Hi been a while since I did any story. I hope you enjoy.

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The sixth of November twenty twenty-two had arrived. It had been a long time coming, but for Ren Togetsu, the day was finally here. The first virtual reality massively multiplayer online game, or VRMMO for short, was launching. Sword Art Online was groundbreaking in every sense of the word. Developed by Argus, SAO was a first-person fantasy game to explore and battle through an entire fantasy world. The cutting edge technology meant that when you 'dived' in, your whole mind is there. You see nothing but the world. All five senses respond to what you do in the virtual world. It was like being transported to another existence entirely.

Ren was a fourteen-year-old kid; he was slightly overweight with short curly brown hair, white skin and green eyes. He had been playing video games for the past three years. Ren picked it up from his brother Yu. Yu was eighteen and simply looked like an elder version of Ren. However, he had a muscular build and longer hair than the younger brother. They had been saving up for the past year to get the new, exclusive system for SAO. The Nervegear.

And it wasn't just Japan. Sword Art Online had released worldwide, with servers going up simultaneously in every country. A move very unusual in this day and age. In a world full of political tension, with what people call 'The Second Cold War', Sword Art Online was one of few media pieces to go global. This was all down to its creator Kayaba Akihiko. A genius and advocate of international peace, driven only to make what he called a perfect world.

"Something on your mind?" Ren suddenly returned to reality and noticed his brother standing next to him. "You've been staring out the window ever since you got back from school."

"Yeah, I'm good, just slightly anxious. Severs are already up, and my system still hasn't arrived." Ren softly said. Yu, meanwhile, wasn't concerned in the slightest.

"It happens." The elder brother exclaimed, shrugging. "Aincrad will still be there in an hour."

"You're not the one having to wait for his system to arrive, beta tester." One thousand people had the chance to stress test Sword Art Online last month. Yu was lucky enough to be one of them. "Still, I'm trying to guess which will come first, your system or mother." This made Ren chuckle.

"Please, you know what she always says. 'I'm stuck in a room with two hundred politicians, who'd rather blow something up than come to any cultural understanding.'". Ren mimicked their mother. The two brothers laughed together.

Suddenly in the corner of his eye, Ren spotted a delivery driver holding a large parcel. His eyes shot up as he rushed towards the door, Yu calmly followed. The youngest hurled the door opened, much to the delivery man's surprise.

"Hello." He said, taken aback by the sudden appearance. "Please sign here". Ren scribbled a signature as he snatched the parcel from the man's hands.

"Ren!" Yu scolded his brother. Who bowed his head in response.

"I'm sorry. Thank you." Ren apologised.

"It's alright. I hope you both have a great day. The driver responded as he walked back towards his van. The brothers calmly shut the door before rushing into Ren's bedroom. The bedroom was relatively small, with only one bed and a wardrobe. The room, however, was unlike most traditional Japanese boys rooms; this one was set up with a more western feel to it. The two boys had grown up in America with their father before moving to Japan to live with their mother.

The youngest hurled some clothes off his bed into his wardrobe while the elder opened the box. His face suddenly turned to shock.

"Ren, this isn't right." The sibling whispered. Ren's eyes widened as he rushed towards the package at lightning speed.

"No, that can't be. I made sure I ordered from…." Ren couldn't finish his sentence as he looked inside. There it was, the Nervegear, in all its glory. He looked up to see Yu chuckling to himself. "No… that's not funny!" Lightly pushing his brother, who was now in hysterics.

"The look on your face." Yu calmed himself as they started to unpack. The Nervegear consisted of a large helmet and multiple pads, which were used to scan the user's body. Sword Art Online was the only launch title, which was preloaded onto the system. Still, with such a leap in technology, it was the only one needed. "So let's set you up." The two helped Ren start up the console and thoroughly go through the calibrations.

"I'll meet you in the town of beginnings," Ren said. Yu nodded as he went into his room. Suddenly Ren remembered something. He took off the helmet and went into the kitchen. The teen picked up a pen and paper, writing a note for his mother.

'Me and Yu playing SAO till late, don't wait up for us. Ren.' The brown-haired boy smiled as he checked Twitter. Yet the first thing he read sent a shiver down his spine.

'Do not log into Sword Art Online! My son is dead!' Ren expanded as he read about a father who tried to take the nerve gear off his son's head, which ended up frying his brain. Ren scrolled down as more stories of people being trapped in SAO. The teen almost dropped his phone. At first, he thought it was all some elaborate prank. Yet, as more people posted about their loved ones unable to log out, Ren realised this was real. And his brother was about to be another victim. Ren rushed into his brother's room, moving faster than he had ever been before.

"Yu! Don't log in…." Ren yelled; however it was too late. Yu was already inside the game. Ren collapsed on the floor; his whole body started to shake, vomit almost came up his throat. Part of him was denying it, still believing that he could do something, but deep down, it was apparent. His brother was somehow stuck inside a game. Ren took his phone and was about to call his mother. Yet he stopped; his brother was stuck, and he needed help. Ren rushed towards the note, adding a message at the end.

'P.S. We love you.'

Then without thinking, Ren hooked himself up to the Nervegear. His mind was screaming at him to turn back. But his heart knew his brother needed his help. This could be a one way trip to hell, but if there was a chance that his brother could be saved, he had to take it. With one final deep breath, Ren said the two words which would send him to the depths of Hades.

"Link start." His five senses all erupted together as his room suddenly dissolved, and he found himself in that character creator section. Ren was planning to pick the perfect loadout, but in this situation, he went for the default of everything; he knew he could always change it later. What he couldn't change, though, was his username. His brother always went by Blazing. So they had both agreed on a name for Ren. Inferno. As he typed away and pressed enter, a different world materialised.

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Ren looked around at his surroundings. He found himself in a town square. This was the town of beginnings, where everyone starts when logging into SAO for the first time. It was a bright day with the sun beaming down on his entire body. In the middle was a giant fountain. Ren looked in the water at his face. He now looked like a mid-twenty-year-old knight with paler skin, short blonde hair and blue eyes. It was surreal having a face that didn't belong to him, but that was part of the experience of SAO. Ren quickly turned around, the fear pulsating through his body. He needed to find his brother. Ren scanned the area, and luckily there weren't too many people left in the square and even less on their own. He looked behind at a lone swordsman. He wore traditional red clothing, with a rusty metal sword and spikey red hair. He looked at the username and saw Blaze. Ren felt a huge sigh of relief as he rushed over to his brother.

"Yu" He yelled at the top of his lungs. Who sighed in response.

"I already told you when we're online you call me by my user…." Yu explained before being cut off.

"Try to log out!" The elder brother was shocked by his sibling's order.

"Why? I just got here."

"Please!" Yu could see his brother was serious, so he gave in.

"Alright, let me open the menu and… that's weird. The log out button has disappeared." The red-dressed swordsman chuckled to himself. "I'm sure it's just a day one glitch, and the devs are…." Yu, however, stopped when he noticed his siblings face. It wasn't just concern; it was fear. "Ren, what is this?"

"I…" A colossal bell interrupted their conversation as they noticed the square was a lot more crowded. The two looked around as multiple people started to get teleported into the courtyard. That number only grew as more and more people were forcibly entered into the square. Confusion spread throughout the crowd, no one had any idea what was happening.

"You guys have any idea what's going on?" A samurai looking man with long red hair behind us asked; he wore dark red robes. Ren looked at his username; he went by Klein. Next to him stood a black-haired swordsman, who wore a light blue top with brown shorts. This person went by Kirito.

"I think we're about to find out." Kirito informed them as they all noticed the sky turning a dark red, the water in the fountain turned to black goo. Ren could sense fear, not just from himself but from the majority of people in this game. This was unprecedented, He knew SAO was different, but an MMO never started this theatrically in-game. The black goo continued to gush out as a mysterious, ghostly cloaked figure rose from the fountain.

"Greetings players, I am Akihiko Kayaba and welcome to Sword Art Online." The masked figure declared.

"Kayaba?" Klien muttered to himself.

"He's the creator of Sword Art Online," Yu explained.

"I hope you have enjoyed the prologue to Sword Art Online and the many adventures you will soon partake in. However, some concerns must now be addressed." Kayaba rambled on. Ren looked over to see one player try to exit the square only for a force field to block him off. "Many of you have already noticed something missing from your menu, your log out button. This is not a bug. I repeat this is not a bug. Sword Art Online was designed this way. As of this moment, the only way to log out is to clear the one-hundredth floor and beat the game."

Mumbles scoured around the square; nobody could believe what was he was saying. Ren looked toward his brother; there were many emotions, anger, fear, hatred, determination. Somehow each emotion was visible. For him, however, it was nothing but fear.

"Thats... Impossible. The beta testers were playing for an entire month, and they only managed to reach the fifth floor." Klein stuttered.

"As of this moment, there is no respawn system; once your HP reaches zero, your avatar will be deleted from the virtual world. And the real one." The cloaked figure continued. Every player suddenly gasped as the realisation started to creep in. This wasn't a game anymore… this was real. "If someone tries to remove your helmet forcibly, the microchip implanted in the nerve gear will send an electric signal and fry your brain."

"That's not possible, is it?" Klein stuttered.

"I'm afraid it is. The Nervegear's battery is located at the back of your head, it's usually safe, but if you were to overload it, that could cause permanent damage." Kirito explained.

"And since the system disables our motor functions, we can't do anything either," Ren added.

"The Nervegear has a twelve-hour battery life meaning there will be ample time for your bodies to be transported to a hospital where you will be put on life support. The console is also equipped with a portable Wi-Fi system meaning there will be no chance of anyone losing an internet connection. The entire world has been informed about everything I have just explained, and the necessary precautions have already been put in place. Unfortunately, one hundred and seventy-three families have failed to heed my warnings; as such, these players have now been deleted from both worlds." Ren started to shake; this was worse than he could ever imagine. There were no more whispers or gasps, just pure silence. "Lastly, I have placed an item in each player's inventory; I hope you find it pleasant."

A mirror suddenly appeared in Ren's hands. The teen looked down to see his reflection, then a bright light suddenly appeared. Ren took a moment for his eyes to adjust. He looked back to find the mirror was gone, it took him a second, but he suddenly noticed the appearance of everyone in front of him had changed. The average height went down, a lot of people were slimmer than before. And while before, it was a fifty-fifty split between girls and boys. The number of female players had decreased by a third.

"Ren?" Yu said, dumbfounded by what he had just witnessed. Ren looked over to his brother who's avatar had changed; he now looked exactly like he had in real life.

"You look like yourself!" Both brothers exclaimed to one another.

"Ren? Yu?" Kirito softly spoke. The two looked round to see the black swordsman look had also chance. He now was a lot younger, still with black hair but a much shorter and slimmer look. A face that the two knew all too well.

"Kazuto?" Ren asked in disbelief. Kazuto Kirigaya, the last person he wanted to see, was also stuck in here.

"How the hell is this possible? Klein, who was similar as before, minus brown, short and spiked hair.

"The Nervegear scans your entire body, including your face during its calibrations." Yu explained. Ren and Kazuto were just glaring at one another. Until Kayaba once again spoke up.

"You may all be wondering, why? Why would Kayaba Akihiko do any of this? Well, the answer to that is simple. I wished to create a perfect world, and I have now done so." A perfect world? Ren couldn't imagine how anyone could think this was an ideal world. "This concludes the tutorial of Sword Art Online. I wish you all the best of luck in your endeavours." The cloaked figure all of a sudden vanished into thin air. The black goo and sky had returned to normal. Those trying to force their way forward suddenly fell face-first through where the portals were.

The silence was still the only thing around until a light brown haired girl screamed. Then the rumbling started. Ren turned around and noticed Kirito and Klein walking away from the square. Ren followed suit, with Yu lagging behind him. The crowd was tight, but Ren managed to squeeze his way through. While he didn't hear the whole conversation, he did catch the end.

"Why don't you join us? With someone of your calibre, there's no way that we'll lose anyone." Klein offered; Kirito stayed silent like he was conflicted.

"Don't take it personally, Klein." Ren took a swipe at the black swordsman. "Kirito here could never commit to a team." Kirito glared back. The tension could be cut with a knife.

"You guys know each other, IRL. Well, let's leave our real-world problems behind and start clearing this game." Klein tried to make peace between the two of them. Kirito huffed as he walked away.

"There are plenty of benefits of being a solo player, isn't that right, Inferno?" Kirito questioned his rival.

"Not by choice!" Ren snapped back as Kirito left them all behind, not even looking back once. "Idiot."

"I could say the same to you!" Yu berated his sibling. "How did you know there wasn't a log out button? You only just arrived." Ren sighed, knowing he had to come clean.

"When you dived in, I left a note for mother. While checking my phone, I read some tweets about people being unable to log out and others dying. I tried to warn you, but you had already logged in. So I thought you might need some help." Ren confessed. Yu was left stunned. Suddenly he gritted his teeth and pinned Ren to the wall by his shoulders. Klein's eyes widened as he started to freak out.

"Woah, take it, easy, man." The samurai tried to make peace between the two. However, Yu wasn't having any of it.

"What we're you thinking?" The elder brother yelled. "You knew diving in could cost you your life, and yet you did it anyway?"

"I couldn't leave you to die!" Ren explained.

"And what about mother? Did you think about her when you pulled this stunt?" Ren wanted to answer back, but he couldn't. He didn't think this one through. Yu sighed as he let his brother go. "What's done is done. I promise you'll get out of this game. Only then will I kick your ass."

"That's fair." Ren adjusted his shoulders once his brother let go. Yu looked sombre for a second before his smile returned.

"You know, despite your foolishness in coming here. There's no one I'd rather have covering my back."

"Oh my god." Klein was exasperated. "I seriously thought you were going to punch him." Players were starting to rush out of the square; others still in denial stood in place. Yu knew they had to begin their journey.

"Hey Klein, got room for two more?" Yu cheerfully asked him. Much to Ren's dismay.

"Yeah, sure, the more, the merrier."

"Are you sure about this?" Ren questioned his sibling.

"How many times have I told you not to be a loner." Yu chuckled as he slapped Ren on the back. "Glad to join you, Klein!"

"Hey, Klein." An Australian voice called out; it belonged to a female player in her early twenties. She had long white hair tied up in a ponytail, tanned skin and wore yellow coloured men's robes. "Been looking everywhere for you. The rest of the party is ready to go." Klein stared blankly for a few seconds before stepping back in shock.

"Oh my god, Thunderbolt, you're… you're a girl?" Klein shrieked, earning a sigh from Thunderbolt.

"This is why I always choose the male option." She muttered before noticing the other two. "So, who are these noobs?" Ren took a slight offence to that. Klein had to pinch himself to stop staring at his online friend's reveal.

"Right, meet Blaze and Inferno; they'll be joining us." Klein introduced the two newest members of his group.

"Fine, just make sure they don't slow any of us down." Thunderbolt disrespectfully fired at the two.

"Don't you worry, ma'am, we won't." Yu cheerfully replied. Ren looked at him like his brother was insane.

"She just insulted you, yet you're acting nice to her?" Ren questioned his brother, who responded by putting his arm around him.

"Bro, always remember that the most essential aspect of any knight is chivalry." Ren scowled at his brothers humour. As the rest of Klein's friends arrived, they all headed off towards the next town. Ren took a deep breath as the stone in the Town of Beginnings turned to luscious greens. He wasn't going to let Kayaba Akihiko win. He and his brother were going to survive this game.

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