Chapter 1: World of Swords
Hey everyone! It's me, sakuraphoenix, and I'm back with a brand new fanfic! I know, you're gonna ask me 'why are you adding a new story on top of the ones we're already waiting for you to update?' Well, I'd tell ya, but it's a long story, so I'll cut to the chase. I recently got hooked into this anime called Sword Art Online, and I got this insane idea for a fanfic, well, I don't know about the insane part to be honest, but still, I had an idea. I'd love to keep talking, but I'm sure I'm boring you, so I'll hit the disclaimer.
Disclaimer: I do not own Sword Art Online. I also do not own Blade. He belongs to my boyfriend, Detroid434
Instead of the usual greeting, I'm going with tradition in Sword Art Online, Link Start!
I could hardly wait for the opening day of Sword Art Online! I got my NerveGear and everything set up and calibrated. All I needed to do was create an avatar on the opening day of Sword Art Online. I was about to hit the hay when I heard my cell phone going off. I picked it up and smiled as I recognized the number as my boyfriend's cell phone number.
"Hey." I said
"Hey. Did you hear about the release of the final version of Sword Art Online?" asked my boyfriend
"Yeah, I did. I already got my NerveGear and everything. I'm just waiting for opening day." I said
"That's good." My boyfriend said
"Yeah. What about you?" I asked
"I was one of the people to beta test it." My boyfriend said
"Lucky! I was so close to being a beta tester! The guy in front of me beat me too it! If only mom didn't make me go to my cousin's place that day, I could've gotten in!" I exclaimed
"Ouch, but still, it's one of the most popular games out there for MMO." My boyfriend said
"Well, I'm glad to know it was worth the wait, but still, it's a VRMMORPG. The difference between VR's and other MMO's, I actually get to see you. I hate it that we live so far away." I sighed as I lied down on my bed
"True to that, right there… well… it actually comes out tomorrow." My boyfriend said
"Still, worth the wait. You're really lucky that you were able to beta test SAO. Remember Warframe? It took me a while to get used to that system." I said (1)
I heard my boyfriend chuckle from the other end of the line.
"Yeah… you did…well, I'll wait until tomorrow to be in the game with you." My boyfriend said
"Yeah, I can hardly wait, especially since it'll be the first time I can see you without the whole screen-to-screen thing with us video chatting. I'll see you tomorrow. I'm gonna get some sleep. Night." I said sadly
"Don't be sad, babe. You know I love you. I'll see you tomorrow. Night." My boyfriend said
I ended the call, and lied down on my bed once again, anxiously waiting to play Sword Art Online.
The next day…
"It's time for this week's MMO Stream. We began with a promotional video. Was this the day of last week's launch? What were all these people waiting in line for? Sword Art Online." One of the announcers said
"The ones at the front of the line waited for three days prior to launch." The other announcer said
"Amazing!" exclaimed the first announcer
"Or is this just what any real gamer would do? On today's MMO Stream, we'll be covering the internationally famous Sword Art Online, aka, SAO!" exclaimed the second announcer
"To be honest, none of the NerveGear software released so far has really taken advantage of the hardware." Said the first announcer
"But SAO was invented by the NerveGear's inventor, Akihiko Kayaba, and it's a long-awaited VRMMORPG." Said the second announcer
"I can't wait! The beta testers all said it was incredible." Said the first announcer
"I wanted a copy… only ten thousand copies were sold in its first printing. It sold out online in seconds. And as you saw, hardcore fans bought all the store copies." Said the second announcer
I turned off the TV as my mom knocked on the door.
"What is it?" I asked
"I'm going out for the day. I won't be back until late because I'm checking out some of the houses in the area. Some are on foreclosure, and I want to see them with Susan." My mother said
"Okay, have fun." I said
I heard the car starting up, and she exited the driveway, and I plugged in the NerveGear before I lied down on my bed as I waited for it to warm up. When it finally did, I closed my eyes before saying:
"Link Start!"
I was brought to the sign-in menu, and began the task of creating a new avatar for SAO.
Blade's P.O.V.
I thought about the phone call I made with my girlfriend the night before as I looked at the clock. Mom would be visiting grandma for the day, meaning I had some time to myself. I warmed up my NerveGear, and lied down on my bed before waiting for it to warm up. When it did, I closed my eyes before I said:
"Link Start!"
I logged into Sword Art Online with my beta-test data, and my now-blond hair had a loose strand that found its way into my face.
"Hello world. I'm back!" I exclaimed to no one in particular
I was looking around the town square when I mentally face-palmed when I realized that our avatars didn't look like our real world selves and I didn't even tell her my game name. Man, talk about a screw-up!
"I might as well try and find her, I mean; I just hope that she chose her real name for her game name." I sighed
I walked around town for a while before thinking maybe she's out leveling out on the fields surrounding the Town of Beginnings. Even though I did manage to level up to level 5, I still saw no sign of her. I returned to town, and shouted her real name five times, but all I succeeded in was getting weird looks.
"*sigh* I should've just asked her for her game name when I had the chance. Wait a minute… I'm such an idiot! Why didn't I think about logging out and calling her cell phone earlier?!" I exclaimed to the air
I accessed the main menu, but I didn't see a logout button. That doesn't make sense. I tried again, and still no logout.
"Excuse me." A female voice said to me.
I turned to see a girl who looked like she was 15 with long pink hair that reached her back, but it was styled like Katara's hair when she was in the Fire Nation.
"May I help you?" I asked
"I was wondering if you knew anything about the issue with logging out of the game." Said the girl
"No, I don't. I just saw the main menu myself." I said
"Weird, but it's the first day out of beta testing, right? I'm sure there are going to be some bugs." Said the girl
"This isn't just a bug." I said grim
"It isn't?" asked the girl
"Think about it. If a player can't log out, it would pose a serious threat to the game. Did you contact the Game Master to find out the problem?" I asked
"Of course I did, but the Game Master isn't picking up." Said the girl
"This is bad. There were no other ways of logging out in the manual. If you thought about ripping your NerveGear off your head, you can't move your body in real life. I guess we just need to wait until someone pulls the NerveGear off our heads." I said
"Knowing my life, my mom will notice when it's dinner time. It's just me and her." Said the girl
"Same with me, but sometimes my mom's boyfriend comes over at times." I said
"But don't you find this weird? I mean, compared to the games I've played before, if there was a bug, the people in charge of the server would shut it down then log everyone else out." The girl said while deep in thought
The bell tower in the Town of Beginnings began to ring, much to everyone's confusion. The next thing I knew, we were back in the town's square. I started wandering around to find answers, until I looked at the sky, where I saw a beeping red warning sign, before the whole sky turned bright red. What looked like blood seemed to seep from between the lines that made up the sky, and formed into a huge figure with a red cloak that covered its face.
"Attention, players. Welcome to my world. My name is Akihiko Kayaba. As of this moment, I am the sole person who can control this world." Said Kayaba
"That's… Akihiko Kayaba?!" I exclaimed in shock
"I'm sure you've already noticed that the logout button is missing from the main menu. But this is not a defect in the game. I repeat… this is not a defect in the game. It is a feature of Sword Art Online. You cannot logout of SAO yourselves. And no one on the outside can shut down or remove the NerveGear. Should this be attempted, the transmitter inside the NerveGear will emit a powerful microwave, destroying your brain and thus ending your life. Unfortunately, several players' friends and families have ignored this warning, and have attempted to remove the NerveGear. As a result, 213 players are gone forever, from both Aincrad and the real world." Said Kayaba
"213?!" I exclaimed in outrage
As soon as my anger had surfaced, sadness replaced it. I remembered how my girlfriend's mom seemed to control her life, so if she was one of the causalities… no! I can't think about that! She's alive, she has to be!
"As you can see, news organizations across the world are reporting all of this, including the deaths. Thus, you can assume that the danger of a NerveGear being removed is now minimal. I hope you will relax and attempt to clear the game. But I want you to remember this clearly. There is no longer any method to revive someone within the game. If your HP drops to zero, your avatar will be forever lost. And simultaneously, the NerveGear will destroy your brain. There is only one means of escape. To complete the game. You are presently on the lowest floor of Aincrad, Floor 1. If you make your way through the dungeon and defeat the Floor Boss, you may advance to the next level. Defeat the final boss on Floor 100, and you will clear the game. Finally, I've added a present from me to your item storage. Please see for yourselves." Said Kayaba
I quickly opened my inventory, and saw a mirror. Why a mirror of all things? I saw my in-game avatar. It was just a regular mirror. At that point, I saw every avatar surrounded in a teleportation light, until I was surrounded in it as well. When it faded away, I looked in the mirror again, and I looked like my real world self! My hair was still blond, but it was now styled the way I usually had it styled. But my height and body… oh yeah, when I first installed the NerveGear, I had to calibrate it.
"Right now, you're probably wondering 'Why? Why would Akihiko Kayaba, developer of Sword Art Online and the NerveGear, do all this? My goal has already been achieved. I created Sword Art Online for one reason… to create this world and intervene in it. And now, it is complete. This ends the tutorial for the Sword Art Online launch. Good luck, players." Said Kayaba
After he finished talking, he disappeared, and the sky above returned to its normal color for sunset. Panic began to rise up inside of me as my face turned into a face of shock. Panic and outrage filled the square. I couldn't see the girl from earlier, and I feared the worst for my girlfriend. I had to leave the Town of Beginnings now, if I am to survive. Before I headed out, I stopped by a shop and bought a dark blue cloak for me to use. I ran out of town before I could change my mind. Up ahead, I saw a wolf charging at me. I pulled out my sword and used a sword skill to defeat the wolf in one blow. I will… I will survive! I cried out in the air as I thought about my girlfriend. Babe… I'll survive this world, for you. I'll fight… to end this world!
Third Person POV
In the Town of Beginnings, two cloaked figures, going by the names, Blade and Sakura, were looking at the wall of names of the players, both being on opposite ends of the wall. Each one was looking at a crossed out name. The players looked at two crossed out names. Sakura was holding back her tears while Blade had a single tear escape his eyes. Both didn't acknowledge the other's presence and walked out of the chapel. Out of the 10,000 players that entered SAO on opening day, 2,000 had died, and the first floor of Aincrad had yet to be cleared.
Done and Done! Believe me since sakuraphoenix took a while to finish this. Please, vote on a poll that's on my profile page for my upcoming Code: Dragon story while also checking out my stories. Instead of doing the usual ending... we're doing it in SAO tradition! Oh...please review and until next time...
Blade: I'm Blade
Sakura: And I'm Sakura
Both: Saying I heart you and logging off for now! Kan dao ni!
(1) Warframe is a real game so sakuraphoenix doesn't own it. Look it up on Google if you don't believe me or sakuraphoenix.