Prologue
While standing in the middle of the rubels he once knew as his home, deafened by the thunders of the world ending around him, not knowing if the screams he is hearing so loud are real or is it it just him screaming in his own head from the loss of everything he ever held dear, Kazuto Kirigaya formerly know as Kirito a.k.a the black swordsman who was known as an SAO hero and survivor is holding the dead body of his once wife to be "Asuna" formerly known as the lightning flash and the second in command in the knights of the blood oath guild, also an SAO hero and survivor ... But unfortunatley she did not survive this crisis... No one did.
It was not grief or sorrow or regret that we're going through Kirito's head as one might think, in the loss of one's whole world wether literally in the destruction of the world or figuratively in the death of the love of one's life, a flood of overwhelming emotions is expected to be running through said one's head, but not in our young Kazuto. As his body was bruised and stabbed and aching, his hands filled with the blood of his late fiance, only one thonght ran through his head "Is any of this for real ... Or not"
Ch1
Two days earlier
Kirito is walking Asuna home after having one of their usual hangs with Klein, Sinon and the rest of the gang. The two are talking about how peaceful and beautiful things have been for a while, no being trapped in a virtual world were dying actually kills you or PKers who claim to have a gun that actually kills the victims for real and certainly not super secret government projects that are abused to be weopanized. "Weather is nice" says Asuna, "it's freezing" said Kirito, "I know but then you would hold me to, warm me like you usually do when I am cold" Asuna replied, Kirito blushes and gives her a warm smile while holding her to warm her up, but he also love it when she is that close to him, God knows how many times they were forced to separate due to unfortunate circumstances. They finally reach Asuna s house, "I am excited for tomorrow" she said, "hugh?" Kirito wonders , Asuna frawns "for you meeting my mother", Kirito replies "oh yeah totally forgot about that" Asuna frowns more " but in a good way, it means at least I am not worried"he continues, "well just be yourself, and everything will be ok, ... I guess" she continues " whatever happens we will go through it together, we always do" Kirito replies "yeah nothing will come in between us ever", Asuna loved that reply from Kirito almost as much as She loves him. So they say good night and Asuna enters her big house and Kirito turns to walk home both grinding a small grin thinking about what Kirito said "nothing will ever come between us" little they knew how wrong were they.
Kirito reaches his home, his sister is asleep, so he goes up to his Tom put on his PJs and sleep and then a he hears an unusual tone from his VR gear, "it must be broken" he says, then it did it again while flashing once, so he wondered if it heard him and understood what he said. He puts it on and finds that he has an usual message, it was unlike any email or game chats he ever used. He was curious so he opened it it said "hello Kirito is this a bad time" he replied "who is this?" saying it out loud, another message poped up "an admirer", Kirito was weirded out and uncomfortable " I have a partner" he replied, another message poped up " not THAT kind of admirer ?", "what do you want?" Kirito asked. "I have a gift for you" a message said, just before kirito VR gadget showed that he received 2 items, he looked at it and found it to be 2 blades one named oath keeper and the other named Oblivion one was white and beautiful the other was dark and vague, he asked "what's that for?" A message replied "What's coming?" , Kirito answers " why don't you keep them to yourself then if something is to come"
a message replied "you are asking the wrong question... But to humor you I don't have dual weilding you do and these blades have to be used together"
kirito asks "why do they need to be used together" a message replied
"now that's a right question ... It's getting late I'll be seeing you again"
kirito asks "wait, at least tell me who you are " a message replied
"The Designer".
" A designer" Kirito asks, " not a designer, THE Designer" Kirito asks "the designer of what" a message says "another right question",
kirito asks "then why didn't you answer it" a message replied " we don't Wanna spoil it do we?" And then a last message appeared "Beware the paragons" and the user went offline. Kirito was in shock, but he was tired already and worried about meeting Asuna mother next day so he didn't give it much thought and went to sleep, he didn't know this will be the last good night sleep he will have for a long while.
Ch2
The next morning Kirito woke up with a weird feeling in his stomach, it was worry of meeting Asuna's mother, the strong-hold woman whom wanted to marry her daughter to some huge investor's son, but agreed to give the young boy a chance after the constant nagging of her daughter. Kirito has put on many different types of garments given the different kinds of VRMMO games and their armors whether heavy or light, but he never felt as constricted as this when he wore his black formal suit for meeting Asuna's mother. Just as he left his house he received a notification from his phone, it was a message from Asuna asking to meet him urgently. They met at their usual spot by the fountain, he thought she wanted to talk about his designated meeting with her mother but that wasn't the case. She seemed worried as she started talking about a mysterious person who contacted her the night before giving her a one of a kind blade and calling himself the designer.
"He talked to me too, he even gave 2 unique blades, and said something about paragons"
"What do you think this is about?" she said
"Probably some hacker who recognized us from SAO" he said
Just after finishing that sentence a black obviously government looking car pulled in besides them with a man coming out of it asking them to come with him to meet Mr. Kikuoka in a classified matter.
They went to a government facility and met with Seijirou Kikuoka he was standing in front of a big screen.
"What do you see" he asked
"A life-line?" They replied
"Not exactly" he continued "It is called the gravity line, it is what holds the VRMMO worlds together"
"And whats the problem?" they asked
"It is merged with the gravitational pull within the real world"
"what does this mean?" they asked
"That the real world is merging with all the virtual worlds".
CH3
"By the way what are you two doing here? not that i am not glad to see you" Kikuoka said
"What do you mean? you sent for us" Asuna replied
Kikuok replied "no i didn't"
Kirito said "Then who did?"
A strange voice appeared through the speaker "I DID"
Kikuoka furiously "This is a classified government building how did you access it?"
The voice countered "Oh again with the wrong questions ….. what is with you people are allergic to reasonable thinking?"
The voice continued "Your whole fabric of reality is changing but you are worried about your darn speakers?"
Kirito said "Who are you?"
The voice answered "Come on Kirito is that how you greet an admirer of yours?, after all i have been a fan of of the black swordsman for a long time, to be honest i preferred the lightning flash and luckily she is here"
Asuna said "CUT IT NOW, WHAT ARE YOU UP TO?"
The voice "oh finally the right question to be asked, no wonder you are my favorite SAO survivor" "right now i am merging what Mr. Kikuoka call the gravitational line that pulls all the virtual worlds with the real gravitational waves that holds the planet making all these worlds come to ours with the same rules of physics or lack thereof to be exact"
A scientist in the room "That is ludicrous, that is physically impossible"
The voice "Well, also was the Virtual reality, until a genius man with nothing but sheer will and high iq made it possible, and in this story i am THAT guy"
"But why?" asked Kirito
"I guess this is the time for the good old villain origin story, but i will save it till we meet in person black swordsman"
CH4
They didn't believe what they heard but they went to the streets to check anyway, they have been hearing tremors from what sounded like the end of everything. Finally they got out of the building the first thing that caught their eyes was a dragon and how can it not, given this is modern day japan and not some sic fi movie or a fantasy story
"What kind of hologram is that?" said kikuoka
"i dont know if it is" replied Asuna
They ran to the city that was turning into dust by the dragon's flames but something stranger happened, when they came closer they saw a male fairy with a mystical sword fighting the dragon. When he saw Kirito he shouted in weird accent
"Fight alongside me warriors, thou shall bring down that paragon of fire"
The words of The designer rang through Kiritos head "Beware the paragons"
before he realized he was holding the 2 blades that was given to him by the designer and Asuna was holding some divine looking rapier.
They looked at them then at each others in wonder then they marched through the dragon to slay it and save the city. They could not believe it, even though they were in the real world their movements were as light and fast as it is in the VRMMO worlds. After fighting along the fairy warrior they managed to fight away the dragon that retreated by flying south to god knows where.
"Thanks fairy, but who are you and whats happening in Japan?" says Asuna
" I am not a fairy, i am the paragon of guidance"
"Another paragon?" says Kirito
"i see you are well acquainted with the concept"
"Not really, paragon of guidance"
"that is not my name, that is my purpose"
"Then what is your name?"
"I was just born an instance ago so naturally "no name""
"No name and just born ?" wondered asuna
"Yes, lightning flash i am merely minutes old, but i sure can explain what is happening in not just the land you call japan but in your entire world"
"PLEASE DO" Asuna says
"The one calling himself the designer have integrated what you call virtual worlds usually used for gaming and training systems into your own reality"
"That is impossible" Kirito counters
" so would be a flaming dragon and a fairy warrior"
"maybe you are right"
"Tell us what are these paragons"
"The designer built symbols in order to resemble the new world to its old and new inhabitants, each with its own purpose the dragon's purpose was to make people aware of the changes made by destroying what it can and forcing heroes such as ourselves to protect it, and my purpose is to guide you through the Designer's new world"
"do you know who the designer is?"
"He is my creator and the creator of this new world"
"how can we find him?" asks Asuna
" i do not know, my purpose was to tell you about this new world order and now it is fulfilled"
"Thats just it? we got like a million questions"
"That is beyond both my knowledge and purpose, good bye black swordsman and lightning flash"
CH5
Our young heroes didn't know where to go, everything was falling apart, maybe not from the dragon anymore but from the new laws of reality, now a 13 year old boy can bend a light pole in the street with his bare hands and an 11 year old girl have been seen flying with new pair of wings she just grew. Everyone was developing some new sort of power and they were all cutting loose in the streets, harming people bringing down buildings, each one of them thinking they were lucid dreaming or in dome sort of simulation so "why not have some fun?" they thought. while Asuna and Kirito while walking through the streets not knowing what to do a mysterious figure in a leather black coat with a weird sigil appeared before them.
"i told you we don't wanna spoil it" said the figure
"its you" said Kirito
the man pulled down his hood and showed his face, a tall average looking man in glasses who appeared to be in his early twenties.
"Hello black swordsman, lightning flash"
"who are you" asked Asuna
"The designer of all things to come"
"why are you doing this?"
"The same reason anyone would, if they could, which they can't, is that they could, which they can't"
"Hugh"
"oh common focus with me will ya? now that i have fused the real world with the VRMMO worlds i enabled every person on earth to have some sort of special ability, such as flight, super strength, heat vision you name it, and as you can see it only took 13 minutes for an entire country to be blown to kingdom come "
"If you knew this was gonna happen then why?"
"repeating your spouse's question i see black swordsman, but i see you seek further understanding of my intentions, so i will tell you. i have been spending the last 7 years trying to defy all laws of physics by giving people special abilities, hereto merging this world with the virtual reality, because you know…. this world is BOOOOORING"
"who are you to decide something like that"
"a man with clarity. haven't you ever met a banker who wanted to be a knighted soldier or a ballerina who wanted to be a fairy queen. i am giving these people the chance to be whomever they want, the fact that it resulted in a semi apocalyptic event is not my responsibility"
"not you responsibility, you are the one who decided to play god"
"On the contrary . i believe god gave us this world as a gift to do whatever we see is fit and then he will stand and judge us for our intentions, and up until now i have been trying to give everyone the desire of their heart, and what filthy desires did it seem to be had by all those nasty little beings called humans"
"So you don't consider yourself a human"
"well i am not saying i am an arch angel or anything but i don't like the term, it is often used when one screws up. "why are you such a drunk? sorry o am just human." "Why did you cheat on me ? forgive me i am just human" no one should take pride in being the most disgusting and barbaric creature to ever walk on this planet and that includes the dinosaurs"
"You are insane"
"Well, i certainly don't match the social benchmark of sanity"
"What will you do now?"
"my work here is done after so many years, the question now is what will the two of you do? i have given you the keys to undoing all of this the real test is figuring it out or if you want leave it be, thats your choice"
"why spend so many years trying to make this and simply give us the means to undo it?"
"Oh i never said it would be simple. but you see i figured that peoples desires will mostly bring the destruction of the world, its just who they are, and just like any other self respecting scientist i wanted to prove my hypothesis. but why have i chose the two of you is that i have been watching you for a long time. i have seen firsthand how cruel and frighting people can be but the two of are the best of us, so as you said i should not be the one to decide that, even though i don't fancy myself a human, i most certainly am not god, and since my judgement could be clouded by my past dark experiences you two should decide whether to leave the world with its real image and state, ugly, filthy and with no hope or return it to its past state where everyone is faking everything and hiding how cruel and twisted they are"
"you are wrong people are better that" Asuna answers
"says the girl standing in the middle of a war zone, but i am not here to debate that was just a notification, figure out the way and undo all this OR my personal favorite leave it in its true image free unfiltered and certainly with no hope"
The designer disappears in a mist of black warp
Asuna and Kirito look at each other not knowing what to do or say. But one thing they know for sure, they will not let the designer win….
Ch6
The young herosbdidnt know where to head or what to do. They wanted to make sure their friends and family were okay, but there were so many of them and not enough time, so they went with their instinct and went to their friend's Agil bar were the gang usually hang out. It took them 3 hours to reach the bar that would usually take only 30 minutes by foot on a normal day, but this was no normal day. Eventgough they were as strong and fast as they are in the VRMMO games but they had to fight many battles against the weired creatures that now lives in the designer's new world like hugebserpants and huge flying insect like creatures. That was not just it, they had to fight some human beings whom we're testing their new super abilities by going on a rampage, normally their would be innocent victims but not in the designer's world were everyone has had their long lasted desire, strangely no one desired for world Peace or their families good health... Not really, that's what they thought they wanted, but their desires were deeper and darker than they even cared to admit it an example of a young boy who was scared from all the destruction around him, our young heroes attempted to save him until he realised he now can emmit high temperature laser from his eyes so attempted to test it on Kirito and Asuna who were just trying to save his life. That was the new world, the designer's world, where everyone got what they have always wanted, the true form of people and their intentions, apparently their was never good and bad, just those who are strong enough to hurt and those whom are weak and mistakes to be of good intentions but in a world of equals, all are bad or doesnt it make them all good or even neither.
While running at full speed to go check on their friends Kirito started to see what the designer has been talking about, but this can't be, certainly their is someone who is not a villian on this story but is this so late and big for their to be a hero and a villian this time as everyone is equally destroying everything in their sight.
Our young heroes finally reached the bar that was obviously set on fire (probably someones wished to be arsenists), when they went inside they could not believe what their eyes, their friends were there alright but not alive Agil was holding the tortured bodied of Klein and Simon obviously he died holding them in his last moment. The two heroes didn't know what to think or do, Kirito wanted to go through a melt down which was the easiest thing considering the circumstances but Asuna as usually was the strong one when her other half kirito needed her to she told him to go home and check on his sister and she will do the same with her mother. Kirito didn't reply he was start to sobb and feel sorry for himself but Asuna grabbed him tightly from the shirt and said in a very formal and strong voice while her eyes teared "straighten up soldier we still got family to check on", Kirito instinctly said "yes vice commander" just like back in Sao but this no time for memories. So they head to their houses Kirito to check on his sister and Asuna her mother.
Ch7
Kirito marched towards his house only thinking about his sister and what could have done to her. He was leaping from one building to another, he was well acquainted with this abilities from the years of playing VRMMO games. He finally reached the house, his sister was there, she was fine or atleast alive. Leafe who was also familiar with the abilities from years of gaming managed to defend herself against what appears as a wave of vampires, someone must have used their wish to become some sort of patient zero count Dracula and bit others turning them to their vampire minions. They were so many so Kirito took his sister after fighting for what seemed like hours and hid in some building next to their house until this wave of vampires go about their way.
"What's going on" Leafa asked
"A man calling himself the designer, merged this world with virtual world's to give people abilities of their choosing"
"But why?"
"Some sort of twisted way of showing how terrible peoples desires are"
"Well apparently he wasn't wrong"
"That's not the way to think right now he said we have the means to reverse this me and Asuna so we have to get to her home and find no name"
"No name?"
"He is the paragons of guidance, created by the designer to guide us through this new world, if anyone knows how to reverse this it's him"
"Okay but how will we go through these vampires without getting killed or worse... Bit by them and turned to some sort of mindless blood-sucking minions"
"We wait till sunrise, it's only a few hours ahead. They will need to take shelter in the shadows and we will take the light as an advantage"
Hours passed by and Kirito couldn't help but think about his dead friends and how worried he is about Asuna, he tried calling her but their was no signal, so all he could do was wait for sunrise to go check on her.
After the hours passed Kirito took Leafa and went to check on Asuna they went through countless battles with beings and things that even though the circumstances no one would believe they faced them, until they reached asunas home and Kirito's worst fear had happened... While standing in the middle of the rubels he once knew as his home, deafened by the thunders of the world ending around him, not knowing if the screams he is hearing so loud are real or is it it just him screaming in his own head from the loss of everything he ever held dear, Kazuto Kirigaya formerly know as Kirito a.k.a the black swordsman who was known as an SAO hero and survivor is holding the dead body of his once wife to be , "Asuna" formerly known as the lightning flash and the second in command in the knights of the blood oath guild, also an SAO hero and survivor ... But unfortunatley she did not survive this crisis.
It was not grief or sorrow or regret that we're going through Kirito's head as one might think, in the loss of one's whole world wether literally in the destruction of the world or figuratively in the death of the love of one's life, a flood of overwhelming emotions is expected to be running through said one's head, but not in our young Kazuto. As his body was bruised and stabbed and aching, his hands filled with the blood of his late fiance, only one thought ran through his head "Is any of this for real ... Or not"
CH8
"Oh my god" Leafa said,
"Asuna!" she screamed while tearing her eyes up
"This is not over" said quirt
"huh"
"The designer, the man who did all this said it can be undone"
"But how?"
"I dont know, but i he does"
"how are we gonna find him, brother?"
"he must be up there"
Kirito looked up to a high mountain that appears to have risen in the middle of the city out of no where as if it have always been there.
"Do you think he will be there? maybe its just someone else's wish you have seen how many crazy things have happened here"
"i know it, i can feel it in my bones"
Kirito stood up summoning the blades that the designer have given him by muttering their name "Oblivion … Oathkeeper"
"stay here with Asuna i shall go and fix all this"
"Do you really think this can all be fixed, that they can be brought back?"
"Its the only thing i can think of, i cant bring myself that this is unreversable ….. i just can't ."
"All right big brother ….. take care"
"hmmm"
He lept strongly and then kept jumping from one building to another until he reached the mountain which he then ran up , to find a citadel so huge and dark and cold he could not help but be terrified. At the door there were two huge statues of hooded figures that looked just like the hood of the designer, which even strengthen Kirito's belief that this is indeed where the designer is. He entered the citadel which had a direct way to what seemed like a throne room with a 10 meters high throne which the designer has been sitting on.
"I have been waiting for you black swordsman"
CH9
"You said that this could be undone, that i hold the key to fixing all this, tell me how"
"Well these blades you hold represent the challenges that you have to face in order to reverse that happened in order to return the world to its former state. Oath keeper, by keeping the promise you made that you will fix all of this and bring your friends back"
"and oblivion?"
"Well….. that would represent you killing me in order to achieve it"
"what do you mean? is that some sort of twisted joke?"
"No joke, cross my heart swear to die. you will have to kill me or i will rain supreme on this world and through this citadel recreate the world in a new image that would more beautiful than the world could ever have been"
"Why would you make the key to all this your death?"
"Well in this new world, MY world everyone got their deepest desire and for a species who mostly fantasize about strength and power, i had to make sure that i be the strongest, some kind of deity in this world. so i made the reverse algorithm in my new composed DNA that changed when this world started just like everyone else's did"
"You changed people's DNAs?"
"Of course i did. How do you think i gave them these abilities?"
"well if the key to reversing all this is destroying you, then i don't have a choice"
"Yes you do black swordsman , you always do"
Kirito ignored this last statement and charged towards the designer with a strong strike that the designer countered by some strange looking blade of his own. The two exchanged blows that were so strong the walls of the citadel shook, the pillars started to break from the effects of the blows they exchanged and countered, they were evenly matched but in different ways. Quirt had years of gaming that made his dual blading come naturally, he was an expert swordsman. while the designer had the strength of being the creator of this new world, knowing all its secrets and limitations. However like all things do, their battle ended. and in this case it was by the designer holding a fatal strike to his gut.
"Heh, i guess you won this time black swordsman"
"Now bring everything back"
"Dont worry with my last breath everything is going back to the way it was"
"My friends?"
"Dont worry they will be ok"
"…"
"you know i have always seen people for their worst, except for you and you finance. back at sao you two were real and never intended to hurt everyone even though you were so strong"
"Is that why yo ended up like this, people hurt you just because you were weak"
The designer's breaths were getting heavier " ohh there is no bleak and depressing origin story here black swordsman, no abusive father or alcoholic mother…. i just always saw the worst in people, all their lies and dark desires, it drove me nuts, so i thought i show everyone what they really were"
"You think thats your choice to make?"
"As if! why do you think i gave you the keys to killing me and ending all this"
"Huh"
"Because you are the best of Kazuto, so please don't change"
Kirito smiled and replied "i won't"
The designer smiled back with his last breath and said "May you never regret your path"
CH10
The next morning Kirito woke up with a weird feeling in his stomach, it was worry of meeting Asuna's mother, the strong-hold woman whom wanted to marry her daughter to some huge investor's son, but agreed to give the young boy a chance after the constant nagging of her daughter. Kirito has put on many different types of garments given the different kinds of VRMMO games and their armors whether heavy or light, but he never felt as constricted as this when he wore his black formal suit for meeting Asuna's mother. Just as he left his house he received a notification from his phone, it was a message from Asuna asking to meet him urgently. They met at their usual spot by the fountain, This time it wasn't to talk about some mysterious message but to surprise him with all their friends there to support him as he was going to meet Asunas mother, none of them had any memory of what happened so Kirito assumed this was all just a weird long dream. Kirito and Asuna said their farewell to their friends as they headed to meet Asunas mother as they were both anticipating so much. And a block away far from what they could possibly see, on the roof of a tall building stood a figure with a leather hood and a weird sigil, his mouth was the only thing that was not covered by the shade of his hood, he was smiling as he muttered "May you never regret your path"
The End