A/N: Hello everyone and welcome to this new story. After spending a while writing Fairy Tail, I had a hard time coming up with something new. I have recently gotten back into Sword Art Online, and figured, fuck it, I'll give it another go. This is going to be my second try at an SAO fic, even after I said I wasn't going to write for this series again. You'll be surprised.

2 years ago, or so. I uploaded the Secret Elite, and I got so much shit and so many insults that I just quit. I deleted some of the reviews ,but after awhile I just didn't really give a shit. The series has gotten better over the years, and while some say it's absolute generic garbage, I fucking like it. Sure there are plot holes and sure Kirito is overpowered as all hell, but who cares.

I'm still going to use Akira as the main character and will be reusing several parts of The Secret Elite, as I will be taking that story down. The First chapter has been rewritten from the ground up, though it does include a bit of the original chapter one. all of the ideas I had for The Secret Elite have since become loose ends, which will be clipped off. Some of the characters may return, others wont, we'll see how it goes.

This story will feature an oc x Rain pairing. I see a lack of these and I do find her character quite interesting. I was thinking of making it an oc x Yolko story, because she has the booty, but I don't know exactly how that would work. There might be some SAO abridged references here and there, because I just can't help myself. So I hope you all enjoy it.

I was actually going to write two stories, a Persona 5 story, and an Accel World story, but I just couldn't get past Chapter 1 on either. I did come up with one called Rusty Old Swing Set, which is set in the aftermath of Persona 5. It was supposed to be about Futaba and how she would cope without Akira being in her life after he saved her. She was going to be paired with my Oc, Lucas who is just a loner who gets bullied a lot. But like I said I never got past chapter one.

I might add some Accel World stuff into this story later on, depending on if I get my hands on Millennium Twilight or not. I still haven't even finished Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization. I've ignored that practically since the release date back in November, so I'll get on it eventually.

So, until then peace out...

Since this isn't Fairy Tail there won't be a Song of the Day, I might get it going later on, I might not.

Sword Art Online

The Violet Assassin

Chapter 1

Death Game

It was dark, almost pitch black in the bedroom, but that didn't really bother the boy. He was used to the darkness of his room, mostly because he spent his time with low lighting. The room was rather basic, it had a large bed to one side of the room, and on the other side were some shelves, filled to the brim with various books, manga and light novels. There were a few posters and figurines scattered about the room. There was also a large desk next to the only window in the room, holding a monster of a gaming PC. On the shelf above it sat a dated and worn looking gaming rig.

The Nerve Gear. One of the greatest pieces of technology the world had ever seen. This helmet had been created for people to experience the new FullDive technology. A system software that allowed people to play virtual games in three dimension's all in the persons head. It had been a revolutionary piece of tech, one that had garnered the attention of millions, yet only a few had ever owned one. Next to it sat a game case, still in mint condition. The name of the game, Sword Art Online, a haunting reminder of what he had experienced for two years of his life.

He sighed, looking away from the gaming device of years past. He was sixteen years of age, with a mop of messy brown hair on his head. He had fair colored skin, with a few freckles around his nose. He had bright silver eyes, a rare trait in his family. He was a bit lanky for his age, but that was due to his condition.

He had been in an accident two and a half years ago. On his way home from school, a drunk driver had hit him with his car. The impact had left several vertebrae in his back broken, and his spinal cord had a lot of damage, preventing him from walking. Ever since then, he had been really depressed about everything, but lately everything had been turning up, especially with his scheduled surgery going on soon. He was on a weeks vacation from school, and he was excited to play a game with his friends, the ones that had not only saved his life, but had also been like family to him.

There was a knock on his door and he sighed, setting aside the AmuSphere on his lap. He grabbed his glasses and placed them on his face, turning to face the door.

"Come in." he said.

The door softly opened, and a tall man walked in. He was wearing a business suit, which was black in color. He was wearing a crimson tie around his neck, tucked within his suit. He looked around the room, a frown on his face.

"Hello son, how are you doing?" he asked. The boy crossed his arms, looking away from him.

"I'm fine, still crippled by the way." he replied.

"Don't speak like that. All of that will be taken care of soon, I just came to talk to you about something. You're mother...she told me you bought that new game system."

"The AmuSphere, yeah I bought it. My friends told me there was this other VR game and I want to play it. In fact I've already transferred all my avatar data from SAO and am planning on meeting them in game." he said.

"Noah, listen...I just...don't feel safe with you playing that stuff." the man said, taking a seat at the computer. He grabbed the AmuSphere box, reading the stuff written on the back.

"I get you, but this one was made with safety in mind. There are no microwaves and it doesn't cut of the nerve responses to your body. You play this while going to sleep." he replied.

"I still don't feel safe son...you lost two years in that game, and not everyone was spared." he said, looking at the young man.

"I know...and that stuff haunts me every day. But I can't live in the past, I just have to move on. Now if you excuse me, I have to log on. My friends are waiting for me." he said, placing the AmuSphere over his head. The man sighed and stood up, heading toward the door.

"Alright, I'm not gonna stop you. Just...be careful and have fun okay?"

"Yeah...I'll try...see ya later dad." he said, waving the man off as he left the room. Noah laid back in his bed and took a deep breath, his eyes drooping closed.

"Link Start!"

A torrent of colors rushed at him, drowning his vision in a sea of colored orbs. Hearing, Sight, Touch, Taste, and Smell were all checked, bringing him to the log in screen. As soon as he logged in, everything around him faded to white.

He opened his eyes and looked around, seeing himself in a brand new world. The sights and scents were just as he remembered them. He looked at his HP bar, seeing his health was full, along with his MP bar. His name was displayed on the top part of the bar. Akira, the name he had registered under during that fateful day two years ago.

He looked at his hands, seeing the light purple tint his skin had. He was wearing a violet garb, which consisted of a hooded cloak, which fell over his shoulders and down to the middle of his back. He was wearing a long sleeved black shirt underneath, with leather arm guards on his arms. He had violet fingerless gloves on his hands, and he wore a light chest plate over his chest. He wore long black pants, stuffed into violet buckle boots. At his waist was his weapon of choice, a dagger known only as Sword Breaker. He closed his hand, a smirk on his face.

"I'm back." he said, looking at the sky, the world tree was barely visible from the corner of his eye. The world of ALPheim online greeted him once more and welcomed him with open arms.

Instead of standing around like an idiot. He begun walking into the city, he had started out in the Imp territory when he had started the game out. But thanks to his friends, he had not only been able to level up, but also found a good place to start at. The Neutral town at the base of the World Tree was their normal meeting place, but it wouldn't be for long. The New Aincrad patch had been added to the game not long ago. He and his friends had made plans to meet in the Town of Beginnings. Akira had been rather apprehensive when they had broached this topic. He wasn't too keen on returning to the world that had almost killed him.

10,000 People had logged in on day one, and two years later, only 6,103 had logged out. More over, 300 of those players had been held captive in the very game he was currently playing. Though his father didn't really know about that part. He was sure the man would take away all of his FullDive tech at that point. He shook his head and took a deep breath, summoning his wings. Without a thought, he shot off into the sky, flying towards the Iron Castle in the sky.

"It's still so crazy. Who would have thought someone would create a game where you could flying endlessly? FullDive technology really is amazing. Even if it's creator was insane." he thought to himself.

Even after everything that happened, he didn't blame Kayaba for what happened. Sure, he had been the mastermind who trapped him and nine thousand others within Sword Art Online, but it was his choice to buy the game, and it was his choice to put the headset on. He didn't blame anyone really. It was supposed to be a game, a game that quickly turned into a nightmare.

After awhile, he reached the bottom most floor of Aincrad, and flew over the edge. His feet touched the cobblestone and his wings disappeared. Since he had entered a town, he wasn't able to fly anymore, until he went to the field. He looked around, eyes widened from surprise.

The Town of Beginnings looked just like it did on day one. The shops, the scents, the NPCs...everything was the same. He felt his hands shake a bit as he stood there. He closed his eyes, calming himself down. He knew if his heart rate increased, he would be booted from the game. He took a weary step forward, his body shaking a bit. A few more steps and he stopped, turning around.

"I can't do this...I thought I could but I can't! I'll just go back and take a quest somewhere else." he said to himself, walking toward the edge of the map.

"Hey, are you alright?"

He stopped walking and looked over his shoulder. Apparently he had caught the attention of another player. She looked around his age, though with how the game was made, he couldn't exactly tell if she was a girl or not. Not that it mattered as long as they didn't act weird toward him.

She had long crimson colored hair, reaching down just past her shoulders. She was wearing a sleeveless dress which was black in color and had golden accents along the hem. She was wearing a pair of crimson shorts underneath. She wore long white stockings and black armored boots with golden trimming around the edges. She also wore similar arm guards, with brown gloves. Around her waist were two scabbards, a pair of swords resting within. His eyes widened a bit.

"A dual wielder? I thought that was impossible." he said out loud. His eyes widened a bit and he hastily covered his mouth.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound like that." he said.

"Don't worry about it. Dual Wielding became part of the roster of skills with the last update, but there aren't any skills yet. Only those with fast speed can unlock it, maybe you'll be lucky. Anyway, are you alright? You look ready to pass out." she said, slowly approaching him.

"Um...I'm alright now but...I just don't want to be here...there's...It's hard to explain." he said, glancing at the floor.

"Are you intimidated by Aincrad and how big it is? Oh, could it be that you have no friends in game? I'll be your friend if you want." she said. He shook his head.

"No, that isn't it. I got plenty of friends it's just...there's another reason why I don't feel comfortable being here." he said, looking over the edge of the map. He could see all of ALPheim below them, hundreds of miles away. Aincrad was set on a cycle, apparently it would move over all of the nations, and right now it was over the Sylph Nation.

The girl must have finally realized what he meant, because she closed the distance between them. She wrapped her arms around him, stunning him a bit. He just stood there, not exactly knowing how to react. She was a bit shorter than him, not by much.

"You're a survivor right?" she asked, after a minute of silence.

"Yeah...that's right." he said. She let go of him, standing next to the edge, looking down at the land below.

"I'm sorry, I was a bit insensitive. I thought you were just a newbie player who was just overwhelmed by it all. But it never crossed my mind that you were part of that massacre." she said.

"It's alright, listen...maybe I should just get out of your hair. My friends and I we're meeting up in Tolbana but I guess I'll just send them a message and tell them I couldn't make it." he said.

"Nonsense...you can still go. You just...have to move on from the past, and the best way to do that is to speak about it. My sister always says it's best to talk about your problems with someone you trust." she said matter of factly. He rose a brow, leaning against the edge.

"Really, and why would I trust you? After all we just met Miss, for all I know you could be part of Laughing Coffin." he said. Her eyes widened a bit at the name, but she shook it off, breaking into giggles.

"Yeah right, as if I would be part of them. I heard rumors of what they did though." she said.

"Yeah, those bastards were something else. Remembering what they did still fucks with my head." he said, shaking a bit.

"Hmm...well I guess you are right about that trust thing. So how about we become friends." she said, opening her menu. She sent him a request, the menu popping up in front of him.

"Player Rain would like to become friends. Accept/Decline?"

He looked up at the girl who had a bright smile on her face. He shrugged pressing the blue X icon, accepting the request.

"So, you're names Akira? Is that you're real name?" she asked curiously.

"No it isn't, and I doubt Rain is your real name. But anyway, I guess you are right about talking about it. You wanna go to a pub or something?" he asked.

"Nah, I think I'll be fine here." she said, climbing onto the edge of the first floor. She sat down next to him, giving him her full attention. He took a deep breath, looking up at the blue sky. The disc of the second floor above them was barely visible through the clouds. He shook his head, closing his eyes.

"My story begins on November 6th 2022, the day Sword Art Online's servers went online. It was also the day that changed my life forever."

xxx

Noah was smiling brightly as he made his way into his room. Getting around the house in a wheel chair had been a pain, but he had gotten used to it. He had to admit his arms were getting a lot of exercise from pushing himself forward. But he was through with that for a few hours. He headed over to his computer and grabbed the headset that had been resting next to it. He grabbed the bag he had gotten in the shop in Akihabara and opened it, pulling the case out.

"Sword Art Online, the world's first VRMMO and it's in my fucking hands. This is going to be so much fun!" he cried out. He heard a laugh behind him and glanced over his shoulder, seeing his mother standing by the door.

"Now Noah, what have I told you about swearing?" she asked.

"Uh...don't do it in traffic?" he said, causing her to laugh. She shook her head and walked into the room, looking around.

"Well, you're curtains aren't drawn and you look happy. Is this game truly the cause of it?" she asked curiously.

"Duh, I've been waiting for this thing since January. Supposedly, it's been in development hell for at least a decade. Kayaba Akihiko finally got it out and I wanted to be the first of my friends to play it. I'm still envious of those kids who got into the beta though." he said, popping the cartridge into the game slot. Once it was closed, he booted up his computer, deciding to open up his account on the Website rather than in the game itself.

"What else is new with it?" she asked curiously, looking at one of his figurines.

"Well, apparently it's supposed to stimulate your brain. You get to control your avatar with your mind. So I don't even need to walk to play this game. It'll be in my head. I also think it's a rather interesting take on the MMORPG franchise. The first MMO without magic or distinct classes? There has to be a reason why." he said.

"And you're going to discover it, I take it. Well I hope you have fun, but remember to log out before dinner time. You're gonna be off school for awhile anyway so I don't mind if you play after dinner. Maybe I'll get myself a rig and join you."

"Yeah right, you're a mom you can't play games!" he said.

"Well I'll have you know I was pretty good ad WOW back in the day. I was the best Black Mage ever!"

"Pfft, there aren't mages in this game mom, so we don't need you. Unless you can pick up a war hammer." he said.

"Yeah, you're right. Have fun sweetheart."

"Thanks mom, love you!" he said as the woman left the room.

Once he was done with his account, he wheeled himself toward the bed, quickly moving onto it. He placed the Nerve Gear over his head, securing the strap under his chin. He laid back in his bed, glancing at the clock.

"12:55PM, won't be long before the servers go online. Let's see if the streaming software is up." he muttered as he pulled his phone from his pocket. He opened it and logged into his Twitch account. He saw the timer was counting down and would automatically start streaming the moment he logged on. He nodded to himself and locked his phone.

"Well Noah, this is it. You're life is going to change for the better, even if you can't move like you want in the real world. You'll always have Sword Art Online. It's going to be the best game ever, what a time to be alive!"

He glanced at the clock on the side of his vision and smiled, seeing it turn from 12:59 to 1:00. At that moment, he uttered the words that hundreds of others would be saying at that time. And the words that would change his life forever.

"Link Start!"

His vision was assaulted with various colored orbs flying at him at a rather fast rate. His senses were all tested and confirmed and with a few keystrokes, he logged into his account. Everything faded into white before he was brought into a dark room.

"Welcome to Sword Art Online, the first VRMMORPG. Travel through fields, fight monsters and make friends. Everything is rendered in 3D making it the first virtual reality game!"

"Yeah yeah, I saw this in the beta stream, can I move on?" he muttered, trying to hurry the system up.

He was brought to a palette screen, which had then asked him to customize his avatar. He shrugged and started going over everything. He kept his body size the same, and gave himself violet hair, as it was his favorite color aside from black. He made his eyes a bright blue and left his face free of blemishes. Once he was done, he moved onto to the armor sets. Since he was going for an Agility and Evasion type, he only chose some light armor. After he moved on, he chose the starting dagger and hit enter.

"Enter your Player Name."

"Player name huh, this is what my friends will know me as. It should be something cool, something fierce. I'll name myself, Boromir!" he said, typing the name out.

"Username is taken!"

"Ugh damn it...alright, let's try Legolas!"

"Username is taken!"

"Goddamn it, Jackie Chan!"

"Username is taken."

"Really, who names themselves that of all things, fine, let's go with something generic. A.K.I.R.A."

"Are you sure you want to use the name Akira?"

"Yes." he muttered, hitting okay.

"Welcome Akira, to Sword Art Online."

With that, the screen faded out and everything went black.

He took a deep breath, opening his eyes for the first time. He looked around, eyes widening. He was in the middle of a city, one of the starting towns within Aincrad. All of the buildings looked straight out of a medieval movie. The ground underneath him was made of cobblestone, a light tan in color, and very smooth to walk on. In front of him was a large black castle, which looked quite intimidating. Behind him was what looked like a clock tower. The time was 1:03 PM, so all around him people were logging in for the first time, vibrant blue flashes of light filling his vision.

Nearby were some trees, with skinny trunks and branches, but they had vibrant green leaves, and they swayed a bit in the light breeze that blew through the town. The sun was high in the sky, and the sky was a bright blue color, with a few puffy clouds here and there.

All around, other players were logging in, the bright flash of blue appearing more and more as they all appeared in the center of town. The plaque on the small clock tower was a bright golden color, and it read Town of Beginnings, First Floor.

He hadn't heard anything about Sword Art Online, only that they were in a place called Aincrad. He could only surmise that this was actually the first area of said location.

The buildings around him were typical town houses, with tan colored bricks to match the rest of the town. Angled roofs were covered in either light red or black shingles, some sported chimneys while others lacked them. All in all, this city looked like the perfect place to live. He looked around a bit confused and nervous.

He looked himself over, he had a long sleeve lavender shirt, with leather armor on over it. He was wearing black pants and brown leather boots. He had leather vembraces on his arms, which would protect his forearms from enemies. Nodding to himself, he decided to look around for something to do.

The Town of Beginnings, being that vast town it was, was also very easy to get lost in. The winding alleyways filled with players and NPCs made it a bit hard to navigate. Akira wanted to find a Weapons shop, but he ended up going to some other places. He ended up in front of a large fountain, the square being filled with people, some talking amiably, others checking their starting equipment, none of them looked as newbie as he did. Hell, he stuck out like a sore thumb. He didn't know the first thing about questing in this game, and if it worked like it did on every other MMO he'd played before, he needed to find a Quest giver, but he couldn't do that without a weapon. He groaned, face palming a bit.

"I should have read the instruction manual. How was it that you open the menu again?" he muttered to himself. He glanced around him, seeing a few people opening their menus with a swift downward motion. He mimicked their actions, and the menu popped open in front of him.

He looked at his status window, seeing all of his stats were pretty mediocre, especially for him being level one. His HP was currently at 200 out of 200. He also had various ability points that everyone started out with, ten in total. He hummed to himself, looking up at the sky.

"An Agility and Evasion build, so I'll need to focus on those two stats, while keeping Strength and Defense close behind. That leaves Vitality and Dexterity in the background. So let's dump three on AGI, three on EVI and one on everything else." he said, increasing his stats a bit. Once he was satisfied, he checked out equipment, seeing the only item was his weapon.

Dagger

"Well that's rather generic. The stats are pretty garbage...so that means I'll have to upgrade soon."

He hit the equip option and it appeared on his waist. He reached a hand for it and drew it out of the scabbard. It didn't weigh much and barely had an edge. He swung it around a few times, feeling just how light it was. He shrugged and placed it back in the scabbard. He looked at the rest of his menu, memorizing all of the different windows so he could access them easier. Once done, he closed the menu and looked around. People were walking around and chatting with each other, the novelty of them being in a game still hadn't worn off. He picked a random direction and walked toward it, hands behind his head.

"Hmm...wonder what I should do first. I don't know how to fight so I should learn to do that. But I should get some quests first." he muttered to himself. He entered another area, and saw a large board, next to what looked like a stone monument. There was a large Iron Palace behind it, the intimidating building towering over the Town of Beginnings. He swallowed hard, but moved toward the board instead.

The word Requests, stuck out to him like a sore thumb. He started running toward it, a smile workings it way onto his face. It had been such a long time since he had actually run, that it felt like an all new feeling to him. He just wanted to run and run and never stop, but he knew his stamina would wear out soon. He stopped in front of the board, panting a bit as he eyed the requests.

"Gather x3 Hornet stingers...that should be easy enough." he muttered to himself, pressing the paper. The menu opened up and he hit accept. It was the only quest available, seeing as some of the better ones had been taken. Once he was all set, he started heading toward the field.

The area just outside the city was just as beautiful as the settlement itself. Lush grassy fields made up most of the area, while there was a large forest miles away from them. A long dusty trail cut across the grass, heading toward the next town. He saw a few others walking around, swinging their weapons and experimenting with the system. He himself was more focused on the local mob.

One of the common enemies on the first floor fields were some creatures called Frenzy Boars. They were medium sized pig like creatures that were grazing on the virtual grass. A few people were attacking them and getting a hang of their skills, while others tried to avoid them entirely.

As he was walking however, he didn't notice he had stepped on a large rock and ended up falling onto his face. He groaned as a numbing sensation filled his mind. He heard someone breaking into laughter and looked up, growling a bit.

"Hey, are you okay?" they asked.

Akira looked up, seeing a young woman standing before him. She stood a bit taller than him, so he assumed she was at least in her twenties. She had long vibrant emerald hair, that fell down to her mid back. She had soft features, and vibrant blue eyes. She was wearing a sleeveless shirt, with a bronze breastplate over it. She was wearing a black skirt, with matching black stockings and leather boots. In her hands was a steel sword. He nodded, pushing himself to his feet.

"I'm fine, that rock just snuck up on me." he said, making her giggle.

"Sure did, the elusive rock from the pits of Tartaros itself. A magical weapon, destroyer of millions." she continued, making him scowl.

"Whatever, I'll be on my way."

"Hey wait, you look a little lost. Want some advice?" she asked curiously.

"Um...I suppose I could use some...I still don't know how to fight exactly." he said. She looked him over, seeing his steel dagger at his waist.

"A dagger, are you going for an Agility build?"

"Something along those lines yes." he said.

"Alright, then I'm assuming you already put your Ability points into their respective stats. Word of advice, since you'll be going into agility, focus on defense more than strength. You'll most likely stick to light armor since you'll want to be a bit faster. I would recommend a Rapier instead of a dagger." she said.

"Alright, I'll take that to heart. I chose a dagger just to start out, I was planning on switching to a Sword later on." he admitted. She nodded, looking around. She saw a Dire Wolf hiding behind a rock, eyeing one of the Frenzy Boars.

"Okay, do you know what Aggro is?" she asked.

"Yes, when you attract the enemy's attention to you."

"Very good, I want you to kill that wolf over there. Don't worry, I won't let your ass die, that would just be more embarrassing than that fall just now." she said. He drew his dagger, half contemplating on throwing it at her neck. He grabbed a pebble in his hand, and chucked it at the wolf, striking the side of its head.

The wolf looked at him and growled angrily, the cursor atop its head glowing a bright red. It snarled at him, pawing the ground.

"Okay, what you want to do is get into the initial motion. Your sword skill will activate and the system will take over." the girl said, earning a nod from Akira. He grabbed his dagger, aiming the tip outward. He raced forward, slashing the creature across the side. The wolf hissed in pain and lunged at him, biting onto his leg.

"Ah, shit this stings!" he cried.

"Don't worry, there's no pain sensors in SAO. Kayaba isn't a psychopath." she replied.

Akira growled, seeing his HP slowly drift into the yellow. He slammed the blunt side of the dagger into the Wolf's snout, making it left go. He pulled his dagger back, and it started glowing a bright green. His arm moved of it's own accord, striking the wolf on the under belly. It screeched in pain, before shattering into a million little pieces. The window opened up, showing him how much money and EXP he got.

"Nice, I got 49 exp and something called Col. I also got a Dire Wolf pelt." he said, glancing at the green haired girl.

"Yeah, that's a common monster drop. You can make clothes or armor from pelts. Col is this worlds money, think of it like Gil from FF14." she said.

"Whoa, did you just bring up an old legend from the past?" he asked, earning a giggle from the girl.

"I did, Final Fantasy was an awesome series growing up. The Servers are still maintained, so I get to play every once and a while. Now that you know how to play, you'll be able to gain Experience and level up faster." she said. Akira glanced at his HP, seeing it was still in the Yellow.

"Is there any way to regain HP? I don't feel like dying this early on." he said.

"Check your items, under the consumables menu, you'll see the Potions list. You get three Health Potions, three SP potions and some other nifty things. You'll be able to buy more, and if you power level you're alchemy, you'll be able to make your own potions." she said. He nodded and summoned one of the bottles, looking at the green liquid.

"Wait a minute, how do you know about that? Are you a beta tester?" he asked curiously. She grinned, running her hand through her hair.

"Yeah, one of the lucky thousand players to traverse these lush fields. Though the day one servers are different than the closed beta. For one, there are tons of annoying noobs running around." she said.

"Sorry for ruining you're landscape with my noobieness." he said, uncapping the bottle. He chugged the liquid, seeing his HP bar drifting back into the green.

"Nah, you're alright. At least you didn't ask me how to open the menu." she said, making him chuckle.

"Well, perhaps we should trade names so we can party up later on. I don't have any friends online, so I could use some help." he said.

"Sure thing, my name is Sapphira." she said.

"Damn that's a sweet ass name...I'm so jealous...my name is Akira." he said. The girl hummed to herself and looked through her menu, sending him a friend request. The menu popped up in front of him, and he instantly accepted it.

"Thanks for being my friend Sapphira." he said.

"No problem Akira...hey did you pick up any quests on you're way here?" she asked.

"I picked up the Hornet one...mind helping a poor soul out?" he asked. She giggled and stood up, sheathing her sword.

"Come on, they nest in the forest not far from here." she said. He nodded, following close behind.

As they traveled, they got to know each other a bit more. They took out the nearby monsters, with Akira dealing most of the damage. He had been able to reach level two rather easily, but scowled when he saw Sapphira was level five. Apparently she had taken six quests and finished them in record time, thanks to information from the beta. It gave her a massive advantage, but it also made him realize just how strong someone could get in game.

Reaching the forest, Sapphira pulled Akira to a stop, gesturing to one of the trees. His eyes widened a bit when he saw the mob he was looking for.

The Hornets were ugly looking creatures. They were bigger than their real world counter parts, and were a sickly yellow with furry legs. They had large wings on their backs, keeping them aloft. The thing that made Akira worry was the curved stinger coming from the back end. It looked almost like a sickle, with spikes coming out of it. He took a step back, shaking like a leaf.

"Those stingers look, painful." he said.

"Don't worry...like I said there's no pain sensors in the game. Just follow the advice I gave you and you'll be golden, I'll be watching your back." she said, pushing him forward. He drew his dagger and slowly walked forward, grabbing a stick from the ground. Twirling it around his fingers, he took it and threw it at the nearest Hornet, getting its attention. The cursor was still a bright red, as the creature was level four in strength. He lunged at it, activating Side Bite as he went. A large gash formed on its side, angering it even more.

After a few minutes, and several stings later, Akira had gathered the three necessary Hornet Stingers. He had also unlocked the skill Battle Healing after he had gotten to level three. Since he was fighting stronger enemies, he did get a bit more experience than normal. Sapphira patted him on the head looking at the menu.

"You're leveling up quite fast. You should have some skill points now, remember to put them toward skills you're definitely going to use. Also don't be afraid to try different things. I would personally go for the Detection and Listening skills, it will help you spot enemies before they spot you. That way you can watch your HP and know where your enemies are." she said.

"Alright, I'll do that. I also got enough Col for another weapon, I think I will level up the Rapier skills. What are you going for?" he asked curiously.

"Two-Handed Great Sword. However in order to use those sword skills, you need to fully level up one handed sword. It's gonna be a rough journey, but it'll be worth it." she said.

"What, are you aiming to be like Guts or something?" he asked, earning a punch to the arm.

Normally he would have yelped in pain, but he had already gotten used to everything within the game. As they walked back to the Town of Beginnings, they couldn't help but start watching the sunset. Akira didn't know how long he had been on, but it didn't really matter to him.

"You know, I look around and I forget this is all a game. Running around, fighting monsters, being able to do...this...it's just so surreal." Akira said, his eyes firmly on the horizon.

"I get what you mean. Those closed beta was all I thought about for months, I was even excused from classes so I could help test the game. I didn't make it past the Eighth Floor, but even that made me realize how beautiful this world is. It's a wonderful time to be alive isn't it Akira?"

"Sure is Sapphira...anyway, I should log off. My old lady will kill me if I miss dinner, and I bet she's making meat loaf." he said, already thinking about food.

"I'll be on for a bit longer, so if you want to log on later, I'll be around. Try not to slack off kiddo." she said, walking away from him. Akira rolled his eyes and opened his menu, scrolling to the side and down to the log out button.

"Hey, total noob question, where's the log out button?" Akira said, catching Sapphira's attention.

"Seriously? That's a dumb question." she said.

"No seriously, it isn't there." he said, glancing at her. Her brows furrowed, and she opened her own menu. She scrolled to the bottom, eyes widening a bit.

"What the hell, it isn't there." she said.

"Heh, leave it to Argus to make a blunder like this on day one." Akira muttered, closing his menu.

"This is odd, well I guess if there's a glitch in the system, they'll just do a system wide log out. We'll just have to wait."

Suddenly, a bell toll brought their attention toward the town. The clock rung through out the entire floor. A sense of dread filled both teens, as they were enveloped by a blue light. He tried reaching out to Sapphira, trying to take her hand, but she had been too far. The light died down, and he found himself back at the Town of Beginnings, the central square where everyone had logged in a few hours back. Several other people were also teleporting in, it seemed as if everyone that as currently in the game was there. He looked to his left, seeing Sapphira beside him, looking around.

"Wonder whats happening?" he asked.

"Probably the official greeting. But something doesn't feel right." she said, hearing her accented words filled him with more dread than before.

Especially because now, he could hear some of the comments the other players were making, and though he understood most of what they were saying, half of them were either scared or confused, with others being confident that it was a tutorial.

"Hey, look up there." someone cried out, pointing to the sky.

He saw a blinking hexagon, that said, Warning, along with one above it that read System Announcement Incoming. The entire sky was covered in these hexagons, giving the are a crimson red glow. A viscous liquid, that could only be described as blood, started flowing out of the cracks in the hexagons.

"Man, they're really pushing for that M rating." someone cried out, making Akira chuckle.

The Red liquid pooled together, forming a giant creature, which actually turned out to be a robed figure.

"Whoa...a game master." someone cried out.

"What's he doing here? Where's his face."

"Sapphira?" Akira called. The girl shrugged, being just as confused as he was. The man finally started talking.

"Hello, I'd like to welcome you to my world."

He paused, most likely gauging the reactions of the crowd.

"My name is Akihiko Kayaba, creator of Sword Art Online. As most of you have noticed, there is something missing from your menu. Yes, the Log Out Button has been removed. Do not fret, its not a bug but a key feature of the game. As of now, you will not be able to log out through the main menu." he said, pausing again.

"No one in the outside world will be able to forcefully log you out either. If they do, a signal will be sent out from your Nerve Gear, frying your brain thus ending your life. Sadly, some people didn't heed the warnings, and as a result, 219 players have been logged out of the game, forever."

Akira's eyes widened. He had been able to understand that part. 219 players were already dead? Kayaba opened up several menus and windows, showing the current and international news. Everything was the same on every window, a news report of some sort. He saw several people crying on them, reporters asking questions. He even swore he saw his mother on one of them. He shook his head, glaring at the man hovering above them all.

"I would like to add that any means of being revived in the game, are now disconnected. If your HP bar hits zero, your avatar will be deleted from the game, and your brain will be destroyed in real life. Thankfully, no other attempts to take off the Nerve Gear have been recorded, so you can rest assured, no one will die from that. Everyone will have a few hours to be taken to a hospital where proper care of your bodies will be taken. After that, if your unable to make a stable connection, after ten minutes, the brain destruction program will begin. If there is no power for more than an hour, the program will begin. Although I'm sure Hospitals have backup energy sources." he said.

"Hey, how the hell are we supposed to log out then?" someone shouted. The large avatar looked around, and Akira figured he was smirking under that hood.

"There is only one way to log out of the game, and that's to clear all one hundred floors. Right now, you are in the bottom most floor, you will need to find the labyrinth and defeat the boss at the end to access the nest floor. Defeat the boss at the Hundredth floor and you will be able to log out." he said, answering the question.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me. You seriously want us to beat an MMO, when was the last time you heard of someone beating Everquest?" the same man shouted.

"When was the last time you heard of anyone playing Everquest?" someone else added. The man hummed to himself.

"Okay, that's fair."

"Now, one last thing...I have put a special Gift in your inventories, go ahead and take a look."

Akira's hand moved almost on its own, opening the menu. He scrolled to his inventory and pulled out the item, a simple mirror. He held it up, looking at his avatars face. His body suddenly started glowing a bright blue, the screams of the people around him filling the area. The glow left his body, and he looked back at his reflection.

His hair was no longer purple, and his face was no longer free of blemishes, but was instead dotted with little freckles. He had gotten a bit shorter and his body became a bit lankier than before. The mirror slipped from his hand, shattering on the ground.

"No way, I look like...myself?"

"Akira, is that you?"

His eyes drifted to his left, as he turned to face Sapphira. She didn't look anything like her avatar. For one, she was actually shorter than he was. Her hair was still a vibrant green in color, and she had lightly tanned skin. Brown eyes stared back at him.

"Sapphira...you're younger than I am?" he asked.

"I'm fourteen, get it right!" she said firmly. Kayaba cleared his throat, catching their attention.

"Well, you must be wondering, why would Akihiko Kayaba, creator of the Nerve Gear and Sword Art Online do this? It's quite simple. I wanted a world where I could rule. Where my actions alone would dictate the fate of those within it. I can say that with this, I have completed my goal. This concludes the official tutorial and launch ceremony for Sword Art Online."

"Hey wait...before you go, I read in the manual that you could connect your Itunes with the game so you could listen to your playlist. I've been trying to do that for the last hour and have been failing miserably, think you could help me?" one guy cried, causing everyone to just stop what they were doing.

"Alright, do you see the Sync option in your menu?"

"Uh yeah, I see it."

"What you want to do is hit that, and then scroll down the options and hit bluetooth. Once you do that, back out of that menu and hit sync with Itunes, Android or your PC. You're playlist should pop right up."

"Hmm...wait...alright I see it, thanks!"

"You fucking retard, can't you see we're all gonna die? This isn't the time for show tunes!" someone shouted, the sound of a slap echoing through the plaza.

"Ahaha, I can see this is going to be great. Well, good luck reaching Floor 100, try not to die."

And with that, Kayaba was gone. The reality of the situation hadn't even sunk in yet. Akira was just looking at the empty spot in the sky. He felt a tug on his hand and looked at Sapphira, who was pulling him out of the plaza. A sharp scream tore through the area, and the place was in a frenzy a second later. The two teens made it away from the plaza, the screams and sounds of running bouncing off the stone walls.

"What are we gonna do?" Akira asked, a look of worry on his face.

"Listen, if you want to survive this game you're going to have to take as many quests as you can. There are plenty in the next town so I suggest you get a move on. I know it would be wise to stick around here and gather you're bearings, but that won't be an option for long. Take these crystals, they'll heal you more than the standard potions." Sapphira said, sending him a trade request, he saw several items being placed in, all of them being consumables.

"How did you get all of this?"

"I kept them from the beta. All of the weapons and armor get deleted but if you made it past floor seven, you were allowed to keep your healing items. The path to Horunka is going to be littered with mob, so take them on as soon as you can."

"But what about you, won't you come along with me?" he asked.

"I can't...there's 9,998 people that need my help. I'm going to gather some friends and start getting some information. It'll help all of us in the long run. Besides, if they find out I'm a beta tester, then I'll probably get blamed for all of this. It'll be fine, just keep your head up."

"Okay...thanks Sapphira, for everything." he said.

"No problem...last word of advice, if you get invited into a guild, or a party, don't be afraid to join them. There's only so much a solo player can do. Keep heading straight down this street, you'll find a vendor who sells weapons. They aren't good, but they're decent for starting players. Good luck, and stay in touch." she said, heading back toward the plaza. Akira shivered a bit, the feeling of crying over taking him. He shook his head, glancing at the sky.

"No, I can't be weak. Sapphira is out there helping out the others, so I have to do my part and find the floor boss. If I can do that, then we can definitely beat this game. Alright then, Horunka village here I come." he said, taking off up the street. Even though he was shaking and nervous, his resolve wasn't going to waver. He wasn't going to let some game get the best of him either. He would do everything he could, to beat this game.

Xxx

"That's how it was for me. I was lucky to have someone there to guide me, even if it was only for a few hours. I wouldn't see Sapphira again until the boss battle." Akira said, glancing back at Rain. She had a frown on her face.

"I didn't think it was so rough for you Akira, you're very brave for doing what you did." she said.

"Well, I couldn't exactly sit around either. If I wanted to beat the game, I had to get good and in order do that, I had to level up. The journey from The Town of Beginnings and Horunka was tough, but I made it to level six before I reached the town. I sort of hit a wall after that, but I didn't stop either." he said. He looked at his clock, only ten minutes had passed since he started the story and he had yet to receive a message from his friends.

"So, what happened then?" Rain asked curiously.

"Hmm...I guess I can skip to the first month. There isn't anything interesting about me running around killing boars and shit." he said, earning a giggle from her. He sighed, feeling a bit lighter. Maybe talking about this would be for the best.