Hello guys.

I am sorry for the late update. College work and other stuff in life had hit me in the face in the last couple weeks, so I had to put chapter 5 on hold for a while. But I'm back for now, and hopefully the next few weeks will be a lot better for me. I thank you all to those who may be waiting for the update on this one, and I sincerely apologize.

Anyway, enjoy the chapter and I really hope that, if you have some time, please leave a few words about this story. Is it bad, good? And please remain constructive if you do so. I'd be very happy even if it was a good criticism.

Disclaimer: I do not own SAO. All original SAO properties should go to their respective owners

Chapter 5: The Expanding Universe

April 1, 2025

I woke up at the usual hour, six-thirty in the morning. Again, the usual routine: getting up, taking a shower, getting dressed and head for college. But as I grab my walking cane, I noticed something. My legs were shaking. Hard. It shouldn't have been that way. It was just the beginning of the day. Or maybe that was it. I thought it was just morning, and my muscles were still weakened from the hours my body spent hibernating while I was in ALO. As a result, I tried to ignore it.

Upon getting dressed, I noticed my phone buzzing. The ringtone indicated a message for me. I picked it up and saw who is the sender.

Satsuki…

Unlocking the phone, I went straight to the message section.

"Hirano-kun. You are alright, right?"

I sighed a bit.

"I really apologize for what I said the other day. I was not thinking very clearly and was very inconsiderate."

Yeah, you did.

Even though what she said was entirely the truth, I just could not stomach those things. It was simply…bad. I really didn't get it. Human emotions are a very complicated thing. In times like this, voicing the bitter truth would only serve to drown that person in despair. Telling lies and you would drown that person in an even worse manner. So how and what can you tell that person now?

"And I want to make it up to you."

Hmm…

"You only have morning class today, don't you? So do I. Meet me at the front gate at 12 PM."

The message ended there.

I found myself staring at the phone's screen for a while. To be honest, I was really upset about what she said the other day. I agreed with her. It was very insensitive there, even if her motives are good. But that was the thing. I met Satsuki not very long ago, but from the very first day, I already knew she was not a good talker. She could not start a conversation well, and her choice of words aren't good. But nevertheless, I managed to be friends with her. And not the ordinary socializing friends that I usually do. Although I do not know that much about Satsuki, there were reasons why I kept coming back and hanging out with her. I didn't just make friends for the sake of it. I like interacting with people, but I did not just accept anybody and everybody.

And so…

"Hirano-kun!"

I went for it.

"I'm sorry for letting you wait."

She rushed to the gate, to my side. Gosh, she looked different today. Still wearing her college suits, but her long orange hair was tied into two nice braids, hanging by her shoulders. On her face was…a pair of glasses? I didn't know she wears glasses.

"No, you aren't late by any means." I looked at my watch. "Nice glasses by the way."

Satsuki realized something. She quickly took off the glass, pull it down and put it away in her school bag, in a hurried manner.

"Didn't know you wear glasses." I commented.

"I-I'm near-sighted. Not much though." She replied, a little hesitantly. "I look dumb right?"

"I think you're alright. What you said, it's just stereotyping." I responded earnestly. "So, what's up that you want to meet me here?"

Satsuki searched through her bag and took out an Amusphere.

"I want to buy a new game." She said.

My curiosity was piqued. "What game do want to buy?"

She looked down hesitantly before answering.

"Alfheim Online."

My eyes widened in surprise. I didn't know Satsuki was into this kind of thing.

"You have a good taste." I said, half-serious.

"S-Shut up…" She replied, her cheeks going a little red. Now that really made me question her reasons why she wanted this game. I know the girl loved anime and gaming, but her genre was a lot more modern, not a fantasy one. I really wondered what pushed her to this one.

"I just wanted a change of pace." She said.

Really…?

"Anyway. Do you want to accompany me to the store or what?"

"Well, of course." I replied. "Which shop do you want to go?"

"Which did you use to buy yours?" She asked back

"I did not go anywhere. I ordered it online. But if you mean any electronic shops, there is one near my place that sells stuff for a pretty cheap price."

"Isn't that nice?" She smiled a bit.

"Well, they are used items anyway, that's why they are so cheap. But still." I gestured her to go first with my hand, the one that did not have to grip on the walking cane.

Despite all the gentlemanly acts, it was Satsuki who was walking behind me, her strides matching my sluggish and savage pace. Again, the symptoms this morning was coming back to haunt me again. My steps were dead heavy. And my hands were growing strained, veins began to pop up as I pressed my cane harder onto the ground. Step by step, my footings went erratic. My last step had the foot landed near sideways. The other had the stride too short. My supporting cane was also in a dance of itself. Until…

"Hirano-kun. Are you alright?"

I stopped.

Changing the grip of my cane into my left hand, I had to lean onto the side of a building to rest. My chest was beating against my hand like a pump. The air through my lungs was so immense that I had to breathe repeatedly, my mouth gaping wide. Sweats formed on my temple, as a clear sign of fatigue. The fatigue that shouldn't have been…

It shouldn't be this way…

How could it be that I grew tired in such a short time? I only walked for like fifteen minutes, and I was panting like I just completed a whole marathon. It didn't make sense. My VR diving sessions, even though a little extensive, couldn't have had that much of an effect.

"If you need help I can-"

I raised my hand in rejection.

"I'm fine. I'm just a little fatigued from the tutorial.." I reassured her but failed. Furrows began to form on Satsuki's brows. Her eyes were glassy, and her lips were tight.

But she did not say or do anything. Anything but patiently wait for me to recover. Perhaps she was afraid that she would hurt my feelings again.

"All better now." I brightened a bit and began walking normally again, with my walking cane in front. She was still worried I bet, but it should relieve somewhat at least a bit.

Later…

"Wow, I expect the disk to be a lot more expensive, but it turned out pretty affordable."

"I can live pretty ok, but I'm not a wealthy guy." I replied.

"I'm honestly a little curious." Satsuki asked. "Do you work while you are in college?"

I looked up at her.

"Yeah, but it's more for the experience than to earn to survive another day." I said, remembering. "I used to be a cook in a restaurant."

"Nice. You should be able to cook really well huh?"

"Yeah." I chuckled a bit, remembering the reactions of the Sleeping Knights the other day. "It's a useful skill for lives like this, so it's best to train them early."

"Your parent help you with your rent or something?"

"Yeah, they gave me just enough. If I want to earn more, I'll have to work."

"Considering someone who is in the art industry, I find it kind of rare." She said. "I have to go through a lot of yellings and shoutings with my parent to convince them to let me take nursing. They want me to take engineering instead."

"I wonder though." I said, looking at her curiously. "What makes you want to be a nurse?"

She brushed her braid a bit.

"I want to help sick people. Especially the terminally ill." She said, looking distantly. "You see, my grandfather, who lived until he is seventy-six, passed away of cancer. I was ten when he did. He mentioned that he enjoys the nurse who treated him. That they not only help him with the medications and the other weary cancer treatment procedure but also help him with the battle in his mind."

"He described that his final months are perhaps the best in his entire life. That he was given good food, a nice book to read, warm, cozy beds. But especially, he said, he was given a company, a nurse. She helped to talk all his frustrations out. She was there every time he was depressed about his disease. She was present to be someone my granddad can talk to when my parent was not there. She was pretty, kind and patient, he said. And I thought…how wonderful would that be if I can be someone like her? To help these people's mind at ease…if it is just for a little bit."

She looked up as she is finally done. I was a little away there when she explained. I didn't think her reasons for joining such an industry was that...virtuous. I know people complain a lot about nursing, and usually, people don't think too much when they pick their own profession. They just think of what interest them, and either pursue it till the end, even if it doesn't turn out to be their passion or drop out and find something else. But she. She appeared to be beyond that.

"Uhh…did I say something wrong?" She blushed a little.

I noticed that I had been looking at her for quite a while. Turning away immediately, but still retaining my composure, I replied.

"No, you're not wrong. I like it. It's a decent purpose."

Now it was her turn to turn away.

"Anyway. Shall we give it a try? You play it, don't you?" She said without looking.

"Yeah, I do." I replied.

"I'll see you in about thirty to forty minutes. I'll go back to my place and set things up."

"You know." I pointed my finger in the direction of home. "You can actually use my place. It's near."

"I-Is it…" Satsuki covered her lips with her palm, as she turned away, even more, the back of her head facing me. "Is it alright for me to come to your house?" Her voice timidly squeaked

"...I don't see why not? Unless you're uncomfortable with it."

But then, she suddenly turned three hundred sixty facing me.

"No no. I'm not! I-I'm ok with going."

I was a little taken aback by the response. But seriously, I didn't really get it.

I simply gave my gesture to go.

Stumbling through the door to my apartment, I was sweating just as hard as the last time. But finally, I arrived at my house safely as I reached my hand shakily for the light switch.

"So here we are. My little cozy home. Not bad for an artist don't you think?"

She giggled a bit, as she gently took off her shoes and stepped into my apartment. She had a look around. It was a one-man apartment. From the door, you could pretty much see the whole view of the room. A few steps into the room and you have the desk, filled with stacks of paperwork and utilities. Deep into the room was my bed. Behind the desk would be a long comfortable blue sofa, which was already present by the time I rent this place but was found of little use to me. There is now though.

"There's an electrical socket right there. You can use it to plug your Amusphere in." I said, pointing at the sofa nearby, thereby indirectly suggesting that she uses the sofa. "Or maybe I can use it."

"No no. I'll use the sofa. I'm, after all, intruding your house." She politely denied my suggestion.

"Ok sure. I guess you know the procedure." I said as I put my school bag on the side of the bed and sat comfortably on my bed. With my hand, I reached out for my Amusphere, which already had ALO already placed in the disk drive. Then, I suddenly realized…that my arm could barely lift over my shoulders anymore.

Like how? How had it come to this?

I defiantly tried to press on, but my hand tremored back, defying the orders from my brain. Seeing no other choice, I bent my back forward, trying to lower my head so that I could get the Amusphere through. It was nearly in, possibly only an inch away. A little bit more. A little bit more…

"There we go." Someone's hands were placed over the Amusphere, pushing it down through my forehead.

I looked up to see my friend who just finished strapping her Amusphere around her head, and rushed over to help with mine.

"Thank you…" I quietly expressed my thanks, as Satsuki looked at me kindly and headed over to the sofa.

Because of Satsuki helping me, I did not pay too much attention to what was happening. But that sign earlier…wasn't as simple as my body messing around with me

"Ready?" She asked me as she sat down on my sofa, looking over at me.

"Yeah." I tried, but incompletely, to give her a thumbs-up as she lied on her back on the sofa, ready to dive into the world of virtual reality.

"Link start." And with that familiar command, we simultaneously submerged, overwhelmed by the force of the microwave signal.

Once I was in, I quickly realized my mistake.

"Oh no no."

I completely forgot the fact that she is entirely new to the game. I didn't know her in-game name, and she would definitely not know the way around, and she would be spawned in the map at the capital of each race. Whichever she chose would be unknown to me, at least until I found her.

Goddamn it…

Putting rationality into use, I should just speed back to the Sylph territory and pray that she chose the Sylph instead. Something in which I did, for the next few minutes, but ended up not as I expected. She was not a Sylph.

"Oh God, now what do I do?"

I was messing with my hair as I thought of it. She could be anywhere in this large world. And without a specific location to look for, it was just as bad as finding a needle in the haystack.

Should I just log out instead and wake her up? It would take time, considering how weak my body had been. Maybe she would not be too far around here. And considering she is a new player, and new here meant completely new, chances are that the first thing she would attempt would be the in-game flight system. If she flew high enough, I would be able to see her somewhere in the sky. Please, just don't be anywhere far. I only had ten minutes of flight time to find her.

And so I did. I went up into the air, as high as I could. The moon tonight was almost surreal, as large and beautiful as anyone could have imagined. Her light paved my way to navigate through the night.

My first destination would be the Cait Sith's capital, the most easily accessible place for a Sylph like me. While I did not have complete access, I should be able to get into the suburb rural area for free.

It took me fifteen minutes in total to fly there from my area, forcing me to take a break midway, adding five more minutes to the journey. Once there, still have five minutes left of flight time, I sped across the area, trying to look for Satsuki.

To whom I could not find. Though near the end of my flight time, I discovered something even more astonishing than me finding Satsuki amongst thousands of players stretching over thousands of miles.

"Hirano-san!"

Yuuki?!

I was hanging my mouth wide at the sight.

What the hell is she doing in Cait Sith's territory?!

Flying along with her is another Cait Sith, wearing a fully-clothed greenish Sylph-looking hoodie. Once she got close, I realized that underneath those hoodies were short golden hair along with a pair of cat ears, the trademark for a Cait Sith player. She also seemed to take the theme a little too seriously, with whiskers decorated on her face.

"What are you doing here?" She beamed at me as she descended next to me

"I think it is more appropriate to ask you that. Why are you here in the first place?"

"Ahaha," Yuuki laughed. "I was just here with Argo to learn some information about the game's destiny. Usually, it is a trade deal, but this time, she'd give it for free. Oh, I almost forgot, this is Argo. Argo, this is Hirano, my friend."

"A pleasure to meet you." She extended her hand, in which I took it.

"So what did you find?" I asked as she smiled in joy.

"That the game will become more of a sandbox RPG game." Argo answered it for her. "I heard that they will remove the Alf race and the overall goal of the game would simply be having fun as well as striving to become one the most powerful players in the game."

"W-Wow. That's so nice." I commented.

"Oh. I bet you'd love this. We will all be granted unlimited flight time."

Holy Jesus…

So my jet-fighting tactic is finally going to work after all…

"That's great!" I exclaimed. "Though, do we have to start the game all over again?"

"Well, no. Practically. It's a transfer, so you can keep all the stats and gears you have collected."

"Sweet. So what do you think the developer has in store for us in the future anyway?" I asked.

"That, you can read more on the information tab in your menu. But news indicates that…"

Argo whispered the information to both of us.

"Wait, hold on. So you're saying they're bringing in Aincrad now?" I said in surprise.

"Yeah, I'm not kidding. They're bringing back that castle now. They'll open the first few floors of the thing for players to beat."

That can be a really good or a really bad idea.

"Nice. A whole lot of exciting adventures awaits! Would you like to join us, Argo?"

"Sorry…" She politely declined. "It brings a lot of bad memories."

Is she a former SAO player or something? If she was, I wouldn't be surprised at all.

"Aww. That's too bad. Well, I can't change your decision." Yuuki said, before turning to me ecstatically. "Now that we're done with my Q&A, it's time for your Q&A, Hirano-san. What brings you to this place dead in the night?"

"Well, I am looking for a friend of mine." I answered. "She just started the game, and we, unfortunately, lost contact with each other."

"Do you know her name?" Argo asked.

I scratched my head embarrassingly. "No, I do not. Her in-game name I mean. I did not know her intended race too."

"Well…" Argo palmed her forehead. "This is a tough case brought upon yourself…"

I had no rights to refuse such criticism. I should have been more informative before entering the game as a guide.

"So how do you intend to deal with it?" Yuuki asked as I shook my head.

"I guess that she would be trying sooner or later to test the flight system. So I might catch her flying around the capital."

"Do you know her usual playstyle in other games?"

"Hmm…" I pondered. "I remember her saying she played GGO as a battle medic of her clan."

"A support I see." Yuuki said. "Then I guess the Undine territory should be your destination."

"Where is it though?" I said as I opened the map. "Oh…" and my mood plummeted

"Yeah, I sympathize with you here." Yuuki said both jokingly and kindly.

It's on the other side of the map.

I pressed on the map to check the estimated flight time. 40 minutes is the answer, considering the two stops midway and that my wings were fully ready for the flight the first route. It did not consider the fact that I might just run into a bunch of raiders on the way, or I may have to take a long route because of some unanticipated events.

"Long night for me now." I tried to shake that off with a joke to both of them.

"Well, I can fly with you." Yuuki proposed. "If that's alright?"

"Are you sure, Yuuki-kun?" I asked. "I mean it's my problem anyway."

"I know, but I also don't have anything to do at the moment…Please?" She tilted her head, looking at me like a puppy, cute but demanding.

That move is just irresistible.

"Ok sure." I answered, to which she grinned widely. "It's gonna take quite a while though."

I couldn't wait for this update to come.

"Not to worry!" She declared as she took out a snow-white colored potion.

"Oh, you have the wing empowerment potion?" I said, gladly. That thing wasn't too common out there these days.

"Yeah. Help reset your wing's flight duration immediately. I have a few of these, but it's gonna be deleted soon, so better use it while we still can."

"Nice."

Having her as a company is a good thing after all.

"Anyway, you guys have fun." Argo said as she waved. "I'll log out for the day."

"See ya Argo!" Both Yuuki and I waved as she left the area, presumably to a safe location to log out.

A moment later, we arrived at the World Tree, the mark that we had reached halfway of our journey.

"Alright, my wings are pretty worn out now." I said, and Yuuki kindly tossed me the potion. I opened the lid and gulped it all in one go. All of a sudden, my wings twitched gently. It was a subtle sign showing that my wings were fully recharged and could continue to sustain flight.

"Boy I look forward to this next update. This reduced flight time is really annoying." Yuuki commented as she gulped her own potion.

"I couldn't agree more…" I rolled my eyes. "Say, I really can't believe they brought back Aincrad."

"Are you excited?" She smiled

"Well, kind of…" I shrugged my shoulder. "I was just skeptical. Why would they want to bring back a world where a lot of people died tragically? I mean, it can bring bad memories to the former SAO player."

"It's true that." Yuuki pondered. Like Argo there, who is probably ninety-nine percent a former SAO player, or maybe someone who had lost her friend or family in that game, some people wouldn't want to come back there. The worst thing in life ever was not the trauma, but to relive that trauma again.

"Though the freedom is still with the players I guess." Yuuki said.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean the choice whether to explore Aincrad or not is the choice of the players. If you find it not something to be exposed to again, you can choose not to go. Besides, I really feel that the developers are making it for us instead."

I looked at her curiously.

"I mean I never know how Aincrad looks like. I have never been there, and hell, I wouldn't be mad enough to think that I would dive into that game to find out. So sometimes I wonder what world were the people living in there. Was it a nice place or no? I'm honestly excited to know what they have been through…"

And smiled.

"...And learn to value life a little better."

"I guess so…" I said. "Do you want to explore it together then? When it opens."

"That's a good idea!" She suddenly but excitedly replied. "When's the day of the update again?"

"April 4. I remember so. They start maintenance the night before, so we can log on at around 9 AM."

"Great!" She beamed. "Do you have college then?"

"That's Thursday, right? Yeah, I do. But only until 3. And I'll be free from then."

"Ok, 3 o' clock then. And we'll journey together. Deal?" She asked me.

"Deal." I responded, smiling brightly.

"Alright, we're near the Undine territory now." I said. "If your prediction is correct-"

"AAAHHHH!"

A scream so loud I thought it was right next to me shot through my ears.

"What the hell is that?"

I was looking around when suddenly

THUD!

I was accelerated into the air.

SLAM!

And then into the ground…

"Jesus Christ, Hirano-san!" I could hear Yuuki yelling from behind as I faceplanted on the ground. If this was the real life, my nose would have been broken.

"Urgghhhh…" I lifted my face up, away from the muddy ground, one indication that I am in the Undine's territory now.

"Hirano-sa-…Pfftt." As I turned around, Yuuki suddenly and quickly covered her mouth. Crow feet began to form in her eyes as she desperately tried to hold back her laughter. In which she failed spectacularly, and the amusement went to the extreme

"Hahahahaha! Hirano-san. Take out the mirror and look at yourself!"

A little odd why she would laugh so much, I took out that free inventory item in my menu and…

"You know what you look like at the moment…a…a dog!"

Holy fuck…how the hell…

I looked back at where my face had been seconds ago and found out that the upper part of my face had met with a crab, who tragically died as a result, leaving a piece of crab meat. For me, the upper half of my face, along with the outer part of my cheeks was protected by the crab. But my nose, mouth didn't, and the mud splat onto the area. The result is needless to say…

"That crab deserves to die." I growled as I wiped the mud off my face. By this time, Yuuki had finished her laughter but was still trying to restrain herself.

"Oh my god, I almost died there." She said, having recovered.

"You're welcome…" I replied. "But who…"

I realized what was happening…

"Satsuki?"

Right next to me was a beautiful girl with bright and mesmerizing violet eyes, her light teal hair tied into two braids hanging on her shoulders. The girl sported a gentle light blue dress, paired with a couple of armor on her chest, here and there. The clothing pretty much shouted out that she was a beginner. And that braid, that looks, as I matched the two faces together, no doubt.

"Hirano-kun?" She seemed to be doing the same, as my ALO avatar looked a little different.

"Oh thank God. I don't have to log out." I said jokingly.

"Shut up." She rebuked me. "That's your fault for not mentioning at least a single meeting location."

"You didn't remember to as well, so it's both our fault. You can't complain." I countered. "Anyway, I'm glad we found you. I would never have thought we would have found you so easily."

"See, I told you that you would find her in the Undine." Yuuki puffingly said.

"And I did not tell you that you were wrong." I replied, lowering my tone. "Anyway, yeah, she did assist me in finding you. This is Yuuki, my friend."

"Ah, good to meet you." Yuuki said before extending her hand to Satsuki.

"Y-Yeah, it's a pleasure to meet you too. And thank you for helping my friend here. I'm Florence."

Florence?

Was that her in-game name?

"Welcome to ALO!" Yuuki grinned as Satsuki, or Florence in this world, shared a handshake. They both shared a smile with each other, with Florence appearing a little hesitant but eventually and fastly warming up to Yuuki. They seemed pretty compatible to one another.

"Wait." Florence said, glancing at both of us. "You two are…"

"I'm an Imp." Yuuki said, knowing what she was asking. "You can recognize me via the trademark purple clothing and wings." She spun around and materialized her transparently purplish wings.

"I'm a Sylph." I continued after Yuuki. "It's characterized by the grass green wings…" I too showed her my wings. "Though I am a little edgy so as to change my hair color and clothing to be a little different. Most Sylphs are lighter in greens."

"I noticed…" Florence said, nodding her head. She must have been through the character selection anyway, so she should have gotten grasp a bit on it. "If I have to admit, I'll say that the game has a lot of interesting content and mechanic. Especially the fighting system. At least I won't start a newbie."

"You know how to fight here already?" I asked.

"Well, no. But you know that I fought in GGO right?" She replied.

"Those are two different games." I stated. "One is about shooting, and this one is mostly close quarter fighting."

"Who says I need to fight close." She said before taking out a short arched bow, drawing it with her bare hand.

"Ok…but archer classes aren't really a strong class. People have been complaining about the class being unloved comparing to the second most important class in the game: the mage."

Technically, there wasn't any class system, but people just made it up for easy definition. In anyways, the reason why archers are so weak in this game is that there just wasn't enough in-game items for them. Skills were not essentially an issue, because the player base could basically do and make use of everything possible to make that class playable. But because of the lack of good items for this class. A brief glance at the item list was pretty clear. The rumored best weapon in the game, the Excalibur, is a sword. The second most powerful weapon in this game: The Demonic Sword Gram, is, well obviously from that title, a sword. This pattern was followed until the tenth or so item, which was the Staff of Whirlwind. However, this item was a mage weapon. If I remembered correctly, and that the list hadn't been updated, the most powerful bow out there was listed the fifty-fifth. And who knows if the guy getting this weapon was actually using it, or was just putting it in his collection.

"Don't worry, I've learned a few spells and the basics of spell casting already. I can combine both to make my attack more effective." She said.

"That's…"

That's actually not a bad idea. Infusing magic into the arrow. Sure, I was pretty certain that I am not the first to come up with this idea, or even the first to test it out. But I hadn't.

"Still, you learned to magic that quickly? I'm impressed."

"I actually received help from a fellow Undine. She also just played for a while, but she mastered flying so quickly I just couldn't help but admire."

"Anyway, for playstyle, it is your choice. I'll support that." I finished as I extended to her my hand, helping her up.

"But before that," Florence said as soon as she got on her feet. "I'd need to master how to fly first. Do you…" She looked at us hesitantly, her voice growing a little weak.

"...mind helping? Sure!" Yuuki finished her sentence with a radiant smile and a hearty approval. "By the time we're finished, you're going to soar in the sky like a true fairy." She said before holding Florence's hand and pulled her along. Just like how she did to me with the cave.

This girl surely was as trusting as she was naive.

A smile came its way on my lips. Tonight's gonna be a long night after all…