Jaymes

In the real world, it is still July 6th, 2026. In four months and a day, it will be the second year since the six thousand survivors logged out of Sword Art Online. But I'm sure everyone knows about that, but what I'm going to refer to takes place sometime earlier, between the defeat of Gleam Eyes and the defeat of Skull Reaper and Heathcliff. For me, I spent the time with Philia, Rain, and Strea, the treasure hunter for the entire time as I put Strea away for safekeeping in my inventory and Rain went off on her own during those final days. Before that, we had a few treasure hunts as it was their forte. But for once, I'm not thinking of myself or three of the many important girls in the last four years of my life.

At the same time, Kirito and Asuna decided to abandon the front for a while like I did, but with both players being members of the Knights of the Blood Oath, they had to gain permission from the guild leader while I, a solo player, had my own freedom (though Heathcliff and Lind were unhappy to lose me too). The blossoming couple found a home together on the 22nd Floor, got "married" status, and on one fateful day, met their "daughter" and my "niece" Yui.

I believe you know where I'm going with that story if you know it. I don't remember many of the details myself, but I remember two things: One, because of Kirito and Asuna finding out how to save Yui, I perserved Strea. Two, the dungeon underneath the Town of Beginnings, which was never really ventured into before, contained a powerful boss named Fatal Scythe.

When Medina said that the divine beasts preceded the creation of the Underworld, two things crossed my mind. Having played many games with legends and the sort, I mostly believed that was, in my perspective, it was just that, stories made by the people of the Underworld as world-building, just like the Great Separation myth in both Sword Art games. The second one, had not Sword Art: Origin literally recreated that myth, Ordinal Scale brought the bosses of Sword Art Online to life, and Gun Gale Online brought back the data of Koharu, I would not considered this was another weird anomaly of old SAO data reappearing. Project Alicization runs on the Seed, the Cardinal System has some implementation, so the idea itself isn't bogus, but when I thought about it earlier, I didn't want to think it could be possible. I was certain this was just a legend rising from the grave.

Fatal Scythe, the monster that ruled the dungeon underneath the Town of Beginnings and almost defeated my two great allies, is the identity of the Reaper of the Woods. And as the story told, he definitely was around long before the Underworld existed.

Medina

"Fatal...Scythe?" For an innumerable amount of times today, Medina is shocked by the fear on Jaymes' face, but this time it overwhelms her mind. The young man who bravely faced numerous odds including Hersyrian, the Pontifex, and the Dark God… The boy who made her feel courageous at times she felt fear… The hero she loves is scared and he's showing it. He froze upon sight of the admittedly frightening reaper at the shrine ahead. If it wasn't for the fact she knew his origins as an otherworlder, she'd believe he's seeing a ghost...or is he?

She reaches out for his hand, interlocking hers. There she senses his fright by the slight shaking of his body, his nerves screaming for him to turn away for his life. She tightens her grip, and immediately his shaking stops. She looks up at him, his face reset to how she sees him. Brave, powerful, resolved...and then he looks at her, nodding silently and slightly. Medina smiles and relaxes her hold, but Jaymes keeps her left hand locked in his right for a few seconds longer, making her heart flutter and heat rise to her cheeks. If the situation wasn't so serious, if the scenery was different...if she hadn't been foolish to let Eydis win without a fight,..

Mia and Ilia stand behind them with the wayfarers Medina summoned to aid their fight, and to them is where Jaymes turns as he releases Medina's hand. They're two years younger than Medina and Jaymes, their abilities are on par with Medina at that age, but the difference in experience between masters and apprentices is marked by the look in their eyes. Medina and now Jaymes appear more calm and confident, while Mia looks deathly afraid and Ilia...well, Medina knows her apprentice is frightened even if it looks like she's nonchalant. The wayfarers, for their part, Medina's sure her otherworldly personal forces are frightened as well, but as long as Medina continues, they'll fight.

Besides her own comfort, that's why she comforted Jaymes. If the strongest man in the Underworld, the one who dealt the final blows to Administrator and Vecta, shows them fear, the situation would be worse, especially for Mia, the one chosen to placate the Reaper. "Mia… I'm counting on you." She nods to her master and he returns his sight to the backside of the floating scythe-holding reaper, clearing his throat. "We brought you the maiden markswoman you're so obsessed with, so let's talk."

This "Fatal Scythe" doesn't respond, so Mia puts on a brave face and steps forward. "I'm here. Talk to me."

"...I MISsED yOU."

"I… I know, and I'm here now."

"It HuRT me."

"I'm sure it did."

"i WaNT To TrY agaIN AS MAny tiMeS As It TaKeS!"

"We can't do that. I'm sorry. I want to help you, but that's the one thing I can't do."

"One mOrE ANY mORe evEr moRE MoRE mOre mORmORmORMUrMurdeRDer!" Medina reaches out and pulls Mia back as Fatal Scythe begins screaming for murder, but in turn, she's almost sliced by a preemptive attack by the divine beast hadn't Jaymes leaped in front of her, shield up.

"Mia, Medina, you're okay?"

Medina nods, then eyes the divine beast. "So much for talking. Was it not the maiden markswoman it wanted to see, then?"

"Hmph, so be it."

"Wait!" Mia gets on her feet, placing herself between Jaymes, Medina and Fatal Scythe. She looks to its haunting golden eyes and speaks. "Fatal Scythe! I'm sorry for the deception, but the truth is that the markswoman you loved is long gone! If you want to talk things out, you're welcome to talk to me! We don't want to hurt you, we'll listen, I promise. I know this, because someone once did so for me! And because of that person, that's why I'm here today. You couldn't talk it out back then, but talk to me now! Tell me! What can i do?"

Fatal Scythe calls for murder again in its frantic, near incomprehisible speech, swinging at Mia but missing. Mia doesn't step down or retreat. Medina is impressed with her courage compared to minutes ago, but now she's increasing danger. "Jaymes…"

He doesn't reply back or act. Falchion remains in its scabbard. Is he not afraid for Mia's safety, or does he trust her that much? This is not the same Jaymes who would never put others besides an Integrity Knight in direct danger before himself two years ago. This is...so different.

"Tell me! Why did you bring me here? Just so you could kill the maiden markswoman again? You realize you would've never died if you hadn't fallen in love with her, so you came back to slaughter her and everyone else--is that it?"

Medina watches again as Mia is attacked by the beast."Mia! Back down! Jaymes!"

"How is that fair? You loved her! You have a soul like us! So listen!"

"Medina, I think we should attack now. Mia isn't getting through to the divine beast." Medina agrees with Ilia's assessment and draws the Mirage Blade. "Everyone, prepare for an all-out assault while covering Mia!"

Mia turns to the group, shocked by Medina's decision. "What? Master!"

Finally Jaymes acts by taking Falchion in hand, zipping over to Mia's position and pointing the pristine blade at the beast. "Mia, draw your weapon. We're done talking."

Mia, minutes later

So she failed by being unable to do this the nonviolent way… Sighing, she pulls back the bowstring of her bow and charges, waiting for Jaymes' signal to fire a powerful shot. She keeps her aim on the divine beast's head while everyone else besides a few wayfarers gets to fight up close. Even Ilia, the other apprentice, gets to partake in the heat of battle with her exceptional usage of the sacred arts. Perks of growing up in the blessed realm.

"Lycoris!"

"Empowered Falchion! Mia, now!"

"On it!" Mia pours her power into her shot and releases. The arrow bursts into a single blast upon contact, resulting in a dazed Fatal Scythe. Medina and Jaymes, using their divine-class weapons, strike simultaneously at the Fatal Scythe, leaving streaks of red and gold. That's her signal, the combo usage of Enhance Armanent. It drops to the ground, seeming defeated, and Mia celebrates in her mind. For a legendary creature it sure was beaten with ease. Jaymes has told her tales of the many monsters he faced during the Clamp Crisis and none of them went down this easily. Then again, he had the assistance of Integrity Knights back then, but isn't he and Medina on the level of the order? Ilia is a trainee, and Mia believes herself to be around Ilia's level. Maybe this is how it truly was back then--

"Huh?" Fatal Scythe disappears, but it is different from how things die, in Mia's experience. There was no release of sacred power to the atmosphere, it just...vanished. But if that surprised her, all her beliefs were forsaken the moment Fatal Scythe reappeared as if the past half-minute didn't happen.

"What?"

"How the hell?"

Ilia quickly draws an 'S' in the air, opening a Stacia window. "It has regained about 40 percent of its Life back."

Jaymes grits his teeth. "Fine then… Again, Medina!" The pair strike again with Enhance Armaments, this time without Mia's assistance. In what seems to be a stronger combo attack, Fatal Scythe goes down.

And comes right back up. Twice more this process would repeat with another assault that ends with Medina and Jaymes enacting the final blows, only for Fatal Scythe to reappear with the same amount of Life returned. How is this even possible? What's the reason?

"Release Recollection!" Mia looks to the battlefield, seeing Jaymes fly towards Fatal Scythe in the blink of an eye as his sword changes forms. She knows that power, the ability to manipulate whatever the sword touches. According to him, that power, Exalted Falchion, killed both Administrator and Vecta for good. It should reason that it delivers the same fate to Fatal Scythe once and for all. As the tip makes contact with Fatal Scythe, the sword's power brings it down as the air around Jaymes and the divine beast fills with purple smoke. For about three seconds, there's nothing but the smoke and silence. In those three seconds, Mia hopes her master has defeated Fatal Scythe and they can leave this damned woods.

Another second passes, and Mia's hopes are dashed as Jaymes returns to sight flying throught the air, landing just a short distance from Mia's position. At first, she's happy, then she's mortified. Across his chest is a red gash, and its bleeding badly. She calls out his name, and almost doesn't hear her own as she turns and barely dodges Fatal Scyte's curved blade. But she doesn't see how to land, or where she's landing. Matter of fact, she can't see anything at all, At first she believes Fatal Scythe used some ability to blind her, but the white-hot pain from her eyes tell otherwise.

"Mia!"

"J-Jaymes?"

"Hey, are you okay? Something happened to your eyes?"

"Yes. Help me…"

"I wish I could, but healing arts on that level aren't my forte, and I just used Vindica on myself. It'll be a while before I can use its healing power again."

Mia sighs but accepts her current fate. "How are we going to beat it? We've done everything we could think off, and your strongest attack, it did nothing to resolve it! What if… What if it is unbeatable?"

"PlEasE let's tRY AGaIN one MorE Time one MoRe AGAiN aGAin AgaIn! I LoVE You OnE MorE chaNCE!"

Jaymes hums to himself. "Something's off… What it's saying and what it's doing don't add up."

"Jaymes… Master, I can't see… can't be your bow and arrow like this…"

"It's almost like it's baiting us to attack it…"

"Hey, Jaymes, are you listening… Jaymes… Stop ignoring me, Jaymes… I'm doing what you said and staying back. I can't see you, Jaymes… Are you looking at me? Are you angry? I'm sorry I'm so useless."

"Shut up, Shino... I mean Mia. Sorry." Confused about who this Shino is, Mia doesn't get the chance to ask as she feels something banded enter her hands. She knows this touch, it is her bow. "Mia, we did this all wrong."

"Huh?"

"Tell me, if Lipia came back from the dead with regrets, and we had to put her down… Who'd be the right one to do it?"

"...M-Me, right, because I'm her sister?"

"Rightfully so… Medina! The markswoman needs to fire the final shot! Lure it here for Mia! Mia...stand and hold your bow."

"But… I can't see."

"I'll be your eyes."

"You didn't listen to a THING I said! I CAN'T SEE! There's blood! And tears! My eyes! I can't see a thing!"

"I've heard it before, from a girl just like you. She believed herself to be weak, but in actuality, she was stronger than she realized. Even more, she believed me to be ignoring her true feelings, that since my eyes were always on others, she was unworthy of my sight. Maybe I did ignore her feelings, no I certainly did unknowingly, but my eyes were on her since the first day we met."

In the six months she's known Jaymes, he's never been this open about his past unless it centered around the previous two years. Beyond that, not much except he has known the people named Kirito and Asuna for a long time. So to hear him speak of another person from his past (in the midst of a terrible fight, nonetheless) calms her as she stands up and holds her bow up. She feels his front against her back, her waist held firm by his hands...she could blush if she could see right now. 'Jaymes… Until I need to shoot, keep telling me about her, this girl, this Shino."

"Oh, um… What's to know?"

"What's she's like?"

"Um… Well, on her best days, she's sarcastic and teasing; on her worst, annoyingly stubborn. She's...someone very dear to me."

"Like a lover?"

"I...don't know how to answer that, haven't thought about it for a while. She's my sniper, my bow and arrow, my spear, but as a girl… I know why I used to ignore it, I had to to not let that idea slip in my mind any more than it already did. But later on when I didn't have to, I just...did and I feel foolish for it. But besides that, she's a great friend, a partner, a rival… I think she's one of the best girls in a certain hobby of ours I've ever met. But furthermore, she's the reason I picked you to be my page."

If Mia's eyes could widen, they would be doing so right here. "Really? Did she use a bow? But there's many archers in the Dark Knights, so why--"

"Mhm. Not in looks, you look nothing like her, but, excuse me for the irony, but it was your eyes that reminded me of her and other girls close to me that night we talked. When I challenged you, I saw a young girl who wanted to rise out the shadows of her sister, to rise out her weakness, and become strong. Just like Medina. Just like Shino, Momiji, Koharu, Asuna, Kirito... Just like myself. I chose you specifically because I seen that determination before and know what to do with it. Mia, you're already good enough to be at my side, no matter what you think, but in time, you won't need me to hold you. The path you'll take will be separate from me as it will be from Lipia. You'll be Mia Zancale, a Dark Knight of her own renown. That's who I think you'll become, starting now."

"...Right. Where's Fatal Scythe? What's the plan?"

"He's coming. The plan is for you to slay the beast. I think it wants to die again, but this time, with the markswoman alive as it should have been long ago. If you love someone, and death threatens you both, I know for a fact I'd rather die so the one I love lives... Medina and Ilia are doing their job, so we'll do ours. Put every ounce of your willpower into this attack. Ready?" Mia nods and takes a deep breath. Her mind still, she focuses on drawing her power and centering it on the bow. It feels stronger than ever before...no, not all of this is her power, some of it comes from Jaymes, who now places his hands on top of hers. He's putting all his faith on her to end this fight. So are Medina and Ilia, whose voices come closer and closer to her position. They must be drawing Fatal Scythe closer. She can do this. She can put everyone's faith to good use. She can honor her sister's memory here and now!

"On me, okay?"

"Okay."

"Almost… Almost…"

Mia can relate to Fatal Scythe. She knows the pain of losing someone to death, being unable to do anything about it. She saw Lipia's frozen head held in Vecta's hands, watched Shasta give his life in revenge, yet she did nothing. No, she couldn't do anything, and Fatal Scythe couldn't do anything to save his love. And after almost seeing the man she admires wholefully with her heart nearly fall, she knows the divine beast feelings. She will put them to rest.

"Fire, Mia!"

"Let me put his arrow through your heart!" Mia releases the arrow, and though her sight is compromised, she can hear the impact of the arrow and the roar of the reaper. After a few seconds, everything is silent. Mia prematurely relaxes before confirming the status of the reaper, but Jaymes' hands leaves her and turns her around. Is that his shoulder? Is he holding her? He's never shown physical affection before "J-Jaymes?"

"You did it, Mia. We've won."

Jaymes, an hour later

"How's Mia?" I ask Medina as she joins me back at the empty shrine, the site of our battle with Fatal Scythe. Even though the present issue is dealt with, I don't think the true problem has been addressed. Something tells me this is just the beginning, but I can't put my pen on the paper just yet.

Medina sighs and stands beside me, crossing her arms. "Ilia healed her up pretty good. I am continuously impressed by her skill with the arts. Reminds me of Alice."

"That's good. Good to see she's fine."

"Mhm. Now don't keep me out of the loop, what truly bothers you?"

"...Fatal Scythe did predate the creation of the Human Empire. That I can tell you with certainty. Kirito and Asuna met him before… Data from my world entering this one is not new, that's how your family's power works, but this is...something else. You didn't essentially cause the wayfarers' appearance back then, but I know this is not related."

Medina looks towards the shrine with her ever-present frown. "Monsters predating the creation of the world… But with no known source that causes their appearance. Damned Council going to have a field day with that… You joining me for that meeting?"

"I'll come to Centoria certainly, but not to the Council… Are you sure its longing to be slain by the markswoman wasn't the cause?"

"No. It may have been what set it off, but the revival is another issue entirely."

"Hmm, that I agree on from prior experience. The giants, the queen, the dragon, and the Dark Knights, they had their lingering regrets and things like the reaper, but the thing that brought them back were the Clamps."

"Yet there isn't one here… Two hundred years of dormancy, and the only spark that makes sense to me is the fall of Administrator, but it's been almost two years."

"Hmm… Keep that between us. I won't even tell Kirito and Asuna that. We've already had one severe fallout from the reorganization of the Axiom Church, let it be known that Quinella kept actual threats to the Human Empire at bay and we killed that safety net." I reach my right hand up to my hair and scratch it, then remember the piece of cloth I found on the ground held by that hand. "Oh, Medina, look at this."

"It's...looks like a piece of the garment from the reaper's robes."

"Right. I can sense great power from it. Cardinal taught me the incantation to make Divine Objects when she gave me your second Mirage Blade. I think Mia deserves something like that for her role here. We'll try it out in the morning when we head out."

"In that case, let's head back and rest up. The journey back takes a day and a half at best, if you travel the right way." With a joking smile, Medina turns around to walk back to the encampment, and I follow right behind her for three steps before we both stop. Something triggered my senses, and I don't make a move as I focus on the sense of hearing in the dense woods around the shrine. "Medina…"

"Yeah." She slightly removes her sword from its scabbard and draws out its enhancing power, sending fiery red petals across the area. Seconds later, they're drawn back to the clearing. I understand her idea to use the petals to adhere to whatever is hiding and draw them out, but they return without anyone attached. Sighing, she calls off the lycoris petals and shoves her blade back into its sheath. "Trick of our weary minds or was there really something there?"

"The latter. If our senses were attuned like that, something was there." I glare at one part of the distant woods to my right, then close my eyes. "Did it feel...familiar to you?"

"Indeed. I'm thinking...we're being watched. Someone is behind this. But I can't explain the familiarity."

I look back to the woods once again, then drop my shoulder and turn around. "Experience tells me we'll find out soon enough."