Disclaimer: Sword Art Online and all related content are the property of Reki Kawahara. I own nothing beyond my idea

Sword Art Online Parallel

Prologue

The Oath, Broken

In a far-off wood, came the deafening sound of an axe making impact with a great tree. This tree, black like obsidian and several mels wide, standing so tall it was as if the point neared the sky itself, piercing the horizon on a small hill. At its base, two boys of eleven years were at work to chop it down. One, a flaxen-haired boy with blue eyes, wearing a light-blue shirt and grey cotton pants, was swinging a large bone axe at an indention in the tree. The other, a raven-haired youth with a similarly black shirt and eyes, scratched another notch on the ground alongside several others at the sound. The flaxen-haired boy struck again, but the sound was deadened due to missing the indent entirely. His arm flared briefly with pain from the failed strike, but he set the axe down afterwards.

"I counted 3 good strikes out of those 50, Eugeo," the raven-haired boy told his friend.

Letting out a tired sigh, Eugeo griped to him, "Geez Kirito, why are you slacking off again? We both need to do our part."

"I am doing my part," Kirito returned. "I just counted off how many good strikes we made. And that makes 1,000, so we can take a little break."

"You just want to be lazy and slack around all day like you do on our day of rest," Eugeo shot back. "I thought you would take this Calling more seriously."

Sitting up from his spot on the ground, Kirito returned, "Eugeo, we're not going to be cutting this tree down in our lifetime. You know how difficult the Gigas Cedar is to cut down. We've been at this for 300 years, and that indent is all the progress we've made in all that time. I bet it'll be another 300 years before it ever comes down."

Miffed at his attitude, Eugeo tackled Kirito and began to tussle. First him on top, then Kirito rolling them over to take dominance, then Eugeo again as it repeated. That is until the two heard someone clear their throat and looked up to see two new figures carrying baskets.

One was a blond-haired girl with the end braided down her back, using a white ribbon to taper off the end. She had a bright-blue dress with an apron and wore brown boots. Her deep-blue eyes were fixed on the two boys with a scrutinizing look.

The one next to her had an amber-blond hair color that had a braided crown around her head while the rest went around and rested a little above her shoulders. She had a simple white dress like the blond-haired girl's, but she wore simple white shoes that looked like the boy's black ones. Her amber eyes had the same expression as her compatriot.

Resting her hands on her hips, the amber-haired girl chided, "Kirito, Eugeo, what are you two doing? Are you both ignoring your Calling again?"

Scrambling to their feet, the boys faced the girls as Kirito spoke, "Sorry Asuna, Alice. But we just finished doing 1,000 strokes already."

"Really?" Asuna asked, her eyes narrowed with intensity. In this way, Kirito seemed to squirm, which made Eugeo chuckle until she fixed him with the same stare.

But Alice's face then softened, and she assured, "It's alright Asuna. There's nothing in the Taboo Index against playing once some of your work was finished." She then walked over and told them, "We brought you your lunch today. Asuna and I made them."

As she revealed the contents of her basket, Kirito's mouth watered. But Eugeo inquired, "Did you both really make this?"

At this, Alice pouted, and replied, "O-Of course! All by ourselves."

Asune sat down and laid out the blanket for them to rest on. She then revealed, "Alice's mother helped us to be able to make this, but we did most of the work."

To this, Eugeo said with a bow, "Thank you very much Alice. Asuna." Alice's cheeks tinged pink at this, but she accepted the thanks from Eugeo.

The four friends sat under the Gigas Cedar having their lunch. Alice and Asuna used a Sacred Art to ensure the food was still good, but barely gave the okay before Kirito dove right in. After some time eating, Kirito asked, "Hey Asuna, why do you and Alice keep bringing lunch for Eugeo and I? Don't you both have studying with Sister Azalia on Sacred Arts?"

Asuna answered, "Alice has that Calling, remember? I'm being trained to go to the Swordcraft Academy when I am of age. My father is still teaching me the Yuuki Style of sword fighting."

"Your father is one of the chief swordsmen in Rulid," Eugeo remarked. "It's no surprise he wants you to go to such a prestigious school."

But Asuna's face turned sour, replying, "That's what he wants. But I heard from my brother that our mother wanted me to grow up as a noble lady and be married to one of the nobles in Centoria."

"No way will we let that happen," Kirito protested, his mouth full of the sandwiches brought for lunch. "We made that oath together, remember? We won't let you be sent away like that." The three others looked between each other and nodded and looked to the nearest tree that had markings on it. The four looked on and recalled how, before any of them had Callings, they had made an oath on that very tree.

Alice then recited, "We were born on the same year, and we would be together to our last year. That was the promise we made."

"Right. And that means we'll stay together," Eugeo assured. "And we'll fight to keep you with us Asuna. You're our friend, and we want you to stay with us."

Asuna smiled at her friends cheering her up, and replied, "Thank you, Alice. Eugeo. Kirito. You're right. We made that oath, and we will see it fulfilled. After all, any oath made in the Sacred Tongue will always be fulfilled."

"That's right," Alice confirmed. And since she knew the Church's laws and teachings like the back of her hand, they knew this to be true.

Eugeo then brought up, "I just wish we could do something to make this food last longer. It's always a shame the Life of food runs out so fast. There should be some way to store it so we can have it for longer."

"Not unless you have a Life manipulation Sacred Art," Alice pointed out. "And there isn't one in the church's tomes. I've looked."

"What about manipulating its environment rather than it's Life?" Kirito suggested.

"Like weather manipulation?" Asuna questioned. Then she told him, "Kirito, such commands are only allowed for high priests of the Axiom Church. We would be arrested by the Integrity Knight order for even attempting it."

"Not weather. Something simpler," Kirito reasoned. He thought intensely for a moment, making his friends a little concerned. But before anyone could say anything to get his attention, he exclaimed, "That's it! There might just be a way."

Startled, Eugeo asked, "What way?"

The raven-haired boy explained, "Do you remember the story of Bercouli and the White Dragon of the North? Wasn't the cave he went to while retrieving the divine sword supposed to be so cold his breath froze?"

To this Alice said, "There is. And the cavern itself was frozen over like the lake in winter."

"Well, that cave isn't too far from Rulid," Kirito told them. "What if, on the next day of rest, we went to that cave and retrieved some of the ice there and used that to preserve our next lunch? The Life wouldn't run out as fast, and we don't need to rush to eat it."

"Considering it's you saying that, I don't think it would matter," Asuna replied, glowering. But she became contemplative, and figured, "But it would actually work. I remember my father sending someone to a similar cave the other day to preserve a beast they hunted for yesterday's dinner. The meat wasn't spoiled, and we all enjoyed it greatly."

"Not to mention that, while there is to be no work on a day of rest, something like this isn't technically work," Alice added further. "We would be alright to do it." Eugeo, who had looked apprehensive about the notion being brought up, relaxed at Alice's assurances.

Kirito then stood up, and told them, "Alright. On the next day of rest, we'll go explore the cave and look for ice." At that, the four cheered.

A few days later, on the day of rest, the four friends were walking along a river towards the cave that would hold the ice needed to preserve food. On this trip, Alice opted to wear a wide-brimmed hat. She and Asuna were up front with their baskets, happily chatting away. Eugeo hung back with Kirito, who had his hands behind his head in a laid back manner. He still had reservations about going on this little expedition of theirs, but he wasn't one to be left out whenever the four of them did something together. Especially after Asuna brought up how she might be brought up to be married off. Which then made him think.

"Hey Kirito, you were pretty upset about Asuna's mother wanting to marry her off, weren't you?" Eugeo inquired. "That's why you reminded us of our oath."

"Well, yeah," Kirito confessed without a shred of shame. "Asuna should be her own person, like Alice. I mean, when you stop to think about it, they both have so much potential and hope for the future compared to loggers like us."

"Really?" Eugeo asked further.

"Of course," Kirito told him. "You and I are stuck with that tree for the rest of our lives. But they can be so much more. Asuna can be part of the Imperial Knights, or even become an Integrity Knight. And Alice can join the Axiom Church. What's that compared to people like us?"

"You're right," Eugeo replied, sounding disheartened at the notion. Especially because Kirito was right on how the girls could be given much better Callings compared to them. Their families were more prominent and had far more promise.

That's when Kirito reminded, "But no matter what they choose to do, I know they won't forget our oath. They're committed to it as much as we are."

That perked the flaxen-haired boy back up, and he simply returned, "Yeah, you're right. They made that oath with us and want to see it fulfilled too. And we'll be with them too."

That was when the boys heard Asuna calling out, "Kirito, Eugeo, hurry up. We're almost there." The two boys rushed to catch up, joining the girls as they reached the mouth of a cave.

The dark expanse was already feeling colder compared to the warmth behind them. The light of Solus wasn't making it as hot as it could be like in summer, but the contrasting temperatures was palpable regardless. The walls even looked smoothed over with some sort of glassy material that felt cold to the touch.

Alice went to the side to pluck a fern the villagers often used to play with cats and pointed a finger to it. "System Call. Generate Luminous Element," she chanted. Immediately, the end began to glow with a soft yet bright light that illuminated a bit of the cave already.

"Alright then, now to go forward and find that ice," Kirito said as he strode forward.

That is until Asuna grabbed him by the wrist and chided, "Don't go off alone Kirito. We need to stay together so we don't get lost. You know that." Kirito chuckled sheepishly at this, making Alice and Eugeo sigh at the antic their rather brash member nearly conducted. With that, the three went together through the cave.

Partway through, Eugeo let out an audible shiver and commented, "How far down do we need to go to get ice? Can't we collect some from the walls here?"

"The ice near the mouth won't keep our food cool enough to preserve its Life," Asuna explained coolly. "We need to get ice from the deepest part, where it is as cold as winter."

"But what if we run into denizens of the Dark Territory?" the boy asked further. "You don't have your sword Asuna, and none of us can fight."

"Then we hide," Kirito suggested passively.

"That won't help at all," Eugeo griped. "Haven't you been listening to the stories? People say those from the Dark Territory can sniff out a human from 500 mels away. We'd be found out in an instant."

"Then we just don't get found out," Kirito replied again. And at that, he earned a rap from Asuna as well as a glare from her.

So, Alice assured, "We'll be fine Eugeo. Remember? The story of Bercouli said there was a guardian dragon that made this cave its home. If anyone from the Dark Territory came in here, they would be forced to flee."

As they got to the deeper part of the cave, Kirito seemed to notice something and asked, "Alice, can you hold your light a little higher so we can see?" The girl obliged, and the four gasped in awe at the sight they found. For in the light, they saw mounds of gold coins and artifacts lying in this section of the cave. But what was even more startling was the massive skeleton lying atop the treasure, one belonging to what could only be assumed was the dragon from the story.

"How can this be?" Eugeo questioned. "The story said Bercouli had to flee upon facing the dragon and abandon the sword. So why is it… dead?"

Asuna, horrified by the find, rushed forward and made a gesture to check the bones. But the Stacia window which showed an object's life and status was garbled and mixed up, making it incoherent. "This cannot be," she muttered in astonishment. "Something's keeping me from reading its life. I can't tell how long ago it was killed."

"But why would someone kill this dragon anyway?" Kirito brought up. "It doesn't make sense. This dragon is meant to protect the human territory. So why kill it?" None of them had the answer to this. But they all agreed something was very wrong and were unnerved by all of this.

Eugeo made to take a step forward, only to hit something solid and trip over something on the ground. The others convened where he was at and noticed the thing he tripped over. It appeared to be a sword, pale blue in color with what looked like a rose with thorny vines on the hilt. The scabbard it rested in was white with pale blue lines patterning it.

After seeing the sword, Kirito asked, "Could this sword be the same as the one Bercouli was after in the story?" Rather than answer, Asuna conjured a Stacia window over the sword to identify it.

"'Blue Rose Sword,'" she informed him, "It's a Divine Object. And a powerful one too."

"This must be the sword the dragon guarded," Eugeo figured. Their raven-haired friend then bent down to pick it up. But as he tried to lift it, he struggled as if the sword weighed several tons. Despite how it looked, it felt much heavier than it should be.

Once he gave up, Asuna chastised, "Kirito, do you ever pay attention? Theycan't lift something beyond your Authority. The sword is ranked 46. It's too much for you, and even Eugeo." But when Eugeo reached down to touch it, he felt something different. It was almost as if some piece of him had been missing, and this sword was the piece returned to him. Yet at the same time, an inner voice told him that he should leave it be for now.

Kirito apologized to the others as Eugeo went through this sensation, but Alice noticed and asked, "Eugeo, what is it?"

To which the boy answered, "It's nothing. I was just about to do the same thing as Kirito until Asuna reminded us." To which Asuna puffed her chest out proudly at this, much to Kirito's chagrin. Regardless, the three went back to their original task and gathered ice around the cave. No one bothered the other treasures, as they had no reason to collect it at present. They gathered them into Alice and Asuna's baskets until they were filled.

"Alright, that should be enough ice for our purposes," Asuna figured. She then looked around, and asked, "Now, how do we get back to the village?" The others looked around, noticing the two paths to take. And they quickly realized that they did not have a way to recall the path they had taken to get here.

"Looks like we forgot to mark the path we took so we could go home," Kirito noted.

"We'll just have to choose a path, and hope it leads us out," Eugeo told them. And without much else to go off, Alice led them down one path they hoped would take them home. As they went, the cave was rapidly getting warmer, and the walls were less reflective from the ice frozen over them. But it was Asuna who noticed the walls didn't look the same. They looked red, almost clay-like. Not to mention the path ahead of them didn't appear to be as bright as she would have thought. The four were near the end when the outside became visible, and they realized they were not where they meant to be.

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Outside the cave was a wasteland, no life to be found anywhere. Any trees seen were withered and dry, and any grass was shriveled and black. The mountains in the far distance were black and foreboding, and the sky black and red. It was a horrifying sight to see, one the four children were unaccustomed to. Then they heard the sound of battle in the air and looked up. There were two dragons, one white and one black, being ridden by two knights. One wore crimson armor and rode the white dragon, while the other had dark purple armor as he rode the black dragon. They met and clashed blades repeatedly, sending flashes of sparks with each passing.

Then, the red knight put his sword away, and drew out a longbow that was the same color as he. He drew the string, and an arrow of flame manifested where he drew. He then released this projectile, scoring a devastating hit on the other knight and knocking him off his steed. The black knight fell to the ground, mere mels from the kids. Asuna held a hand over her mouth in horror, and Eugeo stood agape. Kirito looked between the two knights, wondering what he was seeing. But Alice, for reasons unknown to the group, stared into the black knight's helmet where his eyes would be. The knight reached out a hand to them, as if pleading for help. This seemed to cause Alice to step towards him.

Noticing this, Asuna cried out, "Alice, stop!" And she and Alice tumbled to the ground. The boys looked on, and their shock increased. Alice and Asuna looked up and saw that their hands were well over the boundary between the cave and the wasteland. Both were frozen in shock, unable to comprehend what they had seen. When Kirito looked back up at the black knight, his body and armor began to turn ash-grey, before it dissolved in the wind as his Life ebbed away. Snapping out of this, Kirito pulled Asuna up while Eugeo helped Alice.

"Asuna, Alice, snap out of it!" he urged frantically. "We have to go!" Before long, the two girls shook off their shock, and went with the boys back the other way to leave the cave.

Back in the woods, the four took a moment to catch their breath. No one spoke in that time, mostly reeling from what they had witnessed. And they began to realize there was no doubt of what they saw there.

"That must have been the Dark Territory," Eugeo spoke first, breathless.

"Yeah," Kirito picked up. "And that knight on the white dragon must have been an Integrity Knight fighting the Dark Knight."

"I never thought we'd ever see an Integrity Knight in our lives," Eugeo commented. "Especially one that was fighting something like that other knight."

Kirito grunted in affirmation, then said, "I'm just glad we turned back when we did." He looked to the girls, who seemed frozen as their thoughts lingered on what had happened. The boys went over to them and rested a hand on their shoulders.

"Asuna, Alice," Eugeo spoke softly, "are you two going to be alright?" But Alice raised her hand to her face rather than answer. She still seemed to be stunned silent.

"We broke the Taboo Index," Asuna muttered. "No one is supposed to cross into the Dark Territory. And we… We…"

"You didn't cross into the Dark Territory," Kirito argued. "Neither of you did. Your hands merely touched the ground. That's not breaking the Taboo Index."

Realizing what he meant, Eugeo contributed by assuring, "H-He's right. Merely touching something isn't forbidden by the Index. Neither of you did anything wrong. There's no need to worry." Alice seemed to register this, looking up at Eugeo and Kirito in a desperate search for hope.

"Really?" she asked. "We didn't disobey?"

"Of course not. You didn't at all," Eugeo told her. "So you don't need to worry." What none of them noticed was what looked like a face hovering in the air above them, plain and pale white. It was there for a moment before vanishing, not having been noticed by any of the four.

"What will we do if our parents find out?" Asuna asked.

To which Kirito answered, "They won't need to know. And even if they do, we'll stand by you two. We'll take the punishment if we have to."

"Kirito is right," Eugeo spoke, determined. "We'll take the fault too. We're not going to let anything happen to you." This seemed to calm the girls down, and the four shared a group hug to take solace in their friendship. Once done, they grabbed the baskets and headed back to Rulid.

The following day, a crowd had gathered in the square. Kirito was just coming out with his sister Suguha and rushed off to find his friends. He found Asuna, who was also looking around, and the two located Alice and Eugeo. None of them could see what was going on, but they heard murmurs that gave a very foreboding atmosphere.

"Alice, what's going on here?" Kirito asked.

"Is it some sort of announcement?" Asuna added with her question.

Turning to them, Alice confided, "My father is meeting with… an Integrity Knight." This dropped a stone in all their stomachs, and they peered through the mass to see the village chief, Gasfut Zulberg, talking with the same Integrity Knight they saw fighting yesterday. By the look on the chief's face, it was a very serious affair.

The knight turned to the crowd, and announced, "I am here for two criminals responsible for breaking the Taboo Index." The crowd became agitated at this announcement, turning to each other and questioning who could commit such an act. Then the knight called out, "Bring out the criminals: Alice Zuberg and Asuna Yuuki." As if paralyzed, the girls stood stock-still at the declaration. The crowd quickly parted, revealing the four friends. The knight gestured for them to come forward, and a couple villagers roughly moved the boys aside to drag the girls before the Integrity Knight.

"Alice Zuberg. Asuna Yuuki," the knight addressed. "I am Deusolbert Synthesis Seven. By my authority, I hereby declare you under arrest for violation of the Taboo Index. In which, you two ventured into the Dark Territory. You will be taken to the Axiom Church for your punishment." Before this could go on, the two boys rushed forward.

"If you arrest them, you have to arrest us too," Kirito declared. "Because we also broke the Taboo Index, and we also ventured into the Dark Territory. So you have to arrest all of us."

"That's right!" Eugeo shouted. "We also committed a crime, and so you should have us arrested as well." Deusolbert regarded the two boys briefly, before turning away and instructing the chief to bind the two girls. Angry at being ignored, Kirito rushed forward with a wild scream. The knight merely looked at him, and some invisible force knocked him back. Eugeo then charged as well, but he suffered the same fate. Gasfut finished binding Alice, then went to work on Asuna. But Kirito got back up and rushed for the girls.

He had just grabbed Asuna's wrist when he felt someone yank him back and pin him to the ground. The villagers that nabbed him shouted at others to keep him down, and Kirito saw behind him that others were doing the same to Eugeo. He struggled as hard as he could against them, but his strength was nothing compared to theirs. Asuna looked on with tear-filled eyes as Gasfut roughly bound her like Alice. Once done, he presented the ropes connected to them to Deusolbert, who tied them to his dragon. Kirito reached his hand out to them, desperate to stop them from taking his friends away.

"Let me go," he said with a grunt as he reached. "Let us go! You won't tear us apart." No matter what he or Eugeo tried, they were not being released. Asuna cried bitterly as she watched the boys struggle, but Alice gave them a sad smile to try and comfort them.

"It'll be alright," she tried to assure them. "It will all be well. Remember our oath." As Deusolbert got his dragon ready to fly, she reminded, "We were all born on the same year. We'll be together until our last. Oaths made in the Sacred Tongue always come true." Before long, the dragon took off, and Alice and Asuna were carried underneath them as they flew south. Asuna continued to cry, while Alice still smiled with small tears in her eyes.

The villagers soon let the boys go, and they raced after the girls past the village boundaries. They ran and ran, as if pursuing the Integrity Knight. But little by little, their shapes were beginning to shrink from the distance.

"We'll come rescue you," Kirito called out to them. "One day, we'll go to Centoria, get into the Axiom Church, and we'll save you both. We'll bring you back home."

"We promise you, Asuna, Alice," Eugeo cried out. "We won't let anything stop us. We'll go save you. Wait for us. We'll save you!" They eventually stopped as the figures became dots that shrunk into the horizon. They panted from running after them, their gazes still fixed on the direction the girls were taken. Then, together, the boys let out anguished cries that resounded throughout the land. When they finished, they collapsed to their knees.

It was then a figure wearing a dark-red cloak with a cowl pulled over to hide his face came up from behind. The figure looked to them, and asked, "Do you speak the truth?" The two boys turned to face this new figure, and he asked again, "Do you speak with total honesty? That you will defy the church and save those criminals?"

"They are not criminals!" Kirito snapped back. "They are our friends. We made an oath to always be together." Eugeo nodded, staying close to Kirito.

The man then regarded, "Such words only ring true to those that hold fast to them. Unless you both find a way to fulfill your oath, it will never come true. The same goes for them." Before either boy could retort, the man added, "However, I feel that you both shall succeed. Or rather, I must inform you that you must." He looked to Solus and seemed contemplative. "This world… so rigid and unbending," he commented. "How lamentable. This was not what the world was meant to be."

"What do you mean?" Eugeo asked, curious about his wording.

To that the man answered, "You will learn once you leave this village. So I will only say this: You four are this world's last hope to realize it's true purpose. Let your oath, your faith, and your will drive you to achieve your goal." Then he walked off, leaving the boys mystified. But they knew what they had to do. The two boys looked to each other before gazing out to the vast wilderness ahead.

And so begins the tale of the four. Their journey to set the world right.