A/N: for the people familiar with the show/manga this chapter can become a little boring. Its about the "Openings Ceramony" on the first day on the game. If you chose it, you can skip to the last couple of lines since it's almost the same as the original to follow the original story. but reading it can give you a better understanding of the charactar.

Have Fun

Chapter 2

The moment my vision returned, I noticed that I was standing on stone instead of the grass a moment ago. I started to look around and I noticed I was back in starting city and I wasn't the only one here. After taking a second look my guess would be that all the players logged on are here.

"Please tell me I can log out now.."

I looked to my left to see who have said that and I noticed a girl standing there.

"Sorry, but what do you mean? Can't you log out?" I asked.

"Wait, can you log out?"

"I haven't tried it but let me check" I said while moving my right index finger from up to down to call the Menu.

"Let me see. It should be here in the bottom right?"

I was searching but I couldn't find it anywhere. A weird feeling ran down my spine as I noticed there was no button to log out. The girl saw it on my face.

"Everyone I spoke to said the same thing. There is no log out button in the system window. They think it must be some kind of bug but it's already a couple of hours ago when people noticed it. They have tried to contact GM's but there not responding." She said.

As I looked at her I couldn't believe what she was saying. I tried to come up with reasons why they hadn't responded to it but I couldn't think of one. The moment I wanted to say something I heard a voice from in front of me.

"Ah… Look up!"

After I looked up I noticed that 100 meters above me, the bottom of the second floor was checkered in red. When I looked closely I noticed the words [ Warning } and [ System Announcement ] in a crisscrossing pattern.

"Can't we log out because there has not been an opening ceremony? Or is this the operator who will tell us what is going on here?" I couldn't shake the bad feeling while I thought about this.

After the all sounds died down in the plaza something happened. From the middle of the pattern something came down. It almost looked like blood dripping down from it. But it didn't fall down on the ground. Instead it was pulling together and started turning into a shape.

It turned into a hooded robe around 20 meter tall. From where I was standing I could look into the hood and I was shocked for a moment. The figure appearing for us had no face!

Something gave me the idea I have seen that robe before but I couldn't find out from where. My thought were running wild to understand what was going on. Didn't they had time to prepare an avatar and used this instead?

That moment it hit me. The reason that robe looked familiar to me is because the GM that was with me on the day I was allowed to test this game had worn it. And all the other GMs I met had also warn that robe! Was this a GM?

That moment the huge robe lifted his right sleeve and a pure white glove appeared from the long sleeve. And his left after that. Then a low, calm, male voice was coming from inside the hood.

"Players, I welcome you to my world"

His world? I couldn't understand it. I thought this while the huge red robe lowered his hands and continued talking.

"My name is Kayaba Akihiko. Right now, I am the only person who can control this world."

Him?! A new shock hit my body and I forced my mind to focus again in the hope I would understand it.

"I think most of you have discovered the fact that the Log Out button has disappeared from the main menu. This is not a bug; it is all part of Sword Art Online's system."

Part of the system? My mind was going crazy but he didn't wait for me to figure out as he continued.

"Until you get to the top of this castle, you cannot log out of your own free will."

What? Top of this castle? I couldn't understand it but then he blew my confusion away.

"… also, the disruption or dismantling of the Nerve Gear from the outside is strictly forbidden. If these things are attempted…"

He paused for a second and the silence off the thousands of players in the plaza was overwhelming.

"The signal sensors in your Nerve Gear will emit a strong electromagnetic pulse, destroying your brain and stopping all of your basic functions."

For a moment I could do nothing then standing there in shock. Was he serious? Destroying our brains, or in other words kill us.

I started to think about it. They call the Nerve Gear the newest ultra-technology. With its countless signal transceivers that emitted small electronic pulses to send virtual signals to our brain. The basic theory is the same as a household appliance used for over 40 years- the microwave.

He must be bluffing I thought. Because what will happen if there is a power outage or because of a router problem the connection is lost?

That moment Kayaba started explaining, almost as if he had read my mind.

"To be a little more specific, disconnection from an outside source of electricity for 10 minutes, being cut off from the system for more than two hours, or any attempt to: unlock, dismantle, or destroy the Nerve Gear. If any of these conditions are met, the brain destruction sequence will start. These conditions have been made known to the government and the public through mass-media in the outside world. On that note, there have been several cases where the relatives or friends have ignored the warnings and tried to forcefully remove the Nerve Gear. The Result…"

Kayaba took a short breath

"… regretfully 213 players have already exited this game, and the real world, forever."

I couldn't believe it. Over 200 players have already died? He must be kidding! My body started shaking as I tried to stay on me feet. Still trying to calm myself down, Kayaba continued his explanation.

"Players, there is no need to worry about the bodies you left on the other side. As of this moment, all TV, radio and Internet media are repeatedly reporting this situation; including the fact that there have been numerous deaths. The danger of having your Nerve Gear taken off has already all but disappeared. In a moment, using the two hours I have provided, all of you will be transported to hospitals or similar institutes and be given the best treatment. So you can relax… and concentrate on beating the game."

Beat the game? Does he really think anybody will do that now? A boy a little in front of me started shouting toward Kayaba. But I was too shocked to hear what he was shouting.

But it didn't stopped Kayaba as he quietly starting announcing with his low low voice again.

"But I ask of you is to understand that Sword Art Online is no longer a simple game. It is a second reality…. From now on, any form of revival in the game will no longer work. The moment your HP reaches 0, your avatar will be gone forever. And at the same time…"

I knew already what was coming next.

"… Your brain will be destroyed by the Nerve Gear"

I focused on the green line, horizontal in the top-left of my vision. That line was the HP I had. Every point that it drops will get me closer to death. And the moment it reaches 0, my brain will be destroyed by this game. This game of death.

Should I stay in the city? Where it is safe? Or would I take the gamble and go to the hunting fields and risk to die? Kayaba answered my unspoken questions with his next message.

"Players, there is only one way to be freed from this game. As I have said before, you must get to the top of Aincrad, the one hundredth floor, and defeat the final boss that resides there. All players still alive at that time will be immediately logged out of the game. I give you all my word."

Clear all 100 floors?! How does he want us to do that? Looking around me, I saw a lot of players, but how many of them will be too scared to leave the city? And how many will die on the way up there?

Even if I have to do it alone, I will try to beat this game. I have to, I can't leave my family in the pain they are now. I repeated that over and over, hoping to get strength from it.

Kayaba's voice once again, broke my concentration and I focused on him again.

"Then I will show you evidence that this is the only reality. In your inventories, there will be a gift from me. Please confirm this."

As I opened the menu and looked into my list I noticed an item named: Hand Mirror. I pressed it and a small mirror appeared in my hand. As I looked into it I noticed nothing and looked to the girl next to me to see if she had the same thing.

Still with my eyes looked at that girl, a white light surrounded me. As it was surrounding me, I saw that it happened to all the players around me.

Almost 3 seconds later, the light disappeared as nothing had happened. I looked to my left and the girl that had been there a moment ago was gone and a different girl was standing there. As I looked around me I noticed that all players looked different. Do I look different to?

As I looked in the mirror I calmed down to see my own face. As I lifted my face something hit me. I wasn't at home, I was in the game. That means I should see my avatar and not my own face! As I looked again I realized what had happened.

When you first use your Nerve Gear, you have to calibrate it. Because I had to do it with the Nerve gear I got from Kayaba that day, I remembered it. But how about the face? Was it because it covered or whole face it knew how we look like?

This time I was waiting for him to continue and he didn't let me down.

"You will all most probably be wondering, 'why.' Why am I – the creator of both the Nerve Gear and SAO, Kayaba Akihiko – doing something like this? Is this a sort of terrorist attack? Is he doing this to ransom us?"

I was waiting to hear the answer.

"None of these is the reason I am doing this. Not only that, but now for me, there is no longer a reason or a purpose in doing this. The reason is because… this situation itself was my purpose in doing this. To create and watch this world is the only reason I have created the Nerve gear and SAO. And now, everything has been realized."

After a short break, he spoke again.

"… Now I have finished the official tutorial for Sword Art Online. Players – I wish you luck."

With his last words, the robe became blood again and went upwards to the place it came down from. It disappeared between the cracks of the system warning in the sky above us. With him, the system warning in the sky left with him, returning the sky to its original state.

After a moment of silence the crowd of all players left in the game gave a reaction. Countless voice could be heard screaming. Some were angry, some were scared.

I wasn't one of them, I cleared my mind and was thinking of what to do next. That moment I saw a black haired and a red haired player walking away from the plaza. I decided to follow them. Maybe with their help, I can learn how to survive this Death Game.