Chapter 1
I, Kyou, have recently awoken within a strange world. There were all sorts of strange people around me. They looked like humans, but I couldn't be sure. I tried to remember how I got here, but the last thing I recalled was talking to Lance. Actually, I wonder if he's around. I searched my surroundings and found myself to be in a rather small village. I could tell this was no longer Japan because of the ethnicities of the people around me. I wondered if I would be able to communicate with them. I decided to give it a shot.
I spoke with trepidation, "U-umm, hello. Can you understand me?"
I wasn't expecting a response, but after a while, one man stepped out among the crowd. Based on the attention from the people, I discerned that he probably held the authority. He then spoke in fluent Japanese.
"Why, of course we can understand you. This is the native tongue of Under World."
I was flabbergasted at the fact he could speak my language, but even more so when he revealed the name of this world. I thought to myself, 'Woah, woah. Under World?! That's the name of the world from those rumors on the net. How'd I get here?!'. I spent a minute or so with my own thoughts before calming down. I decided to respond to the man.
"What's the village I'm located in called? I apologize for imposing on you. I woke up without remembering how I got here."
The old man had a look of contemplation on his face. It seems that I touched on a sensitive subject without realizing it. He let loose an exhale before responding.
"No... It's quite alright. This is Rulid village and my name is Gasupht, the elder of the village. Forgive me if we come off as rude. It's just that we once had a lost child of Vector just like you."
More words that took me by surprise. The name 'Vector' had come up in the internet rumors, but hearing the name here as well threw me for a loop. I thought about asking them who Vector was, but I opted against if after some consideration. I decided to ask about the world in detail.
"This is Rulid village, correct? Have you come across any others in the same state as I recently? If I had to guess, I'd say my friend would have arrived here around the same time as me."
Gasupht shook his head. I somewhat expected this outcome. Well, if he's not here, then he must be in the surrounding area. Let me think back as far as I can remember. Lance and I had just mentioned the arrival of those strange emails and I remember accepting it. The memories cut off there. I'll try to recall basic information about myself while I'm at it.
My name is Kyou Izagawa. I'm a first-year in high school. I'm of an average height at five feet and nine inches. I have brown eyes and a black head of straight hair. I'm physically fit and I do martial arts. I have a first-dan in Karate. It wasn't until middle school that I entered the VRMMORPG scene. I have an account for ALO and I dabbled in GGO, but nothing interested me more than the infamous 'cursed game', Sword Art Online, commonly referred to as SAO. I remember the launch date of it around four years ago. I also remember pre-ordering it in an attempt at playing it, but the purchase was denied somewhere along the line. It was very upsetting that I didn't receive the game, but I felt relief after I saw what became of the game.
The game went on for two years while all the families mourned for the players, none more than those who had lost their relatives. To tell the truth, I knew one of the players. She went by the name of Sachi online. She was like an older sister to me as she listened to my problems and comforted me. It wouldn't be farfetched if I said I wanted to play SAO because of her. I'd heard that she would play with her friends. I grieved a lot when I found out she died.
However, it's been almost three years since she passed away. I couldn't allow myself to be held down in regret. Yeah, I probably had feelings for her, and I won't forget, but I had to move on. Anyways, I was inspired to join the vastly growing VRMMORPG scene once again. One of my online friends told me about Alfheim Online, or ALO, and I decided to go out and buy the game. I actually still had my nerve gear, so I decided to use that. I know it's condemned as part of the SAO atrocity, but I felt like it was a part of my grief that I had to accept.
Maybe a month or two after I started playing ALO, it was announced the players from SAO were released. I was shocked at the fact that it was cleared. I remember being relieved and upset at the same time. I used the feelings I had for the game. I remember reaching pretty high levels. My character was an undine. I played the game and heard rumors of an extremely strong spriggan stopping a salamander invasion single-handedly. I dismissed the rumors until I caught sight of the spriggan fighting at the world tree. His desire and his skill inspired me to assist him.
After that, it was revealed that the company that governed ALO, Recto Progress, was responsible for kidnapping over three hundred SAO players and performing experiments on their minds. The one who headed this project was a man named Sugou Nobuyuki. He also reportedly attacked a middle-schooler in the parking lot of a hospital.