Agnosthesia 0

May 25, 2025

Alfheim Online's most recent update - The Aincrad Update - was one of the biggest events in the gaming sphere. After RECT Progress Inc. imploded as a result of Sugou Noboyuki's experiments, a development company named Ymir entered the picture. Consisting of both former ALO and SAO developers, they bought all of Alfheim Online's assets and relaunched the game.

That wasn't all they did, though. They also added a relic of the past - the titular floating castle that once served as Sword Art Online's main setting. Only the first ten floors could all be accessed at the outset and the rest would be added in future updates. The developers mentioned that it would be a mostly faithful recreation but tweaked in some areas to integrate ALO's mechanics.

Furthermore, many of SAO's features were starting to be implemented in ALO. Items like crystals were introduced, and while they came off as redundant to ALO's already existing utility and curative options, they were subtly reworked in a way that could potentially fill a niche. Weapons, armor, and other equipment were also introduced, shaking up the game's meta as players compared them to ALO's offerings. Weapon Skills were not implemented yet, but the developers - Ymir - promised that they were working on it. All these new additions brought untold hype to the players.

Of course, it also came under scrutiny. There were people who opposed Aincrad's revival. Some were justified - specifically, those who were hit hard by the SAO incident and would rather it be lost to time and forgotten. Others just wanted to cash in on the controversy, stirring up both sides for a drop of clout. Social media hot takes and hastily-written internet articles erupted frequently, and there were even rumblings of boycotts and real-life protests.

However, as with all things, the most vocal and aggressive of both sides were only there for the outrage, and they eventually got tired and moved on to the next controversy as things cooled down. Interestingly enough, Statistics showed that the ALO's player base shrunk by 10% at the height of the fiasco, but quickly grew as new players and SAO veterans joined in.

One such group of players were present in a fairly wide clearing on one of Aincrad's many forest areas located on the first floor.

Mizushima Sakura - avatar name Sakku - stretched her limbs and warmed her body up. Then, she took a stance and threw out punches and kicks.

Player avatars created after the Aincrad update could now influence their appearance - at the character selection screen, a sliding scale could be selected, with 1 being completely random and 10 being extremely close to their real-life appearance but mixed with ALO-specific traits like elf-like ears or cat tails. Already existing players were also given a free voucher that would give them access to that system.

Sakura personally chose Sylph and 9 on the slider, and despite the high resemblance, she felt...off.

"How is it, Sakku?" A voice beside her said. Sakku turned to see Riwet. He had his back towards her as he was working on a contraption.

Sakku looked at it. It had a passing resemblance to an office water cooler, but the jug at the top was metallic and had pipes coming out of its sides, as well as having three gauges at the front.

"Not too bad. It's similar to the Fulldive tech demo a while back." She replied, relaxing her stance. "There's a bit of disconnect - It's like I'm wearing a bunch of training equipment that's a few sizes too big."

"Hm. It was the same case with Silica. She said she got used to it soon enough, so don't worry."

"This didn't happen to you?"

"Nope. Not that uncommon though, from what I've heard."

"...hmm." She turned to the group of players away from them.

Mayu, Tetsuhiko, and Rinnosuke were shooting at round archery targets.

Rinnosuke pursed his lips and nodded to himself. Only some of his shots hit the bullseye, but he only missed a tenth of the shots he took. Beside him, Tetsuhiko let out a confused chuckle as his shots were either bullseyes or complete whiffs. "Kyururu!" Pina, sitting on top of Tetsuhiko's head, cheered him on.

Mayu let out a satisfied smile as all her shots were bullseyes. She held a short recurve bow in her hands, but it looked like a standard length bow when paired with her diminutive Cait Sith avatar that was only slightly taller than Silica.

In contrast to Sakku and Silica, their parents opted to use their real name as their avatar name. ALO used a system that provides each player with a unique ID code, so there was no problem with duplicate names.

Meanwhile, Silica and Linda were cooking out of what was essentially a portable but fully functional kitchen - complete with a working fridge, stove, and sink - made possible by magic. "I wonder what lunch is gonna be." Riwet commented. "I offered to help, but they kicked me out and said that it's a surprise."

"..is it just me, or you can't even smell what they're cooking?"

"Yup. Also, no smoke, because both that and the smell might attract uninvited guests. Part of the magic kitchen's features. I bought the set as a gift to Silica, and boy was it not cheap…" He said before he let out a nervous breath and pulled a lever on the dispenser. "Okay… no turning back now..."

The dials on the gauges started to rise and the dispenser started to shake. Besides the gauge, a light glowed yellow.

"And what about you? What in the world are you making?" She asked.

"I'm making the best drink right now. Just wait for it…"

After half a minute, the dispenser settled, and the light turned green.

"Okay, everything seems to be in order…" Riwet took out a cup, placed it near the mechanism's tap, and pulled.

A familiar liquid filled his cup. He brought it to his mouth, took a sip, and proceeded to down the contents of the entire cup. "Ahhh…ladies and gentlemen, root beer."

Sakku sighed. "So, how much did that cost?"

"About twice as much as the whole kitchen."

"Wow. And you have the nerve to complain about how much the kitchen costs."

"Yeah, yeah. Want some?"

"Sure. Why not? Not too much, though."

Riwet filled a cup to about a third and handed it to her before he came back, brought out a strange-looking keg, and started to empty the contraption's contents onto the keg.

As she looked at him, Sakku took a sip. The taste of root beer immediately sent a wave of mixed feelings toward her.

For the longest time, Sakura couldn't stand the stuff and only got barely used to drinking it because Rin loved it so much that they always had some diet root beer back home. During the SAO incident, one of the ways she coped with her brother leaving her was to drink a can of root beer once in a while. It made her remember the good old days of being with him when time started to erode her memories, but it also brought a sense of dread that those days could never happen again.

"How is it?" Riwet asked, pulling her back to the present.

Sakku took a deep breath, trying to hide her smile. "Disgusting, as always."

"You freaking heretic."

"Hey, it's not my fault that you have a bad taste in drinks."

"You can insult me, but insult root beer one more time, and your days are numbered."

After that, he finished pouring the contents. Riwet nodded and stored both items back in his inventory. "Anyways, if you want to get more acclimated to ALO, I don't think it's too difficult to find someone who can make a moving training dummy who follows sports karate rules."

"What if we spar?" Sakku suggested.

Riwet shook his head. "Terrible idea."

"Why? Afraid you'll lose?"

"Oh, I'll definitely lose within the first few seconds because I don't do sport karate. I'm more afraid that I'll accidentally rake you in the throat or stomp on your kneecaps out of instinct."

She scoffed. "A little excessive, don't you think?"

"For two years, I've fought without adhering to any rules other than 'beat the bastard in front of me as efficiently as possible. It's gonna take a while to retrain my muscle memory with regards to sports karate." He pursed his lips. "You know, now that I think about it, probably not the best idea to use unarmed combat if you're gonna play this game. Just like me, monsters don't play by any rules so you'll have to break yours as well. There's a risk that you'll develop muscle memory from that, which is probably disastrous when facing someone in a real-life match."

Sakku pondered. "Yeah...that makes sense."

He shrugged. "But hey - I'm not stopping you. It's a game. Play it however you want." He turned to the side where he noticed Linda waving her arm towards them. "Looks like they're done cooking. Let's go."

They grouped up and set a bunch of picnic rackets before Silica and Linda distributed the meals.

It was a hearty serving of fried North American-styled bacon, whole salmon with one half raw and cut to sashimi-sized pieces while the other grilled, and different kinds of salads. And of course, a large serving of steamed rice and miso soup.

In contrast to SAO, ALO's hunger system was different. In most cases, players would never feel particularly hungry or thirsty as there is no hunger meter. The most significant exception was if the person in real life was hungry. The AmuSphere could detect that and would warn the player both by a message popup and by simulating hunger, which cannot be satiated by eating food in the virtual world. This was implemented as an attempt to prevent potential FullDive-related eating disorders.

However, the upside was that virtual food would not only simulate fullness up to a certain extent, so gourmands could eat all they want without being so full that they get sick. Furthermore, weight-conscious people could indulge themselves without having to worry about their real-life bodies packing the weight.

After saying their thanks they dug into their meals. As expected, Riwet grabbed a hefty portion of bacon and rice and dug in with gusto. "It's perfect." He looked at his mother and Silica. "It tastes just like how I like it in the real world...how?"

"I've had a little bit of help from Keiko-chan." Linda replied. "She helped me come up with this in the virtual world and I helped her with the recipe in real life."

"Nice."

"That was some nice shooting back there, Mayu-san." Sakku remarked. "Do you practice archery in real life?"

"When I have free time, yes." Mayu nodded. "I started in my early teens, but I rarely competed. My body can't keep up with competitive-level training and I'll risk permanent damage to my arms and fingers. I still practice here and there, and I write archery news once in a while."

"But now in this virtual world, you can shoot as many arrows as you want!" Silica exclaimed. "Isn't that great?"

"It is…" She smiled. "But I still have to take care of the two of you, so I don't want to get carried away."

Eventually, the group finished eating. Riwet realized that there was a lot of leftover bacon, and brought out an enchanted bento box to store some of it. "This'll come in handy when the going gets tough…" He turned to his parents. "So..London, huh?"

"I've never been to England before, so I don't know what to expect." Rinnosuke admitted. "I'm a little excited, though."

"Don't worry too much. I'm sure that we'll love it." Linda assured him.

One week ago, the British government expressed interest in knowing more about FullDive and the SAO Incident and invited relevant people from Japan for a week. A handful of government officials were invited. Rinnosuke and Linda were heads of the financial group most involved with the SAO survivors, so they were also invited. Tetsuhiko was also going to report on the conference. Mayu also wanted to come, but despite Keiko insisting that she was going to be alright being alone for a bit, she wanted to take care of her daughter.

Keiko and Rin couldn't come because school was an ongoing commitment. They were already two years behind their peers, so they shouldn't stop when they could help it. Their parents' flight was scheduled two days from now, so they're having some time with their kids - and in Rinnosuke's case, his kid and wife - before they set off overseas.

Silica brought out a teapot and some cups, and they continued to talk. Sakku, Silica, Mayu, and Linda talked to each other, with Tetsuhiko and Rinnosuke doing the same. Pina made herself comfortable on Riwet's lap, and he busied himself in grooming her with a brush.

Sakku looked around her. Everyone was having fun. This was probably the last time that they could take it easy for a while. Now that Rin was going back to school, their parents would probably go back to their usual work schedules, and her own studies were a going concern.

These past years were the longest and most stressful years that Sakura had ever experienced, and she could bet that it was the same for her parents. But those days have passed, and now, after all that had happened to everyone, they were able to finally return to normal.

Sakku took a deep breath and took a sip from her cup. When she brought her cup down, her eyes drifted to Riwet.

She looked up and saw Riwet. His relaxed expression from before melted away ever so slightly as he turned to look at the nearby forest. Silica also did the same, but less subtle. "Is there something wrong?" Sakku asked, looking between the two.

Riwet pursed his lips. "Pina." He said.

"Kyururu. Kyururu!" Pina replied with a series of vocalizations.

He stood up and stretched his limbs. "Party crashers. Thankfully, it sounds like just enemy monsters milling about and not players with the intent to loot us."

"We're in a designated safe spot, so should we just stay put?" Rinnosuke spoke up.

"Well, that's one option." He scanned the group's faces. "Though, I doubt that everyone's gonna be in a good mood with the monsters creeping on us." He turned back to the forest. "Pina, Silica, is it just me, or are the monsters staying put?"

"Kyuru!" Pina crooned.

"You're not wrong." Silica replied.

"Staying put? What does that mean?" Linda asked.

"It means they're hunting us. Back in SAO, some monsters would camp out of designated safe areas to try and ambush players leaving the area."

Riwet opened his Player Menu and drew a knife. "Alright. Just stay right here. I'll be right back." He said before he turned to the forest.

"How about if we just leave quickly? We have wings. We can fly away."

"We can, but I'm not sure if they have anti-air, and we're not used to performing mid-air evasions. Speaking from experience - falling out of the sky isn't the most pleasant experience." He smiled. "Don't worry. I'll be fine. Just a quick little peek. Besides, they might be a problem when we're leaving this place, so I think I should deal with them sooner rather than later. Don't worry about it. Just stay put - I'll be back in a second."

"I think we should come with you." She suggested. "I don't like leaving you out there alone."

"I agree." Rinnosuke added.

"Seconded." Linda chimed in.

"It seems that they've made their minds up." Silica said before she cracked her knuckles. "I got your back."

"Keiko, you're going, too?" Tetsuhiko asked.

"Of course. I can't just leave him alone out there when I can help."

"Then we'll be going as well." Mayu said.

"So it started with me going alone and ended up with all of us going." Riwet took a deep breath. "I guess there's no point in arguing. Just get ready to sprint back here when things go south."

The party grouped up, left the clearing, and ventured into the woods with Riwet taking the lead. "I didn't even notice that there was something nearby." Tetsuhiko spoke up. "How'd you do it?"

"Staying alive made for a great incentive." Riwet replied. "To be honest, this specific gimmick didn't happen until the first 25 Floors of Aincrad were cleared, so the developers are making good on their promise to deliver a different experience."

"Riwet." Silica interjected.

"I know. Everyone, stay still."

The group stopped. Riwet looked around. "Now, I think this a good time for a bit of a spot-the-difference game. Everyone, look around if you can see what's wrong. Small hint - pay attention to how the trees look. Silica, Pina - no spoilers."

The group looked around. "There's one over there, behind that tree." Mayu said, pointing at a tree distance.

"Good find."

"Over there - something's hiding in that big tree's branches." Rinnosuke said.

"Very good."

"...that tree looks a bit weird." Sakura nodded over to what they found.

Riwet tilted his head. "Ooh. Nice find. Not exactly what we're looking for, though, but nice find nonetheless."

"There - that tree with no leaves on." Rinnosuke pointed.

"Excellent. And I believe that's all of them. Now, my turn to play."

He raised his knife and promptly threw it on one that Rinnosuke pointed.

The knife didn't hit what he was aiming at because the 'tree' moved out of the way. They also spotted movement - the other objects that the group pointed out moved out of their hiding places and faced them.

The monsters appeared to be mobile training dummies. Three humanoid beings made out of wood with the same material as the surrounding trees. Two of the dummies were as tall as Riwet and held spears in their hands. The third one was about a head taller, had visible scarring on its body, and its hands were closed into fists with spikes on its knuckles.

"They're a bit strong-looking…" Mayu said in a hushed voice.

Silica squinted. "Looks like the ones on the 14th Floor. I don't recall them being too difficult to fight, but they were a bit durable."

"Spot on. The two smaller ones can throw spears, so flying isn't advisable. " Riwet added. Not even bothering to don any armor, he nonchalantly walked towards the monsters. "Silica, stay with them. If they pull out something unexpected, shut 'em down."

"Roger that." She replied. As he walked further away from the group, she saw everyone's concerned face. "Don't worry about him. Just stay close to me and look out for any surprises."

When he got close enough to them, one of the smaller dummies lunged for a strike. Riwet raised his arm and diverted it away from his body as it barrelled past him. The second dummy also rushed in, but Riwet grabbed its arm and threw it over to the first one, causing the two to collide and fall. The tall one darted in and swung its fist, starting a flurry of strikes. It couldn't get a hit in as Riwet dodged and blocked the strikes.

Out of seeming desperation, the dummy attempted a wild straight punch to break through Riwet's defense. A faint grin formed on his face as he darted in and backhanded the dummy in its head. Not expecting the counter, the dummy reeled back, stunned. The Salamander took this opening and unsheathed his knife, slicing a chunk off the dummy's head.

The others watched as the fight continued. Aside from Silica and Pina, it was the first time that they saw him in action inside the virtual world. Sakku saw him work a punching bag before, but this was different. He was confident in his stance and his moves were measured and effective.

But as the fight went on, his attacks, while still measure and efficient, turned slightly thuggish and brutal.

Blade in hand, he continued on the offensive. Large gashes accumulated on his enemy and didn't take long for him to almost finish it off. The enemy tried to retaliate with a wild straight punch, but Riwet caught it and stomped on the dummy's knees, bending it slightly from the side.

Rinnosuke, Linda, and Sakku stared at their youngest family member. Not even that long ago, they remembered him as someone who kept to himself and blended into the crowd.

But now, he was certainly holding his own, and his confidence and sheer dominance against fighting the monster in front of him made him quite imposing.

It didn't take long before the other two dummies recovered. They saw their ally being torn apart and promptly re-engaged.

"Should we help him?" Sakku asked.

"Hang on. Let me ask him. Heyyy~! Mind if I take care of the other one?!" Silica shouted.

"Up to you!" Was his reply.

"Okay!" Silica unsheathed her knife and held it with her left hand. Then, she opened her right hand and muttered an incantation. A small water orb the size of a golf ball appeared on her right palm. She grabbed it and hurled it, hitting one of the dummies. It broke off and started to go after her with alarming speed.

She met it halfway and kicked it to the side, a fair distance away from the group.

Despite the monster's intimidating show of speed, the group found that Silica was a step above. She was certainly faster than both Riwet and the dummies, and she used that speed to great effect. The dummy couldn't land a clean hit on her, as any blows too fast for her to dodge would be deflected by her knife. In contrast, she was whittling her enemy's HP with no cost to herself.

Tetsuhiko and Mayu had mixed feelings as they watched her. They were proud that she was able to stand up and defend herself, but from their daughter's stern, calculating expression, it was clear that she had changed. She was so young, and yet was subject to two years of hardship...

*Crack* The group heard a loud sound over in Riwet's direction, and saw quite the scene. The sound was from him picking up the smaller dummy and throwing it on the bigger dummy, finally killing the bigger dummy. Then, he ripped off one of its arms and beat it to death with its own arm before running back to assist Silica.

It's about time that we finish this. Silica thought. "Pina!" She barked.

"Kyuru!" Pina swooped in and breathed paralyzing air in the dummy, rendering it unable to move.

Silica crouched, clenched her fist hard, and wound her hand back. "Fuu...haa…" She took a deep breath, and spotting Riwet approaching, held her stance.

After a few seconds, the monster was able to move again. "*Ahem*" Before it could attack Silica, it heard a sound from behind it and felt something tap its shoulder. It turned around -

Right in time for Riwet's fist to crack its face.

It staggered forward - at a perfect position for the killing blow.

"HAAA!" With a shout, Silica unleashed her attack, hitting the dummy square in the torso and sending it to the air.

Unarmed Skills were not implemented in ALO, but it didn't matter. Silica's uppercut was so devastating that the dummy disintegrated before it hit the ground.

Things were quiet for a second. Silica took a deep breath and looked at her fist. She's still got it - the power to fight and protect those dear to her. She let out a satisfied smile - which Tetsuhiko noted to be extremely similar to the smile that Mayu wore after she hit her targets.

"Good work, you two." Riwet said.

"Thanks, Riwet."

"Kyuru!" Pina crooned and breathed a gust of curative air in his face.

Riwet took a deep breath. "Didn't need it that much, but thanks, bud." He turned back to Silica. "You got some dirt on your head. I got it."

"Thank you~" Silica giggled as Riwet's hand started to pat her head.

It seemed that the two had drifted off into their own little world for a few seconds. Then, they realized that they weren't alone - they immediately broke off with their faces blushing.

Rinnosuke, Linda, and Sakura once again took a look at their youngest family member. The imposing figure from before had melted away so quickly that it almost felt like it wasn't there - replaced by some awkward kid.

Tetsuhiko scowled, but couldn't say anything so as not to ruin his daughter's mood. Mayu was just all smiles - they looked so cute together.

"...uh…" Riwet droned before his face lit up. "Oh, right! Let's go to the tree that aneki saw."

The group went to the tree. As they were closer, it was indeed slightly different in size and color.

"Hey, isn't this…" Silica started.

"Yup." Riwet replied. He summoned his wings and flew up, hovering about a meter above the ground. He picked some of the tree's leaves and flew down, giving half to Silica.

Then, he took a bit out of one of the leaves and left it hanging on his mouth before he handed the leaves to his family.

Everyone except Silica and Pina looked at him in bewilderment. "...you serious?" Tetsuhiko asked.

"Normally, I'm not too fond of food that's a bit out there, but this one is an exception." Silica replied as she broke off parts of the branch and gave some to her parents. "here."

The rest of the group gingerly took a bite, and to their surprise, it tasted like mint, but with added sweetness. "Ah, it's a bit too strong…" Sakku commented.

"It's called Honey Mint Tree Leaf. Back in SAO's early days these were used to make certain potions, but were perfectly edible raw." Silica explained.

Riwet sighed, a nostalgic look present on his face. "I don't remember seeing this tree in the old Aincrads' first floor. I guess this is one more of Ymir's additions…"

The group stayed at that spot and consumed the leaf. Silica nodded to herself before she noticed Mayu staring at her. "Mama, is there something wrong?" She asked.

"...I have a question - for you and Rin-kun. It's about time that we get back to the city, so let's walk while I ask you."

The group nodded and started to make their way back to the Starting City.

"So...here is my question." Mayu started. "The two of you are here because you want closure for what happened to you, yes?"

Riwet and Silica exchanged looks before they nodded.

"I see...but...even though we're still on the first Floor, so much had changed already from the old Aincrad to this new one. The two of you have changed as well since you now have wings and magic. Despite that, do you think you can still find the closure that you're looking for?"

The two digested her question, and went silent for a long while. "I think so, yes." Riwet replied.

"I agree." Silica added.

"Can you elaborate on why you think so?" Mayu prodded.

"Keiko, you should go first."

"Okay." Silica took a deep breath and carefully chose her words. "Things may not be the same, but for the most part, that's a good thing. For me, this is my way of showing gratitude to the good side of Sword Art Online. Yes, it was a cruel death game that took so many people away, but it also brought people together to fight for a common goal. I have met so many people and experienced so many things that I wouldn't have if not for SAO. So now, I keep on fighting...because the worst has passed, and all that's left are the good times."

After a moment of silence, Silica looked away and scratched her cheek. "U-um...I hope I made sense…" She mumbled. "It was something that I was also thinking about for a while now…"

Mayu smiled and patted Silica in the head. "Don't worry. You did well." She turned to Riwet. "And you?"

"...I feel more or less the same as her." He replied. "I've seen old Aincrad die with my own eyes, and a lot of people would agree that it should stay dead. This so-called New Aincrad embodies VRMMO's good side. It's like that phone back then that had a high chance of blowing up. They released a newer model that's very similar except not prone to exploding, and everyone's happy. And hey, even if we clear the game and we didn't get what we came for, it's alright. With the FullDive games still hanging in there, I'm sure we can find something new to play."

Mayu nodded at the two of them. "I see...well, I hope that the two of you continue to have a good time playing this game."

Loading...Complete

"Hm, hm, hm...~" Asuna hummed to herself as she read an in-game cookbook and took notes. ALO provided much more ingredients for her to experiment with, so she wanted to try it out when she can.

"Kh….kh…" Kirito leaned on her shoulder and was out like a light.

"Zzz...mn…" Yui - in her human form - let out soft breaths as she rested her head on Asuna's lap and the rest of her body on Kirito's.

They were staying at a house on Aincrad's first floor. It was a small house near a wheat farm owned by NPCs. The premise was that the NPC owners experienced good fortune, and as celebration built a newer, larger house nearby. This was the older house and players could rent it.

For a moment, Asuna leaned back and closed her eyes, overcome by nostalgia.

Back during SAO, Kirito had rented only one of this house's rooms which had a modern-styled bathroom. Now, she forgot how it got to the discussion, but when he mentioned that, she demanded that she come over and use the bath.

During that time, it had been almost a month that she had bathed. She felt miserable and filthy. While she washed her face and extremities on rivers, she couldn't do much more than that as she was paranoid of something - or someone - spying on her when she didn't have any equipment on. In addition, she didn't know much about SAO - or video games for that matter - so she didn't know what to do and ended up renting a room that had nothing except an old bed that she could barely get some sleep on.

Looking back, that was an incredibly risky decision. She was desperate enough to ask Kirito - someone of the opposite gender who by then was a stranger she barely knew - if she could take a bath at his place. She was lucky that Kirito turned out to be a decent person.

Yes...she was lucky.

Lucky to have met someone like him.

Something snapped her out of her thoughts. She blinked rapidly and looked around before finally setting her eye on Yui.

"..." Yui was still laying on her lap, but she was no longer peacefully sleeping. Her eyes were slightly open and her mouth moved as if she was muttering something, but Asuna couldn't hear anything.

Asuna was starting to get worried. She held Yui's shoulders and shook her gently. "Yui-chan, what's wrong?"

Yui closed her eyes and stopped muttering. After a second, she yawned and lazily opened her eyes. "Hm…?"

She sat up from Asuna's lap and rubbed her eyes. "Mama...how long was I asleep?"

"You were out for two hours." She replied.

"Hm…? What's happening?" Kirito woke up as well.

"Yui-chan, are you alright? You were talking in your sleep. It looked like you were having a bad dream."

"What...talking in my sleep? Bad dream?" Yui tilted her head. "I'm not programmed to experience such things." She frowned. "...but...I do feel...something…"

Asuna looked at Kirito. "Do you think this is a cause of concern?"

"Hmm…" Kirito rubbed his jaw. "Yui didn't exhibit any of these before the Aincrad Update, so I think that's the clear culprit. I know about computers and programming, but I'm not knowledgeable enough yet to figure out what makes you tick, so I can't determine if this is as far as it gets.

"Do you think taking Yui-chan out of Aincrad and staying in Alfheim would help?" Asuna suggested.

"That's a start." He agreed. "I should also try to ask Wilhelm-san if someone in Ymir was involved in your creation and ask them. We could also ask Kikuoka-san if we can contact former Argus employees that were related to you but didn't join Ymir." He opened his Player Menu. "Don't worry. It'll only take a seco-"

"W-wait…!" Yui protested, grabbing Kirito and Asuna's arm.

"Yui?"

"U-um...I d-don't know what's happening, b-but please...don't leave…" She pleaded.

Hearing that sad tone from her hurt their hearts. They immediately wrapped her in an embrace.

When they broke away, Yui looked at them "Um…c-can I...make a request?

"Of course." Kirito immediately replied.

"I...want to reflect on this a bit. I believe it's called 'meditation'? It's...something that I feel like I want to figure out on my own before we ask for help. Can you give me a bit of time before we ask other people?"

Kirito and Asuna exchanged glances. What could be so special to her that she wanted to take care of herself? But after that moment, they smiled at each other before they turned to Yui. "Alright, Yui. Take as much time as you need." Kirito replied.

"We'll be here with you. We promise." Asuna added.

Yui smiled back. "Thank you, mama, papa...I love you…"

"However, promise us that if this gets worse, you tell us, okay?"

"Yes!"

Of course that would be their answer. Regardless of what they felt, that was their beloved daughter's request. They were not sure as to why she was set on doing this without outside help, but they respected her decision. All they had to do for now was put their faith in Yui.

After that, the family spent the rest of the day together in that room, doing nothing specific and just enjoying each other's company in peace.

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"Ahhh~" Silica let out a deep breath as she threw herself face-first into the bed. She rolled over to make room for Riwet, who laid beside her.

"Kyururu!" Pina perched herself behind Silica, laying her head on the side of Silica's neck.

"It's been a while since we shared a bed." Silica mused.

"Yeah. We can't exactly do this yet in real life." Riwet replied. "Your father would skin me alive if I tried it."

"Oh, come on. He's not...well, he won't do something that drastic."

"Uh-huh. Why'd you hesitate, then?"

"Because I can't help but notice how much he glares at you when he thinks that I'm not paying attention."

"Well, I get where he's coming from. In his eyes, I'm taking you away. And he's not even wrong."

"Hmm…" Silica pondered as she nuzzled her forehead into Riwet's chest, listening to his heartbeat. "I feel a bit bad about that, but this...this is nice."

Riwet chuckled as he patted her head.

"Say...Riwet…"

"...yeah?"

"The fight with the dummies got pretty intense, huh?"

"Eh, not really. We had it all under control."

"...Rin."

"...sorry. Gotta admit - I got a little on edge when I saw it making a beeline for you guys. But I think I held myself together reasonably enough, right?

"Yes, but...are you okay now?" Silica asked. "I'm just worried that you were going to experience a traumatic flashback or something like that."

"Hmm...I didn't, but I guess I should lighten up a bit. I'm not playing a death game anymore. What about you?"

"I feel perfectly fine."

"That's good." He let out a mischievous smile. Then, he grabbed a pinch of her hair and gently rubbed it on her ear.

"Haha...hey, that tickles!" She protested in between her giggles.

Riwet let go of her hair and cupped her cheek. "Thanks for looking out for me, Keiko."

"And thank you for looking out for me as well, Rin."

He continued patting her head. She giggled and snuggled over to him, and found herself rapidly losing consciousness.

The default setting of ALO was that when a player started to drift off into sleep, it would serve as a natural way to log out of the game. The Aincrad update added an option to disable that and keep the player logged in. Many players - including almost all players that were SAO survivors - found this preferable. Silica was one of them.

Silica was as comfortable as she could be - a nice large bed to sleep on, and Riwet to pat her head and keep her company. With a satisfied sigh, she closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

But it didn't last as she found herself waking up.

She opened her eyes for a second. It was still dark outside so she should just take it easy and go back to sleep. But after a minute, she felt restless. Like there was something wrong.

Instinctively, she looked up at Riwet.

Tears were streaming down his face, and his breaths were shaky.

She froze for a second before she grabbed his shoulder and shook him. "Riwet, what's wrong?" she asked.

He stirred and slowly opened his eyes. He stared at her blankly. "...what…?" He blinked rapidly and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "I...I…" He muttered, his voice shaky.

She wrapped her arms around him and held him close, laying his head on her shoulder. "It's alright...it's okay…" She said repeatedly in a soft voice as she gently patted him.

"..." Riwet let out deep, steady breaths.

"...bad dream?"

"Yeah...at least...I think so. What else would it be?"

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I don't remember much...but I remember being back in SAO, and just...feeling sad." He wrapped her arms around her. "Everything else was a blur. Sorry..that's about it."

"It's alright, Rin. Just relax. I'll be with you. I'll always be with you. Just like how you were there for me when I had nightmares."

"...thank you, Keiko…"

With that, Riwet started to drift back to sleep as if nothing had ever happened. Silica watched over him for as long as she could. She knew how much it sucked to have a bad dream, try for hours to fall asleep just to get a little bit of rest, and then experience a bad dream again.

This was the first time Silica saw him suffering from a nightmare. He admitted that he'd get them once in a long while, and even if he did, he said that it didn't take too much to shake it off. The fact that he was crying meant that this one was particularly bad, and she was thankful that she was there to comfort him.

After about an hour, his face and posture were still completely relaxed. She wanted to keep an eye on him for longer, but her eyelids felt too heavy. She huddled closer to him, taking care not to wake him up. With a deep sigh, she closed her eyes and slept.

Chapter End

A/N: Hey. I hope you guys are holding up well. I'm doing alright in my career development, but as I said, my hobbies are the ones that'll have to get shafted.

I think I like this chapter overall. This provides a nice setup for the next arc in the burner (tentatively titled 'Agnosthesia').

Just a heads up - for this Arc, GGO will not yet be involved. I know some who are excited to dive into a new world filled with guns instead of swords, but it won't make sense from a narrative standpoint. You'll see what I mean.

Thank you, C0fireLoc and Battlefieldfan. They provided a bit of insight as to what clothing/weapons Riwet and Silica would use in that game.

Speaking of GGO, I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to tackle that story.

For GGO, I want the following to happen:

- No significant OCs will be created. Sure, I can create throwaway small fry OCs, but nothing that I have to develop intensively. I want to develop the OCs that I already have (This will also be true for this current arc)

- Sinon will undergo similar character development, but with my own added twist. I'm keeping it vague for now spoilers and flexibility.

- Sinon will not fall in love with Kirito or Riwet or anyone with an already romantic relationship. We'll go with platonic and familial. SinonxKirito is popular, I know, and I'm sorry.

I know that those parameters are quite broad, but I honestly don't want to narrow it down yet. I want to focus on the current arc, so that's where we are. That said, back to living and story writing.

Thank you very much, and have a good one.