The sunset would cast a vermilion blanket over the city late in the afternoon. School was done at around this time, four or five. It was nearly evening. Students would be seen walking around the streets just a little bit before the working class would take over. The usual day would start with waking up at six in the morning, still groggy and disoriented, and the usual forcing of one's self to shoot up from bed. Any normal person would not wake up happy and joyful about the day, especially on a Monday. And today was Monday. Monday was the worst day of the week. Any other day, just not Monday. The first trip would be to the bathroom to clear the contents of the bladder, and often, the bath. When the cold morning water comes down, making contact with the skin, there would be no other choice but to wake up. Hey, wake up, its another stupid Monday. Time to go back to reality now. Breakfast would probably come afterwards, but the usually thing is that the bus arrives at seven in the morning. Being late and slow all morning, one could only make time to get a sip of orange juice, and take a slice of bread. One leaves the house by sprinting towards the door, a whole slice of bread placed in between the lips, and shoes not even worn properly. The morning rush, just because of the fear of having to stand outside of the classroom for half of first period. That was how it would be, at least, for the normal student.
Mornings. It would start with a wake up call from the alarm ringing on top of the bed side drawer. It would wake him from his dream. The sheets would be wildly thrown off of the king size, four poster bed. It was a grand bed, and it was a grand room, with the drapes and curtains still not pulled away from the window. The room was dark, and only the faint sunlight from outside was able to cast a soft ray on the red carpetted floor. His feet would touch the soft surface of the floor, not being able to feel anything from the numbness brought about by sleep and relaxation. Slowly, he would drag his little feet over the floor until he was able to reach a door. The door was white with a golden turning knob, which his hand reached for. His fingers gently wrap themselves over the golden door knob, and the cold rushes into his veins like electricity. It wakes him up from the inside, and he jumps, though, after the short contraction of his muscular system from the cold, he would find himself feeling drowsy again, his temperature slowly adjusting that on the metallic surface. He would turn, and pull, and the door would open a way to the bathroom. As it opened, lights would flicker open, and it would reveal a huge room, bigger than the usual, in white marble. Everything was in white, and gold, and a rich scent of lavender lingered. This was the bathroom, grand, rich, clean and huge. The door closes, and a series of ceremonies inside commence, and end in the span of thirty minutes. The door opens again after that time, and he is set
Looking fresh with slightly curled blond hair, he stood out of the shower room draped in a bathrobe which fitted him so well. Being lively now, he moved towards the bed. The alarm was still ringing, and he had forgotten to turn it off. He hit it with a hand curled to a fist and it fell silent. Afterwards, he headed in the direction of his dresser, which was only a pair of wardrobe doors in the left side corner of his grand bedroom. Now, with his senses perfectly balanced and in order, he was walking normally instead of dragging his feet. He places himself in front of the dresser and removes the robe from his body, allowing it to drop to the floor. The dresser doors swing open, and immediately he gets dressed up, ready for the day ahead. School would obviously be the first stop, and he puts on his typical school uniform. Private schools had a little something more to their uniform which made them appear to be high class, a coat, an inner layer of clothing, usually a buttoned top, and for him, black shorts and knee high socks, partnered with black leather shoes. His hair, rich and blond naturally curled to perfection. His face and skin, pale but fresh and handsome. He was young, fairly, since he was thirteen, but there was a certain look in his eyes. There was this a cold stare, and it was something that has made him appear unfriendly and unwelcoming. It was something which made the air around him a little heavy and intimidating. The expression in his eyes was rather frightening.
He would go down for breakfast, passing a huge walkway, carpeted. The boy lived in a mansion, after all. A grand staircase awaited at the end of the hall, where he would be accompanied by the house maids to the dining hall. They would pass the grand staircase, and the foyer, right before going into the dining hall. His expression was indifferent as he would go in and head to his seat at the table. No one was there yet, except him. The usual thing to do, was not to rush, but finish breakfast with adequate timing. And if he was not finished on time, he would leave it, and leave the house. In which case, he was early, and he was supposed to start with his food already. The moment he sat down on his chair, he began to eat the food which was served to him. And in a few minutes, he finished. School, now. He would leave in silence, placing his knife and fork on the plate before stepping up from the chair. Still silent, he would make his way back to the foyer, and towards the front steps of the mansion and up a luxurious looking car in sleek black. He would climb on board, and the door could slam to a close. The engine would roar, and effortlessly, for him, he would be on his way to school. This was how morning were in the household of one Aoi Lagunov, a thirteen year old, and only son of a Russian businessman and a Japanese business tycoon. Never did he have to worry about missing the bus, or being late, because as far as he was concerned, the world did revolve around him, and he would do as he wished. He had everything, and he will still have everything, because his life was a life which anybody would definitely envy and wish for...
The day would go by regularly. The school bell would finally ring, four in the afternoon, the end of classes. Aoi would make his way to the lobby of his own school, getting picked up at exactly thirty minutes later. The ride home would not be as short as it was in the morning, since they would have to encounter traffic sooner or later. They would arrive long after six in the evening, and by which time, he would be expected to start dinner. Again, the dining hall would be empty, but now, the room would be lit up by a grand chandelier. Everything would glow in a vibrant, rich golden yellow, and the food served was delectable. However, in that long, rectangular table, the young boy still seemed to be alone. He started with his food, by choice, not to wait for the others any longer. He had to get his school work done as soon as possible. Although as he was eating, the sound of a ringing bell telephone would echo throughout the rather large room. He would stop, bringing down the chunk of meat he spiked with his fork back down to the plate. The ringing would continue, and one of the house maids would hurriedly come in from his right, catching his attention by the peripherals. There was no particular change in his facial expression. He seemed stern, and stiff, and above all, unhappy.
"Phone call, mister Lagunov. It is your father," she said.
"I knew it," he'd respond coldly. His hand would reach over the phone and the ringing would end. He brought the phone piece to his ears and the conversation with his father would begin. Oftentimes, it would start off with the usuals.
"Good evening, Aoi. How was school? Are you having dinner right now? I called because I wanted to talk to you about something. Do you have the time before you get to your schoolwork?" said he, a grown man's voice over the telephone.
"Good evening, father. Yes, I am having dinner right now. What is this about? And why do you ask? Is this going to take up my time? he responded back in an inquisitive manner.
"That's good. It's about business." Typical... "We have only just recently sponsored a company that has been working on a new virtual reality game called SAO. I don't know what 'S.A.O.' stands for, so I will leave it to you. The game is currently in its testing phase, and in return for our assistance, they have allowed for you and your sisters to take part in the open beta phase. It was explained to me that it meant having to test the game in its earlier stages. Now, wouldn't that be great?"
"It's so like you to get to the point immediately, father. I haven't even answered your question yet. You seem excited, and moreover, it's about an online game this time. Last I can recall, you were not very particular about these kinds of games? What kind of financial trickery did they use on you this time?"the young boy responded coldly.
"You should be happy. It's what kids want these days, right? Playing virtual reality? Online games and others of the same sort. Well, back in my day, this wasn't the thing. Everything was on screen, but I guess that's unimportant. I just need your reply as soon as possible. They said your account has already been set-up for you.I just want to know if you would like to take it or not, and if you had the time today to log in, because I'd like to have Anna call in to confirm as soon as possible. They need a reply," his father explained. Anna – yes, her. His memories of her were vague, but she knows how kind and tender she was. She was, and still is, his father’s secretary, and she has been for a long time. She was old, around late fifties already, but she was nice and sweet. When he and his siblings would go to visit his father in his office, she would have tea and cookies prepared for them. She was a nice person, and it made him feel sorry for the old woman, that her father could still have her call to the sponsored company at this time of day. Work was over, after all, and perhaps, the old lady is already resting.
"Yes, father. I can make time for it tonight. I wouldn’t want you bothering Anna about this any more so I’d just accept the offer. I’ll take care of after dinner. I can handle it myself once I go online. My schoolwork has been accomplished. He would tell his father. A short pause in their conversation allowed for him to think. S.A.O. – Sword Art Online, has been the talk of the whole school community since it’s press release not to long ago. A few people from their school should be taking part in the open beta testing as well. It should have already started earlier this morning, but he actually had no plans of purchasing the game, so he did not make an effort to get into the testing phase at all. Since it was given to him anyway, he thought he’d accept the offer. It might give him something else to do tonight. ”I hope you don't mind me asking for no particular reason, but have Kurenai and Hakumei both agreed to take part in this? And does mother know of it?" Aoi asked, suddenly remembering his two older siblings. Since this sudden development was a means to say thanks to the probably generous sponsorship from his father, it could be likely that both of them were involved as well. Maybe they would be testing the game together with him.
“Well, that would still be a no, Aoi.” Still? What did he mean by that? “However, I have arranged for both Kurenai and Hakumei to be included in the beta play as well. So you don’t have to worry about it. I have not spoken to them about it though, but most likely, your sister, Kurenai, would be involved since she is into game development. And seeing that Kurenai would be taking part in this, I have a feeling that Hakumei would also say yes. You know how close those two are,” his father told him. And he thought right. Both of them might be playing this game with him soon. This might give him the chance to meet up with them again after a long time. After all, Kurenai and Hakumei were both overseas, abroad. Kurenai was in the United States, studying computers and game development and college, while Hakumei was in an arts school in Paris, France. The two of them were years ahead of him, but were not too old to pass up a good source of fun. They used to be close, and they used to live in the same house – all of them, but now, only Aoi lives here together with his mother, who was also Japanese, and who happens to run a very successful business in Japan. Yes, they were rich, and they could afford to live so far apart from each other. But then, the press of a button can bring them back together in a heart beat. They were separated, still, the fact remains that they are a family, and they would find time to be together… Only, that happens rarely nowadays. The older family members were too busy. He was busy too… With school.
“Aoi? Aoi, are you there?” and his father’s voice over the phone causes him to snap back to reality. Away from his thoughts about his sisters, and his feelings about having them so far away. He misses them, but he was not allowed to leave Japan for now, since there was school and other activities to attend to.
”Yes, father. I am here, and I understand. I’m done with my dinner so I’ll try to work on that now. I might not be able to answer the telephone while I am at it though, so just leave me an e-mail. I’ll probably be able to read it while I’m online and in the game anyway,”
”Alright then. I’ll leave you now. You have fun. I hope you and your mother are doing alright. It’s cold here up north and I’d like to get back soon,”
”I’m sure you do father. I’ll talk to you soon. Goodbye,”
”Good bye, Aoi. I hope you enjoy yourself,” and at last, the somehow long conversation over the phone was over. He had a new toy, and he was happy and excited about it that he pushed off from the dining table and immediately entered his room.
The gaming console was set over the other bed side drawer, along with a neuro linker system – a device which simply allows the user of the technology to dive into another world – the virtual world; virtual reality. For him, the neuro linker is a high end one, customized to fit his tastes. It was a black helmet with linings lit in a bright sky blue, and the connections were wires, sleek black and thin, attached to the main processor that connects the device, and so on, the mind, to the internet and the game. This kind of technology is popular with the younger generation and is growing even more popular by the hour, by the day, seeing as the traditional game play has already been made obsolete by this new system. There is no real use and, or, need for a keyboard, a mouse and speakers to experience online gaming. The senses, the body, the mind, and consciousness are all transferred into a server online, and it gives the players a chance to be within the game itself, as themselves – seeing, feeling, experiencing the whole thing first hand. Quite a breakthrough, it has already sold millions and earned more than that. The neuro linker is a piece of equipment that is used to play online games which are virtual reality labeled. Which means, to be able to play S.A.O. – the newest game called Sword Art Online, one must connect themselves to the neuro linker, and start the game with the helmet, or headset it placed over their heads. Once entering the game, the body and mind is placed into an induced sleep, so as the game is being played it will be like the player is sleeping and dreaming.
The door quietly closes behind him as he advances onto the bed. He places himself over the clean white sheets of the huge four poster bed in the middle of the room, and installs the program into the processing unit of the neuro linker system. It only took a couple of minutes, that is, before he placed the sleek black helmet over his head. In his hand was his mobile phone, the latest touch screen phone. On the screen of the hand held device was a small manual regarding the game. ”Sword Art Online” it said, the name big and displayed on screen clearly. Aoi gave the soft copy of the hand book and guide a quick read, that is, before he settled down on his bed. There wasn’t much to know about the game since it seemed to him like the game was no different than any other virtual online role playing game out there. It might be new, but perhaps, the experience is the same. Realizing that so suddenly made him want to just take the headset off, but since his father agreed to sponsor, he thought that he might as well try. Maybe it was worth it.
Before he went into that world, he would raise his mobile gadget in the air so its screen would be right above his face. His thumbs would tap away to write an email to his two sisters. It was to let them know of his plans on playing this game. Yes. Sword Art Online.
"To my dear sisters, I’m assuming that father has already given you a call by the time you read this. But just in case he hasn’t, I’ve started playing this VRMMORPG. Kurenai should be familiar with what that is, Hakumei. Dad’s company sponsored its producers, or whatever, so now, we get to play the game in beta for free. I hope I see you guys online real soon. I miss having the both of you here to stir up trouble with mother dearest. I love it when you make her go crazy. Nowadays, I have to deal with her endless complaints about how difficult work has been for her, and how it’s making her look old. And it’s tiring, how she ceaselessly reminds me of the things I have to train for, and how I should always be ready and how it’s both hers and father’s choice. You know how it is. Well, I guess this is it. I haven’t created my character yet, but I will in a few. I’m looking forward to seeing you guys online. Love – Blue,”
Blue. That was him. It was how they called themselves online, in letters and in messages. Aoi was Blue, and his eldest sister, Kurenai, was Red. Hakumei preferred to call herself ‘Pretty Princess’, but Kurenai was forceful and convincing enough to have her change her name to White instead. And so, Blue would send this message t to Red, and White. With the simply press of his thumb over the clear crystalline screen, the mail would be delivered to his sisters’ respective internet mail addresses. Afterwards, Aoi placed the phone down beside him as he lowered his arms. Now, all that was left to do was to start the game. He closed his eyes, and allowed for the device that he was wearing to boot up. And when it was ready, he gave it the command.
”Link…” and he would heave a decent amount of heavy air out of his chest. This was it. A slight feeling of nervousness wells up in his gut, and it is somewhat strange as to where this was coming from. It made him feel uncomfortable, but he snapped himself out of it. He was already here, and there was no reason why he would have to hesitate. Perhaps, it was just dinner adjusting itself inside his stomach, since he was lying down now. Something. It was… Something. He inhaled, and regulated his breathing, that is, before he swallowed and began once more. ”Link start.”
The process was instantaneous. From pitch black, his vision would be invaded by a swirl of bright lights, bright revolving lights, and it was like he was rapidly being drawn towards something inside a tubular pathway. It was like he was floating. He was not there, physically, but his mind was. He was diving into the virtual reality – into another world, or at least, he was slowly being dragged into it. The nerve gear was defining its parameters, synchronizing his senses with the world he was trying to enter. It was the loading period. It took a while, but as soon as he was done, everything fades into white. A small interface appears. It was some sort of floating text box, centered in the middle of everything that was white. It wasn’t a room, it wasn’t a place, it was just… White. It reminded him of Hakumei, slightly. On the box were fields which required for him to produce a username and a password, and an audio message which was voiced by a female would suddenly resound in that white place, telling him of what to do in this stage of the game. Nothing new, he thought. Quickly, his mind produced the user name and password of his choice. He would imagine himself speaking, and his voice would resound inside the room, just as the recorded instructions.”Acquire open beta account settings. Username Lagunov, A,” All at once, the text box before his eyes would fade, and music would start playing. He could hear it, but he was still formless in this world. The game was loading, or maybe, it has already finished loading. Perhaps it has.
The white world would slowly acquire shades of blue and green, and like an empty canvas, the scenery of the sky, would be painted, followed by a beautiful meadow, and the sight of a faraway mountain range. In the middle of everything slowly being etched into life would be the words ”Sword Art Online”. Aoi was sure he was looking up at it, because he could feel his neck being strained. Soon after the words were completely visible, the music grew louder, and the painted image behind would begin to move in a very realistic manner. It caught him off guard – everything was so… Real, that it left him speechless. This was what S.A.O. was. It was just the log in screen, and it was already so… Breathtaking. The wind was cold, and even without a body, he could feel it touching his skin. The heat of the sun was there, and so was the sounds of rustling grass, tall grass, accompanied by fitting background music. The mountains from afar seemed misty, and cold, and he could catch a whiff of the fresh, raw scent of the outdoors, and of the clean air all around. It was all, so real, it was unbelievable, and it does not, so far, compare to anything he has every played before. At the back of his mind, he could hear himself speak. Father might have made a good investment. This is so very different. Wow, he would think. His virtual jaw would have dropped by now.
“Welcome, user Lagunov, A, to Sword Art Online. Before you start your journey, please create your avatar. The avatar is what you will look like inside the game. Players will see you as-“
”Skip it and let me just get to the point. I’ve read the manual, and I don’t think I’ll be needing this.” The recorded audio message would stop halfway through as Aoi spoke in a rather impatient manner. He figured that he already knew what he needed to, and that the recording was just a means to buy time. He knew that he was already supposed to create a character, and missing the sight of his hands, and the rest of his body, was slightly bothering him now. He had to create his avatar now. The interface to create the personal avatar moves into view, and before him, a rectangular virtual window with three full columns stood. A silhouette of his body was placed in the middle. It was in gray, blank gray, and it was exactly of his body size, height and girth. It was without a face, but as he moved, the shadow before him moved as well. It was like a mirror. On the very top of the first column of this virtual window was an empty box, and beside it were the words written “Name”. It was already obvious as to what was supposed to go in that part, but to be honest, it was the most difficult part to fill in. Aoi skipped that and firstly, moved onto creating his own image in this virtual world.
He inspected the first column, trying to figure out what it was. Then, his attention moved to the third column. He inspected it, only to find that the third column only contained options for physical appearance. The rest was in the first column, which denoted statistics. Mostly, numbers he was going to decide on to make his avatar strong. Aoi began adjusting the numbers corresponding to a few particular status attributes. It was only after doing so that he realized that it was not the typical game – because this game did not involve the patronage of the usual character classes. It was out of the norm, definitely, but he just went along with it and continued. Once he was done setting the parameters for his character, he would move onto the physical appearance. Aoi moved his arm, scrolling for a body template that resembled his own. The build of a young boy, and then, the color of the skin, and afterwards, he would decide on the color of the hair, and the eyes, and further, and further, until he was satisfied with how it looked like. It was almost as if he could see himself in the mirror as he looked straight into the appearance of the avatar now, although, with a different set of clothing, and a different hair style. The style of his hair, curled and tussled up, wasn’t really available for the avatar he was trying to make, so he had to settle for something else. But he was contented with it. The physical aspect of the avatar was done, and now, it was time to enter a name for himself, in that world that he would be born into just a few seconds from now.
A name. Names. Naming something. Who knew that it would be so difficult to pick a name? Or was it because he was just that picky? He didn’t know, and he could not pick a name just yet. He wanted a name that would suit him and his avatar. He paused, and gave himself the time to think about what he should call himself. He wanted it to be unique as well, something that wasn’t so common – something unlike his true name, since in their school, there had to be about four people who had the same first name as him, and that was only as far as he knew. There could be more. Then, as he would think of it coming to his head, the letter “C” would appear on the text box on the upper corner of the first column. He would smile, and he would see his avatar in front of him smiling as well. The following letter, a small, letter “a”, then “e” followed by “r”, “u”, “l”, “u”, “e” and finally, “s”. “Caeruleus” – he thought. It was Latin, and when translated, it meant Blue, like what his name in Japanese meant, and what his sisters would call him. He thought about this name being the name he wanted, since no one would ever bother to even use Latin in this age. It was a very old language, and it was something that sounded unique. He remembered coming across the word when he was randomly surfing the web and checking out what his name might translate to in another language. He liked how it sounded, and how it nearly sounded like Cerulean when pronounced. Perfect. It was a good name to give his avatar, and he was already satisfied. Finally all that was left for him to do was to hit the okay button.
Okay. Hit. And done. The screen moved automatically, changing his viewpoint from the window and his avatar, and the disappearance of it to the mountains ahead, and to the sun. It was almost nauseating since it had happened so fast. To the sun, everything became a blur, and everything faded into white, and then, black. Pitch darkness, and then, he felt his foot placed over something concrete. Slowly, he would open his eyes, and from pitch darkness, the world around him would begin to materialize, pixel by pixel, part by part. His first view was of his hands, and feet, and in the background, gray concrete – the floor. It was solid ground and he could feel it very well underneath the black shoes which he wore. They were boots, and his hands were pale, white and flesh. His wrists were covered in pitch black sleeves, and as he would come to realize his change in attire, he would be able to feel the warmth of something around his neck. Wool. Yes, it was wool, just the way he envisioned his character to be. Strands of blond hair would fall down from the top of his face, and he would realize that it ws not his typical hair. It was longer, straighter and lighter. He would blink, and in a split second, everything would disappear, and go back again into view. Aoi raised his head, only to find the sky, and the surroundings. It was… Amazing. So amazing that he was at a lost for words. This was the world within Sword Art Online.
The world around him was filled with people – no, players, just like him, they were now inside this world. As long as he was playing this game, this was his world; a world which he shared with thousands of other players. He looked farther, seeing buildings with an architecture comparable to the olden times. There were no buildings, just wooden and concrete houses lined up on the sides of the street where he was in. He was alive, here and now, and standing inside a town – the Town of Beginnings. He could feel his flesh curl and wrinkle as he worked up a smile. This was so exciting, and it was so new, and all of a sudden, he found himself running. He didn’t know where he was going, but he was running. He wanted to see more of this world, and he wanted to do it now. Aside from houses, shops were lined up on the sides of the streets, and he could see few people – players, talking to the merchants, some of which he guessed were non playable characters, or NPCS. Online games usually had NPC’s like them. Reaching a larger place than the streets, he stopped walking, and found himself in what appeared to be a town square, which was somewhat still… Empty. The town square was the heart of the area in which he was in. It was big, and bright, but it was nothing special. The town square was basically an intersection of three or four roads, each road leading to a different place in this world. It was, and could be, an ideal starting point. He stood in the middle of it and for a while, took in all that there was to take in before waking up from the trance. He remembered that he was, as a matter of fact, a Beta Tester, and as such, well, the game wasn’t really as populated as he imagined it to be. Perhaps, only that street was populated. He had to take advantage of this, and be one of the first few people, rather, players, to know about everything.
He suddenly forced himself out of his awestruck mindset, and at that instant, he directed his attention to what he had to do first. He was in game, and he was playing, and so, he had to learn about the essentials – vital points. Recalling the guide book he had acquired from the internet a while ago, Aoi raised his hand and dragged it down, opening the basic user interface. As this opened, he inspected himself, and continued to learn of the things he needed to about this one game, Sword Art Online, before he moved onto leveling and killing monsters. He moved to a corner of the square, near the entrance to the street from which he came, and leaned on the wall of one of the concrete houses. Patiently, he began to figure out the user interface. It would be useful to know what he has and what he does not have thus far, that is, before he would move on to the next thing. It was only when he managed to settle down, that he realized that he was already enjoying the game. And again, it came to his mind as to how he was just uninterested in it minutes ago. Something. Yes... Sword Art Online. It was something else.
Mornings. It would start with a wake up call from the alarm ringing on top of the bed side drawer. It would wake him from his dream. The sheets would be wildly thrown off of the king size, four poster bed. It was a grand bed, and it was a grand room, with the drapes and curtains still not pulled away from the window. The room was dark, and only the faint sunlight from outside was able to cast a soft ray on the red carpetted floor. His feet would touch the soft surface of the floor, not being able to feel anything from the numbness brought about by sleep and relaxation. Slowly, he would drag his little feet over the floor until he was able to reach a door. The door was white with a golden turning knob, which his hand reached for. His fingers gently wrap themselves over the golden door knob, and the cold rushes into his veins like electricity. It wakes him up from the inside, and he jumps, though, after the short contraction of his muscular system from the cold, he would find himself feeling drowsy again, his temperature slowly adjusting that on the metallic surface. He would turn, and pull, and the door would open a way to the bathroom. As it opened, lights would flicker open, and it would reveal a huge room, bigger than the usual, in white marble. Everything was in white, and gold, and a rich scent of lavender lingered. This was the bathroom, grand, rich, clean and huge. The door closes, and a series of ceremonies inside commence, and end in the span of thirty minutes. The door opens again after that time, and he is set
Looking fresh with slightly curled blond hair, he stood out of the shower room draped in a bathrobe which fitted him so well. Being lively now, he moved towards the bed. The alarm was still ringing, and he had forgotten to turn it off. He hit it with a hand curled to a fist and it fell silent. Afterwards, he headed in the direction of his dresser, which was only a pair of wardrobe doors in the left side corner of his grand bedroom. Now, with his senses perfectly balanced and in order, he was walking normally instead of dragging his feet. He places himself in front of the dresser and removes the robe from his body, allowing it to drop to the floor. The dresser doors swing open, and immediately he gets dressed up, ready for the day ahead. School would obviously be the first stop, and he puts on his typical school uniform. Private schools had a little something more to their uniform which made them appear to be high class, a coat, an inner layer of clothing, usually a buttoned top, and for him, black shorts and knee high socks, partnered with black leather shoes. His hair, rich and blond naturally curled to perfection. His face and skin, pale but fresh and handsome. He was young, fairly, since he was thirteen, but there was a certain look in his eyes. There was this a cold stare, and it was something that has made him appear unfriendly and unwelcoming. It was something which made the air around him a little heavy and intimidating. The expression in his eyes was rather frightening.
He would go down for breakfast, passing a huge walkway, carpeted. The boy lived in a mansion, after all. A grand staircase awaited at the end of the hall, where he would be accompanied by the house maids to the dining hall. They would pass the grand staircase, and the foyer, right before going into the dining hall. His expression was indifferent as he would go in and head to his seat at the table. No one was there yet, except him. The usual thing to do, was not to rush, but finish breakfast with adequate timing. And if he was not finished on time, he would leave it, and leave the house. In which case, he was early, and he was supposed to start with his food already. The moment he sat down on his chair, he began to eat the food which was served to him. And in a few minutes, he finished. School, now. He would leave in silence, placing his knife and fork on the plate before stepping up from the chair. Still silent, he would make his way back to the foyer, and towards the front steps of the mansion and up a luxurious looking car in sleek black. He would climb on board, and the door could slam to a close. The engine would roar, and effortlessly, for him, he would be on his way to school. This was how morning were in the household of one Aoi Lagunov, a thirteen year old, and only son of a Russian businessman and a Japanese business tycoon. Never did he have to worry about missing the bus, or being late, because as far as he was concerned, the world did revolve around him, and he would do as he wished. He had everything, and he will still have everything, because his life was a life which anybody would definitely envy and wish for...
The day would go by regularly. The school bell would finally ring, four in the afternoon, the end of classes. Aoi would make his way to the lobby of his own school, getting picked up at exactly thirty minutes later. The ride home would not be as short as it was in the morning, since they would have to encounter traffic sooner or later. They would arrive long after six in the evening, and by which time, he would be expected to start dinner. Again, the dining hall would be empty, but now, the room would be lit up by a grand chandelier. Everything would glow in a vibrant, rich golden yellow, and the food served was delectable. However, in that long, rectangular table, the young boy still seemed to be alone. He started with his food, by choice, not to wait for the others any longer. He had to get his school work done as soon as possible. Although as he was eating, the sound of a ringing bell telephone would echo throughout the rather large room. He would stop, bringing down the chunk of meat he spiked with his fork back down to the plate. The ringing would continue, and one of the house maids would hurriedly come in from his right, catching his attention by the peripherals. There was no particular change in his facial expression. He seemed stern, and stiff, and above all, unhappy.
"Phone call, mister Lagunov. It is your father," she said.
"I knew it," he'd respond coldly. His hand would reach over the phone and the ringing would end. He brought the phone piece to his ears and the conversation with his father would begin. Oftentimes, it would start off with the usuals.
"Good evening, Aoi. How was school? Are you having dinner right now? I called because I wanted to talk to you about something. Do you have the time before you get to your schoolwork?" said he, a grown man's voice over the telephone.
"Good evening, father. Yes, I am having dinner right now. What is this about? And why do you ask? Is this going to take up my time? he responded back in an inquisitive manner.
"That's good. It's about business." Typical... "We have only just recently sponsored a company that has been working on a new virtual reality game called SAO. I don't know what 'S.A.O.' stands for, so I will leave it to you. The game is currently in its testing phase, and in return for our assistance, they have allowed for you and your sisters to take part in the open beta phase. It was explained to me that it meant having to test the game in its earlier stages. Now, wouldn't that be great?"
"It's so like you to get to the point immediately, father. I haven't even answered your question yet. You seem excited, and moreover, it's about an online game this time. Last I can recall, you were not very particular about these kinds of games? What kind of financial trickery did they use on you this time?"the young boy responded coldly.
"You should be happy. It's what kids want these days, right? Playing virtual reality? Online games and others of the same sort. Well, back in my day, this wasn't the thing. Everything was on screen, but I guess that's unimportant. I just need your reply as soon as possible. They said your account has already been set-up for you.I just want to know if you would like to take it or not, and if you had the time today to log in, because I'd like to have Anna call in to confirm as soon as possible. They need a reply," his father explained. Anna – yes, her. His memories of her were vague, but she knows how kind and tender she was. She was, and still is, his father’s secretary, and she has been for a long time. She was old, around late fifties already, but she was nice and sweet. When he and his siblings would go to visit his father in his office, she would have tea and cookies prepared for them. She was a nice person, and it made him feel sorry for the old woman, that her father could still have her call to the sponsored company at this time of day. Work was over, after all, and perhaps, the old lady is already resting.
"Yes, father. I can make time for it tonight. I wouldn’t want you bothering Anna about this any more so I’d just accept the offer. I’ll take care of after dinner. I can handle it myself once I go online. My schoolwork has been accomplished. He would tell his father. A short pause in their conversation allowed for him to think. S.A.O. – Sword Art Online, has been the talk of the whole school community since it’s press release not to long ago. A few people from their school should be taking part in the open beta testing as well. It should have already started earlier this morning, but he actually had no plans of purchasing the game, so he did not make an effort to get into the testing phase at all. Since it was given to him anyway, he thought he’d accept the offer. It might give him something else to do tonight. ”I hope you don't mind me asking for no particular reason, but have Kurenai and Hakumei both agreed to take part in this? And does mother know of it?" Aoi asked, suddenly remembering his two older siblings. Since this sudden development was a means to say thanks to the probably generous sponsorship from his father, it could be likely that both of them were involved as well. Maybe they would be testing the game together with him.
“Well, that would still be a no, Aoi.” Still? What did he mean by that? “However, I have arranged for both Kurenai and Hakumei to be included in the beta play as well. So you don’t have to worry about it. I have not spoken to them about it though, but most likely, your sister, Kurenai, would be involved since she is into game development. And seeing that Kurenai would be taking part in this, I have a feeling that Hakumei would also say yes. You know how close those two are,” his father told him. And he thought right. Both of them might be playing this game with him soon. This might give him the chance to meet up with them again after a long time. After all, Kurenai and Hakumei were both overseas, abroad. Kurenai was in the United States, studying computers and game development and college, while Hakumei was in an arts school in Paris, France. The two of them were years ahead of him, but were not too old to pass up a good source of fun. They used to be close, and they used to live in the same house – all of them, but now, only Aoi lives here together with his mother, who was also Japanese, and who happens to run a very successful business in Japan. Yes, they were rich, and they could afford to live so far apart from each other. But then, the press of a button can bring them back together in a heart beat. They were separated, still, the fact remains that they are a family, and they would find time to be together… Only, that happens rarely nowadays. The older family members were too busy. He was busy too… With school.
“Aoi? Aoi, are you there?” and his father’s voice over the phone causes him to snap back to reality. Away from his thoughts about his sisters, and his feelings about having them so far away. He misses them, but he was not allowed to leave Japan for now, since there was school and other activities to attend to.
”Yes, father. I am here, and I understand. I’m done with my dinner so I’ll try to work on that now. I might not be able to answer the telephone while I am at it though, so just leave me an e-mail. I’ll probably be able to read it while I’m online and in the game anyway,”
”Alright then. I’ll leave you now. You have fun. I hope you and your mother are doing alright. It’s cold here up north and I’d like to get back soon,”
”I’m sure you do father. I’ll talk to you soon. Goodbye,”
”Good bye, Aoi. I hope you enjoy yourself,” and at last, the somehow long conversation over the phone was over. He had a new toy, and he was happy and excited about it that he pushed off from the dining table and immediately entered his room.
The gaming console was set over the other bed side drawer, along with a neuro linker system – a device which simply allows the user of the technology to dive into another world – the virtual world; virtual reality. For him, the neuro linker is a high end one, customized to fit his tastes. It was a black helmet with linings lit in a bright sky blue, and the connections were wires, sleek black and thin, attached to the main processor that connects the device, and so on, the mind, to the internet and the game. This kind of technology is popular with the younger generation and is growing even more popular by the hour, by the day, seeing as the traditional game play has already been made obsolete by this new system. There is no real use and, or, need for a keyboard, a mouse and speakers to experience online gaming. The senses, the body, the mind, and consciousness are all transferred into a server online, and it gives the players a chance to be within the game itself, as themselves – seeing, feeling, experiencing the whole thing first hand. Quite a breakthrough, it has already sold millions and earned more than that. The neuro linker is a piece of equipment that is used to play online games which are virtual reality labeled. Which means, to be able to play S.A.O. – the newest game called Sword Art Online, one must connect themselves to the neuro linker, and start the game with the helmet, or headset it placed over their heads. Once entering the game, the body and mind is placed into an induced sleep, so as the game is being played it will be like the player is sleeping and dreaming.
The door quietly closes behind him as he advances onto the bed. He places himself over the clean white sheets of the huge four poster bed in the middle of the room, and installs the program into the processing unit of the neuro linker system. It only took a couple of minutes, that is, before he placed the sleek black helmet over his head. In his hand was his mobile phone, the latest touch screen phone. On the screen of the hand held device was a small manual regarding the game. ”Sword Art Online” it said, the name big and displayed on screen clearly. Aoi gave the soft copy of the hand book and guide a quick read, that is, before he settled down on his bed. There wasn’t much to know about the game since it seemed to him like the game was no different than any other virtual online role playing game out there. It might be new, but perhaps, the experience is the same. Realizing that so suddenly made him want to just take the headset off, but since his father agreed to sponsor, he thought that he might as well try. Maybe it was worth it.
Before he went into that world, he would raise his mobile gadget in the air so its screen would be right above his face. His thumbs would tap away to write an email to his two sisters. It was to let them know of his plans on playing this game. Yes. Sword Art Online.
"To my dear sisters, I’m assuming that father has already given you a call by the time you read this. But just in case he hasn’t, I’ve started playing this VRMMORPG. Kurenai should be familiar with what that is, Hakumei. Dad’s company sponsored its producers, or whatever, so now, we get to play the game in beta for free. I hope I see you guys online real soon. I miss having the both of you here to stir up trouble with mother dearest. I love it when you make her go crazy. Nowadays, I have to deal with her endless complaints about how difficult work has been for her, and how it’s making her look old. And it’s tiring, how she ceaselessly reminds me of the things I have to train for, and how I should always be ready and how it’s both hers and father’s choice. You know how it is. Well, I guess this is it. I haven’t created my character yet, but I will in a few. I’m looking forward to seeing you guys online. Love – Blue,”
Blue. That was him. It was how they called themselves online, in letters and in messages. Aoi was Blue, and his eldest sister, Kurenai, was Red. Hakumei preferred to call herself ‘Pretty Princess’, but Kurenai was forceful and convincing enough to have her change her name to White instead. And so, Blue would send this message t to Red, and White. With the simply press of his thumb over the clear crystalline screen, the mail would be delivered to his sisters’ respective internet mail addresses. Afterwards, Aoi placed the phone down beside him as he lowered his arms. Now, all that was left to do was to start the game. He closed his eyes, and allowed for the device that he was wearing to boot up. And when it was ready, he gave it the command.
”Link…” and he would heave a decent amount of heavy air out of his chest. This was it. A slight feeling of nervousness wells up in his gut, and it is somewhat strange as to where this was coming from. It made him feel uncomfortable, but he snapped himself out of it. He was already here, and there was no reason why he would have to hesitate. Perhaps, it was just dinner adjusting itself inside his stomach, since he was lying down now. Something. It was… Something. He inhaled, and regulated his breathing, that is, before he swallowed and began once more. ”Link start.”
The process was instantaneous. From pitch black, his vision would be invaded by a swirl of bright lights, bright revolving lights, and it was like he was rapidly being drawn towards something inside a tubular pathway. It was like he was floating. He was not there, physically, but his mind was. He was diving into the virtual reality – into another world, or at least, he was slowly being dragged into it. The nerve gear was defining its parameters, synchronizing his senses with the world he was trying to enter. It was the loading period. It took a while, but as soon as he was done, everything fades into white. A small interface appears. It was some sort of floating text box, centered in the middle of everything that was white. It wasn’t a room, it wasn’t a place, it was just… White. It reminded him of Hakumei, slightly. On the box were fields which required for him to produce a username and a password, and an audio message which was voiced by a female would suddenly resound in that white place, telling him of what to do in this stage of the game. Nothing new, he thought. Quickly, his mind produced the user name and password of his choice. He would imagine himself speaking, and his voice would resound inside the room, just as the recorded instructions.”Acquire open beta account settings. Username Lagunov, A,” All at once, the text box before his eyes would fade, and music would start playing. He could hear it, but he was still formless in this world. The game was loading, or maybe, it has already finished loading. Perhaps it has.
The white world would slowly acquire shades of blue and green, and like an empty canvas, the scenery of the sky, would be painted, followed by a beautiful meadow, and the sight of a faraway mountain range. In the middle of everything slowly being etched into life would be the words ”Sword Art Online”. Aoi was sure he was looking up at it, because he could feel his neck being strained. Soon after the words were completely visible, the music grew louder, and the painted image behind would begin to move in a very realistic manner. It caught him off guard – everything was so… Real, that it left him speechless. This was what S.A.O. was. It was just the log in screen, and it was already so… Breathtaking. The wind was cold, and even without a body, he could feel it touching his skin. The heat of the sun was there, and so was the sounds of rustling grass, tall grass, accompanied by fitting background music. The mountains from afar seemed misty, and cold, and he could catch a whiff of the fresh, raw scent of the outdoors, and of the clean air all around. It was all, so real, it was unbelievable, and it does not, so far, compare to anything he has every played before. At the back of his mind, he could hear himself speak. Father might have made a good investment. This is so very different. Wow, he would think. His virtual jaw would have dropped by now.
“Welcome, user Lagunov, A, to Sword Art Online. Before you start your journey, please create your avatar. The avatar is what you will look like inside the game. Players will see you as-“
”Skip it and let me just get to the point. I’ve read the manual, and I don’t think I’ll be needing this.” The recorded audio message would stop halfway through as Aoi spoke in a rather impatient manner. He figured that he already knew what he needed to, and that the recording was just a means to buy time. He knew that he was already supposed to create a character, and missing the sight of his hands, and the rest of his body, was slightly bothering him now. He had to create his avatar now. The interface to create the personal avatar moves into view, and before him, a rectangular virtual window with three full columns stood. A silhouette of his body was placed in the middle. It was in gray, blank gray, and it was exactly of his body size, height and girth. It was without a face, but as he moved, the shadow before him moved as well. It was like a mirror. On the very top of the first column of this virtual window was an empty box, and beside it were the words written “Name”. It was already obvious as to what was supposed to go in that part, but to be honest, it was the most difficult part to fill in. Aoi skipped that and firstly, moved onto creating his own image in this virtual world.
He inspected the first column, trying to figure out what it was. Then, his attention moved to the third column. He inspected it, only to find that the third column only contained options for physical appearance. The rest was in the first column, which denoted statistics. Mostly, numbers he was going to decide on to make his avatar strong. Aoi began adjusting the numbers corresponding to a few particular status attributes. It was only after doing so that he realized that it was not the typical game – because this game did not involve the patronage of the usual character classes. It was out of the norm, definitely, but he just went along with it and continued. Once he was done setting the parameters for his character, he would move onto the physical appearance. Aoi moved his arm, scrolling for a body template that resembled his own. The build of a young boy, and then, the color of the skin, and afterwards, he would decide on the color of the hair, and the eyes, and further, and further, until he was satisfied with how it looked like. It was almost as if he could see himself in the mirror as he looked straight into the appearance of the avatar now, although, with a different set of clothing, and a different hair style. The style of his hair, curled and tussled up, wasn’t really available for the avatar he was trying to make, so he had to settle for something else. But he was contented with it. The physical aspect of the avatar was done, and now, it was time to enter a name for himself, in that world that he would be born into just a few seconds from now.
A name. Names. Naming something. Who knew that it would be so difficult to pick a name? Or was it because he was just that picky? He didn’t know, and he could not pick a name just yet. He wanted a name that would suit him and his avatar. He paused, and gave himself the time to think about what he should call himself. He wanted it to be unique as well, something that wasn’t so common – something unlike his true name, since in their school, there had to be about four people who had the same first name as him, and that was only as far as he knew. There could be more. Then, as he would think of it coming to his head, the letter “C” would appear on the text box on the upper corner of the first column. He would smile, and he would see his avatar in front of him smiling as well. The following letter, a small, letter “a”, then “e” followed by “r”, “u”, “l”, “u”, “e” and finally, “s”. “Caeruleus” – he thought. It was Latin, and when translated, it meant Blue, like what his name in Japanese meant, and what his sisters would call him. He thought about this name being the name he wanted, since no one would ever bother to even use Latin in this age. It was a very old language, and it was something that sounded unique. He remembered coming across the word when he was randomly surfing the web and checking out what his name might translate to in another language. He liked how it sounded, and how it nearly sounded like Cerulean when pronounced. Perfect. It was a good name to give his avatar, and he was already satisfied. Finally all that was left for him to do was to hit the okay button.
Okay. Hit. And done. The screen moved automatically, changing his viewpoint from the window and his avatar, and the disappearance of it to the mountains ahead, and to the sun. It was almost nauseating since it had happened so fast. To the sun, everything became a blur, and everything faded into white, and then, black. Pitch darkness, and then, he felt his foot placed over something concrete. Slowly, he would open his eyes, and from pitch darkness, the world around him would begin to materialize, pixel by pixel, part by part. His first view was of his hands, and feet, and in the background, gray concrete – the floor. It was solid ground and he could feel it very well underneath the black shoes which he wore. They were boots, and his hands were pale, white and flesh. His wrists were covered in pitch black sleeves, and as he would come to realize his change in attire, he would be able to feel the warmth of something around his neck. Wool. Yes, it was wool, just the way he envisioned his character to be. Strands of blond hair would fall down from the top of his face, and he would realize that it ws not his typical hair. It was longer, straighter and lighter. He would blink, and in a split second, everything would disappear, and go back again into view. Aoi raised his head, only to find the sky, and the surroundings. It was… Amazing. So amazing that he was at a lost for words. This was the world within Sword Art Online.
The world around him was filled with people – no, players, just like him, they were now inside this world. As long as he was playing this game, this was his world; a world which he shared with thousands of other players. He looked farther, seeing buildings with an architecture comparable to the olden times. There were no buildings, just wooden and concrete houses lined up on the sides of the street where he was in. He was alive, here and now, and standing inside a town – the Town of Beginnings. He could feel his flesh curl and wrinkle as he worked up a smile. This was so exciting, and it was so new, and all of a sudden, he found himself running. He didn’t know where he was going, but he was running. He wanted to see more of this world, and he wanted to do it now. Aside from houses, shops were lined up on the sides of the streets, and he could see few people – players, talking to the merchants, some of which he guessed were non playable characters, or NPCS. Online games usually had NPC’s like them. Reaching a larger place than the streets, he stopped walking, and found himself in what appeared to be a town square, which was somewhat still… Empty. The town square was the heart of the area in which he was in. It was big, and bright, but it was nothing special. The town square was basically an intersection of three or four roads, each road leading to a different place in this world. It was, and could be, an ideal starting point. He stood in the middle of it and for a while, took in all that there was to take in before waking up from the trance. He remembered that he was, as a matter of fact, a Beta Tester, and as such, well, the game wasn’t really as populated as he imagined it to be. Perhaps, only that street was populated. He had to take advantage of this, and be one of the first few people, rather, players, to know about everything.
He suddenly forced himself out of his awestruck mindset, and at that instant, he directed his attention to what he had to do first. He was in game, and he was playing, and so, he had to learn about the essentials – vital points. Recalling the guide book he had acquired from the internet a while ago, Aoi raised his hand and dragged it down, opening the basic user interface. As this opened, he inspected himself, and continued to learn of the things he needed to about this one game, Sword Art Online, before he moved onto leveling and killing monsters. He moved to a corner of the square, near the entrance to the street from which he came, and leaned on the wall of one of the concrete houses. Patiently, he began to figure out the user interface. It would be useful to know what he has and what he does not have thus far, that is, before he would move on to the next thing. It was only when he managed to settle down, that he realized that he was already enjoying the game. And again, it came to his mind as to how he was just uninterested in it minutes ago. Something. Yes... Sword Art Online. It was something else.
5 8 7 2 | 5 8 7 2
CAERULEUS: [ ███████████████████ ] 100% [ 250 | 250 ]
LEVEL: 1
STATUS: [NEUTRAL] | [POISON] | [PARALYSIS] | [DAZED] | [BURN] | [FREEZE] | [SLEEP]
ACTIVE TITLE: « None »
GUILD: « None »
PARTY: « None »
- PARTY MEMBERS
- •• NAME: | TITLE: | LEVEL: | GUILD:
•• NAME: | TITLE: | LEVEL: | GUILD:
•• NAME: | TITLE: | LEVEL: | GUILD:
•• NAME: | TITLE: | LEVEL: | GUILD:
LOCATION: •• Town of Beginnings.
ACTIVITY: •• Enter Sword Art Online - Town of Beginnings.
