Hey howdy hey! Happy Valentine's Day. Hope you all spent the day with someone you liked or are close to.
I am not sure if part of the lack of reviews is due to my readers not being notified, or just not having anything to talk about. But I do want to stress how reviews really help alert me to what is done well in a story, and what should be addressed down the line in the story. And believe me, I read every review that comes my way, and even re-read them on more than one occasion (especially ones addressing issues in the story).
But enough about that. Let's get to it.
Disclaimer: Reki Kawahara is the author/creator of Sword Art Online and its characters. All rights and ownership belong to him.
Now then,
LINK START!
Chapter 21:
Journey of Two Hearts
The next morning, Leafa went to the tavern Kirito was staying at to pick him up. When she arrived, she found him at one of the tables before standing up once she arrived. But he noticed her troubled look and went over to her.
"Hey, what's the matter?" he asked her, with Yui sitting on his shoulder.
Her face looking awfully serious, Leafa informed, "I got word from a friend that we captured Alice last night. They should be bringing her to the central square now."
His face looking grim, Kirito urged, "Then let's get going to the square. I doubt they'll keep her alive for much longer." Before he left, Leafa grabbed his wrist to get him to face her.
"Kirito," she started to say. But she stopped, struggling to say what words she needed to say. Kirito looked at her oddly, not sure what was going on.
Until she finally said, "If we do this, breaking Alice out, I'll be considered a renegade. That means I won't be coming back to Sylvain ever again. I doubt I'll be welcome in Alfheim either. We might run into trouble if we do this."
"Doesn't matter," Kirito replied immediately. "I'm not abandoning my friends. We hold true to our oath, and everything will work out. Besides, you don't need to be associated with this. If you want, I'll go free her myself."
"What? No!" Leafa protested. "I can get her out. Don't do this to yourself."
"I have to," Kirito firmly stated. "I need to pick up the slack. Where should I meet you once I rescue her?"
Thinking about it briefly, she told him, "The central tower. It's the highest structure in Sylvain. Anyone who goes on long journeys uses that to get a start in their flight. Meet me at the top. We'll figure something out for Alice then."
Smirking, Kirito assured, "She'll have the flying part covered then. Trust me." After being let go, Kirito hurried out to the central square. Leafa watched him go for a bit, anxiety creeping into her. But she got herself to focus before taking off for the tower, giving one last glance back to the boy in black.
In the central square, Sylphs gathered around a platform where a girl in golden armor stood, bound with ropes and her hair a mess. Alice had her eyes closed, not meeting anyone's gaze to avoid their ire. She could sense it though, their concern and bitterness towards her. But she paid them no mind.
A man came onto the platform next to her, with long, dark green hair and wearing grey armor with a dark green cape trailing down his back. He threw out his arm, silencing the murmuring crowd.
"My people," he announced loudly, "today we have before us a transgressor. This being, this heathen, invades and pollutes our land with its very presence. Yes my brothers and sister, we do indeed have in our midst a human." This brought a wave of animosity from everyone gathered. But the man continued, "I, Sigurd, a loyal servant of our Lady Sakuya, see fit to judge this human in her stead. By the teachings of King Oberon, I declare this heathen be put to death." A great cry of approval erupted from the crowd. They all chanted to kill Alice in a myriad of ways: beheading, hanging, burning at the stake. All kinds of execution methods were called out at this.
The man called Sigurd stood in front of Alice, inquiring, "And what does the lowly human have to say for itself?"
Lifting her gaze and meeting his eyes, she replied, steadfast, "I say my death will earn you nothing. Kill me if you must, but I know your kind. You who flaunt power and believe it makes the world owe you everything. One day that power will disappear, leaving you with nothing but emptiness and despair. Such a fate awaits one such as you." Sigurd scowled at her words, but said nothing else as he drew his sword.
He drew it across his body, ready to swing across and remove her head in one motion. But he failed to notice the figure in black rushing through the crowd, his own sword drawn. He failed to notice anything of this figure, like the glow of purple or the ringing of his sword. As Sigurd made to behead her, he failed to see the Vorpal Strike Kirito used to knock his blade away.
Everyone gasped at Kirito's arrival, but he said nothing as he moved to shove Sigurd back. Quickly, he cut the bindings holding Alice and took her by the hand. As quickly as he came, he made to leave. But Sigurd called for soldiers to stop him. In response, he used a Horizontal to bat away those immediately in his path, his blade only blowing them back by hitting their spears. Not wasting any time, he and Alice rushed through the opening, the Sylphs all clearing the way so as not to be touched by his presence.
"Kill them!" Sigurd bellowed. "Kill the humans!" And while soldiers rallied after them, Kirito led Alice to the central tower. Neither spoke a word as they fled from the riot behind them. Knowing they would be caught if nothing was done, Kirito led Alice near a market. Passing a stand selling goods, Kirito kicked up some flour to make a smokescreen to mask their escape. The soldiers were too busy trying to clear it that they stopped in their pursuit, losing track of the humans fleeing. With them distracted, the two humans ducked down a narrow alley to further throw them off their trail, carefully making their way to the central tower where Leafa was waiting for them.
Leafa waited on the platform stretching out to the distant mountains. It had only been a few minutes since she arrived, but she was already very nervous for Kirito. She wasn't sure when or if he would arrive. She began to second guess her decision to let him rescue Alice alone. No matter how good he thought he was, there was no way he could fend off all those Sylphs and get here unharmed. She feared he had been caught, ready for execution.
Before she could go find him, the door leading to the lift opened, and out came Kirito and the girl she recognized to be Alice. Both stopped once they got out, panting from the run they had to do.
"We… We made it," Kirito said between pants.
Recovering, Alice replied, "I am glad you came to rescue me. I was worried you had died in the fall." She then looked up, spotting Leafa looking at them. But unlike Kirito, she recognized her eyes and how she looked at them. Thus she asked, "Suguha? Is that you?"
Smiling, Leafa answered, "Hey Alice. Long time no see, right?"
Confused, Kirito questioned, "Wait, how do you know this is Sugu? I can't even tell."
Giving him a flat look, Alice muttered, "Clearly." She returned to normal as she approached the girl, saying, "It is good to see you. Though I do not know what fortune brought you here. Let alone your sudden change." She noted the different hair and the pointed ears.
So Leafa briefly explained, "Long story short, I was reborn as a Sylph. I had died back in Rulid, so I live here in Alfheim now."
Taking in what she said, Alice muttered, "So that must have been why Selka looked so distraught." Before Leafa could ask anything about it, she inquired, "What are you doing here? If you are one of these people, why don't you bring me before their leader? The one called Sigurd."
"Sigurd's not a leader," Leafa replied. "Not like Lady Sakuya. He's just one of her high officers. As for why I don't help him, it's because I want to help you and Kirito. He told me Asuna was brought here by Oberon. I want to help, to save her and see if Oberon really was lying about him protecting us."
"Then we better get going," Kirito urged. "There's a whole mob coming up this tower, ready to murder us on the spot."
"That's what you get for barging in and attacking them," Alice chastised.
Outraged, Kirito responded, "Hey, that saved your life you know. Maybe you can be a bit more grateful I didn't let them kill you at that moment."
"And the alternative is to hide up here then?" Alice challenged.
To which Kirito stated, "No. We're going to fly away." Alice looked at him dubiously until he summoned his wings to show her he meant flying. He gave her a shortened version on how Leafa gave him wings. When the mention of Yui came up, said pixie appeared from his pocket.
"It's good to see you again, Auntie," she greeted brightly. Alice's breath caught in her throat at seeing the girl again. Even though she was what she was now, Alice began to tear up a little.
She held her hand out for Yui to stand on, then asked, "Yui, is that really you?"
"It's really me Auntie," the girl assured. "I'm really back. And I'm so glad we rescued you." Slowly, she was drawn up to Alice's face, who then brought her other hand around, gently hugging her to her face. Yui returned the gesture in response.
"Welcome back to the world, little one," Alice whispered. With this, she felt her resolve emboldened in rescuing Asuna and Eugeo. She looked to the others after pulling away, inquiring, "And how am I to fly with you?"
"Is Amayori nearby?" Kirito asked. To which they heard a dragon call from nearby. Pretty soon, the three of them were met with Amayori touching down on the platform. In her maw was Alice's Osmanthus Blade, the hilt sticking out of the left side.
Alice went over and stroked her faithful companion's head while retrieving her sword. "Thank you, Amayori," she told her. "Let us never part again from here on." Amayori gave a low growl in reply. The Integrity Knight strapped the sword to her waist before turning to meet the others. "Alright, where shall we go?"
Pointing outward, Leafa informed, "The World Tree, where we think Asuna is, has a city at its base called Arun. We'll be heading east to those mountains, and we'll meet with a friend of mine in a series of caves in the mountains themselves."
"We may be slowed down by those caves," Yui mentioned. "Your wings don't work underground, so you can't fly down there. And Amayori will be very restricted in her flying as well."
"It'll be alright," Alice assured. "I'm more concerned about this friend of yours. Can they be trusted?"
"Mostly," Leafa admitted, "but she's reliable. Not to mention my partner in most battles."
"Sounds like reason enough to trust them," Kirito claimed. As he called for them to leave, the lift door opened again. The two humans had their hands on their swords, ready to meet whoever was coming after them. But it was only a single fairy that came out, stumbling forward as he exited.
"Recon?" Leafa questioned. "What are you doing up here?"
The boy answered, "I came to rescue you." Putting his hand on the dagger strapped to his back, he stated, "These humans got away from Sigurd. I'm here to bring them back." Just then, Leafa drew her own sword and pointed it at Recon, much to his confusion.
"No, you're not," she told him sternly. "These people are with me. And I am taking them to the World Tree. If anyone gets in my way, I'll cut them down."
"What are you saying Leafa?" Recon asked worriedly. "Have you been brainwashed? The Leafa I know wouldn't side with humans."
"Yes I would," she replied. In an undertone, she added, "Having been one myself."
Before Recon could ask what she meant, Kirito intervened, "Listen, Recon, we're not doing anything to Leafa. We don't have that kind of power. All we want is to rescue a friend of ours we know is at the top of the World Tree. Leafa is just guiding us there. Once we get what we came for, we'll go home and never darken your world again. She's just helping to get rid of us is all." A tense silence settled on those gathered as they waited for what Recon would do. Alice had not moved her hand away from her sword, and Amayori was growling at the fairy to protect her.
Looking at Leafa, Recon asked, "Is it true what they said? That they want to find someone here from their world?"
"It's true Recon," Leafa said with conviction, lowering her sword. "Once they have their friend, they'll leave Alfheim."
"Well in that case," Recon proclaimed, removing his hand from his dagger, "I'll go with you. I want to make sure they leave like they say they will." But then, he told them, "At least I would. But something's been bugging me recently. I'm going to stay here for the time being and investigate it. So be safe out there Leafa."
Sheathing her sword and smiling, Leafa replied, "I will Recon. Don't you worry. We'll be meeting Sinon on the way. If anything comes up, send a Moonlight Mirror message to her at once."
"Can do Leafa," Recon said with enthusiasm. And he hurried back to the lift to leave. His actions and behavior baffled the two humans, but they decided to let it be. They had bigger fish to fry. Once Alice was saddled on Amayori and Yui was safely in Kirito's pocket, the three of them flew off for the mountains to the east.
"That guy Recon a friend of yours?" Kirito inquired.
"Yeah, a rather loud one," Leafa said with a slight grumble. Kirito smirked at her response, to which she interrogated, "Okay, what's that for?"
"Nothing," he told her. But neither she nor Alice believed him. But at present, it hardly mattered to him. With that, the four ventured off on their journey to the World Tree.
Up in the bird cage, Asuna waited in the pod while Oberon ogled her inside, supposedly being changed to fit his whims. During the night, she learned she was somehow able to leave the pod and walk about the cage. But as soon as he approached, she entered to keep up the deception that she had been trapped inside since he put her there. She knew not how it was possible, but she figured the goddesses had something to do in interfering with Oberon's plans. Through half-lidded eyes, she watched Oberon fawn over her beauty, muttering happily to himself. It only made his demise something to look forward to when Kirito got here.
As Oberon's hand passed over her chest, his face made a turn and he scowled. Asuna made no moves to avoid drawing attention. But she wondered what was making him so displeased.
"Seems you are actively rejecting the transformation," he pondered aloud. "You should be in a place that coaxes you to accept being turned into my Titania. But why do you resist?" Then a thought came to him, and he deduced, "It is him, isn't it? Kirito is the reason you refuse this life I have blessed you with. But it should be quashed by now." Looking her over, Oberon then took notice to the ring on her finger. At that, his face contorted with rage. He stormed around the cage, fuming at what he had discovered. Asuna heard him mention how infuriated he was for not noticing, bringing a smirk to her face that Kirito was able to undermine the will of a 'god'. But she dropped it when she noticed him coming back to her.
"I suppose I will have to manage this myself," he muttered angrily. With a wave of his hand, he drew Asuna out of the pod and onto the ground. She hacked and coughed, recovering from holding her breath and nearly taking in whatever fluid the pod was filled with. Once she recovered enough, Oberon seized her hand with the ring and moved to take it off. But with everything so far, Asuna's fears were minimal. No matter how much Oberon tugged or wiggled the ring, it would not budge from its place on her finger. His failure made him even more furious as he furthered his attempts, to the point where Asuna began to feel in pain from the pressure the ring applied to her finger.
Oberon gave up before too long, muttering angrily once again. Asuna massaged her finger to ease the pain, grateful for it staying on. Whatever might be the case, she believed it was because of the pact she and Kirito made in Aincrad that kept her bound to it. And if such a little thing gave so much grief to this deplorable man, she would bear with it until she was recovered by him.
Facing her, Oberon ordered, "Remove it."
Immediately, Asuna refuted, saying, "I won't. Not for you."
"Remove that accursed thing, or I will cut it off," he threatened. "I would rather not damage you, but I will have no choice with that thing interfering."
To this, she responded, "You won't be so drastic. To do something like that would mar me. I know you would like me as I am, flawless and unspoiled. But I am not yours."
"Yes yes, I am well aware of your affections for the boy," Oberon returned with a sigh. Then he asked, "But tell me, my dear Titania, what does he offer you?" Walking around her and taking strands of her hair into his hands, Oberon said, "He is a nobody. No name, no title. Nothing, really. And a criminal, no less. Oh yes, Quinella told me her Senate found the boy when he took a man's life. Such actions are in disfavor to your goddesses. Even if Quinella made most of the laws in the Index, many were ones given by the goddesses themselves when they walked among humans in Underworld's early days. Now tell me, what does he have to offer that I do not?"
Staunchly, Asuna replied, "Nothing. And that's all I want. I do not care for titles or deeds, only for him. Kirito has done more for me than you could ever fathom in the many years you have existed in this world. His heart, his soul, it is much greater than you could ever hope to be." Looking up at him, she added, "And besides, my heart was given to him years ago. Long before Aincrad, and long before Quinella took me for you. I have nothing for you to take."
At first, she thought Oberon would throw a tantrum at her rebellion. But he returned calmly, "Well, then perhaps I should seize him for myself. If he holds your heart, all I have to do is kill him and take his heart for myself."
"You'll never find him," Asuna warned. "Kirito will evade you. And when he comes for me, he'll kill you."
"Do not forget who I am," Oberon reminded. "After all, I am the king of the fairies. The little gnats may be a nuisance, but they have their uses. And they shall be the ones to claim my prize for me. Why, just last night, they had captured one of your ilk. I believe her name was Alice Zhuberg." At the mention of her name, Asuna gasped, her eyes wide with shock. "Oh? Not expecting that, were you?" Oberon taunted. "Yes, she was captured as of last night and taken to Sylvain. I wager her head will be rolling by now. But then, she might have been rescued by Kirito. Perhaps finding him will be easier than you think, my dear."
Having dealt some damage to her resistance, Oberon seized her and forced her back into the pod. "Perhaps it might take breaking your will to end this interference," he told her, "but you will be mine before long. When I do find him, his blood will be on your hands." And he left, closing the birdcage behind him. As he went back towards the World Tree, Asuna scrambled out. As she shivered from the wind hitting her wet skin and clothing, she began to formulate a strategy to escape. If Kirito was out there with Alice, she wanted to find them first.
In the skies above the forest, Kirito and Alice fought alongside Leafa to bat away some monsters that managed to find them. Fighting while flying was a very new thing for Kirito. He had enough trouble doing basic flying. Add to that swinging his sword at the monsters besieging them, and he was starting to wonder how he would survive in this new land.
Alice was faring far better, due in part to Amayori being a factor in the fight. She held back on unleashing the dragon's fire breath, wanting to save that for when the situation called for it. But her tail and maw were deadly weapons in their own right. And Alice was adept at fighting on her back, parrying or batting the monsters away for Amayori to take care of.
As Kirito battled on, he saw how Leafa maneuvered through the sky with her sword. She would fly around and strike at foes that got too close, using insane attacks that not even he thought were possible like going upside down to attack. Towards the end of the fight, she muttered another incantation in Alfheim's tongue to fire what looked like energy bolts that struck down monsters trying to flee.
With the monsters all dealt with, the three regrouped around Amayori to congratulate each other on a job well done.
"Not bad Alice," Leafa commended. "You and Amayori are quite the team."
"Thank you," Alice returned. "And your flying is fascinating, not to mention a boon. You truly are most adept in the skies."
Looking to her brother, Leafa teased, "Compared to my brother, who seems to flounder more than he swings his sword."
To that, Kirito shot back, "Give me a break Leafa. I only got these wings yesterday. You've had a whole year to get used to them."
"Kirito, I could do some of the stuff I do now from the beginning," she retorted. "The fact that you struggle with something so easy is hilarious." Kirito grumbled at that, but Alice intervened to keep the banter to a minimum. And good thing she did, as their wings were beginning to look faded.
"We'd better land and let our wings rest," Leafa advised. The three descended to a clearing by a brook before the two winged ones dismissed their wings while Alice dismounted Amayori to let her dragon rest.
Amayori went to the brook and plunged her head to snatch some fish, surprising Leafa by her ferocity and manner of seizing food. She was even more amazed Kirito was unaffected by this behavior, knowing he had never seen a full-grown dragon before. But he claimed to know about their behaviors from his time at the academy, not to mention meeting another dragon tamer at the time as well.
Once Amayori finished filling her belly, the three of them went over to drink and replenish the water skins they had while the dragon went to the side to nap. The three then divvied up the rations they had and started eating. As they did, Leafa noticed a red chute Kirito was chewing on in between bites.
"Hey Kirito, where did you get that?" she asked him.
Removing it from his mouth, he told her, "I got it at that tavern back in Sylvain. The innkeeper gave it to me as a farewell gift. She said they are very common in Sylvain." He tossed a spare for her to try, which she did somewhat warily. The instant she bit into it, she regretted it. Her mouth seemed to run aflame the instant it touched her tongue.
As she coughed from the intense heat, Alice admonished, "Next time, warn your sister if something is beyond her limits."
"It's not like I knew what her limit was," Kirito tried to argue back. "And besides, it doesn't bother me."
"Surprising no one, especially with those spicy sandwiches Asuna made you," the Integrity Knight noted. "I'm just amazed Yui can tolerate those things." Said pixie was in Kirito's lap, chowing down on a small fruit Kirito set aside for her.
Once she recovered, Leafa looked over at the two and asked, "Hey, can you two tell me more about… you know, Aincrad and everything? It sounds like that place really is a living hell compared to Underworld." The two noticed that the way she asked sounded like she was afraid of what they would tell her. Like the truth of their experience would cause her some undo harm.
Surprisingly, Alice was the first to say something, assuring, "It sounds worse than it was. True, we had to survive where we could, but some things made it easier to make living in Aincrad bearable. Such as the Safe Zones that protected everyone's Life from being depleted. Beyond that, having companions to rely on was important too."
Picking up where she left off, Kirito added, "Not to mention there were good people up there. People the church wrongly accused and sent to Aincrad because they were afraid of them. Those people were good and honest. And I would probably trust a few of them with my life if needed. There was even a time one of the monsters saved my life. A wolf whose pack I killed for a quest job, saving me from some murderers." That bit of news surprised Leafa. She had thought much of their time in Aincrad was made possible because of Asuna and Eugeo. But hearing all of that made her interested more than she had been in the offset.
Before they continued, Alice stood up and instructed, "Kirito, walk with me. There is something I need to teach you in case we meet a foe too strong for conventional fighting to handle." Kirito nodded before setting Yui on the ground and rising to follow her deeper into the woods. Their departure made Leafa wonder what Alice needed to say to him.
But her mind was more inclined to learn about Yui, considering all she had been told about the girl prior to coming to Alfheim.
So she began asking, "Hey Yui, can you explain a few things to me?"
Flying into her lap, Yui answered, "Gladly. What do you want to know, Aunt Leafa?" Being called her aunt made Leafa feel a bit awkward.
But she pushed past it, mentioning, "So why do you call Kirito your daddy? I mean, he's not old enough to have kids with Asuna yet. And they aren't married." That thought made her face grow red in embarrassment at entertaining the notion.
But Yui assured, "Mommy and Daddy found me in Aincrad. They rescued me and told me to call them whatever I felt okay with. That's why he's my Daddy."
"Okay, but why do you feel so inclined to him?" Leafa went on.
"That's because Mommy and Daddy cared about me like their own daughter," the pixie answered. "Even when I told them everything about Underworld, they still considered me their daughter and wanted to give me a family. Even Auntie welcomed me, even though she was concerned about who I really was."
Deciding to focus on something else, Leafa asked, "What did you mean about 'everything' with Underworld?"
"As in the whole history, the real history," Yui told her. "One not told by the church. Because Quinella warped some of the history to fit her own version, so people would be devoted to her and her rule."
"And that explains why she took Alice and Asuna all those years ago?" Leafa questioned.
"In part, yes," Yui informed her. "But for Mommy, it was because she is very special." For some reason, Yui looked at Leafa oddly. She then flew up and began circling her, giving the girl a weird feeling at being looked at.
"What is it Yui?" she inquired.
To which Yui revealed, "You are very special too Leafa. Just like Mommy. Perhaps I can tell you the real truth then." She then explained, "You see, the three goddesses will return to Underworld one day when the Dark Territory invades. Their role will be to fend them off and protect the humans under their protection. But to do that, they will need chosen vessels to inhabit to be among humans. Mommy is the chosen vessel for the goddess Stacia."
"Wait, what?!" Leafa said in alarm.
"And you Leafa," Yui continued, "from what I could sense with the power Cardinal gave me, you are a chosen vessel too. But because you were born after Mommy, Quinella must have overlooked you. Because you are chosen for the goddess Terreria. At least, it looks that way."
"What?!" Leafa exclaimed, causing Amayori to look up, disgruntled from being woken from her nap.
"But you mustn't let anyone else know you are a vessel," Yui warned. "Quinella hopes to take their power for herself, as does Oberon. They can use you to steal away Terreria's power when she enters your body. You must keep it a secret."
"But why me? Why make me a vessel?" Leafa asked urgently. "I mean, I'm a fairy now. Doesn't that, I don't know, discount me or something?"
Yui shook her head, explaining, "You were chosen at birth by the goddess herself. And they don't change their decisions for any reason. Besides, you were human. The goddesses would still choose you even though you are reincarnated."
"Okay, but what will happen to me?" Leafa asked further. "Will I just cease to exist or something?"
"That's actually what we hope to prevent," Yui informed. "If you are able to hold on to your humanity in some way, you won't be overtaken by the goddesses. But it must be a strong bond, strong enough to even surpass them. Mommy has Daddy, so you need someone like that."
"A bond surpassing the goddesses…" Leafa repeated, mulling over her words. She wondered if she had such a bond that could keep the goddesses from overtaking her. It was then her thoughts fell on Kirito and Eugeo, and she shook her head in embarrassment at the notion.
Seeing her behavior, Yui asked, "What's wrong Leafa?"
"Nothing, it's nothing!" Leafa answered.
Then, she heard Kirito inquire, "What's nothing? What's going on?" This startled her, who had not even heard Alice approaching with all the armor she wore.
Seeing him back, Yui flew up to Kirito and greeted, "Welcome back Daddy. I was just telling Leafa about the goddesses and—"
"It's nothing!" Leafa strongly protested. "Yui, let's just leave it at that." Before any more awkward questions could be asked, Leafa then said, "Did you guys finish whatever talk you were having? Just letting you know now, if it's something scandalous, I'm telling Asuna."
Stiffening at the threat, Kirito exclaimed, "It's nothing like that. Alice was just teaching me a special Sacred Art."
Stepping forward, Alice elaborated, "It's a Sacred Art one can only do with Divine Objects. However, it will take more time to really teach Kirito how to use it. But his Night Sky Blade should be capable of it."
"Wait, a Sacred Art using Divine Objects?" Leafa questioned. "I don't remember any of those in the church's tomes."
"It's a technique reserved for Integrity Knights," Alice informed. "But we may need to overlook the rules to ensure success in our pursuits." Moving over to Amayori, she asked them, "Are your wings rested enough to continue the journey?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah," Leafa responded, "we should be able to make it to the Legrue Corridor now. There's a town halfway through my friend will meet us at. She might not take too kindly to you if you piss her off, so don't say anything stupid."
Being given a glare by Alice, Kirito argued, "Seriously? I do not tick people off like that."
"Regrettably, you do Kirito," she returned coldly. "So mind yourself while we meet this friend." Just as the two summoned their wings and Alice mounted, Kirito and she glanced at a spot in the woods behind them.
Noticing this, Leafa inquired, "What's wrong?"
"I think we're being followed," Kirito told her. "I feel like someone's there, watching us."
"I do too," Alice added. Even Amayori seemed to be watching the spot they were, growling at whatever was there.
But Leafa waved it off, saying, "It's probably a monster thinking we're its next meal. Let's get going so we can make it to Legrue on time." Not convinced but not willing to argue, the two humans decided to let it be for now. With Yui safely in Kirito's pocket, they took off.
Before Leafa followed, she felt the onset of a headache that caused her to grip her head rather tight. As quickly as it came, it faded away. But the presence of such a phenomenon worried her. Still, she gave it no attention as she quickly took off to catch up with Kirito and Alice. Little did any of them know was a small group that was tailing them in the shadows.