Kirito
...Or so they thought, but not only were Oroi's companions not in their room in the inn, they were checked out by an agent of the South Centorian government, and a trip to the guard's official led them to the soldier who was standing guard of the goblins' room. He said the papers for the transfer were in proper order, government seal and all. Since the local governments and the Unification Council were still on bad terms, Kirito storming into the South Centorian office would spell bad news.
Returning to the cathedral to gather the proper materials, Kirito finds himself in his and Asuna's room on the thirtieth floor. He just returned from the Great Bath sixty floors up, hair still damp. He and Asuna used to wait for their turns to use the bath on the same floor (just as they did when they were together in Sword Art Online and later games, though in SAO's case, it was Asuna who 'required' a bath and Kirito just played guard until it was his turn to jump in and out) but after learning it caused other residents to avoid coming to disturb the pair, they decided to wait in their room for each other.
Jaymes did not have this issue when he was a resident of the Human Empire. For one, he didn't take residence in the cathedral after the cathedral was secured and the ACTF disbanded (or reorganized into the Human Guardian Army, however one wishes to see it), but stayed in the Orthinanos lands of Utrea Valley in western Norlangarth. After the rebellion and Medina took residence in her current home in the plains north of North Centoria, he moved there until he left for Obsidia.
"Sorry for the wait," Kirito says as he approaches Asuna.
"You could at least dry your hair off first," she says as she takes the towel off her shoulder and wraps it around his head to dry. Like other virtual worlds, things such as cleaning were easier than in reality. Drying his head only took a few seconds with the towel being rubbed against his hair, cleaning was literally a swing of the broom, and (to Asuna's amazement long ago) human waste was...nonexistent. Kirito thought she'd be used to that idea, but then again, the NPCs and player avatars of Sword Art Online, Alfheim Online, Sword Art: Origins, and Gun Gale Online were not meant to simulate human life like the Underworld. When Jaymes heard this, he called her an idiot for thinking about that, then said it wasn't necessary for what Project ALICE was meant for: raising artificial intelligence. "'Yui, Strea, Rei, and Premiere don't poop either, why should the Underworders?"'
"You're always so much quicker to get out these days, Asuna…I thought I could catch up to you in the hallway…"
"I'm not taking faster baths, Kirito, you're staying in for too long. You were in there for an entire hour today."
"What, really?" The ten o'clock evening bells ring, prompting Kirito to gasp. "Whoa, you're right…I completely missed the nine-thirty bells."
"You weren't swimming in the tub, were you?" Asuna questions while taking off the towel.
"N-no, I wouldn't do that…when other people are around."
"Well, I'm not convinced. Here, sit down." Asuna picks up an ebony brush, its bristles made from an Eastern subspecies of dragons. It was a gift from Lady Fanatio to Asuna for a full year of service as the Swordswoman Subdelegate on the council.
"Really need to finish up that clock soon…"
"I agree with you there. It seems like you've been testing it out for so long, though…Is it that hard to do?"
"Yeah. You need a ton of very precise gears to run a proper clock, but the gears in this world are found in the winding mechanism of the castle gates and waterwheel accelerators—things that transmit a lot of force. And they don't work as a clock when you put them together. Given that the time-tolling bells are perfectly precise, it doesn't make sense to build clocks that don't work as well."
"Ah, I see… But wait…Fanatio told me there was a clock here in the cathedral ages ago, didn't she? That the pontifex turned it into Bercouli's sword. So who built that?"
"My guess is that it was here in the Underworld from the start. Three hundred years ago, the place where Central Cathedral lies was just a little village, where the Rath engineers worked on raising the first generation of artificial fluctlights. I think they probably placed it there as a kind of monument. Probably was here when Jaymes came the first time too."
"The First Four." Kirito recalls the story he learned when Joshua and Seijirou Kikuoka told him the origins of the Underworld, how four Rath employees took care of the first generation fluctlights, sixteen children in total. They organized an 'epidemic' to remove the four employees, but their accounts remained as the high-leveled Stacia (Asuna's), Vecta, Solus, and Terraria accounts. A fifth 'deity' account, named Lunaria, was created solely for their friend Koharu Hanao, whose recovery from her survival of Sword Art Online occurred here in a similar manner that Kirito's recovery from the attack by Johnny Black happened. Jaymes possesses a high-level account himself, but it is of his creation.
Speaking of the First Four, Kirito's mind ponders about their 'children'. It's been a few days, and after the incident in the north, nothing has happened. Sure, Medina and her group are on route to investigate a potential Ancient Apostle sighting, but beyond that...he expected more action. Now with the murder of Yazen slowly being thought of as a separate incident, Kirito has to place his hope in Medina that she can solve the mystery of these children and find a way to bring Jaymes back.
Sensing Asuna is deep in thought, and somewhat wanting comfort with his own troubling mind, he grabs her from behind and flips her over into his lap. She drops down (with him using Incarnation) on him. "That was dangerous!"
"You're fine. I had you supported with Incarnation."
"That's not the point! Gosh, it really is true that having mental powers really corrupts people…"
"Corrupts? That seems mean." He puts his arms around her, and for a moment, Kirito is reminded of their time just weeks before Sword Art Online ended when he and Asuna spent their newlywed days together. It seems like an eternity ago.
And given their current situation, he's reminded of how unfair it is to be in bliss with Asuna when their cherished friend is...at the best diagnosis, unwell. No, Kirito might say this guilty feeling extended two Human Empire years, back to when Jaymes came to his rescue and joined the ACTF. Heck, it might be as long as when he and Jaymes went to save Asuna in Alfheim Online, but in the former moment, Jaymes said words that, even though Kirito couldn't respond, he heard Jaymes' true feelings perfectly.
"If you could tell me what to do, what would you say? That Rika's the one who completes me, or that I'm better off with someone like Momiji, whose lack of a connection to that part of my past is a blessing for me? In either case, what I need to do is to stop looking for her... for Koharu because she's gone, for good that I didn't save her twice now... You wouldn't say any of that. You have Asuna, the girl you fell in love with and brought back into this world. To you, the choice is quite clear. If only I could do the same as you and bring her back."
If Kirito could have responded, he would have told Jaymes the same thing he said the previous year, that he didn't think Rika and him were that good of a match, somewhat proven by the cause of their breakup. But he wouldn't have suggested not looking for another Koharu-figure. In Kirito's mind, it was already found in Jaymes' loyal companion and astute rival in the world of guns, Shino, and even in his childhood friend, Momiji. But he said nothing, because Jaymes never asked again, and the one time he did, Kirito couldn't answer.
And before he can give an answer, their world has turned upside down. Like fate had toyed with them for two years, Koharu, alive, descends from the heavens with Asuna, logged on the Underworld server back in Japan with the Lunaria account. Lisbeth, wanting to rescue the boy she loves and her friends, convinces thousands of players from GGO and ALO to fight in the Otherworld War. Neither really got to fight alongside Jaymes; Sinon wins in that department, as Gun Gale's best duo fights Subtilizer to buy time for Alice to get to the World's End Altar and escape. It was Kureha (and Crimson Squad as a whole) who spurred Jaymes to continue fighting when he fought Subtilizer again on his own, still unable to win but held out long enough until Kirito, Asuna, and Koharu arrived at the altar.
Kirito isn't so dense as to realize that other girls besides Asuna may hold affection for him, he just does his best to navigate those feelings as best as possible. But Jaymes is different. He acknowledged the feelings of Sinon, of Lisbeth, of Kureha, and once upon a time, of Philia. He has done it now with Medina and Eydis, though it seems he has made his choice with Eydis. But when they get home...Kirito has a feeling there will be a war none of them is prepared for, but Kirito suspects the winner has already won.
But the war on his mind now is personal. The First Children didn't just declare war on the Human Empire with the presence of the Ancient Apostle attacks, and not on the Dark Territory with the attack of their emperor and his apprentice, but they declared war on Kirito and Asuna. Though it wasn't upheld too much in Sword Art Online until after Koharu's 'death', she and the three of them made a pact before entering the fourth floor to have each other's back no matter what. For years, that has been the case for Asuna, Kirito, and Jaymes. This one stings the most for Kirito in regards to Jaymes, for he wasn't in the empire when the attack happened, however it happened. He will make the First Children pay.
To repay the debt he owes Jaymes for protecting him and the Underworld for six months, Kirito will save his best friend by any means necessary.
"Shall we go to bed now?" Asuna whispers.
"Sounds good."
"Of all the people, I can't believe it is you…"
Kirito finds himself on a bloody plain, a few meters from a cabin. Rising to his feet, he looks over himself, seeing his body decked out in the familiar black attire of the Black Swordsman and his two swords, Elucidator and Repulsor, all three with patches of red. The cabin in front of him, it's the cabin Asuna and he has bought twice now. Is he...on the twenty-second floor of Old Aincrad?
"Kirito." He turns to his left, seeing Asuna standing there in her familiar garb, her dress that represents her status as the subcommander of the Knights of the Blood Oath. But where it should be white, it is stained red. So is her rapier, and so are her hands. "We can now progress the frontlines past the sixty-first floor." Despite her stern tone, it wavers as tears well up in her eyes. He doesn't understand, but before he can ask, a noise to his right gains his attention.
"All we wanted… All I wanted was to let her live..."
Sprouting from the ground are several tombstones, and they just keep coming and coming. Kirito steps away from Asuna, coming up to the first one. "...Klein?" His eyes look at the ones around the tombstone. His body takes him around, his mind going rampant with confusion.
Agil, Argo, Silica, Philia, Rain, Strea. Liten, Shivata, Sanya, Stilla, Mater, Leuer, Typhon, Lind, and several tombstones marked with the blue of the Divine Dragon Alliance. Kibaou, Thinker, and several green tombstones of the Aincrad Liberation Army. Eiji and several red and whites of the Knights of the Blood Oath. And then when he gets past those names, others pop up. Leafa, Sinon, Kureha, Rei, and the rest of Crimson Squad. And to further drop his heart, comes across the tombstone of his daughter, Yui. His legs turn to jelly, and he collapses in shock and confusion.
"Kirito. Asuna." Head perking up, Kirito turns to his right, his eyes looking down the trail of blood from Elucidator down the stained grass to the boy who called him. He wears his final armor set from SAO, a red tunic with a single plate of metal on his left shoulder, dark pants, and boots, and his red, wing-hilted blade, Avenger, strapped to his back. But that's where Kirito's eyes are now, but on the bloody black-haired girl in his arms.
"You...took everything from me. The one person that was my world, you took her from me. So I'll make sure you suffer as I do, by taking everything from you." Jaymes' head raises up, and his eyes are not the warm brown Kirito's used to, but the bloodthirsty red he's heard rumors of.
Kirito wakes up alert, his body hot, forehead sweating, breath heavy. He finds himself in his bedroom with Asuna, back in Centoria, not their Aincrad home. That's right, they're still here in the Underworld, not Old Aincrad or any other version of the floating castle. His friends are alive, Yui is alive, and most importantly, Koharu is alive. Yet that dream, it felt so real...like it actually happened.
"Kiri...to?" Kirito looks down to his left, seeing Asuna being roused awake. Her weary chocolate eyes face him, and he's unable to hide his expression before she notices. Slowly she raises to his level and takes his face in her hands. "You're pale! What's wrong?"
"It's… It's no-"
"...Kazuto, don't dodge the question. Even if you think you're sparing me, I want to know when you're not okay. And something's clearly wrong."
Kirito falters back as Asuna fixes him with her characteristic glare and the use of his real name. "A...Asuna…"
"I get that you don't want me to worry, with all that's going on nowadays. But if there's something on your mind, I want to hear it. If it hurts, or you need a hug, let me help. Your whole body is trembling. I'm not gonna think any less of you. You know how I feel about you. I'm here for you. Because of you, I even fight for you, you know. And you fight for me too. So tell me, please."
Seeing no way to avoid the topic any longer, Kirito takes Asuna's hands in his and holds them tight as he recounts the horrible nightmare. "I...had a dream that everyone we knew before coming here was dead. We...we're outside our cabin back on Old Aincrad, and...there were tombstones of everyone we met in SAO, my sister, Sinon, and her squadron. And all of them were killed, I think, by Jaymes."
"What? But that's impossible."
"But what's even more impossible isn't what he did, but what we did. We...you remember the main quest of the sixty-first floor. When you were cursed by those cultists who wanted to resurrect an evil being who turned out to be the floor boss, and the game bound your life to her?"
"Yes, I remember. You and Jaymes were in a frenzy to find a way to save me from the worst possible outcome."
Kirito lowers his head. "This time, it was Koharu...and it seems that outcome happened, and we dealt the blow."
Asuna's eyes widen, and it doesn't take much for him to figure out which part of that statement shocks her most. "What? But we'd...no, it's just a dream, Kirito. A very twisted dream, but one nonetheless." She rests her forehead against his, and Kirito slowly begins to calm down while bringing Asuna closer to him. She's right, what he experienced was a fabrication of...whatever depraved part of his mind conjured. Yet, Asuna slowly begins to shudder in his arms at the same time.
"Asuna?"
"I just got Koharu back and you back. And now this happens to Jaymes. Why is it, that when I always believe everything is going to be fine for us, one of us has to go away? For once, I just… I just want the people I care about most to be safe. Just one day where I don't have to worry if you or him are going to be hurt, or vice versa. I just want to go home and see Koharu for the first time with my own eyes, and finally...finally bring those two together again."
"...You know what that means, right?"
"I know...but I knew, since the day we met them, they were perfect partners. So if it means Liz will hate me, I'll bear that burden. But first… If I ever see any of those First Children, I'll split the earth underneath their feet and make them drop down for eternity for hurting my best friend."
"You...took everything from me. The one person that was my world, you took her from me. So I'll make sure you suffer as I do, by taking everything from you."
Those words haunt Kirito, but he doesn't let Asuna see it as he brings a hand to her head. "...For now, we'll leave the task to Medina. I'm sure she's beating herself more than we are. But make no mistake. We're going to bring him back and, together, the three of us will make the First Children pay. I promise you, Asuna, we will get Joshua back."
Lodell Desert, Sothercrois Empire, the following morning
"Seems the redhead whelp followed us to the desert. Orthinanos, right?"
"That's her name." Standing on the highland cliffs that overlook the Lodell Desert is Eydis Synthesis Ten. She's never been in this region of the southern kingdom, but it reminds her of the adjacent Deusolbert Desert. Eydis hasn't visited there since she, Jaymes, Alice, and Medina originally journeyed down to the desert. Before entering the town, the only intel they had was of the Clamps present in the region and made first contact with the wayfarers-then just thought to be wayward Children of Vecta-in the preceding forest who saw Medina as their "savior". Medina would become friends with one of them who they met within the town in the desert, and just south in the canyons, they would meet a giant that was resurrected by the Clamp Core in the Southern Corridor.
She turns her head to the woman to her right, staring at the back of her black hair. Eva requested the turncoat knight join her in the south, and it seems this is the reason, to draw out Lady Orthinanos. It annoys Eydis that she's being used this way, but compared to how Administrator used her to guard some ruins, it is a change of pace. Still...
"He chose you, dammit! He chose to stick with you, and you've betrayed him far worse than I have! We are a team! You were my sister, my friend! Eydis! What did you do to him? Why are you against us? Why would you of all people harm Alice's hometown?"
"Why…"
"You say something, Eydis?"
Dropping her hand from her head, Eydis realizes she spoke her thoughts and looks back at Eva. "Nothing… Actually, one thing. Why are we here? Why draw Medina to the south? Wasn't the goal to separate the Swordsman Delegate from the Dark Emperor and retrieve Falchion from Jaymes?"
"It was our priority, but the next goal hasn't been reached, the defeat of the three otherworlders. Dividing the two sides would've been nice, but we knew it would be unlikely. Yet, the defeat of Quinella and the former Emperor proved that Jaymes and Kirito are a threat as long as they live, and Asuna proved her worth as a power to not be messed with. I sensed her rage back there in the north, only held back by the situation in itself."
"But Jaymes is alive."
"For now." Eva closes her eyes, seemingly frustrated by that comment. It doesn't seem she's directing her stress at Eydis, though. "Quite honestly, I have no idea what he's trying to do, that Primus. Using Stella's arrows to disrupt his ability to fight, you make his soul drown in darkness, and whatever my brother Noxium is doing with his power of illusions...and now we're here. As far as I know, he's done nothing but watch as Stacia asked of him." She sighs and takes hold of her rapier. "Nevermind that. Eydis, you have one objective while we're here. Need I tell you what that is?"
Eydis looks to the desert, in the direction where her sensation of Medina originates. Her right-hand twitches on the Dark Slash Sword, her eyes dilating at the unsaid command. "No need...as long as she gets to taste the darkness of despair before she dies..."