Level 99: Yokan. Teleport Gate.

Kirito looked out from the Central Plaza of this, the penultimate level of Sword Art Online. The clearing group had gathered in an Ancient Greek-style temple at the summit of the mountain-island, underneath a purple sunrise. The main island of this floor was entirely a mountain, with the edges sheer, several 100 metre drops into the lava below; the only way to travel between the islands on this floor was a boat that came once a day, or via crystals. The lower areas of the mountain contain forestry with a variety of dangerous beasts, before this shifts to a more civil group of fields and shrubbery, which provides a boundary between the perilous forest and the town area, leading up to the flattened peak of the mountain where the Central Plaza temple sat. Kirito's thoughts flashed back to when they arrived on this level, and he'd gone to explore the forest, before being attacked by an onslaught of giant beasts, resembling eerie hybrids of bears and big cats; however, they were confined to the forest areas, and so the clearing group was able to avoid them, except for when travelling to or from the main island. The other islands on the level did not have forests and creatures of this manner, although it was far from safe.

The dungeon had claimed the lives of almost a quarter of the clearing group, with the final boss alone killing over 20 skilled players. The memory of the boss – and the deaths suffered – would remain with the clearing group as long as they lived. It was called "Fiend of Lost Souls", and was at least 5 times as tall any player. It had a blood red body without skin, only bulging muscles protruding into the health bars of those who tried to attack it; however, there were no muscles on its head, just a skeletal head and neck, with empty eyes inviting players into the eternal darkness of death. Around its waist sat ripped green trousers, held on with straitjacket style belt locks, with similar locks on its wrists; however, these were reinforced with large metal spikes, the size of a player and easily able to kill one. In its monstrous hands, it gripped a huge mallet, stronger than anything Lisbeth had discovered in the 99 floors of Aincrad, and with spikes even greater and more devastating on each end that those on its wrists. Finally, and possibly scariest of all was its mouth; the creature's mouth was not on its face – although a skeletal grin perpetually remained there – but in its chest. It had purple, round lips that held jutting, animalistic teeth, which tried to ingest anything close enough into the green depths of its seemingly endless throat. It was, without a doubt, the toughest and most deadly beast the clearing group had ever faced in this game of death.

The only positive that Kirito could bring to mind was that those in the clearing group who he held closest had survived the clash and were still by his side; Agil, Klein, Lisbeth, Asuna. However, those that had been lost had invaluable skill, experience and were a huge loss to the group as a combined force, and a society. Morale had been decreased as many mourned their lost for days afterwards; Kirito knew they had to press on, they had to conquer the game now that they were so close, and he wanted to with childlike urgency, assuming that greater speed would equate to less casualties, even though in reality it could in fact mean the opposite. He was desperate to return to the real world, in order to meet Asuna outside the game. However, he couldn't deny that even he was shocked at the losses they suffered, and that the clearing group was severely diminished. Of all people, he did not expect Heathcliff to die, ever. Before the "Fiend of Lost Souls", no one had seen Heathcliff with less than half his health, let alone a red health bar. Kirito thought Heathcliff seemed reckless in the battle, and something felt off, but he assumed that this was just the sensation he felt as the result of feeling a fusion of grief and relief after the battle.

He strode to the centrepiece of the temple, the Teleport Gate. His pulse was racing, in the best way, gazing around at those he admired, respected... loved. The clearing group had become his family, in the very way he felt he lacked family in the real world. He felt a sense of legitimacy here that he had not felt in the real world since he'd found out. He could see in all of the faces around him the intensity of the clearing group, knowing what laid in front of them, even if they knew nothing of what it would contain. He registered the mixture of anguish and determination in his fellow fighters, ready for whatever Akihiko Kayaba had planned for them.

How could they kid themselves that they were ready?

"Are you excited?" Kirito whispered jokingly to Asuna, as she looked off into the distance at the sunrise.

She smiled gently, forcing her trepidation into the depths of her stomach. "Of course, Kirito. Soon we'll be meeting in the real world." This last sentiment sparked an explosion of hope and determination to quash her nerves. She would've liked for the two of them to return to their log house on Level 22 before they ventured into the final battle; hell, in a perfect world they could stay there instead of battle and the clearing group conquer the game without them, but they were too valuable, and there's too much at stake for them to 'sit it out'. They were going to conquer the game, once and for all, and a thought that kept her going was that they'd grow old together and one day buy a similar log house in a forest in the real world.

Kirito and Asuna could both feel the anticipation, the anxiety and the eagerness in the atmosphere at the Teleport Gate. They felt proud as they remembered what had gone before, how far they had come and the friends they'd made. The fact they found each other. This silent nostalgia ignited a fire in both, giving them reason to fight on with everything they had. 'Soon, we will meet in the real world.' Both thought to themselves.

"Kirito, Asuna. Are you ready?" A slim, strong young woman in Knights of the Blood Oath armour asked simply, snapping both out of their daydreams. It was Kimiko, the new leader of the guild. She had been deputy to Heathcliff until the battle a few days ago, although he often left decisions, preparations and speeches to her, almost as if he was preparing her to lead the guild full-time. As a result, she'd stepped up greatly to the post, although it was implausible to assume she had not struggled at all, particularly trying to lead a guild while in mourning. She was physically fit, more visibly so than any others of the clearing group, with bulging muscles in greater measure than Agil, something Kirito had previously joked about with Agil. She was in her mid-20s, but had the experience and self assurance of someone far more senior, due to her role in the clearing group and Knights of the Blood Oath within SAO. She had dark, deep brunette hair that was tied hastily into a ponytail reaching the small of her back and often flowing in the breeze in a similar fashion to a cape. Her piercing blue eyes masked the pain of the lost friends and close calls of the past 3 years, buried under an ocean of compassion and hope; despite her often short, firm nature when discussing battle plans and topics of similar importance, she was one of the most caring, optimistic and empathetic of all the players Kirito and Asuna had met.

"Yes, of course!" they answered in unison, although neither were entirely sure. She turned to address the gathered players at the base of the Teleport Gate.

"Good afternoon, members of the clearing group. Today, we take the final leap on the path to the real world: to normality. We have lost many friends in this 3 year struggle, and while we may miss all of them, especially those who died on this level, we must continue in this ongoing fight towards logging out all the remaining players. To those of the Knights of the Blood Oath Guild, we recently lost our leader Heathcliff, his tactical genius and fighting capabilities, but we must strive forward in his name. We will clear this death game in his memory, the memory of everyone we have lost, and the for the futures of those who still remain trapped here. We fight on to Trost today!"

The crowds were a buzz of nervous excitement, many hearing for the first time the name of Level 100: Trost. Kirito turned to Kimiko, reassuring her on her "Great speech!" However, despite the relief that she had sufficiently rallied the troops despite her own anxiety, she was not finished.

"I have decided, as the leader of the Knights of the Blood Oath, that we will not all journey on to Trost at this moment. A small exploratory group will go to Trost now, before returning in order to inform the rest of the clearing group of what lies ahead." The crowd were slightly shocked, but largely agreed this would be a good tactic. "Kirito, Asuna, Agil... you will join Miyu, Taiki, Yoshiro and myself of the Knights of the Blood Oath on this reconnaissance mission. We will return soon." This stunned many of the clearing group, that their leader by proxy and their greatest soldier would both be leaving, and in such a small group that they could potentially be overrun; it was a journey to the final level, they could be dropped immediately into a boss fight for all they knew.

Before anyone could argue, Kimiko and her guild subordinates brought Kirito, Asuna and Agil into the Teleport Gate's centre, and Kimiko called out the two words that would spell the beginning of the end, in a steady, bold tone that disguised her true apprehension. This was it.

"Teleport: Trost!"