Abyss of the Shrine Maiden

The Chase Begins Again

Joshua, four days later, SAO Survivor School

"Finally." As the lunch period begins, I stretch my arms and feel my stomach gurgle in anticipation for lunch. I can sense the girl sitting to my left raising her eyebrow at that, in which I make a gruff noise in response. "What? Being the best and brightest makes me hungry."

"Is that what being the second best in our grade is?"

"Whatever." I rise out of my seat and pull my lunch out, then wait for Asuna as she scoots her table closer. She looks over as I unwrap the red metallic container, displaying an assortment of food. Beef teriyaki on rice, sushi, a small salad, and octo-weenies. Before I can get the satisfaction of smelling the mouthwatering aroma, the girl beside me giggles and insults me with a tone reserved for babies. "Aww, someone got his girlfriend to make his lunch for school."

I glare at her. "You do it everyday for Kazuto."

"No snarky comeback? Two times in a row?" She hums to herself and opens her lunch, proceeding to eat. "So… I hear Ko has joined the music club here."

"Yeah. I guess I might've forced her hand last weekend, but I think it is necessary for her to get reacclimated to life by doing something she loved before SAO. She also accepted Nijika's proposal and they started work with Yuna the other day. That's all either of them will tell me about it."

Asuna nods. "Good job. How about...the other matter? How did that go?"

I shake my fork. "Nothing yet. I'll talk to Argo later today, see what she knows, then deliver the news. Of course, this is costing me part of my sanity." Even as I tell Asuna that with a smile, some part of me is less than enthused about the situation Jaymes, Asuna, and the others found themselves in the past four days.

Ever since Tia disappeared in March six months ago, after we battled her in a partially recreated Aincrad, we've been searching for her all over Ainground. Our initial search didn't last long; soon after, we moved on to other games. It wouldn't be til late last month, after Kazuto, Asuna, and I returned home, that we learned of a NPC roaming around the newly opened floating castle. We rejoined Premiere and scoured the plains of the Stalvatos Ruins, the lava-drenched ruins of the Vulcanus Citadel, and the frigid lands of the Northazard Tundra in search of the NPC, who we came to learn was Tia. We chased her down before other players in the game could kill her, thinking she's a special mob.

When we got to her, several things about her had changed. Her appearance, formerly that of a young preteen like Premiere, had aged up to around mine and Asuna's. Her mind was constantly ransacked by thoughts, unexplainable by me, the expert in artificial intelligence, and somehow it affected Premiere too. What she told us and what Yui and Strea confirmed stunned us: Aincrad's creation birthed a singularity, normally hidden from players while it processes data, and it awakened a new consciousness within Tia--her future self. Apparently that singularity got a hold of present-day Tia's lonely thoughts and created the cold, cruel future version that seeks to gain control.

Left unchecked, if the singularity vanishes, the Cardinal System may--no, it will--eliminate Tia and Premiere as anomalies. I don't have any strong attachment to Tia or Premiere, but I thrice I risked my life for the sake of a world full of artificial intelligences (and probably a few more times that I can't remember during said third time). On my family's honor, we will save Tia and Premiere.

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Market Square, Sword Art Origin

"Ya know, we've known each other for a long time, Traded information hundreds of times across SAO, GGO, 'n' SA:O. Ya can say I'm the reason ya are the hero ya are today."