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Chapter Three: Meeting the Children of Hiro

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Itsura took off her Oasis headset slowly after winning yet another match in the Arena. Suited strangers wearing bowler hats and serious faces were in her luxurious bedroom.

She got into a fighting stance instantly, "I know Karate! I can-"

"Yeah we know you do Karate." One of them said, "You always do Wing Chun, Tae Kwon Do, and you've won National Championships in all of three of them since you were fourteen. Aikona."

Itsura stuttered, "H-How do you know I'm Aikona?"

"We know everything about you. Itsura Youji." Another man smiled, "Daughter of Taisuke and Noriko Youji. All Star student, athlete, and the newly named Princess of the Oasis, Aikona."

"Wh-What do you want? W-Who are you?" Itsura stuttered.

"There's no need to be afraid of us. We need your help. The world needs your help." The only female among them muttered.

She was shocked, "The world?! What're you talking about? Get out of my house!"

"That boy you met in a café earlier today. Toshiro Yoshiaki. Are you attracted to him?" The one with a beard asked.

"That's none of your business!" Itsura snapped.

"Well I've got bad news for you Aikona. You won't be allowed to pursue him if you're with us." The only female in the group said.

"Who are you?" Itsura asked again.

The bearded man chuckled, "Have you ever played the Assassin's Creed Game Halliday put in the Oasis? Oh who am I kidding that's only one of your many high scores isn't it Aikona?"

"How do you-"

Itsura was cut off by the woman, "Like we said, we know everything about you."

"Think of us as a sworn brotherhood." A Hispanic boy among them said.

Their only female companion cleared her throat.

"Oh sorry Jasmine. Sworn…Enclave?"

"Like the Masons or something?" Itsura asked.

"Yes. Precisely." The Hispanic boy nodded, "I'm only seventeen so I haven't been here for a while, but have you ever wondered if there was a secret force at play behind history?...someone…pulling the strings?"

"No…" Itsura shook her head.

"It was probably us then if you had a hunch." The tall woman Jasmine said, "Back when there was a huge terrorist plot to kill the president in 2039, we stopped it. The man who led us back then was Hiroshi Tomura, and we've since then changed our name to the Children of Hiro. We've had a lotta names."

Itsura squinted at them, "What do you want with me? You said the world needed me?"

"The world does need you." The seventeen year old one said, "I'm Enrique. And we're looking for you to help us take down the Oasis."

"What?!" Itsura screamed.

Jasmine explained as she walked around Itsura's large bed, "The Oasis was never meant to happen. We're always controlling everything, the election of certain presidents, the fall of certain empires…it was us. The Oasis was a mistake, we planned to ruin Halliday's plans but a subordinate betrayed us."

"And thus began humanities largest downwards spiral since the Dark Ages…" Enrique sighed.

"Have you ever left your corner of New York?" The bearded one asked, "Have you ever seen anything beyond this quaint little bedroom?" He looked around at how expensive her room seemed.

Itsura shook her head, "Not really no…"

"Well take my word for it." Enrique said, "The world's gone to shit. School attendance is lower than it has been in centuries, unemployment is higher than since the Great Depression, and poverty and environmental collapse are basically plaguing society like a disease."

Jasmine looked at the owner of the bedroom she was standing in, "Would you like to know what's causing it?"

Itsura nodded, "What is it?"

"The Oasis." Enrique said, "It's used a distraction from the world's problems. The world got so shitty that we decided to put on a headset and let the world get even shittier. And we want to stop it."

"The world will see us as terrorists." The bearded man mumbled as he fixed his bowler hat, "But after we've found a way to shut down the Oasis, and everyone's actually returning to a functioning society, they'll see that they were wrong."

"My parents aren't home," Itsura rubbed her nose, "You can all leave without them freaking out and calling the police."

"Aikona-"

"Leave!" She snapped.

"Itsura." Jasmine approached her, "There's a reason we chose you. You're one of the best players in the Oasis, we need someone like you to help us. You know we're right."

"I don't know anything!" Itsura yelled, "You're just a bunch of people who snuck into my bedroom and started talking crazy!"

The bearded man placed a special shiny white card on Itsura's bed, "Contact us if you change your mind. The Children could always use you Itsura."

"Get out."

The suited strangers bowed and left. The only boy stayed behind, "Hey if you really don't like Toshiro, I'm totally single and-"

"Enrique!" Jasmine said.

He nodded and left Itsura's room.

She sighed and put her Oasis headset back on.

III

In a large Sector of the Oasis where the grass flowed like a sea of emeralds, Aikona sat atop a hill letting her lime green hair flow in the wind.

A red armored samurai came up behind her and bowed, "Congratulations on your win today."

"Thank you." Aikona didn't even turn back to him as she started out over the sea of grass.

Daito sat down next to her in the grass, "How'd you learn those Sword Skills so quickly? They were only implemented last month."

"I did Kenjutsu for two years. You could say I know how to use a sword." Aikona muttered.

"Ah. That would explain a lot." Daito said.

Aikona sighed as she looked out over the grass, "Halliday adored Sword Art Online so much that he dedicated an entire Sector of the Oasis to it. Could you believe that?"

"Yeah…I never really got into it that much. Pretty badly written anime if you ask me."

"Really?" Aikona turned her beautiful face to Daito's, "I've been trying to find the Asuna Yuuki skin for years. I'm not a fan either but it's the only one I haven't found."

Daito sniggered behind his hand, "Okay then."

"What's your name samurai?"

"Daito." He extended a hand.

She shook it, "Aikona."

"Er…" He eyed her katana, "Could you teach me a Sword Skill?

"Sword Skill?...Sure." Aikona stood up off the grass.

Daito saw that he just got an in game message from his good friend Aech.

Aech: Yo what're you up to man?

Daito: Learning a sword skill from the same girl who defeated that troll warrior earlier today.

Aech: Just remember dude. She could always have a shield instead of a sword in the real world.

Daito closed his menu instantly.

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