Prologue Escapism: Running from Reality

Author's Note: Time skips in this fanfic are not as long as the story and although it still follows the canon clearance rate I intend to give a more day to day view of the story... So without further ado enjoy!

November 3rd 2022

Why am I here? Waiting in line for the very first VRMMORPG, Sword Art Online, is the obvious answer but that only answers the "what" and not "why".

To summarise a long story into one simple phrase: "I hate my life" would not be a far cry from the truth. Between parents that just don't care to schoolmates who ostracise and ridicule me I've simply had enough. To be fair to them it's my fault I'm being ostracised but that little fact doesn't make me hate myself any less.

Even I don't know what drove me to this game but I guess it could be escalation. After locking myself in my room day after day I started to have less and less reasons to leave my room, let alone the house. Until at one point aside from the absolute necessary things that I do to maintain my health like eating, and the basic compulsory hell also known as school, I never left my room at all. To make matters worse, I started eating in my room too, not that my parents cared.

So here, now, stuck under a torrential downpour as the clouds decided to release the load they'd been holding onto for the last few days, I sighed loudly as I got drenched to the bone beneath the crappy umbrella I bought on a whim, all for a game that doesn't release until three days later. At least I wasn't the only one suffering, a few other guys (gaming addicts no doubt) were forced to share my fate as well; The rain, not the wetness. They brought tents.

My friend Sachiwa Kana was absolutely adamant that I play this game with her, as she was a beta tester and after she shoved several magazines worth of reviews under my nose I finally agreed, the virtual reality portion of the game appealing to me quite a bit.

Finally, a Reality different from the current one I'm in. It would be nice to try living in a world where nobody knew who you were, what you looked like. Not to mention no parents.

I bet they won't even notice that I disappeared over these next three days. I have my phone on but I'm willing to bet a month's worth of allowance that they wouldn't call.

November 6th 2022

The NerveGear, a recent invention by quantum physics genius Kayaba Akihiko was the key component of the game Sword Art Online. It costed quite a bundle but it was worth it, I was among one of the ten thousand people who managed to get the first edition of the game. The others would just have to wait for the next one.

Rushing home and past my practically non-existent parents (as I was their non-existent child), I quickly plugged in the NerveGear to my computer and started calibrations with only half an hour to go until the server went online.

Hopping into bed just as there was five minutes to go, I waited anxiously for the clock to tick to 13:00 before saying the voice command, "Link Start!"

My vision replaced by a bright white light followed by several coloured beams of light, my adventure began as I left reality behind.

Authors Secondary note: To those who've read this prologue before, I'm sorry but I decided to change Ryusuke's Beta Tester friend from a boy to a girl, reasons...? Well find out later in the story...