CHAPTER III: CONFESS YOUR SIN

X's POV, Interrogation room

I sat there in silence for what seemed like hours. Kirito and Asuna sat across from me, staring at me with merciless eyes. They meant business, and what that was? Well, I was about to find out. Landeral entered the empty room and tossed an all too familiar blade onto the table. The ring of the metal hilt hitting the table brought noise into a dead silent room. I swear you could cut the tension in the air with that blade. Kirito and Asuna looked at the blade in shock, and then at me.

"The Reaper Sword." Landeral announced as he leaned against the wall in the corner. "The infamous cursed blade used by the even more infamous Laughing Coffin guild member: Red Eye X."

I stared at the damned weapon. Its black aura mocked me, tortured me, and constantly reminded me of what I had done. How many innocent players I killed. I didn't know what to say, or how to react. All I knew was that there was blood on my hands. Stains that could never be washed away. I looked up from the blade and into Kirito's eyes.

"So, what do you want to know?" I asked, silently pleading to get this whole ordeal as quickly over with as possible.

Kirito looked at me.

"I want to know why you've been killing our scouts. What is LC getting out of killing innocent players? We're all trapped in here same as you. So why make everyone suffer more by taking everything away from them?"

I shrugged. It was probably not the best response, but what more could I do? I knew about as much of Laughing Coffin's motives as they did, and I was a part of it. Everyone in Laughing Coffin had their own reasons for killing players. Some knew their victims from the real world and believed they wronged them, so they took revenge. Some just went crazy and couldn't cope with the idea of being stuck and ultimately killed in a video game. And others, the worst of them, just downright enjoyed it. They didn't believe the stories of dying in the real world. They didn't believe that the disabled log out feature was intentional, and that it was just a bug. They believed the developers of the game had made a huge mistake in the code and were frantically figuring out a way to get everyone out before they fixed any bugs. I met Asuna's gaze. I had yet to answer her question. I had to think of something to say.

"It should go unspoken that Laughing Coffin has their territory marked." I said. "Your scouts wandered into our territory and paid the price for doing so."

That's it? That's all I had to say? Man was I messing this up big time. No one could "claim" territory, not unless they bought a home on land that was able to be built on. Sure, there was plenty of spots out there, but those were in safe zones. Out in the field, where Laughing Coffin thrives, it's fair game for anyone.

"But what's the point?" Asuna chimed in; it was obvious she was getting annoyed. "Our scouts were just checking out the material and mobs in that area. And you can't claim territory out in the field! So, why kill them? Is it just because that's all you killers know how to do?"

I chuckled to myself. It did seem rather silly thinking about Laughing Coffin having a routine and agenda other than killing, but even they had some type of structure. I looked over to Asuna.

"As you know, the material's and monsters on each floor are finite and don't last forever. That is, the respawn rate is significantly reduced to make the game even more difficult for the players to traverse the floors and their respective maps. Laughing Coffin must have had significant reason and rare material drops from the mobs in the area and didn't want anyone from outside the guild getting their hands on it, as well as making sure anyone who spotted them wouldn't report them to any high-ranking guild that might interfere or stop the guild. The Knights of the Blood Oath, for example. But I wouldn't know too much about why. I wasn't a part of the party that killed your scouts."

"So why turn yourself in now?" Kirito asked. "I find it hard to believe that a LC guild member would just so happen to show up to a prison and willingly give himself up without an ulterior motive. Our scouts are killed and suddenly you, a legend amongst your guild, show up out of nowhere? Sounds suspicious if you ask me. What's your game Red Eye?"

I really hated that name. It was stained red with blood. Like any newbie to a game, I wanted to make a name for myself. One that stood out from the rest. One that people could instantly recognize whenever they heard it. Unfortunately for me, I got exactly what I wanted for all the wrong reasons.

"I-I was tired of killing." I muttered. "I wanted to make a name for myself, but not like this. I didn't want to be known as the Red Eyed Reaper."

Landeral scoffed from the corner of the room.

"So, what did you want then boy? What did you expect was going to happen? Laughing Coffin is known for its murderous guild members. Anyone who joins up with them knows what they're getting into, and the ones that make it in don't care about the consequences. They want to kill!"

I sat back in my chair and shook my head. It's true that every member of Laughing Coffin has drawn blood, but the motives are never unified amongst the guild members.

"It's not that simple." I said. "Every member is always told something different, or always forced to join if they're lucky enough to be offered a spot in the guild. Even then, the one's who do know the truth about the guild always keep it a secret from the new recruits until it's too late. Once you're in, you're in for good."

Asuna must have heard something that peaked her curiosity. She leaned onto the table with her fingers laced, covering her mouth.

"So then Red Eye…What's your story then? If that's how it works in your guild then there's no way you should expect us to just take your word by saying you're out of the guild. Even now, looking at your username it still says you're a member of LC. So if you can't leave, what's the excuse as to why you're here?"

Story? It's much more than that. It's a fresh memory that reburns itself into my mind every day that passes by. It's an infection, a disease that eat away at my sanity. I knew every detail. I was silent for a while. Silent out of shame, silent out of sorrow, silent out of pain having to recall everything that I've done. Finally, I looked up at Kirito and Asuna and spoke.

"It's complicated and hard to explain. But the short version of it goes like this: When I was born, I was diagnosed with ocular albinism. Kids were afraid of me and often bullied me all throughout high school. My only comfort was in playing RPG's. I could be someone else; be the hero for once. When I finally managed to scrounge up the money for a Nerve Gear setup, SAO was the first game I got, like many. A few days after we all found out we weren't getting out of this game any time soon, I had found out that one of my worst high school bullies was a part of the raiding party to take on the floor boss. I was a part of the same party, so when he found out, he confronted me. You'd think after finding out we were both trapped in a video game, he'd be more compassionate and understanding. But he took it as a chance to comfort himself by going back to his old bullying. By then, I had been convinced by an early member of LC that the dying was all a hoax. He got inside my head, twisted my mind and thoughts. So, during the boss battle, I waited for my chance and…"

I couldn't continue. I knew it was a lousy excuse to kill because of petty childhood bullying, but when you find out your life is in the hands of a video game developer, your sense of logic and reasoning goes haywire.

"I killed him…." I said, my voice beginning to crack and shake. "I didn't want to. I knew it was wrong! I knew it! But once I started, I couldn't stop! He finally felt the pain I felt for years! I believed in a lie! I couldn't move until I saw it for myself! But he never respawned! He never respawned dammit!"

I was in hysterics. The memory of my first kill was like a finely sharpened blade piercing my mind. I clutched my head as if I was just hit with a steel bat. Landeral stood up from the wall, ready to grab me if I got too crazy. Kirito and Asuna looked at me. Whether it was out of pity or judgement, I couldn't tell. I had to get a grip on myself. No good would come out of losing myself. I sat up and took a deep breath. Even in the virtual world, my eyes felt puffy and tired. I continued.

"I knew my cursor would turn orange after that, so I kept my distance from the other raiders until they moved on to the next floor. I stayed in the boss room. I couldn't move. I didn't know what to do after that. Next thing I knew, the man who convinced me to do it was standing in front of me, grinning. He offered me a spot in his guild. He said that it was full of people just like me. People who were alone, afraid, looking to belong somewhere. I joined because…because I knew I would never have to be alone again. But it was more than that. I joined because I knew that I would never be welcomed anywhere- SAO or the real world. So, I joined them. And for a while, I enjoyed it. The thrill of sharing my pain with others! The adrenaline I felt when I ran my blade through my victims. I was feared. I became a legend amongst the guild and the guilds that hunted us. I landed the top five list amongst the Knights of The Blood Oath's most wanted list, and truthfully, it felt good. I finally felt like I had power! Like I wasn't just the freak with red eyes…"

I trembled. My hands shook, and my face was wet with sweat. I don't know how much of my story they believed, but that was the first time I ever told anyone. It was painful. Landeral sat up from the wall once more.

"And the sword." He stated. "How did you get that sword?"

That was something I also never forgot, although, the story isn't as long. I took in a deep breath to calm my nerves.

"I got the Reaper Sword on the 30th floor. There was a secret sub-boss on the edge of the map that me and two other guild members went to fight. We managed to defeat it, but there was a catch: For the quest to end, one of us had to die. And the sub-boss chose who would die, and who would execute them. It chose me to play executioner, and my party leader to be the executed. Next thing I knew, I was holding the Reaper Sword in my hand. I couldn't drop it. It was as if the boss wouldn't let me drop it. I had to do it, or we'd all die. But by then, I had already become a heavily involved member of the guild, so I didn't think much about it."

"And the third party member?" Kirito asked.

"It's strictly forbidden to kill anyone that's a part of the guild." I said. "I knew that if I didn't, I would be the next one to die so…I did what I had to do to survive. I told the other members that the sub-boss killed them both, and that I was left with this sword. It wasn't until later that I found out I would never be able to unequip it. It's cursed, and I deserve it."

The room fell silent. I didn't know what else to say. I just sat there and trembled. It felt like an eternity. The air in the room grew sour and pungent. It felt like I was suffocating. Finally, with tears welling up in my eyes, I looked at Kirito and Asuna.

"Tell me…" I began. "I need to know."

Asuna looked at Kirito.

"Know what?" She asked, looking back at me.

This was the moment. A question I've had on my mind every since my first kill. A question that dug its way into the core of my stained soul. I had to know. I would never get the chance to ask again, and I had to know now. With what little strength I had, I screamed, I yelled, I bellowed out with what little humanity I had left.

"IS THERE ANY HOPE OF REDEMPTION FOR SOMEONE LIKE ME!?"

END CHAPTER III

I TELL YA BACK STORIES ARE A PAIN TO COME UP WITH. ON ONE HAND, TOO MUCH AND THE CHARACTER GETS ALL MUSHY, TOO LITTLE AND THEIR MOTIVES SEEM EXCESIVE OR STRANGE. THAT BEING SAID, FEEL FREE TO LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT IT! BEST PART ABOUT THIS SITE IS THAT WE CAN ALWAYS UPDATE AND CHANGE THE STORY A BIT TO BRING OUT THE BEST IN IT! LET ME KNOW WHAT YA THINK! SHAMAJ OUT!