Sword Art Online: Forgotten Edition

Fragment 1 - Haru

Year 2022

Virtual Reality (VR) now occupies the lives of many who seek worlds beyond imagination. Technology has continued to advance through the hard work and dedication of scientists and engineers throughout the world. Japan, so far, is the only country to develop a system that would fully utilize all five senses of the human body: touch, smell, taste, hearing, and sight. Games have taken a step into the world of VR and now operate extensively through complicated mechanics.

Sword Art Online (SAO), a Virtual Reality Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (VRMMORPG) has been officially released all over Japan. Gamers who have bought the NerveGear—the VR machine that will allow them to play SAO— will experience a world like never before. Players will work together as a team or work solo to clear all One-Hundred floors in the game. Kayaba Akihiko, the creator of both SAO and the NerveGear has revolutionized the world of Virtual Reality and technology.

2022, November 6 — Haru's Home

POV: Haru

"Link start!" The words escape from my mouth like I was casting a spell, but in reality, I lie on my bed with a device called the "NerveGear" on my head. It looks like a motorcycle helmet but it has a different purpose and that's for playing video games.

Sword Art Online In-game

I open my eyes to see an unfamiliar view in front of me. It wasn't my house or my room but a large archway that had a dome on top of it. I gaped my mouth as I looked around at all the people popping up out of nowhere.

The buildings, sky, trees, water, almost everything I saw looked just as real as it would in the real world. I looked into the fountain that was located in the center of the town to see my reflection.

My hair color stayed a dark brown but my face and the rest of my body were totally different. I was a lot taller than I should be, about 6 inches taller, and my eyes had an awkward slant to them that made me seem unapproachable. I wasn't dissatisfied but more interested than before. A smile grew on my face and the excitement took over. I broke into a dash to see more but I knocked someone over by accident.

"Sorry!" I immediately helped them up and apologized.

"It's okay. Heh weird I felt almost nothing at all," the guy said as he reached for my hand.

"Really?!" My curiosity burst through the roof, "Hey! Try pushing me!"

"Wha- I can't just do that. What if you got hurt?" He said with concern while ruffling through his black spiked hair.

I pouted my cheeks like a kid normally did when they didn't get what they wanted, but then again, I wasn't a teen yet but I was going to be in a month. "C'mon! You said it wouldn't hurt, so why would it hurt me?"

The guy seemed reluctant to do so but in the end, he acquiesced and gave me a shove onto the ground.

My butt hit the floor pretty hard and as he said, it didn't hurt.

"Wow! This is so cool! Mind if I check if it hurts down there too?!" I got even more curious as my eyes locked onto where it would hurt the most.

Protecting his special spot the stranger put his hands over it. "I don't think you'd want to get hit down there either."

He was right, as men, we were supposed to protect our pride and dignity by guarding our crotch with our lives.

"The name's Kirito, what's yours?" Kirito put out his hand for me to shake as I responded.

"Haru!" I said enthusiastically, "I may not look like it but I'm actually twelve!" I puffed out my chest to look bigger, but it didn't help when my personality was really childish.

"Is that so? Haha well, a kid like you could use some help. What do ya say we head out to the fields and get used to the fighting system?"

My crimson eyes twinkled when he said 'fighting system'. I wasn't familiar with the game, everything was new to me so I wasn't sure how to operate. I was glad Kirito asked or else I probably would've been struggling.

I accept his request and we head out to fight monsters to get used to the gameplay.

A/N

Glad the first chapter is out of the way. I'll try not to make the chapters too long, but if they end up being long anyway...well have fun and I'll make it all worth it...hopefully heh