Part I:

Chapter One

Night descended over the Town of Beginnings like a blanket thrown over a child, the cerulean skies yielding to a faint gold then a fiery red before the sun disappeared over the horizon. Replaced with an inky blank, stars flickered into view on the faux sky projected onto the ceiling of the flying castle's first level. The transition was rendered perfectly, the unique landscape of Aincrad offering a view unrivaled anywhere on Earth. A young programmer spent months studying the precise details of sunsets across the globe, determined to make a spectacle unlike any other. Though many still cast their gaze skyward, no one paid the sunset much attention anymore. Instead, their thoughts drifted to the second floor on the the other side of that sky, both tantalizingly close and insurmountably far away.

Torches along the streets sparked to life of their own accord, bathing the city with a warm, gentle glow. The background music loop transitioned from a boisterous brass and percussion symphony to a gentle piano version of the same song. The roar of activity among the street side vendors had quieted to a mere hum, with only a handful of NPCs still manning their booths and hawking their wares to passersby. Other NPCs mingled with players in the streets themselves, but the two groups were easily distinguished. The computer controlled cast bounded along, full of vigor and pleasant small talk routines. They possessed a wide range of emotions, but many laughed. Almost all of them grinned.

On the other hand, not a single player smiled. The majority stared into the middle distance as they trudged forward, most retiring from the night after days in the field in a desperate attempt to raise their levels. Their expressions ranged from disbelief to horror, resignation to despair, a few faces contorted into snarls of anger. But not a single player showed any hint of enthusiasm. In contrast to the joyful bed of music behind them, they moved like a giant, meandering funeral procession.

Being trapped in a death game had that effect on people.

A lone figure wove her way through the throng, one of the few who didn't travel in a larger group. She tugged at the hem of her hooded cloak, her face hidden beneath it. The disguise wasn't to hide her identity, for no one would recognize her, even after Akihiko Kayaba stripped them of the anonymity of their avatars. Rather, she didn't want them to see her and assume she needed their protection. There had been at least a dozen such offers at the panic in the town square reached a crescendo after the announcement that players could only log out of Sword Art Online after defeating the final floor and that death in this world would mean death in real life as well. Well, some felt less like offers and more like demands. They ranged from meek to insistent, valiant to knavish, each with their own unique sales pitch. They all boiled down to the thing, however. A pretty girl needed protection, she surely couldn't take care of herself. So each time, Asuna Yuuki turned them down.

The day before he left on his fateful business trip, Koichirou warned her about the other players. Their parents deemed video games a waste of time, at least until her father's company got into the business. Studying them fell to her brother, and the thing he enjoyed the least were his fellow players. He told her they liked to wear masks that went beyond the avatars Kayaba stripped away. They lurked behind invented personas, playing characters that matched who they longed to be. In the digital world, he explained, the meek became powerful, the cowardly brave... but inevitably, their anonymity led to cruelty. Everything she experienced bore that out. Hadn't the first player she met warned her about player killers? Rumors persisted the PKers still plied their trade, despite it now being real murder. And how could she trust her fellow players, when the handsome swordsman Takaharu turned out to be a short haired young girl?

How could she get close to them, when she'd already seen one die?

Her shoulder slammed hard into a passing NPC. Though an Immortal Object message appeared over his head, he still staggered and muttered an unintelligible curse as he stormed away. The contact didn't damage Asuna either, thanks to the safety zone that protected the city. Regardless, she moved from the middle of the street to the less trafficked sides. Beyond the odd shop vendor waving hello, she came close enough to eavesdrop on a few of the conversations between the players.

"You know that wannabe guild, Fuurinkazan? I heard they went out this morning and haven't come back. They're gone, I just know it!"

"Another guy just up and disappeared today. Think his family just got tired of waiting and pulled the plug?"

"There's a huge monster guarding the fields to the west. No one's even been able to damage it so far!"

"Kayaba stacked the deck, he knows no one can beat the game! He's watching us die for his own sick amusement!"

"It doesn't really matter how it happens, we're all gonna die anyway."

The last remark slowed Asuna with a shudder. She'd taken to eavesdropping for a variety of reasons, but it almost meant learning just how close many players were to giving up hope. Optimism had been in short supply since Kayaba's announcement, and the game whittled away at it every day. Groups left early in the morning and came back short a few members each day, and some never came back at all. When players went to the location of the labyrinth from the beta test, they found only an empty field crawling with monsters. What faith remained hinged on a single player, a name Asuna heard more and more of each day.

Doraku.

The stories began small. Believable, even. A group of players calling themselves the Moonlit Black Cats were the first to talk about him. They'd been just outside town, earning experience when a rare mob unexpectedly spawned and overpowered them. But before the beast could land a killing blow, another player swooped in. The masked warrior dispatched the monster with ease and shepherded the party to safety. The mysterious player never joined their party, didn't come into town and sidestepped every question they asked about him. They only gave them their name: Doraku.

From there, the legend of Doraku grew to mythic proportions. They showed up regularly, slaying enemies and saving hopelessly outmatched players. Doraku, they claimed, was seven feet tall, terrifyingly powerful and lightning fast, at least a good dozen levels higher than any other player. When they weren't defeating powerful monsters with one strike, they were carrying players on their back or distributing a wealth of healing crystals. They showed up when players needed them most, when their health dipped into the yellow or red, when they were surrounded and unable to flee. The description, skills and even gender of Doraku changed with each story. Only one thing remained consistent between them all: A growing belief that this mysterious warrior would free them from SAO.

As spectacular as the stories were, the Monument of Life cast doubt on them all. The names of every player in Sword Art Online was carved into the massive stone monument, the names of each one who fell struck through. There were ten thousand names in total, and not one of them was Doraku. Some players clung to the myth, and theories abounded to account for the absence. Was Doraku a friendly NPC? Unlikely, because the icons above NPCs and players were different. Perhaps they were an administrator or even a team of GMs, still able to access the game. Perhaps someone even hacked into the game as part of a rescue effort?

Asuna believed people invented Doraku to distract from harsh realities. Doraku gave them something to pin their hopes on, a candle of hope to keep players motivated during their darkest days. But Asuna refused to believe such a hero would swoop in and save them. They'd already lost two thousand players and were no closer to escaping the first floor than they had been from the start. Even if Doraku existed, they didn't change that reality.

She veered off the main thoroughfare and weaved her way through the back streets until she reached the tiny inn she'd called home for the past two weeks. Many players opted for rooms in the larger buildings so their groups could stay close together. Hers felt like a small bed and breakfast, perfect for a solo player. Only a handful of rooms, a pair of rarely used common spaces, and a small kitchen that provided breakfast. It was quiet, isolated and(save one irritating exception), the other residents left her alone.

Best of all, one of the common spaces was a large library.

It startled her to discover all of the books on the shelves were real, filled with actual text. Subjects ranged from the history of Aincrad to the game's various subskills like blacksmithing, tailoring and cooking. For Asuna, the tomes on combat drew her attention the most. She read them cover to cover, devouring their advice as she learned how best to maximize her meager skills. Some days she ventured out to the small combat schools, always picked one with no one else around, and perfected the one basic Sword Skill she had learned until she could execute it flawlessly.

Tugging open the front door, Asuna kept her head down and offered a curt wave to the older woman behind the counter. In addition to renting rooms and taking col, the services NPCs had a few basic conversation routines, some unlocking hidden quests. Asuna hadn't explored a single one, keeping the relationship between them strictly business. She avoided conversation with human players out in the city, so she saw no sense in chatting to a computer. A single flight of stairs now, then she could relax in the safety of her room.

"Out all day again, A-chan? Did you actually leave the city this time?"

Unless she ran across the one player she couldn't avoid talking to.

"He's asking again isn't he?"

"What an interesting question! But you can't expect Big Sister to part with that information without a little bit of col, now can you?"

Asuna had a brother but no sisters, and there were times Argo the Rat made her thankful for it. She was short, with mousy brown hair that framed her youthful face. Her most notable feature was a set of whiskers painted onto her cheeks, the source of her unusual nickname. They'd met the first day she found the inn, both preferring its isolation for different reasons. Unlike Asuna, however, Argo loved to talk. Actually, that wasn't quite accurate... Argo needed to talk, since she was the game's sole information broker.

It wasn't that Asuna disliked Argo. She found her pleasant enough, and when her supply of col started to run short, Argo stepped up to pay for the room. But the Rat called it a retainer, and asked Asuna to listen to other players as she wandered across the city. Argo had already started to garner a reputation, and people might be a little looser with their words around a nondescript player like Asuna. Since she'd yet to work up the nerve to step outside the city's perimeter, that helped her stay afloat. But anything Asuna said could be sold to the highest bidder, and one player in particular kept tabs on her. Thus far Argo respected her privacy, but at some point he might earn enough col to change that.

"I don't have much col left, but I heard a few things," Asuna said. With that, she started to rely all she overheard over the course of the day. Of most interest to Argo were details of new areas being explored, and of the nascent guilds beginning to form. Several players gravitated around a player named Kibaou. Two players named Thinker and Godfree had built up small but loyal followings as well. And while Asuna couldn't confirm the story of a giant midboss to the west, several people reported new rare mobs near the frontier of the first floor, monsters with high defense that even capable players had yet to defeat.

"They upgraded those from the beta," Argo said of the shielded beasts.

She mentioned the beta so casually, Asuna almost forgot how startling it was Argo shared it with her. While she eavesdropped, she quickly learned that the phrase beta tester had become a dirty word. With only the looming specter of Akihiko Kayaba to blame for their predicament, many players turned their ire toward the players who played Sword Art Online before the general public. They'd kept key information from the new players, or so people claimed. Had they shared what they knew, there would have been far fewer casualties and perhaps the players could have even reached the elusive second floor. Never mind that the labyrinth's location had moved from the beta, or that other details were different according to Argo. Kibaou, the nascent guild leader, claimed the labyrinth story was a trap, though no one explained what the beta testers hoped to gain from such a scheme. Of all the things Asuna told Argo about, she never mentioned the beta tester hatred. She already knew all too well.

She was about to leave when she stopped on the first step of the stairs, her voice somber as she spoke. "Oh... I also heard a few people talk about a guild name Fuurinkazan. They went out yesterday and still haven't come back to the city yet. People are worried-"

"Not to worry, A-chan," Argo said and flashed her a knowing look. "I know the leader of that guild, and they're fine. In fact, they made a lot of money today."

"I'd ask what you meant, but I can't imagine that information would come free." Asuna's expression turned hopeful. "Maybe I could trade some of the Doraku rumors-"

"Big Sis doesn't deal in fairy tales. Hmmmm..." Argo pressed a finger to her temple, then glanced over her shoulder as though worried someone might be listening. Then her attention returned to Asuna. "You brought a lot of good information today, so I'll let you in on the secret. Just swear not to tell anyone else."

"Who else would I tell?"

Argo clasped her hands together. "Good point! Besides, I know you don't do much haggling. You're terrible at it."

"You're overstating things."

"You traded a shield for a few loaves of terrible bread, A-chan. Trust me, you'd be lost without Big Sis." Argo opened her menu, and a few seconds later, Asuna's popped up with a message. Opening it, she saw a map of the first floor of Aincrad. Unlike previous versions, the map data was almost complete. It was no small feat, and not the sort of thing Argo gave away for free.

"Fuurinkazan explored most of the map, didn't they?"

"Mmmm hmmm. But keep looking."

"It seems pretty standard, except for this red box in the corner. I've never seen anything like-" The realization hit Asuna at once, and her eyes widened. "Wait, is that what I think it is?"

Argo snickered. "The labyrinth to the second floor. They found it."

For a few minutes, Argo fed Asuna every bit of information she had on the dungeon, and shockingly didn't ask any money for her trouble. Given the change she already noted, Argo suspected the labyrinth itself would have altered as well, rendering the experience of the previous beta testers within moot. Undoubtedly, this new dungeon would be challenging for even the most experienced and powerful players in the game. After a little haggling to keep her information out of the hands of the player who'd been asking about her for weeks, she excused herself to go upstairs to her room. But she turned back to Argo once more and frowned. There was one other piece of information she needed to know.

"How many today?"

"You really want to know?"

Asuna nodded.

"Twenty three."

At the top of the steps, a floating message on the room next to Asuna's declared it vacant. She tried not to dwell on what happened to the former occupant.

Once in the safety of her room, Asuna unequipped the cloak along with her sword and armor and switched into casual clothes. Her long chestnut brown hair spilled around her shoulders as she closed the menu. She flopped hard onto the threadbare bed in one corner, its paper thin mattress providing little cushioning or comfort. The room itself was as shabby as the bed, from a rickety desk near the window to a tiny chest of drawers that no one would ever use, thanks to the game's expansive inventory system. These were notes of authenticity from a designer who probably never imagined anyone would sleep on the dingy mattress for more than a single night, let alone two weeks.

Asuna longed for her plush bed back home, with its fluffy pillows, warm comforter and silk sheets. She saw it every time she closed her eyes, down to the faded stain on the right corner where she spilled a cup of tea last year. She missed the desk as well, where she would've spent her evening, working through home work as the aroma of Mrs. Sada's cooking wafted in from downstairs. Asuna imagined tonkatsu with a side of edamame cooked with honey and wasabi. She missed Mrs. Sada's meals even more than the bed. But most of all she missed Kuroshiro.

The little stuffed panda's white fur had yellowed with age, the tag on his leg frayed and faded to the point of being illegible. He bore the scars of their adventures: scratches that marred his brown eyes, a single black thread pulled loose from his embroidered nose, a seam sewn with dark gray thread on his right arm from an emergency surgery to reattach it. The curly red ribbon tied around his neck, however, remained pristine. The gift tag attached the day she received it was tucked safely away in her desk drawer; both were precious reminders of the beloved gift. Even when she grew older and Kuroshiro was no longer her constant traveling companion, he still held a special place in her heart. Sometimes she'd boast to him about a good test score or vent frustrations with a classmate, and on her worst days she picked him up, hugged him to her chest and sobbed into his fur. She swore she could still smell lingering traces of her grandmother's perfume when she held him close. Even after all these years, he'd never surrendered his place on her bed.

She longed for him now, when no answers came to her and she had no one else to turn to for comfort. No doubt he still guarded her bed, even if she'd long since been moved. She left Kuroshiro there she laid down on the bed, the bulky helmet of the NerveGear over her head. Her brother moved it, along with his computer, into her bedroom just before he left on his business trip.

"In case you spend more time in the virtual world than you expect."

Those words still echoed in her mind.

Did they linger in her brother's mind as well? Perhaps, but she wouldn't have been shocked to learn that he bottled up his feelings and pushed the anger and guilt aside to maintain appearances. The Yuuki family's skill in burying their feelings matched their knack for business. Kouichirou inherited her father's stoic mask, and until recently never even let it drop around her. And her mother? She'd never seen her cry, not once. Not even at the funeral for either of her parents.

Asuna heard her cry, always behind the closed door of her study, always late at night when she thought everyone else was asleep. Shortly after her grandmother's death, Asuna happened to walk by late at night. She thought to go downstairs, step inside and comfort her mother, the way she always wanted to be comforted. But Mother wiped away her tears before turning to face her, furious at the intrusion. Asuna cried herself to sleep that night, comforted only by Kuroshiro.

Did her mother offer the same curt nods and icy demeanor when asked about her? Did she close the door of her study to weep in peace? She must have, though Asuna couldn't help but imagine she also openly bemoaned her daughter's fate and the frivolous decision to play a video game over her studies. After all, Kyouko Yuuki had planned her daughter's future in meticulous detail. No detail had been left unattended, from the school she attended and the courses she took to her schedule at home and the activities she took part in. She'd even chosen the man Asuna would one day marry, the thought of which still disgusted Asuna. If there was one advantage to being trapped in SAO, it was not having to deal with Sugou.

But would Mother blame Asuna, or her brother?

She could venture a guess. Koichirou had always been the perfect dutiful son as long as Asuna could remember. His was the example she could never quite live up to. He scored higher on each test than Asuna, managed each household task better than Asuna could ever hope. He never got so much as a disapproving look from her parents, or least never one that she saw. He always gave them something to brag about. For Asuna, everything could always be done just a little bit better, a little bit faster. A little bit more like Koichirou.

Yet he volunteered to test Sword Art Online, then suggested she try it while he was away. Had that never happened, both of them would have been spared. It would have still been a tragedy, but a safely distant one. They'd offer a few sympathetic words, be grateful for that fortunate business trip that spared Kouichirou his fate, then never speak of it again.

But she had logged in, and her life would never be the same.

Asuna wasn't sure how long she'd been in bed when the message icon flashed at the corner of her vision. She sat up, opened the menu and saw another new message from the only person in her contact list besides Argo. The sixth one this week, even though she'd not replied to a single one.

Please just tell me you're safe, and you're not doing anything foolish.

She stared into the darkness, hands balling into fists. She knew he was concerned, but he'd been the first to insist on protecting her. Takaharu jokingly called him her knight in shining armor, and perhaps the moniker went to his head.

"We'll be safer together. I have a plan," he'd said. Though she liked him, he assumed he knew what was best for her. Like the others, he never asked what she wanted.

Her attention turned to the message from Argo, and she thought once more on words she'd heard from a player earlier in the night. She'd heard the same thought numerous times, but for some reason it stuck more than ever.

"It doesn't really matter how it happens, we're all gonna die anyway."

She rose to her feet, opened the menu. Equipped her gear. Pulled the cloak over her face. Looked back on the room once more. Made her way down the stairs.

A single weapons vendor remained open this late at night, and Asuna bought a half dozen iron rapiers, since no better weapon was available. The basic swords weren't very durable, so she'd need as many as possible. She gave almost all of her remaining col to buy a handful of healing potions. Once done, she made her way to the edge of town, to the boundary of the safety barrier she'd hidden behind for two weeks. She opened the map to confirm her route, took in a deep breath, then crossed the threshold into the overworld of the first floor for the first time since Kayaba's announcement and started her journey.

Perhaps she wouldn't survive her first battle in the labyrinth, maybe even killed in the field before she reached it. Inevitably, she'd run out of weapons or healing potions and the monsters would finish her. The only question was when. She cast a glance over her shoulder at the Town of Beginnings, sparing it once more look before she turned away from it forever.

Kayaba's twisted game would claim them all eventually, and no one would be able to save them. But if Asuna Yuuki was to die, she'd do so by choosing her own path.

She stared death in the face only once before.

The cacophony around her made it difficult for Asuna to think, feeling as though the tiny room might close in further around them. The rhythmic pulse of the heart monitor, the whirr of the oxygen pump and the deep breaths behind it, the pages over the intercom in the hallway, and the beeps and clicks of at least a half dozen other machines, all attached to the man lying next to her, started to blend together after a while. She tried to tune all of it out, wanting to focus on nothing else but his hand resting in hers. Though he tried to squeeze, she could barely feel it. Those hands had been strong once, when they taught her to fish in the lake a short walk from the house or when they pulled apart oranges to share as they sat on the back porch. Though he'd grown weaker in recent years, her grandfather faded rapidly when his wife passed unexpectedly a month earlier.

Grandmother's death felt like a shot when Asuna's mother told her when she arrived home from school on that terrible day. Her family dropped all of their plans, her father even canceling a business trip, to drive to Miyagi. She'd visited her grandparents there only a few months earlier, but he seemed years older when they arrived. Mere weeks later, he'd been admitted to the hospital. Doctors informed the Yuuki family, in their infuriatingly calm tone, that he didn't have much time left. Once again, Asuna was the only one who cried.

She didn't want to remember him like this, connected to so many machines as he clung to life, his warm voice and booming laughter reduced to a mere whisper. She wanted to remember the happy times on the patio as he and Grandmother wove tales about their life together, or sitting by her as she looked out into the forest to watch the rabbits frolic. But she refused to let him be alone either, and she wanted to cherish what little time they had left together, no matter how it came.

"Your grandmother's already waiting for me," he said shortly after he was admitted to the hospital. "She'll be mad if I keep her waiting too long."

He'd not spoken since. Not until the weakened hush of his voice cut through everything else in the room.

"Don't you have better things to do than sit by an old man's bed?"

"Mother, Father and Koichirou have been so busy, so I wanted to be here."

"Silly girl, you don't need to be here for me to know you care. I carry all of you with me every day in my heart." Somehow, with all those wires attached to him, he smiled at her. "The only thing that makes me sad is I won't get to see you fulfill all that wonderful potential that's deep inside you. I know you're going to do amazing things."

"Aren't you scared?"

He shook his head, even managed a quiet little laugh. "The only reason to be scared of death is if you haven't really lived. That's one of the two most important lessons I've learned in my life."

"And the other?"

"Find an amazing person to share it all with." He must have sensed her discomfort, for he continued. "I don't mean that horrible man Kyouku picked for you, either. Trust me, you'll meet the right person and you'll know. Just like I did with your grandmother. And then? The adventure really begins."

"I hope you're right, Grandpa."

He squeezed her hand and, a few seconds later, drifted off to sleep. She didn't know it at the time, but those would be the last words she'd ever hear from her beloved grandfather.

I'll never know if Grandpa was right.

As the quartet of Ruin Kobold Troopers advanced on her, their sinister axes at the ready, that was the only thought that really mattered to Asuna.

Two days had passed since Asuna left the Town of Beginnings and sought out the labyrinth, and only she'd slept in fits and starts in the cramped safe room down the hallway since. Though she'd started off strong, better than a novice had any right to be, in the last few hours she'd gotten sloppy. She mistimed her parries and dodges, and enemies got in damage she should've easily avoided. Twice before she'd also failed to pay attention to her positioning and triggered a second kobold, forcing her to face off against a pair of enemies. Though tenacity, skill and a generous helping of lucky pushed through those battles, her mental lapses had finally caught up to her.

It started when she triggered a pair of kobolds once again and was forced to retreat. This time she triggered the aggro of a third as she ran past, and the fourth appeared to cut her off from the safe room. The quartet hounded her relentlessly, and now she was trapped in a dead end with two healing potions and the durability of her current rapier dangerously low, a single sword left in reserve. With four opponents, she'd likely never even get the window open to use them.

Her muscles ached from the strain of her previous fights as she gulped down air, unable to catch her breath. She felt light headed, the sword in her hand heavier than it had been two days ago, even two hours ago. Still, she dropped into her fight stance and readied her Linear sword skill once more. Perhaps her story would end here, but she'd take down at least a few of the kobolds with her.

The nearest kobold struck first. A typical wild strike. Despite her exhaustion dulled senses, Asuna sidestepped the attack. Her sword glowed as she activated the sword skill. The rapier slashed forward, found purchase in the kobold, then staggered it as she pulled it back. The cooldown time on the strike was minimal, giving her plenty of time to-

The second kobold's axe swung down, having advanced while her attention was on the first. She recovered with barely enough time to swing her rapier up to block the attack. On contact with the axe, Asuna's sword shattered into brightly colored polygons, not even slowing the attack. The blade slammed into her chest and she flew back from the impact. She slammed hard into the wall, air forced from her lungs. Alarm klaxons whined as her health bar depleted, dipping low into the yellow caution zone. Her vision blurred as she tried to open her window, to equip the last sword or use one of her healing potions.

But the remaining two kobolds now stepped up, axes at the ready. She had no time to equip a weapon to parry, and to roll away from one strike would put her in the path of the other. The inevitable moment had finally come.

The axes lifted into the air.

Asuna closed her eyes.

Their blades whistled through the air.

She took in a final breath.

But the killing blow never came.

Instead, the kobolds squealed in pain.

Asuna opened her eyes in time to see the two enemies flashing bright before shattering into clouds of multicolored polygons. The two remaining enemies turned from Asuna, their aggro drawn in by a new opponent.

"That's really poor hospitality, doncha think? Hardly the way to treat a lady!"

Asuna failed to see the newcomer in any detail, for they were little more than a black and purple blur of motion. As they zoomed past, a sword lashed out and struck the kobold hard. Then a second strike, followed by a third then a fourth, the arc of the blade forming a square across the kobold's chest. It staggered back a few steps before shattering like the others.

The final opponent roared, sending the massive axe hurtling at the fighter. Their blade swung up in what looked like a parry, but the sword ripped through the axe itself. The top of the weapon spun off to one side, digging into the wall before shattering. The kobold scarcely had enough time to be startled, as the sword user unleashed another volley of impossibly fast strikes. Only as the final enemy shattered did the stranger slow down, giving Asuna a clear view.

Given the powerful strikes she expected to see someone in full armor, but they'd opted for light gear. The fighter was shorter than she expected, with a slight build that seemed at odds with the strength of their attacks. Her dark purple hair was pulled into a pony tail, while a mask obscured most of her face. Despite that, she carried herself differently than any player Asuna had seen to this point, a strange sense to her demeanor than she couldn't put her finger on at first.

It had been so long since she'd seen it, she struggled to recognize joy.

The swordswoman strode over and offered her a hand.

"You okay, miss?"

"Yes." Asuna's voice was every bit as cold as hers was full of life.

"You gotta be more careful down here. All of the monsters are higher level, and it's easy to get cornered."

Asuna opened her menu, equipped the final sword and took in a deep breath. "I'll keep that in mind."

"You good on potions? I have a couple if you need them."

"I'm fine. I have a couple left."

"Only a couple? We should get you back to town for a resupply."

"I'm not going back."

For a time, the silence hung between them.

"But if you don't get more supplies, you'll-"

"You shouldn't have bothered," Asuna said. "We're all going to die anyway, so what does it matter?"

Perhaps it was her imagination, but her words seemed to stagger the young sword user as though she'd just struck her with a sword. When she spoke again, there was an undeniable note of panic in her voice.

"You can't give up. There's still hope to escape the game." She reached out and took hold of Asuna's arm. "Please."

Asuna shook her arm free and took a step forward. "The monsters are about to respawn. So if you're done..."

She never finished the thought, as her muscles finally gave out on her. She pitched forward and hit the floor of the dungeon hard, then rolled onto her back. Her vision blurred once more as the adrenaline faded and the exhaustion finally took its toll. She tried to get back to her feet, but her legs refused to heed her commands, and for a brief second she panicked. The stranger knelt by her side and yanked the mask away from her face, giving Asuna a clear view of her.

Asuna noticed her eyes first, like the warm rays of the sun kissing her face on a cold day. Not even the look of concern that passed over her innocent face could diminish their brilliance, though she felt guilty for causing it just the same. In that instant more than any other, the powerful warrior struck Asuna as delicate, even fragile in some way. She held her gaze as the darkness crept in to claim her, amazed that, in this bleak world, she'd seen something so pure... so beautiful.