Unravelling Field

Chapter One: Aftermath

"Eight hundred and thirty-two."

This pain is too much. Make it stop…

He can't die no matter how much he tries, no matter how much pain he's in. This man – no, this monster – won't let him. He makes him heal, if it's possible to call it that. These small attachments are broken off bit by bit. The phalanges that had once been his were no more. The ones that occupied his body no longer belonged to him. He had no right. Were they even real or just bastardized artificial copies?

"Eight hundred and twenty-five."

Why? Why is this happening? Stop it! They're already broken!

His fingers and toes took the brunt of the abuse, but his body wasn't without its own amount of pain. Decorated with bruises and blood, his body shook with tremors, sometimes coming in spastic waves. He had been blindfolded from the beginning, which heightened his sensitivity and quite possibly the level of stress he felt. Stress, both mental and physical, that had been forcefully induced had changed his appearance drastically. His once obsidian locks were now white. The shields on his fingers and toes known as nails had not been spared either. Instead of a natural tone, they were now the color his hair had been. It was like they had been switched.

"Six hundred and one."

Stop! Don't put it in! Get away from me! STOP!

The insect wriggled in midair, held by the frightening fingers. The dorsal side of the body was black, and the underneath was orange. Its legs were as orange as its anterior, and as the name implied, the centipede's head was red. The color was similar to the iris of a kakugan. Its whole figure seemed to do nothing but promise more pain, if that was even possible. Tears fell from Kaneki's eyes as his body was wracked with newfound panic.

"N-No… Don't… Please, I beg you."

"No… I don't want it! Don't!"

"Stop… Stop!"

Despite all of his begging and pleading, Kaneki still felt the centipede's podomeres move along the canal of his ear and into his skull.

"Five hundred and ninety-four."

NO! It hurts. Take it out! It hurts! IT HURTS!

Kaneki choked on his scream. His muscles locked, his fingers twitched, and his eyes widened. The inside of his head burned – not the kind one feels when their skin is exposed to the sun for too long. It was much worse. To Kaneki, it felt like someone had gotten a branding iron and seared their mark into him so it could be noticed no matter what layer of him you looked at. Wherever the burning sensation travelled, a painful pressure tagged along. A sudden flare of pain came to him, as if he had been stabbed with a flaming, thick needle, and then…

His vision went black as his mind shut off. Kaneki passed out from the pain.

"Five hundred and eighty-seven."

I'm going to die. I don't want to die. It hurts so much. I don't want to die! Save me…

However, his reprieve from the agony was short-lived. He wasn't out for long. He was in too much pain to stay conscious, and yet, the same could be said for the opposite. Kaneki felt like he was in hell, and after all he had been through, he might as well have been there anyway. If he had been given the option, Kaneki would have gladly chosen to stay in a state of unconsciousness. He was starting to dance with the thought of not waking back up too.

"Four hundred and seventy-five."

I don't want you in my head. Leave! Get out. Get out now! Get out! Get out! Get the fuck out of my head!

He didn't want to talk to her. Kaneki had been hearing her voice and seeing her in his head when he slept. He knew it was better seeing Rize than confronting the pain caused by Yamori, but by how much, he wasn't sure. After all, she was the reason he was in this situation. While the outside world was occupied with crunching bones, centipedes crawling around in his head, and threats of being eaten, his internal world was constantly under attack from Rize's insistencies that he cast aside his weaker, human self and embraced his ghoul half. Kaneki was well aware that he now had to eat human flesh to survive, but that didn't mean that he had to like it, and he especially didn't want to listen to her ramblings that claimed human flesh was the best. That damn binge eater should just keep her mouth shut. He didn't want to hear her opinions, let alone see her. He just wanted Rize to leave him alone. He had been haunted by her memory enough already.

After a while, he finally got his wish as she stopped appearing in his mind.

"Three hundred and twenty-one."

Someone… Anyone… Please help me…

The centipede woke up, and Kaneki was once again helpless to stop the burning inside his head. He could do nothing more than frantically jerk his upper body and pound his feet against the floor. Somewhere outside his mind, someone was laughing, but it wasn't Yamori. He couldn't identify the one who was.

"Two hundred and thirty-seven."

Before it's too late…

The redheaded insect had eventually crawled out of Kaneki's ear, landing on his lap with a dull thud. This had happened when he had fallen unconscious. If he had been awake then, he might have sagged even further down in the chair from relief, but as it was, the only one who was wide awake in the room was Yamori, and he had seen the centipede wiggle its way out.

Yamori walked to the tied ghoul and picked up the bug. He had found it outside the compound, so it wasn't like the thing was hard to find. Looking at the boy's shoulders, Yamori realized that Kaneki wasn't shaking as much as he would have liked, so he played around with the idea of going to get another centipede from outside.

"No," he frowned. Going all the way back out was just a hassle. And ordering a subordinate or Nico to go get one was just a waste of time. He wanted to make Kaneki scream. Now. Besides, Nico wasn't a fan of anything he didn't deem "beautiful" or "horrifyingly violent". Yamori stared down at the now-red insect between his index and thumb. He wasn't surprised at the color change. After all, it had undoubtedly stretched the inside of the kid's head, tearing muscles, blood vessels, and ligaments. He stared blankly at the thing, wishing it could multiply.

A sudden thought came to him, and he grinned. Raising his hand quickly, Yamori brought it down even quicker on Kaneki's face, slapping his prisoner awake. A jerk from the small body and hitch in the other's breathing let the blond know Kaneki was becoming aware of his surroundings again.

"Ne, Kaneki-san. You've quieted down quite a bit, so let's try to make this exciting again. See this?" Yamori held out the fallen insect, "I found another one outside a few minutes ago. Let's let this guy squirm around in your ear, too. Sound good?"

Kaneki's throat had been screamed raw, and his voice had long left him. He could do nothing but silently mouth his begging to prevent the reentry of the bug. Yamori guided the multilegged creature back into Kaneki's ear canal. The Chinese Redheaded Centipede stretched the fleshed again as it made its way back into the internal side of the boy's head. "Have fun with those two. Okay, Kaneki-san?"

Kaneki hadn't realized that this was a lie. He had just thought that the centipede was asleep again.

"One hundred and eighty-eight."

Don't leave me alone with him! MAKE HIM STOP!

Hours of pain passed by, and the boy was broken. Toes and fingers crushed off just to regrow and crushed again. All it did was prove how much of a monster he was. Ghoul. That word had always left a foul taste in his mouth. Those beasts only killed people for the hell of it. They had no compassion. They had no love. They had no mercy. Kaneki was learning that now. Had been for the past nine days. Ghouls were nothing but vicious monsters taking pleasure in others' suffering and torment. They were heartless beings. They didn't care for others, not even their own – no. That's not right. Not all of them are like that. Images of the ones from Anteiku flashed in his mind. That's right. Some ghouls are kind and make you feel safe. Some are capable of caring about those around them.

"One hundred and eighty-one."

I don't want to be here! Find me! Oh God, please find me…

Even so… where are the ones he has come to cherish? Where are they now as his body is violated? The one answer he could come up with was, "Not here."

Kaneki wasn't religious by any means – the only type of praying he did was when he visited the memorial headstones of his parents – but he couldn't help but to pray that his friends were coming to save him soon.

"Nine hundred and sixteen."

Go away. Leave. Get away. DON'T TOUCH ME! Get that wrench away from me. Don't touch. Don't fucking touch me! Please, someone! Help me! Make him leave… Make him go away… Don't let him hurt me anymore… I can't take it anymore. I can't…

Kaneki had messed up in his subtraction, and as punishment, Yamori made him start over, and he was no longer allowed to sleep. By now, Kaneki had gotten accustomed to the upper half of the numbers, needing to focus more around the six-hundreds. He hadn't miscounted before, but Yamori always made him restart his subtractions from one-thousand when he woke up. But now, he would have to continuously count.

"Ne, Kaneki-san. You've really disappointed me. I thought you were better than this."

CRACK. Scream. "ACK! Ni-ine-hun-hundred an-and n-nine…"

"I really thought you were smarter than this, Kaneki-san. You're a university student, aren't you? So if you would, tell me how you could mess up subtracting sevens."

SNAP. Scream. "N-nin-ne-hu-undr-dred an-and t-tw-AGH!" RIP. "Nine-hun-hundred and t-t-two-wo…"

"How pathetic."

THUNK. He choked. That choke soon turned into shuddering sobs. Kaneki's frame shook uncontrollably as blood pooled out from where his toes would have been. His fingers were already in the bucket on the floor next to Yamori. The phalanges on his hands were gone, and Kaneki was left with pallor hands that each had five areas of crusted blood.

Lack of sleep wore Kaneki down ever more than he already had been. A combination of fatigue and sleep deprivation made him start seeing things, and eventually, he started talking to them. He wasn't quite sure what he had said.

"Seven hundred and sixty-two."

Someone…

He had come to start thinking that maybe he was selfish for wanting to be saved. The pain was excruciating, but was it really worth the more than likely death of his supposed saviors? His trembling figure, tied down to the wooden chair, could only stare on at the two bodies. Both laid on the blood drenched floor without a pulse, and it was all his fault.

"These past few days have been more than enough to realize that your body and mind are unexpectedly tough, and so, I tried to come up with something different. What do you think about this?"

"Mother and child, Kaneki-san."

Kei and Kouta. Why? Why were there? Kaneki spoke for the first time since he had given up begging for Yamori to stop hurting him, "WHY DIDN'T YOU LET THEM GO?!"

"Which one should I kill? Choose."

Kaneki couldn't answer that question with anything other than he would rather die in their places, but instead, the end result was both the child and the mother being killed. He hadn't been able to choose, and Yamori had gotten too excited. It was his fault this happened. All his fault. Perhaps it was like Yamori said. Maybe he was a hypocrite.

"Three hundred and twenty-eight."

Anyone…

He was willing to do anything to leave this place. It didn't matter if he physically left or just mentally. Even the field of Spider Lilies and Rize was better than here. He was willing to constantly be on the run from the CCG if someone would save him. He willing to never speak to a member of Anteiku again. He was willing to curse his mother for leaving him alone. He was willing just to make it stop. He was even willing to eat Hid-

"NO! No, no way… No fucking way! Nononononononononono…"

The belief that he was willing to do anything to leave was retracted. There was no way that Kaneki would eat Hide. He would rather kill himself than eat his best friend. His most cherished companion. The boy who had saved Kaneki in more ways than one. If there was anything that Kaneki was willing to do, it was protect Nagachika Hideyoshi, whether it be from others or Kaneki himself.

The thought of his bright friend filled Kaneki with a little bit of hope.

"Eighty-three."

Please…

Hypocrite, a person who indulges in hypocrisy. Hypocrisy, the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform.

Kaneki had accepted that he was a hypocrite. After all, saying that he couldn't choose which of the two to kill while one of the victims could? His choice to not pick which to kill resulted in killing them both. How pathetic. What a shitty person he had become.

He had been lied to though. Yamori lied to him. That liar… That fucking liar… Kaneki wanted to kill him. But then again, do shitty hypocrites really get to have an opinion about fucking liars? Was there really much of a difference between the two?

Kaneki choked. Was he becoming even more despicable than he already was? He already knew the answer to that though.

"It's all your fault, Hypocrite."

Yamori had told him the exact same words when he dragged Kouta and his mother in before killing them earlier. This time around, it had been spoken after his torturer had killed two of the chamber's cleaners. This was the second that he had failed others. The second time he had ignored the words the victims. In both circumstances, one had told him to save the other, but he disregarded them. He didn't want to be the one to give the death sentence. If he had just complied and done what was told of him, then only two people would have died. The fact that two would be dead wasn't pleasant, but at least there would still be two alive. Thanks to him and his cowardice, four were dead.

It was his fault. All his fault. His inability to take action, to decide to take action, killed them. He killed them. He was nothing more than a murderer.

He was a hypocrite and a murderer.

"Six."

Help me! Help me! Help me! HELP ME! Helpmehelpmehelpmehelpme…

He just wanted help. What was so wrong about that? What was it about wanting to be saved that others had to die? It wasn't fair. That was a lesson he was starting to understand. Maybe it was his own fault that no one came.

Had he done something to upset the others? Was he too nosy? Too slow? Too different?

Was he not good enough? Sure, he wasn't the strongest fighter, nor the smartest, but he was still learning. He had both Yomo and Touka to teach him how to combat properly, and he was learning more about the ghoul world as each day passed.

Were they better off without him? After what they had endured together, Kaneki was trying to not believe that his friends would just discard him. If they would just tell him what he was failing at, he would do his best to fix it. Maybe then, they would come save him…

"Negative one."

Kill me…

"Do not worry. I will save us."

Screaming himself awake, Kaneki looked around the room with fear. In his shaking, he didn't realize he was trying to push himself away from the darkness and fell off his bed. His white locks clung to his forehead as he tried to calm himself, barely succeeding. He jumped when he heard a voice.

"You will be okay."

Hurling himself in the direction he thought opposite from the mysterious voice, his back hit the wall. Glancing around the room again, he found no one.

"You do not need to be afraid anymore, Ken. You are safe now. Jason cannot touch you anymore. He cannot hurt you anymore. There is nothing in you. There is no centipede in you. No more 'better to be hurt than to hurt others.' You will be okay."

His breathing started to get harsher and heavier by the second. Curling up on himself, Kaneki's mind went into overdrive with thoughts. Where is this person? Why is he here? Who is he? How did he get in?

"I am right here with you, in your mind because I am apart of you. I will protect you. I am your…"

It had been a few weeks since his kidnapping, but Kaneki had somehow been able to overcome his fear when someone came close to him. Of course, the person to spike this was none other than Hideyoshi. Out of all his friends and support, the one to help Kaneki the most was Hide, his only human friend. The friend who knew the least about his situation. No one was really sure how he did it, but he had nonetheless.

In the beginning, whenever a ghoul came near Kaneki, his lone ghoul eye would make itself present, and his kagune came out. He could tell they were ghouls, and he didn't trust them. Not one bit. He didn't know if they would be like the one he had been captured by. The rational part of him knew that they wouldn't hurt him, but he was still scared and lashed out a lot. That hadn't happened in a while though, and everyone was grateful.

When they had found their friend, the members of Anteiku recognized him, but just barely. The bright, optimistic boy they knew was nowhere in sight. All they saw was a broken and trembling creature. Trying to make himself as invisible as possible, Kaneki had been huddled up against the back side of the room. His eyes were open wide, but they were unseeing. When Tsukiyama had made a step toward him, Kaneki flinched and shakily held his arms up to defend his head. A head that no longer had obsidian locks. His rescuers were able to see all the scars marring his skin, the color change of his hair and nails, and stuttering breathing pattern.

"Non! Non! Non!" Tsukiyama had said, each word louder than the previous. Tsukiyama had become enraged at what his current obsession was reduced to. He sent a pleading look toward Yomo and Uta, as if begging them to make sure Kaneki would be okay. He needed to release some anger so he wouldn't frighten the younger ghoul any more than he had. Tsukiyama had stormed back outside and onto the rooftops. He had stumbled upon the Kirishima siblings. Touka's kagune had been cannibalized by her younger brother. Tsukiyama, in all his rage, had minded not to attack the female ghoul or her partner for the mission, Nishiki. Tsukiyama's koukaku emerged, covering his right arm in an armor of RC cells connected to a matching blade.

After somehow calming Kaneki down, Uta and Yomo exited the building. The half-ghoul was wrapped in Yomo's trench coat and was being carried in the arms of the owner of said coat. No one knew how the two adults had managed to soothe Kaneki enough to be carried, but at the time, no one gave it much thought. By the time the three were a few feet from the door, using the blade part of his kagune, Tsukiyama had Ayato handing by his shoulder, and the younger's ukaku kagune was fading away.

Touka tore her eyes away from the fight. Upon seeing her newest friend's abused body, Touka's eyes had widened and she wept, almost falling over. Nishiki had been the one to help her stay upright. A frown on his lips made itself present. Despite his rocky start with Kaneki, Nishiki truly did care about the other.

When everyone managed to get back together, none of them thought that Kaneki would be able to recover.

However, by some stroke of luck, Kaneki was now able to go back to university and shyly interact with others. He even came to work at the café again, but nowhere near as much as he used to. He was back to making coffee for others, and occasionally himself, to enjoy. The circling motion to make the drink had been able to help him relax and calm his nerves for some reason. Plus, he had gotten quite good at making the dark beverage. However, one question refused to evacuate the minds of those who rescued Kaneki.

How was he able to stay himself?

November 6, 2022

"Oh! It's 12:30," Kaneki smiled, obviously excited.

Looking over at her coworker and friend, Touka asked, "What's got you so excited?"

"Ah, my cousin, Kazuto, is going to help me learn a game he was a beta player for. I'm excited, but nervous too because this is my first time. I'm much more a reader than gamer."

Touka nodded her head in agreement and asked, "Which one?"

"Sword Art Online. Umm, SAO for short," as he took off his apron, Kaneki said, "Since I have the rest of the day off, I'll see you tomorrow, Touka-chan! I'll tell you about the game during our shift. Have a nice evening."

Kaneki walked out of the coffee shop, and made a beeline for his home. He had gotten no trouble from other ghouls, nor had he crossed paths with any Doves. The journey was short, and he made it back with fifteen minutes to spare. Upon entering his abode, the young ghoul locked the door and placed his shoes to the side. He ran upstairs, almost tripping on the way up.

When he got to his room, he searched for all the things necessary for his first dive. Kaneki didn't bother changing clothes; he was too excited. He took his NerveGear that he had bought two days ago and connected it to the outlet in the wall. Grabbing the booklet that came with the game, he began to read the provided information. He wanted to be prepared for when his cousin helped him today. Kazuto had already done so much for him. Thinking of his younger cousin, Kaneki smiled fondly. Kazuto had been the one to give Kaneki the game after he agreed to try it out himself. Despite being six years younger than Kaneki, his cousin had always been one of the closest people to the bookworm, right after Hide, of course. That boy was Kaneki's best, first, and basically only friend.

Focusing his mind back to the pages in front of him, Kaneki learned that this VRMMORPG that he would be entering is much different than most. For one, it was a sword type only; no magic staves and books or guns. Hence the name. Also, it didn't have any subclasses or advanced classes. He hesitated on the last one. Apparently some beta players had given themselves roles, an example being Knight. Kaneki found it not-so surprising that people could submerse themselves in another life. He wondered if that would happen to him. After all, it happened to Kazuto when he was playing the beta.

I wonder what he'll think of me if he were to find out…

This game, Sword Art Online, was created by one of the top geniuses in the game production industry, Kayaba Akihiko. The man also designed the Second Generation FullDive machine known as the NerveGear with Argus producing it. Looking to the gaming helmet on his bed, Kaneki became more excited about playing. He was sure his first FullDive would be memorable. In his peripheral vision, he noticed that there were only five more minutes until players could enter the game. Time to start the calibration.

Reading an explanatory page, Kaneki started the process. He put the game in the console and sat back on his bed while putting on the NerveGear. The booklet said he had to calibrate the headset since he was new, and so started touching the various places on his body as indicated. Once the first part of the pre-game status check was complete, Kaneki laid down. With excitement in his voice, he called out, "Link start!" He finished the check by connecting the five senses to the game. Pretty neat! Next he would create a username with a password and be able to create his character. Kaneki was then surrounded by colored beams that led to a scene that read Create Your Avatar at the top. Soon he would be introduced to the world his cousin loved so much. He vaguely wondered if the other presence would be able to come into the game with him.

Designing his avatar took a bit, but Kaneki finally decided to go with attributes of both his human and ghoul sides. The character was slightly taller than him with shorter black hair and a black eye with a red iris. The extra payment for the customized eye seemed worth it to him. He wasn't really sure what prompted him to buy the eye, but he did so nonetheless. The only thing that had been an obvious change was the facial structure of the artificial body. He had made his eyes a little more open, as if they were pleasantly surprised. The face was a little longer too. Overall, the newly created avatar looked like an older, more mature Kaneki. He also noted that he looked a little like a bishie.

As Kaneki hit OK one last time, the welcome page was revealed. After a moment, the screen became the beams again, this time different shades of blue. The beams eventually faded to glass-like shards. Wait. That's not quite right. They were more like… pixelated polygons. Within seconds, the pieces took shape to form an area.

Kaneki was finally in Sword Art Online.

Glancing up at the top left corner of his view, he let out a smile. This might just be a virtual reality, but Kaneki had just made a new life for himself. That new body and name in the corner proved it.

Looking down at his virtual body, Kaneki couldn't help but to let out an excited, "Alright!"

The artificial vessel looked better than he could have ever anticipated. His character wore a red, long-sleeved tunic with a leather breastplate and belt pouch. His lower half was dressed with more or less the same simplicity as the top. Loose, black pants and brown boots were obvious to the eyes.

Right in front of him was what he would soon know to be the Black Iron Palace. It looked as if it was made to faintly resemble the Taj Mahal with a Greek column fence. An odd combination, indeed. It was definitely a sight for sore eyes compared to some of the structures surrounding it. He glanced behind himself and saw a clock tower, within it contained a bell.

As he looked in different directions, Kaneki was almost overwhelmed by the details of the game. Everything just looked so real. If he hadn't know better, he would have thought this was an old village in Europe or something. The streets were made of brick, as were the buildings with the exception of the palace. He had a feeling that there would be small stalls along the sides of buildings if he went to them. He froze momentarily. How did he walk again?

"Just walk like you normally would. Do not think of this as a game. Think of it as if it were real. There was a purpose for those calibrations, remember? It is called a FullDive for a reason," a familiar voice answered him. It seemed the other was able to enter the game as well.

Blushing in slight embarrassment, Kaneki followed the voice's advice. Soon enough, he was on his way to what seemed a popular area. His prior guess about the stalls was correct. The small shops in the streets were simple and pragmatic. Tables, barrels, vases, and boxes surrounded the stalls to help hold and display merchandise. An awning was present for both the patron and proprietor's convenience. Shops of all sorts were present: food, jewelry, weapons, armor, knickknacks, almost anything.

Walking up to a stall with food, he spotted what looked like a couple, or at least a guy trying to party up with a girl. He smiled to himself. It seemed that even in games like Sword Art Online, people could form relations. He briefly wondered if a couple could get married before pushing that thought to the back of his mind.

Turning his attention back to the table in front of him, the ghoul couldn't help the nervous sigh. In return he got a few stares, but could anyone really fault him? In the real world, he could no longer eat normal food with others. There was no more delicious burgers with Hide. It was replaced by human flesh. To blend in with humans, he could swallow the food, but would have to puke it back later. The only thing he could still enjoy with his dear friend with the assorted tastes of coffee.

He walked away after deciding against buying the food being sold at the stand. After all, what would be the point if it just came back up?

As he walked to an empty space against a wall a fair distance from the shopping area, Kaneki swiped down his menu. Trying to figure out the basic functions seemed beneficial for the future. Let's see… five main sections with subcategories…

"Inventory/Equipment, Communications, and Maps/Quest will most likely help you the most right now. Inventory contains your items, skills and equipment. Meanwhile, Communications allow you to befriend, trade and duel other players. Also, to answer your question from earlier, marriage is permitted; it is also in Communications," the voice helpfully inputted, "There are maps available too for when you decide to go to fields or dungeons. If you happen to accept but forget a quest, there are descriptions to aid its completion. These functions are located in the third category. The rest, you can learn later."

Dungeons? What are those exactly?

"More secluded, higher level areas in the game." Kaneki nodded in understanding.

He decided that would explore the areas around the town first before seeking out his cousin. He wanted to try things out before getting an explanation of the games' features and functions. After all, this was an adventure game.

The one-eyed ghoul pushed himself off the wall and started walking towards what seemed to be an entrance to the town. Figuring that there must be something to do outside, he went out. Kaneki was automatically greeted by a slight breeze and the glare of the sun. The number of clouds in the sky was minimal. Lush looking grass was spread about as if it was a genuine field.

Taking in a deep breath, the beginner ran out into the open. It felt so nice and relaxing being out here. He ran further and further from the town until he soon came upon a herd of boars. He couldn't help but to wonder why they were here.

"They are monsters that you can kill in order to get items such as potions, weapons, equipment, and materials to make better items. However, weapons and equipment will be lower quality since this is only the first floor."

If I beat monsters here and got items, would they be worth trying to get if there are better ones that will come later on?

"Yes, most Virtual Reality games take a player a while to level up, so it would be best to gain equipment if it will better you, especially if you only have to pay with time and not money."

Kaneki hummed in response. Looking back at the boars, he released a little chuckle and shook his head. He didn't feel like getting his ass handed to him just yet. While both he and the digital boar had red eyes, he was pretty sure that he'd lose. Besides, Kaneki had a feeling that the battle system in the game was more than just raising a fist and punching the monster. Well, that and also the fact that he hadn't bought any weapons or armor before coming out to the field. Scratching his cheek in embarrassment, Kaneki decided that he wouldn't tell Kazuto he did that when they met. He didn't want to seem like that much of a noob.

He had been out in the field for two hours, give or take a few minutes. Deciding to take a break, Kaneki headed back to the area closer to the town. He arrived there relatively quickly. After glancing around in search of something, he found a target. A few meters out stood a large tree that was casting an equally large shadow. He walked over, and sat with his back against the trunk. As far as tree bark goes, it wasn't rigidity or uncomfortable.

His head tilted up, meeting the rays of sun the shined between the gaps in the leaves. As he looked up at the sun, the young ghoul let out a sigh. It was just so peaceful in Sword Art Online.

With those thoughts in his mind, he dozed off, not meaning to.

Upon waking after his unintentional nap, Kaneki was greeted by a gentle breeze. Kaneki lifted his arms above and away from his body, stretching. After brief second of overextending his upper limbs, Kaneki sagged. That nap was really something, and he had learned something he hadn't known before: a player can sleep in the game without the consequence of being logged out. From his limited knowledge, Kaneki remembered that a lot of games logged a player out of the game if the player was idle for too long.

The minute hand on the town clock struck the six, signaling 17:30. A deep vibration from a bell rang out. Kaneki lifted an eyebrow. That wasn't like normal striking clocks. It hadn't rung on the hour, nor did it strike five times. Should it have been six? Kaneki scratched his cheek in confusion.

All of a sudden his body was encased in a blue light. When the lighted faded away, Kaneki noticed that he was back in the plaza he had left a few hours ago. He became startled as he was not the person to teleport himself there. He hadn't even known he could teleport. One minute he was enjoying the beautifully detailed sunset, and the next, he was in a steady-growing crowd in the center of town. As others teleported to the area, he noticed the couple he saw earlier near the stalls. They were still together, so he assumed the guy ended up getting the girl to agree to a party with him.

Looking down, Kaneki bit his lip, pondering if he should ask the couple if they knew what was going on. After worrying his lip for a few seconds longer, he decided to give it a go. At least then if the answer was "no", he would know whether or not he missed something important. Swallowing nervously, he turned to the couple and tapped the man on the shoulder.

"Excuse me," Kaneki said shyly, "Do you know what's going on?"

"Sorry, but I have no clue," the man said as the girl wrapped her arm around him tighter.

The bell stopped tilting side to side, halting the ringing sound. Moments later, the plaza quieted down as everyone's attention soon focused on the blinking, red polygon. The word WARNING was neatly in the middle. The single shape was soon joined by more, some saying System Announcement, until the whole sky was covered in them. Red liquid seemed to bleed through the polygons.

"Please don't let that be blood," Kaneki chanted to himself.

The liquid came together to form something and started to spark as if it was getting electrocuted, which might not have been too far off the mark. A hooded figure sat up from the condensed mass. It was clad in a red cloak that was trimmed with gold, accompanied by white gloves. There were a few comments from other players questioning if the figure was the GM, whatever that was. The male Kaneki had talked to a few minutes ago told the girl that it might just be a continuation of the opening ceremony. Kaneki sure hoped so.

"Attention, players. Welcome to my world," an unrecognizable voice said, startling Kaneki out of his thoughts, "My name is Kayaba Akihiko. I am currently the one and only person who can control this world. I'm sure that you've all noticed that the logout button on the main menu has been removed." The figure's hand swiped downward, making his player menu appear. "However, this is by no means a mistake. I repeat, it is not a mistake, but a feature of the true Sword Art Online."

What? He's... he's kidding, right?

The voice he was familiar with stayed silent.

Kayaba's announcement continued. "You are all unable to logout of SAO, and nobody in the real world can remove the NerveGear or interrupt its operation. Should it be attempted, a powerful burst of microwave radiation emitted from a transmitter in the NerveGear will destroy your brain, thus ending your life."

Is-is he serious? Would he really joke about that? That's… not funny… at all.

The male next to Kaneki scoffed in disbelief. The guy took a hold of his companion's hand, and the couple walked to edge of plaza. Trying to leave, no doubt. However, they were blocked. "Hey! We can't get out!" the man cried. Kaneki whipped his head in their direction and saw the man pounding on what seemed to be a force field. Kaneki nervously gulped and turned back to listen to Kayaba. He was starting to feel caged.

"Unfortunately, it's certainly possible that a player's family or friends would ignore this warning and attempt to forcibly remove the NerveGear. As proof of this, 213 players have retired from both this world and the real one." Multiple different newsfeeds appeared suddenly next to Kayaba's giant. Kaneki recognized some of the stations, and others he didn't. For reason, his instantly found the report that head the breaking news headline of Online Game Incident Claims Numerous Victims. "As you can see, news of my warning and the numerous victims are being spread worldwide. Thus, it should be safe to say that the danger of removal attempts has become minimal. I hope you will all be at ease and focus on completing the game."

"But, I'd like you all to keep this in mind. From this point on, all methods of revival in the game will no longer function. If your HP hits zero, your avatar will perish for eternity, and at that moment," in a synchronized manner, the newsfeeds vanished, "the NerveGear will destroy your brain."

"There is only one condition you must meet to be free: the completion of this game." A multileveled hologram appeared in light blue. Undoubtedly, it was a schematic of Aincrad. "You are currently on the first floor, the lowest point in Aincrad. If you conquer a floor's dungeon and defeat the Floor Boss, you may continue up to the next one. Assuming you manage to defeat the final boss on the 100th floor, the game will be considered cleared."

Kaneki's eyes widen in shock. All one hundred floors?! That's so many… Is-is it even possible? People… so many of them are going to die. At that thought, Kaneki willed his eyes shut, and took steadying breaths. He couldn't help thinking of Kouta, Kei, and those other two who tried to aide him.

"And lastly, I've prepared a present for all of you in your item storages. Take a look." That wasn't a suggestion.

The area in between Kaneki's eyebrows wrinkled in concern. Drawing his hand up in front of him, he swiped down, opening his menu. He quickly opened his inventory. There was only one item, one he knew he hadn't placed there. The word "Mirror" stared back at him. Tapping on the item name made a confirmation request page slide into place over "Mirror". After hesitating briefly, Kaneki pressed the accept button. The area just in front of him glowed white, and an object formed, the mirror, before it dropped into his awaiting hand. As soon as the object solidified, his menu folded back in on itself and disappeared.

Kaneki peered into the object in his hand. After a quick inspection, he frowned. Was there something he was supposed to see other than his avatar's face? Was there something different about it? Everything he remembered when he created his avatar was still there, no alterations made. An unexpected, bright light shined out from his body, enveloping him. From the panicked cries he heard, Kaneki faintly assumed this was happening to the others around him.

Kaneki squeezed his eyes shut, hoping that whatever was happening would be over soon. He got his wish. The light seemed to disappear as abruptly as it appeared. He looks into the mirror and sees his own face, but with the black hair and customized eye. He jerks back in confusion. Looks around to see if anyone else had same thing happen. Hears other people's confusion, especially the couples.

"You're a guy?" a plump teen cried. By rescanning the crowd, Kaneki learned that this was the most case for players. A large portion of girls he saw seconds ago were replaced by larger, more masculine forms.

"You lied about being seventeen?" a lanky man demanded.

Looking back at the mirror in his hand, he quietly pondered how he looked like he normally does. It wasn't exact, but it was close.

It might seem vain to some people, but Kaneki was glad that the black hair stayed. After all, he had chosen it so he wouldn't have a constant reminder of his time with Jason. That was an ordeal he would have given almost anything to not remember. Ever since becoming a ghoul, Kaneki's life had become much harsher and frightening. That being said, not all of his time as a ghoul was horrible. He got to meet new people and gained new friends, hadn't he? Got to see the world from a new perspective?

The voice answered his question curtly, "It is more than likely because of the pat down you did before entering the game. The head console has a camera built into it. That is mostly why you have your true face."

Oh, right. Kaneki vaguely remembered reading that when he opened the NerveGear box a couple of days ago.

"Right now, you're probably all wondering, 'Why?'" Kayaba mused, gaining everyone's attention again, "'Why would I, Kayaba Akihiko, the creator of Sword Art Online and the NerveGear, do such a thing?'"

"Damn right, you bastard," a feminine voice closer to the clock screeched.

"I have already achieved my goal. I created the world of Sword Art Online solely for my personal enjoyment. And now the preparations are complete. This concludes the tutorial for the official launch of Sword Art Online." The giant figure started to vanish as soon as he left his parting words, "Players, I wish you the best of luck."

The red shapes immediately cleared from the sky as one, revealing the setting sun's reflection off the palace's dome. Like when he had first logged in to the game, all Kaneki could do was stare at the large structure once more, but this time with horror. The once beautiful palace had turned into an eyesore. Kaneki's eyes widened with a sense of dread.

A deafening silence consumed the plaza. Everyone could only stare in the direction Kayaba had been only moments ago in disbelieve. The silence was soon broken by the sounds of shattering glass. Sword Art Online was a game where magic wouldn't be used, but it suddenly felt like a spell had been lifted from the crowd. The people all around started pushing and screaming. There were demands to be let out of the game. They had to be somewhere soon. They had to do something in a while. They didn't want to be stuck there. Kaneki could only stand there, feeling the rise and fall of his chest quicken. Soon enough he heard his breath shorten and some part of him realized he was starting to hyperventilate.

"Ken," a familiar voice called, "You are alright. Calm down. Breathe in through your nose and out your mouth."

Kaneki did as the voice said, his breath getting caught in his throat occasionally, putting a stutter in the gas flow.

Reassuringly, the voice praised, "Good. You are doing well, Ken. Just keep breathing like that. You need to move though. Get to somewhere less crowded. You will not feel as trapped." Once again, Kaneki did as the voice said.

The force field keeping the players trapped in the plaza had faded away. Quickly scanning the crowd, Kaneki found an opening and ran through it, bumping into several players as he made his escape to somewhere other than there. Not knowing where to go, he started to run in a random direction. He wasn't running for long, but when his legs stopped moving, he realized that he made his way back to the alley he had been in when checking his menu. He hadn't cared where he ended up, just needed to be away from all the noise.

Terror steadily left him, but a sense of panic lingered in his mind. After all, how could someone do that? How could a person condemn all these people to a game of death? What gives a person the right to do something like that?

Why would he do that?

Once again, for the second time in his life, he felt trapped. Kaneki didn't want to be alone in this situation. He didn't want to be trapped and alone again.

"Alone?" the voiced questioned, "Do you not remember what I told you when you first met me? 'I am right here with you, in your mind because I am apart of you. I will protect you. I am your ghoul.'"

Oh right, the voice had told him that, hadn't it? Swallowing tightly, Kaneki hopefully decided that perhaps, he wasn't as alone as he had initially thought after all.

"Life is a series of experiences, each one of which makes us bigger, even though sometimes it is hard to realize this. For the world was built to develop character, and we must learn that the setbacks and grieves which we endure help us in our marching onward." –Henry Ford

Thank you very much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this pilot chapter. If not, leave a review with what you think I could improve on? Actually, leave a review anyway. I would love to get some feedback and read your thoughts.

Thanks again. Have a nice day or night!