A/N: Welp, I guess I lied.

I was hoping I could put this aside for a moment so I could update one of my other fics that really needed some updating and I even said as much in my profile. But I couldn't leave this lying down after a couple of days, and after I have put in some more work on additional future chapters, I decided that now was the time to post the next chapter that's up in my queue. I guess that my writing style for this fanfic is working wonders for my preparation, and now, the major question is when I should start implementing it for my other fics...

Guess I'll have to figure it out on my own.

Anyway, this chapter concludes the four-part mini-arc about how Sachi's been doing since she got out of SAO, and trust me, this one is JAM-PACKED with developments and lore that'll be important to the overarching story as it progresses. It was perhaps my favorite chapter to write thus far, but even so, I can't wait for you all to see how I segue into the events of the present day, including this fic's reinterpretation of the polarizing Fairy Dance Arc. And trust me, I'm fully intent on dishing out double the drama and double the stakes here! ;D

Anyway, enough of this unnecessary rambling! Let's get on with the chapter. ENJOY!

P.S.: For updates regarding progress on my writing and just life in general, please check out my profile! I try to update it as often as I possibly can with any status update!

P.P.S.: Due to the slowly improving situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak, I am going to have to remind you all about the basic steps you should take if you want to stay healthy, courtesy of my university's reminder emails:

-Wash hands often with soap and water for 20-30 seconds at a time, and/or use hand sanitizer
-Avoid close contact with people who are sick
-Keep your hands away from nose, eyes, and mouth (I can't imagine how difficult this part is probably going to be)
-Eat well, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly
-Get a flu shot if you haven't already and are able to
-Stay informed on the COVID-19 vaccines, get shots if you're able to, and try to get a booster shot if you're eligible

And if you ARE sick (I hope you get better if you are), please be a good sport and save other folks the trouble of getting sick. You can do this by:

-Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve, elbow, or a tissue whenever you sneeze or cough
-Not sharing food and drinks with others
-Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, and eyes (Again, I understand this is probably going to be difficult)
-Avoiding close contact with others
-Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects
-Staying at home if you're unwell (PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!)
-Staying calm and keeping yourself well-informed (My personal advice)

If you already know this, then great! If you didn't know any of this beforehand, please keep that information in mind as we all go through this trying time. It's a realm of unknowns at this point, and I wish myself and all of humanity well.

– May 11, 2024 –
Sekimoto Memorial Hospital

"Hi, Kirito. It's been a while."

Sachi sat down beside Kirito and gave his body an attentive scan for any signs of deteriorating health. Even with all of its ghastly, emaciated features, there was absolutely nothing about him that horrified or repulsed the girl anymore. She had visited him enough times to become accustomed to the sight of his bedridden, powerless self.

"I'm sorry I haven't been visiting you as much as we would've liked lately," she said. "It's just that I've been pretty busy nowadays. But you already know why."

With a smile, Sachi put one of her hands over Kirito's. It felt cold and bony as usual, but even so, the very feel of his skin against hers made her rejoice. She had always imagined what it would feel like to hold him in the real world, and it was as truthful and genuine as she could get until he woke up.

"Shino and I have been busy getting used to playing ALO," Sachi continued. "We're pretty much caught up with the basic story, and now we're just playing our part in keeping the Undine-Sylph-Cait Sith alliance intact. I'm still receiving training on how to use Magic and recite all sorts of Spells. Leafa and Recon are very good teachers, and I've already got some of the Words of Power down. But still, I'm spending a lot of my spare time at the library with Shino, reading up books about the Old Norse language."

Upon reflecting her library visits with her friend, Sachi suddenly gave Kirito a sweet giggle. "But to be honest, Kirito? The difficulty of it all is what makes it so much fun! After what happened in SAO, I didn't think I'd go back into a VRMMORPG, let alone have fun in it! You'd be so proud to see what I've become in there..." She gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "So, please keep on fighting, and make it to the end of SAO, and beat it. Beat Kayaba and save everybody. Come back to me, so I can show you the new person I've become. I know you can do it, Kirito. I have faith in you."

She continued squeezing Kirito's hand and staring fondly into his unconscious face. The silence and solitude soon became deafening, but Sachi enjoyed it. It was just the two of them, just like the families mingling in Kawagoe Park.

Just then, the silence was broken by the door opening. Sachi let go of Kirito's hand and looked up to see Suguha and her mother, Midori, entering the room. Suguha coldly narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips at Sachi, but she was no longer intimidated by the other girl's presence. As for Midori, she smiled warmly at the sight of Sachi.

"Why, Sachi!" she greeted. "Good evening!"

Sachi bowed her head politely. "Good evening to you too, Kirigaya-san."

"Did you just get out of school too?"

"Hm?" Sachi looked down at her school uniform. "Yeah. I thought I'd stop by to see Kiri- er, Kazuto before I got home."

"Thank you. I appreciate how much you care for my son." Midori shifted her gaze to Kirito. "Kazuto never had any friends at school, and I was always a little worried about the people that he talked to online. So, you have no idea how relieved, and how glad I was when I learned he made friends with someone as kind and loyal as you in SAO." She looked back at Sachi, her smile becoming more playful. "Not to mention beautiful."

Sachi blushed and fidgeted in embarrassment. "Oh, ple-please, Kirigaya-san, I'm not that beautiful. But..." She smiled at Kirito's direction. "I'm glad that I met him too. Very glad..."

Midori chuckled. "Sachi, I just wanted you to know that, whatever you've got going with my son...I approve."

Sachi blinked in incredulity, while Suguha lowered her head in indiscernible agitation.

"H-Huh?!" Sachi exclaimed.

"I approve!" Midori replied. "And...if you ever need anything, anything at all..." She reached into her pocket and procured her cellphone. "Please, take my number."

Sachi looked at the phone, then back up at Midori, who simply continued smiling at her. After taking a moment to make a decision, the adolescent smiled back at her and took the phone.

"I'll do that. Thank you, Kirigaya-san."

"Anytime, Sachi!" The mother widened her smile further. "Anytime!"

At the corner of her eye, Sachi could see Suguha turning her head away, her eyes hidden by her bangs.

CHAPTER 4: CONFOUNDING

Alfheim, Hermet, Undine Territory

"Here they come, everyone! Gather into your battle formations!"

Sachi narrowed her eyes and tightened her grip around the simple spear that she bought from a Parcellus item shop last month. Everything from how it felt equipped in her hand to how its stubby blade gleamed in the sunlight reminded her of the spear she had once been equipped with in SAO. It felt nostalgic.

But Sachi knew that she had no time to reflect and reminisce. After shaking her head to bring herself out of her reverie, the Undine warrior stood beside her fellow Undines, and their Sylph and Cait Sith allies, as they all gathered in unison on the shoreline of the glittering blue lake, surrounded by green forests and with a snow-capped mountain range looming in the distance.

"And remember!" Sigurd hollered at the top of his lungs. "If we lose Hermet and Lake Mjøsa, then this alliance is as good as dead!"

Beside Sigurd, the Cait Sith commander disapprovingly glared at him. "Gee, what an awe-inspiring speech, nya..."

"What Commander Sigurd meant to say," the Sylph commander interjected, "is that we have the home-field advantage! Lake Mjøsa is the second-greatest source of the Undines' powers over Water Magic, and the Sylphs obviously have the air superiority! With all that, plus the beasts that the Cait Siths provided us, we will overcome the Salamanders and Imps in no time! As long as our fighting doesn't pollute Lake Mjøsa, we will continue to have this advantage!"

"Hey, Sachi," a low voice piped up from beside the Undine.

Sachi looked at the blank-faced Cait Sith standing beside her; she was carrying her bow in her hand and a quiver full of arrows on her back. She remembered how the items caught her friend's eye right away, and she purchased them before the NPC manning the item shop could even begin his predetermined speech.

"Yes, Shi- er, Si-Sinon?" Sachi replied.

"Remember." Sinon's eyes narrowed over the lake's shining surface. "You stick close to me."

The Undine smiled. "As long as you stick close to me."

The Cait Sith cracked a smile. "Right."

"Remember, you two," Leafa warily whispered from Sachi's other side, "this is gonna be your first real battle, after over a month's worth of training. It's gonna be hairy. Now quick, give me a rundown of your assignments."

"I'm supposed to hold down the perimeter of Hermet," replied Sinon.

"And I'm supposed to help heal soldiers with low HP if they make it back here," Sachi added.

Leafa nodded approvingly. "Good job, you two."

"O-Oh, c-crap!" Recon suddenly squeaked while pointing over the shoulder of the Sylph warrior in front of him. "Th-There they come!"

Everyone else saw them too: a distant swarm of winged dots soaring through the distant sky, headed towards them. The swarm's features were initially indistinguishable, but when they got close enough, Sachi instantly made out the colors of red, purple, and in-between.

"Get ready, everyone!" the Sylph commander roared.

The Fairy warriors prepared their weapons, and some of the more powerful Undine warriors cast buffer spells upon their allies and themselves. As the Salamanders and Imps approached, the ominous buzz of wings flapping in unison filling the air, Sigurd pointed at the approaching army.

"Frontlines, attack!" he ordered.

The first few lines of Fairies took off to the skies, with many of them flying on their own while the few others were riding the backs of draconic beasts. A few seconds later, Sachi watched as the frontline warriors launched a barrage of offensive spells at their enemies. This barrage was met with another barrage of similar spells fired by the Salamanders and Imps, colliding hundreds of feet over the surface of Lake Mjøsa and exploding so powerfully that it caused the water's surface to visibly ripple.

Then, the sound-wave reached Sachi's eardrums, and she found herself back in the Labyrinth trap-room on Aincrad.

"Sachi!" Kirito cried while reaching for her.

Sachi held out her arm too. "Kirito!"

"Sachi!"

The two continued reaching towards one another, while the Granite Elementals and Dark Dwarf Miners loomed ominously over them with their weapons ready. However, they remained still this time, like statues in a horror museum, and Sachi's heart leapt at the opportunity to finally touch Kirito's hand and be saved-

She blinked, and the hand that came into contact with hers was no longer Kirito's.

"Wh-Whoa!" Leafa cried, withdrawing her hand. "Sachi, a-are you alright?!"

Sachi steadied her breath. "Y-Yeah! I'm fine! Just fine! Sorry about that!"

"O-Okay... W-Well, I need you to remain focused! Can't have any Healers dying on us in battle!" She then looked towards the frontlines and saw another row of Fairy warriors leaping into the sky. "Crap, I think my turn's up! Remember, you two have this in the bag!"

With that, the Sylph joined Recon and some of the other Fairies as they marched closer to the shoreline. Sachi watched her go with a welling sensation of dread within her, but her fears were mitigated when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked at Sinon, who was staring back at her in curiosity.

"Who's Kirito?" she asked.

Sachi's eyes grew wide, and she gulped nervously. "Should I tell her now? M-Maybe I can just spare some of the details. But...what if she pries further? Shino's a smart girl. She might figure out he's an SAO victim, and then that means she'll know that I am an SAO survivor-"

"Holy crap, we're taking heavy fire!"

"Quick, the Healers are over there!"

"Undine! Please, I require assistance!"

A group of wounded Undines, Sylphs, and Cait Siths landed before the assigned players, all of them were united by their dangerously low HPs. Some of them bore horrible burn marks and soot on their clothes, while others had pale skins and eyes bloodshot from terror. One such player, a Sylph, landed at Sachi's feet, earning a terrified squeak from her.

"I need healing, please!" the Fairy warrior exclaimed with urgency. "My friends need me back up there!"

Sachi looked at Sinon, who silently nodded in understanding and returned to her original position. She then looked back at the Sylph.

"O-Okay!" she stammered in response.

Quickly recalling the training she received, the Undine shut her eyes and aimed a quaking hand at the player's direction. Then, she started chanting the incantation that had been hammered into her head until it was etched into her memory. A golden light encircled her, making her feel as if she was ascending to a higher plane of existence.

"Þú...fylla...heill...austr!"

Upon the incantation's completion, sparkling blue drops of water started flowing from Lake Mjøsa's surface, like a shower of rain in slow-motion. The drops first congregated around Sachi, then they gathered around her hand, before engulfing the Sylph until it dissipated in a shower of blue sparkles. The player's HP swiftly, turning from red to green.

"Ah, yes!" the Sylph cried in jubilation. He then ran off and took to the sky again. "Thanks, Undine!"

By that point, Sachi opened her eyes, having missed the results of her work. "Y...You're welcome..."

"Yo!" another voice called, and even more Fairies with low HPs started gathering around her.

"Heal me too!"

"No, me first! Heal me first!"

"Hey, I've got a higher skillset! I need to be back up there!"

"Yo, don't you know any multi-player healing spells?!"

"Pl-Pl-Please, everyone!" Sachi cried in surprise while waving her hands. "I'm just a newbie! I-I can only do single-player healing spells for now!"

"Awww, damn!" one player snapped.

"Oh, you gotta be kiddin' me!" exclaimed another player.

"Everyone!" Sachi cried again, and this time, she put more assertiveness into her voice. "I'm afraid I can only do one at a time! Please, I need you to find another Healer who might be available! Otherwise, you're gonna have to wait your turn!"

With no time to argue, many of the players rushed towards the other Healers, while the remainder started to gather into an impromptu line, awaiting Sachi's aid. She gave a tiny smile of approval and held out her hand towards the Cait Sith in front of the line.

"Þú fylla heill austr!"

After that, time started to speed up for Sachi until it was almost a blur for her. She healed one player after another, while the main forces continued to battle the Salamanders and Imps above the lake. On occasion, she saw Leafa and Recon fly by, to strategize a counterattack in Leafa's case and to get healed in Recon's case. As for Sinon, she didn't leave her post near Sachi's position, and she occasionally aimed her bow and arrow at the sky but didn't fire due to the enemy's distant positions.

But with every passing minute, Sachi's mind slipped from her preoccupation with the enemy forces and became primarily focused on the players she was healing.

"Þú fylla heill austr!"

And with every player that she successfully healed, her confidence grew more and more, until it came to the point where she was efficiently coordinating between those who needed her healing spells and those who needed to be redirected to any other available Healers.

"Þú fylla heill austr!"

She even started willingly taking players who were looking for Healers rather than wait for them to come to her.

"Þú fylla heill austr!"

"This...This is amazing!" she thought. "I'm actually protecting people for a change! Kirito... If only you could see me now, Kirito!" Her heart swelled with pride. "I'm no longer the weak coward I once was!"

"Þú fylla heill austr!"

"Þú fylla heill austr!"

"Þú fylla heill austr!"

Finally, about a half-hour passed when the skies were filled with a united roar of triumph.

"THE ENEMY IS RETREATING!" the Undine commander announced in a mighty voice. "HERMET REMAINS OURS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!"

"YEEEEEAAAAAHHHHH!"

As the Undines, Sylphs, and Cait Siths celebrated their victory, Sachi fell to her knees in elation. Tuning out the sounds of celebration, she looked down at her palms, the palms that healed many in the past half-hour, the very palms that made their own contribution to this victory, even if it was minute in the grand scheme of things. With that realization, she gave them a small smile of immense satisfaction.

"You did it, Sachi..." she thought. "You did it."

– X-Y-X –

Elsewhere, at another part of the lake shoreline far away from the battle, a small light of brilliant blue bloomed in midair, next to a large rock. It took on the shape of a pole weapon...

– X-Y-X –

"To our victory. Cheers!"

"CHEERS!"

Sachi and Sinon silently joined Leafa, Recon, and their fellow warriors in raising their drinks into the air. Once the Undine commander lowered his mug and began drinking from it, the rest of the exhausted but festive army followed suit. In just a matter of seconds, the outdoor Hermet tavern was filled with rowdy noises of celebration and drinking.

"That was quite a fight, huh girls?" Leafa asked before taking her first sip.

"I'll say," Sachi replied, looking down at her reflection in her own mug. "I lost count of how many people I healed..."

"Their Fire and Dark Magics were super-strong!" cried Recon. "Ohhh, I nearly got my butt kicked so many times!" Then, he realized he was in the presence of three girls and puffed out his chest. "Bu-But I managed to recover each and every single time!"

Leafa rolled her eyes in amusement. "Heh, right. After I saved your butt each and every one of those times."

Meanwhile, Sinon lowered her head in disappointment, staring at the bow in her lap. "Damn. I didn't even do anything..."

Sachi comfortingly patted her friend in the back. "But the both of us stayed down at Hermet the entire time! And the real fighting was far and high up in the sky! Your arrows wouldn't have reached that distance. Besides, Leafa and the others clearly had it handled from up there."

"Yeah." Leafa then shot a bitter side-glance off in a certain direction. "No thanks to our glorious commander right there."

Sachi followed the Sylph's gaze and realized who she was looking at. "You mean Sigurd?"

"The one and only." Leafa scowled in unbridled disgust as she watched Sigurd flirt with a group of female Undine and Cait Sith players. "You girls may not know this, but he was the one who believed the Salamander-Imp alliance would stage an attack over Lake Mjøsa."

"Yeah, and he was correct." Then, the Undine noticed the glimmer of disapproval in Leafa's eyes. "R-Right...?"

"He may have been, but he never anticipated the Salamanders using such a theatrical entrance as a smokescreen. They tried to have additional forces take Hermet from the sides, using the forests as a cover."

"What?!" Sachi exclaimed, while Sinon froze up in stunned disbelief. "Th-There were Salamanders and Imps in the forests too?!"

Leafa nodded. "Yeah. It's a really good thing Commander Phillip saw right through their ruse when he did..." She glanced at the Undine commander, who was in the middle of a loud and good-natured conversation with his Cait Sith counterpart. "If it weren't for that, then Sigurd's tactical mistake would've cost us Hermet and the lake...and with it, a good chunk of the tactical advantage the Undines have in this alliance."

"O-Ohhhhh..." Sachi looked at Sigurd's direction again, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. "D'you think he miscalculated on purpose...?"

"Who knows with Sigurd nowadays? His track record as a commander has never exactly been the best."

"Leeeeeafaaaaa!" Recon wheezed quietly in terror. "Don't talk about our teammate like that-!"

Leafa scoffed. "What? I know you agree with that sentiment too, Recon."

"E-Even so, h-he outranks us! I-I don't wanna get kicked out of the party if he catches us badmouthing him!"

"Seriously, how's a guy like him still a commander?" Sinon asked flatly.

"Not sure, but rumor has it that Lord Sakuya's planning on stripping him of the title if he notches another big loss for the Sylphs." Then, Leafa narrowed her eyes and stared back at Sachi and Sinon. "And speaking of miscalculating on purpose, there's a rumor going around about some sort of side-quest at Lake Mjøsa."

"A side-quest?" Sachi glanced at Lake Mjøsa, which was a short distance away but in plain view from the tavern. "At Lake Mjøsa?"

"Yeah. The details are scarce because no one's completed it. But one thing's for sure: players who do complete the side-quest are supposed to receive a rare and powerful item as a reward."

Sachi looked back at Leafa in awe. "A rare and powerful item?"

"Mm-hm. Sigurd's heard of the side-quest too, which is the reason why our party was assigned to guard Hermet. He may have been hoping to activate the side-quest in some way and then complete it himself. The thing is...the side-quest has only been mentioned in ALO forums, and there's been no proof of anyone actually triggering it. So, any guess on how to start it is as good as the next one."

"So Sigurd thought that some sort of major battle over Lake Mjøsa might trigger the side-quest?" Sinon asked.

"Well, we don't know that for sure." Leafa glanced at Sigurd's direction yet again. "But it wouldn't surprise me if that was the plan."

"Hmmmmmm..." Sachi looked back at Lake Mjøsa, and the sight of it made her feel as if the water was calling out to her. "A side-quest with a rare and powerful item as a reward..."

Before she knew it, Sachi found herself back at the shoreline. She closed her eyes and allowed her remaining four senses to absorb all her surroundings. As soon as she did, she felt like she was back in Kawagoe Park. She could hear the gentle midday breeze, the rustling of autumn leaves, and the calm chirping of birds. She could smell the scents of fresh earth and Lake Mjøsa's brackish water. She could feel the pliable soil holding her feet. She could even taste the air's palpable coolness.

"Amazing..." she thought. "To think the makers of ALO managed to create something so lifelike, even if it's meant to be a replication of the genuine article..."

"Wow. Are you really gonna try and activate the side-quest?"

Sachi yipped in surprise and twirled around to see Sinon standing behind her. In the process, she nearly tripped and fell over into the lake, but Sinon deftly caught her wrist, preventing her fall.

"Ohhh, Shino!" Sachi moaned in relief while straightening herself.

"Sinon."

"R-Right. Si-Sinon."

Sinon closed her eyes. "You haven't answered my question yet."

"O-Oh." Sachi took a deep breath and gazed at the lake's surface. "W-Well...I...I don't know... I mean, we still don't even know how the side-quest gets activated. There could be a wide variety of things that we might have to do. Find an NPC, interact with something in our environment, anything!"

"Well, isn't that why you're here?" Sinon looked around in curiosity. "To find out what to do to start the quest?"

"M-Maybe. I-I don't know..." Sachi slumped her shoulders. "I guess...I just had a...sliver of curiosity, th-that's all..."

Sinon made a tiny noise that sounded like a chuckle. "Well, curiosity alone isn't going to get you anywhere in life. As the saying goes, curiosity killed the cat."

Sachi's brow twitched in some sort of sardonic amusement. "If you're trying to inspire me, Sinon, then I gotta say, you're doing such a terrible job at it right now."

"Hey, don't say I'm not trying."

Sachi giggled to herself. Then, she began walking alongside the lake, tracing the shoreline, and Sinon quickly followed by her other side. Her blue eyes remained glued onto the water's equally blue surface, appreciating each lifelike ripple that it made. Her direction was focused yet absentminded, even as her heart continued to tug her along this impromptu path.

After a long, tranquil silence between the two girls, Sinon spoke up again.

"You still haven't answered my question, Sachi."

"What?" Sachi looked at her. "I did!"

"No, the other question."

"What other question?"

The archer hesitated. "...Who's Kirito?"

Sachi stopped. "Oh..."

Sinon stopped too. "Oh?" Then, after being met with further silence from her friend, the Cait Sith put the dots together. "I see... Kirito's the one in the hospital, aren't they?"

The Undine nodded meekly. "Yeah..."

"Ah..." Sinon blankly stared ahead. "Kirito, huh? Sounds like an avatar name."

"That's..." Sachi hesitated, her mind telling her to stop and her heart telling her to move forward. "That's because...it is, Shin-"

"Hey." The Cait Sith pointed ahead. "What's that?"

"Huh? What?"

Sachi followed Sinon's raised fingertip and realized she was pointing at a large rock propped up on the shoreline, dozens of feet away. She squinted her eyes at it and barely saw it: some sort of blue, pole-shaped object.

"I think I see it too," Sachi continued. "Can you use your Enhanced Eyesight to see what exactly it is?"

"Doing it right now," replied Sinon. "It's..."

Her voice trailed off, prompting Sachi to worriedly ask, "Sinon?"

After a brief moment, Sinon found her voice again. "It's...It's unlike any other item I've ever seen before..."

"What?!"

Without thinking, Sachi started running towards it, and she barely heard Sinon following after her. She kept her eyes on the distant blue object, and as she neared the rock, she knew exactly why Sinon sounded so stunned.

"A...A trident...?"

Sinon caught up with her, her catlike ears twitching. "Weird..." She scanned the trident from top to bottom. "Tridents are supposed to be from ancient Greek myths. What's a thing like that doing in a game based on Norse mythology?"

"I...I-I don't know..." Sachi replied with a slow shake of her head. "It might be an Easter egg, or a part of a special-"

"And speaking of miscalculating on purpose, there's a rumor going around about some sort of side-quest at Lake Mjøsa."

Sachi's eyes slowly widened. "Side-quest..."

"Huh?" Sinon looked at the Undine in confusion at first, before she also put two and two together. "Wait a minute... You think that this is the rare and powerful item Leafa was talking about?"

At that moment, Sachi felt the rest of the world fade away, leaving just her, Sinon, and the trident. A tiny, inaudible voice called out to her from the item, and she slowly approached it, leaving behind all her feelings of terror and cowardice.

"Only one way to find out."

She suddenly felt someone grab her wrist.

"Wait, Sachi!" Sinon cried. "It could be a trap!"

All of a sudden, Sachi found herself back in the cramped, oppressive space of the Labyrinth trap-room with Kirito, Tetsuo, Sasamaru, and Ducker. Ducker was a couple of feet from the rest of them, kneeling before a tempting treasure chest and using his trap-disabling Skill on it. She felt a cold shudder of horror run down her body.

Then, she blinked, and she found herself back in the open, peaceful space of Lake Mjøsa and the surrounding forest. The trident was still calling out to her.

"I've been in a trap before, Sinon," she replied calmly and confidently. "This isn't one."

She effortlessly shrugged herself out of Sinon's grasp and walked up to the waiting item. The inaudible voice was ringing louder in her ears.

"W-Well..." Sinon stammered in stunned disbelief while readying her bow and arrow, "i-if you're wrong, then I've got you covered."

Sachi didn't respond to Sinon's concerns. Instead, she held her hand out towards the trident and grabbed it by the pole without hesitation. As soon as she lifted it from the rock, a small banner appeared above the item, text written on it.

"The «Trident of Protection»?" she read.

"What's that?" Sinon asked.

"No idea. It...looks like it's a weapon. I'll read its specs..." Sachi pulled up the item's menu, and then she gasped after a few seconds. "No way!"

"Whoa, what is it?! Lemme see..." Sinon joined Sachi's side and attentively read the text. "The «Trident of Protection». A weapon granted to those with a kind, pure heart, who wish to defend and bring the light of salvation to all. Heh. Sounds a little paradoxical, don't you think?"

Sachi shook her head. "Read the Unique Abilities, Sinon."

"Okay." She refocused on the text. "Unique Abilities, Unique Abilities... «Light's Chrysopoeia». All stats increase fourfold when the trident comes in contact with Dark Magic. Huh, sounds like this is an anti-Dark Magic weapon." She cracked a smile. "Impressive."

"Keep reading..."

"O-Oh. A-Alright." Sinon kept on reading. "«Salvation of Souls»? Fully restores the-" Her feline eyes suddenly grew wide in surprise. "The health of all your allies and provides them with max buffer spells?!"

"If the description is accurate," Sachi commented, "then it sounds like this isn't a one-time-use Unique Ability. I can use it as many times as I need to!"

"...Sounds very OP, don't you think...?"

"There's gotta be a drawback to this." Sachi held the trident in her hands, almost admiring how its blue surface seemed to glow with the sunlight. "I gotta have this appraised. There's no way a game-breaking weapon like this can exist in ALO without some sort of catch."

"Wait, hold on a sec," Sinon warned, stopping her friend. She leaned her head and squinted at the specs menu. "There's another Unique Ability..." She read it more closely. "But the name's in question marks, and the description says it will be unlocked at with a Defense Skill of 100. A hidden Unique Ability... What's your Defense Skill right now?"

"...Level 13..."

"Guess you've got a long way to go till you find out what that third Unique Ability is, huh?"

"Guess so." Sachi looked down at the «Trident of Protection», her eyes softening at its features. "Well, I guess I'm gonna add it to my inventory."

She promptly pulled up her own menu and went to the 'Equipment' section.

[Add «Trident of Protection» to your inventory?]

[Yes] – [No]

Sachi aimed her finger at the 'Yes' button, but then she paused before she could click it. A feeling of doubt washed over her in an instant, and she could feel an invisible force holding her hand back.

"I don't get it," she thought with uncertainty. "Why? Why is a new player like me, who just started playing this game no more than a month ago, gaining access to such a high-powered and potentially game-breaking item like this now? I... I don't understand if this is even part of the side-quest. Is there a reason to all of this?"

"You're NOT an outlier. You're the one in 250. You overcame those insurmountable odds for a reason, and I want the both of us to see what that reason is. That... That is my wish."

Recalling Mari's words filled Sachi with newfound strength that consumed her uncertainty.

"Yes, there has to be a reason to all of this, Mari. And I'm going to find it out, no matter what it takes!"

She pressed 'Yes', and the «Trident of Protection» disappeared, now freshly added in her inventory. As she did, she could have sworn she heard the lake whisper to her in approval.

And then...

"Wow," Sinon said blankly. "That was...surprisingly easy..."

– June 22, 2024 –
Real World, Ayano Residence, Asaka, Saitama Prefecture

"I can't believe it's been a year already..."

"Me too. But I hear you're doing well, Sachi-chan."

Sachi beamed at the beautiful, maternal face staring at her from the other side of the screen. She lifted a hand and held it over her heart.

"Yeah," the girl replied tenderly. "Asada and I are still hanging out, and my online friends are nice too! I haven't had any nightmares, I'm getting more used to the new school, the Ayanos are taking good care of me, and I think Pina's starting to warm up to me!"

She looked at the aforementioned Munchkin cat, only to find her knocking her textbooks off her desk and sauntering off with a haughty gait and swish of her tail.

"Sorta..." Sachi refocused on Mari, determined to move on. "Plus, I'm making great progress in ALO too! You should see me, Mari. The item that I got last month is so astounding!"

Mari grinned fondly. "So you've told me. Heh heh heh, talk about a year of developments!" Then, she frowned in concern. "Anyway...you're not having any problems with that ALO game?"

The girl shook her head. "I told you, Mari. It's not a death game like SAO."

"Oh, it's not the game or that AmuSphere console that I'm worried about. I've done my research, after all..." The nurse's concern shone even more through her expression. "No, I'm worried about you getting exposed to stuff that'll trigger bad memories. You're not encountering any of that stuff?"

Sachi shook her head again. "No. I'm sticking to the cities and participating in PvP events. Nothing that involves traps or monsters. That's what got me k-killed-" Her voice broke momentarily at the last word. "In SAO, after all..."

"S-Still-" Mari cut herself off when she saw the genuine frown on Sachi's face, and then she cleared her throat. "Never mind, sweetie. I'm...I'm so glad that you are moving on to a brand-new stage in your life. A stage away from everything that's happened to you last year. I'm proud of you, Sachi-chan, and I am sure that Kirito and all your other friends will be too."

Sachi grinned and nostalgically looked out of the window to admire the golden sunlight.

"I know they are."

– June 25, 2024 –
Tanashi High School, Nishitōkyō

"What do you mean you're still not planning to use it?"

Sachi flinched a little at the tone of Shino's stunned voice. The two girls stood in the locker room amidst all of their other schoolmates, the school day having just come to a close. With a heavy sigh, Sachi retrieved her supplies from her locker and calmly closed it.

"You've had the «Trident of Protection» for over a month, Sachi," Shino continued, following Sachi as she started walking out of the building with several other students. "A month, a month's worth of opportunities to help our friends and allies in battle, and yet I've never seen you take it out."

"Like I told you before, Shino," Sachi replied, "I'm...I'm still training with it and upgrading its stats however way I can. In the meantime, no one else can know that I have it..." She suddenly looked around, as if someone was eavesdropping on their conversation. "Not yet, anyway."

"Not even Leafa and Recon?"

Sachi nodded with reluctance. "Not even them."

"But why not? They've trained us since the very beginning. I think they have a right to know, at the very least."

"But with an ability like «Salvation of Souls», the «Trident of Protection» is bound to be extremely valuable to the enemy races. If word somehow gets out that I have such a powerful item, I'll have a target painted onto the back of my head..." Sachi looked down at her hands, imagining the trident in them. "As well as those of my friends."

She then looked at Shino with a gentle smile, which made the other girl blink in surprise.

"I care about you very much, Shino. The fact that you're the only other person who knows about this already makes me worry."

Shino blushed and shyly looked away. "W-Well, I-I appreciate the sentiment, b-but I can take good care of myself."

Sachi giggled and then stared ahead, absentmindedly eyeing the school gateway. Her mind quickly became filled with the words of the blacksmith NPC that she talked to in Hermet after the trident's discovery.

"The «Trident of Protection»'s actual stats are low. Unusually low. You can say it's almost like a beginner's weapon. It's only as good as the person wielding it."

"And besides," she said, more to herself than to Shino, "I need to prove that I'm worthy of using a very powerful Unique Ability like «Salvation of Souls». And I can't do that at my current Defense. I have 79 more levels to go before I reach a Defense Skill of 100. So, I'm gonna train harder too. And then, when I have a high enough Defense, I will reveal it to the others."

"And when I start using it in battle," she resolutely thought, "I'll truly become strong. I will become the kind of girl Kirito would lo-"

Her voice was suddenly cut off by a commotion erupting near the school gate. At first, Sachi and Shino could only hear a cacophony of voices yelling indiscernible things. But as they neared the crowd of students congregating by the gate, one word started to become clear to Sachi, and it made her blood run cold.

"OUTLIER!"

With a gasp, Sachi started pushing her way through the crowd, ignoring Shino's cries for her. As she waded deeper and deeper into the mass of students, she could hear more people screaming, along with the sounds of glass breaking and a person yelling and whimpering in fear. Eventually, Sachi reached the front of the crowd, and that was when she realized what was happening in front of her.

A small mob had cornered a young man with unkempt black hair and shabby clothing, which was now torn up in several places. His face was adorned with fresh bruises and streaked with scarlet blood, while there was a small gash in his right shoulder, which was leaking more blood. He was paralyzed in fear, like a calf cornered by a predator, as he was crouched against a parked vehicle, which had two of its side-windows shattered open. The mob was armed with iron pipes, broken glass bottles, and their own words and fists.

"No..." the man whimpered between pathetic sobs. "No, please..."

"You fucking cheater!" one member of the mob shouted. "How come you managed to get outta that death game when so many other people couldn't?!"

"I-I..." the survivor began, but his words failed him.

"My friend's nephew is dead!" another member yelled. "DEAD! And you get to survive?! Because of some manufacturing defect?! BULLSHIT!"

"My girlfriend's still in that game!" hollered a third member. "She's still fighting for her life! And...An-And our tax money's going into your recovery?! And those of all ten of you outliers?! When it should be going to the 6,000 or so people who're still in the game?! How the hell is THAT fair?!"

"You outliers should've died with the rest of 'em," snarled a fourth, who looked particularly teary-eyed. "You all should've died, just like that bastard Kayaba said! You should all just...just KILL YOURSELVES!"

The survivor shook his head like a child in denial. "No, no, no, no, no-"

A fifth member suddenly lunged from the mob and at the survivor, his eyes particularly wide, bloodshot, and feral. Sachi gasped when she saw the knife in his hands.

"DIE, OUTLIER! DIE, DIE, DIE!"

The very sight of the knife suddenly activated something within the survivor. When Sachi blinked, she no longer saw the cowering, terrified person beside the car. Now, she saw an animal.

"RRRRRAAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!"

The survivor moved in almost a blur. He grabbed his would-be assailant's hands and wrestled the knife out of them after a brief struggle. Then, with his own eyes beastlike, and his pupils dilated, he began stabbing the man.

"AAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!"

"OH, MY GOD!"

"HOLY SHIT!"

The students and the other members of the mob began panicking, with several scattering in all directions. But Sachi was the only one who remained rooted to the spot. She watched in horror as the survivor tackled his overwhelmed victim to the asphalt and madly continued his assault. She desperately wanted to intervene, but all she could see was an army of Granite Elementals and Dark Dwarf Miners hacking and slashing Tetsuo, Sasamaru, and Ducker to death, over and over and over again. None of the experience and confidence that she developed in ALO came to help her.

The survivor's arm moved in an indecipherable blur, and the next strike was stronger and more relentless than the last, earning loud shrieks and grunts of immense agony from the helpless man underneath him. The mob member seemed to have realized his mistake, and he was now flailing, writhing, and scratching at his attacker's face in an increasingly futile attempt to live.

But after a dozen strikes, the man's movements weakened, and his voice was reduced to a horrific gurgle. Then, after a dozen more strikes, he became still. And finally, after another dozen strikes, the survivor tired himself out. His shoulders became slumped, and his body sagged forward slightly, completely drained of energy.

"Gaugh! Haugh! Huuuuuff, huuuuuff... Gaaaaah..."

Just then, reality seemed to return to both Sachi and the other survivor. Their eyes slowly but steadily grew wide at the sight of the corpse and the pool of blood underneath the man...

And the bloodstained knife in his hand...

"No..." the survivor whimpered, shaking his head frantically. "No... No, no, no! NO! NO! NOOOOO!"

He then looked up at what remained of the mob. They were staring back at him in abject horror. And then, they started speaking.

"You... You killed him..."

"Y-You're a murderer! A murderer!"

"You're not just an outlier! You're a killer! A-A freak!"

Sachi couldn't take it anymore. Before she knew it, she burst into a sprint and quickly planted her feet between the man and the mob.

"L-LEAVE HIM ALONE!" she screeched with closed eyes.

The mob's reactions were instantaneous.

"Huh?!"

"What the hell?!"

"Get outta here, kid! This guy's crazy!"

"BECAUSE YOU MADE HIM THAT WAY!" Sachi roared at the top of her lungs.

"Wh-What?!"

"HE SURVIVED SOMETHING SO...SO UNIMAGINABLE, AND THE FIRST THING YOU DO IS CHASE HIM IN THE STREETS WITH WEAPONS?! CALL HIM A CHEATER?! TELL HIM THAT HE...HE NEEDS TO...K-KILL HIMSELF?!" Sachi opened her blue eyes and glared intensely at the mob, taking in how average and normal every member otherwise seemed. "HOW?! HOW COULD YOU SAY ALL THAT?! HE NEEDED YOUR SUPPORT, YOUR LOVE, YET ALL YOU COULD GIVE HIM IS HATE!"

"HOW COULD YOU DEFEND HIM?!" one member roared.

"YEAH!" another hollered. "ALL OF US, WE LOST SOMEONE OR HAVE SOMEONE TRAPPED IN THAT GAME! OR WE KNOW SOMEONE WHO LOST SOMEONE TO THAT GAME!"

"SAVE US YOUR GODDAMN PITY!" a third snapped harshly.

"BESIDES!" a fourth added. "HE'S A FUCKING KILLER!"

"IT WAS IN SELF-DEFENSE!" Sachi shrieked. "AND I'M GONNA TELL THE POLICE THAT!"

She then turned around, prepared to tell her fellow survivor that she would support him. But her heart stopped beating when she saw the man holding the knife to his own neck. Tears were flowing from his eyes, merging with the blood that was splattered across his face.

"NO!" Sachi immediately knelt before the man, holding her hands out. "No, don't do it! Please! I promise, I'll tell the cops everything that ha-"

"It doesn't matter," the survivor replied between choked sobs. "They're right. They're...They're right. I killed somebody today. I...I took a life..." With a sniffle, he lowered his head in shame. "I should've died here too... I should never have survived-"

"No!" Sachi interrupted in desperation. "No, y-you're alive, and you're here! You're still here! You overcame that one-in-two-fifty odds for a reason! You're here for a reason, and you can still find out what that reason is! But only if you give me the knife."

But the man refused to do so, and his arm started to tremble even more. Realizing she had no other choice, Sachi drew back the hair covering her ears and showed her scars to him.

"Look!" she cried. "Look at me! I survived, just like you did!"

The man slowly looked up and beheld her scars. He did not say anything, but his widening eyes told her everything that she needed to know.

"We're both the same," Sachi continued passionately. "We survived SAO, and now we're both trying to move forward, as best as we can. But the path we're traveling is very dark, and it's hard trying to put SAO behind us, a-and I don't know if we ever will. But if we can't put it behind us, then we can just put it to the side, and we can focus on the light at the end of the path. And I know there's a light at the end! I know there is! I see it everyday when I wake up! And I know we can reach it! All we have to do is just hold on and keep on reaching for it!"

By that point, her vision was becoming blurry with tears. She could barely see the man in front of her, but she knew that he was crying as well, crying in commiseration.

"So please, just...just don't let go. Keep on reaching for the light." Sachi slowly held out her hand. "I promise, I'll be with you. We can travel through this dark path together, and we can reach the light together. Please..."

Silence reigned for a few moments, intermittently broken only by two sets of sniffling and hiccupping. But then, the skies were pierced by the sound of blaring sirens, coming closer and closer, and the survivors tensed up. Sachi knew then what was happening.

"I...I'm so sorry," the man whimpered.

Sachi shook her head. "No-"

"I've already taken two lives because of that game. I can't go on anymore."

"No, you can still live! Please, you can-"

"I...I don't even know who I am anymore..." The man then gave her a tiny smile, while the shakiness in his arm receded. "Thank you. Goodbye."

"NO!"

The next thing Sachi saw was red. And she felt wet all over. Very wet.

Ayano Residence, Asaka, Saitama Prefecture

"Good evening. We are still live at the scene of the murder-suicide that occurred near Tanashi High School at Nishitōkyō. We're just now learning the names of the victim and the killer in this tragic incident. Police have named the victim as Arata Sasahara, a salaryman who lost his twin brothers and nephew to the death game Sword Art Online.

"As for the killer, police identified him as an SAO survivor, Shirou Tokita, who was somehow able to log out of the game five months ago after dying in there. We spoke to Tokita's neighbors and acquaintances, who all described him as aggressive and mentally unstable-"

The TV shut off, but Sachi didn't react. She continued staring blankly at the blackened screen, barely able to perceive the sensation of a hand consolingly rubbing her back.

"It's alright, Sachi," Kotone said. "You did everything you could."

...

"Do you want to eat? I made your favorite for tonight."

...

"How about we watch something else, then?" Kotone turned the TV back on and switched to a channel airing anime. "Ah, there we go! How about this, Sachi?"

...

"Okay... Do...Do you want to talk to Mari...?"

...

"Alright. Th-Then...I-I'll leave it to you, then. L-Let me know if you need anything..."

...

The woman stood up from the sofa and moved to leave the living room, but Sachi still felt her presence nearby. Even so, the girl continued to gaze absentmindedly into the TV, unable to perceive the flashy, colorful images that were on display. Instead, she could only see mindless oblivion. The whole world did not matter to her in this moment. Not her new home, not the people that she came to care about, not even herself.

It was like she had become nothing...

"I...I don't even know who I am anymore. ...Thank you. Goodbye."

"I couldn't save him..." she thought. "I couldn't save him. I really thought I could save him, just...just like Kirito would... I thought...I was on my way to becoming stronger... Instead...I just got back to square one... How could he look at me now, when I'm such a failure in real life?"

"Well, as the saying goes: reality is often disappointing."

Kikuoka's words rang loudly and vibrantly in her head, reverberating like the interior of a bell. Feeling a little dizzy, Sachi hesitantly looked down at her palms, the palms that healed many during her time in ALO, the very palms that made their own contribution to several victories now.

And now, those palms were covered in blood.

"Look! Look at me! I survived, just like you did!"

Sachi blinked, hoping what she saw wasn't an illusion. It wasn't. Her palms were still stained in his blood.

"We're both the same. We survived SAO, and now we're both trying to move forward, as best as we can."

She blinked again. Everything was now bathed in a red light.

"But the path we're traveling is very dark, and it's hard trying to put SAO behind us, a-and I don't know if we ever will."

She blinked once again. Darkness was now starting to seep into the room, making everything look as if it was splashed in his blood.

"But if we can't put it behind us, then we can just put it to the side, and we can focus on the light at the end of the path."

She looked up, and she was now back in the Labyrinth trap-room, once again. Only this time, she was all alone, while an army of Granite Elementals and Dark Dwarf Miners closed in on her.

"And I know there's a light at the end! I know there is! I see it everyday when I wake up!"

She tried to muster up all of the courage she developed in the past few months, but nothing came from her reserves. All she could feel was abject terror, which only heightened when a Granite Elemental raised its arm and aimed it towards her with killing intent.

And this time, Sachi could see a distinguishable face carved on her assailant's head. It looked just like the man she failed to save. He glared down at her, looking like the victim of a con scheme rather than a suicide.

"Do you still see that light now, Sachi? Hm? Do you?"

"AAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!"

Sachi helplessly clutched at the sofa mattress, just as paralyzed as she was at school. Her scream echoed throughout the trap-room, loud yet unheard. She could feel a wet warmth pool beneath her, a useless, momentary source of comfort in her final moments. The Granite Elemental prepared to deliver the killing blow-

"Sachi! Sachi! SACHI!"

Something wrapped around her body, and she tried to struggle, but it held on tight, stubbornly refusing to let go for her own sake. So, Sachi froze up again and screwed her eyes shut, desperately hoping that the end would come quickly. But the voice kept speaking to her, becoming more and more closer and familiar by the minute.

"Sachi, please! It's me, Sachi! It's Sinon! It's-It's Shino!"

Sachi opened her eyes with a gasp, and she was back in the living room. To her surprise, Shino was hugging her tightly, her eyes leaking tears of their own. She was so surprised to see her displaying emotion like this; aside from the first time they met, she had never seen anything but cool aloofness from her.

"Shino..." Sachi whispered with a sniffle.

"Please..." Shino begged tearfully while holding on. "Please, Sachi. Don't leave me... Not like this..."

Sachi hiccupped in shame. "I'm so sorry, Shino... I'm...I'm not the girl you thought I was. I'm not strong at all, not like in ALO... I'm a...a..."

"I know who you are, Sachi." Shino broke the hug and stared into her eyes. "You're my friend. And that's all that matters to me."

Sachi didn't know what to say. But she looked straight into Shino's eyes, and she could only see the gentleness and love coming from them, piercing through a hidden sheen of darkness and guilt. At that moment, she knew that Shino had to be telling nothing but the truth.

So, both girls burst into tears and hugged again. And this time, it seemed to be for an eternity.

Sachi took a forkful of chicken and started at the smoky meat absentmindedly. "So...you overheard Tetsuhiko giving the officer his contact number..."

Shino nodded softly. "Yeah... And then I called him to ask for your address."

Kotone heaved out a heavy sigh as she handed Shino her own dinner plate. "Thank you, Asada-chan, for arriving in time to calm Sachi down. I'm...I'm not sure how Tetsuhiko and I would've been able to handle that."

"Yeah, well..." Shino also stared at her food absentmindedly. "I have experience in...you know...panic attacks..."

"Hm, you do?" Tetsuhiko asked from his seat at the table.

Shino could only nod with an indecipherable mumble for an answer. Then, her eyes narrowed slightly with resolve, and a newfound strength drove her to look at Sachi and blurt out her next words.

"I heard what you told that guy!"

This caught Sachi's full attention, and she looked at Shino.

"Y-You did?!" she exclaimed.

Shino nodded firmly. "Yes. I know you're an SAO survivor."

Sachi's expression became somber, and she lowered her head in shame. "I...I-I'm sorry, Shino... I...I was hoping I could tell you sooner, but..." She clutched at her skirt. "I was afraid...of what you'd think of me..."

The other girl shook her head. "No, Sachi. It doesn't matter who or what you are. I'd never think lowly of you. Ever."

Sachi looked up hopefully. "Really?"

"Yes. And I..." She briefly hesitated before swallowing her own fears. "I...I've been keeping something from you as well, so...I guess you could call us even..."

Their eyes met, and there was a spark between them. It soon became clear to both girls that the other shared the exact same trauma. A certain hollow glint in their eyes told the whole story.

"But you found the courage to tell your story out in the open like that," Shino continued. "So...I'll do the same. I...I have to, or..." She looked down at her lap. "I know it'll kill me inside..."

"Do...Do you want us to be here while you do...?" asked Kotone.

"You can trust us as much as you trust Sachi already," Tetsuhiko added earnestly. "But, if you need us to leave, then we'll do it. We understand if the topic's too sensitive for us."

Shino hesitated for the longest time, filled with uncertainty. Then, after some contemplation, she slowly, sullenly nodded her head. Following her cue, the Ayanos left the kitchen, with Kotone giving Sachi one last stroke of her shoulder as she left. Once the two girls were alone, Shino took a deep breath, faced Sachi again, and spoke once more.

"Okay. This is my story..."

And so, over the next half-hour, Sachi learned that Shino Asada truly was a killer, just as Endou and her friends had been claiming so derisively. But that didn't bother her one bit.

– June 26, 2024 –
Tanashi High School, Nishitōkyō

"Yooooo, it's her!"

"The outlier!"

"Man, to think she survived that death game!"

"Yeah! No wonder she looks like a lil' violet! Game got to her!"

"Dude, can't get too close to her..."

"Yeah! I saw the whole thing go down, and she was cray-cray!"

"Seconded. I heard she was the one who killed that guy..."

"Man, why the hell did I ever wanna flirt with her?"

"Yeah, well, yanderes still aren't worth it, anyway."

"Ooh, she's coming! Get away, get away..."

The group of schoolboys scooted into a corner of the hallway, allowing Sachi to pass by without any trouble. She kept her head low as always, all the while feeling the stares of every loitering student being placed upon her, one heavy brick after another. She continued to hear the occasional whisper about her, sharing uninformed anecdotes about her and referring to her under one moniker.

"Outlier."

She entered the cafeteria, and the first thing she saw was Endou and her friends. With their wounds now healed, the trio of bullies marched up to her, all of them wearing the same scowl.

"Well, well, well," Endou said tauntingly. "If it isn't the outlier."

"Shoulda known somethin' was up with her!" one of her lackeys exclaimed.

"It's the eyes, girl," the other lackey replied. "It's always the eyes."

Sachi's brow became furrowed, but she gently said, "Excuse me, please."

"Excuse us?" one of the other girls repeated with a smirk. "Excuse us? Why should we listen to a cheater like you?"

"Just cuz yer government pals are payin' hush money to our families," the other girls said, "doesn't mean we can't push ya 'round a lil'!"

"Just so you know," added Endou, "you don't scare us, outlier."

Suddenly, Endou gasped, and Sachi noticed the new hand that was on her shoulder. The insect-like girl turned, and then she released an arrogant snort.

"Maybe you're not scared of an outlier, Endou," Shino said, her voice low and cold, "but you should be scared of a killer, I reckon."

Endou angrily shrugged herself out of Shino's grasp and glowered at the bespectacled girl. Then, she looked at Sachi, her eyelid twitching nastily in defeat.

"Fine," she spat. "You bitches look out for one another all ya want. But don't think that this is over. We'll fucking ruin the both of you, one way or another." She turned on her heel and marched off. "Come on, girls! Let's go get karaoke money from some other wimp!"

"Heh," one of the other girls snarled while making her leave. "Well, see ya later, bitches."

"The killer and the outlier," the other girl commented mockingly. "A match made in Hell."

As soon as Endou and her friends had walked a safe distance away from them, Sachi looked at Shino, amused expression meeting amused expression, and they exchanged soft giggles. And so, the two girls walked to their usual eating spot by the swimming pool, both of them wearing the same smiles.

– July 20, 2024 –
Alfheim, Hermet Forest, Undine Territory

"HYA! HYA! HYA!"

Sinon landed in the grassy, breezy clearing of the forest and watched as Sachi stood atop a rock, twirling the «Trident of Protection» around and thrusting it forward a few times.

"Figured I'd find you here," Sinon greeted, interrupting the Undine's training. "First day of summer vacation and you've decided to spend it training with that trident of yours."

"I've only got about forty-odd days to increase my Defense Skill and bring the «Trident of Protection» up to par with me," replied Sachi, as she resumed her training. "Might as well use the most of my time wisely. And every second that I waste here is a second earned by the Salamanders and the Imps."

Sinon arched an eyebrow. "So is that why I saw you reading those old martial arts books in the library?"

"Yeah. I found an interesting martial art that I thought would be appropriate for the trident. Sōjutsu."

"Sōjutsu. The art of the spear..."

"Mm-hm!" Sachi thrust forward again, putting more strength into it this time. "And since this is pretty much a spear with three blades, I thought learning sōjutsu would be a great benefit for me when I'm in combat."

"I see..." Sinon looked across her shoulder and saw the clearing in the trees, which granted them a great, unobstructed view of Lake Mjøsa. "And you can see the lake from here too. Nice."

"Yeah, it is a nice view." The Undine cracked a smile, and she glanced at her Cait Sith friend. "So, wanna join me in my training? My Defense Skill's not gonna get to 29 any sooner."

Sinon looked at her, astounded, before giving her a tiny smile of her own.

"I'd like nothing better."

– August 4, 2024 –
Near Parcellus, Undine Territory

"Þeír fylla heilagr austr, brott svalr bani."

"Þeír fylla heilagr austr, brott svalr bani."

"Þeír fylla heilagr austr, brott svalr bani."

Sachi smiled while the latest group of freshly healed Undine, Sylph, and Cait Sith warriors returned to the skies in order to return to the battlefield above the forest. Then, in just a matter of seconds, their place was taken by another group of players with low HP. And every time a new group stood before her, she would recite the multi-target Healing Magic spell that she learned last week.

"Phew!" a Sylph cried upon being healed. "Thanks, Undine!"

"You're- o-oh!" Sachi watched as the Sylph and his comrades took off to the sky without acknowledging her for a second longer. "Welcome..."

"Undine!" another voice called. "We need healing!"

Yet another group of allied players frantically approached her, their HP bars flashing scarlet. She took a deep breath and raised her palm, but before she could recite the spell-

"IIIIINCOMIIIIINNNNNG!"

Sachi jumped out of the way, just in time to avoid a meteorite-like blast of fire. However, most of the group seeking her healing powers wasn't so lucky, and the Undine watched in terror as their yelling and groaning bodies burst into a shower of brilliant blue, green, and yellow sparks.

"No..." Then, Sachi screwed her eyelids shut and frantically shook her head. "No, no, no, don't think that! This isn't SAO, Sachi, this isn't! Pull yourself together!"

"Focus on the healers!" a voice commanded from above her. "Don't let any out of your sight!"

Sachi opened her eyes and looked up with a stunned gasp. A small squadron of Salamanders and Imps was levitating in the sky, their collective presence punctuated by an unsettling feeling of triumph. The rest of their army was keeping hers distracted, and she knew Sinon had been assigned to cover a troop stationed elsewhere on the battlefield.

She didn't have anyone who would cover for her.

Before any of the healers or the other players on the ground could react, the squadron's members instantly split up into smaller groups, with each of them engaging one healer at a time. Left sluggish from her surprise, Sachi tried to equip the «Trident of Protection», but she froze up when one of the Salamanders descended towards her position. He was clad in a standard set of crimson armor, on par with his Salamander brethren, but his helmet was colored a peculiar shade of gray instead of red. The player was equipped with a lance and a small shield.

"Heh, you're pretty cute for an Undine," the Salamander said with a taunting laugh. "Unfortunately, as much as I'd hate to wreck your lovely face..." He twirled his lance around, the sunlight reflecting off of its slanted metal surface. "I've got a quota to fill. General Eugene's been getting sick of you healers, and if he wants all of you taken out in order to conquer Parcellus, then it is my duty to see his desires fulfilled. I have never failed him, after all."

Sachi swallowed her fears and delivered him a confident smirk of her own, though she could tell it was faltering a little.

"Well," she replied assertively, "I'm afraid that today's the day you will fail him, Salamander. Never, ever underestimate the power of the Undine race."

Though she couldn't see his face, Sachi could tell the Salamander was smirking underneath his helmet. He aimed the tip of his lance straight at her chest. She silently prayed that the armor she spent the last few months buying and upgrading would be worth it.

"Well, don't think for a second that your Water Magic will save you from my Fire Magic, Undine," the Salamander warned. "You healers may not have borne witness to it, but...the Imps have granted us access to powers that you wouldn't even begin to imagine!"

All of a sudden, a sickly purple flame sprouted on the tip of the warrior's lance, and the fire then began to spread quickly through the weapon until it was fully engulfed. Sachi's eyes widened even more, while the Salamander twirled it around, almost as if he was showing it off; every movement the weapon made left behind a trail of wispy purple smoke.

"Oh, no!" she thought. "Is that...Dark Magic?!"

"Say your prayers, Undine," the Salamander hollered, "for your Water Magic has now been rendered USELESS!" Then, he launched himself at her, his lance outstretched. "RARGH!"

Left with no other choice, Sachi reached for her weapon. "«Trident of Protection», defend me!"

She equipped the trident and thrust forward, using all of the instinct and muscle memory she developed with it. But what happened next surprised her.

As soon as the Salamander's lance made contact with its prongs, the «Trident of Protection» began glowing as brightly as the Sun, its golden light overwhelming its normal blue color and illuminating the new battlefield. It shone so brightly and brilliantly that the other players all had to stop fighting and look at the source in unison and in awe.

"Whoa, what in the hell?!"

"What's that?"

"Is that us? Or from the other side?"

"Hoooooly..."

As for Sachi, she stared incredulously at the «Trident of Protection», her eyesight not even being strained from the light. Then, she remembered Sinon's words.

"«Light's Chrysopoeia». All stats increase fourfold when the trident comes in contact with Dark Magic."

"«Light's Chrysopoeia»..." she thought, before she gasped. "The trident's first Unique Ability!"

"Wh-What in blazes?!" the Salamander snapped.

The image of the shining golden light, and the stunned, even horrified look crawling onto the Salamander's face, brought an even more confident grin to Sachi's face. Without an ounce of fear left, she channeled her inner strength and pressed the «Trident of Protection» against her opponent's lance. With its tip tangled in-between the trident's prongs, the lance's metal started to squeak uncomfortably, and the dark fire started to wither and recoil against the trident's anti-Dark Magic capabilities.

"It's just like I told you, Salamander," Sachi replied. "Never, ever underestimate the power of the Undine race."

She then thrust the «Trident of Protection» forward, triggering a small shock-wave of energy and a brighter flash of light that shoved the Salamander backward. His lance was also sent flying, its tip broken and the dark fire writhing horribly for a couple of seconds before dying out, like a snake in its last days. The broken tip landed on the fertile earth, laid still for a second or two, and then disappeared in a flash of red sparks.

"Sh-Shit!" the Salamander cried, beholding the trident's effect on his weapon. "Shit!"

As for Sachi, she released her bated breath, while the trident's golden shine faded into a dull but dazzling glow.

"K-Kagemune!" Another Salamander landed beside his fallen comrade, followed by two others; all three were armed with lances of their own. "Are you alright?!"

"What is that?!" one of the other Salamanders cried.

"Does it look like I know?!" Kagemune snapped. He then stood up and glared at Sachi. "I don't know what the hell you've got there, Undine, but no one gets the better of the Salamanders' Lance Group and gets away with it! Men, attack her!"

Sachi's face became firm, and she readied the «Trident of Protection», its glow growing slightly in the process. The other Salamanders quickly grew weary at the sight of her weapon.

"Ohhhhh, no!" one of the Salamanders cried. "Not when she took your lance out so easily!"

"Whatever that thing is," warned another one of the Salamanders, "it's gotta have some sorta spell or Unique Ability that negates Dark Magic."

"All the Dark Magic that the Imps taught us!" the third Salamander blubbered. "It's useless now!"

Kagemune growled, his fists clenched tightly. "You're still Salamanders, men! We never back down! Now, take that healer down, or do I have to tell General Eugene that we've got a bunch of cowards in our ranks?!"

It didn't take long for the other Salamanders to rush Sachi. But she didn't react, nor did her posture change in response. Instead, she narrowed her eyes and tried to recall everything that she learned about sōjutsu.

But before she could land the first blow, a blur of cyan flew over her shoulder and hit the nearest Salamander squarely in the head.

"GYACK!"

The warrior's head violently whipped backward, and Sachi caught a glimpse of a glowing cyan arrow embedded between his eye-holes before he vanished. The other two Salamanders stood still, frozen in horror over their lost companion.

"What the-?!"

"FIRE AT WILL! PROTECT THE HEALERS AND THE WOUNDED!"

A barrage of offensive spells pelted the ground between Sachi and the remaining Salamanders, forcing them to flee. And then, a Sylph warrior with blonde hair landed in front of the Undine, sending chills of joy up her spine.

"Leafa!" Sachi cried.

Leafa looked over her shoulder with a cocky grin. "Sorry we're late! We had some ass to kick first."

Overhead, Sigurd directed the Sylph, Undine, and Cait Sith forces, freshly done with their battle, to cast spells upon all of the Salamanders and Imps on the ground. Though the majority of the opposing forces flew off, their strategy thwarted, a seething Kagemune and a couple of other Salamanders stayed behind, facing down both Sachi and Leafa.

"Well?" Leafa asked while reaching for her katana.

"Are you gonna join your friends or not?" Sachi added while aiming her trident at Kagemune.

Though the two females couldn't see Kagemune's face, they could tell he was absolutely infuriated.

"This isn't over," he hissed. With a buzz of his wings, the Salamander ascended to the sky, followed by his fellow soldiers. "We are gonna take Parcellus, with or without the help of Dark Magic. And then the Healing Magic of the Undines will be ours for the taking." Then, Kagemune glared down at Sachi. "See you and your glorified fork soon, cutie."

He and his comrades then flew off, narrowly avoiding another series of blasts from the Parcellus army. Recon took up the empty airspace Kagemune had been occupying and shouted at them, while Sachi and Leafa both exhaled in relief as they put away their weapons.

"Hoo, that was a close one..." Leafa commented. Then, she turned and eyed the «Trident of Protection». "Sachi! Where'd you get that?!"

"Huh?" Sachi looked down at the trident. "Oh. I...I found it in...in May..."

"In May?!" Leafa approached the Undine, grabbed her shoulders, and shook her in a comical fashion. "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"Because she was afraid of what might happen to you."

Sachi and Leafa looked to their side and saw Sinon approaching them, her bow clutched in one hand while she used the other to readjust her quiver.

"I heard what that Salamander said to you, Sachi," Sinon continued, her catlike eyes softly narrowed. "Now I don't know if you meant to reveal the trident today, but...regardless, you're gonna have a lot of attention on you now."

At that moment, Sachi finally realized that all of the eyes trained upon her. From Sinon, Leafa, and all of the healers and wounded players on the ground, to Recon, Sigurd, and all of the forces in the air, they were united in gawking at her and the «Trident of Protection». Some were astounded by her ownership of such a tool, while others were wary and hesitant. Sachi's grip tightened around the trident in response.

"Well..." she thought with finality, "I guess there's no backing out of this now..."

– August 25, 2024 –
Swilvane, Sylph Territory

"HHHHHYAH!"

"AAARGH!"

The Salamander commander was sent flying from a stroke of Sachi's «Trident of Protection», his armor cracked. While he remained airborne and vulnerable, the Undine shouted at the top of her lungs.

"NOW, LEAFA!"

Leafa flew over Sachi, her katana poised to strike. The helpless Salamander screamed in outrage as the blade seamlessly slipped through a large crack in his chest-plate and pierced his body. His HP dropped to zero in seconds, and he exploded in a storm of fire-red sparks.

"O-Ohhhhh, shit!" one of the subordinate Salamanders cried, her voice cracking. "Co-Commander!"

"Let's get outta here!" an Imp yelled, though he was already flying after his fleeing brethren. "I ain't fightin' an anti-Dark Magic weapon like that!"

The remaining Salamanders were left with no choice but to follow after their comrades in a disgraceful escape. With the enemy retreating, the air was filled with the triumphant cheers and cries from the Sylphs below.

"To the Sapphire Shielder, everyone! Cheers!"

"CHEERS!"

"Uhhhhh...ch-cheers...?"

Sachi found herself the center of the latest festivities by the Undine-Sylph-Cait Sith alliance. Overwhelmed with confusion and meekness, she could only feel herself shrinking in the tavern table from all of the positive attention placed on her.

"Ummmmm, Lea-Leafa?" The Undine looked at her grinning, beaming Sylph ally. "Whe-Where'd 'Sapphire Shielder' come from...?"

Leafa took a sip of her drink before replying, "Weeeeell...you're wearing blue, you've got a blue weapon, and you always spring into action whenever some asshole's kicking someone who's already down. The name just sorta wrote itself from there."

"I-I think it's a-a lovely name!" Recon sputtered. With a furious blush, he gazed intently into Sachi's surprised eyes. "And I-I-I think y-yo-you're j-just as lovely- OW! OW, OW, OW, OWWWWW!"

"Calm down, Recon," Sinon replied. She coolly detached her grip from the poor Sylph's ear as it started to throb. "You're scaring her."

But as Leafa started to laugh at Recon's misery, and Sinon started to sip her own drink again, Sachi looked down at her palms and cracked a little smile.

"The Sapphire Shielder. I like it..."

"Hey."

Sachi looked at Sinon, who had her eyes closed in elation as she enjoyed her warm drink.

"If they're gonna call you the Sapphire Shielder," the Cait Sith said, "then you should consider getting an actual shield."

...

"That does sound like a good idea, Sinon," Sachi replied with a nod.

– September 17, 2024 –
Real World, Sekimoto Memorial Hospital

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Reacting on instinct, Sachi lifted her vase of flowers in front of her like a shield. A second later, she remembered who was now with her in Kirito's room. She lowered the vase and set it upon Kirito's beside table, just as Suguha and Midori both approached the bedridden boy from the other side.

"Suguha, please," Midori said. "Sachi's just here to help."

"Help?!" Suguha repeated in disbelief. "Help?! Help with what?! If she really wanted to help Onii-chan with anything, she should've stayed in that death game and helped him survive instead of dying and kneeling by his side like some needy-"

"Suguha," Sachi interrupted coldly, "I know you don't like me, and I'm not asking you to."

"Sachi, it's alright," Midori interjected, desperately trying to step in. "I'll talk to Suguha-"

"Thank you, Kirigaya-san. I really appreciate your kindness and support...but I want to do this myself, and I want to get this over with."

The girl in blue approached Suguha, who tensed up and clearly looked prepared to fight. She looked no different from the mob that had been attacking the survivor in front of her high school all those months ago. But Sachi refused to let her or her trauma from that incident hold her back.

"Suguha," Sachi said firmly, "you don't have to like me, but what I am asking you to do is let me be. Your words have no power over my heart, and my heart..."

Her fond voice trailed off as she did something that surprised everyone in the room, including herself: she bent over and kissed Kirito on the cheek, dangerously close to his cold lips.

"My heart longs for your brother." Sachi glared back at Suguha, who was now gagging in absolute repulsion. "I love him, just as much as you do. And you can't stop me from doing so. So you need to accept that today will not be the last day you'll see me. Accept that, at least."

As Midori looked back and forth between both girls, nervously, Sachi and Suguha glared daggers into one another's eyes, their intense scowls becoming more and more pronounced by the minute.

– October 20, 2024 –
Alfheim, Olso, Neutral Territory

"HHHHHAAAAAUUUUUGGGGGHHHHH!"

Reacting on instinct, Sachi lifted her shield, blue and adorned with small sapphires that lined its borders. A second later, she felt the impact of Leafa's katana against it. Then, another second later, Sachi forcefully pushed the blade to the side and thrust the «Trident of Protection» forward. But Leafa's reflexes remained much faster than hers, and she batted the trident's away with a confident grin.

"You're continuing to get better at this, Sachi!" Leafa shouted as she took another slash at her opponent. "Unfortunately- Huh?!"

Sachi smirked as the katana's blade squeaked and struggled between the «Trident of Protection»'s prongs. Then, with all of her strength, she began pushing the blade away from her head.

"Why, you're not so bad yourself, Leafa!" the Undine replied with a confident grin of her own.

Leafa gritted her teeth, but before she and Sachi could both think of counterstrategies, a third voice called out to them.

"H-Heya, girls!" Recon landed beside them, carrying two bowls of food while wearing a goofy grin on his face. "I brought you your favorites! Dig in!"

Sachi and Leafa both glowered at him for interrupting their intense training. Then, a glowing arrow coming from a certain cyan-haired Cait Sith's direction harmlessly grazed Recon in the ankle; even so, he squeaked and started hopping on one foot in pitiful agony. Fortunately, the two players were able to grab their respective orders before he could drop them to the ground.

Finally, as Recon continued hopping around, Sachi and Leafa looked at one another's bowls, realized they had bought the same kind of food, and started laughing with each other in amusement.

"H-Hey, Leafa?"

"Yeah, Sachi?"

The two girls, plus Sinon and Recon, sat in the middle of Olso's town square, eating their virtual lunches. Sachi had just recently swallowed her latest bite, admiring the nostalgic sensation of carefully, meticulously replicated tastes exploded gloriously in her mouth and showering her taste-buds. After swallowing, she began scanning the entire square, watching how players from all nine Fairy races mingled with one another and coexisted in apparent harmony.

"How come the nine races have to compete with one another to reach the top of the World Tree?" Sachi asked. "Couldn't they just work together to get past the Guardian Knights and have someone reach the top?"

Leafa too was watching the other players in Olso. "I've asked myself the same question too, Sachi. Many times. But the Grand Quest just doesn't work that way."

"Well, why can't we all the races make some sort of arrangement like what the Undines, Sylphs, and Cait Siths are doing right now? The race who completes the first Grand Quest helps the other eight complete the next Grand Quest."

Recon scoffed, all of a sudden. "Yeah, try telling that to Lord Mortimer and General Eugene..." He took a large bite out of his sandwich and continued speaking. "The Salamanders are a bunch of ambitious jerks. The whole lot of them. It's been that way since the beginning."

"Recon," Leafa deadpanned, "I can see a Salamander over there, chatting up a Gnome and a Leprechaun."

"W-Well, th-the higher-ups are, at least- HUACK! ACK! ACK! ACK!"

Sachi sighed and then lightly slammed the «Trident of Protection»'s hilt into Recon's stomach before his HP could hit the red zone. A chewed-up piece of sandwich promptly flew out of his mouth and into the air before dissipating into code.

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Recon," she said.

As for Sinon, she gulped down her own food and then spoke. "Referring to what you said, Sachi, I think a steady alliance between the nine races would break the game even more than your trident. Think about it. The races pooling all of their Magics and other specialties together and taking turns in winning Grand Quests? The people behind the game would have to constantly make updates to the game.

"Plus, there's no guarantee that the alliance will hold up forever. Someone's gonna think that they deserve more, or that they are not getting their fair share." She looked up at the sky. "ALO was designed to have nine playable races for a good reason, I'd gather. It'd be worthless for everyone to work together in the long run."

"You've got a good point, Sinon..." Sachi replied glumly. Then, she took looked up at the sky, admiring how beautiful and lifelike it was. "But...even so...I think if everyone set aside their differences and worked together to achieve one common goal, then we'd be capable of anything... Absolutely anything..."

Sinon cracked a tiny smile of admiration. "I understand..."

– November 7, 2024 –
Sekimoto Memorial Hospital

"Two years, Kirito. Two years."

Sachi sat beside Kirito, holding his hand in one of hers while her other hand held her phone. Her eyes were trained upon the phone screen, which was playing a split-screen livestream of commemorative events held across Japan, all of them above the same headline.

Japan marks second anniversary of SAO Incident with weeklong events.

Taking a deep breath of contentment, Sachi turned off the livestream, just before two men, Shouzou Yuuki and Nobuyuki Sugou, were about to give a speech to a crowd in downtown Tokyo. She put the phone in her pocket and let go of Kirito's hand so that she could move her chair beside one of the sunlit windows.

"I can't believe it's been that long ago..." Sachi whispered, her voice almost inaudible. "Two whole years of this... A lot of things have changed since then, haven't they?"

The steady, rhythmic beeping of Kirito's machine was her only response.

Beep...

Beep...

Beep...

Sachi's lips tugged themselves into a tiny, bright smile. "You and I got to meet, I got out of SAO in the most improbable of circumstances, and now I'm living an entirely new life, with a host family and a bunch of new friends..." She blushed in embarrassment. "Oh, now I'm just talking about myself. Silly me."

Beep...

Beep...

Beep...

She gazed longingly out of the window. "I wonder how you're doing right now, Kirito. Are you doing what I asked you to do? Are you continuing to seek out the end of Aincrad, find out why it was created?"

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

"Find out the reason why you and I met?"

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

Sachi took a deep breath. "I hope you moved on from what happened to me and all the others. I hope your memories of us aren't the ones that bring your pain and grief, but rather the ones that give you the strength to carry on, become an even greater version of the person you already are.

"And I...I hope you still think about me."

Beep!

Beep!

Beep!

"Because I still think about you, Kirito..." Sachi lifted a hand and put it over her heart. "And it's my memories of you that give me the strength to carry on, to become greater than what I once was."

"A...su...na..."

Beep!

Beep!

Beep!

"And one day, after you've cleared the game and freed everyone, I hope I can tell you how much you mean to me... The feelings that I've had for you, all this time..."

"A...su...na..."

The desperate, longing call caught her attention. She looked away from the sunlit window and stared straight at him, and when she did, she was greeted by a gentle, familiar shade of black.

Beep!

Beep.

Beep...

They stared at one another disbelievingly, their respectively minds processing the sights and initially concluding them to be nothing more than ghosts. The stunned, awkward silence lasted for over a minute before being broken by Sachi's soft but overjoyed exhale. Her lips curved upward into a sweet, captivating smile that melded well with the peering sunlight.

In that joyous, glorious, cathartic moment, she knew exactly how Mari must've felt when she defied the odds and woke up from SAO.

"I knew it. I knew you could do it, Kirito..."

"Sa...Sa...chi...?"

The girl approached his bedside and clasped her smooth, silky hand over his cold, skeletal own.

"Welcome back, Kirito."

Beep...

Beep.

Beep!

"Fate is a strange thing. A very strange thing, indeed. It makes you wonder, doesn't it? If everything's part of a grand design. Like we're all in a game with a predetermined storyline and predetermined mechanics. A beginning and an end. And no matter what you do to to change your destiny, you're always finding yourself at the exact same endpoint. Ready to move on to the next level and leave the old one behind you for good."

Next Time: Fraction

A/N: And that wraps up this chapter AND this mini-arc that I've got going on here! I know this whole experience thus far involved a lot of time-skips, but even so, this unofficial montage gives us a look at everything that Sachi's been up to as she waits for Kirito to wake up. More specifically, it covers all the major events that we should hold on to for later in the story, to say the least. So, don't discount everything that you've seen in these past four chapters! ;D ;D ;D

Anyway, I'm going to partially reiterate a point I've made in the first couple of chapters: I'm an anime-only viewer for the most part, and that aside from the anime, I am relying on the wiki and TV Tropes for research on the SAO universe. And moreover, I'm not even an MMORPG gamer, let alone an RPG gamer, let alone a gamer at all. I mean, I have played video games in the past, but not anymore, and plus, my gaming experience was always limited to begin with. I did my best to make all of the scenes set in Alfheim as faithful to SAO's style as possible, but I can tell I still have some work to do.

And speaking of the scenes set in Alfheim, don't worry if you feel that they have been brief and underwhelming so far. I can assure you, we'll be having more extended sequences and even entire chapters set in Alfheim. These scenes are just meant to be taste-testers to prepare all of us, me included, for the real thing.

So for the sake of writing a genuine and compelling SAO fanfic, I'd appreciate it if you all gave me reviews that are as in-depth as you can possibly make them. You don't have to write full-fledged essays, but I'm not looking for any one- and two-liner reviews either. Your feedback will help me improve this story however I can and make it an even better reading experience for all of you! Thank you! :D

Anyway, I'd like to thank the following for reviewing:

-MeMyselfAndI82907:

1) That's fine! Review at your own pace. I'm not in too big of a rush, judging by this flurry of updates. XD

2) I think so too. They're both sheltered girl gamers. It's just that one of them never really got a chance to have proper character development. :'(

3) So far, yeah, Leafa's in double the conundrum here.

4) Now that would be spoiling the surprise, now would it? ;D ;D ;D

-BruhMoment65:

1) Thanks! I'm glad you're having a blast with reading this! And yeah, fixing issues in of themselves isn't enough to write a good story. You actually have to have, you know, a good story to tell in the process.

2) Anyway, would you mind elaborating more in your next review? Is there anything that you liked about the fic so far? Anything you might have disliked? Any questions or other comments? It'd be greatly appreciated!

Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!