Sampson and Lisbeth were of course the first to arrive though, several days before the others who had to travel out of the mountains to ride their pegasi to the city. When Sampson and Lisbeth rode in on a dragon, there was a moment of fear and panic among the players in Newberg.

They landed in the central courtyard of the town, and players there drew arms, ready to fight. They all sighed in relief though, as Sampson hopped from the dragon's back, followed shortly after by Lisbeth. The player sheathed their weapons, and a couple of them moved up to greet the two. Once they were finished, the dragon they rode in on roared, and flew up into the air, leaving the town.

"Should we be worried about that?" Sampson asked as he watched it fly away.

Lisbeth shook her head. "I told her to fly to Eastown," she said. "I figure I'll meet up with her there if I need her again."

"Are they all female?" Sampson asked curiously.

Lisbeth shook her head. "They were produced with repopulation in mind, though. Most of them are female, about ninety-five percent, but not all of them." Lisbeth stretched as she walked through the town. When she did, her large wings and tail also stretched out, before shrinking down in size and merging into her back, and along her leg. They appeared now as tattoos.

"Lisbeth," Sampson said, watching her. "Can you… fly?"

Lisbeth smirked, and nodded to him. "I can fly," she said. She held up her right hand, and it lit with fire. "I gained flame sorcerer mastery automatically, and my class was changed to an advanced class."

"Advanced class?" Sampson asked, looking at her. Lisbeth flicked her fingers, and the character display was swiped over to Sampson. He read it aloud. "Level one hundred and two… Dragon Paladin. Special abilities… Paladin Mode, Fist of the Dragon, Divine Fire. Immune to fire attacks, cold and magic resistance… Lisbeth. You're the most powerful player in the game right now."

Lisbeth smiled and nodded. "I bet there will be more soon," she said. "…more advanced classes meant for player bosses. And the bonus ability to control my brood of dragons comes with it all."

"Lisbeth," Sampson said. The two of them had reached their destination, their home on the far southern edge of town. It was untouched by the flames of Smuldur during the attack. He stopped her, and held her hands close to him. "I know what happened, and I can't imagine—"

Lisbeth pulled her hands away and held one open palm up to him. "Just stop there," Lisbeth said. "I'm fine. I mean it. When I was Smuldur's bride, it's like I wasn't myself, like it was some dream and the real me was asleep, waiting to be woken up. I remember everything, but none of it was particularly awful. The magic involved made it all very… unreal. And in some strange way, I think I might have actually enjoyed it…"

"Enjoyed it?"

Lisbeth nodded. "Like I said, it was like a dream. And in that dream I got to be a queen of dragons. The only difference is that I woke up with all these extra powers." She put her hand on him, cupping his cheek, and looked him in the eye. "I don't want you to feel sorry for me, or about what happened. I feel no pain, physical or emotional from this. I just want to get back to our life together, get married, and when we wake up, to move to the US and in with you."

Sampson nodded. "Actually," he said. "I was thinking I was getting bored of the US… that I might rather go to Japan."

"Oh, well. I think I would like that better." Lisbeth chuckled a bit as she pulled her hand away and went inside. "Now… we've got a wedding to plan. We'll schedule it for the day Kirito and the others get back. I wouldn't want them to miss out."

September 31st, 2030

When Kirito and his group returned more than two weeks later, they were welcomed as heroes. People on the outskirts saw them coming, and rode back in to tell everyone of their arrival. When they entered the city streets, players cheered them on, and flowers were thrown at the hooves of their mounts. When she saw this, Asuna got off of her horse, and walked down the streets ahead of the group, waving to the crowd and giving a greeting and a thanks to those who were closest.

"Look at her," Sinon said to Kirito. "Something changed, but I'm not sure what. She was so miserable for a few days, but now she's enthusiastic and cheerful."

Kirito nodded, and smiled at Sinon. "I'm glad," he said. "I still don't quite understand what got into her, but I'm glad she's better now." As Kirito went on ahead, joining Asuna in greeting the crowd, Sinon walked quietly, thinking about what had happened, and wondering if she should tell Kirito what she saw. If she did, she thought, would it really be helping?

Eulsam, being the unofficial leader of the Kingdom of Newberg, rode ahead of the two of them, to the town's center to make the official announcement, and debrief the players on their mission. Players shook his hand and exchanged high fives as he stepped up onto the wall of a fountain. "Kingdom of Newberg!" he shouted over the cheers. "We have indeed returned victorious! We have good news… but we also have bad news." At that, the crowd quieted a little. "We stormed the Dragon's Nest, and killed a considerable number of dragons. We rescued Lisbeth, who has rejoined the player base. We engaged Smuldur in combat, and obtained the Sands of Time from his lair! Sadly… Smuldur is not dead." The players went silent, and looked up, a worry growing in their expressions. "Smuldur is still out there somewhere," he said, and then shouted louder as he threw his fist through the air. "Running away like a little scared puppy!" The cheering kicked up again. "…and we expect that he'll never come within a hundred miles of our city again! Nor will his dragons!" Eulsam pointed to his group, and waved them all over to him. "Give it up for the dragon slayers!"

After a short while, the group headed into the town's central fortress, where the guards even cheered them once they were inside. It wasn't until they reached the briefing room that they were able to relax in quiet. "Okay," Eulsam said. "We did pretty good, but the dragon was one of many threats. And he is still out there. We need to prepare, so we know what to do if he comes back."

"What was all that out there, then?" Klein asked. "I thought we were still celebrating."

"Morale is important, especially after such a devastating attack like the one Smuldur inflicted on the city." Eulsam sat at the head of the long table, and looked down at the map that was shown across it. Another two members of the Protectors Guild entered the room. "You've got news, I take it?"

"Yes," one of them said. "The most pressing matters first, as always. Our scouts have been looking for more Red-Handed bases… sorry, Order of the Red Hand bases—"

"Let's just keep calling them the RH. It's easier," said Eulsam.

"Alright," the man continued. "They've found three major ones. Another one in the Dune Sea, one in the Northern Mountains, and there are rumors of a third somewhere across the sea."

"Across the sea?"

"Yes."

"We definitely don't have the recourses to launch a naval assault," Eulsam said. "I guess we should start setting up a coastal presence and building ships." The second guardsman who entered the room took notes on what Eulsam said. "Moving on… anything more relevant to our whole group here?"

He nodded. "Sampson and Lisbeth have been awaiting your arrival. They are anxious to hold another ceremony, and I was told to tell you that they wish to go through with one immediately upon your arrival."

"Wow," Asuna said. "Those two are persistent. Well, I guess I should start cooking!" She got up from her seat, and headed for the door.

"A wedding sounds like fun right now," Kirito said. "I'm going to go help her." He got up and followed after her, and the rest of Kirito's group all quickly found excuses to leave. Michiko was last out the door, leaving Eulsam and Xaela in the room.

"Well," Xaela said. "I suppose I would like to ask permission to leave, sir?"

Eulsam nodded. "Go ahead. I'll summon my lieutenants and hold a briefing about our defenses."

As Xaela left the room and headed down the hall, Michiko came from the side to talk to her. "Xaela," she said.

Xaela jumped at first, and then shook her head. "What do you want, Michiko?"

"I wanted to apologize," she said. "The last time we talked… outside of combat, the last real time that we talked, I upset you. I didn't mean to do that."

Xaela stopped and sighed. "Michiko…"

"Yes?"

"I…" she shook her head. "N-nevermind. Can we just continue not talking for now? I don't feel like talking about that stuff right now."

Michiko nodded, but as Xaela moved on, she stayed with her. "We can talk about other things…"

"Like what?" Xaela moved a little faster, cutting an unexpected corner.

"Uhh," Michiko struggled to think of something. "Have you… have you tried that restaurant at the west end?"

Xaela shook her head. "No, and I don't really want to." She left the fortress, and headed down the street.

"Okay," Michiko said. She stopped and let Xaela go on without her. "Another time?" she asked. She never got a response, and sighed as Xaela rounded a corner.

A new wedding ceremony was set up. This one was much bigger, as players all over the city knew Lisbeth and Sampson's names. The two had become celebrities now, as did Kirito, Asuna and everyone else who fought the dragons. They were no longer just clearing dungeons, but they had established themselves as champions of the players, and defenders of all.

The ceremony trailed off into the night this time, and Sampson and Lisbeth shared their kiss well after the sun had set. When they did, the whole crowd cheered, and Lisbeth deepened that kiss as she flushed with excitement. The ceremony went right on into a grand feast, and many in the town took part. Asuna wasn't the sole chef considering how much needed to be prepared, but she did personally craft the wedding cake, which was only large enough for Sampson and Lisbeth's closest friends.

After the cake was served, the party got into full swing. There was a wide assortment of liquors both copies of drinks in the real world, and drinks that the game had fabricated completely. Sampson and Lisbeth shared a dance, and started it off for everyone.

Eulsam sat to the side and watched for the most part, until a hand was offered to him. When he looked up, he was surprised to see Asuna inviting him to a dance. "What about Kirito?" Eulsam asked her before taking her hand and standing up.

"Kirito is a grown man," she said. "So are you. And I am a grown woman. We can't have a dance as friends?"

Eulsam smirked and nodded to her. "Still, I have to wonder after what I saw the last few days. You've seemed distant, and then suddenly emotional. Everyone's noticed, you know." As they moved towards the mix of dancers and started to move with the beat of the music, Asuna noticed Kirito returning from taking a drink. He was off to the side, and stood as he watched for now. He gave her a smile, and she returned it.

As he stood there, Sinon walked by. There was an exchange of words, and Asuna's smile slowly faded as she watched. "Something wrong?" Eulsam asked, getting her attention back.

Asuna shook her head as she saw Sinon walk away from Kirito, and looked back to Eulsam. "Spin me," she said. Eulsam shrugged, thinking nothing of it, and held his hand up. Asuna twirled below it but when she came back up, she landed her lips to his, just for a brief moment, and then let their fingers slip as she walked away.

Eulsam paused, and stopped, blinking at that. She seemed to leave pretty quickly after that. Was it something unintentional in the heat of the moment or was it intentional. He saw Kirito looking at him with the strangest expression of surprise and confusion on his face. He looked back at him with a similar sense of confusion, and held his hand up in a half-wave before turning and leaving.

"That's rough," Michiko said to Kirito. He jumped a little and turned to her, as she had snuck up on him. "I didn't see it coming…"

"Hi Michiko," he said. "Neither… did I."

"If you want, I can ask her about it," she said. "It might have just been an embarrassing slip up… or alcohol. Or both."

Kirito remembered what Sinon said just a few moments ago. He had asked her if she wanted to dance, and she responded "I don't think that's a good idea," before walking away. "I… think I should go talk to Sinon," he said before walking away.

Michiko watched him as he started to head away. "Or maybe you should just let it go. That's what I would do."

"I know," Kirito said, looking back and joking with her. "How is that working out for you?" Michiko frowned and tossed the remainder of her drink at him before storming away a little angrily. Kirito jumped back, but still got soaked. "Jeeze, it was a joke." He looked at his drink and sighed. Maybe he should stop now, he thought. He opened his player menu, and sent a message to Sinon: "Sinon, can we talk? You seem to know something…"

Michiko sat on the ground, back leaning against a wall as the party went on at a distance. She looked down at the ground, and sighed. "He's right," she said to herself. Every time things had gotten tense with her and Xaela, she just stopped talking, and left her alone. Maybe it was time to try a more direct approach, she thought.

As she sat there, a pair of players rode through the streets on horseback. One of them looked down at her, and chuckled a little. "I'll never stop enjoying seeing players like you down in the dumps," he said. After he said it, he poured a drink he had in his inventory out near her. Michiko sprung up and drew her weapon. When she looked up, she was facing Rexem and Azrealda.

"What the hell is your problem, asshole?"

"Oh," Rexem said to Azrealda as they moved on. "Looks like that wasn't a trashcan."

Michiko stepped towards the two of them, weapon drawn. "She seems upset," Azrealda said, looking back without stopping.

"Are you going to fight us, girl?" Rexem asked. "We'll kill you." He dismounted his horse, and drew his hammer alone. "And I'd really hate to ruin the big wedding night with your filthy blood."

Michiko glared at him. He wasn't worth it. She put her weapon away and turned to walk away in the other direction. Rexem and his last surviving guild member both walked in the opposite direction.

Michiko stopped as she heard someone crying. She decided to investigate, and when she rounded a corner she discovered Xaela, sitting on a bench in a secluded part of the city. "Xaela," Michiko said as she approached.

Xaela stifled her tears, and wiped her face. "Leave me alone."

Michiko almost turned to do just that, but then shook her head, and sat down next to her. "I can't do that," she said. "What's wrong?"

"Everything. Now please go away." Xaela scooted to the opposite end of the bench, and turned her head down and away.

"No."

"Why won't you just leave me alone?"

"I already told you," Michiko said. "I love you…"

"Your love is wrong," Xaela said.

"Why is love wrong?"

"You are a woman," Xaela said. "It's immoral… We can't be together. I can't be with you. Stop saying you love me."

Michiko blinked, and looked at her. In her head she was starting to put the pieces together. "The way you dress," she began to say. "The way you avoid me, and don't look at me when we talk. And what you just said. You come from a conservative Christian background, don't you?"

Xaela nodded, and looked over to Michiko. "Yes," she said. "My faith is… important to me."

"If you have your faith though. Why are you crying? Isn't faith supposed to make you happy… or at least hopeful?"

"It's a struggle. I tried so hard to be a good Christian girl, and this game took all of it away from me."

Michiko moved closer to her, and brushed her fingers over her cheek to get her to look up at her. "Listen to me," she said.

Xaela turned away and pushed Michiko's hand off of her. "Don't touch me like that."

"Well at least hear me, then. You know that what you went through… it wasn't your fault. You have to know that, right?"

Xaela shook her head. "It doesn't matter."

"How come?"

"Because even though I was forced to do… all of those horrible things with you, that's not what made me a sinner. It was what happened afterwards. I had…" She sighed and looked back down. "I had feelings for you."

"I know," Michiko said. "And you still do, don't you?"

Xaela nodded, and looked back up at her. "I have to stop it. If I don't, I'll be damned. And you too."

"Not to smear your religion," Michiko said, looking at her. "But that's a load of horseshit. I don't know much about Christianity, except that you believe in a single God who loves humanity and hates sin. I don't understand how loving someone can be wrong to a God who is supposed to be built on the principle of love."

"God isn't just some all loving being," Xaela said. "God is the creator of the universe. He is all things that are good, and anything that is against him is evil. He created man and woman to be together, and so to do otherwise is against his will. It's a sin."

Michiko nodded slowly, and then shook her head. "I won't pretend to understand that," she said. "I don't understand why anyone would believe in a deity figure who was opposed to love… not unless you were a psychopath."

"It's not like God is just whatever we want him to be. God is God, and that's how it is. Nothing good can come from our relationship, and so I just want you to go away from me."

"At a certain point," Michiko said, looking down. "I would say that if you really love someone, that you have to accept that they might not love you back, and let them go because that's what's best for them."

Xaela sighed with relief, and nodded. "Thank you."

"But, that's not what's happening here. You said you still had love for me. And besides, at a certain point, if you love someone, I think you also can't let them go. I think that's what I'm learning right now. Because if you let them go, it wouldn't be love, would it?"

Xaela shook her head, and cursed at Michiko, again in French. "No, leave me alone! I don't want to have those feelings anymore!"

"Xaela, do you believe that God loves you?" Xaela nodded slowly. "If God loves you, would he let you go?" Xaela stared at Michiko for a second. It was a rather challenging question. "If God is this all knowing being that the bible says he is, then God would no doubt know what's best for you. And if He loves you, He would want what's best for you too." Xaela nodded again. "Unlike, say for example, myself. I don't know what's best for you… I have a pretty good idea, and a lot of opinions, but I don't actually know for certain."

"What's your point?" Xaela asked.

"Stay with me, here." Michiko thought a little bit about how to continue. "Since God wants what's best for you, and knows what's best for you, and loves you, would he let you go?"

"No," Xaela said. "But that's not a reason to commit sins."

"If that is true, though," Michiko said. "Then why should I let you go?"

"I understand that," Xaela said. "But you don't know what's best for me, you only think you do."

"Does God want you to be alone?" Michiko asked.

"I don't know."

"So you don't know what God wants. You yourself don't know God's will?"

"That's… true."

"If God wanted you alone," Michiko said. "Then would you not be alone? I understand that the God you believe in is all-powerful. What is it you say… that He has a reason for everything?"

"Yes," Xaela said. "I don't know. I feel very alone though. So maybe He does want me alone. There is a reason, I just don't know it yet."

"If, then, God wants you to be alone. Why am I here? It seems your God has left you between a rock and a hard place. What will your choice be?"

Xaela sniffled. "After Christ died, the apostle Peter had a vision in which Jesus came to him, and told him to eat a variety of unclean meats. He had this vision three times, and each time, Peter refused." As Xaela continued on with her story, Michiko had to put forth the effort to listen. It wasn't easy for her, she found it ridiculous. "On the third time, Jesus asked Peter why he would not do as He had asked. Peter said that these meats were unclean. Jesus replied that if He told Peter to partake in those unclean animals, then shouldn't Peter trust that He had made them clean? This was directly before Peter was met with a non-Hebrew who wished to convert to Christianity."

"So God wanted Peter to accept someone he wasn't supposed to before, and trust that God would… make this person clean?"

Xaela smiled and nodded to Michiko. "Yes," she said. "Exactly. So maybe… God wants me accept you even though I am fearful of sin, and trust that he will steer us both clear."

Michiko sighed and hanged her head down. Then she lifted up and smiled. "Well," she said. "At least we're talking now. Will you tell me why you were so sad earlier?"

"I was lonely," Xaela said, looking away. It wasn't true. She was crying over the broken relationship with her family once again. "But God sent you to me, and now I will send you to God. Oh, sorry, that sounded like a threat. That's not how I meant."

Michiko nodded slowly, a somewhat frightened smile on her face. "Like I said," she said, mostly to herself. "At least we're talking… Xaela, I will hear what you have to say, but only if you promise me one thing."

"What's that?"

"You hear what I have to say, too."

Xaela held out her hand, and the two shook on it. "Deal!" Xaela said before getting up. "Let's go back to the party." Michiko nodded, and the two returned to the dance floor.

"Okay, Kirito," Sinon said. They met outside of town, where they knew it would be private. If anyone was listening in, Sinon would catch them. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything," Kirito said. "After you said no to that dance, Asuna kisses Eulsam, and he looked just as baffled as I was. Something's going on with her, and I want to know what."

"Here's what I know. Back in Iceberg, right before Asuna went and found you, I saw her leave the inn. She was in a bit of a rush, and I couldn't tell why. Shortly after, I saw Rexem come out. He told me that Asuna's debt was paid, and I suspected the worst. But when I went to talk to Asuna, she only glared at me, and walked away. She's upset at me for something. Based on what you said, I think she suspects me of… cheating with you."

"Me?" Kirito asked. "And you? Really?"

"I think Rexem put that thought in her head, but it seems consistent enough. I didn't want to raise her false suspicions any farther, so I've been trying to avoid talking to you as much as possible. Kirito… what are you going to do about it?"

"I don't know," Kirito said. "I don't have any way to prove that I haven't done anything like that. It would be easy to get away with in a world like this one. Maybe there's some magic that will force someone to say the truth."

"Maybe…" Sinon said.

October 1st, 2030

"What is the kill count at?" GothGod asked, turning to one of his remaining cohorts. They were somewhere in the Dune Sea, and the sun was rising.

"Nine thousand, nine-hundred and ninety-eight." The voices were in whispers as always.

"Then it's time," the Black Prophet said. "We better act quickly."

"We need the ten thousandth, I thought."

"Yes, but don't forget, Kirito was resurrected. The nine thousand, nine-hundred and ninety-ninth dead player will be the ten thousandth kill." GothGod pulled out a dagger, and walked up to a player who had been hooded. GothGod pulled the hood off of him, and smiled down at him. "Rise and shine," he said. "It's show time!"

The player had been mumbling a spell, and when GothGod went to finish him, he cast it, and was suddenly free. The player ran away as fast as he could, and the whole of Death Oath ran after him. "Get him! Quickly! Or someone else will die in his place!"

One of the Death Oath caught him first, and tackled him to the ground. Without thinking, the killer sliced the player's throat, scoring the proper fatal blow and killing his target. "He stole our Prophet's kill," one whisper said. "Kill him!"

That member of their group was suddenly fearful, and turned around, looking around at the approaching group of players. "No! Wait!" GothGod said leaping towards him. "It doesn't matter now." GothGod took off this player's plague mask, and tossed it to the side. "It's fine. He can complete the spell."

The player's name showed. It was FatalOne. GothGod handed him a cup with a potion in it, and he drank. "I do apologize, this was meant for me so I didn't think I would need to warn everyone. But this will hurt…" The player blinked, and then screamed. He got onto his hands and knees, and then held his face as he thrashed about. Blood poured from his eyes, and after about thirty seconds, it was over, and he looked up at the Black Prophet, who smiled back. FatalOne's eyes had changed, to become crystalline and red, like dark rubies. "Tell me," GothGod said. "What do you see?"

FatalOne laughed, and rolled onto his back. He kept laughing until GothGod asked again. "I see," he said. "I see death… everywhere I look. I see every player in the moment they died, and I see every prize for slaying every monster."

"Yes," GothGod said. "Go on… what should we seek next? Focus on the most valuable items. Focus on items that grant knowledge or wisdom or fortune. And tell me… what is it?"

FatalOne pointed into the sky. "When Kirito died, and Eulsam returned to Mother Earth… she offered him an alternative prize. You want knowledge, my Prophet… The Fruit of Knowledge will give that and more. It is what we must seek next! If we slay Mother Earth, she will drop the Fruit of Knowledge, and then we will… you will know all things."

"Excellent…"

"But," FatalOne continued. "I see also a terrible cost of our quest. Mother Earth is no ordinary NPC. And even then, no ordinary sentient NPC. All of the VRMMORPG's in the world are thanks to a single well written program… The Seed. When Laughing Coffin created this game, all of them were merged into one, and that seed sprouted… Mother Earth is no mere AI, she is the embodiment of the foundations of this world itself. If we slay her… everything will come undone. The world will split apart… and all of the empty spaces in the other games will collide with this one. We will turn the fruits of the virtual universe into a wasteland of chaos! I see flames rising from the pit of the world, and a great god of fire and metal… and war."

"I see," GothGod said. "But… we need that fruit. And having all knowledge will be plenty to re-forge the world… only then, it will be our world. Friends!" GothGod turned to his party as he stood up, and his cloak whirled around with him. "The beginning of our glorious rise to power is upon us! We will go out into the world and seek the artifacts and powers with which we will slay the world itself!"

"One more."

"One more?"

"We should kill one more. I can hear his voice, prophet…" GothGod looked to his group, and pointed at the one who initially called for FatalOne to be killed. The rest of them nodded, and took and killed that player. FatalOne laughed, and nodded. "Yes… I can hear his voice and he says 'I shall return.' Death is great darkness… a darkness that we have created…" The player stood up, and gazed out over the land, his eyes seeing every prize the game holds. "And in this future, I see you, prophet… Death has revealed to me his scythe… we must take it to fell Gaea. And you will be rewarded… with his power."

"Asuna," Sinon said. She approached her while she was alone in the city of Newberg. The group had yet to leave for more adventures, and it was looking like they would take another break after their last grand quest.

Asuna turned to Sinon and frowned. "What?"

"I figured out why you started hating my guts yesterday."

"Oh you just now figured it out?"

"Come with me," Sinon said. She walked past Asuna and towards a nearby alley. Asuna followed her, merely out of curiosity, and Michiko waited there for her. "Michiko, tell her."

"Right," she said. "Asuna, I have something for you."

"What?" Asuna asked. "You two are acting strange."

"Don't talk to us about acting strange," Michiko said. "You need this." She held out a pouch of dust. Asuna took it and looked at Michiko funny. "It's a spell I ripped from a Death Oath hand book. It is a truth-seeker's charm. Inhale a little bit of it, and your mind will clear out, and no one will be able to deceive you."

"How do I know you're not lying to me now?" Asuna asked.

Michiko inhaled a little bit of it and shook her head around. She looked at Asuna. "Try to tell me a false name…"

"My name is Asuna," she said. She blinked, and nodded, taking the powder and doing the same. "Okay, so what's going on?"

"We're here to clear some things up," Sinon said. "You have a burning question you want to ask me, don't you?"

Asuna thought about it for a moment, and looked at Sinon. "Okay… did you sleep with Kirito?"

"Well thanks for coming right out with that," Sinon said. She shook her head. "No…"

"Did you do anything with him?"

"Like what, Asuna?" Sinon asked. "Be specific."

"Have you ever done anything sexual with Kirito?"

"No…"

Asuna blinked, and nodded slowly. "Anything romantic?"

"Aside from a gaze or two back in Gun Gale Online, no."

Asuna seemed a little shocked, and looked at her. She reached out and hugged Sinon tightly. "I'm so sorry!" she said. "I just… I don't know what got into my head—"

"Your turn," Sinon said. "Why were you acting weird before?"

Asuna frowned and hanged her head down. "I overheard a conversation between Leafa and Kirito. I thought I heard him say he didn't love me. Is it true, do you think? Has he stopped loving me?"

"Of course not!" both Sinon and Michiko shouted at her. "Next question," Sinon said. "When did you get into your head that I was with Kirito?"

"Back in Iceberg," Asuna said. "I ran into Rexem… I don't know why I believed him, looking back."

"Did you drink anything?"

"Yes."

"Did he have access to any of those drinks for any period of time?" Michiko asked.

Asuna blinked, her eyes widening. She gritted her teeth and nodded. "That bastard…"

"Okay," Sinon said. "Hard question… have you cheated on Kirito in any way?"

Asuna nodded slowly. She then started to cry. "I'm… I thought. I don't know why—Sinon, will you tell Kirito? Michiko, will you?" Both of the girls shook their head no. "Thank you…"

"You should though," Sinon said. "You owe me something for the way you treated me. Tell Kirito, be honest with him. It will help him understand why you were acting that way, and he'll forgive you."

"Why would he?" Asuna looked up at Sinon. "I wouldn't… I already didn't when I thought he did. I'm terrible…"

"Stop that, Asuna. He will forgive you because he loves you. Don't forget it." Sinon took a deep breath, and held Asuna's hands. "So will you tell him?"

Asuna shook her head. "I don't want to… I don't think I can."

"He'll find out eventually…" Sinon said. "You want to get ahead of this. I don't want to have to be the one to break it to him, that's for sure, and he's already decided to look for something like we found here… this truth-seeker's charm."

Asuna nodded slowly. "I understand," she said. "I'll tell him… in my own time, I promise."

"Okay…" Sinon said. "Feeling better though?"

Asuna shook her head. "Can we turn this thing off?"

"I'm afraid not," Michiko said. "But hey, it's good to be honest every now and then, huh?" To that, Asuna laughed a little and nodded. "It'll get better, Asuna…"

"I know." Asuna let out a sigh, and looked to the two of them. "I'm afraid though… Since I started being okay with… with the cheating, I have kind of… I don't know."

"Asuna," Sinon said. "Best time to get it off your chest. What is it?"

"I think I've lost a lot of love for him," she said.

"Well…" Sinon thought for a few moments. "It'll get better, I think. Oh, one more question, were you being serious that time you said you wanted to try things with another girl… like… with me in particular?" Sinon blushed a bit.

Michiko cracked a smile and laughed a little at that question. "Yes, please… do tell."

"Maybe just a little," Asuna said, covering her face. "I was serious about being curious. Were you?"

Sinon nodded. "Yeah, I guess I was. But… that'd be too weird with our friendship and you with Kirito and all. Feeling better yet?" Asuna smiled at her, and nodded. The effects of the charm were wearing off, with just a few seconds left on them. Once they did, they all left and stayed together for the rest of the day.

October 14th, 2030

Fourteen days passed, and Kirito and the group were enjoying themselves at a group night out, eating and partying. Snow had begun to fall on the city, and in one of the destroyed regions, players had made an artificial pond. As the air froze, so did the water, and the group decided to go ice skating.

At the center of the pond, they had erected a statue of a huge dragon lying on its back, and Asuna standing over it, with a spear driven into its chest. Lisbeth had joined them, and worked with a town leatherworker to craft ice skates for her close friends. In the real world, none of them knew how to skate, but in the game world, it was a skill like any other, and they quickly got the hang of it.

"This is so much fun!" Asuna shouted as she circled the large statue. Their skills weren't too high yet, but they were high enough to avoid falling for the most part. And they were also able to pick up an okay speed, though nothing close to those more experienced skaters on the ice.

Kirito sat across from Leafa at a bench off to the side. They wore their skates but were taking a short break to take a drink of a hot beverage. Lisbeth sat down with them, wearing thin clothing, incredibly thin considering the cold weather. "The weather's nice," she said as she sat down.

"How are you not all bundled up?" Kirito asked.

"I'm still part dragon," Lisbeth said with a smile, showing off razor sharp teeth for a moment. "I have somewhat of an immunity to the cold weather. And I can breathe fire."

Leafa nodded. "Right," she said. "So we can call you dragon lady now?" Lisbeth flushed and shook her head. "It's a joke, I'm just kidding… dragon lady." Kirito and her snickered.

"Oh well see how helpful I am if we're out in the cold somewhere and you need a campfire!"

"I'm sure you'll be more than helpful," Kirito said. After a few moments, he picked up the conversation again. "I also heard from Sampson that you seem to be able to control the dragons you helped uhh… make."

"Why does everyone have to be so awkward about that?" Lisbeth asked. "Yes… I have some control over them. Though if Smuldur came back, I doubt my will would be enough to beat his."

"It is kind of an awkward topic," said Leafa. "Maybe even more so considering how strangely comfortable you are with it."

Lisbeth smirked, and then shrugged. "When you can potentially control an army of dragons, you don't tend to question things too much."

"I was thinking," Kirito said. "A dragon's scales would retain their high armor rating and immunities even after a dragon's death. We should have grabbed some of those corpses to make lightweight, piercing proof armor."

Lisbeth glared at him. "If I see you wearing any of my babies' skin as armor, I will gut you."

Kirito waved his hands defensively. "No… wouldn't dream of it!" he said, a somewhat fearful smile at Lisbeath's death gaze. "But… I wouldn't be surprised if high level players started showing up with armor made of dragon scales in the near future." Lisbeth didn't seem to like that prospect. She drank her warm hot chocolate, and tried not to think about it.

Silica sat down at the table with them. "I also thought of something else that would be helpful if we needed to fight them again in the future," she said.

"What's that?" Kirito asked.

"Lisbeth." Silica turned to her friend. "Would you mind if I took a look at your wings? Liz shrugged. She liked showing them off so she had no trouble with unfurling them, and extending one towards Silica. Silica inspected it, and felt the texture of it. Lisbeth blushed a bit, and pulled back. "Sorry, is it sensitive?" Silica asked.

"Yes, and… not appropriate!" Lisbeth said. "Why did you do that?"

"Just checking. It's not covered in scales."

Leafa blinked. "So…"

"If we run into a dragon again, and have to fight it, its wings are as weak as normal flesh. We could easily ground a dragon by attacking its wings." Kirito drank from his cup, and turned to Lisbeth. "We would want to test it on a smaller target first, instead of rushing headlong at a bigger one."

Lisbeth blinked, and merged her wings back into her body again. "You're not testing mine! I need those…"

"You got along fine without them before," Silica said. Lisbeth huffed at her in response.

"No," Kirito said. "If you've got the heart for it, and we find a dragon, it would help us a lot…"

Lisbeth shook her head. "Wouldn't dream of it. You'll have to test it in a fight, but I won't subject my dragons to such torture." Silica nodded in agreement, and there was a short silence.

Asuna came over, tugged at Kirito's arm. "What are you talking about?" she asked. "We should be skating together!" Kirito nodded, and got up to go with her. Leafa got up too, and whispered something to him before he left. He nodded back to her as he and Asuna walked towards the ice.

"Oh, Silica," Lisbeth said. "I have something for you." Silica looked to her, and Lisbeth opened her inventory to take out a dragon egg. Silica blinked at her. "I remembered how you had Pina in SAO, so I made this one special, just for you, before my mind went all out of whack, and hid it in my inventory to keep it from aging or even hatching."

"M-made?" Silica looked at her, somewhat disturbed by the implications.

Lisbeth sighed and shook her head. "You all really must stop thinking dirty thoughts whenever you see a dragon. Anyways, it should hatch soon… very soon. Everything about a dragon can be determined by the conditions in which its egg is kept in the periods before it hatches. Elevation, temperature, depth in water, the ground it sits on. For example, if you threw on into a forge, and left it there, it would spawn a fire breathing red dragon. Submerge one somewhere foggy and cold, and you'll get a mist-breather… one that heals with its breath weapon."

"Like Pina!" Silica said, looking at the egg. "Thanks!"

On the ice, Asuna and Kirito skated, when all of the sudden, Kirito pulled Asuna down with him in front of that large statue. He hugged her and let her get up first. While he was down, he fished that ring from his pocket, and held it up to her. Kirito just stared up at Asuna, suddenly unable to speak.

Leafa was watching, and by now, so were many others. Leafa shook her head and laughed. "Kirito!" she shouted. "Say something, idiot!"

Kirito choked up and nodded rapidly. "Asuna!" he said. Asuna turned and looked down at him to see him there, holding a ring up to her. She blushed furiously and shivered. "Yuuki Asuna," he said. He sighed, and caught his breath. "I really wanted to give this to you a long time ago, before we were trapped here. I wish circumstances could have been better, and I was waiting for way too long for the perfect moment to ask you this… but that never came. It may never come. But I still love you, and I still want to be together for the rest of our lives. Asuna… will you marry me?"

Asuna had her hands over her mouth as she looked down at him. With everyone watching, she wasn't sure what she should do. The pressure was on, but something… something was off. She hadn't yet told Kirito about it, and she felt the weight of her guilt start to crush her emotionally. Now, she was left between further dishonesty and embarrassing Kirito in front of the crowd.

"I…" she said. She took Kirito's hand, but not the ring itself, and skated off, dragging him with her. He blinked, and got up, going with her. The crowd was left a little confused as to what it meant, but Asuna and Kirito went off to some place more private.

"Welp," a voice said from the crowd. "Thanks for the interruption. Back to our normal lives." Eulsam heard the voice, and looked over to see his father walking down the street. He turned to see where Kirito and Asuna went, and chose to go follow them, ignoring Rexem.

In an empty room in an inn, Kirito and Asuna sat. Kirito still held the ring in his hand, and by now had figured that it wasn't happening. Asuna sighed, and sat in front of him. "I'm sorry, Kirito," she said. "But I can't. I haven't been totally honest with you… I suspected you of cheating on me—"

"Asuna," Kirito said. "I know. And I haven't, I swear!"

"I know," Asuna said. "I met up with Sinon and we talked about it. But that's not the problem…"

"Then what is it?"

Asuna choked up and leaned forward, crying a little bit. "I did…"

"You did what?"

"I was… unfaithful," Asuna said, looking up at him. "I'm so sorry, but—"

"Asuna," Kiriot said, putting a finger to her lips and silencing her. "I don't care. I still love you, you know that."

"That's not good enough," Asuna said, glancing to the side. "After I did it… I felt something change inside of me. Worse than the shame… I felt a little bit of my love for you weaken, and over time, it faded."

"So… what are you saying then? You… you don't love me anymore?"

Asuna shook her head. "No," she said. "Not at all! Of course I love you, but… not as much, and it got me thinking. Maybe… maybe if I was capable of doing that to you, maybe I don't love you all that much."

"I still don't care about that," Kirito said, taking her hands and holding them close. "If I can get you to fall in love with me once, I can do it again. I have more than enough love for the both of us."

"I don't deserve that, Kirito," Asuna said. "I… I had climbed so high in this world. I became the best, and pulled out everything I had to save you from death. Afterwards, I was suspicious, jealous even. I don't deserve you."

"I still don't care…"

"I think… you deserve better, and that I… we should maybe…"

"Don't say it," Kirito said, starting to choke up. "We have a child waiting for us in the other world. We were close to getting married. Don't say that now."

"I can't go on like this, Kirito." Asuna looked up at him, a more serious expression on her face. "I thought I would have a lot longer to fix our relationship, but I didn't. Now that I've stepped over… that line, I felt something different. A bit of… freedom, in some sense." Kirito looked at her, and shook her head. "If I really love you, I think… I will return to you eventually. And since you really love me, you'll let me come back when I do."

"It doesn't work that way," Kirito said. "If we leave each other… there's no taking that back. Even if we do end up with one another in the end, we'll always have this in our past, we won't forget it, and we won't forget anyone else we may or may not get together with in the meantime."

"You deserve someone who loves you."

"I deserve someone I love."

Asuna took his hands now, and looked into his eyes. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes…"

"Then believe me now. I need to do this. I need you to do this. If I got married to you now, it just won't be as good. I'll always wonder, what if… what if we're not right for each other. If we both part ways and come back… we'll, no… I'll know for sure that I'm with the right person."

Kirito took his hands away, and looked away. "Fine," he said. "Only because I love you… and I don't want to pressure you into something you don't want. At least tell me this though… who was it?"

Asuna frowned, and spoke the name of the person who had tempted her back in Iceberg. Eulsam had been listening outside of the room, and after hearing that, his heart darkened like it had done only once before. He left the inn, and went back to the frozen pond, where his father and Azrealda were cracking jokes.

Without stopping to think, he drew both of his blades, and held them both out behind his father's head. He was only stopped by Leafa, who performed a quick disarm spell upon seeing him. He wasted no time in retrieving his blades. By then, Rexem was aware of the boy's presence, and turned around to face Eulsam. Eulsam had a look in his eyes… the kind no human soul lingers behind.

"Eulsam!" Michiko shouted out. "What are you doing?"

Rexem looked at him funny, and Eulsam held both blades up to his throat. "Easy there, boy," his father spoke. Azrealda drew her claymore, and held it up to Eulsam. "You cut me down, and Azzy cuts you. See how that works?"

Eulsam shook his head and shouted at him. "Bastard! Don't try to talk your way out of this!"

"Out of what?" Rexem asked. "You're not making any sense." Eulsam's friends had joined him. Michiko and Leafa were behind him, ready to pull him back. Klein held his blade up to Azrealda. "Mexican standoff… okay."

"Eulsam," Michiko said. "What's wrong?"

Eulsam shook, staring angrily into the eyes of the sociopath at the end of his swords. "This man deserves to die! He destroys families and lives and doesn't give a shit about it!"

"Yeah," Leafa said. "We know he's a bastard, but that doesn't mean we kill him."

"Tell them!" Eulsam shouted. "Tell them how terrible you are!"

"What are you going on about?" Rexem asked.

Eulsam turned to the crowd. "This man, my own father, slept with a girl I knew back in university. He tore apart the relationship I had built, and now… he's done Kirito and Asuna a similar blow."

The group all looked at Rexem, shocked at the accusation. Rexem let out a laugh. "You still sore about that?" he asked. "You really are a pissy one, aren't ya?"

"You slept with the shrimp's girl?" Azrealda asked.

"No, of course not… we didn't get that far."

"I won't let you ruin any more lives… split apart anymore families… or lead anymore players to their deaths! This ends now!" Eulsam moved to strike. Michiko and Leafa pulled him back and Klein slid his blade down to deflect Azrealda's attack.

"Eulsam," Michiko said. "We get it. He's evil… in the highest degree. But we won't let you kill your own father…"

Rexem glanced to Azrealda, and the two mounted up and fled. Eulsam shook his arms free from Michiko and Leafa. His hands shook as he gripped his weapons tightly. After a moment, he dropped his weapons, and dropped to his knees. The group who had seen those events transpire gathered around him, and spoke to him. Leafa however left, going to find Kirito. Sinon as well left, to find Asuna.

October 15th, 2030

The next morning, as the players met in awkward silence at the top of the fortress in the town's center, they looked across the horizon. A few moments after sunrise they saw something incredible in the east. A huge green flash appeared, and then light shot up like a tower from the ground into the infinity of space, it was huge, and a low rumbling shook the ground around them. All across the world, players saw the same thing. In the next moment, Kirito and the others received a message from the Oracle of the Temple of Gaea, to come quickly.