Aincrad, Sword Art Online (Lv. 22, Coral Village) October 2nd, 2023
"So, Kirito and Asuna, huh?"
Lisbeth asked as she took another pastry from the plate on the table, nibbling and savoring the flavor as she felt the soft breeze wash over her, causing her short, pink hair to dance in the wind.
"Yeah, who'd've thought it? How long you think those two've been at it?" Josuke asked, seated across the table from Lisbeth, drinking from a cup as he relaxed, drinking in the serene atmosphere of the village.
The pair were seated outside a small bakery in the village, seated outside and enjoying a peaceful afternoon. The village itself was sparse in population, with barely a few buildings, much like Lisbeth's home village, Lindus on the 48th Floor. The floor as a whole could be considered the same.
The 22nd Floor was known for its low population, and even more for its exceedingly low difficulty compared to the other floors, so much so that the Clearing teams didn't even take three days to move up and through the Labyrinth to the floor above. However, Josuke had to admit, this was a very beautiful area of Aincrad.
A vast forest of pine trees gave way to the wide shimmer of the lake's mirror face reflecting the bright sun and into the blue sky. The chirping of birds and the song of cicadas filled the forests around them, surrounding the small village, houses built from lumber in a village so small that Josuke would be hard-pressed to even call it a village.
Still, it was a beautiful place. It was no wonder Kirito chose this place to stay with his new girlfriend to take a break from the frontlines.
"Kirito, I'd reckon you'd be more versed in his business. As for Asuna, I knew she'd been hanging out with him before you two decided to get back together, just didn't think they'd be this close." Lisbeth sighed as she leaned back in her chair, looking up at the clear blue skies.
"You knew? Kirito told me he'd met up with Asuna and was treating her to dinner right before we met Griselda and Silica. Guess they kinda hit it off between then and when we formed the guild." Josuke hummed, tilting his head at the blacksmith with a curious expression as she sighed, reaching for another pastry on the plate.
"I bet. Asuna's really been doting on him especially. Like I said, that girl's soft as a button." Lisbeth muttered as Josuke turned to her curiously at that last part.
"I guess… wonder if what he really needed all along was a shoulder to cry on." Josuke smiled as he swirled his cup in his hand, leading Lisbeth to look at him with a confused expression.
"What's got you all hung up, Elvis? Thought you'd be happy seeing your buddy all happy and in love, y'know?" Lisbeth smiled, noticing Josuke's sigh as he stared up at the blue sky.
"I am, believe me, I really am. That boy's got issues ever since I knew him, but part of me wonders if I could have done something to help him when it really mattered. I can't help but feel like… I messed up, I let him down." Josuke sighed, his thoughts swirling in his head as dark memories and inner voices returned to his mental ears.
"I heard something real bad happened to split you two up, but I don't think I heard the full story yet. Mind letting me in on it? Who knows? Maybe you just need someone to vent to." Lisbeth asked cautiously as she offered a kind smile, different from her usual teasing grin. That, Josuke appreciated as he looked down, mentally steeling himself.
"Kirito had a girlfriend once before, and her name was Sachi. We met her and her guild, the Moonlit Black Cats as they helped us finish a quest, and we stayed with them for over half a year. We had… fun. A lot of fun with them. I could tell Kirito was right at home with the guild, and I knew I'd do anything to protect them." Josuke recounted with a smile on his face at fond memories before his face fell.
"...but…"
"They died…" Lisbeth muttered, her voice filled with pity as she could only guess, leading Josuke to let out a sad sigh.
"Sachi… died in front of me, killed by a Stand user. I could've protected her, at least saved Kirito from the pain of losing Keita, Sasamaru, Ducker, Tetsuo… If only I'd been just a little bit faster, maybe he wouldn't have had to wallow in his grief alone. Truth is… I was the one who left." Josuke recounted somberly, as Lisbeth looked up from her plate to face him.
"No wonder you beat yourself up about it. Can't imagine having to live with that all those months." Lisbeth mumbled with a sideways glance as Josuke looked up to the sky wistfully again.
"The only thing I could think about was to find the bastard who murdered Sachi, but I didn't stop to think about how I'd left my friend to cope all alone. I heard that Kirito broke down when we tried to save Kobatz's squad, and Asuna was the one to bring him back to his senses. It happened again, I was too focused on what was in front of me, and left Kirito behind. Some friend I am, huh?" Josuke laughed dryly, before Lisbeth sighed herself, placing a soft hand over his wrist.
"Look Elvis, don't think you should be hearing this from me, but you've done plenty. For us at Purple Rain, for Kirito. What's done is done, and if you keep holding onto your regret, you'll let more moments pass you by. You're the one who helped me get outta the shop more and help out in the frontlines, remember? You're a good guy, no matter how you slice it. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, y'hear?"
Lisbeth smiled, one filled with sincerity and genuine emotion. Josuke could only pause as he heard her words, his expression softening as he returned her smile with one of his own, filled with gratitude as warmth filled his heart.
"Thanks, Lis. Guess I needed to hear that." Josuke laughed under his breath as Lisbeth giggled.
"Anytime, Elvis! Now then-"
*ding*
Both players blinked for a second as they were interrupted by a noise. Lisbeth looked at Josuke curiously as the pompadoured teen raised a finger and drew a line in the air in front of him, opening his menu and checking his notification feed, which had pinged and signaled a new message for him.
Opening the new message, he quickly read through it as his eyes moved up and down the holographic display as Lisbeth looked at him amusedly.
"What's up? Got a hot date?" Lisbeth asked teasingly, only for Josuke to look up at her.
"It's Kirito. Something's happened." Josuke said to her, leading Lisbeth to raise an eyebrow.
"Kirito, huh? Asuna should be with him. However those two screwed up, I'm sure you can handle it. You remember the way to the log house, right?" Lisbeth asked as Josuke turned to her confusedly.
"Aren't you coming with? This is your friend." Josuke asked as Lisbeth laughed, grabbing one last fritter before rising to her feet.
"Nah, I'm good. Besides, I gotta head back to Granzam. We're now part of KoB, remember? That means I gotta cover for you three. Consider this me lending a hand, 'kay Elvis?" Lisbeth grinned as Josuke smiled back.
"Fair enough. See ya, Lis!" Josuke waved as he ran off through the village and into the woodland, running past the shimmering banks of the lake and towards the lone log cabin where his friends were staying.
Hopefully, it wasn't anything serious.
Weapon Showcase:
Lv. 75 Rapier: Lightning Flash, Lambent Light – This mystifying blade must be wielded with a calm and elegant hand, akin to a true goddess's grace. When handled rightfully, it is said the blade can strike like pure lightning in both speed and power.
Special: Goddess Aurora: Movement and Attack Speed briefly increased by 200% and chance to automatically ignore setup time for next «Sword Skill» on successful «Combo Chain»
Enhancement: +20
Damage: 260 (C)
Speed: 990 (S)
Durability: 260 (C)
Range: 2m (B)
Precision: 95% (S)
Rank: Crafted, Legendary (A)
Selling Price: 115,000 Col
Owner: Asuna
Aincrad, Sword Art Online (Lv. 22, Log Cabin) October 2nd, 2023
Josuke rescinded that earlier thought.
"I-I can explain…" Kirito stammered as he stood between a baffled Josuke and Asuna, who was cradling a slumbering young girl in her arms on the couch, the Vice-Commander's gentle hands stroking the girl's long, dark hair in a motherly manner. Josuke walked in, expecting to be dealing with some innocent home issues, but nothing like this.
"I… have several questions." Josuke sighed, rubbing his temples as Kirito laughed nervously.
"I… guess I should start from the beginning?" Kirito asked as Josuke nodded, sitting himself down in the living room.
"Okay, who is that girl, and why are you keeping her here?" Josuke asked, leading Kirito to fiddle with his fingers anxiously.
"Y-you see… we don't really know."
"What?"
"We found her wandering in the woods all alone, and she just… collapsed. We didn't know what else to do." Kirito muttered as Josuke turned back to the sleeping girl.
"She a player? You know her name?" Josuke asked as Kirito sighed.
"See, that's the thing… I don't know. She hasn't woken up since we found her, and weirdest of all, she doesn't seem to have a cursor." Kirito muttered as Josuke took another good look at the girl resting her head on Asuna's lap. While he was able to see the green prism atop Asuna's head as well as her health bar, he saw no such things on the girl.
"An NPC? Maybe you guys tripped a quest by accident? A bug in the system?" Josuke suggested, before Kirito shook his head.
"She couldn't be an NPC. Otherwise I'd never be able to move her here. A bug… it's possible, but I wouldn't bet on it." Kirito pondered, before offering one suggestion.
"Think she's some kind of Stand? The product of one, maybe?" Kirito asked Josuke, who looked at him with a raised eyebrow on his expression, clearly taken aback by the thought.
"I… can't say that's impossible… But still, isn't that a bit of a stretch, man?" Josuke asked, Kirito humming in agreement.
"I guess…" Kirito mumbled, leading Josuke to sigh, turning to his friend.
"Eep!"
The pair of friends turned to the couch, where Asuna had jumped in her seat from surprise to see the girl wide awake, her curious gaze turning her way with wide, onyx eyes unblinking.
Now that she was awake, Josuke had a good moment to take a look at the girl. Her hair was long and reached down to her lower back along with two bangs that went over her shoulders, much like Asuna's. While her eyes' shape resembled Asuna's more, the iron sheen in her eyes along with her black hair brought Kirito to mind.
"Hey, are you sure this kid isn't yours?" Josuke asked, leading the two other teens to whip their heads around at him, both with flustered looks on their faces, all while the girl stared at him blankly.
"W-what? W-where'd that come from?!" Asuna cried out before her eyes widened and she collected herself, turning to face the child with a kind smile on her face.
Clearing her throat, she leaned in closer to the unknown girl. "You're finally awake. Thank goodness. Do you remember anything? What you were doing here?"
The girl paused for a moment, before shaking her head.
"At least she can understand us…" All three let out a sigh of relief at that one comfort.
"Do you remember anything? Your parents?" Kirito asked.
Another shake of the head. Her expression also shifted into sadness.
"Okay… how about… your name?" Asuna asked as the others waited for an answer.
Again, the girl paused, taking a moment before giving her answer, opening her mouth, and speaking for the first time.
"My… name… My name is… Yui."
The girl's voice was soft and hesitant, anxious, seemingly of her own words. Regardless, Asuna gave a smile at her answer, happy to finally know Yui's name.
"That's a beautiful name! My name's Asuna. This is Kirito, and this is JoJo." Asuna smiled, gesturing to herself, then to Kirito and the Stand user, the latter smiling with a wave of his hand in greeting.
"Ki...to… A...na…. Jo...Jo..." Yui mumbled as she directed her gaze at each of the respective players, Kirito turning to Josuke, who laughed nervously, surprised that his name wasn't botched. Oh well, it was simple enough to say anyway.
"T-that's fine. If it's a little hard, just call us whatever you want." Kirito smiled as he patted her on the head.
Again, the girl paused. Yui's eyes drifted to the side, as if thinking of something. Then she turned to Kirito, her wide eyes staring into his own.
"D-Daddy…?"
Everyone was taken aback, their eyes wide as they gawked at the girl's reply. Kirito looked at her curious stare with shock as sweat dripped down his forehead, his mouth opening but barely able to form a coherent word on his tongue. "H-hold on! W-wha-"
The girl then turned to Asuna. "Auna… Mommy…"
It was Asuna's turn to look absolutely bewildered. Her face shifted into one of surprise and shock and raised her hands, about to stammer in denial, only to look over Yui's face. Her expression was hesitant, a bit afraid, even. As if she was afraid of being rejected, being tossed aside. Her heart was ready to rend at the sight. Who was she to deny this poor girl?
"O-okay…! I'll… be Mommy!" Asuna offered one more kind smile as she touched her fingers over her own heart, a warmth washing over herself when she saw Yui's face brighten into a joyful smile as she waddled over to embrace her newly proclaimed mother.
"Mommy! Daddy!" Yui laughed, as Josuke could only continue to watch in surprise at this development, Kirito included, the latter sighing as a smile covered his expression.
"Now then, I'm sure you must be hungry! Why don't you join Mommy downstairs as she makes breakfast?" Kirito smiled, Asuna turning to him with a confused expression, before Kirito patted her on the shoulder, giving her a certain look that made her sigh as she turned back to Yui, a motherly smile on her face.
"Is Uncle JoJo eating with us too?" Yui asked, shortly followed by a loud thud as Josuke's back hit the floor, his face completely shocked as he tipped his chair over, falling down to the ground.
"He'll be happy to eat with us! Now then, shall we get going?" Asuna giggled as she picked a happy Yui up and walked out the door to begin preparing breakfast.
With that, the duo was alone as Josuke turned to his friend.
"I'm… at a loss for words. Where do I even begin?" Josuke muttered, massaging his temples as he pondered over this baffling predicament.
"Tell me about it," Kirito replied as Josuke turned to him.
"Let's start thinking about this real quick. You two aren't even married yet. This is an actual kid you guys are taking care of now. And now here she is, calling you two her parents! I-I… how're you gonna resolve this?!" Josuke asked, unsure how to structure his thoughts as Kirito sighed in defeat.
"I don't know, okay? But it's better than just leaving her alone and miserable, right? What else are we supposed to do at this point?" Kirito asked, leading Josuke's eyes to widen.
His mind drifted back to the conversation he had with Lisbeth not too long ago. "I was too focused on what was in front of me, and left Kirito behind. Some friend I am, huh?"
He couldn't help but feel something. Whatever it was, he knew that Kirito had a point, but he couldn't ignore his own skepticism on this matter. He remembered something, a chip on his shoulder that he'd been harboring for a long time. Kirito looked to him and then sighed in resignation as he put a hand to the bridge of his nose.
"Look, I'll talk to Asuna about this at breakfast, and we'll try to see if she has any family or loved ones in the Town of Beginnings. Until then, we'll try our best to take care of her. It's better than doing nothing at all, am I right?" Kirito said to Josuke, leading the pompadoured Stand user to sigh.
"Fine. I'll do what I can. Just… promise me this one thing. Not as JoJo, not as your friend, as Josuke Higashikata. Be the best parents you can be for her, you hear me? If you let her down, I'll never forgive you." Josuke said to his friend with a serious voice, Kirito's eyes widening as he'd never heard Josuke use his full name in front of him before. This was personal for Josuke, and he could tell from his voice alone.
Kirito looked at Josuke as his own face hardened into one of resolution. He thought of Asuna and the time they'd spent in this house, then of Yui and the joy in her smile as she embraced Asuna. He would protect that smile with his life.
"I will. I promise."
Weapon Showcase:
Lv. 70 One-Handed Sword: Black Knight, Elucidator – The obsidian black sheen of this blade is as sharp as it is intimidating, and its ferocity is only matched by its infallible bastion. This sword fears no foe, and falters to no challenge, no matter how great.
Special: Heart of the Hero: Activation time of all «Sword Skills» decreased by 50%, 30% more damage dealt to «Boss» enemies, all recovery time reduced by 30%
Enhancement: +20
Damage: 600 (S)
Speed: 360 (B)
Durability: 850 (S)
Range: 2m (B)
Precision: 65% (B)
Rank: Legendary, Boss Drop (S)
Selling Price: 110,000 Col
Owner: Kirito
Aincrad, Sword Art Online (Lv. 1, Town of Beginnings) October 2nd, 2023
Come noon, the Teleport Gate of the Town of Beginnings on Floor 1 flashed brightly, as a sphere of light dissipated to reveal the trio of Kirito, Asuna, and Josuke, with Kirito carrying a newly dressed Yui piggyback. The group looked all around at the area, facing the massive town square where their journey began. The buildings brought back memories, memories of when they realized they would be here to stay indefinitely.
With these thoughts in mind, Josuke turned to the young girl, looking around curiously at the enormous city and its buildings.
"Well, Yui? Any of these buildings seem familiar?"
A pause, then a silent shake of the head as Yui looked at Josuke apologetically. With that, Josuke gave a smile as he patted Yui on the head.
"It's fine, sport. Why don't we get to that orphanage?" Josuke chuckled as Yui leaned in closer to Kirito's neck, hugging him closely as the group moved through the city.
"What's an orphanage doing here in SAO?" Asuna asked offhandedly as Kirito sighed, balancing Yui's weight in his arms.
"Well, obviously, there would be some kids who logged in to SAO, kids as young as toddlers who wanted to play the game and their parents didn't join in. So in the end we got a bunch of kids with no guardians and nowhere to go." Kirito muttered as the group walked through the desolate market, now populated by NPCs manning the different stalls and shops.
"A-ah… That's…" Asuna mumbled before Josuke offered his own words.
"That's why we have an orphanage. They give kids like them a place to stay. They get a roof over their head and food to eat. Griselda said she'd been helping out there, and last I heard they're working from the old church. Maybe that's a good place to start." The Stand user suggested as he leaned into his hands behind his head.
"Yeah, if Yui's got any family, then hopefully we'll find them there, but still, we gotta watch our backs here." Kirito nodded, leading Yui to stare at him confusedly, her wide eyes blinking, as if scanning into his soul.
"Daddy… you're… afraid?" Yui muttered as Kirito turned to her, surprised at her remark before sighing.
"I guess, yeah. Word around the area says The Army has this place locked down hard. They're merciless down here, extorting the people of the town on the pretense of "tax collection". Those who don't comply get trampled, and they don't have limits. So much so that people don't walk the streets anymore." Kirito said grimly, causing the group to look around and sure enough, they noticed the streets were much more desolate.
They thought back to the bustling atmosphere of the first day of Sword Art Online, when people walked the streets freely and mingled without a care, happy to be a part of this game, before any of them knew they were there to stay. The streets now were completely barren, even more so than when Josuke last visited the city with Sachi. The air was quiet, only interrupted by the distant noise of enclosed chatter and wind blowing between the buildings. The only people walking the streets were the odd player and troops of soldiers marching in the distance.
"Then we better watch our backs-"
"GET AWAY!"
The group turned their heads as they passed a narrow alley beside the market, the scream of a woman ringing out and entering their ears, prompting them into action as they ran in to investigate, running down the alley and turning corners until they came across a confrontation.
A bespectacled woman with freckles in a nun's attire faced a squad of soldiers in heavy iron armor, helmets obscuring their eyes and capes draped over their armor that signified their uniform as Army soldiers. They laughed at the woman as they stood in the middle of the alleyway, standing between her and a group of three children.
"Leave those kids alone, you brutes!" The woman screamed through gritted teeth, leading the soldiers to laugh some more.
"You make it sound like we're in the wrong here! We're just teaching the little guys how things work around here! Taxes don't pay themselves, am I right?" The soldier who seemed to be the leader grinned, as his allies laughed with him.
"Gin, Kain, Mina! You kids okay? I'm gonna come get you!" The woman called out to the children, only for the squad leader to step forward threateningly.
"Look, it's simple! Just pay up and we'll leave you be! It's your duty as citizens of this city under our protection, and yet you deadweights at the church never pay your taxes!" The soldier confronted the woman, leading her to reach for the sword sheathed at her belt.
"N-no way! We don't owe you people anything! Now stand aside or else!" The nun grabbed the hilt of her blade threateningly only for the soldier to smirk.
"Hoh, or else what?! Do you know what happens to those who defy us members of the Aincrad Liberation Force?" The soldier stepped forward, a hand to his own sword in a show of intimidation as the woman faltered back, causing him to grin more.
However, they were interrupted as a group of newcomers rounded the corner, running towards them, preparing for another confrontation, all present were unprepared for the appearance of two new intruders.
"Sasha, take the kids and get out of here. We can handle this."
Emerging from another entrance into the alley, a woman clad in green clothing and armor revealed herself, her sword in hand as she faced the squad of Army soldiers, assuming a stance as all present could only watch in surprise. The kids, however, grew excited as smiles reached their faces at the sight of the woman.
"Miss Griselda! You're here!" One of the children cheered as the second figure reared his head, unsheathing the blade at his belt, revealing a katana as he turned to notice Kirito, Josuke, Asuna, and Yui.
"Oh, hey you guys! Don't mind us, just getting these jerks to buzz off." The man laughed, as the group could only stare in disbelief.
"Klein? What're you doing here?" Kirito exclaimed in surprise as Sasha rushed past the soldiers while they were distracted, checking up on them as Griselda offered them a smile, leading her to direct a glare at the soldiers.
"Griselda… You've been a thorn in our side long enough. Why do you keep defending these freeloaders? They need to learn their place in our town, dammit!" The leader growled as Griselda cocked her head to the side at his words.
"You talk about freeloaders when all you do is grind your boots into the people living here? Your comrades are fighting up top and actually contributing, and here you leeches are trying to extort money from an orphanage." Griselda countered with a frown, leading the leader to grit his teeth in annoyance.
"You got the guts to bad-mouth us?! You're gonna pay for that!" The leader roared as he unsheathed his sword and swung at the woman, only for Griselda to yawn as the soldier's weapon came to a stop, halted inches from the woman's face by the curved blade of a katana as Klein grinned.
"Look, I know you can't hurt someone in a safe zone, but it's still not nice to hit a woman, bud. Besides, what were you planning to do anyway?" The samurai chuckled as he swung his weapon up, throwing the soldier back, leading Griselda to nod as a form of gratitude in Klein's direction before a familiar energy surrounded her.
"Y-you bastards! I'm gonna make you regret that!" The leader screamed as he charged, preparing to swing again.
Griselda's spiritual energy peaked as she stopped the soldier's sword with her bare arm, the purple barrier protecting her body as an «Immortal Object» and preventing the blade from reaching her skin. Grinning, Griselda let her Stand manifest as Appleseed Cast revealed itself and directed a fist into the soldier's stomach, causing him to cough out from the sudden sensation of pain in his gut as he sprawled back onto his belly, skidding along the floor.
"You may not be able to hurt me, but I have a way of hurting you," Griselda smirked, leading the panicking soldier to gasp as he noticed his health bar had actually depleted in the Safe Zone.
"H-how…?! T-that hurt!" The soldier screamed confusedly, finally feeling pain for the first time in over a year as Griselda stepped in closer.
"Last warning. Back off and leave the orphanage alone, and I might just let you off easy." Griselda threatened as Appleseed Cast levitated beside her, ready to attack at a moment's notice as Klein leveled his katana over his armored shoulder.
"Better listen. You wouldn't want to see her when she's really angry." Klein grinned as the soldier pounded the ground with his fist, picking his sword up again.
"YOU LITTLE BIT-"
"Appleseed Cast."
Suddenly and without warning, a loud cracking noise echoed off the alley walls as a tree erupted from the ground from directly under the leader's stomach, the branches of the plant stretching outwards and restraining his limbs as he could only scream, the tree growing taller and suspending him several meters above the ground.
"AAAAAHHH! P-PUT ME DOWN!" The leader screamed, unable to move as Griselda ignored him, watching as the other soldiers reached for their weapons, gritting their teeth as the woman smirked at their attempt.
"You'd be wise to run. If you're gonna stay, might as well cut that tree down and help your boss down." Griselda said to the soldiers who didn't budge, even if they did flinch at her threat.
"Y-you think we're afraid of you?!" One of the soldiers managed out before Klein chuckled.
"You may not be afraid of Griselda, but JoJo back there? I'm sure you know all about his Stand and what he could do to you." The samurai laughed under his breath as the soldiers stepped back once they noticed Josuke amongst the spectating group beside Asuna and Kirito.
"T-the Diamond Fist? Here?!" The soldiers panicked among themselves as Griselda suddenly waved a hand, causing the tree she had grown to wither away into nothingness, unceremoniously dropping the squad leader onto the floor.
"Get out of here, and don't come back." Griselda threatened once more, her Stand out to emphasize her point as the soldiers all whimpered in defeat before kicking up their armored boots and turning tail to run back down the alley.
Once the soldiers were gone from sight, Griselda sheathed her sword as her Stand disappeared from sight as she put a hand to her head to massage her temples, letting out an exhausted sigh. "I swear, those idiots never learn."
"Griselda! Klein!"
The pair of players then turned to their fellow guild members, watching as Kirito, Asuna, and Josuke walked up to greet them.
"You guys! Hey there! How've you-" Griselda began with a smile before noticing the young girl riding on Kirito's back. Walking in closer to get a better look, Griselda gave a kind smile as she approached Yui.
"Oh, who's this little one?" The older woman asked as Yui greeted her with a smile.
"I'm Yui! This is my Mommy and Daddy!" The girl happily introduced herself before gesturing at Asuna and Kirito, respectively, leading both Griselda and Klein to stare at her with a confused expression on both their faces.
"Hehehe… wow you guys. Not even a week! Didn't know you were so restless!" Klein laughed at their expense, leading Kirito and Asuna's faces to explode into a red-hot blush at his words.
"I-IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!" Both teens protested as Griselda giggled as well, turning to Josuke as he covered his mouth to suppress his own laughter.
"It's a long story." The Stand user shrugged as Griselda turned on her heel, waving a hand for the others to follow.
"Then let's pick this up at the orphanage. You guys coming along?"
Stand Showcase:
Lv. ? Stand: Millennium Tree, Appleseed Cast – The tree grows tall and bears fruit, feeding those who eat off its branches. The tree withers and crumbles, but not before seeds give way for life to begin anew. This is the circle of life, the fate all creatures are bound to.
Special: Cultivate: Releases seeds into the air from its body, from which trees of all species and varieties can rapidly grow at a speed, form, and rate controlled by the user.
Enhancement: N/A
Damage: 200 (D)
Speed: 500 (A)
Durability: 500 (A)
Range: 10m (B)
Precision: 75% (B)
Rank: Unique (S)
Selling Price: N/A
Owner: Griselda
Aincrad, Sword Art Online (Lv. 1, Orphanage, Town of Beginnings) October 2nd, 2023
The church originally served no real purpose in the Town of Beginnings other than as a building to decorate a district of the city. Its design was simple and homely, with grand tinted glass windows providing light to the interior as the group sat at a table in the dining hall, watching over the scenery within.
The room was filled with a set of long tables, children of varying ages chatting, licking their plates clean and bickering and playing with each other, as kids did. While it sounded like chaos, Kirito couldn't help but feel the lightness in the air as he gazed upon the circus of lunch hour in the orphanage.
"There's… a lot of kids here," Kirito muttered as Sasha and Griselda giggled.
"I know, right? It's like this every day." Sasha said as Josuke put down his glass.
"So I heard. How'd you find all these kids anyway?" Josuke asked as Griselda stole a glance at the tables full of children.
"Many of these kids were stuck in this world alone with nowhere else to go. Some of them even suffered psychological trauma in the early days of the game. Sasha's the one who lent a hand out to them, and she's been searching through the town for children like these and bringing them here to take care of them. She's done a lot of good for these kids." The female Stand user explained as Asuna directed her eyes at her.
"Then what're you doing here? I thought you'd be with Silica up top with the others? And you, Klein! I didn't expect to see you here!" Asuna asked, pointing at the samurai who raised his hands in resignation.
"As you saw before, the Army doesn't care about these kids. All they care about is the money. Griselda and I couldn't just stand by and watch it go on, so we decided to act as their security! She's real popular with the kids, you know?" Klein laughed, right as a young girl walked over to Griselda, offering her a loaf of bread. The Stand user smiled and patted her head, ruffling her hair as she endured laughing at her expense from the others.
"Klein's actually here because he wanted to spend more time with Griselda. He didn't tell me, but I could tell just from watching the pair of them." Sasha whispered to Asuna, who giggled as Griselda blushed from all the teasing, nibbling into her gifted loaf with a red face.
"Did you see Yui before around the city? We came here hoping we'd find her family." Asuna asked the nun, who looked at the girl eating from her own loaf of bread, before she sighed.
"I'm sorry. I've been walking these streets for almost a year searching for children to take in, and I haven't seen Yui before. If you want, I could take care of her here." Sasha suggested before Yui looked up from her loaf at that last part.
"No! I wanna stay with mommy and daddy!" Yui protested, much to the surprise of the others at the table. Asuna and Sasha looked to one another, before Kirito looked their way.
"Well, that's that." Asuna sighed.
Suddenly, the noise of knocking on wood interrupted the group as they turned to the door. Griselda opted to rise from her chair first and reach for the door to welcome their visitor. Opening the door, the group locked eyes with a silver-haired woman dressed in dark attire, followed by a man with blue hair.
Josuke walked up to the blue-haired man, recognizing him immediately.
"Diabel?! What're you doing here?" Josuke gawked as the frontline leader smiled at the sight of familiar faces.
"JoJo, Kirito, Asuna! It's good to see you guys! Perhaps I should introduce you. This is Yulier. She's the Vice Commander of the Aincrad Liberation Force." Diabel informed him as the woman bowed in greeting before Kirito offered his thoughts.
"Is this about the other day?" He asked, skeptical as Yulier waved her hands in front of her in protest.
"No, don't get the wrong idea, I've actually come to thank you for putting those men in their place. I'm also here… to ask for your help." The group turned to each other, before they walked back inside, gesturing for Yulier and Diabel to follow behind them.
"Come on in, then. Let's chat inside." Asuna suggested as the group gathered once more, walking off to a walled-off room separated from the dining hall where the children were. Klein, Griselda, and Sasha offered to look over the children and excused themselves, leaving Kirito, Josuke, Asuna, and a tired Yui with the two Army leaders.
"So what's the Vice Commander of the Army doing here? I didn't expect you to be asking for our help." Josuke asked as Yulier sighed.
"We've really fallen from grace, haven't we? Maybe we should start at the beginning."
The group listened as Diabel shared his own words. "Back before we split our forces, we merged with another guild called MMO Today, to help share food and information with the other players. That was our goal back then and in a way it still is now. With that merge, our leader Thinker led our guild into prosperity, but then…"
"It became too big…" Kirito muttered as both Yulier and Diabel nodded.
"...yeah. With the hundreds of people joining, revolts and infighting among members turned up. To help curb this, we split our guild into two divisions. I'm in charge of one of them, and we take our priorities to the frontlines, helping to defeat bosses and map out new Floors. Surely you already know that." Diabel noted as the others nodded in agreement, having met with Diabel numerous times in the frontline strategy briefing representing his guild.
"The second division commanded by Kibaou is the main guild, and after so much time away from the frontlines, our two factions essentially drifted apart from one another. The ALF down here claims to maintain order, but Thinker's been reduced to nothing but a figurehead, and Kibaou's taken free reign over the lower levels, monopolizing monster spawn points and extorting other players." Yulier muttered as the others looked amongst each other.
"How's he been able to keep getting away with this? Surely the other members won't be happy with him in charge?" Kirito asked as Diabel frowned.
"They aren't, and he knew that, too. To earn their good graces back, he sent a squad of his best fighters to defeat the highest Floor Boss all on their own, without even telling me." Diabel noted as the others gasped, knowing exactly what he was talking about.
"Kobatz… why didn't he say anything to you?" Josuke muttered, remembering the stubborn soldier and his undignifying end at the hands of The Gleam Eyes.
"He wanted the credit. If he'd asked for my assistance, then that'd invalidate the effort he put in to look good. I'm angrier that he didn't consider the risk." Diabel clenched his fist at the thought as the Yulier sighed before resuming their account.
"And many others felt the same. We were ready to kick him out of the guild and he was getting desperate. And now… he's tried to eliminate Thinker! He set a trap, and stranded Thinker deep inside a dungeon!" Yulier said, her eyes downcast as she revealed this, the others' eyes widening.
"Can he teleport out?" Asuna asked, only for Yulier to shake her head. Kirito's eyes widened as his hands started shaking and his breaths quickened. Asuna was quick to place her hands over his, calming him down as he gathered his composure, Josuke only able to watch it all unfold before his eyes.
"Does he have weapons?" Josuke asked, leading Diabel to shake his head as well.
"Apparently Kibaou asked to meet unarmed, and Thinker believed him. It's been three days since then. I'd call for my own men to help out, but with our forces spread thin, the frontlines need all the help they need. Me and Yulier alone wouldn't be able to clear that dungeon on our own. That's why…" Diabel explained before Yulier looked up at the group.
"When I heard Purple Rain was here, the guild that saved the battle against the 74th Boss when we couldn't, I just had to ask for your help! I'm begging you! Please, would you help me save Thinker!" Yulier begged, standing up and bowing before the group, leading shocked glances all around to be exchanged.
"Well, we'd be glad to help if you think we'd be able to… but I need to know… if you're telling the truth. If this really is an Anti-Crystal Zone we're entering, I need to know if this is all at least true." Kirito stated, his hands still shaking a bit as the others looked at him incredulously, leading Yulier to dip her bow lower.
"I know I'm asking a lot and that we just met, but please! W-when I think about Thinker… trapped in there! I-I feel like… I could go crazy! I'm begging you! I'll pay you anything you want! All I want is to see him again!" Yulier cried out, tears forming in her eyes as the others watched and looked amongst one another, unsure of how to proceed.
"You… care for him… a lot…"
The group's eyes all turned to Yui, directing that stare of hers at Yulier's tearful eyes, peering into her curiously as the older woman sniffled back a tear. "W-what'd you say?"
"You… love him…" Yui mumbled as Yulier's eyes widened, her hands reaching to her heart as Kirito, Asuna, and Josuke turned to the small girl.
"Y-Yui…"
"She's… telling the truth…" Yui then finished, leading Yulier's eyes to widen as more tears leaked from her eyes, Asuna turning to her surrogate daughter.
"Yui… how do you know?" She asked as Yui stuck a finger to her chin as if to ponder.
"Her feelings… they're too strong. She poured it all into her words…" Yui replied as Josuke smiled, patting Yui on the head and rubbing his fingers through her hair.
"Well, in the end, I thought we were gonna accept anyway. We'll take it. Don't you worry anymore, 'kay?" Josuke gave a goofy grin as Yulier returned it with a teary smile of her own, bowing once more.
"T-thank you so much! I don't know how to repay you!" Yulier gave her thanks as Diabel gave a small bow as well.
"It's fine! You don't owe us anything! Now then, should we get Klein and Griselda to join us?" Josuke asked as he rose to his feet, as Kirito patted Yui's head with a nod.
"Yeah, and Sasha could take care of Yui until we head back." Kirito suggested, but not before Yui raised her voice in protest.
"No! I wanna go too!" Yui squeaked out, leading the trio to turn to her with confused expressions.
"Yui, it'll be dangerous! I don't want you getting hurt. It's safe here, and it'll only be for a little while-" Asuna tried to reason with the girl, only for Yui to latch onto Kirito's arm and hug it tightly, not keen on letting go.
"No! I'm going with Mommy and Daddy!" Yui protested further, not budging in the slightest. With that, Kirito sighed in defeat as he made up his mind.
"Well then, if she insists, then I'll just have to be extra careful, won't I?" The Black Swordsman laughed nervously as Asuna smiled, Josuke as well.
"You better know what you're doing, man. She better be safe." Josuke insisted, placing both his hands on the table as he turned to Kirito.
"We can handle it. If the levels of the monsters cap at Lv. 60, then we shouldn't have trouble. Yui, you'd better be a good girl and listen to Mommy, Daddy, and Uncle JoJo, okay? If something hurts you, tell Uncle JoJo right away!" Kirito said to his surrogate daughter still clinging onto his arm as she gave him one of her brightest smiles.
"Okay, Daddy!"
Lv. 55 Katana: Wanderer's Edge, Karakurenai – The blade of a nameless ronin, this light and streamlined sword is to be wielded with honor and skill, and only the most refined of samurai can bring out its true potential.
Special: Bushido Creed: Critical Damage increased by 50%, 30% Damage VS unarmored enemies, 20% extra damage VS Humanoid enemies, first hit briefly increases Critical Chance by 50%
Enhancement: +25
Damage: 650 (S)
Speed: 465 (A)
Durability: 165 (D)
Range: 1.5m (C)
Precision: 80% (A)
Rank: Quest Reward, Rare (B)
Selling Price: 50,000 Col
Owner: Klein
Aincrad, Sword Art Online (Lv. 1, Hidden Dungeon) October 3rd, 2023
After a day of rest at the church, the group moved out to embark on their mission. The dungeon laid beneath the Black Iron Castle standing tall and proud over the Town of Beginnings from the city square. The same place where Akihiko Kayaba announced the fate of all the players inhabiting Sword Art Online.
Beneath the Iron Castle, the group entered a massive cavern, walking through the expansive space that seemed to span the entire city's underground, dark stone pillars scattered throughout the hall and holding up the ceiling above, presumably the weight of the whole town.
Yulier and Diabel led the way in front as Kirito, Josuke, and Klein followed closely, Griselda opting to stay in the back with Asuna, taking care of an excited Yui who stubbornly refused to stay at the orphanage.
Descending down the stairs and into the dungeon below, the group stayed alert, their hands to their scabbards as they watched for movement and approaching danger.
"How come a dungeon on the First Floor went completely unexplored and unmapped? You'd think they'd have done it a long time ago." Josuke muttered as his hand clenched around his sword's hilt on his back, Crazy Diamond summoned and ready for action.
"Well for starters, this dungeon wasn't in the beta and wasn't open here in the main game until just recently. Considering the monsters here average about Lv. 60, I guess it was after we went up to some of the higher floors." Diabel explained as Kirito nodded, having been a beta tester himself.
"Besides, most of the players here can't handle the difficulty spike in this dungeon. Almost all of the high-level players grind on higher levels, and Kibaou keeps this dungeon under the radar, despite the fact that he can't use it to level up either way." Yulier sighed, just as the noise of monsters spawning into the area alerted the group.
"Eyes up, everyone!" Klein yelled out, drawing his katana as the others prepared for battle, watching as a group of monstrous-looking frogs spawned in.
"EEEEK! FROGS! KILL IT! KILL IT WITH FIRE!"
Everyone in the room turned their heads to Josuke, his face paler than chalk as he let out a feminine shriek of terror as his feet jumped up and down with his erratic jitters. In every sense, he was completely freaked out at the sight of the amphibian monsters.
"Hahahaha! Uncle JoJo's scared!" Yui giggled at her uncle's expense, patting her little hand on his hair as Josuke continued to scream, hiding behind Griselda and Asuna, who looked at each other and laughed along with her.
"Okay, reptiles give me the willies, but AMPHIBIANS? BIG ONES?! GET THOSE THE HELL AWAY FROM ME! THEY'RE SO SLIMY AND WET IT FREAKS ME THE HELL OUT!" Josuke shivered as Kirito sighed, taking out his dual swords and preparing for battle with the other men.
"Well boys, why don't we get to work?" Klein asked as he leveled his katana to the approaching horde, Kirito and Diabel grinning as the women hung back along with Yui and a still shivering Josuke, averting his gaze to the best of his ability.
The three players ran in with a battle cry, swords swinging through the air as frog after frog fell dead, Griselda watching as she turned back to Josuke, who pouted while still trying to look away from the sight of the monster amphibians.
"Are you gonna be alright, JoJo? Need me to hold your hand?" Griselda jabbed teasingly with a smirk as Josuke grumbled under his breath.
"Stupid… freaky… frogs," Josuke mumbled to himself, before groaning out in defeat.
"Argh! Fine! I won't be able to fight my fears if I don't face them first! COME AT ME, YOU FREAKS!" Josuke then screamed out, dashing in with his Stand fully manifested, blowing a hole through the horde as Griselda giggled to herself, watching as Yulier stole a glance at the four rushing into battle and having fun, Josuke screaming his head off to drown out his fear, as she let a smile grace her lips, laughing.
"You laughed! I've never seen you laugh before!"
Yulier, Asuna, and Griselda looked down to Yui, who smiled brightly at Yulier, her giggles shining through as she looked absolutely ecstatic. Yulier blinked as she noticed the smile on her face, realizing that she indeed hadn't smiled in a long time, and if she was being honest… she liked this feeling.
Smiling, Yulier rubbed Yui's head affectionately, the girl giggling in joy to receive some appreciation from the silver-haired woman. With this, Griselda smiled at Asuna's laugh before grabbing her sword and pulling it out, her Stand also manifested.
"Well, gonna let the boys have all the fun, Asuna?" Griselda asked with a smirk.
"No thanks, I'll stay back with Yui. You guys can handle this!" Asuna smiled in reply, leading Griselda to assume a determined grin as she rushed into battle with the others, her sword in hand and ready to fight.
Weapon Showcase:
Lv. 60 One-Handed Sword: Draconic Claw, Dark Repulser – Do not let its glassy frame fool you. Forged from crystals guarded by dragons, this unholy blade strikes without mercy or remorse much like the fearsome beasts themselves. Like a proud dragon flying high, you are a king of nature, an unchained storm.
Special: Reverse Scale: All «Sword Skill» damage increased by 30%, Critical Damage increased by 50%, Critical Chance increased by 30% for 2 seconds on successful «Combo Chain»
Enhancement: +15
Damage: 600 (S)
Speed: 350 (B)
Durability: 250 (C)
Range: 2m (B)
Precision: 75% (B)
Rank: Crafted, Legendary (A)
Selling Price: 95,000 Col
Owner: Kirito
After several more encounters and battles, the group plowed through the dungeon, easily defeating any monsters in their path as they descended further and further down the depths of the dungeon, reaching a long hallway lined with pillars and stone walls.
"How much longer? This place feels like it goes on forever!" Klein sighed, his back hunched as he let out heavy breaths, clearly exhausted.
"Wait… what's that up ahead?" Asuna then asked, pointing to the end of the hallway ahead of them.
The rest of the group's eyes followed her finger to see a bright light at the end of the hall, marked by two stone pillars with red markings on them, signifying that the area was a Safe Zone.
"Is that what we're looking for?" Griselda asked as Kirito looked closer, activating a Skill that caused his eyes to zoom in on the distant location.
"Yep, there's a guy in there." He confirmed, making out the figure of a person within the light, leading Yulier to gasp.
"It's Thinker!" She cried out, bursting into a sprint down the hallway, eager to reunite with her friend. The others looked to one another, shrugged, and proceeded to follow suit, kicking up their feet and running down the hallway towards the Safe Zone.
The shadow of a man made itself visible to everyone as Thinker waved his arms about, signaling to them as he called out into the hallway. "YULIER!"
"THINKER!" The woman called back in reply, smiling in joy to see her friend safe and sound, running as she waved a hand, wanting to see him again more than anything, but that was when the others noticed something wasn't right.
"Why isn't he leaving?" Kirito thought as Thinker called out again.
"NO, STAY BACK! IT'S A TRAP!" Thinker shouted out, causing the others to gasp as Yulier heard what he said, just as she stepped over a certain distance to the Safe Room, causing a new name to pop up in their display.
«The Fatal Scythe»
Yulier saw this and ran faster, hoping to get to the Safe Room before whatever this thing was could appear and attack, but alas, she was still too far as the corridor's lighting flared up, a purple mass forming around the wall she was passing by. She barely even had the time to notice the incoming threat before she felt Kirito tackle her to the floor.
A massive scythe burst from the wall, slamming into the ground as the monster revealed itself, but before the group could get a good look at it, the creature flew into the wall ahead of it, disappearing from sight. Looking up, he saw Josuke reaching a hand out to him. Taking it, Kirito turned to Yulier and Asuna.
"Take Yui to the Safe Zone and wait for us. We'll keep this thing occupied!" Kirito said to Yulier as Asuna unsheathed Lambent, preparing for battle alongside Griselda, Klein, Diabel, and Josuke as they watched the monster reveal itself.
The demonic creature resembled a grim reaper, its hooded cloak obscuring its huge, hovering body save skeletal hands and a frightening skull visage with red eyes as it held a massive scythe in its hands, its blade glinting in the light. The boss raised the weapon menacingly, the group staring the monster down before they noticed something that sent a chill down their spine.
Where they should have seen a set of multiple health bars along with the boss's name, they only saw a single word.
[unknown]
"I can't see its health bars! What the hell is this thing?!" Klein exclaimed, unnerved at the unusual sight as Josuke raised his own sword.
"I don't know! You guys, get out of here now! Use your Teleport Crystals! We'll catch up with you!" Josuke cried out as he and Kirito stood their ground, preparing for battle as the others looked at him in surprise.
"Are you insane?! We can't just leave you here!" Diabel cried out, only for Asuna to put a hand on his shoulder as she stepped forward.
"At least you'll be safe! Now go! Run while you still have the chance! We'll be close behind!" Asuna called out as Griselda gritted her teeth, before running to the Safe Zone, followed by Diabel and Klein, the samurai turning back to the trio.
"You better make it back, you hear me?!" Klein called out as Josuke nodded, the group of three players stepping forth to face their enemy, Yui whimpering in Yulier's arms as they prepared the Teleport Crystals.
Meanwhile, in the corridor, Kirito, Asuna, and Josuke raised their swords as they prepared for an attack from the massive reaper, watching as the huge monster's eyes flashed as it raised its weapon for a strike, roaring as the group prepared defensive measures.
"Brace!" Asuna yelled out as Josuke stepped forward, leveling the blade parallel in front of his body in a defensive posture. Kirito crossed his blades as Asuna crossed her own rapier with Kirito's as she ducked behind his body.
The creature swung in a wide arc with its blade, and all of a sudden, the three players flew through the air, grunting as they crashed into the walls, reeling from the staggering attack.
"Arghhh…" Josuke groaned as he weakly rose to his feet before his gaze drifted to his health bar.
"HALF DOWN?! FROM A HIT WE BLOCKED?!" Josuke screamed in his head, panicking as he saw Kirito and Asuna weren't much better off as they struggled to lift themselves off the ground, The Fatal Scythe moving in closer and closer as it prepared to attack again.
Looking to Kirito, Josuke could already tell just how bad this situation was. If they took another hit, they wouldn't survive, and with the walls surrounding them but completely ignored by the boss's phasing movements, they could be attacked from any angle and that would be the end. They were backed into a corner, and Josuke couldn't think of a way out.
Nonetheless, Josuke rushed over to his friends, bringing out Crazy Diamond to heal them both as Kirito and Asuna looked at him with concerned expressions.
"Don't worry about me! I can keep you alive!" Josuke insisted as Kirito put a hand on his shoulder, sweating buckets.
"H-hold on a second! If we keep going like this, you won't survive! Sure, you can keep us healed, but what about you?!" Kirito cried out, leading Josuke to grit his teeth as the boss approached even closer by the second.
"We don't have a choice! We make a break for the Safe Zone, then we teleport out! I'll keep you covered!" Josuke exclaimed as he raised his sword, prepared to fight.
"No way! You think we're leaving you to do this all by yourself?!" Asuna protested tearfully, only for Josuke to scream back.
"JUST GO! I'LL BE RIGHT BEHIND YOU!"
"YUI!"
The trio then turned to the Safe Zone, watching the others teleport away and panicking once Yui walked out of the luminous room and into the hallway, not turning back as the group disappeared in a flash of light, now absent from the area.
The three players' eyes all widened in unison as they could only stare at the little girl striding through the corridor and staring down the gigantic reaper as its blood-red eyes turned down to the newcomer, recognizing her presence as it prepared to attack once more.
"YUI, GET OUT OF THERE!" Kirito shouted, panicking as the monster's scythe rose into the air, Asuna screaming her lungs out in terror for her surrogate daughter.
"Daddy, Mommy, Uncle. It's okay." The girl spoke calmly amidst the imminent danger, not reacting as The Fatal Scythe prepared its weapon and swung down, the trio's frightened screams echoing throughout the corridor.
"YUI!"
However, the blade never touched the girl. Before the monster's scythe could slice her in twain, it was stopped by a purple barrier, causing the blade to bounce off of Yui, sending the boss reeling back stunned.
"An… «Immortal Object»?!" Asuna exclaimed, reading the alert that appeared over Yui's head, signifying that she indeed, was protected by the game system.
With that, the group of three could only watch speechlessly as Yui rose from the ground, glaring at the confused monster.
"System Command: Delete «Boss Mob»_ID/«The Fatal Scythe»." Yui spoke, invoking what Kirito could only recognize as a system command, only possible to be used by the admins and Game Masters.
"How on Earth is she using admin access?!"
With that command, A spark of flame appeared on Yui's finger, which pointed at the boss as it shot out and traveled to the helpless boss. The flames wrapped around The Fatal Scythe's form, engulfing it completely into a miniature sun of flames, before dispersing and leaving nothing behind but glowing embers scattered through the air.
The three players stood on their legs, staring at Yui in shock, taking time to process what they had just witnessed, taking cautious steps towards the girl as she turned to the three players with a smile on her face.
"Daddy, Mommy, Uncle. I remember everything now."
Stand Showcase:
Lv. ? Stand: Rampaging Repair, Crazy Diamond – Heal or destroy? Forgive or punish? You have the power to decide, the strength to pass on judgement. You are a diamond in the rough.
Special: Restoration: Ability to heal or restore any object, mob or player without use of items.
Enhancement: N/A
Damage: 550 (S)
Speed: 900 (S)
Durability: 500 (A)
Range: 2m (B)
Precision: 85% (A)
Rank: Unique (S)
Selling Price: N/A
Owner: JoJo
Aincrad, Sword Art Online (Lv. 1, Safe Zone, Hidden Dungeon) October 3rd, 2023
"Yui… say something. You remember who you are?"
The trio entered the Safe Zone, a small chamber that unlike the rest of the dark and dingy dungeon outside, was completely white with flat, smooth walls save for an ivory rectangular block in the center of the room where Yui sat. Needless to say, this was no ordinary Safe Zone.
Asuna questioned the girl with worry from her silence as Yui looked up at them with a melancholy smile.
"Kirito. Asuna. JoJo. I have a lot of explaining to do."
The trio's eyes widened all at once when they heard Yui say their names without fail unlike their first conversation with her. Nevertheless, they held their tongues as they listened to what Yui had to tell them.
"Sword Art Online is run entirely by a single, massive system called Cardinal. The system was designed to operate independently, without the need of human interference. The system's prime directive is to ensure the balance of all in-game functions according to its discretions. From enemy AI patterns to difficulty, from NPC behavior to the selling price and stats of items, all are under the control of the Cardinal system. Naturally, that includes the psychological care of the players."
"Mental Health Counseling Program 001. Codename: Yui. That is who I am."
The group of three gasped in shock upon hearing this. They were not prepared for a revelation of this magnitude.
"An AI…?" Kirito muttered, completely stunned as Yui sighed, continuing her explanation.
"In order to help me better assist players with certain mental health problems, Cardinal gave me a function to be able to understand and emulate complex human emotions by observing other players and imitating them. However, on the day Sword Art Online officially launched, the Cardinal system forbade me from interacting with the players in any way. For the entire year you three have been logged into this game, all I could do was sit in a dark space, unable to do anything but monitor the players and their mental health."
"Fear. Anger. Sadness. Despair. Anxiety. Hatred. Some went completely insane, others lost all hope and killed themselves. All these negative emotions and I was forbidden from carrying out my prime directive, unable to help any of them. Their emotions, I felt them all. Every soul who died in this game, their last emotions carried into me before they stopped forever. I couldn't bear it any longer. All these feelings, all these restrictions, it all snowballed within my code, piling up error after error until… I broke. Lost my memories in a sort of system crash and reboot. That's how I spent most of my days, not knowing who I was, where I was, or why I was here. Just a soul surrounded by darkness in the void, listening to the voices of the thousands of players." Yui cried, tears falling down her face as the three could only gape in shock hearing her story.
"However, something happened. Two months after the game had launched, the Floor Boss on the First Floor was defeated. A battle carried by three heroes. The very players standing before me." Yui smiled at the trio, who gasped in surprise, realizing who she was talking about.
"U-us?" Kirito asked, leading Yui to smile with a nod.
"Yes. With that victory, I noticed a change. A new emotion rising within nearly every player in the game: Hope. The will to carry on, to continue living. The very thing I was designed to inspire in others as a Mental Health Program. You three showed the other players that despite the horror and death, there was hope. As the months went by, you would split up and go your separate ways, but everywhere you went, you continued to spread joy, laughter, kindness, and most of all, hope. You would stumble, you would doubt, but that hope carried you forward, and healed the hearts of those around you." Yui proclaimed, leading Kirito, Josuke, and Asuna's eyes to widen as smiles found their way to their faces upon hearing Yui's words.
"When I saw you had all reunited for good, these positive feelings only grew stronger, and the hope of all the players grew even more with your victory over the 74th Floor Boss, and your battle with Heathcliff. You became true heroes, true legends among the players. I knew then that I wanted to meet you, I had to meet you! I wanted to be a part of your family!" Yui cried, tears leaking down her eyes, as Asuna's eyes widened.
"That's why you were in the forest…" She gasped as Yui nodded.
"Yes. Kirito, Asuna. I saw how Asuna comforted Kirito when he broke down at the Boss fight, and then I saw how he did the same for Asuna following Kuradeel's attack. Then I felt it. Your love for one another. I wanted to complete that union, to be the piece that would bring you two together and heal you both. Even if that meant for me to change my appearance to fit." Yui cried, the three realizing what she meant.
"No wonder she looked like your daughter…" Josuke muttered as Kirito and Asuna turned to him, before Yui sobbed again, tears flowing like a river.
"Some daughter I turned out to be, huh? I'm not real. Nothing about me is. Not even these tears. I shouldn't even be able to have desires or wishes of my own, and yet here I am…" Yui cried, her tears dripping down to her chin as the others could only look to each other and then at Yui as Asuna stepped forward.
"Yet, you're here, Yui. Despite the fact that you're an AI, you still came to us, you still made our little family complete!" Asuna said to Yui, patting her on her shoulder as the little AI girl looked up at the Vice Commander, Kirito, and Josuke stepping forward as well.
"Who you are doesn't change. Human or AI, we'll still be whoever you want us to be for you." Kirito reassured her as Josuke asked his own question, sighing as he let a smile grace his lips.
"Tell us anything you want and we'll make it happen, sport. The choice is all yours." Josuke grinned goofily as he always did, Yui gasping as she looked ahead, seeing the loving smiles of the three members of her makeshift family. Despite everything, despite the truth, they still accepted her for who she was.
That was the moment she knew that she couldn't ask for anything more.
"I-I… I wanna stay with you forever! I wanna be part of your family! Daddy! Mommy!"
Neither Kirito nor Asuna could hold it in any longer as their eyes teared up, the pair of them leaning in closer to embrace their surrogate daughter as Yui looked up to Josuke, smiling at him with tears in her eyes, prompting the Stand user's hand to clench at his own heart, as he let out a smile of his own and joined in, the four of them now in a group hug, happy to be with one another.
"However… it's already too late."
The three broke away from their hug as they eyed Yui with confused looks, their faces bearing fear as they heard what she said.
"W-what're you talking about?" Asuna asked as Yui looked down to her feet, tapping the black prism beneath her to reveal a keyboard.
"This is a console that GMs can use to gain emergency access to the system. I used it to gain access to the system commands and delete that boss in the corridor. However, I can't use them anymore because Cardinal has already blocked me from the system. Since I disobeyed Cardinal's directives, the system is scanning my program and now it thinks I'm a foreign object." Yui explained, leading Kirito's eyes to widen.
"Y-you don't mean…" He dreaded, realizing what this meant.
"Daddy… Mommy… Uncle… This is goodbye…" Yui cried, leading Asuna to gasp in shock, her hands covering her mouth as she embraced her daughter once more.
"N-NO! PLEASE! I DON'T WANT YOU TO GO! WE JUST STARTED LIVING LIKE A REAL FAMILY!" Asuna wailed, her tears overflowing as Yui could only smile amidst her own tears as she felt her body begin to sparkle with a faint light, her outline beginning to fade as the system tried to remove her.
"You three inspire hope and joy everywhere you go. Please… my only wish… keep helping others… Keep spreading hope to those around you… for me?" Yui sobbed as Kirito and Asuna felt their tears returning in full force.
"No."
Kirito, Asuna, and even Yui turned to Josuke, his fists clenched as he gritted his teeth in frustration, before locking eyes with Yui.
"No way am I letting it end like this! Not after I made a promise! I promised I wouldn't let anyone else die in front of me, and no way in hell am I letting you be another exception!" Josuke declared, the family of three's eyes widening at his proclamation.
"B-but there's no way… Unless my code is somehow hidden from the system itself, I can't avoid this…" Yui whimpered before Josuke turned to Kirito, who quickly put two and two together, as he reached for something around his neck.
"Are you sure this'll work?!" Kirito asked frantically as he handed it to his friend, who took it in his hand.
"I'm not! But if there's even a chance… we have to take it!" Josuke declared, Crazy Diamond appearing beside him as Yui's eyes widened again, Josuke locking eyes with her with a serious expression.
"Yui… I don't know if this'll work, or how this'll affect you… but there's a chance I can save you. Do you… trust me?" Josuke asked.
Yui paused, realizing the gravity of her situation and what Josuke was planning to do, viewing the object in Crazy Diamond's hand and then back into his eyes. She then looked back to the couple she called her parents, their eyes leaking tears as they cried for her. For her, the girl who was nothing until they welcomed her into their lives.
She knew her answer before Josuke even had to ask.
"I trust you! With everything I have! I'd do anything to be with you!"
"That's what I wanted to hear, sport."
Josuke smiled as he placed the object in Crazy Diamond's palm, which pressed against Yui's forehead. Just as Yui's body began to disappear, the spiritual light of Crazy Diamond's energy coursed from its arms and into Yui, her essence swirling around where her body used to be and into Crazy Diamond's palm, before the light disappeared completely, condensing into a single object that Josuke held out for a shocked Kirito and Asuna to see.
"W-what…" Asuna muttered, looking at Josuke's palm to see Kirito's moon necklace shining with a bright light, which Kirito took with wide eyes, completely speechless as his eyes quivered in their sockets, staring at the amulet.
"Yui…" Kirito whimpered, as Asuna turned to Josuke, unable to process what was happening.
"J-Josuke what'd you do?!" She asked as Josuke sighed.
"Crazy Diamond's power is to restore things, but… it also has the power of fusion. Say I destroy two things and force them to reform over each other, those two things end up fusing with one another." Josuke explained as Kirito's eyes widened.
"H-hang on! Did you know you could do this?!" Kirito asked frantically, leading Josuke to stand up to face him.
"No, like I said! I didn't know! But it was a chance, so I took it!" Josuke replied, before letting out a breath with a smile
"She's still there, in that amulet. She can't speak to us, I don't know if she can hear us, but she's there, I know it. Keep her safe, yeah?"
Josuke asked, as Kirito and Asuna both teared up, the three embracing one another, thanking Josuke for saving their surrogate daughter, promising to see her once again as the three friends cried in the memory of the child, whose small voice rang out so quietly nobody could hear, thanking them for everything they did for her.
The group then stood up and faced the admin console in the center of the room, Josuke turning to Kirito and Asuna as the three connected the dots, realizing the same thing.
"Think we can use this console to gain access to the system?" Josuke asked, leading Asuna to quirk an eyebrow.
"What'll you do once you get in?" She asked as Kirito scratched a finger against his chin, gears turning inside his head.
"One can only assume the infinite possibilities… imagine if we found the means to re-enable the logout function!" Kirito's eyes widened as reality kicked in, realizing the potential that was on their fingertips, as the three of looked at each other in shock.
"C-can we do that?! We could save EVERYONE here!" Josuke exclaimed as Kirito stepped forward, stretching his fingers as he neared the console.
"Only one way to find out…"
Kirito tapped the prism, trying to access the console.
"GAH!"
Hearing a loud scream, Josuke and Asuna turned to Kirito quickly, watching as the Black Swordsman reeled back from the console and fell on his back, clenching his hand in pain as the two rushed over to help him.
"K-Kirito! Are you hurt?!" Asuna asked as he saw Kirito's hand, shaking and smoking with a burn.
"I-I tried to touch the keyboard a-and my hand bounced off and it… shocked me! I-it hurts!" Kirito cried out, leading Josuke and Asuna to turn to each other.
"W-what did you say?" Asuna asked as Kirito gasped, staring at his hand and connecting the dots.
"It… hurt me… A STAND?!" Kirito screamed, staring back at the console as Josuke stepped forward, using Crazy Diamond to heal Kirito, placing his Stand's hands over Kirito's and causing the damage to reverse and disappear until Kirito was good as new.
"What the hell is a Stand doing protecting the GM console?" Josuke asked as Kirito nursed his hand, Asuna putting in her own thoughts.
"Yui was able to access the system. She was part of the system, so I guess that's why she was able to access it… Does this Stand only allow people with admin privileges to use it? Why would the Stand do that, unless..." Asuna asked as Kirito and Josuke looked at each other.
"The user is an admin…" Kirito answered, confirming everyone's thoughts as Josuke turned to him with a serious expression.
"You know… this is something I've been wondering for a long time. Why do Stand users exist in this game? Why does the Arrow exist here? Why can everybody see Stands? I think we have our answer here." Josuke said as Kirito's eyes bulged out.
"Someone did this on purpose. They made it knowing the power of Stands and wanted to bring them into the game." Josuke revealed his suspicions as Kirito and Asuna gasped at him, shocked.
"Why would someone do that?" Asuna asked as Josuke shook his head with a tired sigh.
"I'm not sure. A question for another day, I guess. Not much we can do here." Josuke muttered, looking around at the confined, empty room as Kirito let out a sigh of his own.
"Agreed. Let's meet up with the others at the orphanage, they must be worried sick." Kirito said, walking out the door, followed by his two companions.
Walking down the dark corridor, Kirito's hand reached for his neck, looking down at his palm as he stroked the moon emblem softly with his finger, memories returning to him as he felt a tear well up in his eye.
He remembered her.
Her smile, her laugh, her love that he shared.
Feelings all represented by this memento of his, a relic of days gone that he couldn't let go of no matter how much it hurt him. He missed her so much her smile clouded his mind every night as he cried himself to sleep, every life lost on the front lines reminded him of his failure to save her, to protect her. Reminded him of how useless he was.
"Kirito? What's wrong"
Then he remembered. He remembered the day Asuna saved him. He was in the grip of despair, sinking in the depths of his self-hatred, but Asuna held him close, she gave him a shoulder to cry on. She gave him a reason to keep going.
Turning to her, he remembered the day Kuradeel had attacked them, the day he saw Asuna break down herself, crying a river as she lamented her own failures and condemned herself. He saw himself in those eyes, he feared more than anything she would follow him down the path of self-deprecation and that thought he couldn't bear to imagine.
So he reached out to her, and they embraced, healing each others' souls and saving each other. He wanted to pay her back for picking him back up again, and this was more than he could ever ask for. They went out, journeying away to a log cabin at the lakeside to explore this a bit further, but despite it all, he couldn't help but shake a dark feeling.
A feeling that he betrayed the love he held before, that he was abandoning the love he gave her all those years ago. The same love he wore on his neck every day since that fateful day. It was why he wanted to wait before going forward with Asuna. He was uncertain, no, scared of what that would mean.
Then he looked down again, watching as the moon emblem shimmered brightly with Yui's light, and at that moment he remembered her last words to him, her wish for him.
"That's why… stop crying. Look for a shoulder to cry on, these things you just can't overcome alone. Keep helping people, keep holding your head high. Make it to the end of this game, and live a long, happy life."
This last gift now held more than those distant memories, now it represented something else, the final wish two important people in his life left to him, to keep moving forward with those he held dear.
And now he knew for sure that he didn't want to doubt himself any longer.
Kirito turned to Asuna as he let the amulet hang around his neck, sighing.
"No, nothing at all… hey, Asuna?"
"Yeah?"
No more doubt. He knew these feelings were true, and to think it took a little AI girl to make his heart realize it for good.
"I know it won't be the same without Yui, but… let's get married."
He watched Asuna's face twist into one of surprise before a prominent blush flushed over her face. She held her hands to her heart as tears filled her eyes, embracing him in a joyful hug.
"Yes! Let's do it! Together!"
He took the leap, and he couldn't be happier, as the pair felt the distance between their lips close.
Up Next: The King Revealed!
Wow this took longer than I expected, and I somehow passed my record word count! Hoorah! I put both of Yui's episodes together, so I guess that's why. I hope I stuck the landing on these. Between giving Griselda some moments, giving Kirito a little moment at the end to solidify his bond with Asuna, and giving Yui some moments, I hope I got it right. Also that one bit with the console being guarded by a Stand, I have a reason for that, one that I'll get to but not now. Also, let me tell you, I had no love for Yui when I watched SAO for the first time past her introductory arc. I guess a lot can agree with me, so I don't even know why I said this. Anyway, hope I pulled this off, and I'll be seeing you in the next one! This next one'll take a bit of time, so bear with me a bit, so yeah! Deuces.
Please review I'm desperate lol
Aurum79: Thanks for the kind words! I'm glad you enjoyed the Heathcliff fight! Oh yeah, I have plans for Ordinal Scale. Let's just see how long it takes for me to get there.
NotMrMundy: Thanks! I'm glad you agreed with my change! Also, yeah it does show how strong Heathcliff is. Hope the guys can pull through in the next one!