~{You are all unable to log out of SAO, and nobody in the real world can remove the Nervegear or interrupt its operation}~
Akihiko Kayaba had succeeded in trapping less than 10,000 players within Sword Art Online. Their only escape was to beat all 100 floors.
Many cried, begging for help or answers, something to grapple to a sense of reality. Others took action, stepped into the unknown and embraced this harsh reality to survive less their spirits crumbled.
But for me? When I heard those words that SAO was now our new reality. I felt... at home...
|Sword Art Online, Floor 55, House of Winter Mines|
|Jan. 31st 14:42|
Verglas Velkhana, a living embodiment of winter that could freeze whole bodies of land in seconds, who conjured an ever-growing blizzard to consume the 55th floor, had been set free. The elegant and fearsome elder dragon's heart and its lands unbound by a curse that spanned for years.
The fires grew hotter, the magma bubbled and hissed as chunks of dark rime splashed onto the thick surface, hissing and spitting as a result. That was all Argo could see, her bones weighed down like lead, only a few features able to move at all. So with wide, panicked eyes, she watched her body draw closer to that unbearably hot surface, one touch, and she'd be engulfed in flames, dragged further beneath its scorching surface.
Time finally came crawling back to the present. Hearts stopped, and blood turned to ice yet again as a collective scream rang out, none more louder than that of the raven-brunette with the water haori.
"ARGO!" With reckless abandon, Nagi threw himself off the ledge, straight towards that fiery grave as he snapped a hand out as far as possible, kicking off his toes from the edge of the cliff to close the distance in an instant.
His fingers curled and tore towards his chest, bundling up the cloak that remained attached to the blonde now swaying inches above the bubbling lava below, unable to move or even speak, only a sharp gasp to let him know she was even conscious. Thrusting his left arm toward the rocky wall, NightSky shook in his iron grasp, carving a deep incision through the earth, slowly wedging itself to keep them from plummeting together. By now, the heat was almost unbearable.
Up above, Mito rushed without thinking, twirling Soul Fang wide to unravel its chain with Hook Line, the bronze-tinged blade snaking wide to plummet and dig its curved edge into the cliffside, the chain slack in front of Nagi. "Daora!" She screamed to, his hands grasping the chain itself to pull until the chain was taut. Mito felt a cold sweat run down her face, seeing the precarious spot Nagi was in. "Wrap her cloak around the chain, use it to support yourselves and give her an antidote crystal!"
"O-On it!" Nagi stammered, wincing as a spot of volcanic rock spat and burned across his right shin, thankfully, he flicked it off in time to prevent it from engulfing him in flames. Argo wasn't faring any better, being so close to such searing heat was causing tick damage, not to mention her boots and legs were being struck by stray spits of molten rock as well.
Evet turned, drawing his katana in time to push back with both hands against the blood-stained blade that sparked against his own. His eyes flinched with a strained grunt of pain; a glowing, teal fist digging into his stomach, forcing the taller man to stumble back, his guard remaining high.
"You attacked the moment I turned my attention towards Argo, you had suspected me from the start, haven't you?" Evet deduced, studying how Artorias moved, matching him step-for-step. He had to admit, for a boy as young as Artorias, he had the experience to rival an adult in their prime.
"Noooo, why would I ever be so callous as to suspect a backstabbing, scumbag of an orange player like you of betrayal?" Artorias gave a quick wave of his left hand. "Perish the thought! That hurts, you know?"
Evet made a noise akin to a grunt, "Sarcasm is unbecoming of you,"
And like that, the pleasantness in Artorias's face completely fell away to something malicious, he smiled, but his light blue eyes burrowed through Evet's own piercing gaze. "I heard its my greatest quality," Lunging forward, Artorias's thoughts raced a mile a minute, just his grip alone felt like it was on fire. So, he mentally took a step back to reconsider his heated emotions. "This is exactly what nearly got Yuuki killed. Calm down and compose yourself like her, breathe..."
Adjusting his posture on the fly, Artorias swung forward with a flurry of thrusts, striking the face of Evet's katana as the pair danced. Each time the man crept closer, Artorias's left arm swung Red Dawn into view, smacking or outright countering the blade's black edge, twisting Red Death past his shield to stab at Evet's larger form. Their weapons crescendo grew, sparks and flashes of one-hit skills colliding in the air, multicoloured sparks spat against their faces.
"His form, technique beyond sword skills, that concentration far exceeds a regular player's," Evet had underestimated Artorias. He knew very little of the boy, only that he was arrogant, but perhaps that confidence was backed by this strength. Regardless of the reasons, Evet was quickly losing his foothold in this skirmish.
From the far right, Artorias spun and slammed his left foot against Evet's right forearm, twisting to draw his shield around, catching the three tinged kunai that clattered to the ground. Completing his spin, his shield blocked Ripple Thrust from Evet, sliding back from the man joined by Hotaru, her eyes hesitant under a strained glare.
Undeterred, Artorias spun his blade around slowly. "Props to you, Hotaru, you learned how to be a backstabbing little rat, just like a real human being," His scathing remark nearly cracked her stern façade. Artorias's gaze twitched slightly. "So she's not even certain of this? What is going through that girl's head? She's far more advance than any A.I. Hell, she's become aware of what this game is, probably," He spared Mito and Daora a glance, then to the still paralyzed Shirayuki. "...Klein, Isshi, get to Shirayuki! I got these two rats - no offence to the other rodent present!"
"We need to go, before they recover," Hotaru whispered, turning with Evet as another figure stood in their way. One that gave them pause, and made Hotaru's heart twist.
"I... I can't let you l-leave," Raising her dagger, even as it trembled with fear, Silica stood firm, her mouth quivered but her shaken eyes could set the cavern alight. Atop her head, Pina growled, wings flared. "Why, why did you do this? To-to Miss Argo, to Miss S-Shirayuki? We worked together, we helped e-each other, so why!?"
"Forgive us, but this fight was never our intention," Evet procured something from his quick menu, eyeing the brave but foolish little girl. "You are right to be angry with us, with me. But this part of our journey is where we part ways,"
"Silica, please..." Hotaru attempted to reason with her, sheathing her rapier. "This is bigger than Velkhana, than this pointless questline-"
"It's not pointless!" Silica cut in sharply, her high emotions causing tears to form in her eyes. "This place is Shirayuki's home. I might not seem important or people might see it as a waste of time in the grand scheme of things, but her pain, love, happiness are as real as yours, Hotaru! Those emotions can't be fabricated, they're as real as all of us! So don't trample on them just because you don't believe them!"
In a flash, Silica's body locked up, eyes shakily drawn down to the kunai in her stomach, Hotaru remained frozen by what the brunette had screamed, but Evet took the initiative and paralyzed the young girl. Grabbing her, Evet threw her around and straight into Artorias, his blade inches from Hotaru's nape. Stunned, the teen bit back a curse and caught Silica as Pina flew past him.
"Farewell, Misfits," With a tip of his cowl, Evet threw down a smoke bomb, masking their escape.
Using Vertical, Artorias cleaved the smoke in an instant, but the tail-end of Evet's cloak vanished back where the rail carts laid high above on the ridge. They had made their escape to God-knows where. Channelling a new skill, Artorias swung at a nearby chunk of black ice that hadn't dissolved, cutting it in half as he screamed, venting to recompose himself.
Daora heaved, dragging Nagi topside as he quickly clutched onto Argo, her body free from the paralysis as she shivered a little. "I ain't the type to be publicly clingy, but this feels appropriatE," She was a hair away from a horrible end, and may've developed a fear of magma now thanks to Evet, so while pissed she was taken off guard, she also was just glad she could embrace Nagi who trembled slightly.
"You're okay, thank goodness..." He breathed, resting his forehead against the top of Argo's head, one eye looking up at Daora and Mito. "Thank you so much,"
"Shut up," Mito interjected, leaning against Soul Fang. "You don't need to thank us, Argo's okay so that's what matters,"
"I owe ya both, I mean iT," The broker's tone was serious about this too, giving them a short bow of her head. "Need anythin', I'll do iT,"
"Forget that, I wanna know what the hell all that was for!?" Daora practically growled, his fingers tensed like claws, ready to tear something apart. "Those two paralyzed you both and fled like cowards. I'll kill them both when I get the chance!"
"It's the castle," Silica, leaning into Artorias's arm as she was cured too, the girl wearing a forlorn expression. "That's why they wanted my help to reach it, but then everything with Velkhana, but... there's something really strong there, that's what Hotaru said,"
"There are plenty of old relics from Winter's past, a few that date back to the time of House Sun," Shirayuki concurred, her own face warped with confusion and a sourness that you'd see on a family member, a mixture of disappointment and need for an answer. "But I am sorry, I do not know what amongst the relics she saw befitting for Evet,"
"When the corruption led to the destruction of House Winter, I had suspected it was due to their practices that similarly resembled House Sun," Isshi gave them a whimsical face, never quite as gleeful but not entirely serious either. "If there was such an item, it would've been destroyed or taken, so what, hm?"
A sense of irritation and lingering questions hung in the air. That sweet sensation of victory had long been dampened by Aincrad's most mysterious duo. A man who wanted to protect this world, and a girl who had outgrown her coding, more human than A.I by the day.
Argo felt a pair of hands squeeze her biceps, her eyes meeting Nagi's uncertain but firm gaze. She didn't make a retort, there was no need, she just moved her own hands to grip his own arms back with a small smirk. They held this for a moment longer, as if to draw on each other's strength as they took a stand; his left and her right interlocked in the process.
Releasing her hand, Nagi dusted himself off and began to make his way towards the same path they took to arrive here, there had to be a way out if Evet and Hotaru hadn't doubled back by now. "Isshi, where's the best way out?" If anyone could find it, the winter spirit who could hear the wind would know.
The bluette gave a surprised look, slowly forming a flirtatious smile. "With Velk clearing the storm, the winds have become softer, their cries now a lighter tune..." She pointed in the very direction Velkhana had departed the molten caverns. "There's another way out, would that help?"
"Perfect, thanks," Nagi turned on a heel and marched the opposite way.
"Where are you going, man?" Klein asked, but it clicked quickly as he jogged up to try and catch Nagi. "Hey, you're not seriously going after them? After all this?"
"I wouldn't say it's the smart thing," He turned, shrugging to them, his expression unwavering. "But it is the right thing." And he soon marched on.
Scratching his head, Klein gave an exasperated sound. "Ah, you and Kirito are too much sometimes, you know that?"
"Why else ya think I left A-Chan to babysit Kii-bou for so lonG?" Argo snickered, jogging up alongside the pair. "Beside, with how hectic of a situation this is, I'm dyin' for answerS,"
"Or to kick Evet's ass?" Nagi added, Argo just huffed sharply.
The rest stared at their backs, mainly out of disbelief but that was quickly dashed away by Shirayuki's soft chuckle. "I can never understand what runs through his head, he has become quite the bizarre leader,"
"Either it's brainwashing or something, cause we keep following him through this," Artorias threw his hands up, sighing dramatically. "Alright! Let's go kick some ass, ladies; woo, teamwork baby!"
"W-we're coming too!" Silica jumped, running to catch up with Artorias as Pina flew to land on her shoulders, giving his own little roar of agreement. "I was travelling with them, so I want to know why Hotaru looked so sad when she did all this, I have to know or I'll only feel like an idiot,"
"We all will, so let's not keep them waiting," Mito smiled, nodding to Daora who huffed and stomped forward.
"No one throws my followers but me, dammit!" Was the closest agreement they'll get from him.
Isshi, who silently walked alongside the group, couldn't help but laugh boisterously, covering her mouth in a vain attempt to contain herself. "You mortals..." But there was no shortage of warmth behind those two words.
The harsh blizzard that left them blind and numb to the bone had yet to fade, its harsh winds and stormy skies remained grey without snowfall. It was likely to fade when the quest was properly concluded, yet, its tasks remained in suspense. Taking full advantage of the calmer weather, the group stormed the ruined streets of the House of Winter, the towers of the stronghold within sight, rounding a corner, so were the unfrozen gates.
And a scraping of metal against the snow-covered streets.
Slowing down, a few lingering, Frostbitten Scouts and Revenants remained, snarling as they turned away from the stronghold they once defended to ironically keep them from advancing.
"Behind uS!" Argo warned, more undead crawling out of the woodwork, weapons brandished and frozen.
"More of them, seriously?" Daora drew Destroyer and lobbed it at the one to his left, burying the axe through its chest before ramming it into the corner of a building, drawing his shortened axe to bury its edge in the back of the skull.
Klein then rushed forward. "Go on, I'll clear the way!" Kicking into a winding charge, his sword cast in fiery red, Klein's sword weaved like a flowing river, slashing at any Frostbitten in his wake, skidding to a halt at the foot of the drawbridge. "You guys stop them, I got this!"
"Klein-" But Nagi was cut off by two arrows digging into the stone at his feet, turning sharply to find two Scouts on the rooftops, drawing back more frost-tipped arrows, or until three slashed and punctured the pair, causing them to lose their footing and tumble down the other side of the building with a hard crash.
"It would be cruel to leave a man to fight alone," Isshi hummed, switching to her naginata to twirl behind her back, thrusting it forward to sever the arm of a Revenant, spinning the polearm sharply to split its head wide open. "And without the cursed blizzard, they're as tough as the ice melting around us,"
"Thank you, really," Nagi sure had a lot of debts to repay later, but for now, his focus was drawn to the haunting stronghold ahead. Stopping before Klein, the others ran on ahead as the man grinned, knuckling the younger man's chest.
"Get going, would be bad if I let the beautiful woman do all the heavy lifting," Cocking his head back for Nagi to leave, the pair parted ways, leaving Klein to swing in a jagged sweep, parrying another two arrows as Isshi twirled her polearm over her shoulder, and in a flash of light, she had already nocked three arrows against her longbow. "Ready to see who gets the most hits?"
"Hahaha, how daring... very well, I'll take your bet, mortal," Chuckling, the duo squared off with the amassing horde of undead shinobi.
"Are we... doing the right thing?" Hotaru had asked this to herself numerous times, but only now did she voice it.
The courtyard that stood as the entry of the stronghold laid barren. The plants smothered under snow or dead, carts and other oddities smashed or frozen solid under thick layers of ice from a battle fought long ago. The buildings that made up the surrounding walls and facilities howled, winds battering shutters and creaking through doors.
What stood most prominent was the keep itself, a large tower spanning far above the rest of the estate, large, blue icicles hung from the curved rooftops, banners laid torn and frosted, the paint of the tiles faded and cracked. Once a monument of fortitude had fallen to ruin like so many before.
Evet turned to Hotaru, seeing the hardened look on her face. She was upset by all of this, and at Evet. "I'm willing to protect this world, to protect the people in it from those... Player Killers... but this? Betrayal? How far are you intending to go with this? When are you going to draw the line?"
"It's not that simple-" He tried but she slammed her foot.
"Then explain to me how killing innocent people is justified!? Explain that, and I will support you through everything, I already am but I'm scared you'll cross lines that can't be erased," Stepping forward, her eyes trembled, grabbing both his hands tightly, they were ice cold. "You wanted a second chance? How is this any better? How is me watching you lose your humanity what's best?" She felt as though her heart was about to break.
"I..." Evet fell silent under the howling wind overhead. He studied her face, its sharp features. Those feline-like eyes, their soft black tint reflecting a hundred thoughts and feelings. The lithe, tender texture of her hands in his, they felt twice as warm as his own. "...I don't know, but I have to try, for your sake, I want to take on these burdens,"
"...even though I'm not real? I'm just... code," But his hands gripped her tighter, forcing her head to face him.
"No..." He whispered for her, moving his hands to hold her shoulders, they were tense as steel. "You are so much more than that. I know that deep down, your soul exists, as foolish as it sounds, as impossible as it may be, I believe in it, and in you,"
Feeling as though she'll regret it, Hotaru leaned up and gently stole his lips, igniting that fire in her chest. These feelings, this sensation, the texture of his lips, they felt real to her. This burning passion was selfish of her to want and yearn for, but she'd take it all regardless of what it thought of her.
Pulling away, she murmured. "I'll wait for you, however long it takes..." One last time, she captured his lips for what felt like the first.
"Then run as far from here as you can, so we may meet again..."
The winds grew silent, Hotaru raised her head to the gate that groaned and slammed shut, before her, Nagi had his party had arrived. Nothing was said, both parties stared at one another in a long, drawn silence. Evet nowhere to be found, just a lone girl with a rapier in her right hand.
"You caught up, always persistent," Hotaru murmured.
"Why come here? What is it Evet's looking for?" Nagi questioned, keeping a firm hold on NightSky's sheath.
Hotaru looked around, gesturing with the tip of her blade. "This place is full of treasures a player could grow stronger with. I know of one that'll lead to even greater power, I just don't know where it's hidden, only that it does exist,"
"Hotaru... all of this, is this why you turned against our kin's ways?" Shirayuki needed to know, stepping forward to confront the younger shinobi. "Why you've chosen this path for yourself?"
Finally, that frustration from before came rising to the surface, creasing Hotaru's features. "When are you going to wake up and see that I'm the only NPC in this game that's sane!?" She thundered, a deafening silence consuming them yet again.
The can of worms Nagi feared had been torn open.
"What... what do you mean?" Despite this, Shirayuki kept her composure. None of them tried to stop her, not after what Hotaru said.
"All of this? Aincrad, those players that you've worked with for months on end, even this Quest of Divine Sakura, it doesn't matter! Whether this 'corruption' spreads or not, either way, its just a quest that once completed, you'll be stagnant, your purpose and role fulfilled as the system designed you to be!" She punctuated her point by jabbing her finger towards Shirayuki. "In the world they come from, we're just a game, fabricated by someone else, all that matters to them is getting strong enough to clear all 100 floors, when that happens... we... all of this will disappear,"
Hotaru had been told everything. Evet shared with her the truth of Sword Art Online, of the Death Game all players were trapped within. And if they beat this game, Aincrad would vanished. Hotaru had to prevent it, it wasn't fair, she deserved to live, all the people of this world deserve to live, what right did another power have to erase their lives with a snap of their fingers?
No. Hotaru would fight this cruel fate, she would unbind herself from these 'quests' and 'campaigns'. She'd forge her own, no matter what became of her. And right now, she had to fight for it.
Shirayuki stared at Hotaru, stumbling back slightly on her left foot, "I... what... I don't understand, what does..." Her A.I couldn't comprehend it.
"Shirayuki," Nagi reached for her arm, startling her. His face wracked with guilt but also worry. "I..." 'I'm sorry', 'It's okay'? What could he possibly say now? The truth of SAO was just thrown in Shirayuki's face, her beliefs, her world view had all been torn wide open. "...Argo, Silica, can you help Shirayuki?"
Nodding, the broker gestured for Shirayuki to stand back, or until she pulled away, looking to Hotaru with a solemn glare. "Tell me... would you take the lives of innocent, 'Player' or not to protect this world?"
Not expecting a reply, the ravenette grew silent, reaching for something tucked behind her back... as she held up a fragment of the shattered, black crystal that had been wedged in Velkhana's heart. "Whatever it takes... I... will protect what I've come to love," Her eyes held no shred of hesitation, all of them growing increasingly frantic.
"Woah, woah, hold on!" Artorias raised his hands.
"Wait!" Mito added.
"Hotaru!" Nagi gasped, his heart nearly stopping.
"Your code wouldn't comply with that item," Of all to speak firmly, eyes and ears were drawn to Daora, his grip on Destroyer tighter than ever. "You're not part of the questline, using that could erase you-"
"I am more than my code!" Hotaru screamed, her fingers taut against the thin shard. Her pupils the size of pins. "I have a soul! I'm human too! So if I want power, I'll strip it from this game too! That is My Resolve!"
"No!" Shirayuki couldn't prevent the shard from being plunged straight into Hotaru's chest, the girl lurching back from the very real pain she felt as part of this game.
"Ah... hah..." In an instant, Hotaru doubled over, Blossom clattering to the cobblestone beside her as she retched, her cursor flickering between yellow to red as she writhed in pain, fingers digging into the snow as the air grew colder, the clouds beginning to circle above them in a rising tempo, a new storm. "I... I-I-I am... H-Hotaru... I... a-a-am human... t-too!"
Trembling, ice began to form around her in the air, hardened and black crystals wobbling in the atmosphere as her cursor bled bright gold, retaining its status as her name glitched and was reworked, the girl dragging the handle of her rapier between her icy fingers, black rime forming on her clothes and barding as she began to rise.
Hotaru Unbound
Panting heavily, a cold breath escaping her lips, Hotaru's right eye had become a piercing, blood red, black rime forming on her skin like bits of rock embedded in her milky-white skin. Even her hair had flakes of white streaks as the wind grew around her frame, snow and ice formed underfoot into a deadly whirlwind.
"What has she done...?" Nagi swallowed the lump in his throat. "You have to stop this, please!"
"I'm done talking, for Evet's sake, for Aincrad's..." Her voice rasped as she flicked her rapier high, unleashing a barrage of black ice shards to converge on them. "Die."
"Ward!" A wider barrier of silver light formed, the crystals smashing against Artorias's barrier as cracks began to form. "Okay, so she's become a boss, fantastic!"
"No, her health bar hasn't changed, nor is her cursor red, I... she," Nagi couldn't believe his eyes. It seemed so impossible until now. "...she broke through her own coding,"
"We have to save her..." Shirayuki was shaking, drawing her blade as tears slipped away from her eyes. "My only concern... is her!" For a split second, Shirayuki's cursor flickered.
"Then let's reach her together, come on!" Nagi ushered as Artorias yelled loudly, dispersing his skill as it shattered or dispersed the ice projectiles.
Nagi ran forward, unarmed as he lunged to his right, evading a streak of ice from Blossom to close in and slam his radiant, left palm against Hotaru's midsection, then into an elbow and a right palm-heel strike that left the girl reeling backward. Nagi winced, seeing the black ice slowly form on his elbow and palms. Just touching her was as deadly as Velkhana.
"Just leave, your quest is over!" Hotaru growled, sweeping her rapier in wide arcs, unleashing waves of rime, Nagi diving backward over one as he swivelled around the other two, a fourth shattering against Artorias's shield as it rammed into the girl, her icy fingers digging into its edges, slowly beginning to freeze the edge.
"Got it all wrong, shorty! Our quest ain't over till we destroy that shard!" Artorias smacked her across the face, ducking under a horizontal sweep, bringing his shield toward his right to block a backswing, feeling his feet slide sideways. "Just because we complete a questline doesn't mean an NPC outgrows their usefulness, look at Kizmel, hell, you're a prime example!"
"Not every player would agree!" She threw him back, plunging her rapier into the earth to erect a ring of dark rime around her, shattering it as the projectiles battered the party. "We're mistreated and abused, some are killed for sport, and others were purposefully given such simple A.I that they're no different than the monsters we kill!" She heard the whir of a skill and leapt back from Daora's Whirlwind, her ice blown away as she swept her rapier into a pirouette to stop his advance. "They deserve a better life than to be erased for simply existing!"
"A.I. are made from code, their code is their flesh and bone, maybe out there, you are programs, I've always seen it that way," Daora swung with slow, lumbering swings, crashing through the ice erected to stop him, but his power simply outshined Hotaru's, behind his mask, his eyes burrowed into her own. "But that code is what makes them living creatures here,"
"I'd listen to the idiot, this is the most coherent sentences he's spoken in months!" Artorias hollered, sliding on his knees as Daora leapt, evading an omnidirectional sweep of jagged rime.
A cleave of violet swept through, the curved scythe grinding against Blossom as scarlet eyes glowered down at Hotaru's cold stare that could freeze the world over. "You don't think we know that? The pain NPCs... no, that the people of Aincrad endured; maybe there are those that dismiss the idea of A.I being human, but I've seen it, and so many others have. This isn't a matter of beliefs but truth!"
She pulled Soul Fang back, leaving Hotaru open to a solid kick to her stomach, pulling the breath from the shinobi's lungs as she was sent sprawling across the ground. Mito stood tall, scythe scraping off the ground. "I believe in the emotions I've seen!"
"You think words... will change anything?" Both her eyes turned a blinding crimson. "Save your breath,"
A flash of scarlet light awakened within her, unravelling an unquenchable storm of white, it wasn't snow nor rime, it was a pure, unfiltered cascade of cold that froze over the courtyard and began to freeze their bodies inch-by-inch. Hotaru stood at the center of his cold, commanding it, embracing it as they braced with all they had.
"Freeze... fall to sleep... endlessly dream..." Hotaru struggled to stand, her storm wavering as she coughed up black snow, red particles dripping from her lips like blood. "E-even my blood... is fake..." She stumbled, trying to stand firm as Shirayuki stood to face her, their eyes meeting once more.
"Do you hate them?" Shirayuki asked.
"No... you are all fighting to return home, I commend that, even if it means the death of this world," Hotaru admitted, using Blossom to help her stand. "Shirayuki... you should know better..." Tears streaked down the whitette's cheeks, only an unfiltered pain written on the woman's features. "...then to shed tears before your enemy,"
"Why... when my sister has burdened herself alone?" Shirayuki's voice broke as they all stood their ground in solemn silence. "Even with these new revelations, I won't run away. I have learned so much of what it means to fight, not just for one person. They fight for their own beliefs, that has always been the truth, and that is all it will ever be,"
Surprise overtook Hotaru's face. She saw Mito and Daora stand shoulder-to-shoulder. Artorias shielding Nagi who stood to watch his back. To Argo shielding Silica from the brunt of the hellish cold, the young girl and her dragon shedding tears just watching. Hotaru must've looked like a real monster now to them. Yet, not a single weapon has cut her, their attacks were liberate and coordinated.
"If that's the case, then why are you fighting with them?" Hotaru couldn't understand.
"If I can save people, then I'll become whatever I need to be," She drew her sword. "I will fight for the people who live upon these lands," She stepped forward, drying her tears.
In Hotaru's heart was a burning, freezing wrath. She raised her rapier, black ice crawling up its blade.
White consumed the sky and even the air, a whirlwind that no one could fight through, bracing against an unbearable cold that froze across their bodies. Daora moved only to lurch forward, seeing his legs becoming encased in black ice. Dropping Destroyer, he roared as flames erupted over his arms, but even they struggled against the black frost locking his joints and piercing into his bones.
Artorias fell to a knee, trying to brace the storm that froze his arm and shield together, his eyes struggling to stay open as he walked forward, feeling as though he waded through rapids, pushing by Nagi's body against his back, the closer they were, the worse the Black Iceblight began, eating away at their lives as everything became numb and hazy.
Striking the ground, Shirayuki stood tall through the storm, reaching her left hand toward Hotaru who hummed an eerie lullaby, as if to amplify her growing storm. Her own health began to plummet faster, Shirayuki could feel her blood freeze and her heart close to being pierced by frozen nails.
The white haze consuming the world-
*Shatter!*
Instantaneous as the blizzard emerged from the black fragment lodged in Hotaru's chest, so did its disappearance with a gust of wind, blown away into faded wisps and streaks in a cyclone far and wide. Hotaru felt her right arm crumble, both Blossom and her arm frozen solid, crumbling into black chunks of rime at her feet, the crimson glow in her eyes faded as she stumbled, seeing the corrupted shard shatter in her chest.
She fell to her knees, coughing a sputtering with a choked laugh, as if it were comical. "So it really wasn't enough, huh? Figures..."
Shivering and numb, the frost and rime that grew over their bodies dissolved and faded like dust in the air. Free, the group slowly walked towards the young woman on her back, staring up at the grey skies with a much softer expression. When she saw their faces, all she could see were looks of grief.
"I lost... well done, Misfits. No need to stay by the side of dying woman..." Hotaru continued to push them away, yet, a pair of warm arms helped to provide some comfort to her back, belonging to Shirayuki.
"Save your breath until we return to the western village," Shirayuki dismissed, squeezing Hotaru's petite frame tightly.
"You deliberately avoided hurting us, if you wanted to, you could've killed us with a barrage of black ice from every angle, skewering us," Artorias pointed out, but he wasn't smug about it, he barely had the energy to crack a smile, his gaze downcast. "This wasn't a fight... it was a suicide,"
Hotaru chuckled, smiling weakly. "Evet did say you were the biggest unknown, I guess... he was right to worry..."
"Just hold on," Nagi procured a healing crystal. "Heal," It glowed... but nothing happened. He stared at it, eyes growing wide. "No... Heal. Heal!" But the crystal never responded, Hotaru couldn't be saved.
"Infusing myself with the crystal... likely means I've been marked... as a monster," Hotaru answered his gasp, reaching a hand up. "I had no choice, Evet... I selfishly wanted to stand by his side forever... and my feelings allowed me to enable his desire to protect this world into an obsession that threatens innocent lives... he... rejects the world you come from, to him... this is his home, that is why... I had to die,"
"But why...?" Nagi felt his own tears beginning to form as Silica's voice croaked, coming into view with Argo who stared down at Hotaru with a mixed expression hidden by her hood. "Why do you have to die? It's not fair... you love him, that's more than enough reason to live!" Silica yelled, her hands clenched around her heart. "I watched how you two look at each other, how can that be selfish?"
"Is that so...?" Silica saw a weight lift from Hotaru's face, a warm smile forming as she coughed. "Thank you, Silica... but, if I die, then... he will have to face reality, I don't want him to give up his humanity for my sake. I want him to be happy without any consequence, so please... please save him... even if you have... have to..."
Nagi caught her hand before it could fall, her fingers wrapping around his, Shirayuki brought her hand around so they could keep her hand steady. "Hotaru, even if you don't believe me... I have never stopped believing in you," Shirayuki declared, her smile shaken. "You have never made a mistake, the path you've taken was the right one, you are more than what you've believed yourself to be. I... I don't need a questline to tell me that is true,"
A shaky breath left Hotaru's lips, her smile remained as her skin grew paler, feeling her body lack the strength to move an inch. "I know you wish to free everyone... this world has taken so many lives... I can't hate you for fighting to free yourselves, even if I hurts to know Aincrad will disappear someday, but... it will live on... in your memories; memories transcend our lives, passed on from one to another, that is what I will entrust to you... Aincrad's memories to you, my own to you..."
Her voice was faint, just above a whisper as she squeezed Nagi's hand, feeling Shirayuki's squeeze her own. "Nagi," The teen sat up straighter, meeting her eyes. "If I can make one more selfish request?"
"Sure,"
"I... would like to join your guild... if that... isn't too much trouble?" Hotaru almost laughed a little in saying this. "I wish... to fight by your side..."
Nagi felt a ghost of a chuckle leave his lips. "No, it isn't any trouble at all. I... I'd be honoured to have you with us," He sniffed, rubbing the back of her palm with his thumb, her hand was still warm.
"Hah... thank you," Forcing herself to speak, Hotaru stared up at the sky, seeing the snowflakes begin to fall. "Tell this... to Evet... 'I will be waiting for you... I will be by your side again'..."
"You can tell him yourself, Hotaru!" Nagi yelled, but she couldn't hear him anymore, even the sensation of his and Shirayuki's hands began to fade, the sky above was soothing to her skin... "Hotaru!"
"I'm sorry... Shirayuki... I've been such a... foolish little sister... you'll forgive me... won't you...?" Her voice croaked, eyes closed as she wore a small, tender smile.
Not long after... Hotaru the Unbound... shattered into thousands of pieces in their arms...
[To Be Continued...]
[Author's Notes]
This was a difficult one to write, to convey so much and with an impact at the end I hope was worth the turmoil. Hotaru, like Yui later down the line, had become self-aware of SAO, only for the former, it left her conflicted on her life, leading to this. Now, all that's left is the man behind it all, atop the frozen tower. I hope you enjoyed, I appreciate the support as always; see ya in the next chapter, Misfits!
079 - Second Chance
With nothing to stand in his way, Nagi ascends the tower of House Winter to confront Evet and prevent him from obtaining what he sought since the start...