Synopsis: Eugeo is dead: Murdered by a bunch of drunk nobles after he intervened to protect two of his fellow students from a fate worse than death. The Imperial Academy is in an uproar, and the students are on the verge of rioting.
Pressure mounts on the two girls he died to save. If they bear witness, their families shall suffer the consequences. If they testify falsely, they shall never be able to forgive themselves.
And amidst this crisis, unknown to almost everyone, a worshipper of the Dark Gods prepares to perform a forbidden ritual on the dead boy. A ritual that shall not only bring him back, but also make him the host for a Dark God of unspeakable power.
Writer's Note: Acid Test is a very different take on SAO's Alicization Arc, with very blatant divergences from canon, and a sprinkling of horror. Please keep this in mind as you read, and enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own Sword Art Online. This is a work of fan made fiction.
Acid Test
A Sword Art Online fan story
Part 1: Heresy
The Human World has been governed by the Church of Axioms for the past three hundred years.
Ruling from its seat of power in the Citadel, the Church enforces its mandates through the Index. Its words are inviolate to all; those who challenge the Index are branded as Heretics, and subsequently purged.
The Index is intended as a tool for the betterment of all. But as with all creations of man, it is flawed.
And a single flaw is all it takes for the malicious to hurt innocents.
*1*
"As a woman born into nobility, pride is your asset."
"Pride in your belief. Pride in your conduct. Pride in the standards to which you hold yourself, and which you expect others you rely on to hold themselves to."
The tall girl with long, brown hair stood straight with her chin held upright as the House Matriarch addressed her in a strict, formal voice.
"Without pride, and without the conviction to uphold your pride with responsibility, honour and dignity, you are not worthy of your lineage. And certainly not worthy of your sword." The Matriarch paused, then asked the girl in a softer voice. "Do you understand, Sortiliena?"
Sortiliena bowed in deference. "I do."
The Matriarch turned and reached for the weapon the bearer by her side had brought over. Resting the weapon in her two hands she brought it forth.
"Then I present you with your sword, my daughter. It's your authority given form, so wiel-d it justly."
The sword was an ornately designed masterpiece, with a silvery white blade, and a hilt decorated with purple highlights. Sortiliena knew it was crafted by one of the Empire's master weaponsmiths specifically for her, and she reached for it in muted reverence. The hilt felt cool to touch, like the cool springtime water of the little river that flows through their estate. She tightened her grip and lifted the sword off her mother's hand. The sword wasn't heavy, but it wasn't light either. There was a reassuring heft to it. It felt like the weight of the responsibility she would now bear as an heir of the House of Serlut.
The morning sunlight streamed in through the large, glass windows of the hall. Bathed in white and gold sunlight, Sortiliena took the sword with both hands, and with a smile she couldn't quite hold back, she raised it skywards.