Sword Art Online: Forgotten Edition

Fragment 33 - The Past

Previous Chapter Recap
Joining the party with a red cursor was a player who went by the name of, Volt. A female player with an unknown background besides the fact that she killed three other players.

During Volt's "trial" held by the KoB, Musashi ended up slapping Volt to what seemed like personal reasons. She then left the room to later be found by her party near a riverbank.

Present

"Y-Yo..." Hero was the first to greet her.

She's the one who slapped me earlier...her name's Musashi, huh. Volt thought to herself.

"Uhm...this is Volt...I know it's sudden but...she's going to be joining us—"

A loud sigh came from Musashi then she began to talk, "Let's go. We need to get a room at the INN before we can move on for tomorrow," she stood up then left.

The remaining three looked at each other and followed her lead.

Something's definitely bothering her. Hero speculted.

Evening

The party of four got 2 two rooms as they separated into the following: Hero & Haru, Musashi & Volt. The first to knock out was Haru, but that was to be expected after a long day.

Hero stayed awake and looked at the cieling. Was it the right idea to put those two in a room together? From what happened today I can determine that they don't have the greatest chemistry. He was concerned for the two in the room next door.

"Haaaah...Maybe I'll send her a message..."

Musashi and Volt's Room

Musashi remained awake as she stood at the balconey of her room, staring off into the distance.

She scrolls through her menu to answer a message she recieved from Hero next door.

"Go to your balcony." Is what she replied.

Immediately after recieving her message, the doors in the room next to her quietly opened.

"So you're still awake..." Hero said.

"Yeah...I can't really sleep..." she wore a pained smile on her face.

"What's wrong? You've never been like this before, so I have no idea what to do," he was being honest.

"..." she didn't say anything but it looked like she gathering her thoughts. "A lot's been on my mind, I think after seeing those red players the first time really spooked me. This trial today only made it worse, and that's why I snapped."

She bit her lip.

"Musashi if it's hard to tell me, you don't have to—"

"I killed someone before."

Hero's heart sank as he heard those words come out of her mouth.

K-Killed...He couldn't say anything.

"Not in the game, but in real life. It wasn't just one, it was two. But I wasn't in the wrong! It was his fault! I just ran away! So it couldn't have been my fault..."

Her mind was being flooded with flashbacks of the event.

"It was a car accident that killed a married couple..." tears began to fall from her face. "I've done all I can to escape from this sin, but no matter where I go, it continues to haunt me!" she slammed her fists into the wooden bars.

"Musashi..."

"You might not believe me, but I hear things from time to time. I've learned to ignore them and not let it bother me, but right now it's the worst!"

"Child...Protect...Help...just those three words and another one...but the last word is so drowned out that I can never make it out." She covered her ears.

I can't do anything...Musashi is suffering by herself and as her friend I can't even help her! How useless am I! I can't even help myself...I need to say something, please help me, Alisha!

Hero stood up straight then inhaled sharply.

"I-I'm not the best when it comes to these types of situations. And I have no idea what I should be doing, but! Musashi, 'you're not alone!' Murderer, killer, or whatever, I know you as Musashi, our kind-hearted, sharp-tongued, role model! That's why— no matter what you're going through, with this party, we'll be by your side!" after his last sentence he took a deep breath.

After hearing that Musashi teared up even more and began to sob.

Those words...I wanted to be forgiven, no one knew of what I did, not even my younger sister or my mom. I didn't want them to worry. I've put up with this for so long. These words I'm recieving feel like a dream.

Her sobs slowly got more erratic, startling Hero.

"W-Wait! Musashi, you don't n-need to c-cry so  h-hard...Sniff...i-it's okay..." for some reason Hero began to cry himself.

The two eldest players in the party were having a heartfelt moment to themselves. Ever since the death game started, neither of them had time to fully reconcile with themselves as they were brought into a false reality.

Bonds grow and they hold meaning to those who cherish them. However, what seemed like an obstacle had been cleared, there was still another confrontation that needed to be dealt with.

After their crying session, the two called it a night. Thanking each other for their support, and to not mention this to Haru. When Musashi went back to her room, Volt was gone. Ignoring that fact, Musashi went to sleep and hoped to talk to her the next day.

Outside the INN

"Car accident..." muttered Volt.