Hey everyone!

So, seems hype for SAO is rolling back in. Especially with Aria of a Starless Night getting a Blu-Ray release soon and Scherzo, the second Progressive movie, is coming out later this year of 2022. This certainly makes it exciting to be an SAO fan.

This chapter is a bit on the shorter side, but we'll be getting back to the meat of the story next chapter. But I would ask for patience as I have a pretty big event coming this month, so getting the next chapter up might be pushed back because of it.

Until then, continue to enjoy this story as much as you want.

Disclaimer: Reki Kawahara is the owner/creator of SAO and its content. I own nothing aside from this idea.

Now then,

LINK START!

Chapter 37:

Return

After dodging Eldrie and getting directions from Sheyta, the four from Rulid entered the Great Library to find Yui. Not much time had passed since their return, so it was unlikely the daughter of Kirito and Asuna would be active at this moment. Still, especially for Eugeo, they wanted to make sure she was alright. It was one of a couple things they wanted to be assured of.

They entered the room Cardinal took the girl to last time, finding both the library keeper and girl inside. Cardinal was now in a wheelchair after the battle with Quinella, being tended to by Renly. Not only did they regard the four's entrance, but the one they had sought was also awake.

"Mommy! Everyone!" Yui called to them inside the glowing sphere of sacred energy.

"Yui!" Asuna cried out as she rushed over.

But just before she breached the sphere, Cardinal commanded, "Stop! Penetrate that sphere, and you'll undo all the work I have done. Doubtless that will lead to her demise."

Being careful, Asuna placed her hand on the sphere without going through. Yui came down and rested her hand at the same spot. The chestnut-haired girl began to cry, so close yet so far away from her little girl.

Eugeo came up behind her and asked, "Hey Yui. Do you… Do you remember me?"

Almost immediately, Yui responded, "Uncle! You've been freed from her control."

"Y-Yeah Yui. Your aunt brought me back," the boy returned, though his answer lacked any enthusiasm.

As he looked at his childhood friend, Kirito inferred Eugeo still felt lingering guilt about crossing swords with Alice while he was under Quinella's control. No matter what anyone said, he would no doubt carry that burden for a long time. What he did with it was the concerning part, but they would tackle that when the time came.

Being wheeled over, Cardinal inquired, "I suppose all you four wanted was to see her restored?" When they nodded, she informed, "It's coming along a lot faster than I first thought. Between the mana from the World Tree and her connection to all of you, it's as if her body is willing itself back together with my help. I do not know when she will be restored, but it shouldn't be too much longer."

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Asuna spoke, "Thank you Cardinal." The others voiced their gratitude as well.

Looking stern again, Cardinal directed Renly to turn her chair to address the four present. Once she properly faced them, she stated, "I am sure you are all aware about Quinella being in the Radius at the top of Aincrad. And I know some of you will be going to Alfheim to request help from the fairies there."

"That's the idea," Kirito replied, crossing his arms. "And some of us will be staying here to help clear the floors faster and get to the Ruby Palace."

"Well, while you are in Alfheim, there is something you should consider acquiring," Cardinal pointed out. She reached out to a nearby table and picked up a dusty tome with glyphs that looked like those from Alfheim on the cover. "I found a record of a powerful Divine Object the fairies guarded since their creation. A weapon that could cut through anything. The holy sword, Excalibur."

At the mention of the name, Kirito and Alice recalled when Sugou, or Oberon, had called down a sword by that very name. That was a Divine Object, the strongest they had? That didn't seem right, as Kirito batted it away when Sugou fought with him. His Night Sky Blade was not even chipped in the fight.

But Cardinal went on to explain, "Now the sword you fought with Oberon was not the true Excalibur. Only one such sword exists in Aincrad, though no one has been able to find it. Many other swords that bear a resemblance to it have been crafted to replicate its might. These bear a similar name: Caliburn. Which is no doubt the weapon you went against while rescuing Asuna."

"So then, the sword was a fake?" Alice questioned. "But Sugou called for Excalibur."

"According to legend, the real Excalibur will only answer to the wielder that truly proves his worth and has been accepted by the blade," Cardinal elaborated. "There tells of various trials one who hopes to wield the sword must pass to wield the sword. However, the trials themselves are not described by said legends. And even where they might be is not disclosed."

"But then why bring this up?" Eugeo pointed out. "If it can't be found, wouldn't we be wasting our time trying to find it?"

"The sword chooses who wields it," Alice recited. "That sounds a lot like what happened with the Blue Rose Sword. Eugeo felt a connection to the sword since we were children. Perhaps this is similar. But would it really be one of us?"

"There is no way to know, unfortunately," Cardinal answered. "But any advantage we can gain over Quinella will be crucial in the coming battle. This sword is one of them."

"I guess we'll make that one of our tasks then," Kirito figured. "It might even help convince the fairies to help if we find their holy sword and are able to use it."

Just then, they heard the door to the library open again and heard someone walk in. Looking back, the group saw Kayaba entering in his robe. His face seemed to lighten up when he looked upon Cardinal. However, the girl in question seemed more put off by his presence, with perhaps a hint of a pout. The group stepped back as the ruler of Aincrad approached his daughter.

"I am glad to see you are well, Lyserith," Kayaba greeted.

Looking to the side, Cardinal replied, "That girl is gone. You know this." As they began speaking, Renly slowly moved away from Cardinal and towards Eugeo and Alice.

Smiling in response to her harsh words, Kayaba responded, "I'm afraid what we once know may not be so certain. You have seen people who have lost their prior identities regain them thanks to the connections they share."

"These four are different from us," Cardinal argued. "We are individuals who abandoned our humanity to attain power and sustain our lives. Besides, Quinella erased your daughter. All traces of her have vanished."

"Lyserith…" the elder man uttered.

Getting angry, Cardinal then scolded, "Stop calling me what I am not! I am not your daughter, just someone inhabiting her body. Who you think I am is gone. She will never come back, no matter how many times you try to reach her. She is dead."

"I refuse to believe that," Kayaba stated sternly.

"She is dead, you hear me?! Lyserith is dead!" As Cardinal shouted, she tried getting to her feet. But due to the lack of one of her legs, she lost her balance and fell forward. Renly was about to go aid her when Alice stopped him. The group saw Kayaba had been one step ahead rushed forward to catch the little girl, now resting on the ground with Cardinal in his lap. Her cap had fallen off, but they barely even noticed.

As Cardinal looked up, Kayaba reasoned, "I have lived with the loss of my daughter for hundreds of years. But in my heart, I believe she is alive. Merely sleeping while you look after her. It has happened with these four. And so, I will continue to hope. I will continue to yearn for my daughter to come home."

Despite the sweetness and calmness of this declaration, Cardinal pushed away from him and shuffled back to her chair. "And I will remind you every time," she said harshly, her voice icy and dispassionate, "your daughter is never coming back. The sooner you can accept that reality, the sooner you can move on and do something about this mess you have made." She tried getting back onto her chair, but the wheels ended up working against her and making her try to control it while lifting herself to sit. Eventually, Renly came and helped set her in.

Fixing a hard gaze at the ruler of Aincrad, she concluded, "You will never change. There was a very good reason why I disassociated with you after that day." She then directed Renly to take her away, which the flustered Integrity Knight did with some stuttering and nearly tripping over himself in the process.

Once they had left, Asuna came up to Kayaba and asked, "Commander, what was that all about?"

"I am curious about it too," Alice added. "Quinella called her Lyserith too. She even mentioned she was related to you. Is Cardinal… truly your daughter?" The four and Yui looked on at the elder man, tense at what he would say.

After a deep breath, Kayaba responded with, "Back when we created our ideal worlds, Sugou, Quinella, and myself all separated and began to live in our respective domains. It was a lonely existence, even for me. I would watch the people I took in struggle to fight off the monsters and lose hope of ever going to higher floors. Many took their own lives because of the hopelessness they found themselves in. Grieved by this, I came to walk among them and tried to spur them on. Thus I became Heathcliff, to provide hope for them."

That bit of info certainly surprised the group. They never knew Kayaba had been involved with the people in Aincrad back in the beginning. Though, that probably was what lent to him becoming so confident in his leadership as well as in creating the Knights of the Blood Oath guild.

"For nearly a century, I fought and spurred them on to clear the castle I had created," Kayaba went on, finding a chair off to the side to sit in. "For a time, that was all I concerned myself with. Especially considering I needed to prepare for the Dark Territory's invasion. It became my sole focus for some time.

"That is until, someone barged into my life. I had grown tired from fighting for so long and had set down to rest. Then, someone just comes up to me and begins to lecture me about how important it was to keep fighting. It was the first time someone approached me, let alone lectured me. After all was said and done, all I could say was, 'What am I going to do with you?' And that caught her by surprise."

"It was a woman?" Asuna questioned.

Kayaba nodded, then continued, "That wouldn't be our last meeting. We were such polar opposites whenever we did meet in towns and villages between fights. But for some reason we were drawn to each other. She was always such an inquisitive individual that it made it difficult to hide who I really was. And while she didn't fight on the front lines to clear the castle, she made sure to provide support with the Sacred Arts or even with building up intelligence on the dungeons. Perhaps that was why I was drawn to her. Compared to everyone, she had fervor in her goals."

Letting out a sigh like he was remembering something pleasant, he went on, "Before too long, I gave up trying to hide myself and told her who I was. I expected many things from it: outrage, bitterness, hatred. I expected everything to fall apart and return to my meaningless existence in eternity. Instead, she confessed she knew who I was and that she didn't care. Who I was to her was not the person spoken of by people suffering in this prison. For one of the few moments in my life, I felt human."

"But what happened after?" Eugeo asked, his curiosity overcoming his sense of decorum.

No one paid any attention to it, least of all Kayaba. As he elaborated, "In that moment, when I bared myself to her, I knew I wanted to keep that light shining. I had found joy with someone. She felt the same, and we were wed. And barely a year after, we welcomed our daughter into the world: Lyserith. And for 8 years we were a happy family. I forgot about the outside world, about Aincrad, about the Dark Territory and the goddesses. I had all I needed. I required nothing more."

Then his face became downcast, and he revealed, "But it was not to last. Whatever spurred her actions, Quinella seized my daughter while she was out playing in the fields. I only found out when my wife came home, hysterical and holding a note. I raced at once to stop her, but I was too late. Lyserith had fallen victim to her scheme, but I prevented the ritual from being completed as she intended. What happened after, you all know."

A silence fell as the group took in that info. While they were all aware of Quinella's cruelty and sadistic nature, this seemed to make her actions even more deplorable. And having fought and been with Kayaba as long as they had, they knew how much that life he had meant to him.

Yui broke the silence by asking, "And your wife, her name was Rinko. Rinko Kojiro at one point. What became of her?"

Hanging his head, Kayaba told them, "She suffered horribly after what happened. She barely smiled at first, even attempted to take her own life to end her suffering. I do not know why she kept on living. It was a marvel to see her so resilient. But then she asked me to put her into an eternal sleep using the Deep Freeze art. She knew I would live forever because of what I did with my Life. And that I would overthrow Quinella to free our world. I told her I would, but I would provide a means for her to return so our daughter could come back to her family."

"Wait, she's still alive?" Kirito questioned suddenly.

The elder man nodded, then finished, "I suppose part of my efforts with you four have been because of her. Being an immortal makes one's mind degrade in ways that hinder our will. For Quinella, it was her fixation on control. For Sugou, his desires overcame him. For me, I merely saw life as something dull and without meaning. She gave me a reason to live, helping me find those that would set this world right."

It was still a hard pill to swallow. Even if his wife was still alive and just in a spellbound sleep, everything that led up to it had to have been taxing on Kayaba. For 200 years he waited until they came along. Kirito himself wondered if he would have had the will to keep going if something happened to Yui and Asuna. When he thought about it, he deduced even he wouldn't have had such tenacity to go on like Kayaba has. That loss, that feeling of hopelessness, it would consume him. It nearly had already.

This also gave Kirito a newfound respect for Kayaba. He still admired some things about the man, like his efforts to thwart Quinella or prepare for the invasion, but he had to acknowledge how much more the man had gone through.

Getting back to his feet, Kayaba told them, "Now then, have you come to a decision regarding your next steps?"

"We have," Kirito replied almost immediately. "Alice and Eugeo will stay behind and help clear the floors and Dungeon Masters to get to the Ruby Palace. Asuna and I will go back to Alfheim to get help from the fairies there. We will also seek out this legendary sword they have called Excalibur. It might give us an advantage against Quinella when we finally face her."

Smirking, Kayaba returned, "A sound plan. If that is the case, you must proceed as soon as possible. Let us convene with Bercouli and finalize the plans."

Kayaba left the room, but Asuna faced Yui once more and pressed her hand against the sphere protecting her daughter. "We'll be back soon Yui," she said, her voice slightly strained with emotion.

"Good luck, Mommy," Yui said in kind. Looking up, she added, "Be safe Daddy, Auntie, Uncle."

"We will Yui," Kirito told her. "Promise."

"We'll see you again once Cardinal has restored you fully," Alice assured.

Eugeo didn't say anything in reply, but smiled and nodded his head. Though Kirito noticed his smile didn't quite reach his ears.

With that, the four headed out for their next step in freeing their world.

After equipping their gear, the four met at the courtyard with the different monster statues where they first went to Aincrad from. Gathered before the portal were Kayaba, Bercouli, Sortiliena, Liz, Silica with Pina, Tiese, Ronie, and Eiji. The presence of the newest Integrity Knight caught the group by surprise, considering his zeal in fulfilling the Pontifex's directive before.

Once they arrived, Bercouli greeted, "So you all finally made your decisions. I'm proud of you."

"We thought it best to convene here so we can keep our parties informed on the plan," Kayaba explained.

"That is self-explanatory," Alice acknowledged. Eying Eiji, she added, "But that does not explain why he is here."

"That's because he will be giving your friends a ride into Alfheim, Little Miss," Bercouli answered. "He's the only other knight we have that can use a dragon."

"But what about Eldrie or Sheyta?" Asuna questioned.

"Sheyta was more interested in fighting Dungeon Masters than political stuff," the Integrity Knight Commander revealed. "As for Eldrie, he says he won't leave Alice's side ever again. Most of the other Integrity Knights are helping out to make quick work of those Dungeon Masters. Eiji is the only one that can help get you two to Alfheim."

While he did say that, the group gathered from his posture and expression that he had no say in the matter. Still, flying was the only way they would get to the rift and get to Alfheim.

"We'll send Kirito and Asuna out from the landing in Aincrad, to help with the height they need to reach," Kayaba reasoned to the group. "Once we enter, we will then separate to accomplish our individual goals."

Coming up to the Black Swordsman, Sortiliena remarked, "And here I thought I would get to see more of your sword style. But I suppose I'll get my chance when you come back for the final floor."

"I'll make sure to show you how much I've improved when I get back," Kirito promised her.

"Just don't get in over your head over in fairy land," Lisbeth chided lightly.

Pina gave a squawk as well, and Silica added, "We'll see you both when you get back."

"We'll come racing back once we're done Silica," Asuna affirmed, going over to give her one last hug.

Tiese looked a bit nervous, but she finally did say, "We'll do our best to use what you and Eugeo taught us to help everyone get to the top floor."

"Y-Yes. We'll use everything you taught us to help everyone," Ronie added.

While Eugeo's response was a bit lackluster, just a simple 'sounds good', Kirito told them, "I know you two will do amazing."

But finally, Eiji cleared his throat and prompted, "Can we get going now? This is starting to get nauseating."

Everyone gave him a dirty look for his impolite manner of addressing them. But he wasn't wrong, so the group decided to get underway. The main group and leaders entered first, followed by Kirito and Asuna.

Alice and Eugeo were the last to go through, but they didn't move from where they stood. They just gazed at the portal that would take them to the floating castle, as if contemplating what going through would mean for them.

Just as the suspense built to a fever pitch, Eugeo suggested, "Alice, before we go back to Aincrad, I want us to go somewhere else first?" She gave her beloved a strange look, unsure where he could want to go before Aincrad.