In an instant, Kizmel's life changed.
Not thirty seconds ago, she was suggesting to her highness, Queen Illise, that the humans might hold the answer to escaping from Aincrad. With their own prophecies rendered moot by the foolishness of the Fallen Elves, the people of Lyusula and Kales'Oh had nothing to aim for.
The Kales'Oh half of the prophecy stated that the use of the sacred keys would restore magic to Aincrad. That, unfortunately, was dashed when the Fallen General Kar decided to forcibly drain the magic for his own nefarious purposes. While the combined might of the elves and humans had thwarted that plan, the damage had been done. Now both sacred trees were severely drained of power, only just having enough residual magic to keep Aincrad from plummeting to Earth.
The Lyusula half of the prophecy was not so much a prophecy of salvation, but one of survival. It was simple; keep everyone out of the sacred tree chamber and avoid total catastrophe. Not only had her people ultimately failed in their singular mission, but the keys had been used up in Kar's futile power grab. Now the keys were gone and the gates would need to be guarded for eternity. Fortunately, a joint effort by Kales'Oh and Lyusula would ensure that no one would ever be able to harm their sacred trees again.
As it turned out, mutual destruction was the common enemy the elves needed to finally stop fighting each other.
Queen Illise and King Erlan had both agreed with Kizmel's assessment. The humans' prophecy was the only one untouched by the Fallen's lust for power. They already had favorable relations with them, so an alliance was the next logical step. If they could assist the humans with their ascent of Aincrad's 100 floors, then perhaps the elven peoples could be saved when the humans conquered the floating castle. Her queen had assigned her the immense responsibility of acting as the elven ambassador to the humans, acting as official liaison and actively assisting in their floor-clearing efforts. Officially joining one of their coalitions was part of her new position.
While Kizmel could have joined any of the so-called "Clearer Guilds" - human language idiosyncrasies notwithstanding - the obvious choice was to join the Resolute Renegades. Kirito and his guild had already proven themselves honorable and valiant warriors and frankly, there was a close-knit camaraderie among the Renegades that Kizmel wished to be a part of. Perhaps it was presumptuous of her, but a part of her felt she already belonged.
When she proposed the idea to Kirito and Asuna, they had been shocked but no less enthused at the idea of her joining. Kirito had one of his ever-stoic gentle smiles plastered on his face, while Asuna was ecstatic at the prospect of Kizmel joining. With that kind of response, Kizmel was fully expecting many months and years of joy and adventure with the group of young humans.
What she was not expecting was… well, she didn't even know how to describe this.
"Kizmel?" Asuna asked, her voice laced with concern. "Are you alright? You look a little startled."
The Pagoda Knight took a step back, trying to distance herself from the symbols and words that impeded the corners of her vision. Try as she might, they seemed to follow. Even if she turned her head, they followed the edges of her vision, completely unfazed by her frantic movements.
"I fear I may have had too much to drink, Asuna." Kizmel said, shaking her head again in a futile effort to dispel whatever was causing these hallucinations. Was that her name in the top left corner of her vision? "I am seeing things I know do not exist."
"What do you mean?" Kirito asked, his voice also sounding concerned. "What are you seeing?"
Kizmel gulped. Despite their simple shapes and legible words, she had no idea what she was looking at. "Well… they appear to be shapes and words that are affixed to the edges of my vision. No matter how slow or sudden I move my head, they remain fixed and unmoving."
Kirito shared a worried glance with Asuna. "What does it look like?"
"It… is difficult to describe." Kizmel confessed, her initial panic wearing off. Worry and a bit of intrigue took its place.
"Maybe you could try drawing it?" Asuna suggested. "If we know what it looks like, we can try to help."
Kizmel nodded her head, still uneasy. "I can do that. Allow me to fetch a parchment and quill. I will meet you at the table the others are sitting at."
Kizmel hurriedly went back to the room she was assigned and dug through her desk. She eventually found a few pieces of blank parchment, an inkwell, and a quill. As she made her way back to the table the Renegades - no, her guildmates - were seated at, she noticed that each of them was intently focused on her. Some of their faces, like those of Silica and Geeou, were curious and concerned. Others, like Leonn and Sinon, were serious but compassionate. She guessed that Kirito and Asuna had already apprised them of the situation.
"Are you okay, Kizmel? Silica asked. Even Pina looked worried, which Kizmel found adorable. "You look a little panicked."
"I simply wish to understand exactly what is wrong with me." Kizmel said, shaking her head again but just as before, yielding no change in her vision.
"We think we might have an idea…" Kirito trailed, his lips pursed in thought. He looked up at her and gestured towards the table space in front of her. "... but we won't know for sure unless we can see what you're seeing, though, so go ahead."
Carefully, taking her time to be accurate in her portrayal of this strange phenomenon, Kizmel began to trace out what she was seeing. She looked up in the left hand corner of her vision; her name, with a green rectangle below it. Immediately to the right of her name was "Lv. 20", whatever that meant. Below her name and the strange bar was a clear box that was labeled "Quests". Inside was a simple sentence: "Assist your human friends with clearing castle Aincrad."
Yes, she supposed that was her quest now, but it certainly didn't explain why she could see it.
Her eyes flitted back and forth, committing every detail of her altered vision to memory and translating it to paper. Every so often, she would catch a glimpse of the reactions of her guildmates - she smiled at the new term for her friends - to find them in varying states of shock and befuddlement. She finally finished and calmly placed the quill back in the inkwell before leaning back in her chair. She took in the reactions of her guildmates, waiting patiently for their verdict.
"I don't believe it…" Nautilus muttered as he absent-mindedly scratched his temple.
Silica was now on her feet, having since pushed her seat back with how abruptly she'd stood up. "No way!"
"Just when I thought she couldn't surprise me anymore." Leonn chuckled.
"What?" Kizmel asked, equal parts interested and concerned. Apparently everyone knew what this was. "What is it?"
Asuna placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "What you're seeing is a Heads-Up Display, or HUD. It's something only players like us can see. The fact that you can see it at all is incredible."
"Heads-Up Display?" Kizmel asked, unfamiliar with the term.
"It helps us monitor many things here in Aincrad." Asuna explained, pointing at the picture; her finger was resting on the box located at the top left corner of her vision. "This right here is your name and health bar. The health bar, like the name suggests, monitors and measures your health in units called 'health points', or HP. Right now, your HP is at full, meaning that you're in perfect health. The more you are injured, the more you lose HP and the closer you get to death. When your HP reaches zero, it signifies death."
As Asuna - with the occasional input from Kirito - explained, this 'HUD' allowed Kizmel to monitor her vitality and the HP of others in what they called her "party." Apparently players - she wondered if she was a player now too - organized themselves into parties and raids to monitor each other's health. It was no wonder they fought so well as a team; the information she now had access to would allow for seamless coordination between herself and her teammates.
"Kizmel, could you do me a favor?" Kirito asked, giving her an analytical look. She nodded. "Raise your right hand to about shoulder height, in front of you that is. Then, I want you to swipe down, not too fast though. About the speed you would use if you were painting a picture."
Kizmel arched an eyebrow before complying. When she did, a series of circles, numbering five in total, manifested before her eyes. Unlike her HUD, these appeared to be hovering in place where her hand had previously been.
"Okay, do you see five circles in a vertical line?" Kirito asked. She nodded, causing everyone's eyes to practically bulge out of their head and their jaws to hang open. It would have been humorous were Kizmel not still a little overwhelmed by everything. "Click… err, tap on the bottom circle. Good. Now tap on the writing that says "Make visible to others.""
She complied, and once she had completed the task there was a collective gasp around the table.
"No way!" Liz cried out, slamming her hands down on the table. "She's got a menu!"
So this was the vaunted menu they'd spoken of to her about in the past? It looked fairly unremarkable. While it was certainly sorcery and magic she'd never seen before, she was expecting something… well, more. Kirito went on to explain the various functions of the menu, such as the ability to send messages without parchment, don and doff pieces of armor and weaponry without the need to do so manually, and even view a list of all of her fellow guildmates. What this interface - as Kirito called it - lacked in beauty or aesthetic value, it more than made up for in pure utility. Now she understood what Yuna meant. She couldn't explain this human magic either, but it was incredibly valuable nonetheless.
"This… will take some getting used to." Kizmel said hesitantly before smiling. As instructed, she closed her menu and focused her attention back to the group. "But I can already see the benefits of this. I look forward to working with you all to conquer Aincrad."
"Hear, hear!" Yuna said, raising her glass. Everyone mirrored her in an unofficial toast.
"So Kirito, what's our next move?" Sinon asked from her seat directly across from Kizmel. "We've been away from the front lines for two days now."
Kirito looked down pensively. "We'll have to work overtime to catch up. I suspect they'll have already located and maybe even fought the field boss already. We'll have to do some grinding if we're going to catch up and help with the 10th floor boss."
Kizmel opened her mouth, almost about to ask what "grinding" meant in this context, but Asuna quickly leaned over and explained the term to her. The Dark Elf nodded in understanding before turning her attention back to Kirito.
Human slang was odd.
"Let's enjoy the rest of the festivities tonight." Asuna chimed in, earning a knowing nod from Kirito. "Tomorrow we can get to work. What do you think, Kirito?"
Kizmel smiled, having seen the two dancing and then holding hands earlier. She knew Asuna wanted to spend more time with Kirito for the remainder of this peaceful, yet jubilant night. Based on her guild leader's expression - that would take some getting used to, calling him her leader - he agreed wholeheartedly. A quick glance around the table confirmed Kizmel's suspicions that everyone had seen the two of them bonding and getting closer. She'd no doubt this was the beginning of a fulfilling and fruitful relationship between her two friends.
The best part about it all? She could watch it develop.
She wasn't going anywhere.
"I must confess, I was not expecting your daily routine to be so…"
Kizmel pursed her lips as she thought of the right word for this. In all of the time she'd known her new friends, she had wondered how they'd become so strong and such capable warriors. It was no secret that the higher you climbed in Aincrad, the more difficult it became to survive, let alone triumph over every floor guardian. Based on what she knew of her friends' former lives, they were not born soldiers. No, they'd been thrust into this role and taken to it like a duck to water.
She frowned. That was unfortunate in and of itself, but life was seldom fair.
This one wasn't, at least.
Still, she hadn't expected this. How does one describe the act of hunting and training for hours every day? "Boring'' wasn't the right word at all; to insinuate that spending time with her guildmates was so would be an insult and frankly just not true. The routine seemed to be working, as she and the others had gained a few "levels" in the day since she'd joined the Renegades.
But what to call it?
"Tedious?" Nautilus offered with a bitter chuckle as he killed another armored warrior. According to the floating writing above the creature's head, it was apparently a ((Cursed Samurai)).
Yes, that was it. By the sacred trees, it was tedious.
"Indeed." Kizmel said, absent-mindedly blocking a katana strike from another ((Cursed Samurai)). Asuna immediately pounced on the cursed warrior from the flank, knocking it to the ground and shattering it. "I have a newfound respect for you all. Have you always done this to keep your battle senses and skills sharp?"
Asuna twirled her rapier before sheathing it and letting out a tired sigh. "We usually try to work on quests to help break up the monotony. Helping you and your people was one such quest of ours. While the stakes were definitely high, we enjoyed working alongside you, so any time we got to help your people was always a delight."
"You flatter me, Asuna." Kizmel said with a mild blush of embarrassment. She looked around and saw that the other ((Cursed Samurai)) creatures were mostly vanquished, save the few stragglers that were on the outskirts of the "farming area" they'd referenced earlier. She would have given chase were Silica and Yuna not already working on it. She spotted the sun beginning to set off in the distance. "Kirito, the sun is beginning to set. We may want to consider retreating to the safety of town for the night."
That was another benefit of joining the Renegades - and apparently being recognized as an honorary player - was that she no longer needed to sneak into town. The guards did not see her as a hostile entity, which had been a problem in the past. She could even now use the humans' strange teleporter to move freely between floors. She still had access to the trees that allowed her people transportation between the 3rd and 9th floors, but apparently the humans had a more complex system in place, thanks to Akihiko Kayaba.
Scratch that. Aincrad's ruler had much to answer for; he deserved no such thanks.
"Agreed." Kirito admitted with a nod. "Let's wrap this up, everyone. Argo wanted to meet with us over dinner, anyway."
"What's she want to meet with us for?" Liz asked as she put away her warhammer and shield.
"You're kidding, right?" Nautilus scoffed, at which the blacksmith placed her hands on her hips and glared at him. "Alright, I'll spell it out for you. In the four days since we finished the 9th floor boss, not only have we finished the Elf War campaign quest, we gained two new members, one of which is a Dark Elf - no offense, Kizmel - who unlocked a player menu!"
Leonn stepped forward, almost protectively. "Whoa there, simmer down dude. No need to get heated about it."
Nautilus seemed to catch himself and let out a sigh as his shoulder slumped. "Sorry."
Kizmel frowned. Ever since the 9th floor, something seemed off about the ashen-haired swordsman. She couldn't quite pin it down, but it seemed like he was more irritable. Clearly something was on his mind and it was just as clearly bothering him. Maybe she could lure him into sharing whatever was on his mind. Something that she and the Dark Elves practiced was full and complete honesty among comrades-in-arms. Secret doubts and fears only served to hinder one in battle, leading to often fatal mistakes due to distraction or self-doubt.
Kizmel was not about to lose more friends if she could help it.
She'd have to find a way to do it discreetly though. Cornering him around everyone else would only be counterproductive. A move like that would force him on the defensive or cause him to outright deny that anything was wrong. Instead, she opted to keep her distance and observe from afar as they walked back to town. To his credit, Nautilus seemed to have calmed down considerably since Leonn's intervention, but Kizmel was still concerned.
It was sunset when the Renegades entered town and found the tavern they were staying at, which coincidentally also happened to be the one Argo had agreed to meet them in. As the group entered into an already crowded tavern, Kizmel spotted Argo at a table on the far side. The information broker had already saved enough seats and reserved a large enough table, it seemed. Kizmel had very limited interactions with the Rat prior to this but was nevertheless unsurprised at the planning and foresight the blonde girl exhibited.
"If it isn't my favorite guild!" Argo exclaimed with a toothy grin as the Renegades approached the table. Her smile faltered somewhat and gave way to mild confusion. "... and Kizmel! Kizmel's here. Not that I'm complainin', but why is Kizmel here?"
As Kizmel took a seat alongside Yuna and Leonn, she watched with some mild amusement as Kirito and Asuna sat next to Argo, smiles plastered on their faces. The Renegade leader gave a chuckle. "What are you willing to pay for that info, Argo?"
Kizmel was about to answer when Kirito held up a hand to stop her. Argo sneered at the swordsman, yet a playful grin danced across her face. "Oh, that's how it's gonna be, eh? Alright, I can play this game. You want money or info, Kii-bou?"
Kirito seemed to be deep in thought for a moment before he turned to Asuna and whispered something in her ear. Kizmel watched the fencer blush slightly at the close quarters but still managed to whisper back into his ear. The exchange was short-lived as Kirito turned back to Argo. "Info, Argo. Have they taken out the field boss yet, and if so, what do we know about the 10th floor boss?"
"Hell, that's a bargain for me, Kii-bou, but whatever." Argo said with a casual wave of her hand. "Yeah, they took out the field boss last night. Was surprised you weren't there, but I imagine there's a good reason why. They're holdin' a meetin' tomorrow mornin' to talk strategy for the floor boss. I can tell you what I know now and then you hear it twice or you can wait for tomorrow. Yer choice."
Kirito let out a sigh while Asuna giggled. "Fine. You'll still owe us later on though, with how little info that was."
Argo's eye twitched for a moment before she donned her signature grin. "That remains to be seen, but in the meantime… Spill. Where've ya all been and how come Kizmel's here?"
To say Argo was flabbergasted by the explanation that followed would be a severe understatement. Why was this so shocking? Perhaps human guilds were normally prejudiced against non-humans joining? It would certainly explain why Kizmel had never seen any other elves in attendance with any of the other Clearer guilds, but still. When Kirito explained the fact that Kizmel was officially a member of the Renegades, Argo had unfortunately been caught mid-drink and subsequently ejected the contents of her mouth all over the table and the person who'd chosen their seat poorly…
…Which was Silica.
"Oh come on!" Silica cried out in exasperation. Pina crawled over to the table, fetched a napkin, and attempted to dry her master, but there was only so much the little dragonling could do without thumbs. "First Leonn, now you?! Seriously! Keep your drinks down, people!"
"S-sorry, Sil-chan!" Argo stammered out, fetching a napkin of her own and handing it to the drenched dragon tamer. Kizmel spotted Leonn looking rather sheepish, while Liz and Sinon - who were seated on either side of him - snickered and rolled their eyes, respectively. Argo turned her attention back to Kirito as Silica grumbled and began to dry herself off. "She's actually a member of the guild?"
"Indeed, they were gracious enough to allow Lokuss and I into their ranks." Kizmel nodded. She opened her menu, set it to visible, and displayed the active guild roster before turning to allow Argo a clear view. Kizmel pointed at her own name - as well as Lokuss's - before glancing back at Argo. "See?"
"I… uhh… how… what… is that a…?" Argo stuttered, her eyes wide at Kizmel's menu. The Rat blinked, and rubbed her eyes, staring at Kizmel's menu like it was a ghost before wheeling on Kirito. "How?!"
Asuna laughed as she sat her cup down. "We were surprised too. When Kizmel joined, she got a player menu and HUD. We still don't know why."
Argo sighed and massaged her temples. "Any other bombshells you all feel like droppin' on me? Already changin' everythin' I know about quests and NPCs, so what next? Don' think anythin' will surprise me at this point."
"Wanna bet?" Leonn asked cheekily.
Argo almost looked horrified as she stared at the Renegade tank. "Ya know what? No. Just lay it on me and let's get this over with."
The Renegades looked at each other, silently debating on who would break the news concerning their leaders, while the duo in question looked rather embarrassed. They made no effort to stifle what was coming next; Argo probably would have picked up on that. Finally, it was Silica who broke the silence.
"Kirisuna's a thing!" The dragon tamer exclaimed, pumping a fist in the air.
"... Sorry, what?" Kirito asked, dumbfounded. Asuna looked similarly befuddled, but Argo seemed to catch on. At least Kizmel assumed that's why the Rat was grinning ear-to-ear. Kizmel's brow furrowed as she tried to dissect what Silica had said. What's a Kirisuna?
"That's yer ship name. Kirito plus Asuna. Kirisuna." Argo said matter-of-factly, visibly delighting in the abject horror displayed on Kirito and Asuna's faces. She turned to face the rest of the table, pausing only to drop a pouch of coin into Leonn's waiting hand. "And it's about damn time too. How'd it happen? I'd ask them but they're still bufferin' by the looks of it. Spill!"
Silica, joined by a very enthusiastic Liz and Yuna, proceeded to explain the circumstances leading to the Renegade leaders' unofficial reciprocation of each others' feelings. To their credit, neither Kirito nor Asuna outright denied the allegations, only further confirming the truth of the matter. Every so often Kizmel, much to her friends' surprise and chagrin, relatively speaking, would offer her two Cor to the conversation. Human relationships were complicated things, she'd since learned, so perhaps a comparison to elven ones could help spur things along. Asuna had once expressed an interest in learning more about elven culture, but the entirely bashful expression on the fencer's face seemed to suggest otherwise.
Why did humans have to be so reserved about their feelings? Surely reciprocation or closure were preferred over emotional agony? On that note, Kizmel realized that others in the group seemed to be having similar conflicts of the heart. Between her suspicion of Nautilus's inner turmoil and the lingering romantic tension building in the group, Kizmel had her work cut out for her.
"Well congratulations anyhow, Kii-bou, Aa-chan." Argo said, giving the leaders' shoulders a quick pat as she got up to leave. "I got more appointments to make, but I'll see you all tomorrow for the meetin', yeah?"
"R-right." Asuna said, clearly still recovering from her romantic life being examined so thoroughly by her closest friends. "We'll see you there, Argo."
"Oh, before I forget." Argo said, pausing mid-stride and turning to look over her shoulder. "I got some newbies who wanted to meet ya at some point. I owe 'em a favor and they could use some pointers about fightin' as a team. You up to meet 'em?"
Kirito shot Argo an amused look. "You're starting to build up quite the debt there, Argo. How are you ever going to repay us?"
Argo stuck out her tongue before answering. "Eh, I'll figure somethin' out. So, you up to meet 'em?"
"Sure." Kirito said with a shrug. The rest of the Renegades seemed inclined to agree, based on the nods going around the table. "If they're trying to catch up to the front line, it'll be good to give them pointers that keep them alive. The sooner the better, actually, if the situation's bad. Can you arrange a meeting with them tomorrow after the floor boss strategy meeting?"
"Wow." The Rat remarked, blinking her eyes. "Wasn't expectin' somethin' that quick, but yeah. I can make it happen. Alright, I gotta get goin'. Toodles."
As Argo walked away, Yuna tapped on the table to get Kirito's attention. "Why the urgency?"
Kirito looked thoughtful for a moment before answering. "If they're having trouble working as a team, they're more likely to make mistakes that will get somebody killed. The sooner we can help them, the less likely they'll get themselves into trouble."
Kizmel smiled. This was exactly why she chose to follow Kirito and his merry band of Renegades. While the other Clearer guilds seemed focused on competition or personal glory guised under the facade of altruism, Kirito and his friends were genuine in their willingness to keep others safe. It was that attitude that would lead the humans to victory and, most importantly, without unnecessary death in the process. Sure, there would be deaths, but it was attitudes like this that would keep those casualties to a minimum.
She definitely made the right choice. She was proud to call herself a Renegade.
"Good job today, everyone." Heathcliff said, looking proudly over the small group of individuals before him.
One day, they would become a force to be reckoned with. In no time, his soon-to-be-official Knights of the Blood Oath would become a premier Clearer force, with him at its head. They were still a floor off from the ability to properly form their guild, but they were making fantastic progress nonetheless. He'd been particular about who he recruited, after all. These were players who showed discipline, focus, and a drive to succeed. However, this ambition was tempered by compassion and honor.
They showed promise.
"Thank you, commander." The blonde girl nearest him said with a smile and a nod. "I think we're making excellent progress in our training. You've been very helpful, sir."
Heathcliff waved his hand placatingly. "You're just as much to thank for our improvements as I, Alice. There's a reason I chose you to be my second-in-command. You're a natural leader."
The blonde, Alice, gave another friendly nod of her head before turning to the others assembled. "We have a big day ahead of us on the 3rd floor. Everyone get some rest."
"Yes, ma'am!" The others chorused.
Heathcliff smiled, giving everyone a friendly wave before he retired to his room. He sighed as he closed the door behind him. Leading a guild was harder than he thought. He may have been used to people looking to him for answers - he was the head designer for SAO, after all - but this was different. Approving game design changes was different from assigning roles in combat, let alone actually participating in the fight itself.
It was thrilling.
Unequipping his armor and weapons, Heathcliff sat down on the bed and closed his eyes. Tomorrow they'd be going up to the 3rd floor and would officially create their guild. His inner child was practically jumping for joy at the prospect. First, though, he had something he needed to check. A notification he'd received a few days ago was concerning him, and he needed to find out why it happened.
Akihiko Kayaba opened his eyes and found himself once again in his virtual game master room. Projected on the far wall was a live feed of his avatar, taken from a third-person perspective. While Heathcliff "slept", Kayaba could go back to working. He took a seat and tented his fingers. Very much in tune with his responsibilities as a leader in game, right now he needed to check on an underling.
"Cardinal." Kayaba said, his voice uncharacteristically firm.
"Yes, sir?"
"Care to explain the notification I received the other day?" Kayaba asked, his brow furrowing with mild irritation.
There was a pause.
"You are referring to the NPC known as Kizmel."
"Actually, no." Kayaba said. "See, I'm referring to the player known as Kizmel. There is no NPC named Kizmel. She's classified as a player now, Cardinal. Any idea why?"
Another pause.
"Her inclusion into the ranks of the Resolute Renegades necessitated the reclassification of her status, as NPCs are not able to join player guilds."
Kayaba sighed and massaged his forehead. "Yes, I suppose you have a point there. Allowing NPCs to join guilds could have had more major consequences. We're fortunate that her AI is somehow sophisticated enough to handle the new designation."
"Yes sir. She appears to be acclimating well to her new privileges afforded her by her new designation as Player."
Kayaba froze. Did he hear her right? "What do you mean, new privileges?"
"Player Kizmel now has access to a Heads-Up Display and Player Menu."
"Sorry, what?" Kayaba asked, equal parts irritated and amazed.
"Player Kizmel now has access to a Heads-Up Display and Player Menu."
"Yes, I heard you the first time, Cardinal." Kayaba said, leaning back in his chair. "You gave her a HUD and a Player menu?"
"Confirmed. Those privileges were included in her new status."
"And… she's coping with the changes?" Kayaba asked hesitantly. Another confirmation by Cardinal brought an impressed smirk to the game master's face. Kizmel was very quickly rivaling Project Legacy in terms of potential for new and sophisticated AI. Given enough time, maybe he could incorporate the programming found in Kizmel into Project Legacy itself.
He smiled. Oh, yes. The gears were turning, and Kayaba was all but certain that he could give SAO the climactic ending it deserved. He would still act as the final boss, of course, but now he had an idea that would really test his players. A last gauntlet before the final boss. What didn't break them would only make them stronger, and if he was to be bested at his own game, he was going to be bested by only the strongest.
"Still, Cardinal." Kayaba huffed as he brought himself back on topic. "Please notify me of all important changes before you execute them. Promoting Kizmel to Player status is considered important. With that in mind, I want to make changes to Project Legacy."
He leaned forward in his chair and an excited grin crossed his face.
"Listen closely…"
A/N: What's this? Alicization characters appearing in Aincrad?! What sorcery is this?!
That's right! While I am planning on writing an ALO sequel, there are no plans for an Alicization arc following that. As much as I love the Alicization/WoU stories, I'm not including them in this new SAO-verse.
The reason? With the way things are going now, the Alicization/WoU arc either wouldn't happen (Kirito wouldn't get hospitalized because he'd be around more people to stop Johnny Black's attack) or events would unfold identically to canon (maybe the Renegades help in the final war, but that's about it). I'm inclined to go with the former explanation since no one wants to read a rehashing of the Underworld arcs with little to no changes. So because of that, we're now seeing another canonical divergence with Underworld characters popping up. Plus, I wanted to have someone meaningful take Asuna's canonical place as the KoB's second-in-command. Alice will not be the only one to appear in this story.
Until next time!