Sword Art Online: Reverse/Return

Chapter One: A Second Chance

Author's Note

I told you guys this was coming in the latest chapter of Blades of Darkness, and here it is! I won't spoil much other than where the story starts, though it should be obvious by the title and chapter name where this is leading.

The story starts just before Kayaba Akihiko confronts Kirito and gives him his username and password. In this rendition, instead of giving him his admin account, Kayaba gives him something else entirely.

That's all I have to say for now, so I'll see you at the bottom!

Is this my punishment…?

I thought this as I lay on the ground, my own sword pierced through my back. I couldn't move; the gravity had been set to a high setting so that it took all my strength just to lift a finger. Getting up and removing my blade would be an impossible feat.

Everything had gone white. I could no longer see that bastard while he played with Asuna's avatar like it was a doll meant to be sexed up. I must have been hallucinating in my final moments before my HP ran out, and with it, so would any chances I had at saving Asuna.

My punishment for thinking that I was the game's strongest hero? That I could save her alone… even though my power isn't real?

I felt tears come to my eyes as I lowered my head, having just run out of the strength I needed to keep it up off the ground by a mere inch. I knew this was it; in about a minute, my HP would run out completely, and I would most likely respawn somewhere else.

"Are you going to run away?"

What?

This voice didn't belong to me. It didn't belong to Asuna or Sugou, the only other people that were around me before I began to see nothing but white. It sounded familiar, but warped, like a twisted version of…

His voice…

"Are you going to run away?" the voice repeated, sounding as if it had gotten closer than before.

I decided to answer it truthfully. Or at least, with the answer I thought was the truth. "No… I'm just going to accept reality."

"So you're giving in to the power of a system you once denied, and even overcame?"

At these words, I knew that it was him. The man whose world had taken the lives of thousands, the world I had destroyed with a single blade. This man must have thought that I still possessed the power to overcome the limits of an all-powerful system that controlled this very world.

He was wrong.

"What choice do I have?" I asked him, my voice cracking ever so slightly. "I'm just a player, and he's a GM. He's the one with all the power here."

"Those words make a mockery of our battle."

By now, the voice had gotten close, incredibly so. It sounded as if the owner of the voice was right next to me. What's he trying to say? I thought as I turned my head to look up at him out of the corner of my eyes.

I saw what I expected to see. He wasn't the almighty Heathcliff, the person I had fought to save six-thousand players. Instead, he was a tall, lanky, brown-haired man in a white lab coat.

"Our battle taught me the power of the human will," he said, his voice no longer warped. "And the possibilities that the future holds. But if you can't understand that…"

Though I didn't have the strength to look up enough to see his face, I somehow knew that he was looking at me with admonishing eyes.

"Then maybe going back to the past will enlighten you."

"What are you saying?" I asked this man, eyes widening in shock and fear.

As if he didn't even hear me, the lab coat-clad man continued on. "But you, and everyone else, will have to pay a great price."

"What do you mean?" I asked him again, eyes widening even more. "What price?"

"Your memories," he replied, voice devoid of emotion. "In exchange for having your memories sealed, and everyone else's taken away, you will be given a second chance. A chance to set things right."

"And what if I decline?" I queried, even though I knew I wouldn't.

"How naïve," he scolded. "I never said I would give you a choice."

"What?"

As soon as I finished talking, my vision grew hazy. What's going on?! I thought frantically, trying desperately to get up and face him.

"Farewell, Kirito," he said, beginning to walk away. "We won't remember each other, but we will meet again."

With those words as his parting message, Kayaba Akihiko disappeared, leaving only darkness in his wake.

"Klein, listen for a sec," I said, trying to break his blank expression and make him hear me out. The dim light of the setting sun cast a dark shadow upon my face, giving me a look of grave seriousness that snapped him out of his stupor.

"I'm going to go to the next village," I continued, opening up my menu and manipulating it until I put a hologram of the first floor between us. "If what Kayaba Akihiko said is true, and I know it is, then we need to strengthen ourselves as much as possible in order to survive in this world.

"MMORPGs are a battle for resources between players," I began to explain, looking up from the map to face my redheaded friend. "Only the players who can get the most money and EXP can get stronger. The smart ones who realized this will be out in a matter of hours, hunting the area around the «Starting City» until there's nothing left. It'll take forever for the monsters to respawn, and at this point, every minute spent idly is a minute you could have used to advance and strengthen yourself."

I looked back down at the map I had brought up, pointing to our current location and then moving my finger to my destination, the next village. "Going to the next village right now would be the best choice. I know the way there and all the dangerous areas to avoid, so even if I'm level one, I can get us there safely."

Considering my nature, that was a very long speech. And yet, Klein still didn't respond, as if he hadn't even heard me. Just before I asked if he was listening, his face took on a sad frown.

"But… you know, I said already that I spent days waiting in line with my friends to buy this game," he finally responded. Then, his face drained of color, and he nearly shouted, "They're probably still in the «Plaza», freaking out like everyone else! I have to help them!"

Silence.

I already understood exactly what he was implying with his desperate gaze. He was nice, bright and easy to get along with, and he probably took care of his friends pretty well. I knew he wanted me to take his friends with us. Even so…

I just couldn't nod. I couldn't accept such great responsibility.

If I were just bringing Klein, I could easily get to the next village while protecting him from any stronger, more aggressive monsters. But two more… no, even one more…

If one of them died along the way, they would die for real, just as Kayaba Akihiko made painfully clear in the tutorial not ten minutes before. And then, the blame would undoubtedly fall onto me, the one who decided to head for the next city and failed to protect my comrade from harm.

Such a burden was not one I could carry with me. I wouldn't be able to carry on normally, knowing that it was my fault that someone died in this cruel world.

When I looked up, I knew that Klein had read the firestorm of emotions raging within my mind. An apologetic smile crossed his slightly bearded face as he closed his eyes and shook his head.

"No, I can't just keep relying on you all the time," he told me, giving me a thumbs-up. "I used to be a guild master in the mast MMO I played, so we'll be able to get by using the skills you taught me. So go on, get your butt to the next village."

Suddenly, I felt myself desperately wanting to help him and his friends. At the same time, I was afraid. Afraid of what might happen if one of his friends were to die under my watch. I was wracked with a feeling of indecision so great that it tore me apart inside, until only my instinct to survive remained.

"… Okay."

I nodded, stepped back, and said these words filled with sorrow. "We'll part here. If anything happens, send me a message."

"Will do," Klein smiled, his tone telling me all I needed to know.

He didn't blame me.

"All right… take care," I said, turning around to leave with downcast eyes. "I'll see you around, Klein."

"Kirito!"

I heard him call my name just before I started walking. I thought he was about to tell me to stay, to take back what he said. And, truth be told, I probably would have complied at that moment.

When I turned my head so I could see him out of the corner of my inquisitive eye, he said nothing; he looked like he wanted to say something, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. I waved with my left hand and turned to leave once more, stopping yet again when I heard him call my name.

"Kirito!" he shouted, trying to sound playful. "Your real self looks way better than your avatar! Totally my type!"

I swallowed my bitterness, forcing out a smile as I turned around to face him. "And that rugged face of yours suits you ten times better, too!"

I turned back to the alleyway, running forward for a bit before turning around, hoping against hope that he had decided to come with me, to follow me instead of selflessly helping his friends. Of course, I found nothing; no trace of him stayed behind in the cobblestone streets where he had once stood.

I ignored the pain in my chest and the tears blurring my vision, beginning to run ceaselessly through the streets in pursuit of the next village. I reached the gate in no time at all, running through it without hesitation.

As I ran, I remembered my sister earlier that day, saying she was off to kendo practice before leaving. She had probably heard the news and rushed straight to my side, crying with my mother over my essentially comatose body.

I've got this!

I grit my teeth after stumbling on a rock on the path I ran on, reminding me of the pebble I used to demonstrate «Sword Skills» to Klein earlier that day.

I can do this!

I saw a mid-level «Wolf» monster spawn several meters ahead of me. I drew my sword with a mighty shout, putting it in the position to activate a dash-type skill as the beast immediately began charging at me in turn.

This world can't beat me!

"RAAAH!"

With a scream of fury, I jumped into the air, unleashing my «Sword Skill» upon the monster without a second thought. In an instant, I cut through the pitiful «Wolf», leaving it to shatter as I flew past it. I continued to run at a high speed even after my skill stopped, hell-bent on achieving my goal.

I will survive!

"RAAAAAAAH!"

Author's Note

Yeah, I know that fics dealing with time itself aren't exactly new in this archive anymore, but I like to think that, at the very least, this one is slightly different from most of them. You see, this isn't time travel, but the rewinding of time itself. It's been done, but not nearly as often as people traveling through time.

So yeah, this idea isn't completely original. Sue me. Still, the best stories almost always steal things from other works. (I don't remember who said that, but I remember it being a published author.)

Just in case you're wondering, I don't plan to time-skip around a lot like the mainline story does. I plan to take things relatively slowly in terms of floor clearing, so this will have a lot of chapters by the time I'm done with it.

I guess that's it. Now, onto the disclaimer!

I don't own the Sword Art Online light novel series, any of its adaptations (though I do own the Taiwanese/English version of Hollow Fragment), or any of the ideas, characters, items or anything else I use from them!

Ciao!