[November 5, 2022 – 9:00 PM]

The night sky stretched above me, a deep, endless void, untouched by stars. The streets were eerily quiet, only the distant hum of passing cars breaking the silence. The crisp autumn air carried a faint scent of fallen leaves, but even that did little to soothe the exhaustion weighing on my body.

My name? It's Hibiki Kaizaki. Fifteen years old, and a first-year high school student.

—And tonight, finally... after standing in line for hours at the Game Center, pushing through the crazed crowd, and nearly losing hope, I had done it.

The impossible.

In my bag was a copy of the most anticipated VRMMORPG ever created—Sword Art Online.

Only 10,000 copies were available at launch. I wasn't sure if it was sheer luck or fate, but somehow—against all odds—I managed to get one.

The thought alone was enough to make me grin through my exhaustion. I clutched the game tighter and quickened my pace, eager to get home.

The house was dark when I arrived. Not surprising. Dad was still out working. That meant dinner alone, but I didn't mind. I had other things to focus on.

After a quick shower, I sat at my desk, my computer humming to life as I turned it on. As the screen brightened, I noticed a ridiculous number of unread messages:

[56 New Notifications] from my guild's group chat.

"These guys never rest, huh?" I muttered with a smirk, clicking it open.

Our guild, «Grand Strikers», was a small but tight-knit group from the online FPS game «Counter Mercenaries» or CTM for short. There were only six of us, but we were all skilled players (not to brag), and I considered them more than just teammates—especially 'Hiro'.

«Grand Strikers» Group Chat:

[Mario1985: "Hiro, did you manage to get a copy?"

[Hiro: "Yeah, barely. Just got home now."

[~•Hayama-sama•~: "Oi u serious? It's already 9 PM..."

[Mario1985: "Hahaha"

[Hiro: "Lucky for you guys, you didn't have to go through that madness. Seriously, a stampede even happened at the Trimart earlier. It was insane."

[ALLEN: "Damn right. Still grateful Argus reserved copies for beta testers."

[TsubameGaeshi: "Yeah, its on the news. Glad ur safe tho, Hiro. Btw, hows Hibiki's side?"

[~•Hayama-sama•~: "Dunno. Dude's online though?"

My fingers tapped against the keyboard.

[Hibiki: "I'm here."

[TsubameGaeshi: "Ya Hibiki, did you get a copy?"

[Hibiki: "Yeah, I'm holding it right now."

[ALLEN: "Pretty excited huh?"

[Hiro: "Of course we are. Unlike you four, Hibiki and I didn't get into the beta."

[Hibiki: "Beta testers should burn. I'm still bitter."

[~•Hayama-sama•~: (o)(o)(o)"

[Mario1985: "Hey, not our fault. We're the 'chosen ones'."

It still pissed me off thinking about it. All of us applied for the SAO beta test months ago, but only four of them got in. Hiro and I weren't so lucky.

For the past two months, our guild had been quieter than usual because those four were too busy playing in SAO's beta. But tomorrow, 'everything resets'. They'd be starting from scratch—just like Hiro and me.

[Hiro: "Nah, I'm also still salty."

[Mario1985: "STFU. All our beta progress gets wiped tomorrow. That sucks, you know!"

[Hibiki: "By the way, what time is the official launch again?"

[TsubameGaeshi: "Yep, 1 in the afternoon."

[ALLEN: "Meet-up spot is still the same?"

[Mario1985: "Yeah. Crescend Village, just north outside the starting town. It's pretty easy to find."

[Hibiki: "Easy for u to say. This is my first dive you know?"

[~•Hayama-sama•~: "You're so whiny, Hibiki. (-_-)"

[Hibiki: "Silence, retard."

[TsubameGaeshi: "Don't worry. It's a very small town, north of where you'll spawn. Just look for an inn called 'Nine-Star's Inn.' Mario and I will secure the spot ofc."

[Hiro: "Copy."

[Hibiki: "Got it."

[Mario1985: "Alright, I'm heading to bed. See you guys tomm. Adieu." (Mario1985 —Logged out.)

One by one, the others followed until I was left staring at the empty chat window.

After shutting down my PC, I stood to stretch, and heard the familiar 'creak' of our front gate opening. Peering out my window, I saw Linda-san, our housekeeper, letting Dad's car in.

I made my way downstairs to greet him.

"Welcome home, Dad."

He glanced at me as he removed his coat. "Yeah, I'm home. How's 'that' thing? Did you get it?"

I knew he was referring to SAO. I had to convince him to let me use the NerveGear he was issued at work. Apparently, the police force had acquired some for training purposes, but Dad had never used his.

"Yeah, somehow," I replied.

Dad gave a small nod. "Good. It's pretty popular today. We got hundreds of troubles in the city today because of that game, I'm not even exagerrating."

"Haha, yeah... It was actually a miracle that I was able to get a copy."

My father was a well-known figure in Kanagawa Prefecture—the Chief of the Kanagawa Prefectural Police. To many, he was the embodiment of justice, a man unwavering in his duty, dedicated to upholding the law no matter the cost.

He was the perfect image of a 'righteous man'. A model officer. A figure of authority that commanded both respect and admiration.

As a child, I idolized him. Wholeheartedly. I wanted to be just like him—to follow in his footsteps and dedicate my life to saving people.

A 'Hero of Justice'—just like the ones you see on television. It was a childish dream. A naive one. A dream that I do not desire now. I discarded it myself, and it's now a thing from my past.

Because of my father's position, people respected him. Revered him, even. But respect and admiration were only one side of the coin.

There were just as many who feared him. And there were those who outright hated him.

.

.

.

And one of those hatreds, became the cause of my greatest fears.

—A single, horrifying moment.

That was all it took to take Mom away from us... forever.

.

.

.

I shook my head. 'Not now'. I didn't want to think about it tonight.

I then turned my attention back to Dad.

"Linda-san made dinner for you. I already ate, so I'll head back to my room."

Dad gave me a tired nod. "Alright. Get some rest."

[November 6, 2022 – 1:00 PM]

The day had finally arrived.

I sat on my bed, staring at the «NerveGear» in my hands.

The house was quiet—Dad was at work, and Linda-san was in the other room. No distractions.

I checked the guild chat one last time. Only Hiro and I were online.

[Hiro: "Hey, Hibiki. Looks like everyone's already in SAO except us."

[Hibiki: "Yeah, we should follow too. Finally."

[Hiro: "Damn straight. You remember the meet-up place?"

[Hibiki: "Crescend Village, north of the starting town, then. Nine-Star's Inn."

[Hiro: "Good. I'm going in now. See you on the other side, Hibiki." (Hiro Logged out.)

I stared at his message for a moment.

'See you on the other side.'

A strange chill ran down my spine.

Shaking off the feeling, I turned off my PC and powered up the NerveGear.

I slid the helmet over my head, my heartbeat quickening as I lay back on my bed.

The machine whirred to life, a low hum filling my ears.

The visor's lights pulsed, casting faint reflections across my room.

This was it.

I took one last breath.

"LINK START!"