In 2022, mankind finally built a full virtual environment…

A young man sighed. "I wish," he muttered, before resuming the video. "To think, in another world, I could be playing a VR game like that. But no, instead I have to study for my driver's permit." He sighed again. "At least I can watch Netflix while I do."

"Adam!" The young man stiffened at his name. Have I been found out? "Your father, brother and I are going for a walk. Want to come?"

Adam sighed a third time, this time out of relief. She doesn't know I'm not really studying. "No thanks! I'm studying for my permit test!" he called back.

"Oh! Okay then; good job. We're heading out now! See you in a bit!"

"See you!" He turned back to his laptop, a small smirk on his face. At least I don't need to worry about being caught.

It was November 6th, 2022; the original launch day of Sword Art Online. Or rather, it would be, if Akihiko Kayaba was more than a fictional character from a light novel. Instead, to anyone unfamiliar with the Sword Art Online franchise, it was just an ordinary Sunday. An ordinary Sunday after nearly two years of strangeness. Adam still found it hard to believe that the national pandemic had only ended earlier that year.

He glanced at his Oculus Quest, wishing desperately it was a NerveGear. Actually… maybe it'd be better if it were an AmuSphere. Then he wouldn't worry about his brain being fried.

"...And the NerveGear will simultaneously destroy your brain."

Adam jumped. He forgot he still had the anime playing. It didn't help that the line was eerily in tune to his thoughts. Seriously, that was some crazy timing…

He refocused on the screen just as Kirito dragged Klein out of the central square. He watched as Kirito turned away from Klein, running away from the Town of Beginnings. Then came the direwolf, which was dealt with in a similar manner to the boar Klein took down earlier in the episode. Kirito screamed at the sky in defiance, and the scene shifted to the opening.

Crap, I missed most of the episode, Adam realized. Oh well, I can just rewatch it. Not like I'll have much else to do in the next month, since I want to watch each episode as they happen IRL. He paused. Did I seriously just think the term 'IRL?' That's sad, even for me.

He quickly drifted off into a daydream; what it would be like if he were trapped in SAO too. He smiled at the thought. He'd probably be on the Front Lines, but he'd grind first before joining. He wouldn't want to join the Front Lines unprepared, especially since real life skills didn't necessarily apply to SAO.

That thought made him glance toward the back of his room. Leaning up against the wall were two swords; one a replica of Kirito's Dark Repulser, and the other a black chōkuto - a single-edged straight sword. While the Dark Repulser was not a real sword, both unsharpened and a bit unbalanced, the chōkuto was real, and Adam was proud to say that he did in fact know how to wield it. He had been taking lessons in the Iaido style of sword fighting for the last three years, and as a reward for his hard work, he was allowed to buy a real sword.

Since then, he had been learning how to use the chōkuto properly, and in his opinion, he'd gotten pretty good at it. It would definitely be his main weapon in SAO.

Adam stood up from his desk and walked over to the swords, grabbing the chōkuto before exiting the room. He had nothing better to do, so might as well practice. Maybe he could pretend he was in SAO, cutting down monsters left and right.

He sighed one more time. "Sometimes, I really just wish anime was real life. Then, I wouldn't be such an… anomaly."

He knew he was different from everyone else; always had been, for that matter. He wasn't a social person, preferring to be alone than around other people. He could count the number of people he considered friends on one hand and still have spare fingers. Adam could honestly say he felt more understood by the characters in his books or on his screens than he did by anyone in this world. He didn't know what he wouldn't give just to meet one of those characters, to meet someone who could actually understand him.

Little did he know how much he would come to regret that wish…


After his practice (read: LARPing), Adam took a shower to clean off the sweat, before heading back to his room. The rest of his family still wasn't back yet, but he wasn't expecting them to be. Their definition of "casual stroll" was the normal definition of "five mile hike," so he wasn't anticipating them being home for a while.

Oh well, might as well do some actual studying, he thought. His mom would kill him if she learned he didn't actually study. She cared way too much about him being able to drive. Then again, she'd probably say he didn't care enough (which was wrong; he didn't care at all), so it's not like that argument ever worked on her. The only thing he could think that would get her off his case was some sort of Genjutsu, and since this wasn't Naruto, those didn't exist. Shame.

He was just reaching his desk when suddenly, a searing pain shot through his skull. He gasped, feeling like he had a hammer slam into the back of his head. He gripped his desk to steady himself as his brain erupted in agony. He couldn't feel, much less think anything over the pain, which was starting to spread down his body. It raced down his spine, seeping into his arms and legs. Soon, every cell in his body felt like it was on fire. He couldn't move anymore, couldn't see, couldn't hear, all he knew was pure agony.

Then, just as quickly as it came, it was gone.

Adam collapsed onto the desk, gasping for breath. He'd never felt anything like that before. He had no idea where the pain came from; one minute it was just there. Slowly, he stood up, his knees still weak from whatever it was that just attacked him. What the hell was that just now?!

He had barely finished marshaling his thoughts when he heard the door downstairs open. Perfect timing! He turned back toward the door to his room and tried to walk toward it, only to find he couldn't. He glanced down at his legs, and could barely comprehend what he was seeing.

His legs were disintegrating. Polygonal blue shards flaked off his legs, chunks of his body disappearing with them. Fortunately, there was no blood, but unfortunately, the affected area was slowly moving up. More shards were already disappearing up to his waist, and everything beneath his knees was already gone. Some small part that wasn't panicking noted that it resembled how it looked when a Servant died in Fate/Stay Night.

This has to be some sort of dream, Adam thought. Maybe that weird pain caused me to black out or something! This isn't real!

"Adam!" his mom called from downstairs. "We're ho-"

Her voice suddenly became distorted and high pitched, forcing Adam to cover his ears - or try to, since his arms weren't responding either. It almost sounded like an audio malfunction.

The pitch continued to rise, the sound growing louder and louder. His ears felt like they were going to burst from pain. The sound rattled in his head, drowning out his thoughts. He screamed, but he couldn't even hear it, as it too was swallowed by the ever-increasing noise.

Then suddenly, as soon as it had come, the screeching disappeared. But not just that; it took every other sound with it. There was no noise whatsoever. Adam couldn't even hear the sound of his own breathing, or his racing heart, despite feeling both (at least he wasn't dead yet). He tried to call out, but his voice wouldn't work. Okay, definitely a dream! he thought, truly panicking now. So I just need to wake up!

Up to his chest had disintegrated completely, and up to his neck was beginning to fragment. His vision had distorted, the world becoming only hues of red, yellow, and blue as it seemed to swirl around him. Maybe it was a glitch in the Matrix or something? Wake up! Wake up! Please!

Only his head was left now. Everything had turned completely black. Was this the end? Was he really dying? WAKE UP! JUST WAKE UP ALREADY! PLEASE!

Adam's last thought before disintegrating completely was that he wished he had gone on that walk with his family.


Adam's eyes snapped open, a scream on the tip of his tongue. He was sitting in a chair at his desk. He gasped for breath, trying desperately to hold back a panic attack. What the hell was that?

He gathered his thoughts, trying to figure out what in the world just happened. He dimly noticed something off with his room, but he paid it no mind. He was too focused on analyzing the dream he just had. Because it had to be a dream… right?

He decided that it was indeed a dream, since not only was what happened impossible, but even if it were, he would be dead. So he analyzed, and as he did, felt that yet another thing was off, this time in regards to his memories. They felt too precise, too detailed; almost like he had a photographic memory, which he was sure he didn't. Yet now he did.

This is so bizarre, he thought to himself as he rubbed his temples. I must be losing it.

He turned his attention back to the dream. Right… So I was watching SAO, and the rest of the family left on a walk at 5:47 PM. I decided to do some sword practice at 5:54 PM, and finished at 6:28 PM. After that, I took a 13-minute shower, and went back to my room, where I was suddenly overcome with intense pain. After that, I saw my body disintegrating. Next thing I know, I'm waking up at my desk, and… hold on, how do I remember the exact times that everything happened? My memory's not that good!

Before he could puzzle his situation any further, he was interrupted by a rather rude voice from downstairs. "Adam! Get your ass down here this fucking minute!"

The voice seemed both extremely familiar and completely foreign at the same time. It sounded similar to his mom's voice, if his mom was a whole lot meaner and smoked. He didn't have long to analyze before he heard heavy footsteps coming up the stairs, and not long after that his door was slammed open. Standing in the doorway was a rather… large woman. She was five foot four, and a strange mixture of muscular and fat. She had dark brown, unkempt hair pulled back in a ponytail and a scowl on her face. She also smelled rather strongly of alcohol. To Adam, she looked like his mom's extremely unhealthy twin.

He didn't recognise her, but she evidently recognised him by the look she was giving him. If looks could kill, he'd probably be dead several times over. Needless to say, he was scared. Even if he was half a foot taller, with her arms she could probably swing a sword as easily as he could (not including technique). Speaking of swords…

There was a stranger in his house. A somewhat dangerous stranger definitely under the influence of alcohol, if the smell was anything to go by. He needed to protect himself, not to mention his family. Adam lunged toward the wall where his swords were, grabbing at the place where he knew his chōkuto to be… and came up empty. His eyes widened in shock as he turned to look at the wall.

There was nothing there. Both of his swords were gone. Not only that, but rather than the maroon color his room was, the wall was a hideous brown. He glanced around the room, realizing then why it had felt so off; it wasn't his room. The numerous posters he'd had hanging were gone, as was his bookshelf. His bed had been moved to the opposite side of the room, tucked next to his desk rather than parallel. As a matter of fact, his desk was the only thing that was still where it was originally, and it wasn't even his desk. The desk in his room was a beautiful wooden desk that took up roughly half the wall, with a comfy black swivel chair that he would sit in. This desk was a standard school desk; cramped, tiny, and with a chair built into it.

"What the-?!" he started, but the woman grabbed him by the collar and pulled him down to her level before he could finish. Adam nearly gagged at the scent of alcohol.

"I told you to be down for dinner a minute ago, you fucking brat! Is this how you repay me for letting you live here?! If it weren't for your father, I'd have kicked you out long ago!" she sneered, glaring at him.

"Who are you?!" Adam demanded, temporarily ignoring what she had just said. What did she mean 'if it weren't for my father?' He glared right back at her, and she seemed startled for some reason. "Where am I?!"

The woman stared at him in shock for a moment, and he used that opportunity to free himself from her grasp. Suddenly, she gave him a cruel grin. "Oho, finally started to grow some balls, huh?" Her grin faded, replaced by a fiercer scowl than the last. "But how dare you talk to your mother like that, you little shit!"

Mother? "You aren't my mother! I don't know who you are! Now answer me! Where-" His instincts flared, but with how disoriented he was, he couldn't react before he was cut off by a fist to the gut. He coughed as the wind was knocked out of him, and he kneeled over, clutching his stomach. The woman grabbed him by the hair and pulled back hard, and he grunted in pain.

"I've had enough of your attitude!" she shouted as she got in his face again. "You're not getting any dinner tonight! And if I hear one complaint, I'll get the belt! Got it?!"

Adam couldn't do much more than groan in response, but the woman apparently took that as confirmation. She let go of his hair and he collapsed onto the ground as she left. As he laid on the ground, only one thought kept repeating in his mind:

What in the world is going on?!


After his strange "conversation" with the woman who claimed to be his mom, Adam set about trying to figure out where he was. His first thought was that he was still dreaming… but then he remembered that if he were dreaming, he wouldn't be in so much pain. He winced again, putting his hand to his still-aching stomach. Seriously, that woman probably broke a bone! Not that I would know what a broken bone felt like, though on second thought it'd probably hurt more than this.

He glanced around the room, looking for something, anything he could use to figure out his situation. His eyes landed on the desk, where a phone sat. It wasn't one he recognized, but at that point, it didn't matter. He grabbed it off the desk but sighed when he noticed it was only unlockable via face ID. He was about to put it back when it suddenly unlocked, opening an app that appeared to be a news site.

"Weird," he muttered to himself. "Why did it unlock for my face? This isn't my…" He trailed off upon reading the title of the article: Ten Thousand Trapped in Japanese VR Game. "No way…"

He quickly skimmed through the article, desperately searching for the title of the game. There's no way… It CAN'T be… He came to a stop, his eyes glued on three words. This isn't possible…!

Sword Art Online. The name of the VRMMO in the article was Sword Art Online. What the actual hell?!

Adam stared at the screen in shock. This had to be some sort of prank… right? This couldn't be real. Sword Art Online was just a work of fiction, a made-up franchise created by Reki Kawahara. He scanned through the article again, this time noting terms like "NerveGear," "Full Dive," and "Akihiko Kayaba."

His breathing was coming out in gasps now. There was no way this could be real! It couldn't be!

Adam closed his eyes and focused on steadying his breathing. Once he could think clearly, he made a mental checklist:

First, I have to figure out where I am, then call someone to come get me. After that, I can check a news outlet that ISN'T on some stranger's phone, one I can actually trust. After I do that, I request a doctor's appointment, and maybe some therapy too, since I'm obviously not entirely sane.

He closed the news app and opened the map. He entered his home address, but no directions came up. He hummed in confusion and tried checking his current location. What came up shocked him almost as much as the SAO article.

His current address was the same as his home address. According to the map, he was in his house.

"This thing has to be broken," he decided. There was no way this was his home. That was as impossible as… as…

As Sword Art Online being real, the likely-insane part of his brain - the part that made him "different" - finished for him. Maybe it's an alternate reality or something.

Stop it, the more logical side of his brain snapped. There's no proof that alternate realities even exist. Besides, if they did, then how did I get here, and why me? No, there has to be a reasonable explanation for this.

Adam then moved on to the phone's contacts app. He entered his mom's phone number and was greeted with the sight of the woman who beat him up earlier. Even her name was the same as his mom's: Julia Knight.

Desperate, he entered his dad's phone number and was given the image of a sickly-looking version of his father. Panic rising once again, he checked every contact he knew, and the results were always the same. Even his own image (and he was surprised he even remembered his own number) was distorted. He knew his cheeks weren't that sunken, nor was his hair that short. Or was it…? Did he take over the body of his dimensional counterpart?

You didn't, because you don't HAVE a dimensional counterpart! This isn't an alternate dimension! he shouted internally even as he raced to the bathroom. He stood in front of the mirror, and sighed in relief.

Chocolate brown, medium-length hair with bangs that stopped just short of his hazel eyes. A chiseled yet still somewhat childish face usually set in an almost vacant look. A lean yet muscular build, perfect for using his chōkuto. Yep, it was his body alright.

"Well, what did you expect?" he muttered to himself as he returned to the room (he refused to acknowledge it as his) and sat down at the desk again. "But seriously, what are the chances that this phone has… doppelgängers of everyone I know? And with the same biographical info too…"

He trailed off, realizing he wasn't helping his not-an-alternate-universe argument.

Adam sat at the desk for what felt like hours, trying to figure out the puzzle that was his life. Yet the longer he sat, the more real the possibility of him being in an alternate reality seemed to be. It didn't help that he had no other ideas as to what could be going on.

Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in his brain. "What if I search up a historical event?" he asked himself. "If it still happened, then that means I'm still in my own reality!"

Not necessarily, a small part of him said, but he ignored it. He was desperate. He needed to prove to himself that this wasn't an alternate universe. And he knew exactly what historical event to use.

He went to the search engine and typed in "COVID-19." No way nothing comes up! EVERYONE'S heard of COVID; how could they not? We were in an international crisis because of it! He hit enter. And nearly fainted at the results.

"Your search - COVID-19 - did not match any documents" was written on the screen. Adam blinked twice, then checked to make sure he put his search in correctly, and refreshed the page. Same results.

His head felt light as a feather as he stared at the screen, eyes wide. "Aren't any matches…" he said, almost like he was in a trance. He stared vacantly at the screen, not really seeing it. "Then that means…"

This couldn't be his reality. For there to be no results when he searched up COVID of all things… Not to mention the map and contact info results. And the news article…

"Oh God," he whispered, his eyes somehow managing to grow even wider. "I'm in the reality of Sword Art Online!"


Adam spent the next three days gathering information on his new world. His first order of business was looking for discrepancies between this new world and his. So far, the only big changes he could find were COVID, SAO, and some dude he'd never heard of winning the 2016 and 2020 Presidential elections. That was good. It meant he didn't need to worry about relearning a bunch of history. And America was no longer seemingly on the verge of a mutiny too, so bonus.

Next, he looked into the people of this new reality. Everyone he met either didn't exist in his reality or was completely different. For example, his brother was usually calm and confident to the point he came across as arrogant, while his counterpart was loud and rambunctious, but also rather lacking in self-confidence. Meanwhile, the person who was supposedly his best friend since childhood in this new world was someone he'd never even heard of.

Adam also kept up with information on the SAO Incident. So far, things were progressing the same way as the anime; several deaths each day, with no end in sight. He had to find a way to get into the game, preferably within the first month.

His plan was a simple one; infiltrate the game and save as many lives as possible. He wanted to make sure everything happened like in the original story, with Kirito defeating Kayaba on the 75th floor, but he also decided that if it came down to it, he'd save lives over the timeline. Maybe he could even save the Moonlit Black Cats.

There was another thing he learned about his situation; somehow the process of interdimensional travel had given Adam a perfect memory. He could recall every detail of his life perfectly as if it had only happened seconds ago. He didn't know how or why he now had a photographic memory, but he sure wasn't complaining. If he really was isekai'd, maybe this was his special skill, like all other isekai protagonists get? Better than getting Return by Death, at least, he thought to himself. Though actually, that would've been rather useful in SAO…

The biggest obstacle was school. Fortunately for Adam, his doppelgänger was much dumber than him, so he was placed in classes he already took. He breezed through the assignments. But social interactions were another story.

Apparently, his doppelgänger was rather extroverted and was seemingly friends with everyone, a complete opposite of Adam himself. Not to mention all the clubs he was a part of. All of this clashed horribly with Adam's introverted nature, and adding on the fact that he didn't know how the Adam of this world acted, it resulted in people asking him every five minutes if he was okay. It very quickly got annoying.

His other hurdle was his family. This one was simpler to handle; he'd just avoid them. To prevent an incident like what happened on his first day in the new world, he stole food from the school cafeteria and ate that for dinner, while claiming that he just wasn't hungry. Luckily, less interaction with her kids seemed to be the one thing his "mom" seemed to tolerate. He had yet to even see his "dad," who had work during the day, and had only seen his "brother" twice, since he drove home from school and Adam took the bus.

Eventually, Adam decided to put his plan into motion. He grabbed the phone, put in the phone number he remembered, prayed to every deity he could think of (he ended up standing there for a while. Stupid perfect recall allowing me to remember every single deity I've ever heard of even in passing; I'm not even religious!), and hit the "call" button.

The phone rang.

And rang.

And rang.

And rang.

And rang.

At first, Adam wondered if he had the wrong number. Then he wondered if they were even going to pick up. He sure hoped they did.

Finally, he heard a click from the phone, and a pleasant Japanese voice came through. "This is the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force main office. May I help you?"

At first, Adam was surprised he could even understand her, even if it did take him a moment. She was speaking Japanese, and for some reason his stupid self hadn't thought about that little issue when he decided to call the JGSDF headquarters. He knew next to nothing about the language outside of what he picked up from watching… subbed… anime… wait! Turns out all those hours of watching subbed anime weren't for nothing after all! Thank you, photographic memory. I take back my previous complaint.

"Hi, yes. May I speak with Lieutenant Colonel Kikuoka Seijirō?" He made sure to say Kikuoka's last name first. Even still, he was sure it was obvious he wasn't Japanese, what with how slowly he spoke and how badly he butchered the words.

There was a silence on the other side of the line as the woman contemplated what he said. A few seconds later, just before it could get awkward, she spoke again, "Who is this?"

"Oh, uh, my name is A-er, Knight Adam. I may have information on the SAO Incident, and I happen to know that Mis-uh, I mean Kikuoka-sama is an investigator. I was hoping I could make some sort of deal with him?"

More silence. She was probably talking to Kikuoka to see what she should do. She eventually replied with a curt but stiff, "I'm afraid you called the wrong place. In regards to the SAO Incident, please reach out to-"

"Wait!" he pleaded. "Tell him… tell him I know about Project Alicization!" He was desperate. He needed Kikuoka's help, and he knew if anything would get him on the line, it would be an American knowing about Project Alicization. It was extremely risky; Alicization was top secret after all. They's likely suspect him of being some sort of terrorist. But if it was what was needed to get Kikuoka on the line, he couldn't really find it in him to care.

The next stretch of silence was deafening, as if someone had set off a grenade (which he supposed he had, in a figurative sense). When someone finally responded, it wasn't the woman; the new voice was masculine, and one he recognized from the anime. "How do you know about that?" Seijirō Kikuoka demanded.

"Same way I got information on the SAO Incident. It's a long story, and I doubt you'd believe me over the phone," Adam said, attempting to even out his voice. This next part was crucial; it would all come down to this. "Kikuoka-sama, I'd like to meet up with you in person to discuss this in further detail, away from anyone who could be listening in. I want to help with the SAO Incident."

"How do I know this isn't just some elaborate prank?"

"You don't," Adam said evenly. "But are you really willing to take that chance? At the very least, you need to confirm what I know about Project Alicization. While I mean you no harm, I'd honestly be disappointed if you weren't wary of me."

Kikuoka didn't respond, so Adam quickly added, "I can come to you. I'll get my own flight tickets and meet you somewhere in Japan. Just tell me where. Please, hear me out; this is important."

Adam held his breath as Kikuoka contemplated his proposal. Please work please work please work…

After roughly a minute, he heard Kikuoka sigh on the other side of the line. "Fine," he said. "What's the airport closest to your location? I'll pick you up there. I'll use a private jet so we can chat freely. But!" Adam, who had been about to tell him the nearest airport, froze. "If you lie to me at all, I'll have you killed on the spot. Are we clear?"

Adam gulped. "Yes sir."

"Good. Now, what's the airport closest to you?"

Adam told him, making sure to switch back to English first. Geez, speaking in Japanese was stressful; it was so fast!

"Alright," Kikuoka said when he was finished. "I'll see you there at 1200 EST this Saturday." He then hung up with a resounding click!

"Not even a 'have a nice day' or something? Rude," Adam muttered, but supposed he couldn't blame him. Kikuoka probably trusted him about as far as he could throw him. Adam suddenly grinned to himself. It was a thin smile, but a smile nonetheless. I can't believe I actually talked to a character from Sword Art Online! His smile faded into a determined look as fast as it came. "Alright then. Come Saturday, I set my plans into motion."

He stayed up the rest of the night, making sure everything was just right. After all, he didn't want to die without saving at least a few people.