Sword Art Online. That was the game that my mind had been stuck on, ever since I had first heard about it nearly a year ago.

To some people, it was just a normal game to be played, a waste of time.

But to me, it wasn't just a game. It was an exit. An exit from this despairing world, ragged with war, disease, and overall disappointment. And a portal to another world where a single sword can take you to wherever you want to go. A world where I can grow strong, where I don't have to be weak and alone.

Grasping my nervegear, I looked over at the clock on my desk and ran the numbers through my head. 8:58:25 PM… that should be about 12:58 in Japan.

Just two more minutes. Two more minutes. My legs trembled in excitement, as I placed the nervegear on my head and adjusted the neck strap. I lay down on my bed and looked over at the time once more.

8:59:30

Thirty seconds left. I pulled out my phone, checking for any notifications or calls. But just like the last fifty times I checked, no notifications. No calls, no texts, nothing. I closed my phone and placed it back onto my desk. I checked the time again.

9:00:02

The servers were open. It was time. Some might have called it a trigger word, a startup option. But to me, it was a teleportation spell into the world of Aincrad. I took a deep breath.

"LINK START!"