Jax shot upright at the sound of knocking at his door.

"Jax. It's Lia. I've got some soup for ya. May I enter?"

The Knight sighed and rubbed his eyes with his palms. He was utterly exhausted, but sleep continued to elude him. Perhaps eating something would help him settle down.

"Come in."

Lia swung the door open with one hand, balancing a tray with the other. She walked into the small quarters to find Jax sitting on the edge of his bed with a slumped posture and hollow eyes. A worried look crossed her face. It really hurt to see him like that.

She set the food tray on the small nightstand beside the bed and sat down next to Jax, careful not to mess up her lab coat. He had stripped of his armor, now only wearing a white t-shirt and pants. The golden blonde hair she had always admired now seemed faded. His decrepit form was testament to the mental beating he had taken. It made her angry.

Lia picked up the toasty bowl of soup and offered it to Jax. He stared at it for a second, then slowly took it in his hands. The heat was actually somewhat comforting to him.

"I made it myself," Lia explained. "Go on, try it."

Jax still didn't say a word, but took the spoon in hand. She watched as he scooped some up and slipped it into his mouth. "Well?"

Suddenly, the Knight's entire body seemed to relax, and he closed his eyes in bliss. "It's… warm," he said.

"Good," she replied, a hopeful smile returning to her face. "See? Eating is good for something."

She was relieved to find a small grin on his face when she said that. He continued to scoop away at the soup, relishing in its comfort. Her comfort.

"I'm sorry," he said suddenly.

Lia looked at him in confusion. "What for?"

Jax cradled the bowl in his hands and stared down at it with contempt. "This," he replied. "I'm sorry I'm such a mess. You shouldn't have to do this for me."

He flinched in surprise when she suddenly wrapped her arms around him.

"Yeah, you're a mess," she said into his shoulder, "but that's okay. Any sane person would be after what you experienced, and it's my job to take care of you."

Jax took a deep breath. "You're my psychologist, not my nurse."

Lia relaxed her hold on him and looked his body up and down. "In this case, they are one in the same," she refuted. "This body is a digital manifestation of your actual mind, of which I am responsible."

Jax shrugged. "I suppose I can't argue with that. Thank you, Lia."

Lia suddenly found herself blushing. Embarrassed, she let go of him and waved her hand. "There's no need to thank me! We gotta look out for each other, ya know?"

Jax finally straightened his back and looked her in the eyes. "Sure," he replied, trying his best to muster a smile.

"Good!" Lia exclaimed, standing up off the bed.

The Knight looked up at her, slightly amused. He was lucky to have her around. She was stubborn at times, but she was kind. Perhaps too kind for her own good. He constantly worried about putting her in danger. As his personal psychologist and manager, she would be the one to suffer if he failed. If there was ever a reason to keep going, it was her.

"Now," she went on, "I need to go and give a report to Dr. Sarago. I want you to get plenty of sleep, got it?"

Jax looked away, the amusement dissipated. "Lia, I don't need to-"

"Jax!" she interrupted with an annoyed glare, placing her hands on her hips.

He let out a long sigh. "Fine."

Lia gave a satisfied nod and she smiled again. "Alright, I'll see you tomorrow."

Jax nodded in return and watched as she walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. Once he was sure she was gone, he stood up and prepared to open a portal to Alfheim. Perhaps he would go to Asuna's party after all, or at least drop in for a few minutes. He needed the distraction.

Lia wanted him to rest, but he knew that wasn't going to happen. Finding sleep now was impossible. He just didn't have the heart to tell her that every time he closed his eyes, he always saw the face of a mortified little boy.

As Lia made her way through the facility to the offices, she felt a buzzing from the device in the pocket of her lab coat. Curious, she took it out to view the notification. It read:

Update: Departure to Alfheim Detected

A look of sorrow and disappointment fell upon her face. "Oh Jax…"

She stuffed the device back in her pocket as she reached Dr. Sarago's private office. She took a deep breath and knocked twice on the door.

"Come in."

Lia promptly entered and stood at attention before the doctor's desk. The older scientist squinted at his guest, then folded his hands. "Miss Lia Redwood," he said, as if announcing her presence to an unseen audience. "I assume you are here to give me an after-action report?"

"Yes sir," she confirmed, wrapping her arms around herself in discomfort. Sarago always creeped her out.

"Excellent," he replied, sitting back in his chair. "Proceed."

Lia adjusted her stance before beginning. "Jax-"

Sarago cleared his throat loudly.

"Sorry sir. Operator 9 completed his mission as expected, but-"

"But?"

Lia felt fear begin to grow in the pit of her stomach. "There was a major complication. As far as I could tell, a confrontation after elimination of the target triggered a break in the operator's psyche. To put it plainly, he is suffering severe mental trauma."

She fought back the tears in her eyes and the lump in her throat. Talking about Jax as if he were nothing but a broken machine didn't feel right at all, but that was how Pantheon worked.

Sarago took a pencil and calmly wrote something on a nearby notepad. "So," he wondered, "what kind of confrontation could possibly cause so much damage?"

"Um," Lia started, choosing her words carefully. "There was a child, sir. I believe the guilt of having killed that child's father is the source of the break."

The doctor suddenly rolled back his chair and stood up, placing his hands on his desk. "And why didn't he kill the child?"

Lia took a step back in shock, horrified. "E-Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Why wasn't the child dealt with? It is standard procedure to eliminate any witnesses."

"Yes but-"

"But what, Miss Redwood?"

She was utterly dumbfounded. "It was a child!"

Sarago crossed his arms at the outburst, giving her a stern glare. "I do not appreciate your tone. There are no exceptions to the rules. Ever. Now our organization is at risk, thanks to your patient. The Leadership will not be pleased."

Lia just stood with her mouth gaping while the doctor sat back down in his chair. She should have known that those murderers didn't have a single kind bone in their body! A wave of guilt immediately overwhelmed her for thinking such a thing. Jax was the one who did the killing, but he was far from heartless. This incident only proved that.

"I want you to be frank with me, Miss Redwood," Sarago said bluntly. "Will the Operator continue to function?"

Lia's heart began to beat faster as she realized where this conversation was heading. If she deemed Jax unfit for operation, they would not hesitate to kill and replace him. "Yes!" she said quickly.

The doctor's eyes narrowed. "Are you certain?"

"Yes sir!" she answered without hesitation. "He just needs some time to process. I'll get him ready to operate again in no time!"

Sarago's expression remained unchanged. He stared at her for a while before finally speaking up. "Alright, Miss Redwood. You are dismissed."

"Thank you, sir," she said with relief, and turned to walk out of the open door.

"You must be quite fond of him."

Lia froze and stood in the doorway for a moment. She didn't dare give a response.

Sarago let out a short, evil chuckle. "I thought so. You better be right, Miss Redwood. For both your sakes."

…

The White Knight extended his padded arm out into the gentle snowfall, palm facing upward towards the night sky. He watched silently through the visor of his helmet as tiny snowflakes began to collect in his hand. He always thought there was a simple beauty in the color white. It was pure, gentle, and noble. Everything he was not.

Jax looked down at the white leather armor that was now secured around a white winter jacket with gold streaks. He had spent almost a year building the legend of the White Knight. It was the one thing he took pride in, but in reality, it was all a lie.

He suddenly found himself wondering what even convinced him to put on the helmet in the first place. Perhaps he wanted to embody that symbol of purity. Maybe he just wanted to leave behind a memorable legacy. No, that wasn't it. Both helped to spur him on, but it started much earlier than that.

A fuzzy memory began to surface in his mind. Two legendary warriors were facing off in a massive arena filled with roaring crowds. One Imp, one Spriggan. He had long forgotten their player names, but their titles were very well known. The Absolute Sword and the Black Swordsman went head to head that day in the United dueling tournament finals.

Jax was there in the audience. Witnessing such strength and power was the spark of inspiration that led him on his quest for greatness. That was before he lost his parents. Before Pantheon. He knew for sure that the Black Swordsman was still around. Perhaps one day he would finally get the chance to duel him and prove his strength.

A change in the wind finally brought Jax's mind back to the snow packed hills of floor 22 on the outskirts of the forest. He sighed and reluctantly made his way to the main road towards a cozy looking cabin shining brightly in the distance. As much as it would pain him to socialize at a party of all things, it would be a welcome distraction to the increasingly destructive thoughts in his head, and a good alternative to sitting alone in his room, sinking into the oppressive depths of depression.

He took a deep breath as he walked along the path. This was the right thing to do. He was sure of it. The deep pain in his chest was unbearable. Sleep remained unobtainable. All he could do now was keep moving and suppress the pain, or risk it overwhelming his soul. Besides, it never hurt to take it easy every once in a while. Maybe some light activity and a few friendly faces would be exactly what he needed.

An image of a pink haired girl with a huge smile on her face quickly came to mind. Jax couldn't help but grin a little. At the very least, he would put a smile on someone else's face for once. He wondered how Lisbeth would react if he showed up to the party after all? There was only one way to find out.

Having reached the edge of the property, Jax opened his menu and unequipped his helmet, exposing his face and wavy blonde hair to the cold winter breeze. The sound of conversation and laughter emanated from the quaint little cabin, and Jax suddenly felt nervous. The feeling confused him. What did he have to be nervous about?

He stopped when he reached the bottom of the porch. "Come on Jax," he said to himself. "Just drop in and say hi. That's all you have to do. It's not a big deal." Unfortunately, he didn't really believe himself. They sounded like they were really enjoying themselves in there. What if he was too late? What if his arrival would sour the mood?

"Hey there stranger."

Jax jumped at the new voice behind him. He turned to see a large black man approaching in dark green attire. The White Knight grew anxious, now trapped between the cabin and the newcomer.

However, the man didn't seem to notice his plight. Instead he just casually pointed towards the house. "You here for the party?"

Jax hesitated for a moment, then slowly nodded. "Um, yeah, I guess I am. Asuna, or… Lisbeth… maybe both? They extended an invitation to me yesterday."

The man just laughed as the Knight stumbled over his own words. "Those girls can be a handful sometimes. The name's Agil. Good to meet you," he said, extending a friendly hand.

"Likewise," the Knight accepted, clasping Agil's hand for a firm shake. "I'm Jax."

"Jax, huh? Interesting name. Well come on in Jax. I'll introduce you."

There was no going back now. The new guy seemed nice enough anyway. Jax sighed and followed the towering man inside.

He shut the door behind him as Agil stepped forward into the slightly crowded cabin. "Hey, Agil made it!" someone announced. Jax recognized the voice as Asuna.

"Agil!" came a collective of voices.

Jax remained mostly concealed behind Agil while the man waved at everyone. "Hey guys! Sorry I'm late."

"It's about time you got here!" came a teasing voice. Jax recognized it as Lisbeth. "And you brought a friend. Agil, I didn't know you had other friends!"

Agil shot her a look of annoyance, then stepped aside to reveal the armored warrior behind him. "Found this fellow outside. Everyone, this is-"

"Jax!" Lisbeth exclaimed.

The White Knight flinched in surprise as the girl's arms were suddenly constricting him. "Whoa! Um… Hey Lisbeth."

She jumped backward as quickly as she had nearly tackled him, face red. "What gives? You said you wouldn't be able to make it!"

Jax scratched the back of his head as he quickly came up with an excuse. "Yeah I had some real-world stuff to do… but I got away sooner than expected."

"Well we are glad you could make it!" said Asuna, grabbing his arm. "Come on, you have to meet everyone!"

Jax tensed up as he was suddenly pulled into the middle of the room full of curious eyes.

"Listen up everyone!" Asuna called. "We have a special guest! This is Jax, otherwise known as the White Knight!"

Everyone began talking amongst each other in amazement. A player dressed in Samurai garbs and wild red hair was the first to introduce himself. "Hey there! I'm Klein," he said grasping Jax's hand for an enthusiastic handshake.

"Uh, hi," the Knight responded as Klein continued to shake.

"Oh!" Klein exclaimed, pulling his hand away. "Sorry, I was shaking your hand too long. It's a pleasure to meet another top tier player such as yourself!"

"Likewise," he responded, returning the courtesy. Klein's ego seemed to visibly inflate before his eyes at being referred to as a top player.

The Knight was about to say more when someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned to see a blonde Sylph half pulling a Cait Sith with light blue hair towards him.

"Hi! I'm Leafa," the Sylph introduced herself, "and this is Sinon!" she said, gesturing towards her friend, who remained silent. "Come on, Sinon. Say something."

Sinon's cat ears twitched in annoyance before she said a simple, "Hello."

Jax was amused. The cat girl seemed just as eager to avoid socializing as him. He was about to respond when blue fluff suddenly obscured his vision, followed by a loud squeal. "Gah!" he shouted in surprise, stumbling backward.

"No Pina! Stop that!" a new voice commanded. The creature obeyed and flew backward, landing on a small Cait Sith's head. The girl rushed over to the Knight. "I'm sorry! It's not like Pina to do something like that."

"It's ok," Jax assured her. He gestured towards the small animal now perched atop the girl's head. "This… creature. You tamed it?"

"That's right!" said the girl proudly. "My name is Silica! And this is my best friend, Pina. She's a dragon!"

Jax was impressed. Pina was small, but he had heard plenty of stories about the difficulties of taming a dragon. "You must be a talented tamer."

Silica blushed. "Well, I don't know about that…"

"Yeah Silica" Lisbeth butted in, a sarcastic tone evident in her voice. "It must have taken everything you had to tame poor little Pina!"

Silica grew flustered at Lisbeth's teasing. "As a matter of fact, it did!" She pointed at Lisbeth. "Pina! Water breath!"

"Ah!" Lisbeth yelled, diving behind a couch as the little dragon began to circle her head. "No Pina! Not again!"

Jax couldn't help but start laughing, just as many others in the room did as the little dragon began to chase Lisbeth all over the cabin. And as he laughed, he found he couldn't stop. It was all so pure. These people were so… fun. A pleasant warmth ran down his spine. Fun. He never thought he would use that word again.

Just when he thought he had finally regained his composure, Pina circled around and ambushed Lisbeth with a powerful jet of water to the face. She yelped and fell backwards on the floor, her face and hair soaking wet. Everyone burst out laughing again.

Lisbeth covered her face with her hands in embarrassment. Jax just chuckled and walked over to her. She peeked through her fingers and was surprised to be met with the White Knight's outstretched hand before her. She accepted his offer to help and took his hand, her face turning bright red as he pulled her up.

"T-Thanks," she stuttered.

Asuna watched from the back wall with a huge smile on her face. Jax fit in well with the group. Something seemed different about him compared to the first time they had met. As soon as he started meeting everyone, it was as if a huge unseen weight were lifted off his shoulders.

Her attention was pulled away when she felt a warm hand slip into hers. She held it tightly and smiled over at the love of her life. Kirito smiled back, then turned to watch the others.

"So," Kirito observed, "that's the White Knight."

"Mhm," confirmed Asuna, watching Lisbeth converse with him. "I think Liz has a major crush on him," she giggled.

"Good," Kirito said with a hint of relief. "Maybe she will finally leave me alone."

Asuna laughed at his comment, causing him to laugh too.

Kirito watched Jax for a moment more. The White Knight was rumored to be quick, nearly invisible to the untrained eye. And yet, he wore armor. It was obviously lightweight gear, but still, wouldn't he move even faster without it? How curious.

"You should probably go introduce yourself," Asuna suggested, taking notice of his analytical thought.

Kirito sighed. "Yeah, alright."

Across the room, Lisbeth had whipped out an enormous golden war hammer for Jax to see. "This is the legendary hammer Mjolnir! I won it from the thunder god Thor himself while on a quest to claim Excalibur!"

"Uh, no way!" Klein cut in. "I was the one who obtained Mjolnir! I thought I was being nice by giving it to you, but clearly that was a mistake."

Lisbeth waved him off. "It was useless in your hands anyway. Your hammer skill isn't leveled up at all!"

"Excuse me?!"

Jax just watched with amused confusion as the two continued to argue, when he noticed a stranger dressed in black walking towards him. Eager to get pleasantries out of the way, the Knight turned to greet him and lifted his hand. "I don't think we've met yet. I'm Jax."

The stranger respectfully shook his hand. "I've heard a lot about you, Jax. My name is Kirito."

Jax froze. Kirito. Suddenly his memories surfaced once more, flashing before his eyes. An Imp and a Spriggan, locked in glorious battle. Above the coliseum, an interface read their player names in the sky. Yuuki, the Absolute Sword, and… Kirito.

The Knight's eyes widened at the realization. "You're… You're the Black Swordsman!"

Kirito raised an eyebrow at the remark. "You… know who I am?"

"Are you kidding? Everyone has heard of the Black Swordsman! You are a legend!"

"Daddy is amazing, isn't he?" came a small voice.

The Knight looked down and was surprised to see a cute little girl reaching for Kirito's hand. He glanced back up at Kirito. "Um… you're a father?"

Kirito just shrugged. "It's a long story."

Jax just nodded in return. He wasn't one to judge. He knelt and waved to the child. "Hey there. What's your name?"

"I'm Yui!" the girl announced proudly.

The Knight smiled at her enthusiasm. She was so innocent.

Jax lifted himself to his feet and shook his head. All of a sudden, this whole situation didn't feel right. This couldn't be just chance. What were the odds that Kirito, the Black Swordsman, would be here of all places?

Asuna approached from behind Kirito and offered Jax a drink. "For a toast," she explained.

The Knight gratefully accepted, then paused as he watched Asuna take Kirito's hand in hers. Jax clenched his fist as the realization hit him. They were together. They were a couple. Suddenly, everything made sense. This was probably Pantheon's plan all along. This was why he was ordered to find Asuna. The Black Swordsman was arguably the most powerful player in the game, and Asuna was his other half. His weakness.

Jax's knees began to tremble as Asuna called everyone's attention. "Alright guys, it's time to make a toast!"

Everyone gathered around, drinks in hand, while Jax completely zoned out and began to internally panic. Pantheon's objective was likely geared towards Kirito the whole time. It was no accident that he was here.

"It has been a tough year," Asuna began. "We've faced many challenges. Grueling boss battles, grand quests, the Ordinal Scale, and… the loss of a loved one."

The connection was so clear now. Jax was sure of it. Pantheon must have known about Kirito the whole time. They must have already chosen him. Was he… the next Candidate?

"And yet," Asuna continued, "we overcame those challenges. We did that because we worked together and trusted each other. Together, we can do anything, as proven by our triumph over the floor 50 boss!"

Jax shuddered. If he was right about this… then Kirito and Asuna were in grave danger. Pantheon would want the Black Swordsman for his unrivaled strength and skill. Kirito would be a perfect Candidate. The perfect replacement. The end of Lia's life. The end of the White Knight.

Asuna raised her cup high as she came to a close. "To the future!"

"To the future!" everyone answered, raising their own cups.

Then Asuna lifted her drink again, this time in the White Knight's direction. "And to new friends!"

"To new friends!"

The sudden silence finally pulled Jax from his thoughts, and he realized that the entire room had their cups raised and were looking to him. Quickly, he raised his own drink, and forced a smile onto his face. "To new friends."

Everyone cheered and drank from their cups while Jax was left to ponder the situation. He observed as Kirito and Asuna happily embraced Yui in celebration. They were a family. A beautiful one at that.

The Knight put a hand to his head as terrible memories suddenly returned. Memories he had long since buried deep in his mind. His family. His parents. A devastating car crash. A raging fire.

"Are you okay?"

Jax quickly fought back some faint tears as he turned to face a concerned Lisbeth. "Uh, yeah, I'm fine."

Lisbeth squinted with suspicion. "Right… Well, I'm glad you came, and…" she trailed off, nervously searching for words.

"Thank you, Liz."

Lisbeth's head shot up in confusion. "What on earth for?"

Jax smiled. "Just… for being you, I guess." He put a hand on her head and lightly ruffled her hair. Then he walked confidently away, leaving a surprised Lisbeth behind to blush.

Jax knew what he had to do. If Pantheon got their way, the lives of these people would be forever destroyed. An image of a burning car scorched its way into his brain. No. Never again. There was only one way to ensure Kirito's safety, and thereby ensuring the safety of everyone else as well. He had to prove Pantheon wrong. He had to prove that he was stronger than Kirito.

Jax quickly opened his menu and scrolled through his weapons until he found what he was looking for. Everyone quickly averted their eyes as the room was suddenly doused in a brilliant light and a shining sword formed in the hands of the White Knight.

The lighting returned to normal as quickly as it had changed. Jax stood in the center of the room, two hands grasping the hilt of a magnificent pure white sword with golden accents, resting the tip upon the wooden floor.

Klein was the first to say something. "What the hell kind of sword is that?!"

Agil looked on in amazement. "That's a legendary sword! But… it's not on any known weapon list I know of…"

"That's because it was forged!" Lisbeth exclaimed, shocked. "But, how?! You have to be a master level 100 blacksmith to even attempt that!"

Jax just grinned at her. Everyone gaped as large mechanical wings sprouted from his back. "Well," said the Leprechaun, "I didn't spend a year grinding my forge and mining skills for nothing." He gestured towards the blade in his hands. "Meet Joyeuse, the Holy Blade of Charlemagne."

Lisbeth squealed with delight. It was the most beautiful forged weapon she had ever laid eyes on. Forged by a master blacksmith Leprechaun!

Kirito simply grinned and stepped forward. "I think I know where this is heading."

Jax nodded. "I was there that day, when you faced off against the mighty Zekken in a duel for the ages. It inspired me to become the strongest player I possibly could. I had always hoped that one day I would get the chance to face you, and that day has finally come."

The Knight lifted his holy blade and pointed it at his opponent. "Kirito, the legendary Black Swordsman! It would be an honor to duel you."

The room fell silent with amazement, awaiting Kirito's response. He looked back at his wife, who gave him an approving nod. She knew him so well. He had wanted to see the White Knight in action, and now was his perfect chance.

Kirito tapped a few options in his menu and his signature black cloak materialized around him, followed by two swords attached to his back. Then, slowly, he unsheathed the legendary golden sword Excalibur and pointed it back at Jax. "I accept your challenge."

Jax took a deep breath. He got his wish. Now he just had to win.

More images flashed suddenly in his mind. His parents' funeral. Lia's face. A traumatized child. He could not let those things happen again. Not to these people. They didn't deserve that kind of horror.

Jax moved with newfound determination as everyone began filing outside with excited anticipation. That night, history would be made in a truly epic duel. He would face Kirito head on for all of their sakes. Black versus white. Hero versus villain. Good versus evil. How ironically poetic.