Welcome to Serenade of the Silver Witch. Finally, I get to share this story. It's only been almost a year and a half since I started on it. I'd also like to thank a follower, dndkeg, who I know has waited a long time for me to write something Sanya-specific, and now I can finally make do on that hope.
This story is different from most of that I've written. For the first time since Steel and Lycoris (exempting Alice), the main cast is completely of characters from the SAO gameverse or original characters. Kirito and friends do make small appearances, which also hasn't happened since that same story. But most importantly, I get to focus on Jaymes and Koharu when they're on Aincrad (or anywhere) without the main SAO cast involved for the first time in a multi-chapter format.
This story is the first of a three-part series. Serenade of the Silver Witch takes place on the 14th Floor, while its follow-up goes to the 20th, and the final on the 38th. I always wanted to write the 14th and 20th floors from Integral Factor because of Sanya and what happens on the 20th with Jaymes and the girls, so now presents the opportunity to nail two birds with one stone. It was dndkeg's latest request for the 38th that really put this plan together.
Anyway, story truly begins next chapter, so enjoy the prologue and thanks for reading!
They called her the Red Devil or the Silver Witch.
A legend that began sweeping across Aincrad's lower floors due to a young woman who's "cold, cruel, and wields a demonic sword coated in blood." Said sword fed like a vampire sucking blood out of its victim to increase its power, so anyone who comes across her is slaughtered mercilessly. A wild rumor to be sure for a game as unorthodox as Sword Art Online, but as with all rumors, they have roots in some degree of truth.
The truth was that the Red Devil or the Silver Witch is indeed a player. She wouldn't say she's cold or cruel, but she did prefer to avoid any engagements with other people if she can. She's considered herself to be a strong player, tougher than a mid-level player but not as powerful as the frontier warriors.
Her sword is, to a degree, demonic and vampiric. Finsternis is its name, and it is a single-hand longsword that is as crimson as being "coated in blood" can describe it. As for its uncanny ability, it stole the health points of those struck with it and gained more attack power. An expert swordsman would use this ability to continuously chain attacks to do increasing amounts of damage for ever increasing power. A broken blade, some may call it, for a broken game.
That's the legend of the Silver Witch. But to her, it's just an annoyance that served its purpose of keeping danger away from her.
Her name is Sanya, a girl of fifteen years with silver hair topped by a top hat that's more of an accessory than headgear. Her armor consisted of black and red shirt, black shorts, long black tights leading down the length of her legs to a pair of black boots. Over all of it is her red jacket.
Right now, Sanya is tapping her Finsternis against a wall. The dungeon she's exploring today has long been scavenged by other players, but rumor has it that the real prize has yet to be found. The story behind the dungeon is that there's a monster of a wrongfully accused nobleman who died without his name being cleared. His soul became corrupted by malice and terrorized anyone it met with curses. A hero eventually came and sealed the monster in a room, never to be opened again.
"Hrm..." Sanya used the tip of her sword to tap the wall, hoping to find some mechanism to open the path. Of course, she has no idea if this is where the monster was, but the dungeon sort of led the adventurers to this place. Basic intuition would say that this was the place, all she needs to find was a hollow part of the wall. Even better, there's no one else here, so she can take her time and, if found, claim whatever's to be found without anyone-
"Hey, are you the Silver Witch?"
"Huh?" Lowering her sword, she turns around to see two figures approaching her from the opening to the dungeon's final room. The one in the lead is a dark-skinned, spiky-haired male around her age wore a red tunic with leather straps across the left shoulder and chainmail underneath it. A black shirt popped up around the collar and trailed down the length of his arm into two black leather gauntlets. Underneath the tunic were black pants and leather boots. On his back was a single longsword, the hilt black in color, and a reddish shield.
To his left was a girl of similar age with long dark hair and bright green eyes. She wore a red tunic that opens up in the front, with her breasts covered by a metal plate. Thighs exposed, her knees were covered by long, black socks that fall into multicolored boots, a similar design to her gauntlets. A dagger with a blue-colored blade glinted in her hand as they approached, though she doesn't hold it threateningly. Still, Sanya kept her guard up.
"Did you just speak to me?"
"Yeah," the girl said in a kinder tone than her companion. "We were wondering if you're the Silver Devil."
Sanya sighed with irritation. "Oh, good grief! Honestly, it really baffles me just how much that ridiculous name has stuck."
"So you are her," the guy responded nonchalantly.
"Er, I will not deny that some people do insist on referring to me by that name, yes." Thinning her lips, she pointed her finger at the swordsman. "However, before you get any absurd ideas about me, I want to be clear and say that I, by no means, refer to myself by that name."
"So what is your name?"
Sanya gruffed and folded her arms. "I see no need for me to reveal that information."
The boy shrugged and looked at his companion with a smile. "Ahh, well, the Silver Witch it is."
"Seriously?"
His companion ignored him and glanced at Sanya's sword with interest. "I've never seen a sword like yours beofre. Is it really cursed and demonic?"
"If that is what you think, then your eyes are in dire need of an examination." Sanya held her sword in an upward position on her shoulder. "Although perhaps your head is the problem, seeing as you are so gullible as to not see the truth, even with it right in front of your eyes."
"S-sorry. I was just curious."
Her friend...partner...boyfriend...whatever he was, frowned and fixed Sanya with a glare. "She didn't mean anything by it. How should we know? We just met."
Irritating as it is, Sanya figures the boy is correct. She sighs and glances away. "I suppose you are right. I admit that I was out of line with that previous remark. It is true, though. The sword does possess some rather intriguing properties."
"What kind of properties?"
"Why would I ever tell a stranger?" Done with the conversation, she shooed them off. "In any case, if you have no real business here, I suggest you leave. No good can come from associating with the 'Silver Devil.'"
"Can we go," the boy asked his girlfriend. "We do have to prepare for tomorrow. This can wait."
"No, we can't... Actually, we do have business here. We were sent by an info broker to investigate a hidden room in the dungeon."
Sanya raised her eyebrow. "An 'info broker' you say? You do not mean the Rat, do you?"
"We do. You know Argo?"
"She and I have never met face to face, but I do believe it would be fair to say that most every SAO player knows of her. Now tell me: just how much have the two of you determined about the hidden room, exactly."
The boy crossed her, smirked, and cheekily responded, "Now why would we ever tell a stranger?"
It irritated Sanya that he used her words against her. It irritated her more that he had a point she couldn't refute. "Ugh... Right..."
The other girl shook her head and fixated him with a sharp glare. "C'mon, Jaymes. Cut it out. It's not nice to tease her."
"Who said I'm teasing?"
Stepping forward to Sanya, the girl pointed to herself. "I still haven't introduced myself properly. I'm Koharu. That idiot is my partner, Jaymes. There! Now we're not strangers anymore, are we?"
"I... I suppose not." Sanya cleared her throat and declared, "Very well. My name is Sanya. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance...Koharu."
From behind, the one called Jaymes sarcastically replied, "Likewise! Nice to meet you!"
"So why are you after the hidden room, Sanya?"
"Are you hunting for treasure? Can't resist exploring some ruins?"
"No. I have come to hunt the spirit that lurks inside this room. Or, more specifically," Sanya faced the wall, striking Finsternis against it, "I have come for the high-quality materials that monster is likely to drop."
"Right," Koharu stated, eyeing the wall. "If there's a boss waiting inside that room, you're bound to get some rare materials once you beat it. Even if this is the tenth floor... Hey, why don't we all work together to find that room? We can cover more ground and find it faster that way!"
"Nope," Jaymes replied with lightning speed, to Koharu's dismay.
"What you mean by that? Sanya could use our help, and if you want to leave quicker, wouldn't it make sense to help her?"
"But you two came to investigate the room, yes? It is one thing for us to exchange information, but we are rivals. Anything more is...well..."
"We're not rivals. We're just here to confirm the room really does exist and see what's inside. That's all Argo wants to know. We don't even need the items. As long as we get information on what the enemy drops, you're free to have it all."
A deal that sounded too sweet for Sanya, in all honesty. "Are you...certain about that?" Koharu nodded with a smile, then turned to her companion. She skipped over to him and leaned forward in a cutesy pose.
"Right, Jaymes?"
Beet-red in the face, he turned away and stammered, "W-well...it's kind of a shame, to be honest..."
"Right, Jaymes?"
"...Yeah. Don't sweat it."
"Either she knows she has him wrapped tightly around her finger or he's a hare-brained idiot," Sanya murmured to herself.
"Great. To tell you the truth, we do want them. But if we see anything we want, we'll come back and get those drops later."
"I see..." Well, fortune is favoring Sanya with free help. Who is she not to take this opportunity to use other people for her benefit? Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, as they say. "Alright. Then let us share what we know."
"Okay!" Koharu chanted excitedly. It died down after she abandoned her partner for Sanya's side. In the meantime, he went off on his own to check out a wall away from the girls. "Well, for starters, it seems like you think there might be something around this are, right?"
"Yes. There is an ever so slight breeze that you can feel in this dungeon, and the direction of it changes on in this I were to hazard a guess, I believe it is because a hidden room is altering the current."
"And if there's an empty space inside these walls somewhere, the walls might make a different sound. That's why you're tapping them. Then let's tap on the walls."
"Alright, but keep an ear out for the cursed voice. i shall continue working on these walls. You can examine the one there, and your partner can..."
"Silent," Jaymes commanded as if he's in charge. Sanya was determined to give him a piece of her mind until he held his hand out and perked his ears up like an attentive dog. After a lengthy time of letting her irritation simmer, he said, "What was that voice just now?"
"Voice? What voice? I didn't hear anything."
"Shush! Stay where you are, Jaymes," Sanya barked back, marching over to his position near the leftmost wall. She cautiously approached him, listening for the changes of sound in the air. There is a changing sound in the air, that much is true. "Could it be the cursed voice? No... This is the sound of a breeze coming from a narrow opening."
Pushing Jaymes (politely, Sanya would argue) out of the way, Sanya listened for the breeze and its origin in the wall. She first knelt down, dropping slowly until her knee hit the ground followed by her fingers. The latter settled at the junction of the floor and the wall...or a lacking junction. Blowing by her finger is a subtle breeze.
Looking up, she saw Jaymes had a similar idea, extending his sword up to the top of the wall. Where there should be stone connected the wall to the sloping ceiling, the tip of Jaymes' black blade hitched between them. He moved his sword to the right and the blade did not catch on anything.
Eyes locking, the two nodded and tapped the upper and lower parts of the wall simultaneously. Nothing happened, Sanya went to reach for the center of the wall when she felt nothing but air underneath her body. "What? The floor!"
"Shit!"
"Jaymes! Sanya!" Koharu ran out to them, but it already too late as Sanya and Jaymes fell to gravity's whim into the pit of darkness that opened under their feet.
Sanya wailed during the drop, and stiffened as something hard and strong grabbed her in the air. It shifted her weight so that she was falling towards the ground on her front side. She screamed even louder, then gasped sharply as impact came.
But she didn't take that much damage. Her health was full before the drop, so she only lost about five perfect of so from the fall. Whatever grabbed her had softened the blow.
Catching her breath, Sanya tried to scan her surroundings to no avail. Her eyesight hadn't acclimated to the pitch-blackness around her. She could barely make out the silver strands of her hair.
This reminded her of winters back in her home country. They weren't this dark, but because of the approach to the winter solstice when the fall season hit, darkness arrived earlier than in spring and summer, and a friend once said that "Mother told me Amaterasu gets tired at this time of the year, so she's goes to bed early like the animals."
A stupid joke, but it brought a warmth to Sanya's heart that she hadn't felt in a long time. Not since that friend and her mother left for Japan.
"Are you okay, Sanya?"
"So you're still alive, Jaymes? Pity."
"Maybe say that when I don't save you." Huh? Save her? Wait, where is he and why did he sound so close...
Her eyes adapted enough to give her a vague view of her immediate surroundings, which included the face of someone who is likely of African descent being centimeters away from her own. "...AHHHHHH!"
"OWWWWWW! What the hell you punch me in the face for?"
Sanya retreated from Jaymes, shaking out her right hand. "Why the hell were you under me? Don't you dare touch me again!"
"Oh, don't worry. Next time, I'll make sure you're the only softening the landing for me. I hope you go splat!"
"Y-you just threatened to kill me? Are you that barbaric that you'd harm a woman in need like that? Is chivalry that dead?"
"You aren't Koharu. Believe me, I wouldn't lose sleep over you, Silver Witch."
"My name is Sanya, you...you...Idiotskiy amerikanets!" Whoops. She got so angry that she slipped from speaking Japanese to Russian, her mother tongue. The boy seemed greatly offended, though it didn't seem he understood her. He muttered something in a language other than Japanese...something about a "granny-looking ass bitch," whatever that meant. Well, it sounded mean, so he can
"Druz'yami rozhdayutsya, a ne stanovyatsya, Sanya. 'Friends are born, not made.' And they're born when you least expect them, so be kind to everyone."
Her grandmother told her that once...and right now, it's so applicable that it hurts. She hated he touched her the way he did, but he didn't touch her inappropriately and, to his argument, he did save her from peril. Sighing, she scanned the area for Finsternis, finding it to her left right beside his sword, and grabbed both. Ash she handed his back, she murmured, "...Sorry...and thanks...for saving me... You didn't have to do it, so..."
"...Yeah, no problem..." He grabbed his sword and placed it on his back, then got up to stand beside her. He then materializes a bottle with a red liquid inside. "How are you?"
"Didn't lose much. You?"
"A quarter, maybe a little more. Guah... But we got more important things to worry about."
"Ugh, just our luck... Where are we?"
"Jaymes! Sanya! There you are!" Sanya and Jaymes see a floating flame behind them, then two of them as the second one brightens the area around it. Holding up the first flame, encased in a lantern, is Koharu.
"Koharu! H-how are you down here?"
"Are you two all right? I guess the part of the wall Jaymes hit is what opened the passage to the secret room. And look, there's a ladder. And this lamp too."
"That would explain why we fell," Sanya pondered as she glanced up at the dark hole in the ceiling of the new chamber. "We must have been standing atop the hatch that was concealing the passageway." She placed Finsternis on she shoulder and faced the boy, finding her normal attitude returned to her. "You really ought to be more careful, Jaymes. I would prefer to not pay the price for your ineptitude again."
He scoffed and turned away. "At least we made it."
She sighed and scanned the fourth of the room that isn't swallowed by darkness. "We have found the room at last, and you did risk your feeble life for mine, so I suppose I can forgive you just this once. But do try not to drag me down any further? Understood?" Whatever softness was in the air between them before had disappeared, but at least it didn't feel like the offensive tension as well. He didn't bite back as he did minutes ago, only nodding his head.
"Yeah, of course," Koharu answered, unaware of what happened. She moved the lantern around as she crossed over to the closest corner of the room, pausing when she's three-quarters of the way. "...Hey, I think there's something moving around further inside the room."
"Meat... Fresh meat...and warm...blood..."
Jaymes, standing where the light of the illuminated corner comes close to the darkness swallowing the rest of the chamber, stiffened in response. "Ko, get that side lit up."
"R-right!"
"Return to me what you stole... The proof that I lived... Give it back to me!"
Sanya smirked at the darkness before her. "Heh, cutting to the chase, are we? Very well! I have no intention dying, but if you want a fight, I shall gladly grant one!"
In that moment, Koharu found a torch in the second corner of the room and — if Sword Art Online has a dramatic side to it — she caused the rest of the room to be lit by light.
Sanya's eyes land on the ghastly ghost that is at least three times Jaymes' height. It wears the clothes of a noble Japanese man, per the Japanese theme of the tenth floor. He grumbled more about "getting what's his" as it took hold of a spear from the many weapon choices hanging off its waist. Her eyes upturned to the location of its reddish-pink cursor, surrounded by three health bars and its name, the Phantom of Weapon.
Of course Sanya's higher leveled than the monster; she long surpassed the maximum level for the tenth floor, currently on par with the lower-level players of the Assault Team if she had an estimate. And with the front line on the thirteenth floor right now, supposedly preparing to raid the Celestial Tower, she might not be that way for long.
Koharu slid to her partner's side, her blue-colored dagger in her hand. "It's not just the boss we have to worry about here! It brought a ton of underlings with it too!" Surrounding him are ghoulish samurai, their armor and katanas rusted and broken from the centuries of decay. "But considering we're much higher than the monsters, I think we'll be fine."
"Yeah. Nice to face enemies with pinkish cursors for once... But remain vigilant, Ko."
"Right. Sanya, leave the underlings to us. We can handle these enemies... Sanya?"
Sanya heard none of that. Instead, she snickered as she stepped toward the ghastly boss and his minions while drawing Finsternis. "Oh ho, scores of enemies, you say? Perfect. Just the way I like it."
"S-Sanya?"
"Fall back, Koharu. You are getting in my way." Ignoring Koharu's warning, Sanya threw herself into the enemy horde of samurai ghouls and their leader. One came her way, roaring monstrously as it attacked with a overhead strike. "Yahhh!" Sanya moved faster, slicing through the exposed mid-section of the samurai before the rotten blade came down on her. As it bursted into pixels, she cheerfully chanted, "That's one down!"
Finsternis pulsed with a faint red aura, indicating that the attack buff is active. As long as she doesn't take a hit, it will remain active and get stronger with each attack she lands on an enemy's body.
A truly vampiric sword...and she's its master.
"Seiii! Gahhh!" Sanya quickly vanquished another monster, but the enemies — or their AIs — adapted to the situation, engaging her in groups. She found herself surrounded by the samurai. Even though she's stronger than them by level, Sanya knew that all it took was one mistake, and that strength would mean nothing in the face of death.
Still, even though they chipped at her health, she was not beaten.
"Hang on, Sanya," a shout came from Jaymes, somewhere on the other side of the surrounding samurai. "I'm coming for you!"
Her pride won't be hurt by some weaklings or a boy saving her twice. "You needn't worry about me. I can handle myself just...fine!" Aiming for a space between two samurai, Sanya unleashes the two-part sword skill Vertical Arc. A V-shaped slash eliminates the two monsters, reviving Finsternis' power once again. That red light also extended to Sanya.
At that moment, Jaymes broke through the enemy line and joined her side. He took one glance in her direction, gasped, and turned away. "So that other part about your sword is true. You gain power while at the same time...absorbing health."
Oh, that other tidbit about Finsternis' "vampiric" ability — not only is its attack power boosted, it sucked the life of whoever it hits and restored Sanya's by the same amount. In other words, Sanya's invincible.
She smirked again. "Precisely. That's why I don't require your help. Honestly, the nerve of you people." Spotting her target, she pointed Finsternis at the Phantom of Weapon. "But enough fooling around. Allow me to demonstrate why they call this blade 'demonic!' I'm going in!" Sanya broke through the gap of enemies she and Jaymes created, flinging Finsternis over her shoulders. The demonic red aura is mixed with green light as Sanya activated another sword skill —Sonic Leap — and is catapulted into the air toward the Phantom.
It spotted her and bellowed, "Give me back what's mine!"
"Then here you go! Haaaaaaah!"
"What a trifling little boss that turned out to be." Sanya complained after the boss fight finished with just sword skill from her sword. It's almost pathetic how easily it fell, but then again, Sanya and her...cohorts were more powerful. It is the way of the world, for the strong to dominate the weak, for the invincible to be undefeated by the mortal.
Closing the reward window, she turned to said cohorts and nodded to them. "Though I shall admit, it may have proven to be more troublesome had you two not been there to assist me. But only minorly more troublesome."
"Just what is with your sword, Sanya," Koharu pointedly asked.
Sanya twirled Finsternis while its tip is pressed against the floor. "People claim it to be some sort of blood-sacrificing blade that grows stronger with each victim it fells, but it's hardly so fearsome. rather, it absorbs enemy HP to heal its owner and gains strength as it does so. It's a perfectly legitimate sword for me to wield."
Koharu grins. "Wow, that sounds awesome. I had no idea there were any weapons that could do that!"
"Indeed, but there's a catch. Should the absorption be interrupted for any reason, the attack reverts to its base stat. It's a peculiar sword to handle, to say the least. hardly anyone is equipped to wield it and take proper advantage of its abilities. But since it's so rare and unique, people kept badgering me for it. When I refused, that's when the awful rumors began to circulate."
"That must be tough to deal with... Oh, I'm so sorry for calling your sword 'demonic' earlier! I didn't realize it was such a loaded term."
"Hehe, you needn't apologize, Koharu. If anything, being known as the Silver WItch has made life easier for me in some ways." Looking around, she noticed that Jaymes is standing off to the distance, leaning peacefully against the wall, listening to the girls converse...and Koharu is too close to Sanya. Is she...becoming friends with the two of them? She...she can't have that...
Stepping away from Koharu and clearing her throat, she changed the topic. "Now, returning to the topic at hand, I have the materials I wanted and you have confirmed that the room exists. I do believe that makes us even, yes?"
Jaymes nodded. "Indeed. This is where we part ways, as Koharu and I have to get ready for tomorrow's boss raid." Oh, he did mention something earlier about preparing for tomorrow. Assault Team members, huh? She won't say this to them, but that is the reason why they were confident in their power against the boss and why Jaymes opted to save Sanya at the risk of his own life. They're beyond used to risking their lives and fighting strong enemies. It's second nature to them.
But they can't be too strong. By the looks of things, they aren't affiliated with the blue-colored Dragon Knights Brigrade, the green-colored Aincrad Liberation Squad, or the white-colored Knights of the Blood Oath, so they must be solo players.
"Oh right, we do need to get some rest."
"Yeah. Can't have two of the strongest on the Assault Team late tired because of Argo."
...Two of the strongest? These two?
Jaymes handed Koharu a blue Teleport Crystal and turned back to Sanya. "Anyway, good luck Sanya."
"Will we ever see you again," Koharu asked, hope pertinent in her tone. Her green eyes had a certain look in them, one that Sanya felt familiar with. Against her will, Sanya's mind covered Koharu's face with another girl's. The same cheerful, kind features, now found with light brown eyes and pale brown hair.
"Nijika..."
"Huh?"
The image broke, reverting back to Koharu. Feeling embarrassed, Sanya searched quickly for an answer. "Th-that I cannot say. Who knows what the future may hold for any of us? That being said, though I would prefer that you not discuss me or my sword with others, I realize that's an unrealistic expectation. So if you're going to talk, talk. Tell everyone that you got to meet the Silver Witch in the flesh."
"We can keep all this a secret," Jaymes declared, holding the bridge to his nose. "You could have asked that instead of beating around the bush."
"Yeah. If you don't want other people to know about your sword's abilities, that's okay! We'll respect your wishes!"
"Unless Argo is offering a good sum —"
"We will not tell a soul."
Sanya was stunned. His teasing aside, Koharu and Jaymes were willing to do this for her? For what reason? She turned her backs to them, lest she lets them see her emotions surface. "Do you...genuinely mean that?"
"Yes, we do."
"Yeah. Of course we mean it... At least Koharu does. No promise here."
She couldn't fight it anymore. Yeah, these two caused her trouble to last for one day...but in her heart, it was the most fun she's had since she started playing Sword Art Online. The most fun she has had around other people since the rumors started. it's enough to bring a stupid smile on her face. "Well... That gives me a modicum of hope, I suppose." Materializing a Teleport Crystal of her own, she gave them a farewell glance over her shoulder. "In any case, I bid good day to you both."