The deafening sound of whirring blades filled the skies around them, drowning out any attempts at a normal conversation. Two suited men, sitting across from each other on the helicopter, an unconscious, black-haired boy laid out on a stretcher between them.
"How long until we get there? Will he be able to last that long?" One of them yelled out, barely heard over the noise of the helicopter as it continued to shoot through the sky, over the vast ocean that stretched out for many miles below.
Even if it hadn't been the middle of the night, neither of them would have been able to see anything other than the deep blue of the ocean.
"I hope so! Shouldn't be too long, another ten minutes or so!" the other man called back. "He's lasted this long, so he should be okay!"
On the stretcher between them, lay Kazuto, who just hours earlier had been injected with a lethal dose of poison. It was a miracle that he had survived so long, with most people dying anywhere from a matter of minutes to a few hours, depending on how their body reacted to the drug.
They had the facilities to care for him, it was just getting him there in time before he died that was beginning to cause them problems. The drugs in Kazuto's system, was causing his heartrate to fluctuate constantly, making it considerably difficult to monitor it.
A speaker above them buzzed to life, static crackling for a few seconds, before the gravelly voice of one of the pilots came through. "Strap yourselves in if you aren't already. ETA to Ocean Turtle two minutes."
Looking out the side windows, they spotted a large pyramid-like structure slowly appear and get closer as they descended toward it. The suited man that was closest to Kazuto, practically holding him and the stretcher in place as it wobbled precariously, placed a hand on the unconscious boy's shoulder. "Hang in there, kid, we'll get you fixed up soon!" he shouted, as the helicopter touched down on the mid-ocean Rath facility known as the Ocean Turtle.
"So if you don't remember where you came from, then that could mean you're a Lost Child of Vecta?" Eugeo questioned with a thoughtful expression on his face.
"A Lost Child of Vecta?" Kirito asked. He wasn't sure what that was, but it didn't sound too good, especially if it's what Eugeo is talking about in regards to his memory loss and waking up in the middle of the woods
"Oh, you won't know what that is, will you?" Eugeo said, laughing sheepishly. "Basically, there are strange occurences when people like yourself appear in random places with no memory of who they are or where they come from, and it's believed that the Demon King Vecta is responsible for it, doing it for his own entertainment."
"Strange. I've never heard of that before. Could it be some kind of event?" Kirito mumbled to himself. Suddenly remembering what it was he wanted to do, Kirito decided to ask Eugeo how he could get out of this virtual world. "Say, Eugeo. Could you tell me how to log out?"
"Huh? Log...out? What does that mean?" Eugeo asked, puzzled by the sudden strange question.
"Oh, uh, never mind. No idea why I asked that in the first place." Kirito replied, suddenly much more intrigued by the boy in front of him.
Something wasn't adding up. It was obvious that Eugeo wasn't a player, otherwise he'd have known how to log out, but he appeared far too realistic to be an NPC as well. 'Has technology really come so far?' Kirito thought to himself, realising that he was just standing staring at Eugeo, who was beginning to shift uncomfortably under his gaze.
"Perhaps it's some kind of dialect from where you're from?" Eugeo asked. Perhaps if we can find anyone else who talks like you do, then maybe we can figure out where you're from."
It wouldn't have sounded like a bad idea, had Kirito not known that it would probably be difficult to find someone like him in this virtual world. He'd already been here for a while and only come across one person, Eugeo, who he'd mistaken for a real human.
Kirito couldn't help but feel like there was something else at play here. Something just didn't make sense to him. How was this world not filled with players if it was indeed a virtual world, and how would Eugeo as an NPC not be able to help him log out of the world.
"Anyway, I should get back to my Calling. My village is over in that direction, I'm sure someone will be able to help you." Eugeo explained, pointing off into the distance, Kirito catching sight of a large arch that led into a group of small houses.
"What do you mean by 'Calling?'" Kirito asked. "Is it to do with what you were doing when I first turned up?"
"Yeah. When I turned ten, I was given a Calling like every other kid in the Human Empire, and mine was to chop down the Gigas Cedar over there. I'm the next one in line of multiple generations of woodcutters that have spent three hundred years trying to chop this thing down." Eugeo explained.
"Three hundred?!" Kirito cried in disbelief. "Just how tough is this thing?"
"It's stronger than steel, but that's not the only thing. Come over here and I'll show you." Eugeo told him, heading over to the tree, Kirito following close behind. Eugeo raised his hand in front of the tree, protruding two fingers, before moving them to make what appeared to be an 'S' shape.
Kirito watched stunned as a small screen popped up in front of Eugeo, with various different pieces of information that he couldn't quite make out from his position standing behind the boy. Eugeo, seemingly realising this, shifted over to the side slightly, allowing Kirito to kneel down beside him and get a better look at the small menu.
It had various numbers and moving graphs, with certain pieces of information that he didn't quite understand. "You see this number here, that's the tree's Life. I swing at the Gigas Cedar two thousand times a day; in that time, I'll be able to bring its Life down by a small percentage." Eugeo explained. "But, overnight the Gigas Cedar regains half of the Life it lost during the day by draining the Life of the area surrounding it."
"So, no matter how much you chop away, most of it'll just grow back overnight? That seems like such a waste of time!" Kirito cried out. "Have you ever thought of just going and doing something else?"
"My village wants to grow our farmland, but with the Gigas Cedar draining Terraria's blessing from all the crops that we try to grow, we can't do that until this tree is cut down." Eugeo replied, tapping the screen, closing it again. "And I can't abandon my Calling, because that would be a violation of the Taboo Index and I'd be taken away to be executed. Like Alice..."
He had trailed off, Kirito barely catching the last part. "Alice? Who's that?" he asked. Eugeo looked at him in surprise. "Uh, you mentioned someone called Alice. Who is she, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Well, when I was younger, I had a friend named Alice. We did everything together, but when I got my Calling and she started learning the Sacred Arts, I saw her a less often. She would still find time to bring me lunch every day though. Six years ago, one of us had the idea that we should head to the mountains in the North, where legend said an ice dragon lived in order to obtain some ice to preserve our food's Life during the summer months, so that we could enjoy it more." Eugeo stopped, taking a shaky breath.
"If you don't want to tell me, it's fine. We just met after all." Kirito told him, but Eugeo held up a hand.
"It's fine. For some reason, I feel comfortable telling you this, as if we've known each other for years, instead of minutes." Eugeo admitted, before continuing his story. "We managed to find some ice, but got lost in the mountain's caves and ended up in the Dark Territory. Alice tripped and fell, crossing the border between the Human Empire and the Dark Territory, which is a violation of the Taboo Index. I grabbed her and quickly took her back to Rulid, but the next morning when I woke up, she was already being taken away by one of the Integrity Knights."
Integrity Knights?" Kirito asked.
"They're the law keepers. They make sure everyone is following the rules of the Taboo Index. " Eugeo replied. "I tried to help Alice that day, but my feet wouldn't move, I was too scared to help my friend."
He lowered his head, staring at the ground. Kirito could see tears falling from Eugeo's face. He debated whether it would be a good idea to place a hand on the other boy's shoulder as a sign of comfort. After a moment, Eugeo looked back up at him, tears were no longer in his eyes and were replaced with a look of determination.
"I know she's still alive. I'm going to chop down this tree, and when I do, I get a new Calling of my choosing. I'll become a swordsman and head to the academy in Centoria. When I pass, I'll become an Integrity Knight and use my newfound capabilities in order to find her." Eugeo explained.
"That's sounds like a noble goal, Eugeo." Kirito replied. "How about I help you look for Alice, in return for you being so kind and helpful to me."
"But don't you want to get your memories back and return to your own life. What if you have a family of your own that misses you?" Eugeo asked.
Kirito paused for a moment. Eugeo was right, he did have a family waiting for him, just not in the way the other boy thought. "Who says I can't do both?" he replied. "I want to help you, and if my memories of who I am and where I'm from return then I'll decide what I'll do when that happens. But for now, let me help you in your quest."
Eugeo thought about it for a few minutes, seeming to actually be debating with himself whether to accept Kirito's help or not, having just told him everything that he had, even though Kirito was a complete stranger to him. He still questioned that. Eugeo had said he felt comfortable telling Kirito because it was as if they'd known each other for years, rather than just a few minutes.
He was grateful that Eugeo found him so trustworthy, but at the same time it seemed a bit naïve of him to share so much personal information to someone he had just met. For all Eugeo knew, Kirito was a spy sent from this 'Dark Territory' and his mission was to destroy the Human Empire that Eugeo resided. It wasn't, obviously, but that was beside the point.
"Kirito? Kirito, are you alright?!" Eugeo's voice brought pulled him back out of his thoughts. "You seemed pretty spaced out there, are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Just thinking." Kirito replied. "Sorry, what were you saying?"
"I was saying, that I'll accept your help. Two people are better than one after all, and I don't think I'll be able to do this by myself." Eugeo said.
Kirito nodded, before turning his attention back to the tree. "So, is there nothing else we could use in order to chop the tree down?" he asked.
"No, the only thing that we have that's strong enough to deal any kind of damage to it is this Dragon Bone Axe." Eugeo replied, handing the oversized tool to Kirito for him to inspect it.
Unsurprisingly, it was pretty heavy and Kirito struggled to hold it for a few minutes, before sorting his grip out and hauling it up onto his shoulder. He turned sideways next to the cut in the tree, and prepared to swing.
"Oh, be careful with th-" Eugeo began, but was cut off swiftly by Kirito swinging the axe into the tree.
CLANG!
Kirito let out a cry as he dropped the axe and fell to his knees, his hands throbbing. "Wh-what did I do wrong?! That didn't sound anything like it did when you were doing it earlier."
"You completely missed the cut and hit the bark above it instead." Eugeo told him, laughing lightly. "On top of the fact you've obviously never tried to chop down a tree before, you need to make sure you're accurate enough and the axe should do the rest for you. Here, I'll show you."
He picked the axe up, and shooed Kirito out of the way. Eugeo raised the axe up and into position, resting on his shoulder. Within a second, he'd swung the axe, catching the sweet spot of the cut, right in the middle.
Clang.
It didn't take a genius to realise the difference between the two swings. Eugeo said he had been doing this for years, so it was obvious that he'd nail it. Kirito felt a determination to try again, standing back up on his feet and walking over to Eugeo. "Okay, I think I got it now. You mind if I try again?" he asked.
"By all means, go for it." Eugeo said, returning the axe to Kirito's still stinging hands.
It probably wasn't the best idea for him to do this again so quickly. Maybe it would be better for him to try it out on a smaller tree first? It would be, but this was Kirito, the Black Swordsman of Aincrad, and he didn't try things out on smaller trees first.
Determination coursing through his veins, he readied the axe, and swung.
Clang!
Once again, it didn't sound the same as when Eugeo had done it, but there was a better sound than his first attempt, and his hands didn't feel like they were falling off which was a massive bonus. "You got a good hit on it there. Nice work." Eugeo said.
"The bar was set pretty low from my first attempt, so as long as I hit it properly it was bound to be a good hit." Kirito replied. "How many of these do you usually do a day?"
"Two thousand. A thousand in the morning, break for lunch and then a thousand in the afternoon. I have to do those six days a week before the day of rest at the end of it." Eugeo explained.
"Two thousand?!" Kirito cried in surprise. "Six days a week as well..."
"It's not so bad, I'll probably eventually have to move up to three or even four thousand a day in order to increase my chances of chopping down the Gigas Cedar." Eugeo replied.
"I'd be lucky if I could do that two hundred times a day, never mind two thousand." Kirito said.
"That's only because you aren't used to it, Kirito." Eugeo told him. "We should continue on, if you're still wanting to help that is. There's still about eight hundred of these left to do. Afterwards, I'll take you into Rulid and see if I can get you somewhere to stay. Sister Azalia at the church would probably take you in, especially after we explain your situation to her."
"Sounds great." Kirito replied. "Now, let's get to work."
"Ah! My arms hurt so much!" Kirito complained, drawing a laugh from Eugeo. "How do you manage that every day?"
"I don't know. I guess I just got used to it after doing it for so long." Eugeo replied. "If I remember correctly, I started off only doing about a hundred of them a day, and afterward I was always exhausted and complaining about my arms."
"Does it not get lonely being out here every day by yourself?" Kirito asked. "Since Alice was taken, I mean."
"Well, I suppose it is lonely, yeah. I have plenty to occupy myself with though." Eugeo told him. "Since Alice was taken, I was alone. Sure, I have my brothers and Selka, but they just aren't Alice."
"Selka?" Kirito questioned. "Is this another friend of yours?"
"Uh, yeah. Selka is Alice's younger sister. She basically stays at the church with Sister Azalia, always helping out at the orphanage and attending school there to learn about the Sacred Arts." Eugeo explained. "She's great fun to hang around with, don't get me wrong, but she reminds me too much of Alice to be comfortable when with her. I feel bad for her though. Alice was an genius and prodigy with the Sacred Arts, and Selka constantly gets compared to her which is unfair on her, with everyone's expectations being too great for her to handle."
"That's sad to hear. I can't imagine what it must be like to have those kinds of expectations and pressure put on your shoulders." Kirito said.
"Yeah, there have been times where I've seen her exhausted from practicing all day and night, only to end up distraught because she still wasn't seen as good as Alice was. I know it eats her up to be compared to her older sister in the way that everyone does." Eugeo told him.
They were getting close to Rulid now, where Eugeo stayed. Kirito stared up at the sky, a beautiful shade of orange cast by the setting sun, hardly a cloud in sight. Kirito loved sunsets the most, the mix of colours as the sun disappeared beyond the horizon, the sky would eventually turn black, purple or even a dark blue, littered with the sparkling stars.
"Say, Eugeo. Could we go and see this Selka? I'd like the chance to meet her if you don't mind." Kirito asked.
"Sure, she's probably still at the church so there's a good chance you'll see her when we arrive as she doesn't end up going home until late at night, if she goes home at all. Sister Azalia always keeps a bed spare for her because she spends most nights there. So sure, I'll introduce you to her when we get there." Eugeo replied as they arrived at the south entrance to Rulid Village.
The guard at the entrance greeted Eugeo as they approached, but appeared to be a bit weary of Kirito, having not seen him before. He backed down however once Eugeo explained his situation to the guard, that Kirito was possibly a Lost Child of Vecta and that he was helping him out until he got his memories back.
"Oh, and that there is the market, where people sell all kinds of foods and trinkets. It's where I get my lunch every day in fact." Eugeo pointed out, giving Kirito a short tour of the village as they approached the church.
The large wooden doors of the church loomed over them, giving off the feeling that some kind of giant stayed within the walls. Eugeo knocked loudly on the door, the noise echoing around the area surrounding them. Kirito thought he heard something clatter from inside, before the rusty old handle began rattling as someone slowly creaked the door open.
Kirito watched as a short girl poked her head out from behind the crack in the slightly ajar door, checking to see who was there. Her shimmering blue eyes lit up when she caught sight of Eugeo, and the door was flung open abruptly, startling both boys. Eugeo didn't have any time to react as the small girl threw herself at him, gripping him in a tight hug. "Eugeo! I passed my Sacred Arts test today!" she exclaimed.
"That's great to hear Selka, you'll be a master of it in no time at this rate." Eugeo replied, returning the embrace.
'Selka? That's the girl that Eugeo was telling me about, wasn't it? This Alice person's younger sister.' Kirito thought to himself, before noticing that Selka was staring at him with a weird expression on her face.
"Who's this? I don't think I've seen him before." she asked, continuing to look Kirito up and down, as if she were inspecting a newly bought toy or piece of clothing.
"Oh, this is Kirito." Eugeo replied. "He's a Lost Child of Vecta, so I brought him here to stay at the church until his memories return."
"Okay then. I'll get Sister Azalia." Selka said, stepping toward Kirito and extending a hand. "Nice to meet you, Kirito. I'm Selka Zuberg."
Just after Kirito took her extended hand and shook it slightly, she let go and slipped back inside, shouting after Sister Azalia, the woman who ran both the church and the orphanage inside of it. The boys stood in a comfortable silence for a moment, before Selka reappeared, an elderly looking woman in tow.
At first sight, Kirito noticed that although she looked old and rather frail, she gave off an air of confidence and authority. This was Sister Azalia, the woman who had been running the church and the orphanage for decades. Azalia looked Kirito up and down through her small, round glasses that sat neatly on her nose. As their gazes met, Kirito could have sworn he caught a glimpse of something flash in her eyes.
He didn't have any time to dwell on it, as Sister Azalia began to speak. "So, you're the Lost Child of Vecta?" she asked. "I'm Sister Azalia. Selka tells me that you need a place to stay?"
Kirito was still slightly daydreaming, when a bump on his arm caused him to snap out of it. "Uh, yes ma'am." he replied politely, bowing his head.
When he looked back up, he noticed Azalia's features had softened, a small smile tugging the corners of her mouth. "What a polite young man. You may not remember who they are, but your parents certainly raised you right, that's for sure." she said. "You can stay here as long as you need, but you'll be expected to do chores like everyone else."
Kirito nodded, turning to Eugeo who had a wide grin on his face. "Thanks, Sister. I'm glad that you're giving Kirito a place to stay." Eugeo placed a hand on Kirito's shoulder, and pointed out a house standing alone not too far from the church. "That's my house there. I have to head off before my family starts to worry, but if you need anything don't hesitate to come and see me. If I'm not at my house, then I'll be at the Gigas Cedar."
"Got it. Thanks for your help, Eugeo." Kirito said, closing his fist and holding it out to Eugeo.
The boy stared at it with confusion, before Kirito realised that Eugeo wouldn't have a clue what it was he was doing. "This is called a fist bump. It's something that friends do before separating." he explained.
"A fist bump?" Eugeo asked, still not quite getting it. Nevertheless, he copied what Kirito had done, stretching out his hand and closing it into a fist. Kirito then lightly bumped them together.
"It's not as formal or polite as a handshake, so hopefully we can do that more often now that we're friends, right?" Kirito said.
Eugeo's smile returned, and he nodded eagerly as he raised his fist again, this time understanding what it is he was supposed to do. After that, he gave a short wave to Sister Azalia and Selka, before leaving the three of them alone in the church's entryway.
"Right, come on in Kirito and we'll get you a bed sorted." Azalia told him. "We're running a bit low on rooms so you'll have to share with some of the younger boys. I hope that won't be too much trouble?"
"No problem at all, Sister." Kirito replied. "You're kind enough to give me a place to stay, there's no way I could spend that time complaining about where it is you decide to put me."
As he lay in his new bed that night, Kirito mind began to wander back to his thoughts from earlier in the day. He was positive that he was in a virtual world, given the medieval looking clothing and scenery, but he was struggling to understand exactly how everything worked. It was certainly something he'd have to figure out in due time, but for the moment, he needed some rest.
The labour of swinging that axe had taken more out of him than he initially thought it had, and he suddenly felt the fatigue begin to quickly drag him into slumber. Rolling onto his side, he glanced out the window. The last thing he saw before slipping into a deep sleep was the bright, round full moon staring down at him.