for two weeks…" muttered Silica.

"That's right," said Rosalia. "I was assessing its strength, while waiting for them to earn money from adventures. You were the prey I was most anticipating. It was unfortunate that you left, but then you said you were getting a rare time. However, you knew all that," she said, talking to Kirito, "and you sent your friend into danger, and then came back yourself. Are you an idiot? Or did she actually seduce the both of you?"

"No, neither of the above," Kirito said confidently. "I've been searching for you, Rosalia."

"What are you talking about?"

"Ten days ago, you attacked a guild called the Silver Flags. Four people, all but the leader, died."

"Oh, the ones with no money…"

"Their leader went from the warp point to the front lines, from morning to night, begging someone to avenge them. But he didn't want you killed. He wanted someone to jail you. Can you understand how he felt?"

"Nope…What kind of idiot would take this seriously? There's no proof that killing someone here means they die in real life. Anyway, shouldn't you be more concerned for yourselves?" she asked, clicking her fingers. 7 more people emerged from the trees, all but one of them yellow.

"Silica, get back," I said.

"But-."

"Silica. Get. Back." I said. "Get the crystal ready, just in case."

"There are too many!"

"Aw, you think they're a threat. Just give us a minute," I said, drawing my scythe. I gestured to the space between us and the men. "Shall I?" I asked. Kirito shrugged his shoulders, and I took that to mean 'Go ahead'. I walked forward, raising my bandanna and I could hear the whispers among the men.

"Black jacket…can't see his face…scythe…Could it be…The Reaper?"

"Rosalia, this is the beater who transforms and solos bosses…He's in the lead group!"

"Someone from the lead group wouldn't be down here! Go get him, and take everything he owns!" The players readied their weapons, and sprung forward.

The first attack was a diagonal slice that I sidestepped. The second was a stab that I deflected with my scythe, shoving it to the side. The third was a slice at my head that I ducked under, staying down to dodge the fourth and fifth. The sixth I had to jump over, using my opponents head to push off and over the seventh attack. It didn't take long for the battle to devolve into mindless swinging, and me deflecting and dodging without having to even think about what I was doing. It was just instinct.

After about a minute, they were standing in a circle around me, breathing heavily. "C'mon guys, stop trying to hit me and hit me!" I said, spinning in a circle. "No? No takers?" I grinned widely. "60 attacks in as many seconds, none of them hits. Pathetic."

"What's going on?" one asked.

"Why can't we hit him?"

"It's simple really," I replied. "Movements here are only as fast as you can think, and your agility stat will allow. I simply think faster than you, and, not to brag, but my stats are all VERY high."

"Yes," said Rosalia, her gaze shifting. "But I'm guessing poor Silica's aren't." That did it.

I was little more than a blur as I dashed behind her, using the small handle on my scythe to hold the blade to the woman's throat. "Give an order," I spat out, "and I'll show you why they call me the Reaper."

"My client spent his entire fortune to buy this corridor crystal. It's set to take you to prison. You're all going there!" Kirito shouted, glancing around at the men that once surrounded me.

Rosalia gripped her spear tighter, hissing out to me. "If you hurt a green player, you'll turn yellow."

I drew the blade even closer to her throat. "I'm solo. I'd only have one person to explain myself to, and I don't think she'd care. So go ahead. Give me a reason." I touched the cold steel blade to her throat, not pressing hard enough to activate an attack. "I'm begging you." She slowly dropped the pole spear, letting it hit the ground. I removed the blade, shoving her forward. "Do it, Kirito."

(X)

After throwing Titan's Hand into the portal, we all entered the safe zone. Kirito and Silica headed for the town, but I started for the teleport gate. "Wait!" Silica shouted, coming up behind me. I turned to see her slightly confused face. "You're not coming?"

"I'm Death. I don't really do life," I replied.

She chuckled. "But that's just an act, right?"

I turned my head slightly, refusing to look her in the eyes. "Yeah. Just an act…" She didn't understand that I needed this act to keep me sane in this world. I was surprised when she sprung forward, throwing her arms around my waist.

"Thank you, anyway. Pina and I'll come visit you!"

"Yeah…Sure. Thanks, Silica."