"Get her, we can't let her get away!" yelled one of the two men running down a long winding grassy path. "Come back here you filthy hybrid!" yelled the other, shooting an arrow ahead of him. Ahead of them ran a young girl wearing black leather clothing with a hooded cloak that reached her waist. She stepped out of the arrow's path just before it made contact and sped up to increase the distance between them. She glanced back for a second before leaping towards a cluster of trees in front of her. She kicked from one tree to the next, ascending until she grabbed hold of a sturdy branch to flip herself upward into the tree cover. "She's in the trees, hurry up or she'll get away!" said the man in front.
The leaves rustled as she leapt from branch to branch until stopping near a bend in the road ahead. White strands of hair fell in front of her glaring yellow eyes from under her hood as she peeked through the leaves. She removed two thin knives from a belt across her chest and took aim at the approaching assaulters. She hit them together causing blue lightning to flicker around each one and in quick succession threw them at her targets. Upon penetrating their armor, they both fell to their knees as a blue static covered their bodies. The girl dropped from the branches above them and slowly walked to the incapacitated enemies lying on the ground.
"Why are you hunting me?" the girl asked, her voice soft and quiet. "Faction points obviously. The more hybrids we kill, the more points for the Human Army." said the bowman. "Even if I'm not affiliated with the war?" she asked coldly. "It doesn't matter, any hybrid is open game." snarled the other human soldier. A white bushy tail swayed behind the girl and something under her hood shifted as she grinned at the pair. "How many points do you lose if a hybrid kills you? That's how it works right? You gain for killing and lose for dying?" "I-I'm not really sure." said the bowman, nervously. "Why don't we find out then." she suggested, showing a wicked smile from under her hood.
She held her arm towards one of them and flicked her wrist. A blue spark lit up the inside of her sleeve and a black metal cable shot from it, wrapping around the man. "Wait wait. I don't want the death penalty, I'm close to leveling up…" Before he could finish, a stream of blue sparks traversed the wire and encircled his body. He fell to the ground, smoke rising from the figure, and in a second it glowed a dim red color before vanishing. The electricity sparked again, reeling in the wire back to the inside of her sleeve. The girl reached behind her and grabbed hold of the dagger affixed to the back of her waist and pressed it to the bowman's throat. "Normally I would be a little merciful and let you go but you caught me in the middle of something so I'm a little annoyed to be honest."
He stared into the yellow eyes for a second before his own eyes grew wide. "Y-you're the Lightning Dancer, I've heard about you in some of the towns." "Tsk, I really dislike that name, would you mind not saying it?" she asked before dragging the blade across his neck. A red gash appeared and blood dripped to the ground before his body imitated the same effect as the previous man's. "I'll have to talk to Zin about that later, I shouldn't have let it spread that much." she said, sheathing the weapon. She turned and leapt back up into the tree in an attempt to avoid any further distractions. Before long she reached a small clearing with trees surrounding the perimeter and a decrepit stone house in the center.
The door was rotted away and laid in pieces on the ground, a musty aroma filled the air, and the stone walls were leaning and seemed to be relatively unstable. She peeked inside and saw a small room with an open passage leading into a much more spacious area. In the center of the larger room was a translucent blue crystal shaped like a teardrop sitting atop a stone pedestal. "There you are." she muttered, approaching it. The floor under the pillar had a multitude of large holes in the surface and blood stains surrounded each one. A stone beam stretched horizontally above her connecting from wall to wall. "Seems a little cliche but I suppose it's to be expected." She flicked her wrist again and the wire shot out, circling the beam until it was sturdy enough to hang from.
A spark ran along the line as she jumped up onto the column, reeling in the excess wire. She bent down and grabbed the clear object with her free left hand and waited for the spikes that she had expected to shoot from the ground. In contrast to her expectations, the building began rumbling and dirt mixed with pebbles of stone rained upon her head. The walls began closing in and another one was slowly erupting from the ground to seal the only exit. "Damn." she gasped, looking around the room. The wire reeled back into her sleeve and she touched ground again before running to the raising obstacle. The girl waited until the walls were close enough so that she could jump from one to the other before rolling through the remaining sliver of space between the rising wall and the ceiling. The second her body slipped through, a loud thud rattled the room causing more debris to drop down, covering her black hood in dirt and dust.
To her surprise, she remained airborne as her feet kicked in the air. She looked behind her and noticed the end of the cloak was pinched between the stone structure that had almost killed her and the ceiling. A long sigh escaped her lips as she pulled her dagger and cut the cloak so that she dropped to the floor. The warm sunlight once again graced her skin as she exited the aged building and pulled an old worn out journal from a leather bag that was slung over her body. Upon opening it, blue lettering filled the blank pages writing out words like "Inventory" "Stats" "Abilities" "Gear" "Messages" "Friends" "Logout". She tapped on the word "Messages" and the pages began to flip on their own until arriving on another blank page that was then filled by the same colored text.
Names were listed down the left page and the right one remained empty. She clicked the name "Zin" and a pen appeared in her hand as the page went blank once more. The girl began to write "Got the item, be back soon." and hit a small arrow in the bottom right of the page. The lettering and pen vanished before the list of names returned and she closed the journal to replace it in the bag. Before long, she was standing in front of a rotting wooden bridge with chains on either side to raise and lower it. It served as the entry gate to the town of Hilor and a single guard was stationed outside to approve passage. Upon approaching the lightly armored man, he opened his mouth to speak. "Entry pass or gold?" he asked, reaching out his hand. The girl reached into her pocket and pulled out a tiny gold coin and threw it to him. He examined it after catching the coin and stuffed it into his pocket before letting out a loud whistle.
After walking a little longer through the muddy grim streets of Hilor, she was entering a weathered wooden cabin inside of which sat two young men on the sofa in the center of the main room. She swept back her hood, revealing messy white shoulder length hair and two fluffy ears atop her head that matched the color. "Back so soon?" asked one of the guys. "That's how you greet me? You should be thanking me." she said before throwing the small crystal to him. He caught it and looked it over before placing it on the table. "Thank you. Your payment is on the table." She walked over and snatched up a brown sack of coins. Upon tapping it, words and numbers appeared on the exterior of the bag spelling "Amount: 1000 gold" and "Store". She tapped the word and the bag vanished from her hand.
"We need to talk, Zin." she stated, sitting down in a chair to his right. "About?" "I heard that name again today. It's beginning to happen more often now. You wouldn't have anything to do with it would you?" "Of course not." he said. She glared at him as a wolf does with their prey and he shifted in his seat. "Alright." he admitted. "Maybe I did. So what, you should be proud of it." "It's a stupid name and I was hoping it would have stayed back in SAO. Why did you have to bring it here?" "Look, it's not my fault that you showed yourself to the whole community on your second day, I had to call you something or Lightning Dancer's fame would be yours. You would never get to walk around town freely or go anywhere for that matter without being bombarded by players."
"That happens anyways, Zin! Why do you think I wear the hood all the time which by the way, you owe me a new one." she said. "What for?" he asked, leaning towards her. She held up the tear in her cloak where she had to cut it not long before. He whistled and smiled at her. "Wow, even for you it was that close huh?" He looked over at the other guy that was staying silent next to him. "We really didn't have any chance if she almost couldn't do it." "You knew it was a trap room?" she inquired, fury in her voice. "Of course we did, why do you think we hired you? I figured with you being as small and agile as you are, you wouldn't have had a problem dealing with it and I would like to point out that I was right." He grinned and slouched back into the seat. "That money should be plenty to buy another cloak or maybe even just fix that one. Calm down would you."
"I could have died, that means loss of progress." "It's not that bad." said Zin. "The progress bar for your skills empties and eventually the skill itself goes down a level. You lose experience points so you can also lose levels there which also means losing skills. It's a big deal which is why I like to stay alive. You could have at least told me what the trap was." "Did you think it was a spike trap as well?" he asked curiously. "Y-yeah." she answered. "Good, your brother and I weren't the only ones then. "He knew too?" Zin nodded. "Next time, if you want me to do a job, tell me what it entails, trap rooms included. I don't like taking unnecessary risks." "Will do, Luna, you have my word." "I still don't believe you." "You shouldn't, he has his fingers crossed." said the other man, his eyes fixed to a book in his hands. "Heti? You don't always have to spoil it." said Zin.
"Just being honest, Zin." "Thank you." said Luna. "I'm doubling my fees next time." stated Luna, crossing her arms. "No need to do that, I promise I'll give you a heads up. You don't need to charge more, you make enough as it is." he pleaded, putting his hands together. She glanced sideways at him and smiled. "Good. I expect you'll remember that." "To backtrack a little, Zin, you never did mention what she did that made her so famous." said Heti, closing the book. "Well, on her second day, she got into a fight with one of the top players and won. It happened right in the capital as well so there were loads of people watching. You remember that draw slice she used to do, she can do it here as well. She took him out in a matter of seconds as lightning flew all over the stage. It was magnificent to watch." explained Zin.
"Then he started spreading that awful nickname around just after that fight and it took hold I guess. I get challenged all the time to fights now so I have to hide my face." added Luna. "That sure sounds like him, always causing trouble." said Heti. "Who's side are you on? You're supposed to stick up for me right?" "I'm still just being honest." he said before re-opening his book. "Anyways, it was nice seeing you two, I'm gonna log off though." said Luna, pulling out the journal from before. "Got any plans tonight?" asked Zin. "Homework and walking Shu, that's about it. I have some catching up to do with my work so I have to get off early." "It's better to stay ahead than fall behind, I always say." said Zin. "Even if you don't follow it yourself." added Heti. Luna laughed before waving bye to the boys.
When she next opened her eyes, she was staring at a white ceiling and she heard the sound of her fan as it blew past her head. She removed the AmuSphere helmet she was wearing which was the much safer successor to the NerveGear. She sat up and placed it on the nightstand next to her bed before stretching her body. She untied a black ribbon from her wrist and put her shoulder length brown hair into a short ponytail before hopping out of the bed. "Come on, Shu, let's go for a quick walk." she said, patting her knees. A small black and white shiba yawned and stretched before following Luna out of the room. Her parents were sitting on the sofa watching the television when she walked to the front door.
"Going out, dear?" asked her mother. "Taking Shu for a walk, I'll be right back." she answered while lacing up her brown leather boots. She grabbed a black hooded coat from a hook next to the door and threw it on. "Be careful, Luna." said her father. "I will." After a quick walk and Shu stopping several times to use the bathroom or to sniff a random tree on the way, they returned home. Luna undid the leash and Shu took off running back up the stairs to wait by her bedroom door, where he liked to sit and wait for her. "Dinner's almost ready, Luna so go wash up." said Akira. "Will do, Mom. I'll be right back down to help out." Luna placed her boots back by the door and went to the bathroom upstairs, just past her room. The layout was her bedroom being the first on the right when you go upstairs, then Jin's old room, and then a bathroom. Her parents had a room just to the left of the stairs with their own bathroom as well.
When dinner was ready, the three of them sat at the table with Shu laying at Luna's feet. "So, Luna, how was your day?" asked her mother. "School was pretty boring but other than that, not bad." answered Luna. "Did you happen to see Jin in that game of yours today? He hasn't stopped by all week so I was wondering how he's been." asked her father. Luna shook her head. "Not today, no. I saw him yesterday though, he seemed pretty tired. He mentioned how tiring this new coaching job is so he probably just wants some rest. I'll be seeing him tomorrow so I'll let him know to call or something." "Why tomorrow?" he asked. "We're doing something together, I'm supposed to help him with a quest or something. Neither Zin or him will tell me anything about it." "I know it's been over a year since the SAO thing but how can you still play those games?" he asked.
Luna put down her fork just before taking a bite and looked into her father's eyes. "Because It feels like a second home to me there. Even SAO wasn't all bad, I have a lot of good memories from that place and I want to make more of them if possible. Besides, it's a good way to hang out with everyone when they can't stop by to visit." "She does have a point, Enji. She sees Jin more than we do nowadays." said her mom. "I know, I still just don't see the appeal." said Enji. "It would be hard for you to understand but after living in one of those worlds for two years, I can't just leave it behind. Well, I got some homework that's due tomorrow so I should get busy. Thanks for the food." said Luna, bowing her head and leaving the table.
After her homework was finished, she grabbed a pair of black underwear, a black pair of cotton pants, and a light grey t-shirt from her closet and headed for the bathroom. She untied the ribbon in her hair and laid it next to her clothes. She stripped off the long sleeved shirt she had on and removed her black cargo pants and threw them in a basket located in the corner of the room. After taking off her underwear and tossing them as well, she slid a silver necklace over her head and placed it on her pile of clean clothes. On the end of the silver chain was a matching ring with the different phases of the moon engraved on its surface. She smiled at it and hopped into the steaming water she had readied before undressing.
Several minutes passed and she climbed from the tub. She got dressed, tied the ribbon around her wrist and slid the chain back over her head. She was soon lying in bed with the lights dimmed. Shu curled up at the foot of the bed and yawned as he closed his small black eyes. "Goodnight, buddy." she said, smiling at him. The clock next to her read "10:30" "November 9, 2025". "One year since leaving SAO. It almost feels like a dream at this point." she mumbled, staring at the date. She smiled and looked over at a picture of a blonde haired girl with sapphire colored eyes that was sitting next to the clock. She grabbed a remote and turned off the lights before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.
Later the next day, she was standing just outside the cabin she had logged out from before. The sun was bright and a chill lingered in the winter air. The tree's blew in the breeze and birds chirped as they flew overhead. "You actually showed up." said Jin, strapping his bracer onto his wrist. "Did you expect me not to? I thought better of you, Jin." sighed Luna. "Sorry for the lack of faith, you just haven't been on much this week, I know you've been busy with school and stuff so I wasn't sure." "Speaking of not showing up, where's Zin? Wasn't he supposed to be here before us?" asked Luna. "He was, he said he had to get something real quick." "I'm right here." said Zin, closing the cabin door as he exited.
Luna tagged along with the two boys who walked slightly ahead of her. "I had a quick question for you, Zin. I forgot about it yesterday but I ran into some human players and they were talking about points. I assumed it had to do with the war stuff but I was wondering if you could explain it a little." said Luna. "Of course I can. Each race has an army that they are aligned with, all of which are fighting for control of their respective territories but you already knew that, they mention it when you first arrive in the capital. The intricacies lay in the point system. Each person is worth different amounts of points which are determined by different things including level, player rank, and survival ratio.
To use you as an example, before you fought that higher ranked player, you were low leveled and at the bottom of the player ranking so you weren't really worth much. After defeating him however, despite your lower level your player rank shot up a ton due to the difference between you two resulting in you being worth more points. The survival aspect calculates in two different ways, one of which being PvE deaths and the other being PvP deaths. If you die to either your points decrease but if you survive then they increase. You for instance have not died a single time in the month and a half that you have played, add that with the rank and level I would say that you are worth a decent amount by now."
"What does it matter if I have more points?" "Let me rephrase the point system to help you out. Consider it a bounty when dealing with other players, the more you're worth, the more they get for their faction when they kill you. If you die then your faction will lose your worth in points as well so to go back to your problem with death from yesterday, this is another reason to avoid it. It also doesn't matter if you're affiliated with your race's army or not, every kill or death counts to the war effort. Unfortunately I don't know much more than the point system so I can't really tell you about the whole war storyline but I hope I answered any questions you might have had." said Zin, smiling.
"You did actually, I'm really quite surprised." responded Luna. "How so?" "You were actually helpful for a change." He stopped in place as Luna walked past him. "That kind of hurts you know." he said. Jin stopped and put his hand on Zin's shoulder. "Now you see what I have to go through, welcome to the club." "Catch up you two or I'll just do it on my own." she said back at them. Jin patted Zin's shoulder and the two continued walking. "I know a way we can get her back." said Jin, just loud enough for Luna to hear them. She glanced back but kept walking forward. "Oh do you?" inquired Zin, curiously. "If she wants to play that game then I say we play it right back." "What did you have in mind?" "Well, I happen to have some juicy secret that I'm sure she wouldn't want you finding out about." whispered Jin.
Luna turned her whole head to gaze at them. "Like what?" she asked. "Oh nothing really, just that I happen to know what you bought the other day and I thought Zin would love to know about it." answered Jin, a grin stretching across his face. "You don't mean… You wouldn't." she gasped, her face turning red. "I do though, of course I'll keep it a secret if you give us a couple of jobs for free." "Hmph, you're lucky I don't double the fee for threatening me." she scoffed, turning back around. "Suit yourself. So anyways, she ordered a white tail and a pair of matching ears and a couple of days ago I happened to walk in on her when she was standing in front of the mirror…" "Hey!" yelled Luna, interrupting him. "How could you?" she shrieked. "I offered you a chance but you refused it." said Jin bluntly.
"So you're into cosplay huh? Dressing up as your in game avatar?" asked Zin. Luna's face grew hot and turned a bright red. "That's just the start, next she…" "Stop it already." said Luna. "Fine, I get it. This one is free but only this one." "You know, I really should have known that by now. I never told you about her halloween costumes back in SAO did I?" asked Zin. Jin smiled and shook his head. "You haven't but please go on." he said, joyfully. "The first year she was…" "Alright! Two jobs but that is seriously it. You two really are too much alike." pouted Luna, keeping her eyes ahead. Jin gave Zin a thumbs up and smiled at him. "And that's how you handle a cocky little sister." "It was nice to learn from the master." said Zin, bowing his head and laughing.
They bumped into Luna who had stopped in her tracks. "You know what, I've changed my mind." she said, turning around to face them. "After this quest, I am doubling your fees and I challenge both of you to a duel once we're done. I even want it in the capital so everyone can see me kick your asses." she said, grinning from underneath her black hood. "You think now that you're eighteen you can use those adult words huh?" asked Jin. "Eighteen, I thought she was like twelve." teased Zin before the two broke out in laughter. "Hiding behind the jokes and insults then? I guess you would be too cowardly to duel me, I mean you wouldn't stand much of a chance anyways so why bother right?" Luna turned back in the other direction and slightly glanced at them. "Cowards? I'll have you know, Lightning Dancer, that I was on the front lines back in SAO, do you really think I would be scared to take you on?" asked Zin.
"I do. I was invited to be with the clearers on multiple occasions, some of such requests came from your girlfriend if I remember correctly. I mean, I do have that cool title right and like you said, I did earn it for a reason." she said. "Fine then. The day after tomorrow I'll take you on in the capital just like you wanted. It would do good for me to take you down anyways." agreed Zin, crossing his arms. "How about you, brother?" asked Luna. He waved his hands in the air and shook his head. "Sorry, sis, staying out of this one. I only wanted to go so far and this kind of crosses that line." "Whatever, one is fine enough." she said, grinning back at Zin. She continued onward, her head held high as the two boys stayed behind and looked at her as she walked. "I think you have just been had, man." said Jin. "You know what? I think so too. Think she'll forget?" "I wouldn't count on it if I were you. We better catch up before she triples the fee." answered Jin. The two smiled and after a bit more walking, the group was hiding in a patch of grass looking out at a red circle in the middle of an open field.
"What now?" asked Luna. "Now, I take the tiny crystal to the circle and Jin will proceed to stab it with the knife we collected a few days ago. After that, I don't really know what will happen." explained Zin. "Luna, I want you to wait back a ways and if it's a monster then use that fancy move of yours to get the first strike." Zin instructed. She nodded and followed out halfway to the painted circle before stopping, her hand clutched to the hilt of her dagger. "Luna?" asked Jin. "Yeah?" "Could you try to not take the last attack bonus this time? You always seem to get it." "I could let you have it, or you could consider it compensation for the harassment on the way here." she said, smiling at him. He smirked before unsheathing a silver engraved dagger from his waist. "Ready?" asked Zin who was holding the blue tear in his palms. Jin nodded and stabbed down, piercing the object.
Blue slime gushed from the puncture and soon a plume of smoke filled the area, hiding their bodies from Luna's sight. They came coughing from the cloud, looking back as it slowly inhaled towards where they had dropped the item. The mist swirled as it shrunk before revealing a dark skinned man with scaly patches covering his body. Adorned on his head were two offset horns that pointed back and his eyes were blood red with slit shaped pupils. The man snarled causing a puff of black smoke to escape his nostrils and slightly opened mouth. Two green bars appeared over his head with the text "Murial: First of his Kind" written above them. "A dragon hybrid? It seems to be our lucky day." said Zin. "That sounded a little sarcastic. Are you getting nervous?" asked Jin. "No, not at all. I'm getting quite excited." Zin pulled a spear from his back, extended it to it's full length, and held it firmly in both hands.
Jin unsheathed his sword and removed a wooden round shield from his back, holding it at his side in his left hand. "You dare summon me! You worthless humans would dare to try to steal my power! I will not allow it, not while I draw breath!" growled the man, his voice carried across the field as if he was speaking through speakers. "I think we do dare, ain't that right?" stated Jin. "Indeed, I think it is." replied Zin. The man opened his mouth and darkened embers flew from his jaws as he roared at the pair. A blue streak raced through the air past them, leaving a sparking gash in the man's chest. Blood dripped from the wound as he let a hiss of pain escape his lips. Luna slid on the ground, coming to a halt, blood dripping from the end of her short blade. Zin and Jin both lunged forward in unison, piercing the unbalanced man's chest, one in the lower abdomen and one in the upper right shoulder. Before the creature could move, Luna was right behind him, piercing her dagger into his lower back.
She removed the blade and jumped back to create space and the boys did the same as the man's body began to smoke. The wounds were emitting small flames from them as they burned themselves shut. Zin thrusted at the man's chest again as Jin flanked from the right side. The dragon opened his mouth wide and turned his head while it spewed out mass amounts of flames towards the boys. Luna, who was still behind the creature, rushed again from his back. He swung around and continued his breath of hot fire but Luna leapt over it and flipped in the air, throwing a knife into his shoulder as she passed over him. Upon landing, her blade sparked and crackled as she spun, slashing across his back. He swung back around, this time attempting to club her with his closed fist. She ducked under his swinging arm and slashed up his chest as she rose to her feet.
Luna jumped up and kicked his chest with both feet sending him tumbling backwards. Upon hitting the ground, she rolled back and launched onto her feet as the two boys ran past her to get some of their own attacks in while they could. After their barrage of thrusts and cuts, the first health bar had vanished. The hybrid bellowed a roar of pure fury as large torn up wings sprouted from it's back. His nails turned to claws and his teeth to fangs. Jin tried approaching but as he moved closer, his health began to drop more rapidly with each step he took. Waves of heat radiated from the beast, halting any further progress in the battle. An idea clicked in Luna's head and she decided to wait until the time was right before executing it.
"Hurry up and attack it." she demanded. They glanced back with an annoyed expression before tightening their hold on their weapons and charged forward. As they ran, so did Luna, although she stayed a short distance behind. A breath of flame flew through the air at the approaching humans, causing them to dodge out of the way. Luna stayed on course and shot an item of her own. Sparks brightened the inside of her left sleeve as a black cable shot forward like a whip and wrapped around the man's neck. Just before the flames reached her, she dropped to the ground and reeled in some of the cable, pulling the creature down with her. A bright current coursed through the wire, burning the man's darkened skin as Jin leapt forward, thrusting the sword through his heart. The remaining sliver of his health bar dropped and the hybrid fell forward before turning to light and vanishing. Luna reeled in the cable and stood back on her feet.
Jin and Zin were congratulating each other with high fives and fist bumps for another victory. "That was pretty risky, Luna, I'm surprised you did something like that." said Jin. The three of them were now back on the sofa in the weathered cabin. "I thought it would give one of you the chance to finish it if I could restrain it so I had to try." she said before sipping from a glass mug. "Those things really are incredible though. It's pretty crazy that you can even use them." said Zin, pointing at the small spools of wire that were fixed to the bottom of each of her bracers. "While anyone can use lightning magic in this world, only a handful of people have been able to use it with that kind of control. Karst had tried for over a month and still couldn't get them to work." stated Zin. "I did choose lightning as a proficiency over the other elements so maybe that's why." said Luna, calmly.
"So did he, I think you're just a natural at using it." said Jin. "I think I just got lucky." said Luna. "There's that too I guess. It's good that the skill line transferred over with your SAO account. It's kind of odd though, most people lost that account the second the game was deleted." "I had the option so I clicked it when I started. I am happy it worked though, even if I only would have gotten this back." said Luna, grabbing hold of the silver chain around her neck. On it sat two silver rings, one with the moon's phases carved into it and the other had bolts of lightning engraved around it. "That's the one you have in real life right?" asked Jin, pointing to the moon one. "Who's that one from?" he asked, pointing at the other. "Trail. He gave it to me not too long after starting SAO. It's where Clair got the idea from when she gave me this one." she said. "Trail is the guy you…" "Yeah. Could we not bring that part up please?" she asked. Jin nodded and relaxed his body as it sunk into the couch.
"I've been wondering about something. How did she get that nickname in the first place?" asked Jin. "To be quick about it, she got pretty well known among the clearers due to her unique fighting and the unique skill that she possessed. They said that it looked like she was dancing around her opponent and she used lightning based skills in a game that didn't have a magic system hence the name "Lightning Dancer". "I never liked it, even back then." snarled Luna. "It's not that bad." said Jin. "To each their own. Anyways, I'm getting off for the night. You guys wore me out today." said Luna. "Oh before I forget, here's your payment." said Zin, holding a bag of coins out to her. "The fee is waived this time. Don't worry about it. I still want that duel though so don't try to chicken out of it." "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for the freebie." said Zin. "By the way, Jin, Mom wants you to call her or visit or something. She's getting worried about you since you haven't stopped by in a while." "Got it, thanks for letting me know, Luna. Tell her I'll stop by tomorrow after work. Love ya, sis." "Love you too, Jin. Goodnight, guys." She waved bye and logged out of the game.
A loud beeping came from her right as the clock read "6:30". Luna reached her arm over and dismissed the alarm before sitting up. She stretched her arms, climbed from the bed, and grabbed a white button up shirt, a black blazer, and black pleated skirt from her dresser before heading for the bathroom. After a quick bath and swiftly getting dressed, she went downstairs and made a couple of eggs and a piece of toast for her breakfast. Once the food was gone she cleaned the dishes she had used and headed for the door to slip on her boots to head off for the train station. Upon exiting the train, two young girls were standing by a vending machine with coffees in their hands and were waving at her. One of the girls had long black hair styled in a braided ponytail and differently colored eyes, the right being a dull grey hue and the left resembling a hazel color.
The other girl had straight long light brown hair and her eyes were the same purple as amethyst. "Morning, Luna." said the two girls. "Morning, Piper, Fi." said Luna, waving back. Luna joined them as the three made their way to their special school. It was a school that was set up for the survivors of SAO so that they would have a chance to make up the two years they were trapped. "We have another test today right?" asked Fi. "I believe so. Nervous about it?" said Luna. Fi shook her head but Piper had a look that could only be described as fear. "How about you?" Luna asked, looking at Piper. "M-me? Of course not. I mean, I've been studying for days for this test so there is absolutely no reason I should be worried." she answered, feigning confidence.
"You didn't really study did you?" asked Luna, grinning at her. Piper hung her head and sighed. "I've been busy in Somerant lately so I got a little distracted." "That's the game you guys have been playing right?" asked Fi. "The one with the war and everything?" Luna nodded. "Yeah it is. You really should have been studying though. I don't think this test is that important but still, it won't look good if you fail because you were playing a game instead." stated Luna. "I know. I couldn't help it though and besides, that's easy for you to say when you have the top grades in our class. You could have just gone straight to university with how well you're doing here. I never would have guessed you were this smart back in Aincrad." "I'm gonna choose to take that as a compliment. You know if you need any help studying, you could always come over and I'll tutor you or something. What are you having trouble in?" asked Luna.
"English and History." answered Piper. "Lucky for you, I'm pretty good at english thanks to Clair, she was teaching me while we lived together. I can help with history as well although it's not my favorite subject." said Luna. "You should do it, Piper, it's rare for her to offer help for free." said Fi. "I suppose so. Is it alright to come over this weekend?" "I don't see a problem with that. I would be happy to have you over after I get off of work on Sunday." said Luna, smiling at her. Piper thanked her and the three eventually were sitting in their seats waiting for the final class before lunch to start. Once the bell rang, a young looking woman with dark brown hair that was tied into a bun walked into the room. She held a tablet in her arms and stared at the class with her sky blue colored eyes. "Alright everyone, quiet down. I'm going to take attendance. You know the drill, when you hear your name shout present." She listed off the names in alphabetical order and tapped the screen of her tablet whenever someone did or did not speak up.
Luna paid attention when she felt it was necessary but for the most part just took to glancing out of the window she sat next to. Most of the subjects were fairly easy for her with math being her main disadvantage so she took what moments she could to daydream and remember various happy moments from her time in SAO. She dwelled on the memories of Clair, the girl she had fallen in love with back in that floating castle and always wondered what life would be like now had she not died before the game was beaten. She had, for the most part, moved on from Clair's death, at least she tried not to let it bring her down any longer but she still felt a sliver of pain from time to time. Her parents would tell her that after some time the pain would go away but Luna never believed it.
Clair's passing was over a year ago at this point and the wound still felt fresh to her. "The wound that would never heal" were the words Luna began using when she described what she felt whenever someone asked her about it and she truly believed that. Recently however, Luna had tried to use that pain, that loss, as a reason to smile and grow stronger instead of a reason to always dwell on the negative. "Clair wouldn't like me feeling this way" or "She would scold me for acting like this" were always things going through her mind when she felt like she was acting out of hand. Even now that she was gone, Clair still acted as a shining light for Luna that guided her wherever she needed to go. She thought that even death wasn't enough to separate them from each other and she held firm to that.
While at school and looking out over the courtyard from her desk, she thought about the field behind their old log cabin on the twenty fourth floor and about the lake that Clair had taken her to on her seventeenth birthday. She remembered the costumes that she had made for halloween and the beautiful song that Clair had performed that night specially for her. Jin always told her that it's not healthy for a person in the present to live that much in the past but it helped keep Luna cheerful and it gave her the ability to keep moving forward. She held onto the thought that one day when everything was over and she reached the end of her own life, that young blonde haired girl would be waiting for her back in that field with her arms opened wide and a beaming smile spread on her flawless face. "hai… Miss. Mirahai, are you listening to me?" asked the young teacher, pulling Luna back from the crystal blue water and flower filled fields she had been dreaming about.
"Y-yes, Miss Hiromori" she stuttered, looking ahead, her face blushing as she felt the stares of the fellow students snap to her. "Then tell me what I was saying, Mirahai." Luna stuttered and quickly fell silent as she looked down at her desk. "I-I can't. I apologize for spacing off." she said. "It's fine this time but I want to talk with you after class, understood?" she asked. "Yes, Miss Hiromori." She remained focused on the lesson for the remainder of the class and just before she managed to slip through the door, she felt a tug on her collar. "I said I wanted a word with you. You weren't trying to leave just now, right?" asked the young teacher. "Of course not." said Luna, grinning nervously. "Good, take a seat then, right in front of my desk." Luna did as instructed and stared off into space as the two remained silent for a moment.
"So, what did you want from me?" asked Luna. "I want you to tell me why you're always drifting off in my class. Am I boring to you? Do you have somewhere better to be perhaps? Do you just not care enough about being here?" Luna shook her head to all three of the questions but couldn't find the words she wanted to say. "Then what is it that's so important that you neglect the things I have to say? Is it because you are growing a bit too comfortable here? I know you are passing this class rather easily but I feel you should still be paying attention." "It's not that, I just kind of space off sometimes. I am sorry, I can't really help it." "If you don't mind me asking, where exactly does your mind drift off too when it should be here in class?" "Sword Art Online." muttered Luna.
The teacher's face went from calm to curious in a blink of an eye as she opened her mouth to continue. "Isn't that place the reason you're here now? Isn't it the reason you lost two whole years of your life? What about that place interests you enough to be a distraction?" "Because I didn't lose two years there, I experienced them while I was there. That was my home where I had friends and love, I suffered loss and I have to live with that pain everyday. Both good and bad, those were two years I wouldn't trade for anything in the world and sometimes I can't help but think about them again. It just occasionally happens while I'm in your class and I will repeat myself here. I am sorry for that but I can't promise it will stop.
The teacher went to speak again but Luna had felt like a switch had flipped in her head and interrupted her. "With that being said, Ms. Hiromori, I am passing this class and like you pointed out, rather easily at that. Since I am passing and I am technically not breaking any rules, I don't see any reason to be here under your interrogation any longer." Luna picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder before rising from her seat. She took one last look at the stunned teacher's face before bowing her head and walking to the exit. "Mirahai." said the teacher, halting Luna in her tracks. "I am sorry for my ignorance towards your feelings. Have a good day and I'll see you tomorrow morning." Luna caught up with Piper and Fi to eat lunch together in the courtyard that they enjoyed relaxing in whenever they got the chance.
"What did she want to talk about?" asked Fi. "Nothing important. It's dealt with and that's all that matters." answered Luna, slouching down on the bench. "That really wore me out though. I hate having to get like that." "You mean standing up for yourself? You used to do it with me all the time and now it bothers you?" asked Piper before taking a small bite of her sandwich. "Come to think of it, you act that way with the guys a lot too." she added. "It's not the same. With them and with you I was just teasing or messing around. I hate having to act, I don't know how to put it… Rude maybe? Stern? Besides, how did you know how I acted there?' asked Luna, looking at Piper. "I waited by the door of course. I ran away just before you left the room." she answered, looking prideful in her ability of espionage. Luna sighed and turned her gaze downward. "Whatever you want to call it, I think it was a good thing. They don't understand what it was like being there and because of that they treat it like a game." said Piper.
"I also think it shows how much you've changed since then. Usually it was Clair that kept the leveled head and stuck up for you. It's nice to see you take up that roll. I didn't know her that well but I think she would be proud of who you are now. It's almost like a mix of the both of you, like she rubbed off on you in some way." explained Piper. "Now that you mention it, you do act differently. If I had to put a word to it, I would say confident." said Fi. Luna's face reddened a bit and she looked away from them. "I can't help it, everyone I hang out with acts like that so it's only natural it would affect me in some way." "Take it as a compliment, I like this you much more than the you that always insulted me." said Piper.
Luna smiled and stared at her. "You know, I feel the same way about you." "I couldn't act like a child all the time, it really was getting exhausting even if it was fun messing with you." said Piper, smiling. "I forgot all about it but I remember you wanted to duel me back then. Do you still want to?" asked Luna. Piper's expression turned to one of bewilderment. "You didn't forget about that? I mean, if you want to then I wouldn't mind." she said. "Why bring it up now?" "I'm just surprised. I get challenged to duels everyday but the one person that actually wanted to fight me never asked for one after that." said Luna. "I just thought you didn't want to so I dropped it and then everything happened so I just let it go. If you're fine with it then I would be honored to fight you." Luna giggled and reached her hand out to Piper. Piper shook it and giggled back.
"Don't think I'll go easy on you though." muttered Luna. "I wouldn't want you too. What bragging rights would I get if you let me win?" replied piper. "Do you want to come watch Fi?" asked Luna. "I would have to buy the game and everything, I don't even own an AmuSphere. My parents weren't too keen on getting me another one of the VRMMO systems after what happened and I got a part time job so I don't have much free time anyway." said Fi. "Then I'll buy you one and you can request a day off. If you want, you can even come to my place to play it." offered Piper. "I couldn't impose that on you, those things aren't cheap and it would seem like a waste." "Don't worry about it, I miss playing with you anyways. You have been there with me since the start of SAO and it's felt rather empty in Somerant without you." "I'll pitch in as well." added Luna. "I never got to do much with you back then so it would be nice to get the opportunity now." she continued.
In the end Fi couldn't refuse their offers any longer as she knew it would just cause them to press harder. The bell signaling the end of lunch rang out across the courtyard and the three went back to their classroom for their next subject. After the day's classes had ended, Luna was packing books into her bag when another girl with short spiky brown hair approached her. She was wearing a black track jacket and had a pair of tight black shorts on."Light…I mean, Lunasara, I know we're not in SAO anymore but would it be alright if I asked you for a favor? I can't pay you or anything but…" "It's fine, Risu." said Luna, interrupting her. "What can I help you with?" she continued, smiling at her. "I've seen you on the volleyball court a few times and you're pretty good so I was wondering if you could cover for one of our injured players today?"
"I really don't have the time to join the team and I'm honestly not good enough to replace someone." "It's just for practice, I only need you for like an hour or so. Please?" she said, putting her hands together. Luna slung the bag over her shoulder and placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Alright then. I can't really refuse when you ask like that." Risu clapped her hands rapidly before grabbing hold of Luna. "Come on then." she said, yanking Luna behind her as she took off running. By the time they had entered the gymnasium, both her and Luna were panting and attempting to catch their breath. "Alright girls, I found a solid replacement for Kate so we can finally begin practice. Lunasara, I want you to spike the ball as hard as you can to those three so they can practice their defense. You don't mind, do you?"
Luna shook her head. "Not at all. I don't know if I will be good enough but I'll try." she said, turning to the three others. One of them threw the ball into her hand and smiled at her. "You'll be fine, I'm sure of it." They walked to the other side of the net while Risu stayed with Luna. "I'll set the ball, all you have to do is spike it at them. You ready?" Luna nodded and trained her eye onto the ball in Risu's hands. She stood at the net while Luna stayed a bit back and once the ball went airborne Luna sprinted as fast as she could and leapt into the air. In a second the ball flew past the three girls whose mouths were gaped open. They looked behind them and then back to Luna who was stretching next to Risu.
"What?" asked Luna while they all stared at her, astonished looks donning their faces. "N-nothing, we just didn't expect that kind of power from someone your size." said one of the girls. Luna did stand shorter than the rest of the people around her and her body was much smaller in terms of build. "Have you ever been on a team?" asked another girl. "Nope, I only played with my brother here and there during some summer breaks." "Enough gawking people, let's get back to it." instructed Risu while clapping her hands. The ball was thrown back to her and she got back into position.
Once again Luna spiked the ball so fast that it hit the ground behind them before either of them moved. By the fourth or fifth time they had gotten past the surprise and were able to reach the ball but couldn't fully get it back in the air. Around the eighth and ninth they were nailing some of the recoveries and were able to deliver a spike back but it was still inconsistent. After another hour passed, their returns were more frequent but due to the fatigue of keeping up with Luna's insanely quick hits they were becoming more sloppy. Luna herself was also getting pretty tired from the hour of running, jumping, and spiking the ball but she had a smile on her face despite that.
Risu blew the whistle at the hour and a half mark to end the session and threw a bottle of water to Luna who fumbled it when she tried to catch it. "You looked like you were having fun out there." said Risu, sitting on the bench next to Luna. "I was, thanks for inviting me. If you ever need a hand again don't hesitate to ask." "Will do and sorry we didn't have a spare uniform for you." Luna looked down and realized she was still wearing the black skirt and her white button up which was now soaked with sweat despite the cold temperature around them. "It's fine. I was going to go running after school so they would have wound up like this anyways." "Have you ever thought about joining the team? You're like, crazy good, and we could really use you." "Sorry but no. When I said I don't have the time I meant it. Between school and other commitments I just can't squeeze in two hours everyday like you guys."
"That's understandable and I hope I didn't come off as pushy. Even with me not being able to snatch you up, expect me to collect you every now and then for practice. I think you gave the girls a good workout while also blowing their minds a little bit in the process. Thanks for the help again, Lunasara, I appreciate it." Luna smiled at her as she stood up. "No problem. Grab me anytime you need help." With that, Luna took her departure and left out the school gates. She had swapped her school blazer for a black hoodie and flipped the hood up. She removed a pair of wireless headphones from the bag as well and put them in.
The sun was setting as she sprinted down the sidewalk and was approaching some railing which she leapt and cleared without losing pace. She ran into a park that was close to the school and towards a close cluster of trees which she kicked from one to the other before swinging off a branch and flipping back onto the ground. Without losing momentum she kept running until she was out of the park, vaulting over benches and tables along the trail to the other side. She turned down an alley and kicked from the wall to a window ledge and jumped up onto a pipe that was bracketed in place. After ascending that she was on the roof of a two story apartment building. She leapt from one roof to the other until the train station was in sight ahead of her. Luna slid down another pipe and dropped onto a balcony before vaulting the railing and landing on the ground. She jogged into the train station and removed her hood before wiping the sweat from her face. She put the earbuds back in her bag and untied the ribbon that was keeping her hair into a ponytail. Luna tied it around her wrist and hopped onto her train to head home.
Upon walking in the door, Shu leapt up at her and tried licking her face. She kneeled down and scratched behind his ears before sliding off her boots and unzipping her jacket. Luna grabbed a change of clothes and went straight to the bath. "Dinner's done, Luna, come down when you're ready!" yelled her mother so that Luna could hear her. After several minutes she made her way down and saw both parents and Jin sitting at the table. "Yo." said Jin as she took a seat. "Hey." she replied. After their meal, Jin and Luna were resting on the couch. "Still fighting Zin tomorrow?" asked Jin. "Yep. Why, is he scared?" she asked. "I don't think so, he's probably more excited than anything. You two never fought before right?" "Not once. I kind of can't wait." "Getting on tonight?" "No, I'm a little worn out today. I helped with the volleyball team's training and went for a run afterwards so yeah, pretty tired." "Volleyball? That school has a team?" "Kind of, it was put together by a girl named Risu. It's not really official but they were given permission to use the gym and equipment so she started it."
"Are you gonna join?" "Nah, it's not for me. I was just helping out today, one of their players sprained an ankle or something." "Yeah, I guess between school, games, and whatever else you do, you really don't have the time huh?" "I'm glad you understand." giggled Luna. "I'm gonna head out for the night, I'll be watching you tomorrow so don't embarrass yourself." "I got it in the bag, no worries whatsoever." she said, smiling at him. "Night, Jin." "See ya." Jin hugged both Akira and Enji before leaving out into the cold. Luna headed upstairs with Shu close behind and the two crawled onto her bed. After turning off the lights she slowly drifted off into slumber.
The sun was bright and gleaming down on her as she stood in the center of a mass stage surrounded by crowds of people and buildings made of polished stone. A magnificent waterfall was in the close background with homes built into the mountain behind it. At the top the water was split by a large triangular shaped rock which was the ceiling of the royal palace's balcony. The whole of the palace was carved into the top of the cliffside and looked over the entirety of Copilim, also known as the Capital City, which was located in the center of Somerant's right side of the map. It was the place where every new player starts before shipping off to their respective race's territory. Here they were told the basis of the world and some details about the war that embodies the main motivation of the game.
Luna was standing there, hood raised and fully equipped in her gear. Zin was standing in front of her, spear in hand, and a large wooden sign was above them, hanging from a rope that connected two buildings on opposite sides of the stage. Numbers were in the center of the sign which counted down from one minute and on either side of the numbers were both of their names. Above the names were "Challenger" and "Challenged" signaling the initiator of the duel. "Sure you're ready Lightning Dancer?" teased Zin. "Ready to kick your ass? Yeah, always." she snapped back. When the countdown hit thirty seconds a loud voice played from the air. "Duelers, ready your weapons!" Zin spun his spear before catching it and pointing it at Luna who had drawn her dagger and lowered her body to the ground, observing every little movement he made.
"Start!" yelled the disembodied voice. The second the word cried out into the air Luna had darted forward at Zin. He thrust ahead and Luna spun to the right to avoid it. He swung in her direction to hit her with the shaft of the spear but she leaped sideways, flipping over the weapon and landing on her feet. She lunged forward, cutting into his side as she passed and spun to slice upward as she rose. He spun around again to hit her once more but she ducked under it and grabbed hold of the shaft with her free hand and sliced his left side before stabbing the blade into his upper chest. Luna used her right leg to swiftly sweep his left one and sent him to the ground, pulling the dagger out as he fell. She flipped backwards to create space and readied three throwing knives in her hands.
Before Zin could stand up, the three electrified blades pierced into his leg, arm, and chest, sending currents running throughout his body. He shook and struggled as he yanked the blades out one at a time and looked at Luna who was standing a distance away, her hand on her hip and a smile on her face. "Had enough?" she asked. "At first your confidence was cute and lovable but it really is getting on my nerves Luna." he stated as he stood up. He ran his hand along the shaft of the spear as he pulled it towards him, igniting the weapon with roaring orange colored flames. He readied his stance again and stared more intently into her piercing yellow eyes that seemed to read any movement he was about to do. "I didn't know you wanted to use magic in this. If that's the case then you don't mind if I do as well right?" she asked, retaking her stance.
"You already did!" he snarled back. Luna grinned before her body sparked and crackled with blue lightning as the ground around her blackened with each bolt that struck it. He launched forward at her and she did the same. A streak of red and blue met in the middle and passed by each other, one of flames and the other, lightning. Luna slid across the ground and turned around to face Zin's direction. On the other side of the collision, a smoking body laid on the stone floor with a large sparking wound cut into its chest. The spear he was holding was cut into multiple pieces and was spread across the ground. Blood dripped from her dagger and onto the floor as she slowly approached Zin's body. A loud buzzer rang out and Luna's name alone remained on the wooden sign with the words above it now saying "Victor". Zin flipped over, the wound on his body was charred and smoking but not bleeding due to the heat of the lightning cauterizing the cut.
He chuckled and rested his head against the ground, looking up at the sky. "You're way too fast Luna, I just couldn't keep up." he said, panting. Luna returned the dagger to her waist and held out her hand. "Let me help you up." she said. He took it and regained his footing. "Is this pity from the victor?" "No, it's a way for me to congratulate." said Luna. "For what? You won right?" She pointed at a cut in her sleeve with blood trailing down her arm and dripping onto the floor. "Congrats for hitting me." she said, smiling. "Again with that confidence. Either way, thank you for giving me the honor of holding your hand, mighty Lightning Dancer, how can I ever repay you?" he said in a joking manner as he bowed his head. "By accepting this." she said, holding out a bag that bulged with coins inside.
He raised his head and took it. "I can't accept this. Maybe if I had won but I…" "It's for the spear I broke. I wound up getting a little serious and it cost you your weapon, sorry about that." "If it makes you happy." he said, storing the bag in his inventory. A man with short blue hair and long pointed ears approached her. "Are you taking duel requests today?" he asked. "If you want. Only for today though." answered Luna. She looked around at the large amount of faces that were staring her down. "Today I would be honored to fight anyone that desires to do so! Get it out of your system now because this is the only time I will be doing something like this! If you think you can beat me then go right ahead and try!" she yelled out to the anxious onlookers.
She turned to the blue haired man and sent a duel request. "Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked. "I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't." he stated, his voice emotionless and blunt. When he accepted, his name appeared on the board with Luna's. "Hollow? Interesting name." said Luna. "Hollow?" muttered Zin who was standing behind her. "Luna hold on a minute." he moved closer, examining the man's face and the sword that was on his hip. "Luna, he's a pretty high ranking player, especially in the elf faction. He's pretty high up in the army, you need to be careful with him." "Good, I've been dying for a challenge." she growled, a wicked grin creeping onto her face. Her eyes stared into his dull green ones, waiting for any sign or hint of his first move. Zin had stepped from the arena and Luna retook her stance with her dagger clutched tightly in her hand.
"Start!" yelled the voice but neither of them moved. He stood motionless and held the sword loosely in his grip while Luna stood there watching. She took a step and then darted at him but his body made no attempt to dodge or counter until the very last second when the sound of metal hitting metal rang out in the stadium. Luna rolled on the ground before sliding on hands and feet several feet away. She truly resembled a wolf staring down her prey as she glared at him, her teeth bared. She looked down at her sleeve and a large cut was placed near her left wrist revealing the top of her metal bracer. The man was still standing calm and motionless but he now stood as if he had swung the sword and then paused in place once it had made contact with Luna's arm. He slowly lowered it back to his side and stared at her. "I am quite impressed that you didn't lose your head there. Your reflexes are superb and your speed is pretty unmatched. I can't help but offer you some praise."
His voice was calculating and flat as he spoke. He swung just before I got there so I couldn't predict the attack. He knows how I fight then? Maybe he's been observing me or maybe he was able to pick it up off that fight with Zin. I need to figure him out a bit before I attack recklessly. She stood up and charged forward. Once again he remained still until Luna was just in front of him. She ducked below his swing and using both hands to support herself, she kicked his stomach with both legs causing him to stumble back. She slid forward and kicked up at his chin from the ground sending him onto his back. Luna stood back up and stepped away from him as he took back to his feet.
"You didn't attack while I was down. Why?" he asked. "I'm not that good at dealing with grounded opponents. I fight better when we're both on our feet." "I see." he said, staring intently into her eyes as if trying to read her mind. "Interesting." he muttered. She ran ahead again and waited for his movement before solidifying her own course of action. He swung again and she jumped up and landed on the other side. He swung his sword as he spun around but she rolled backwards to his front. As he spun again she ducked under and shifted back to his rear. When he had turned once more and swung down at her, she slightly dodged to the left of the blade and grabbed his right wrist with her left hand and pulled to get him off balance.
As he stumbled forward she spun and jumped up, wrapping her legs around his body and her arms around his neck. Her blade pressed against his throat causing a dribble of red liquid to leak from the grazed flesh. She sliced into his throat causing blood to gush from it as the two fell to the ground. He was lying on his stomach with Luna on top of him and her dagger now stabbed into his back. His health bar rapidly drained as the pool of blood enlarged and soon the buzzer went off with "Victory" appearing above her name once more. She stood up, pulled a health potion from her bag, and placed it on the ground next to the blue haired elf. He held out his hand and grabbed it before turning over and sitting up. After gulping down the vial the wound sealed shut and the blood changed to plumes of smoke as it evaporated into thin air.
"I see, really interesting." he said, his expression still blank and unreadable. Luna reached down to help him up but he acted as if she wasn't even there. He stood up and walked off the stage without saying another word. Luna stared at the blue hair as it vanished in the crowd of people, deep in thought about the weird encounter. She was quickly pulled back to reality when another person approached her and began talking. She shook her head and looked at another hybrid like herself but with reptilian features who was standing in front of her. "Sorry, what was that? I didn't catch what you said." she said, apologetically. "I want a duel if you don't mind." he said, his way of speaking was polite and his voice had a calming effect to it. "Sure, no problem." she said, her mind still fixed on the strange elf.
She did five more duels that day in the city before the sun had set, none of which ending in her defeat. The crowd left disappointed and her and Zin returned to their small cabin through the means of teleport crystals. "Ahhhhh!" yelled Luna, as she sank into the couch. "What was with that guy?" she yelled again, rustling her hair. "The elf? I don't know but you really showed him. I thought he was going to be harder after that first hit but I guess I was wrong." "I don't know, something about it seemed off. That first hit was faster than the rest and it didn't really seem like he was trying after that. I think he was uhhh… studying me? That might be it." Luna was talking mostly to herself at this point, forgetting that Jin and Zin were both sitting near her in the room. "He should have been harder than that. I don't know!" she yelled.
"To change the subject to something a little less frustrating, any plans for tomorrow Luna?" Luna sighed as she tried to put the events of that fight to the back of her mind. "Tomorrow's Sunday right? I'm going shopping with Fi and Piper. They asked me to tag along with them and after that I have work and after work I'm tutoring Piper." "You work?' asked Zin. "You'll love this, she works at a maid cafe." said Jin. "Do you have to tell him everything? Next you're gonna tell him what color my underwear are or something." "They're grey and sometimes black in case you didn't know." added Jin, snickering. "Jin!" yelled Luna, her face turning red. "Isn't it weird that you know that?" asked Zin. "I used to help with laundry in the house. Sometimes the girl's pile got mixed with the guy's. It was never intentional but yeah, it is a little weird." "You even admit it and you think it's alright to just tell him about it?"
"If it helps at all, Luna, Clair used to try to tell me about your nightly activities." said Zin. Luna's face heated up and brightened. "Nightly activities. You two used to…" "Apparently. Clair was pretty open about it as well. I never let her get too far though, that was information I didn't want floating around up there." said Zin, pointing to his head. "I-I am going to get off. I gotta go and do stuff." said a flustered Luna as she scrambled to open her journal and log out. "It's nice to see her like that every now and then." said Zin. "It's comforting to know that some of her old self is still buried in there. She's been a lot happier lately too. It's been nice seeing her interact with friends and finally find some confidence in herself. Did you know she could draw? I saw some of her sketches the other day and it blew my mind." said Jin. "I imagine Clair taught her, that girl was always drawing. I got to peek in her sketchbook the night she passed away and pretty much every page was full. Most of them were drawings of her and Luna together." said Zin.
"You guys mention her quite a bit but I still only know bits and pieces about who she was. Do you have enough time to enlighten me?" asked Jin. "I could go all night about her. Whatever you want to know, I'll tell you to the best of my ability but I can't promise I won't cry in the process." Jin grabbed a glass bottle from a rack on the wall and two cups from the counter before returning to his seat. He filled the cups and raised his in the air. "Then a cheer to a long emotional night." "Cheers." said Zin, banging his cup against Jin's. They spent hours discussing the girl's journey through SAO and eventually about the boy's journey on the frontlines. They finally called it quits when the clock struck two in the morning and Jin was falling asleep in the chair he was sitting in.