SAO Vol 1: The Lightning Dancer

by Pheonix7992000

November 6th, 2022, a day that changed thousands of lives forever when they were all trapped in a virtual world, one where death was a constant threat and losing was never an option. Fifteen year old Lunasara Mirahai was among the people taken captive, and was thrust into a life she never expected to live, and experience things she could never forget.

1. Chapter 1: Lunasara

Note:

I want to start this off with a bit of a foreword, something to help clear up any possible confusion if anybody has been on my profile before or after clicking on this. I do have another story with a similar name posted, but I started that story three years ago and finished it around two years ago. I feel like I have grown a bit as a writer, and I still really enjoy that story and the characters in it. It's not perfect, but I was proud of it. Having said that, every time I look at it, I feel like I could do it better, or turn it into something that is more enjoyable for me, something that will give me more possibilities to keep the story going longer so I can enjoy the characters all the more. This will be a rewrite, remake, complete do-over, or any other term that is applicable, all for the sake of satisfying me more as its author, and hopefully appealing a bit more to anybody who reads it. It will not be the same story, or not exactly the same, though most of the same characters still exist. I intend to leave the original version up as it is part of the trilogy I have posted already and is something that is completely different from this new undertaking. I didn't want this to run too long, but I feel like I might have needed to get this out of the way, so I guess that's that. Hope you enjoy it if you do decide to read it.

Chapter 1: Lunasara: Nov 2022

November 6th, 2022, a day that would go down in infamy as the widely anticipated VRMMO, Sword Art Online, was scheduled to launch. For fifteen year old Lunasara Mirahai, this didn't mean anything special at the time, but it would quickly become an event that would change her life forever. The morning of, she woke up late for school, a regular occurrence for her ever since starting high school in April of that year. It had been such a constant problem for her that she had set two alarms and even asked her older brother, who went to the same school as her, to wake her up before he left, which, per usual, he did not do. Luna woke to the sounds of loud knocking on her bedroom door, and that was when her bright yellow eyes went from slowly entering a half-closed position, to swiftly shooting wide open.

"I'm up!" she yelled, her voice soft and quiet, despite the raised pitch for her panicked response to the awakening bangs.

She hurriedly rolled out of her bed, nearly falling to the floor, but managing to quickly catch herself just in time. The hair that stood up everywhere and fell around her head was brown, somewhere between dark and light, and having a faint hue of red mixed in with some of the darker strands. It was always a spiky, uncontainable mess, only made worse when she would sleep comfortably in the night, burying her face deep into her pillow as she slept. Her yellow eyes were almost canine-esque, or that may have just been her general vibe, if her brother and best friend were to be believed. They always compared her to a hungry wolf, and sometimes, like this morning, she saw the resemblance. Her body was lithe, petite, and nearly resembled a middle school boy's in a lot of ways. Her hair was wild at almost every point of the day, and no matter how it was styled, it usually matched the appearance of a wolf's fur as it stood on end when it was acting aggressive or frightened. And her eyes were a curious shade of gold that seemed to glow when light reflected off of them, almost appearing animalistic, down to the black dot in the center that was her pupil.

As for her stature, she was only about 4'8" or 4'9", having not grown much in the last two years since hitting that height, and her chest was almost not noticeable, especially if she was wearing baggy clothing, or the blazer of her school uniform, and most of the curves that made up her figure came from her hips and legs, seeing as she used them quite frequently, but even those were not out of proportion with her tiny body. Overall, one of her brother's favorite nicknames for her was 'Pup', playing off her size, attitude, and features. Luna herself did not mind the name, but she still asked him to avoid calling her that on most occasions, even more so when she was in front of company, be it guests from her parents' work, or some of their own friends at school or home.

After disabling the alarm before it had a chance to pointlessly go off again, she hurried to her dresser while pulling off the long-sleeved shirt she wore in the night while she slept. She wore nothing underneath, and while the winter air was cold on her bare chest, this only made her move faster as she pushed her arms through a white shirt that was part of her school uniform. Luna quickly buttoned it before finding a skirt she had kicked to the ground the day before, and pulled it up her pale legs before zipping the side shut to keep it in place. Finally, she sat on the floor while pulling on some black knee-high socks, and grabbed her blazer off of her computer chair as she ran from the room in a flash. She was always quick, and always nimble, and this helped her as she jumped down the stairs, taking two at a time, and landing softly with each successful descent before arriving at the bottom, where she saw a woman with similar features to herself laughing behind the hand she held in front of her mouth.

She looked mostly like Lunasara, except for the few lines of aging that were around her eyes, nose, and mouth, though she thought that they suited her mother, and made her look even more beautiful, if that was even possible. Also like Luna, her mother had a thin, unassuming figure, though her breasts had grown in better than Luna's probably ever would, which was sometimes a point of envy for her. She was wearing a simple dress that was a light shade of teal, and over it she had on an apron, one that she had been using for years while cooking breakfasts and dinners. It was a gift from both Luna and her brother for one Mother's Day, and it made her happy to see that it was still being put to good use.

"And Jin thought it was a stupid idea." Luna thought, smiling to herself as she saw her mother's expressions change from laughter to just simple amusement.

"Your breakfast is already on the table, dear, though I don't think you have much time to eat." said her mother, her voice being almost the complete opposite of Luna's. It was light, clear, and still had a beautiful tone to it that was only made even more clear when she used it to sing, which was something Luna never really got the hang of.

"Thanks, Mom, I'll try to eat something. Is Jin still here?"

"Afraid not, dear, he left ahead of you. Said he didn't want to wake you up." her mother replied, laughing again as Luna gritted her teeth.

"That jerk. He always does this." she snapped.

"It wouldn't be a problem if you woke up on time, Luna." her mom stated, jokingly, though she did have a point, and Luna hated to have to admit that.

"Yeah, but…" She paused, unable to think of an argument to use as a rebuttal.

"It's also made harder by the fact that you stay up all night on those games of yours, but don't worry, I won't tell your father about that part. Go get some toast or something and head out before you're too late."

"Thank you. And sorry." Luna said, smiling widely as she hurried towards the dining room, where her breakfast would be waiting for her.

The house was a two-story building, but it still wasn't all that large, or, it at least wasn't the largest on the street. The upper floor had three bedrooms, one for her parents, one for Luna, and one for Jin, her brother. There was a bathroom across the hall and in between Luna's and Jin's rooms, and there was one in their parents' room, which was exclusively used by them. There were some decorations hanging up, mostly family photos, but the floors lacked the same sort of treatment. They were simple hardwood flooring, and didn't have a single rug or carpet put down anywhere, except for a mat in the bathroom. In terms of decor, the lower floor wasn't much different, and it had most of the usual furniture that a room would have. The entertainment center, TV and all, a glass coffee table in between that and the sofa, and a chair beside the sofa that her father liked to sit in. There were some end-tables in a few places, one on the wall below the stairs, and one in the entryway that had a vase sitting atop it. And there was obviously the dining room, which had a table and a few chairs to complete it.

Without having much time, Luna scooped up one of the pieces of toast and hurried out of the house, pulling on a pair of black loafers and collecting her shoulder-bag before leaving through the door. It was a sunny day, cold, but still comfortable thanks to the heat from that large burning sphere in the sky. There were few clouds, and while Luna finished her crunchy piece of bread, she thanked the sky that it wasn't raining. It had rained on her second day of school, and she was late that day as well. There was nothing worse than showing up last to a class while you were drenched and dripping water on the floor. She had to go the whole day like that, and it was nothing less than miserable, and her brother still never let it go, laughing about it on any occasion where the topic came up. Even Luna found the event pretty funny now, after several months had passed and she could forget how embarrassing it was to have a puddle below her feet while she took notes in math.

Luna eventually found herself on one of the main avenues that led to her high school, and on posters and billboards, she saw notices for the game that was launching that day, which was apparently some sort of big deal in the gaming community. It was called Sword Art Online, the first real VRMMO, or, the most important one, it would seem. It was a topic that had been constantly coming up at school, and at home, seeing as her brother participated in the beta and was looking forward to this more than he was the next soccer championship that the high school team would be a part of, which he was on, and was one of their best. Luna was surprised by this, not because it was unlike her brother to be excited for a game, but he just took soccer that seriously. He would usually drop everything for a match, unless it had to do with Luna, in which case, he would be at her side before all else.

Luna, however, despite being interested in video games, was not all that enthralled by this new one. It was coming out on a recently released gaming headset called the NerveGear, which she failed to acquire when the first and second batches had been released, and every one after that, she simply couldn't afford. Only her brother managed to get one, and he would be too busy using it to share with Luna, so she had put this game off as a future investment, years down the road, when she could afford her own console and copy of the game. It was getting to the point that even her best friend, who actually made fun of games, calling them "childish" and a "waste of time", was getting excited about it, though Luna only suspected this was happening because of the crush she had on Jin. It was this reason that Luna kept her own love for gaming out of every conversation they ever shared, not wanting to add another bit of ammunition to her friend's arsenal when it came to things to tease her about.

After some time, and more than a few minutes straight of jogging, Luna eventually reached the school's iron gates, which then led to the courtyard, and beyond that, the school itself. Some students were still showing up, but she knew that these people, like her, were stragglers who had lost track of time for one reason or another and were late because of it. She gathered the end of her tangled mess of hair and began running a hand though it in the hopes of getting some of the stubborn strands to lay flat, but that was always asking for too much, and like every morning, it was a futile effort. When she reached the door to her classroom, she nervously slid it open, and timidly stepped inside while her teacher halted in the middle of his lecture to stare at her. His dull gray eyes weren't the only ones watching her either, seeing as most of the class now found her presence to be the most interesting thing in the world at the present.

"Ahh, Ms. Mirahai, so nice of you to join us. This is, what, your fifth tardy in the last two weeks?" asked her teacher, his voice dry and dull.

"Sixth?" she replied, grinning sheepishly, trying to make light of the situation.

"Seventh, actually." corrected one of the boys in the front row of the class, which now became the victim of Luna's predatory stare with her narrowed golden eyes. "Sorry." the boy said, sinking down into his seat.

"Don't apologize, Mr. Kikimori, she should be reminded of how much of her education she is missing. Now, if you wouldn't mind, Mirahai, take your seat, get out your textbook, and turn to page number… 246, that is where you will start your reading." said the teacher.

"Reading, sir?" she asked.

"Yes, reading. I want you to start at the top of the page, and work your way through the chapter, aloud, for all of us to hear it. Don't worry about hurrying, we will wait for you to get yourself situated. It would seem that you think we are running on your time as it is, so I will oblige you."

"Yes, sir." Luna said, drooping her head and dropping her gaze to the floor.

It wasn't rain or drenched clothing, but it still made for a mood-ruining morning, and even arriving at lunch didn't cheer her up, since she noticed her brother sitting with a few of his friends at a table close to the door of the cafeteria. She shrugged her bag into a more comfortable position as she marched over to him, stomping her feet, and puffing out her cheeks in a pouty sort of way. She didn't do it intentionally, it sort of just happened naturally when she was around Jin, and had done since they were children. She supposed it was just how comfortable she was around him, and how vulnerable she was able to be in his presence. Around her brother was one of the few places she could let her childish nature out, it was the only place she truly felt like she could be herself.

"Hey, sis, sleep well this morning?" asked Jin, his voice deep yet comforting.

He had a slight bit of stubble around his jawline and mouth, and his brown hair was long, just as messy as Luna's, and gathered into a knot behind his head while the rest of it was hiding the sides of it and some of his forehead. One of his yellow eyes was partially hidden behind the curtain of dark hair, while the other was in full view, and had a kind, cheerful gleam to it. His body was lean, like hers and their mother's, but it suited him well enough, seeing as it was a constant topic for her friend to bring up whenever she would go on her usual rants about Jin. The smile on his handsome face was one that she loved seeing, but this day, and at other times, she wanted nothing more than to smack it off of him. She glowered at him and curled her fingers into fists at her side, growing frustrated at the joke.

"Why do you never wake me up?" she asked, growling the words.

"Oh, did you sleep in again, pup?" asked one of the other boys at the table.

"Old dogs don't learn new tricks, it would seem," said another.

Luna knew these comments were all in jest, and normally they wouldn't have bothered her, but this morning, after what she had to suffer through for the first half of the day, she could not help but feel her blood start to boil at the words.

"Aright, boys, calm down. That's my sister you're making fun of." said Jin, rising and holding out a hand, though he was smiling, which made his gesture seem less genuine to Luna.

"Sorry, Jin." said the first boy that spoke up.

"Sorry, pup." said the second.

"See, they're sorry." said Jin, putting a hand on Luna's shoulder and turning her away from the table. "Come on, let's go talk somewhere private." he said, and while he did say 'private', he only led her a few feet away, just out of earshot to his table. They stood beside a white column that went from the floor to the ceiling, and all the while, his smile never faded once. "So, you're upset." he then said.

"Of course I'm upset, Jin. I had to read, like, half of the textbook this morning for being late. It would have only taken you a second to wake me up, but you always do this. Why can't you just help me out every now and then?" she asked, looking up at him, seeing as he was about six feet tall, over a foot taller than her.

"Are you implying that I never help you?" he asked her, leaning against the pillar and crossing his arms over his chest.

"Well, no, but, I… Tsk. You know what I mean, Jin." she said, growing furious at her lack of a valid argument or rebuttal, for the second time that morning. He always helped her, whether she was sick or needed assistance with her homework or even just a bit of money for a bus fare, he was always there for her, and both of them knew that full well.

"I know what you mean, pup. Look, I'll make it up to you, but I need you to do something for me too."

"How is me doing you a favor equal to you making this up to me?" she asked, putting a hand on her hip.

"Give and take, little sis, it's pretty easy to understand." After her expression didn't soften, he sighed and hit his head softly against the pillar. "Fine, look, if you do this, I'll make sure I wake you everyday for the next week." he said.

"Two weeks." she replied, still glaring angrily into his happy-go-lucky eyes, which had a way of getting under her skin sometimes, this time included.

"Two weeks, then, but you have to promise to do this for me. I need you to go get that game for me after school. I tried getting out of my soccer practice but the team won't let me back out."

"You're the captain, so I didn't expect them to." said Luna.

"Yeah, well, I never asked to be, and apparently now that I am, I'm obligated to be at the practices."

"Can't you just get it when you're done?" asked Luna.

"I could." replied Jin, rolling his eyes and looking towards the floor. "Buuut, I would rather it be waiting for me at home, already installed onto my NerveGear, and ready to play the second I'm done with my shower. I was wondering how I could accomplish this, and then I remembered that I had a loving little sister that could never tell her very helpful, extremely kind, and wonderfully attentive older brother no."

"You forgot 'humble'." Luna pointed out.

"I did, I always forget that one." said Jin. He then put his hands together and bowed his head. "Please, Luna, I promise to keep my promise, and that's a for sure promise, okay? A mega-promise, actually. All you have to do is just get the game and install it onto my console, that's all."

"Can I try it out first?" she asked, looking to the floor, growing embarrassed for some reason. Jin knew about her hobby, he was the one that got her into games in the first place, but she still hated admitting it, even if she couldn't say why that was. In some ways, it may be because it made her feel childish, which was a hard enough characteristic to shake when she looked and sounded the way she did.

"Try it out?" asked Jin. "Yeah, sure, whatever. Just make sure that you read the instructions first before using that thing, I don't want you breaking it." said Jin.

"I've already used it before so I know how to work it." she said, nonchalantly.

"You what?" he gasped.

"I'll get your game for you, Jin, but just remember your promise, or else…" she said, ignoring his surprised question, and then proceeded to walk away, leaving him alone by the pillar.

Luna then got in line for some food, following behind a dozen other students that were all waiting to have their pick from the menu. When she reached the end, she was leaving with a bowl of ramen, plain for the most part, and with an egg on the side. As she left the line, she began looking for her own table to sit at, trying to find one that was empty and away from most of the larger groups of students. She wasn't necessarily shy, but she was a bit on the introverted side. People killed her batteries, especially large gatherings of them, plus, she simply didn't like being around big crowds of strangers, it simply wasn't comfortable. Just as she saw one, just as she started walking towards it, something suddenly grabbed her shoulders and a loud "Hiiiiiii!" filled her ears. She nearly jumped out of her skin and dropped her bowl all at the same time, and when she realized what had happened, she had to focus on getting her heart out of the danger-zone for a heart attack. She put one hand to her chest as she sucked in a breath of air, and then turned to glare at the culprit for her near-death experience.

"Tami," she growled. "I told you not to do that anymore."

The person behind her was a pretty girl, one that was several inches taller than her, had a well rounded body with a much more noticeable chest, and the face of an angel, or so some of the boys around the school thought. She had long black hair, even longer than Luna's, reaching her waist. It was sleek, shiny, and extremely well taken care of. It was Tami's pride and joy, her hair, and, Luna supposed, her figure, but mostly her hair. Her amethyst colored eyes closed as she stuck out her tongue and smiled at the same time. It was a bratty expression, but it suited Tami, with her being the troublemaker that she normally was, and it fit her knack for weaseling herself out of said trouble.

"Sorry, Luna, you know I can't help myself. Your reactions are just so cuuuute!" Tami shouted, scooping Luna up into a hug, which made her have to swiftly move her bowl out of the way or both of them would be wearing it for the rest of the day.

"Why do you always have to do this?" asked Luna, trying to breathe as she was powerfully pressed against Tami's bulging chest.

"Because, as your only friend, I feel that it is my responsibility to give you all the love you deserve."

"I have other friends, Tami, not just you." Luna stated, coldly, forcing herself free of Tami's grip, which was unexpected of a girl with such a girly figure. She was thicker than Luna, but she wasn't really bulky enough to account for her bizarre strength sometimes.

"The girls on your phone game don't count, puppy."

"Don't call me that, and I wasn't talking about them." she said, growing pouty. "Wait! How do you know about them in the first place?"

"Them?" asked Tami, crossing her arms and grinning.

"That! How do you know about that?" Luna corrected, hastily.

"For one, your brother doesn't count either so give it up, and for two, I always see you playing that weird game under the desk or while we're supposed to be studying in your room. Don't worry though, I haven't told anyone about how you drool over the swimsuits some of them wear."

"I don't drool!" Luna shouted, before remembering where she was and what they were doing there. She hurriedly turned and stomped away, rushing towards an empty table to sit at, where Tami quickly took her own seat across from her.

"You do too, I've seen it. It's okay though, Luna, I know they're cute, and I know you have a weakness for cute things."

"I do not. I… Hmph, seriously, I just can't catch a break with you two."

"Two?" asked Tami, resting her chin in both of her hands as she leaned her elbows on the table.

"Jin was bothering me this morning, too. It's really getting on my nerves. I don't know why I put up with you two, honestly."

"Because we're your only friends." Tami said, rocking her head back and forth in a cheerful sort of way while she smiled wide from her comment. She seemed proud of how she managed to bring it back so quickly, but Luna was only growing more annoyed.

"Whatever you say." Luna growled, before lifting up a pair of chopsticks and starting on her ramen.

"Whatever I say." Tami repeated. "I like the sound of that. I say… Hmmm, I say… I say that you have to kiss me."

Luna gasped and nearly choked on a noodle she was in the middle of slurping up. She managed to swallow it but had to beat at her chest to get the coughing to stop while Tami laughed herself breathless across the table. She hit the table twice as she seemed to find even more amusement out of Luna's suffering. After Luna was able to calm down, she wiped her mouth on a napkin that came from a metal dispenser on the table and sighed from relief that she had not choked to death on a noodle in the middle of school.

"You should have seen your face. Priceless, Luna, I swear it. That was too much, I couldn't breathe for a minute there, I thought I would die." said Tami, still fighting back some of her oncoming giggles.

"That really sucks for you. I would have hated to see that happen." Luna said, sarcastically, and half-jokingly. She was still gasping for air and reached into her bag to produce a bottle of water she had put in there this morning. She twisted the cap and took several large swigs from it in order to completely clean out her throat.

"I know, right? For such a beauty to die at such a young age, it would be a tragedy." said Tami, making her voice sound like an overacting actress in a cheap play.

"You and Jin really would make the perfect pair. You are both trying to kill me in your own ways, and you both seem to get enjoyment out of it." Luna said, finally getting her breathing under control. She slid the ramen away from her, stuffed the water bottle back in her bag, and rose from her seat. "I'm not hungry anymore. I'm heading to class and waiting in there for the next period."

"Luna, wait." Tami said, seriously.

"Yeah?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder to stare into the purple eyes of her friend.

"Do you really think that we would be a good couple?" asked Tami.

"I've had enough of you for the day." Luna said in response, shrugging her bag up further, and walking out of the cafeteria.

Tami gave chase, laughing while she followed Luna though the halls towards the gym, which was their next class. Tami tried to make it up to her, but when the day was done, Luna was still in a foul mood, which was upsetting, seeing as the morning had gone somewhat smoothly, despite missing her alarms.

"I should have just skipped school today." she thought, reaching the front gates of the school, leaving with some of the other students that attended.

She said her farewells to Tami and then proceeded to the shopping district not too far from the school in order to keep her promise to her brother. This particular store wasn't one they shopped at often, but Jin chose it specifically for the reason that it was on the way home, so he would be able to get the game as soon as possible in order to play it all the quicker. It was a wasted effort, seeing as Luna was now picking it up, and she was rather annoyed by this decision as well. With the game store being so close to the school, and with today being the release day for a highly anticipated game, it only made sense that the place was packed with students that had rushed over there as soon as they were dismissed. Despite expecting this, Luna was still stunned by how much she underestimated the scene she was walking into. The line, mostly consisting of boys, though there were a fair amount of girls, was backed up outside of the store, and even some ways down the sidewalk outside. It was only after twenty-five minutes of waiting in line that Luna realized something that she hadn't thought of up to that point. Jin never gave her money, nor did he specify whether he had pre-ordered the game or not.

She assumed he did, which was why she never asked him, but now, after all of this time, after seeing how busy it was, she was becoming pessimistic about getting her hands on a copy. She could always pay for it herself and have Jin reimburse her, so that wasn't an issue, but if he did not pre-order it, there was a very real chance that when she got to the counter at long last, they wouldn't have any more copies to sell her. Fortunately for her, this was proven to not be an issue once she reached the counter, told the clerk Jin's name, and showed her ID to prove that she was his sister. He handed over the copy, no money necessary, and Luna was finally on her way home, nearly forty minutes after leaving the school. It was frustrating. Nobody liked standing in lines, especially for that long, but she knew that it would all be worthwhile if Jin managed to keep his end of the bargain.

"No more late days for me for a while." she said, quietly. "Plus, I get to play you for a bit." she added, smiling at the reflective case, wrapped in a transparent plastic sleeve, and bearing a picture of an almost egg-shaped structure in the sky, while the words 'Sword Art Online' floated in front of it in a fairly generic font.

Luna sat in her entryway some time later, sliding her feet out of her loafers and stacking them neatly along the wall before hurrying to her feet and rushing off towards the stairs.

"Dinner's almost ready." her mom, who was sitting on the sofa and staring at her oddly, called out.

Luna replied with a breathless "Not hungry." as she skipped up the stairs, two at a time.

She, in reality, was hungry, but she knew her time was running short. Jin would be home in an hour, two at the most, and she wanted to get as much time with the game as possible. It was part of their deal, after all, and it wouldn't fully be worth it if she didn't get the most out of it. Letting dinner wait for a few hours wouldn't be an issue if she was able to try out this game for even just an hour. She knew that once Jin got his hands on it, she wouldn't be able to touch it for days, maybe even weeks if he fell in love with it. Luna finished her ascent of the steps and walked hastily to Jin's room before closing the door behind her. She still had to install the game, but she doubted it would take too long, so she waited patiently after putting the disk into her brother's system. She sat in Jin's desk chair, her knees tucked to her chest, and her eyes watching the percentage slowly rise closer and closer to one-hundred. She gave a brief spin in the chair, rotating nearly a full 360 degrees, but not quite making it all the way around. When she stopped, she saw that Jin had a box of protein bars on a bookshelf not too far from the desk, and felt her stomach growl. Normally, she wouldn't be this hungry, but she also normally finished her lunch, which was something she avoided doing today, perhaps stupidly so.

She lowered one leg and wheeled herself over to the shelf, thankful, for the first time, that her brother was not the cleanest of people, and had open boxes of snacks just resting on a random shelf. It was a chocolate chip bar that, if she was being honest, tasted like cardboard, which was something she found out after taking her first, enthusiastic bite and almost spit it out. She moved back to the desk, and while watching the numbers steadily rise, she continued eating the bland bar with a little less excitement than she had previously. Before too long, it was complete, and she hurriedly picked up the helmet right beside his computer, which said NerveGear in dark letters across the steel-gray headset. She had already snuck into his room before and used it, so she knew how to operate the console. She undid the school jacket she had not yet taken off, and threw it onto the chair she had been sitting in, and took out the first two buttons of her collared shirt to make herself a bit more comfortable. After lying on Jin's bed, she put the helmet over her head and, at the last possible point of turning back, said the two words that would change her life forever.

"Link start."