Kirito looked over the crowd as "Merovech", the president of Ymir Games, finished the introduction. It was an eclectic bunch to be sure; some of them were high-level players, either wearing their normal gear or swapping it out for the best approximation of real-life formal wear the game could offer. There were many obvious new players as well; Ymir had distributed quite a few free copies of the game and set up a number of guest kiosks in preparation for this event. (The cynical part of his brain pointed out that this was a hell of an advertising opportunity, if nothing else.) Everyone he played ALO with normally was there, of course, and he was pretty sure he knew one or two of the new players, too. Mom had been vague about her plans for the day, but she'd been hinting she wanted to give full-dive VR a shot for a while; he wouldn't be surprised if she was somewhere in the crowd. And was that Nishida over there? He'd have to go say hi to the old geezer after this, maybe show him some good fishing spots.

But that would be later. Now? Now it was time for that most terrifying of challenges: public speaking. The stage and seating had been set up in Aesir Square in the center of Yggdrasil City, in front of the large and rather gaudy decorative fountain at its center. (Was it really necessary to have that many sculptures of half-naked elf girls on it?)

He took the podium. "Thank you, Merovech-san. Uh, hello, everyone. Thank you for coming here today. And thank you, too, if you're watching this on the Web, or from anywhere else. It means a lot to me. To all of us.

"For those of you who aren't VR gamers, it might seem a little weird having a...a ceremony like this inside a video game, with everyone having the wings and the ears and everything...yeah. But I think the fact that we can come together like this, regardless of where we are in Japan or even the world, is really a testament to the power of VR to bring people together, to connect the world in a way that phones and TV and the Internet only scratched the surface of.

He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath.

"Up until now, a lot of what I'm about to say has been kept under wraps. But I believe the best way to honor the dead is to speak about their life—to say what both the fallen and the survivors experienced during those two years.

"I can only really imagine how terrifying it must have been, to see your friend, your child or sibling, your loved one in the hospital day after day, not knowing what they were experiencing—whether they were safe and sound or moments away from tragedy. And I can't even begin to fathom the heartbreak of those of you who did receive the tragic news—that what should have been a harmless game had claimed another life, for what seemed like no reason at all.

"But I hope I can offer a little bit of comfort by saying that those of us who were trapped in Sword Art Online did not live in that same state of dread. Those two years in SAO were not a neverending fight for survival—many of us rarely if ever ventured outside the safe zones, and there was never any shame in that. Most of the time we were just living, the same as we did in the real world. We had friends, hobbies, even jobs; I know one woman who actually set up a home and school for the younger players. People spent their days fishing, cooking, writing, sightseeing, making friends." He smiled faintly. "Some of us even found love.

"I know how this may sound, but it has to be said—for the most part, those who fell in battle chose to put themselves in danger. They put the dream of escape, the lives of the other players ahead of their own safety, knowing the risks. They are heroes, every one of them, and deserve not just mourning but honor for their sacrifice.

He looked behind him, and gestured to the colossal floating castle floating in the distance. "That's why a group of SAO survivors, including myself, encouraged the developers of Alfheim Online to incorporate New Aincrad into the game—to immortalize SAO's fallen by recreating the battlefield where they gave their lives, and to remember them by challenging it once more, in a new world that no longer carries the danger SAO once did.

"It was...kind of controversial, I admit. There were some of us—" He glanced at a brown-haired girl with whisker-like face paint in the back, her expression blank. "—some of us who thought it wasn't really a good memorial, that over time people would just start treating it as more game content to clear.

"And the more I've thought about it, the more I've come to agree. New Aincrad alone isn't enough; we need something more to put it into context, to make sure that their sacrifice is never forgotten. And so I have been invited to let you all know that as of today, this plaza, Aesir Square, is being officially renamed to Memorial Square. And that little centerpiece…" He indicated the fountain. "...is being remodeled a bit." He nodded at Merovech, who flicked open his menu and tapped a few buttons.

The fountain, with its weird sculptures of half-naked fairies dancing with each other, exploded into tiny blue shards of light, which dissipated after a moment. For a few seconds, there was absolute silence from the crowd. Then, slowly, a new shape coalesced into existence where the fountain had stood, thirty meters high. The blue glow of a newly-spawned item faded quickly, revealing the new monument.

It was a shining, cylindrical marble pillar, on top of which stood two exquisitely detailed statues—a man and a woman, each wearing the gloves, belts, and leather chest armor instantly recognizable to any survivor as Sword Art Online's starting gear. The man was armed with a longsword and kite shield, and had slightly shaggy-looking hair with long bangs that framed a determined frown; the woman carried a spear, and had shoulder-length hair and a thoughtful, somewhat sad-looking smile. Both held their weapons toward the sky, the tips of the two blades perfectly aligned. The timing was perfect, too; New Aincrad, floating in the distance, was framed perfectly between the two weapons.

He hadn't liked this part of the speech much; it felt a little like tooting his own horn, but everyone had insisted it made for a perfect wrap-up. "It is now 2:55 PM on November 7, 2025. Exactly one year ago right now, Sword Art Online was cleared. One year ago, we were set free. One year ago, the three thousand, eight hundred and fifty-three lives lost to the game were avenged, and their sacrifices proven not to be in vain. They live on, in the memories of the friends and family who loved them, in the lives of we who survived thanks to their sacrifices, and in the legacy of this new technology, bringing the world closer together than ever before. And so I hereby dedicate this monument to those three thousand, eight hundred and fifty-three, that they may be forever remembered, and forever honored!"

The crowd exploded into applause. Kirito felt his cheeks heat up; had it really gone that well? He waited for things to quiet down a bit before continuing.

"Every one of their SAO player names is engraved on this pillar, and touching any name will bring up information about that player: their real names, as well as pictures, both from SAO and the real world, and anything else their friends and families want to be shared. It is a work in progress, and Ymir Games is currently working with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications to reach out to the families in question and find out what information they are willing to release. The 3D model and textures for the monument are also being made public, and Ymir Games and I both encourage the developers of all Seed-based games to use it if they wish to honor SAO's fallen. If you were family or friend to an SAO victim and wish to contribute information, you can reach Ymir at…"

He stood alone in the graveyard, the dense mist somehow making the silence even more oppressive. Niikawa, the stone pillar said on the front. On the side, a list of names...and down there at the bottom, there it was. Sachiko.

"Heh." He chuckled, then spoke to himself, wondering if he was just trying to break the silence. "Guess Asuna wasn't the only one." He bent down and laid the flowers at the grave. Then he sat there on the walkway in front of it, in silence. Some people talked to their loved ones, he knew, but...it had never really worked for him. Better to just...think sometimes.

"Hey, kid." A gruff male voice snapped him out of his reverie after a few minutes. "What're you doing here?" He turned to see a middle-aged man in a wrinkled business suit, staring at him.

"Oh! Uh, yeah. Niikawa-san? I'm Kirigaya. We spoke on the phone?"

"Ah, right. Kazuto-kun, eh? Nice to meet you, kid." They shook hands, but Niikawa frowned at him for a moment. "Or should I call you Kirito-kun?"

"Eh?"

"Kid, I saw the dedication ceremony. You think I wouldn't recognize my own daughter on top of that monument? Pieces aren't too hard to put together from there." He chuckled. "She'd hate it, you know."

Kazuto chuckled too, awkwardly. "I kind of figured. She wasn't the kind of person who wanted attention."

"Mhm." Niikawa nodded. "I'm happy it's there, though. I wish you'd run it by her mother and I first, but still happy. We've got something to remember our little girl by. Lot of people don't even get that much."

"Glad I could help."

"Mm."

They stood there in silence for a while.

Finally, Niikawa spoke again. "How'd it happen?"

"Sorry?"

"The government's given us the runaround for ages. I've heard some people didn't go out quite so heroically as you made it sound, get the feeling they don't want to talk about how anyone in SAO died. Don't want witch hunts starting up and all that. But you knew Sachiko. I figure you probably know what happened to her, at least."

"Ah. We—the survivors—we're...not supposed to talk about it, no."

"I see. Figures."

Another moment of silence.

Again, Niikawa broke it. "Can you at least—" He choked, and Kazuto looked up to see tears starting to fall from the older man's eyes. "Can you tell me if—if what you said. Was it—true? For her? For Sachiko? Was she—a hero?"

Kazuto closed his eyes.

—thank you...goodbye…—

"Yes," he finally said. "She...she died saving my life. I was so stupid; I triggered an obvious trap, we were surrounded...she jumped in front of an attack that would have killed me."

His face was wet, his vision blurry. That's funny, the mist doesn't seem that thick…

"Is that so?" Niikawa closed his eyes and nodded, trying to smile. "Well, my—my little girl, if she—chose you, you...you must have been worth it."

"I...I hope so." Silence again. "I should go."

"I...think that would be best, yes."

And so Kazuto Kirigaya came to the grave of Niikawa Sachiko for the first time, and left it for the last.

—you'll go down in history…—