Hello, Constant Readers! I'm back with another glorious helping of fanfiction goodness. After reading the Sword Art Online light novels, I just couldn't help myself. Seriously, those things are good, and anyone who hasn't read them should go and read them. That, and I've had this story on my mind for a while, so I thought it best to get it out before I forget about it.

Now, I'm well aware that there are an absolute fuck-ton of stories like this in this category, and I really hate the idea that I'm just repeating what other people have done, but there really isn't another way of doing an SAO story in my usual style without doing it like this, so please bear with me and I'll try and make this interesting. Hell, I'll probably use some of the stuff from the Sword Art Online: Progressive series of light novels, which are also awesome, and I suggest you read them.

I'll tell any of you who think I'm just going to be retelling the plot with an extra character thrown in to just hold up and listen for a minute. Yes, certain parts of the canon story will happen during my story and my OC will be present, but they won't be around for all of them. Far from it, I plan on him doing a lot of his own stuff while Kirito's out on his journey. That means there'll be quite a few chapters that are completely original. I look forward to writing those.

And finally we have the pairing. It'll be a Lisbeth/OC story, because Lisbeth deserves love, too! I always found it really depressing when she fell for Kirito only to find that he and Asuna were already pretty much a thing by that point, so I thought I should send some love in her direction.

Well, I think that's everything. So, without further ado, I welcome you all to Colitur Sola Lupus! Look at me, bein' all fancy like, doin' the story title in Latin.

Stereotypical redneck impression out of the way, let's start this for real!

Mortis Venatus

This is what happened.

The sheer amount of pure excitement flooding through my body made me feel like I was about to explode. I honestly couldn't believe that this moment – the moment that not only I, but thousands of others had been waiting for – was finally here. It was the day that the world's first VRMMORPG – Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game – went online.

It was on this day that I would at long last be able to play Sword Art Online.

RPGs were practically my life, whether they were MMOs or otherwise. The feelings I experienced while playing were exhilarating; the fact that I could start the game without a single skill, as weak as can be, but with enough time and effort I could become practically invincible. It was a feeling that I longed for whenever I was away from home for any extended period of time.

And this game … this would make that feeling all the more real.

I looked at the clock that was ticking away on the desk which also held my computer and game consoles. It informed me that the time was 12:58p.m. An unintentional, but nonetheless welcome grin took over my face as I walked over to my bed.

On the bed sat my NerveGear. This was the ultimate in gaming technology. It was what gamers had been waiting for since the Oculus fucking Rift! It was a grey metal helmet that covered the majority of the head and face, leaving only the eyes, nose, and mouth exposed – even then, there was a glass visor over the eyes. The way it worked, you see, was that it sent false signals to the sensory centres of the brain, allowing the player to see, hear, smell, taste, and touch whatever was in the game world. It intercepted the instructions that the brain sent to the rest of the body, stopping the body from moving in the process, and allowing a person to interact with the game world as they wished without fear of their real body being harmed due to performing these actions in the real world.

The man who created it – Akihiko Kayaba – was a genius.

I put on the NerveGear – which I had already plugged in in preparation – and drew my eyes to the clock that occupied the top left corner of the screen. 12:59.

Just one more minute, I thought to myself in anticipation. I found himself fidgeting with my hands and feet as I lay on my bed. That was a bad habit of mine, I found it very hard to keep still when I was in a good mood.

"Come on, come on, come on," I whispered to myself as I watched the clock. I knew it wasn't doing me any good to look at the damn thing constantly, but I just didn't care at the time. I had heard about the SAO experience from a friend of mine – my only friend as a matter of fact, my only real friend at any rate – who had been a beta tester for the game, the lucky bastard. He had described it in so much detail, left absolutely nothing out, and it only made the anticipation grow.

13:00p.m.

I took a deep breath. "Link Start!" I said clearly, then the NerveGear activated.

First there was a flash of blinding white light. Different coloured pillars of light surrounded me, seemingly shooting for the sky, and a holographic screen came up in front of me, displaying the five senses. After a brief check by the NerveGear, everything seemed to be in working order. There was a language select screen in which the only language was Japanese (three guesses which one I chose), and then I was asked to enter my username.

Lupus.

People told me that Latin is a dead language and that learning it was a waste of my time, but I like the language. It sounds almost mystical.

The next thing to come up was the avatar customisation screen. I found myself faced with an exact replica of myself. The pale skin, the deep blue eyes, the dark brown hair, the almost-too-skinny build of the body. I was a little shorter than average, which I changed immediately, bringing myself up a couple of inches. I made my short hair longer and a little more wild-looking. I added on some muscle-mass, which I was sorely lacking, and brightened the colour of my eyes.

Then I pressed Okay and the words Welcome to Sword Art Online appeared before me. I was thrusted into a tunnel of electricity and materialised in the world of the game. When I appeared I noticed that I was in what appeared to be a giant round courtyard of sorts; there were other players – likely all other nine thousand and ninety-nine – everywhere the eye could see.

The first thing I did was look down at myself. I saw the rags – which were made up of different shades of blue – that made up my starting attire. Not great, but they'll serve me until I find some proper stuff, I thought to myself. I raised my right hand into the air, just taking in how real it all looked, then I put my index and middle fingers together and slashed down through the air. The holographic screen that was my in-game menu opened up before me.

I checked out my inventory. There was a small amount of col – the currency of the game – and a very basic looking two-handed sword. I was planning on going for a tank build, leaning more towards damage resistance than damage dealing, but I wanted my sword to at least be a powerful one. I always played RPGs this way, so what reason would I have to change now? I equipped the items and felt the weight of the rather large sword on my back.

"Ha-ha-ha!" I laughed loudly. I threw my arms in the air and jumped a little on the spot. "Holy shit, yes!" I just couldn't hold myself back any longer. The excitement, the realism, it all made me want to scream towards the heavens with joy. "I'm finally here!"

"Exciting, isn't it?" said a voice. I recognised it instantly. My friend wasn't using his own face; the appearance he'd chosen for the game was akin to a ridiculously handsome fantasy protagonist, and he looked older than he was in actuality. "I see you didn't change up all that much, Lupus."

"I can't say the same thing for you, Kirito," I responded with a smirk. We knew each other's real names, obviously, since we'd been in the same school for a few years before this point, but had agreed never to use them when playing a game. It helped to enhance the "role-playing" side of things. "So, you're the expert, Mr Beta Tester, where do you suggest we get started?"

"Well, first we should probably get you introduced to the combat system," said Kirito. "This isn't like other RPGs, as I'm sure you well know, so the fighting is a little more fluid. Come on and I'll show you, there's a field not far from town with some low-level mobs in it."

"Fair enough," I said. "I hope there's some good skills that have to do with defensive capabilities, 'cause I'm screwed if there isn't."

"Oh, don't worry, there's plenty," said Kirito. "The Sword Skills incorporated into the game work for any style of play you can think of. Two-handed, sword and shield, spear, you name it. I'll explain it more in depth out in the field, but I will say you don't have to worry. About the only thing that wasn't included in the game is magic."

That was quite a long speech for Kirito, I reflected. One of the reasons the two of us got along so well was because neither of us felt any pressure to speak when in the other's presence. We simply felt comfortable around each other, and quite often no speaking was needed.

"If I had to make a recommendation, it'd be to put a little into your speed," Kirito advised as he lead me through the streets of town – the Town of Beginnings. "Blocking attacks is all well and good, but it won't always save you on the higher floors. You wanna be able to dodge, too, if you want to have the full advantage given your play-style."

I hummed. It was a good idea; most other RPGs don't really offer a dodge option – or at least not one that was an active skill – so it had never really occurred to me before to go down that route. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. "That does sound like a pretty good idea," I said. "Thanks a bunch, Kirito."

"No problem," said Kirito. "Now let's hurry up before the other players start leaving town."

We were off running in a heartbeat. The streets of the city were crowded, as one would expect; all the players were chatting with either each other or with NPCs, looking through the stores, planning their character builds, the works. I followed just behind Kirito since he was the one who had played the game before. The chattering of the other players was graining on my eardrums slightly – I had always hated a lot of noise.

Kirito turned down an alleyway, and I followed. We were halfway to the other side when the call came.

"Hey, guys! Wait up!"

It was another player. His red hair was flared back by a dark red – and in my opinion rather tacky-looking – bandanna that was tied to his forehead. He was a lean man, clad in simple leather armour not unlike my own, but it was a different colour, being brown rather than blue.

"What's up?" Kirito asked the man once we'd all stopped.

The man acted out of breath, panting and wheezing despite the fact that we were in a virtual world. "You two act like you know your way around here," the man said. "You guys were in the beta test, weren't ya?"

"He was," I said, nodding at Kirito, "I'm just following his lead." Already I was starting to dread what this man was inevitably going to ask. I was not particularly fond of people, preferring to keep to myself unless I was with someone who wasn't going to bug me constantly, and the company of a player other than Kirito wasn't a prospect I was fond of. I wouldn't tell the man to go away, but I probably wouldn't say all that much to him, either.

"Cool," said the man. He put most of his attention on Kirito. "Today's my first day—"

No shit, Sherlock, I thought.

"—so could you give me some tips on the lower floors?"

"Yeah, I don't know if …" Kirito looked about as hesitant as I felt.

"Aw, come on, pretty please." The man put his hands together in a begging gesture. "I'm begging ya. Look, my name's Klein, good to meet you two."

Kirito sighed, but let a smile cross over his face. "All right, fine. I'm Kirito."

"The name's Lupus," I said when I noticed Klein turn his gaze towards me. I began to shuffle on my feet.

Christ, I'm gonna feel awkward, I thought to myself. I found myself hoping that fighting against the mobs would distract me from having to perform any social interaction.

The strained cries Klein was emitting from his throat were matched with various wild sword swings and thrusts. The blue boar-like creature he was fighting lowered its head so that the sharp ends of its tusks pointed outward, and it leapt forward with a surprising nimbleness given its bulk. The beast, of course, collided with Klein and sent him rocketing into the air in a rather dramatic display. Despite the discomfort I felt at being around someone I didn't really know, I couldn't help but laugh at the situation.

And neither could Kirito, apparently.

"Not like that," he said once he'd finished laughing. "The important part is your very first motion, Klein."

I had yet to give this a try, but I decided I was going to once Klein had finished. I wasn't normally malicious in any sense, but there was something slightly entertaining about Klein's failing attempts to fight the pig-like creature.

"Yeow …" Klein groaned out, rubbing his head. "Hairy bastard." He stood up and sent a rather pitiful look in Kirito's direction. "Easy for you to say, Kirito … He can really move!" His legs were shaking slightly; probably disorientation from the hit.

Kirito sighed. He leant down to the ground and picked up a small rock, moving to hold it over his head. The rock began to emit a faint green glow, indicating that the system recognised the beginning of a sword skill. The blue boar prepared another charge, but Kirito's hand flicked forward at surprising speed, and the rock flew through the air, nailing the boar right between its eyes. The boar released a squeal of rage and turned toward Kirito.

"Of course it moves; it's not a training dummy," said Kirito. "But as long as you initiate the motion and get the sword skill off properly, the system will ensure that it hits the target."

"Motion … motion …" Klein muttered under his breath, waving his cutlass around in front of him.

Kirito sighed again. "Lupus, why don't you try it?" he suggested to me.

"Uh … okay," I said.

I moved so that I was directly in the boar's field of vision. I now saw the HP metre above its head, along with its official mob name – Frenzied Boar. It was only a level-1 mob, which made me wonder how it had done so much damage to Klein already. I got a good grip on the handle of my large, two-handed sword, and held it out in front of me, combat ready.

"How do I explain this …?" Kirito asked himself. "You don't just hold it up, swing it, and cut the enemy like one, two, three. You have to pause just enough in your first motion to feel the skill cue up, then kapow! You blast it into him …"

I nodded at his words. He had told me that the combat system in the game was both complicated yet surprisingly simple; now I saw what he meant. I saw that the Frenzied Boar was about to charge, and so I quickly swung my sword so that the blade was positioned over my right shoulder, and then I waited for a moment. There was a strange feeling of something building up in my sword, and when the Frenzied Boar charged at me, I swung my sword at it in a horizontal arc. There was an orange line where I had cut into the now frozen boar, and in a second it exploded into bright blue glass. Purple experience numbers floated where it had once been.

"You see now, Klein?" I heard Kirito say, though I was only barely paying attention. "Like Lupus just did. You need to get into position and wait a second or two, then thanks to the sword skills, you have basically no chance of missing your target."

"Whoa …" said Klein.

I barely even heard them. There was something quite … exhilarating about the experience. I had played a lot of RPGs in my time, but nothing this detailed, this intricately designed, this … this fun to play. It was only a level-1 mob, that was true, but to think that fighting creatures here would be so simple, so realistic! For the moment I forgot about my social issues and just lost myself to the excitement of the game.

When I turned around again, another Frenzied Boar had turned up, and it looked like Klein was going to face it down. I watched in interest, wanting to see whether he had gotten the hang of this or not.

Klein held the cutlass out in front of him at mid-level as his facial features crumpled into a grimace. He took a deep breath, lowered his waist, then lifted the sword as though to cradle it on his right shoulder. The arced blade glinted a bright orange, and I knew that the system had recognised the activation of a sword skill. It would seem he had it this time.

He let out a mighty roar, and, in a surprisingly elegant motion, he bounded forward on his left foot, and his blade made a satisfying cutting sound as he left a trail the same orange colour as the glow where he had cut through the Frenzied Boar. The bulk of a beast shattered like glass.

"Hell yeah!" Klein said in celebration of his kill. He turned to us, both hands held high, with a massive grin on his face.

Kirito gave him a high five happily, whereas I hesitated a moment. If he noticed, he chose not to say anything, which I was thankful for. My social issues got even worse when people drew attention to them.

"Congrats on your first kill," Kirito said to him. "Just remember, that boar was basically the wimpiest little slime in any other game."

"Are you serious?" Klein asked, incredulous. "I was convinced he was a mid-level boss."

That actually got me laughing a little, which both Kirito and Klein smiled at. I hadn't been the most vocal person since Klein had turned up, but despite the fact that I didn't know him well, I knew that I was already starting to like the guy.

"Nope, that was just a standard level-1 mob," said Kirito.

We spent several hours killing Frenzied Boars in that field. It was a jolly good time, and after a while, I even found myself speaking up more. Still not as much as if Kirito and I were alone, true enough, but I was slowly but surely getting used to Klein's presence. Hell, I was even starting to enjoy his presence.

The field around us quickly became illuminated by brilliant sunlight that was just beginning to take on a tinge of red. Far away from us was the imposing silhouette of a forest, while nearer, yet still not close, was the brilliant form of a lake that was sparkling as it reflected the slowly diminishing sunlight. The walls of the Town of Beginnings were very faint to us out here, but they were still visible. The sky was filled with a slowly darkening blue colour and golden clouds. In a word, it was beautiful.

After we had exhausted ourselves with grinding mobs – and levelled up once or twice, though I knew that would get more difficult as time went on – the three of us put our weapons away and simply stood there, staring at the beauty of the virtual world.

I could gladly stay here forever, I found myself thinking, a thought that I would come to regret within the next few hours.

"Man … no matter how many times I see this, I just can't bring myself to believe that it's all inside a game," Klein said in wonder.

"Just because we're 'inside' it doesn't mean the game world has absorbed our souls or whatever," said Kirito. "All our brains are doing is bypassing our eyes and ears, taking in the information directly through the NerveGear."

"Calm down, Kirito, the man was just making an observation," I said, grinning.

"Yeah, you're already used to it, aren't you, Kirito?" said Klein. "This is my first full dive into the game! It's unbelievable. What a time to be alive!"

I found myself chuckling at Klein's enthusiasm. He and I had much more in common than I would have thought. We could both appreciate the beauty of the game world, especially since we were both experiencing it for the first time.

"You act like it's such a big deal," Kirito said, smiling. There was silence for a few moments. "So is SAO your first NerveGear game, period?" he asked Klein.

"Yeah," said Klein, nodding. "Actually, I got SAO first, so I needed to buy the hardware just to play it. I mean, the first shipment was only ten thousand copies, right? I'm one of the lucky ones. Although, since you've been playing SAO since the beta test, that makes you ten times as lucky. There were only around a thousand testers!"

"I guess you could say that." Kirito scratched his head.

"I was worried I wouldn't get to play it at all," I said absently. "I didn't think I had that much luck, to be honest with you." I smiled fondly. "But imagine my surprise when Mum brings it down to me on my birthday. I thought that smile was gonna be permanently etched onto my face!"

The three of us had a good laugh about that, then things went quiet again for a while. The silence was quite a comfortable one, something that I wouldn't have thought could happen when someone I'd only met that day was present.

"So, what now?" Kirito asked Klein. "Want to keep hunting until you get the hang of it?"

I had already gotten the hang of it. I was really quite adaptable when it came to RPGs. It came with all the experience I had in playing them over the years.

"You bet your ass I do!" Klein said enthusiastically. "Or … normally I would …" His tone dropped somewhat at the end. His eyes moved to the right, which probably meant he was checking the time on his HUD. "But I need to log out for a bit to eat dinner. I scheduled a pizza delivery for five thirty."

"Now there's a guy who comes prepared," Kirito said, sighing.

"Hey, don't dis pre-ordered pizza," I said to him. "That stuff's fed me many a time when my family has gone to parties without me."

To tell the truth, I was kind of disappointed that Klein was leaving. I really was starting to get along with him.

Klein straightened himself up a little and carried on speaking. "Um, so, I'm gonna head back to the Town of Beginnings after this and meet up with some friends I made in another game. If I introduced you two, would you want to add them to your friends lists? It makes it easier to send messages to each other."

Kirito looked uncomfortable, but I felt my heart suddenly start racing in my chest. One on one, I could at the very least handle meeting new people, but that many all at once? That was one of the most harrowing thoughts my mind was capable of comprehending, and I think it showed on my face.

"Uh … um …" I was struggling to say anything. Despite my discomfort, I was probably going to agree. Something else my lack of social skills burdened me with was the inability to refuse an offer from someone I found myself liking. There was a certain paranoia in me that thought refusing such a thing would make them disappointed in me, and while I didn't get to know people easily, losing friends wasn't something I particularly wanted.

"Yeah, well …" said Kirito. He took little glances at me as he spoke. Kirito was a little antisocial, sure, but he was nowhere near as bad as I was, and he knew it. It was quite touching to see this level of concern from him.

"I mean, I'm not saying you have to," said Klein. He had a look on his face that told me he understood. "There'll be plenty of chances to meet them."

"… Sure," said Kirito. "Thanks for asking, though."

"… Thanks …" I said quietly, still trying to get over the nervousness I had been feeling just then.

Klein shook his head. "None of that! I'm the one who should be thanking you!" I knew he was referring primarily to Kirito, but the fact that he seemed be including me made me feel grateful. "You helped me out a ton; I'll make it up to you sometime. Y'know, mentally." He grinned and checked the time again. "All right, guys, I'm gonna log out for now. Thanks again. We gotta hang out sometime."

He put out both of his hands, and Kirito and I both shook him by one of them.

"Sure thing," said Kirito. "If you ever have any questions, just ask."

"See you, Klein," I said. "It was nice playing with you."

Klein took a step back and opened up his menu. I saw him place a finger where the log-out button would be … but nothing happened.

"Huh?" he said. "What the heck? There's no log-out button!"

"No button?" asked Kirito. "That can't be true. Look closer."

Klein began to do so.

Curiously, I opened up my menu and looked to where the log-out button was … but there was nothing.

"Uh, Kirito …?" I said to get his attention. A cold feeling of dread began to wash its way over my body. "He's right. The log-out button isn't there."

"I'm telling you, it has to be there …" Kirito said, sighing at us. He moved to open his menu. "Honestly, Lupus, with all the games you play, I'd expected you to be more sensible than thi—" He stopped cold, his eyes widening.

"… Gone, right?" Klein asked him.

"Yep. Gone," Kirito said, reluctantly.

"… Well, it is launch day," Klein reasoned. "Bugs happen. I bet tech support is getting drowned in calls. They're probably tearing their hair out right now."

Yeah, a bug … must be, I thought, calming down a little. The feelings of dread that had been building up didn't quite go away, though. I had a really bad feeling about this …

"Is that all you have to say about it?" Kirito asked Klein. "Weren't you just talking about getting a pizza delivery at five thirty?"

"Oh crap, that's right!" Klein said in a panic.

Kirito grinned, and I found myself slightly amused, too, if slightly disgusted at the possibility of wasting pizza.

"We could just tell the GMs," I suggested. "If there's no other way to log out, they could just boot you off the system."

"I tried that, but there's no response," said Klein. "Man, it's almost five twenty-five! Kirito, was there any other way to log out of the game in the beta test?"

"Let's see … Logging out … logging out …" Kirito kept on muttering the words to himself, thinking. "Nope. There's no way to manually log out but through the menu."

"Oh, you're kidding me, right?" I asked him. That spine-tingling sense of dread was only getting worse as this conversation continued. If this kept up any longer, I might have actually started getting scared.

"Yeah, there has to be a way out of this!" Klein said indignantly. Then he started shouting like a maniac. "Go back! Log out! Exit!"

"It won't work, Klein," Kirito said, calmly. "The manual doesn't say anything about an emergency termination method, either."

"But … but that's crazy!" Klein yelled. "I know games have bugs, but not the kind where you can't even get back to your own home, your own body, your own free will! You've gotta be kidding me … This can't be happening. We're trapped inside the stupid game!" He broke out into a weak, panicked laugh. "I know – I'll just power off the machine. Or rip the NerveGear off my head."

Klein brought his hands to his head and started trying to rip some invisible hat off his head. He stayed where he was, though, so it clearly wasn't working. I knew exactly why, and I thought he did, too; he just didn't remember in his panicked state. I wasn't doing much better myself in that department. The situation we were in was absolutely insane … It was like a scarier version of the plot of Spy Kids 3D.

"We can't do either of those things," said Kirito. "We can't move our actual bodies. The NerveGear intercepts all commands going from our brains to the rest of our limbs."

"They implemented the system so that people stopped injuring themselves whilst playing," I threw in after.

"So does this mean we have to either wait for the bug to be fixed or for someone to rip the headgear off of our bodies?" asked Klein.

Kirito nodded silently.

"But I live by myself. What about you guys?"

"I live with my Mum, my Dad, and my little brother," I said. "They're all out doing different stuff, though. No one will be back for another half-hour at least."

"I live with my Mum and little sister," said Kirito. "I bet if I don't come down for dinner, they'll eventually force me out of the dive."

"Oh? H-How old's your sister?" Klein asked him, and I immediately saw how this was going to end.

Kirito pushed him away. "That sure got your mind off the situation, didn't it?" he said. "Look, she's on a sports club at school and she hates video games. She has nothing in common with people like us. Besides," he waved his hand in the air, "don't you think this is weird?"

"Sure it is," said Klein. "The game is buggy."

"I think with a bug like this they'd have pulled us all out of the game as soon as they found it," I said. "It's dangerous. Leave someone in here too long and it could seriously effect their health."

"Yeah, a bug like this could spell disaster for the game's future," said Kirito. "Even as we speak, Klein, your pizza is getting colder by the second. That represents a real monetary loss for you, doesn't it?"

"Cold pizza is worse than nattō that doesn't get sticky," Klein muttered.

"It's like Lupus said: a situation like this means the programmers have to shut down the servers and force all the players offline. And yet, even though it's been at least fifteen minutes since we discovered this bug, not only are we still online, there hasn't even been an official announcement within the game. It makes no sense."

"Yeah, that's a good point." Klein rubbed his chin.

"This is gonna mean hell for Argus," I said, sighing.

"Yeah, after all that customer outreach and anticipation for the game, this is really gonna drag their reputation through the dirt," Klein said in agreement.

"Exactly," said Kirito. "Not only that, SAO is the very first example of a VRMMO. If this turns into a huge controversy, the entire genre could get regulated out of existence."

It was getting colder outside now. Since the seasons in the game were regulated to be the same as they were in the real world, it was just as much winter in here as it was outside, and that meant it got colder as night fell. The air was chilly, and I found the briskness of it rather pleasant, to be honest. I've always liked the cold.

There was a sudden ringing sound, like some kind of alarm, and I near enough jumped out of my skin.

"Wha …?"

"What's that …?"

"What the hell is going on …?"

The three of us spoke up simultaneously, equally as startled by the sudden ringing as each other. Before any of us could say or do anything more, we were all shrouded in a bright blue light that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

What the fuck is going on!? I yelled in my mind, my eyes wide.

The blue light vanished as quickly and suddenly as it had appeared, and my eyes were greeted by the sight of the central area of the Town of Beginnings, exactly where I had spawned in almost six hours before. It looked like basically every player in the game was there, too, and all of them were speaking in confused tones, asking the questions Kirito, Klein, and I had been asking each other barely moments before.

Kirito and Klein were still with me, which was good. I don't think I could have stopped myself having a nervous breakdown if I'd been transported here on my own.

"Hey … look up!" someone in the crowd shouted abruptly.

I looked up, and saw something that definitely hadn't been there earlier. The bottom of the second floor of Aincrad was visible a hundred yards or so above us, and it was bathed in a red chessboard pattern. When I narrowed my eyes up at it, I saw that each square had the words WARNING and SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT written in different shades of red.

That came as more of a relief than it probably should have. It meant that the developers were probably about to tell us what the problem was.

What I saw next, however, stole all thoughts of that cleanly from my mind.

The massive crimson pattern suddenly sagged in the middle, pooling like an enormous drop of blood. The drop stretched and extended downward, but instead of breaking off and falling as I expected it to, it began to morph and change shape in mid-air. What it turned into was the form of a gigantic person in a red, hooded cloak suspended high in the air. From where I was on the ground, I easily should have been able to see under the hood … but there was nothing. No face, no signs that there was anyone inside that cloak other than the fact that it was there and it was very clearly alive.

All that lay under that hood was blackness and shadows. It's an image that remains with me, quite vividly, to this day.

The murmuring of the crowd only rose in volume when this figure appeared, but quieted down again when its arm started moving. A white glove emerged from its sleeve, but there was nothing attached to it; it just sort of floated there at the end of the robe's sleeve.

The area was silent.

But then …

"Welcome to my world, dear players."

The voice was clearly that of a man. It was calm and deep.

"My name is Akihiko Kayaba," the floating set of robes said, and I recognised the name in an instant – we all did. "As of this moment, I am the only human being alive with control over this world."

"Wha …?" I heard Kirito gasp out next to me.

I gasped, too. Akihiko Kayaba was the head of Argus, basically the inventor of the NerveGear, and the lead director during the development of SAO. There wasn't a gamer in the world who didn't know his name.

"You have likely noticed by now that the log-out button has disappeared from the main menu," said Kayaba. "This is not a bug. I repeat, this is not a bug – this is a feature of Sword Art Online."

"F-Feature …" muttered Klein.

"From this point onward, you will be unable to freely log out of the game until the summit of this castle is conquered. Furthermore, the NerveGear cannot be removed or shut down via external means. If forceful means to exit are attempted …"

He paused. I didn't know if it was for dramatic effect or if he was trying to make what he said next hit harder, but he certainly succeeded in unnerving the whole lot of us even more than he already had.

The next words he spoke made the feelings of dread I'd been having come back just as strong, and then some.

"… the high-powered microwaves emitted by the NerveGear will scramble your brain and shut down your vital processes."

The murmurs of the crowd started up again. No one screamed or shouted as one would expect, but that's just because no one wanted to believe it. I didn't want to believe it. It had to be some kind of … of first day prank or something … There's just no way, I thought, shaking. There's no fucking way!

Klein raised his hands again, like he was trying to grab the NerveGear from his head. He gave a nervous laugh. "What's he talking about? Is he crazy? That's not possible. The NerveGear's just a game system. It can't possibly, like … destroy our brains or whatever. Right, Kirito? Lupus?" He looked at the two of us, a look of desperation about him. "Come on, guys …"

"… In principle, it's not impossible … but he has to be bluffing," said Kirito. "I mean, if you just pull the plug on the NerveGear, how can it produce enough juice to do that? Unless it's packing some massive … batteries …"

"A third of the damn thing's weight is battery cells …" I said, putting my hands on my head as I groaned out the words. This situation was getting more and more fucked up by the second.

"But this is ridiculous!" said Klein. "What if there's a blackout?"

Kayaba's next words made me almost think he'd heard what Klein had said.

"To be more specific, the brain-frying sequence will commence upon any of the following circumstances: ten minutes of no external power; two hours of network disconnection; removal, dismantling, or destruction of the NerveGear. The authorities and media on the outside world have already announced the details of these conditions to the general public. At present, the friends and family of several players have already ignored these warnings and attempted to forcefully remove their NerverGears, the result being …"

He paused for breath. I didn't see the need, considering the world we were in was a virtual one, but trying to understand the thought process of a man like this one is a waste of time. Unless, of course, you're also like that.

"… that sadly, two hundred and fourteen players have already been permanently retired from both Aincrad and the real world."

There was a single scream from someone in the crowd, but I didn't know who. My eyes were transfixed on the floating figure of Akihiko Kayaba in the sky, my mind occupied thinking about what I was hearing. The situation had me shocked into silence, and considering how little noise the crowd around me was making, we were all very much in the same boat.

"I won't believe it … I refuse to believe it," Klein said weakly. "It's just a threat. He can't do this. Quit dicking us around and let us out already. I've got better things to do than sit around while your little stunt plays out. That's all this is, right? A stunt. A bit of excitement to juice up the game's grand opening, yeah?"

I hoped he was right. I didn't have much hope, but it was still there. One tiny spark that was so easily crushed it may as well have not existed at all.

"There is no need to worry about your physical bodies back in the real world," said Kayaba. "The current state of the game and today's fatalities have been covered far and wide on the radio, television, and the internet. The danger that someone will forcefully remove your NerveGear is already much diminished. The two-hour leeway period should provide enough time for your physical bodies to be transported to hospitals and other long-term care facilities with proper security, eliminating concerns over your physical well-being. You may rest assured … and focus on conquering the game."

"Wha—?" a yell sounds out from somewhere in the crowd. "What do you mean? Conquer the game? You expect us to just sit back and enjoy the game when we can't even log out?"

And how the hell does he expect us to beat an MMO, anyway? I couldn't help but wonder.

"This isn't even a game any more! However, please proceed with caution. As of this moment, Sword Art Online is no longer a game to you. It is another reality. The standard means of player resurrection will no longer function as they did previously. When your hit points dwindle to zero, your avatar will be deleted permanently … and the NerveGear will destroy your brain."

I think that was the moment when everything really hit home for me. I suddenly found that my breathing was becoming more rapid and shallow, and I could feel my heart racing in my chest from sheer panic. If I died in the game, I would die for real. It was such a basic concept, almost like the kind you would see in a TV show, but it was terrifying to consider in real life. I had been playing RPGs for years, and I was damn good at them, but I had still never managed to get through one without dying at least once.

"That son of a bitch is crazy," I found myself muttering.

"This is ridiculous," said Kirito.

"There is only one condition through which you can be freed from this game," said Kayaba. "Simply reach the hundredth floor at the pinnacle of Aincrad and defeat the final boss who awaits you there. In that instant, all surviving players will be able to log out safely once again."

"Clear the hundredth floor?" Klein shouted out abruptly. "W-We can't possibly do that! I heard the entire group of beta testers barely got through the very start of the game!"

He was very right about that. Kirito had told me that, in the entire two months he had been a beta tester, no one had gone any further up than the sixth floor.

Kayaba waved a gloved hand through the air. "Finally, let me prove to you that this world is now your one and only reality. I've prepared a gift for all of you. You may find it in your item storage."

Checking my inventory as everyone else was, I found an item that had not been in there earlier: Hand Mirror. I materialised it in my hands and looked into the small, round piece of reflective glass and saw my avatar reflected back at me. I looked at it curiously, wondering what was supposed to be happening, but then a blinding white light came out of the mirror, and when it vanished my muscles had also vanished, I was shorter, I looked underweight, and my previously wild brown hair was now short and tame.

It was my real world appearance.

Curious, I looked at the two next to me and saw that Kirito had also taken on his real world appearance, which meant his black hair was shorter, his equally black eyes were more pronounced, and he had slightly girlish facial features. He also looked a hell of a lot younger.

Klein's hair was the same, but that was about it. His previously thin eyes were now bulging and round. His slender nose was now much broader and a little sharper at the end. Whereas he previously had very refined and fair facial hair, it was now scriggly and all over the place, like he had never bothered shaving.

"Who … are you?" Kirito asked him.

"Me? Who are you?" Klein asked him.

"Guys," I said to get their attention. "We've all changed into our real life appearances. You're still the same people."

The two of them looked at each other.

"You're Klein?"

"You're Kirito?" He looked at me. "And damn, Lupus, you are skinny!"

"I'm aware," I said dryly. "What we should be worried about is how this," I gestured down at my body, "is possible. The face, sure, I understand how they got that, the NerveGear being on our heads and all. But how the hell did they manage to perfectly recreate our bodies?"

"… Wait a sec," said Klein. "I remember this 'cause I just bought my NerveGear yesterday. It did that thing during the set-up phase … What was it, calibration? It asked me to touch my body in all these different spots. Could that have been it?"

"Oh, right … of course …" said Kirito.

I remembered doing that, too, but it was such a small, insignificant moment that I'd completely forgotten about it.

"It's reality," muttered Kirito. "He just said so. My avatar and my hit points are now my real body and life. Kayaba recreated our faces and figures to force us to recognise the truth."

"B-But, Kirito," said Klein. "Why? Why would he do something like this …?"

"Just wait," said Kirito. "He's about to answer that, I'm sure."

As Kirito predicted, Kayaba quite happily answered.

"You are likely asking yourselves, why? Why would Akihiko Kayaba, developer of SAO and the NerveGear unit, do such a thing? Is it an act of terrorism? An elaborate kidnapping to extract ransom money? What I seek is neither of these things. I have no goals or justifications at this moment. In fact, this very situation was my ultimate goal. I created the NerveGear and SAO precisely in order to build this world and observe it. I have now achieved that aim. This concludes the tutorial phase of Sword Art Online. I wish you the best of luck dear players."

And with that, Akihiko Kayaba seemed to melt back into the blood-like liquid that had fallen from the bottom of the second floor of Aincrad, and the liquid fused with that surface once more. Kayaba was gone.

There was dead silence in the area for a few moments. Then, unsurprisingly, the entire crowd of people burst into shouts and screams and yells. Everyone was panicked, angry, scared, and basically any other emotion related to fear that you can think of.

Strangely enough, though, my panic and fear had vanished. Instead, I had now been taken over by an overwhelming sense of calmness. I knew what the situation entailed now, and while I was not particularly happy about it, I accepted it. What would be the point in denying it? Trying to pretend none of this was happening would only end up getting me killed in the long run; I knew that from the beginning. I was afraid of socialising with people I didn't know, but that didn't mean I had to be afraid now. What I felt then is a feeling I don't think I'll ever forget, and it kind of scares me how unafraid I was.

Logically, I should have been afraid, and I knew it. But I wasn't. I couldn't tell you why; I just wasn't scared any more.

"Lupus, Klein, come with me," Kirito said suddenly.

Kirito had to grab Klein's arm and pull him to get him to follow, but I needed no such prompting. I followed along, pushing through the crowd, trying to keep pace with the two of them. We seemed to be near the edge of the crowd, because it took us relatively little time to break out of it and back into the streets of the Town of Beginnings.

"I'm leaving town right now to go to the next village," Kirito said as we walked. "I want you guys to come with me."

"Like I was ever gonna say no," I said, grinning a little. My heart was still pumping in my chest, which made me think my lack of fear was caused by some sudden rise in adrenaline.

"If what Kayaba said is true, then we need to get stronger and stronger in order to survive," said Kirito. "I'm sure you already know that MMORPGs are a battle over system resources. There's only so much gold, loot, and experience to go around, so the more you win, the stronger you get. Everyone's going to have the same idea, so the fields around the Town of Beginnings will be bled dry in no time. You'll be left to wander around, endlessly waiting for mobs to repop. We need to take this opportunity to set up base in the next town. I know the way, and I know which spots are dangerous. I can get us there safely, even at the low level we're at."

"But … remember what I said earlier?" Klein asked. "I stayed up all night in line with some friends from another game to buy this. They were logged in. They must still be back in the square. I can't just leave them behind."

The three of us stopped dead in an alleyway between two buildings. I felt saddened to hear Klein say all this, as that meant he would be leaving us, and I really did like him. Kirito didn't look particularly happy about the situation, either. In a strange way, it felt like the three of us were a trio of adventurers already, and seeing one of our own leave the group had a much stronger effect than I thought it would.

A stiff but broad smile tugged at Klein's face, and he shook his head at the two of us. "Nah … I can't ask for more of your help than you've already given. Hell, I was a guild leader myself back in the last game. Don't worry, I'll get by with the techniques you taught me. Besides, there's always the possibility that this really was just a bad prank, and we'll be able to log out in no time. So go on, you two, jump ahead and don't mind me."

Just hearing him say that made me miss him already.

"… Okay," said Kirito, nodding. "We'll part ways here, then. Shoot either one of us a message if anything comes up. Well … see ya, Klein."

"Bye, Klein," I said, then Kirito and I turned and began to walk away.

"Kirito! Lupus!" Klein shouted from behind us.

The two of us looked back, and I raised an eyebrow at him.

"You're real cute, Kirito, just my type!" Klein said with a large grin. "And Lupus … just put on some weight, man!"

"And you look ten times better now that you're a mountain bandit!" Kirito said to him.

"Yeah, get a haircut, you hippy!" I said, laughing. Hell, all three of us were laughing.

Kirito and I turned around again and started walking. I glanced back at one point, but Klein had already gone.

"… Race you to the village?" Kirito suggested.

I snorted in laughter. "You're the only one who knows the way," I said. "There's literally no way I'd win; I'd have to follow you."

He grinned at me. "That's the point." Then he took off running.

"Oh, you cheeky bastard!" I said, then ran off after him.

I was left with a strange feeling of exhilaration as Kirito and I left the Town of Beginnings to set out on our journey to survive this game of death. And for the first time in my life, I made a promise to myself, a hard promise, a promise I absolutely refused to break.

I won't die in here!

Okay … that was SO MUCH LONGER than I had expected it to be. I guess that's what I get for using the books as a basis, huh?

This won't be updated for a damn long time after this, I'm afraid. There's a poll on my profile for what stories people want me to focus on, and due to how new this one is, it won't be on there. This is the first of a set of new stories I'll be releasing that have been in my head for a while and now I just want to get them out before I forget about them.

Not that much else to say here except that I'm probably going to be using real video games as inspiration for some floors of Aincrad you'll be seeing in the chapters where Lupus is on his own.

Hope you guys enjoyed this! Good day to ya!