And here we go again. Being honest, I am quite surprised this fic is getting as much attention as it does. I guess, whether you love or hate the series, this is definitely one of the most popular stories out there.

This chapter in particular is where things are about to differentiate from the prime universe. Beyond what we have already seen, this will really cement it. And you'll see why before too long.

Thanks again to my reviewers. I'm really glad to see this story does pique people's interests. Here's to more in the future.

Disclaimer: Once more, I do not own Sword Art Online or its content. Reki Kawahara is the author and creator of this series, and all ownership and credit goes to him.

Chapter 2:

The Honest Thief

The next morning, Kirito and Eugeo were setting out on their journey to Zakkaria, the first stop in their quest to Centoria and their friends Asuna and Alice. The only people to see them off were Kirito's mother and sister, Selka, and Chief Gasfut. Not that it mattered to them, as the only thing they had on their minds was Centoria and finding Asuna and Alice.

When they were out of earshot from the villagers, Kirito spoke up, "Hey Eugeo, did you have any weird dreams last night?"

Looking at his friend quizzically, Eugeo replied, "Why do you ask Kirito? Please don't say it's another one of your plans to get us in trouble."

"Geez, talk about lack of faith," Kirito muttered. Then he elaborated, "The reason I ask is because I had a dream about Asuna last night. She said she and Alice were waiting in Centoria for us."

Surprised by this, Eugeo revealed, "I had something similar. But it was Alice who told me they were waiting in Centoria. That can't be a coincidence, could it?"

"A good question," came the familiar voice of the hooded man. The boys stopped when they saw the very person blocking their path. "You have done well to defeat the minions of the Dark Territory. Not to mention demonstrating excellent control of the techniques I have given you. My congratulations, Kirito, Eugeo."

"What do you want this time?" Kirito replied, eyes narrowing.

The man chuckled, unaffected by his hostility. He then returned, "I have just a few more things to impart upon you. But I want you to follow me back to the Gigas Cedar you felled the other day." He then walked in the direction of the fallen tree, and the boys decided to follow him despite their misgivings. Eventually, they all wound up at the felled cedar.

Stepping beside the top, the hooded man instructed, "Use your Blue Rose Sword to cut the top of this tree." Eugeo and Kirito were both confused by this.

So Eugeo asked, "What will that do?"

The man then explained, "The very tip of this tree has garnered most of Solus's blessing. In essence, it possesses the most energy in the entire tree. But it must be cleaved in one strike, to avoid shattering it and scattering the blessing." The two boys seemed to accept that answer, albeit warily.

So Eugeo drew his sword and went to the tip to cut it. Then he swung down with all his might, giving a mighty roar as he did. The sword went clean through, the twig dropping with a heavy thud to the ground. Kirito picked it up just as the man offered some cloth to wrap it in.

"Take this to a blacksmith in Centoria," he further directed. "Her name is Lisbeth. Instruct her to turn that branch into a sword for your use." He reached into his cloak and pulled out a pouch that jingled with the unmistakable sound of shia. "Use this to advance pay her," he told them.

Taking the money, Kirito asked, "Why are you doing all of this?"

"I have told you that you are this world's last hope," the man answered. "I simply wish to equip you with all the tools you'll need to be victorious in your quest. As such, know your quest will be long and arduous. I daresay, you may not see your village again for many years. But never lose heart. Remember to not draw the attention of the Integrity Knights. Your mission depends on you successfully getting into the Central Cathedral and finding your friends. And finally, continue to perfect your skills." Spreading his arms out, he concluded, "And now I shall impart the name of your sword style. I call it the 'Aincrad' Style."

After he had said his piece, Eugeo asked, "What is your name, sir?"

The man looked at them under his cowl, replying, "It's funny. After so many years, I do not believe I had imparted that on you. I suppose you may call me Kayaba. Akihiko Kayaba."

Realizing the significance of the name, Eugeo inquired, "Why would a noble teach us their sword style? Why not keep it within the family line?"

"I am afraid that is an answer I cannot give you now," Kayaba replied. "For now, you must be off. May the goddesses grace your quest as you venture forth." And with that, he retreated behind the other branches of the Gigas Cedar and disappeared once again.

Shouldering the branch he now carried, Kirito urged, "Let's get moving Eugeo. It'll take us a good couple of days to get to Zakkaria. And that's just the first stop."

"R-Right," Eugeo responded. And with that, the two boys began their trek.

After arriving in Zakkaria, the two stayed with a farming family for a good half a year to train for the swordcraft tournament. They both performed beyond all other contenders, earning their way into the Zakkaria Garrison. Another half a year went before they had worked hard enough to get a recommendation for the Imperial Swordcraft Academy. Before long, after many hoops and hurdles, the two were finally in Centoria, and were one step closer to making it to their friends in the Axiom Church.

The two boys, after just having enrolled in the academy, were in the market while carrying Kirito's rather bulky package that they were told to give to the blacksmith Lisbeth. The tricky part was finding said shop in a place neither felt very familiar with. Kayaba hadn't told them what to look for or who Lisbeth really was. So they didn't have much in the way of leads. Eugeo asked a couple shopkeepers, but all of them responded with glares and colorful vocabulary.

With a sigh after their latest run of trouble, Eugeo muttered, "How are we ever going to find this Lisbeth character if no one is willing to tell us?"

"I've been wondering about that," Kirito mentioned. "Everyone seems to treat the name like she's a criminal or something. Is Kayaba setting us up?"

"He was the one who told us not to draw attention from the Integrity Knights," Eugeo reminded his friend.

"Maybe he just said that so he could take credit for turning us in," Kirito returned.

"After training us in Aincrad style? I don't think he would go that far," Eugeo brought up.

While the two were stumped on what to do, Kirito happened to look down the main road, and spotted a sign in the distance. He tried to see what it said and ventured closer while clutching the branch close to him. Eugeo followed, perplexed as to why his friend was going off like he was. That is until he saw the sign himself and was able to see what his friend found. When they approached, the sign read, "Lisbeth's Blacksmith Shop", and was attached to a solitary building separated from the others nearby.

"I guess this is it," Kirito figured. And he led Eugeo inside.

Upon their entrance, someone greeted, "Welcome to Lisbeth's Blacksmith Shop." The store owner was a girl that looked to be around their age, with short, hot-pink hair and wearing a maroon, long-sleeved dress with an apron on her front and brown boots. The boys also noticed the speckle of freckles on her cheeks as they questioned what Kayaba meant about her being someone who could make a sword for Kirito.

Standing behind a stall, the girl they figured was Lisbeth inquired, "How can I help you two Swordcraft students?"

"You know we are attending the Swordcraft Academy?" Eugeo questioned.

"Well yeah. You boys are wearing the uniforms of the page students," Lisbeth pointed out. "It's not hard to put it together." Putting on a beaming smile, she asked again, "So, how can I help you? Looking for a sword to buy?"

Stepping forward and setting the bundle on the table, Kirito explained, "We were told to come to this shop so you could make a sword using this branch." Lisbeth gave them a questioning look when she heard the rather bizarre request, until she investigated the material itself. When she drew away the cloth, she became stunned. She used the Stacia Window to analyze it further and was even more amazed at what she was given.

"A branch from the devil tree?" she questioned in disbelief. "I've only heard fables about it, but I thought it couldn't be cut down by anything man-made. They say it would take centuries to topple it."

"So, can you make a sword using that branch?" Kirito asked, pulling out the money pouch he had been given. "We can offer this right now, and whatever else is added we'll contribute when it's finished."

Lisbeth gave it another glance over, then replied, "I can certainly try, but I have no guarantees about it working. Not saying I can't make the sword; I just don't know if you'll be able to wield it when I'm finished. This material is high grade. And I mean especially high, considering this has to be from the top of the tree itself."

"Don't worry about if we can wield it," Kirito assured, much to Eugeo's dismay. "Just make the sword for us and we'll take it from there."

Giving them a sly look, Lisbeth told them, "Okay. But remember, you'll still have to pay me even if you can't use it." She moved to take it into the back room, only to struggle to even lift the branch. But, one way or another, she eventually got to carry it to the back. With their task done, the boys left the shop.

As they went back into the market, Eugeo brought up, "I have a feeling we won't be able to use that sword, even when she finishes it. I'm starting to understand why people speak so poorly about her."

Catching on, Kirito summarized, "Basically, she's scamming us, right?" Eugeo nodded, but then Kirito assured, "We were told to find her thanks to Kayaba. He hasn't been wrong so far. Let's just head back to our dorms and get ready for the first day of training."

"Don't forget, we need to attend to our Elite Disciples and help clean their rooms before the evening meal," Eugeo reminded. Kirito passively brushed it off, but he was silently worried. Because they had gotten in the top twelve seats of the first-year students, they had been selected by an Elite Disciple to be their page for the whole year. And Kirito's Elite Disciple was a noblewoman named Sortiliena Serlut. Internally, he worried about what she would have him do as her page, especially as the year progressed.

As they were nearing the academy ground, someone bumped into Kirito and rushed past him. He looked around for the culprit, only to realize his own shia from the garrison was gone. He quickly nailed down that the person who bumped him stole it. And he quickly spotted the thief: a small girl with light-brown hair in pigtails and wearing ragged clothing was rushing into the crowd.

He and Eugeo gave chase, tailing after her while they still could see her. The thief noticed before too long and tried to lose them in the market. Kirito and Eugeo split up to try and trap her, with the black-haired swordsman going directly after her. She ducked past a cart, but Kirito was hot on her tail. He rounded a corner, only to nearly collide into Eugeo.

"Where's the thief?" Kirito demanded after he and Eugeo dodged, nearly crashing into each other.

"I didn't see her," Eugeo answered defensively. "You sure you didn't lose her?"

"I kept track of her the whole way," Kirito reasoned. "How did she just vanish on us?"

"I don't know. I'm just wondering where she went." The two boys looked around to see if they missed her but didn't see anything resembling their little thief.

"Great," Kirito whined. "And there goes what little shia I had left from the garrison."

"Stop complaining," Eugeo chided. "Let's get back to the academy and do our duties as pages." With that, the two made their way back to the academy grounds. And they never noticed the petite figure hiding in the crates near where they were talking.

Lisbeth sighed as she set aside her tools. She was grateful for the work those boys gave her, considering she was beginning to fall behind in acquiring customers. All due to some rumors about her swindling people. She just couldn't understand why people didn't understand a good business practice, especially since she needed shia to put bread on the table just as much as anyone these days. It aggravated her to no end. Still, she was grateful for that boy with the black hair for giving her a commission to work on. She wasn't sure how exactly she was going to turn a tree branch into a polished sword, but she was not one to turn down a task. And besides, a branch from the Gigas Cedar was a once in a lifetime opportunity for a blacksmith like her. No way was she passing it up.

Deciding to settle for the night, Lisbeth began to put away her merchandise and close shop. Once she had, she took the side exit to leave. Only she ran across a little urchin huddling over something in the corner of the alley wall. But she quickly recognized the individual as soon as she saw her.

"Geez Silica," she admonished. "You can't just slink off like that."

Turning her head, the girl called Silica responded, "Sorry Liz. I thought you were still busy inside."

"I was until I closed up the shop," Lisbeth said with a groan. Then she took notice to some small bits of food Silica had in her hands, making her narrow her eyes. "Silica, where did you get that food?" she inquired.

"I didn't steal it, if that's what you're implying," Silica defended hotly. "I'll have you know I paid for this food."

"Right. And where did you get the shia to buy the food?" Lisbeth followed up with the second question.

To which Silica looked to the side, and mumbled, "I… maybe got it… from someone…"

"Silica," Lisbeth griped, "how many times do I have to tell you not to steal? You are so lucky you have dodged the Integrity Knights as long as you have. You keep this up, and they will no doubt catch wind. And I can't protect you when that happens. We're already in hot water as it is."

"Sorry Liz," Silica said dejectedly. But Lisbeth couldn't be too harsh on her. Growing up on the streets was tough in this world, and most people didn't survive staying that way. She had been fortunate to take Silica in as she opened her shop. Not to mention making deals to provide for the girl as well as herself.

Deciding to move on, Lisbeth informed, "Well anyway, I got a rather hefty commission from one of the students at the academy. It should hold us over until later. And he did say he would pay extra if needed." With a sly grin settling on her face, she rubbed her chin as she contemplated, "I wonder what would be an ideal price for continued work on that branch."

Rising quickly, Silica argued, "Liz, don't even think about it! You just want to make extra money and rob that boy. It's no wonder people badmouth you."

"Hey! A girl's gotta eat too," Lisbeth retorted. "Not to mention I have extra mouths to feed."

"You shouldn't take advantage of people like that regardless," Silica continued. "If need be, I'll find some work somewhere."

"Silica, we already tried that, remember?" Lisbeth reminded her. "No one is going to give a job to a street urchin who is only good at pinching shia off of strangers." Silica stayed silent on the matter. So Lisbeth went on, "Listen, just stay out of trouble and let me earn the money we need. When I get enough, pay whoever you stole the money from back before he reports you to the Imperial Knights." Voicing her affirmation at the plan, Silica followed Lisbeth to their shared home. But she took one last glance down the alley before taking off.

A few months had passed since that incident. Kirito and Eugeo used all that time they had to further their skills in sword fighting with their mentors as well as grasping more fundamental knowledge of the Sacred Arts. Their Elite Disciples also trained them in their own styles to further their abilities as swordsmen. Golgorosso, Eugeo's disciple, was a stern man who would run his page ragged with exercises along with the usual responsibilities. But he was fair and didn't treat the boy too harshly. Sortiliena was another story. After a few sparring sessions with her page, she was more curious about Kirito and his sword style, not to mention how unique it was compared to something like the High Norkia style. Periodically, Sortiliena would ask Kirito to show her some of his skills in the dubbed Aincrad style so she could learn for herself the kinds of sword skills her pupil was capable of.

After one of these training sessions, Sortiliena pulled Kirito aside to discuss the matter with him. "I must admit, I have never seen such sword skills before," she told him. "Where did you say you had picked up this 'Aincrad' style from?"

"From a stranger passing by my village," Kirito said in a half-truth. "He was kind of weird and never gave Eugeo or I a straight answer. Not much to say about him."

Thinking on it for a moment, his mentor mentioned, "What's strange about the name is that it is similar to the prison castle."

His head rising out of interest, Kirito asked, "There's a castle of the same name?"

"No doubt you have heard of the floating prison called Aincrad," Sortiliena said, pointing to the sky. And for the first time, Kirito saw something amongst the blue sky and white clouds. He could barely make out the shape, but he could tell it was somewhat cylindrical, almost cone-shaped if he squinted. How he never noticed that before, Kirito wasn't quite sure.

"It is said that those who enter Aincrad never return to us," Sortiliena explained. "The stories claim the goddesses made the castle as a prison for the worst beings in the Underworld. For both humans and denizens of the Dark Territory live up there. Those sent to Aincrad are forced to clear its 100 floors in the vain hope they might be released from that death trap. But in 300 years, no one has cleared that prison."

"So only the worst people are sent there?" Kirito asked.

To which Sortiliena affirmed, "So the story goes. No one has ever returned to say otherwise." That made Kirito think about that thief he ran across a few months back. He was still miffed at them pilfering his money that he worked hard to earn at the garrison, but not even he would wish someone to suffer a fate like that. And it reminded him of Alice and Asuna again. Could it be possible they were up there, forced to fight for their lives to escape a prison that will never release them? The thought made him clench his fist.

"That's enough of fables for a time," Sortiliena's voice rang out as he thought. Returning his attention to her, she told him, "I want you to show me one of those techniques you used in our spar. I am curious to learn a bit about it."

Slightly taken aback, Kirito asked, "But what about your family's Serlut style? Shouldn't I be learning that?"

"I'm not saying I won't help you adapt my style a bit," she assured. "I merely wish to add to my own skills some of your own. A wise warrior once said, 'a sword that knows no other way will destroy itself.' As such, I would like to be adept in more than one style before I graduate." Kirito understood her reasoning. One thing Kayaba mentioned in their training was that the Aincrad style was meant to be adaptive to the wielder. And so he knew exchanging tactics and the like with his Elite Disciple would serve them both the best as they went through the academy.

"Alright, I'll show you what I can," he replied. And the two went to the training hall for their lessons.

Later that afternoon, Kirito was walking out of the dormitory where the Elite Disciples resided, having done his daily tasks for Sortiliena for the day. As he walked the grounds, passing other pages and students, his thoughts wandered back to Aincrad. And in turn, his thoughts revolved around Asuna and Alice. Seven years had passed since that day he and Eugeo promised to rescue their friends. He wondered what they had been put through since then. Were they even still alive? The thought went across his mind like it had before, and he shook it out. They were alive, he and Eugeo would find them, they would go back to Rulid Village, and everything would be made right in the world. And yet, he still had that lingering dread that all of this was for nothing. As he walked, Kirito feared that he and Eugeo would have done everything in vain. That joining the garrison, graduating from the academy, winning the Four-Empire Unification Tournament, and becoming Integrity Knights, would amount to nothing more than despair.

"No," he muttered as he clenched his fist, "it won't be like that. We will find them."

So caught up was he in his thoughts that when he stopped, he was startled when Eugeo came up and asked, "Are you thinking about Asuna and Alice again?" Once Kirito looked up to him, he assured, "You were the one to remind me back then about how our oath, spoken in the sacred tongue, would be fulfilled. I choose to believe that we will accomplish our mission to save them. So never forget what we promised all those years ago."

Kirito looked to his friend and gave a relieved smile. Fearing he would shed a tear, he rubbed his eyes with his sleeve and said, "Thanks Eugeo. You're right. We'll see our oath fulfilled. And we'll fight for it." Eugeo nodded, looking at him proudly.

The two were about to go make a run for food when Eugeo was shoved out of the way. In that instant, Kirito saw the thief from before running past them. Not even giving it any thought, he pursued the thief with Eugeo calling out to him. The two chased them down the market street, past stalls and vendors. The thief tried to use some crates and items to impede the boys, but they vaulted over and kept after her. While they were keeping after her, the thief was gaining some ground and beginning to lose them. She rounded a corner, and the two boys kept after her to round the corner themselves. They just caught a glimpse of her running down an alley, and they realized where she was.

"Isn't that Lisbeth's shop?" Eugeo posed. Kirito grunted in response, and he slowed down as they approached. Eugeo did so too as they got near. They crept along the wall, keeping their backs up against it as they listened for the thief. They heard some things said, but nothing clear enough to make out. They only could confirm she was there. Slowly, they came around and strolled up to the thief. When their shadows loomed over her, the girl whirled around and looked up with fearful eyes. He recognized the hair from last time, but he saw that this girl was much younger than he had previously thought. She couldn't have been older than twelve. Her clothes were ragged and dirty, along with smudges on her cheeks, arms, and legs.

At once, Kirito's drive and rage vanished, evaporating from within. The girl looked so fearful, looking up to them when they approached. It reminded him of Asuna, how she had been crying that day she was taken. Eugeo himself was taken aback at the identity of the thief, deflating from the reveal. The thief whimpered at them but kept facing them. It almost looked like she was guarding something. Neither boy could see what it was because of this.

Settling down, Kirito kneeled in front of her and asked, "Hey, what's your name?" The thief didn't reply, her lip trembling as she was spoken to. Deciding on a different approach, Kirito spoke, "My name's Kirito. And this is my friend Eugeo. We're pages at the Imperial Swordcraft Academy." The girl refused to speak still, but she did seem to relax a smidge as Kirito spoke to her. The black-haired boy then reached into his pocket and pulled out some jerky. "You look hungry," he said as he held it out to her. "Would you like some?" The girl eyed the jerky with suspicion, like a wild animal being offered something. But in a flash, she snatched up the jerky. She didn't eat it though, and just put it behind her.

Just then, they heard something give out a squawk. This caused the thief to stiffen, while Eugeo looked around her to pinpoint the source of the noise. The girl tried to bar his way as he looked and spotted what looked like blue fur in a spot behind her.

"Kirito, I think she has a pet here she's looking after," he reported.

The thief immediately hunched over whatever was behind her, and cried out, "No! I won't let you take her! Leave us alone."

"It's okay," Eugeo tried to assure. "We're not going to harm anyone. Please believe us."

"You'll just report to the Integrity Knights and have me killed, won't you?" the thief challenged, tears streaking her face. "You'll have me arrested because I broke the Taboo Index."

"No one is going to report to anyone," Kirito told her. But one look made it clear this girl didn't believe them. So Kirito got another bit of jerky from his pocket, and offered, "It's not against the Taboo Index to offer food of one's own volition. Go ahead. Have some with your friend." The thief once more eyed the jerky, only this time she hugged closer to whatever she was trying to hide. That was when a head broke out from a gap in her arms. It looked like a dragon's head to the boys, but a rather young one. It had pale-blue fur and dark red eyes. The thief tried pushing it down to hide it.

"Was that… a dragon?" Eugeo asked concerningly. The thief just closed her eyes and hugged closer to where the dragon was.

At that point, they heard Lisbeth call out as she came over from inside the shop, "Silica, let's go get some food. It's almost—" But she stopped when she saw the boys beside her. Immediately, she rushed at them and pushed Eugeo back while standing protectively with a mace out.

"Get out of here and forget what you saw!" she demanded. "Or else I won't finish that sword of yours."

"Hey, easy," Kirito urged as he stood up with his arms raised. "We're not wanting to hurt anyone. We just followed this girl when she snatched my friend's wallet." At that, Lisbeth turned to the thief looking startled.

"Silica, why would you do that?" she asked tersely.

To which the thief known as Silica replied softly, "Because… Pina is… she's dying."

"But that can't be," Eugeo refuted. "Dragon offspring don't get sick. Don't they?" No one gave an answer to this. And the dragon called Pina poked its head out again, and Kirito and Eugeo saw what she meant. It looked rather sickly, with its eyes half-lidded. Not to mention its fur was missing some patches.

Kirito made a move to get closer, but Lisbeth faced them and gave a look that halted his progress. "Take one more step, I dare you," she growled. "I don't care if I get taken by the Integrity Knights. I won't let you hurt Silica when she's already been hurt enough."

Kirito replied, "Easy. I just want to check Pina's condition. Believe it or not, Eugeo and I have taken care of animals in our village before. And we know sacred arts, so we can help in that way too."

"Please Ms. Lisbeth, let us help," Eugeo pleaded. The blacksmith glared at the two for a good minute before releasing her tension. She stepped aside to allow the two to approach.

Kneeling next to Silica, Eugeo asked, "May we?" To which Silica gave a small glimpse at the dragon she had. They could certainly see that it was sickly, lying curled around itself with its wings folded around its body. Eugeo brought up a Stacia Window to check on Pina, while Kirito checked it normally.

"Well, she's not losing Life," Eugeo reported. "But she does have less than she should."

After checking, Kirito added, "It's not getting enough nutrition. Or at least the right kind."

"But that can't be," Silica tried to argue. "Liz and I always get Pina something to eat. We thought that would help make her better."

Eugeo smiled, dismissing the window as he explained, "It's not a bad thought, but you need to be careful. Some animals have very special diets you need to follow. In her case, I think Pina needs some fish."

"Fish?" Lisbeth and Silica questioned.

"I can grab some fresh fish from the market before they close," Kirito told them. And he hurried off. Eugeo then gently stroked the dragon's head as it breathed laboriously.

"Hang in there Pina," he told the little dragon. "You'll be just fine."

Before too long, Kirito had returned with a few small fish, as well as some herbs. The girls watched as they helped to feed Pina some pieces of the fish before slipping some medicine in with the later ones. When they did, there was a noticeable change in Pina's behavior. Her breathing slowed and became more restful, and she appeared to be more asleep. Eugeo checked her once more with the Stacia Window, and they saw her Life value was steadily increasing.

"She'll be okay now," Eugeo informed the girls. "Pina just needs to sleep. She should be fine by morning." Silica beamed at this news and cried happy tears upon hearing Pina was going to be alright.

The boys stood up and Lisbeth addressed, "Thank you. But how did you know what Pina needed anyway? It's not like dragons are a common thing around here."

"My Elite Disciple Golgorosso lived in an area near where dragons used to be," Eugeo explained. "He mentioned how, in their village, losing large catches of fish was because dragons fished them out back then. Some legends mention how only fish were offered to appease dragons that were in a frenzy."

"Good thing I was there for that one time he brought up dragons," Kirito remarked with a smirk. To which Eugeo only chuckled in response. Then Kirito suggested, "Hey Liz, mind if we modify our arrangement?"

"It's 'Lisbeth' to you, buster," Lisbeth sternly told off.

After getting that squared away, Kirito proposed, "How about this: you still turn that branch into a sword for us and keep the advance payment. And instead of paying you extra, how about we help Silica take care of Pina by getting it food and stuff for her. That way she won't have to steal and worry about the Integrity Knights." The proposition caught Lisbeth off-guard. She had expected them to blackmail her with what they knew to get the sword for free, maybe even get a replacement should this one fail. But they wanted to help care for Pina and Silica?

"Why would you care for a street urchin and a dragon?" she questioned. "What's in it for you two?"

"Nothing," Kirito replied. "We just want to make sure no one gets in trouble. Especially Silica. Having that dragon alone would draw attention from the imperial family."

"That, and she kinda reminds us of a friend of ours back home," Eugeo mentioned. Again, Lisbeth was quite baffled at this. But she didn't think she could be any luckier.

Putting away her mace and setting her hands on her hips, she returned, "Alright. I'll agree to those terms. But I still make no guarantee you can wield that sword when it's finished. And boy is it a doozy already."

Kirito smirked before holding his hand out to shake and cinch the deal, to which Lisbeth took it and shook. Silica put her hand on top of theirs and looked up to Kirito and Eugeo.

"Thank you both so much," she spoke. The boys nodded, then the four parted ways.

But before they left, Eugeo reminded, "Oh Silica, if you want to avoid the Taboo Index, I might want my wallet back." And Silica quickly returned Eugeo's wallet and bowed in gratitude. And with that, they all went their separate ways.

On the next day of rest, Kirito and Eugeo ventured down to Lisbeth's blacksmith shop with a catch they made themselves earlier today. They turned into the alley to find Lisbeth and Silica waiting for them with Pina settled on Silica's shoulder. The little dragon certainly looked much healthier, even nuzzling Silica's face. It was an endearing sight to see.

"Well, you two certainly took a while," Lisbeth teased. "Took a wrong turn?"

Kirito gave a quick chuckle before replying, "Nah, we were just talking about our training back at the academy. Did you miss us?"

Lisbeth glowered at him, but was unable to say anything when Silica piped up, "So Kirito, Eugeo, I wanted to thank you guys again for helping Pina get better." Pina gave a chirp along with that, making everyone chuckle. "C'mon, I want to show you something." Silica urged. The group gathered nearby as she faced the wall.

"Pina, bubble breath!" Silica called out. And with a mighty squawk, Pina shot out several bubbles that made impact with the wall, much to the amazement of those gathered. Especially when it was clear those bubbles had some force behind them.

"Amazing," Eugeo said in awe. "Well done Silica." Silica giggled at the complement, blushing slightly at the praise. Pina then flew over and landed on Eugeo's head.

Seeing their perplexed looks, Silica told them, "She likes you Eugeo." Eugeo was quite surprised by this. He then pet the little dragon on his head, making Pina purr at the attention.

During this, Lisbeth got Kirito's attention and told him, "Thanks for helping take care of Silica and Pina. It really means a lot for us."

Kirito gave her an easy-going smile and assured, "Don't worry. You're already doing a ton of work for us with the Gigas Cedar branch. Helping those two is easy in comparison."

Lisbeth nodded, then instructed, "Just don't tell anyone about her or Pina. Knowing the people around here, they would take Pina to the Axiom Church. Especially since the Integrity Knights all have dragons. And well, Silica is just so attached to Pina. It'd destroy her if they were separated."

"How'd you find her anyway?" Kirito asked. Eugeo and Silica paused in their moment and came over after hearing the question.

Looking away, Lisbeth answered, "It was about a year or so ago. I was only a couple years in after opening my shop. I was about to close shop when I heard this girl crying on the side of the road. I go to talk to her, and I find her with this baby dragon that looked like it had been injured. At first, Silica treated me like she did you two. But I eventually just went over and helped patch up both her and her dragon. After that, she hung around my shop, and I decided to look after her."

Curious, Eugeo asked, "But doesn't Silica have a family somewhere? They must be worried."

Downcast, Silica said, "I don't have parents anymore. They died when I was young while we traveled. They lost their lives trying to save some villagers caught in an accident. I had no one to support me, so everyone I went to cast me out. But out in the woods I met Pina. We were both orphans, so we stuck together." Pina chirped as she went over to Silica and licked her face to comfort her. Holding the dragon in her arms, she finished, "We don't really have a family. Not anymore." It pained the boys to see such a young person having to suffer as Silica did. Eugeo himself looked deeply troubled at this revelation.

But then Kirito declared, "Well, you do now." Before Silica could ask what he meant, Kirito elaborated, "We'll be your family now. Lisbeth, Eugeo, and me. We're your family. And we'll support you the whole way."

"Really?" Silica asked, looking quite thrilled at the notion.

"Yeah," Eugeo spoke up. "I mean, you already have Lisbeth looking out for you. And Kirito and I want to help in any way we can." Silica's smile grew so wide it threatened to split her face in half. And in her elation, she charged forward and hugged both Kirito and Eugeo tightly, forcing Pina to fly out of her arms to avoid being squished.

"Thank you," she uttered tearfully. Lisbeth looked on at the scene thoughtfully.

Those two can be dorks, but they certainly are dependable, she contemplated. Rubbing her chin, she thought, A family, huh? It's kinda nice to be a part of one. Then she looked towards the Central Cathedral tower, thinking, I wonder if they miss their families, or if they lost them like Silica. They would love to be a part of this family.