In 2022, mankind finally built a full virtual world.
Floor 1: Town of Beginnings
Kiyomi Sato-Hon, or just Kiyomi in this game, sat on the soft grass in the fields outside the Town of Beginnings. Her avatars long brown hair piled up in the grass at her back, the wind lightly blowing some of it out of her face, allowing her to see the beautifully setting sky. "Aincrad. It is...just as beautiful as i remember it." she said quietly to herself. Her left hand moved from her lap to her beginners Rapier as a boarlike creature came too close to her. A moment later it charged. Waiting for the right moment, she activated her basic thrust skill then kicked off from the ground and ran at the creature. "Too easy! Haaah!" She yelled as she sliced the beast and killed it in one hit. She collected her money and experience before sheathing her sword. Suddenly a bell rang out and she jumped slightly, looking around. Before she could do anything, she was surrounded by a blue light and shr closed her eyes fearfully. Upon reopening them, she noticed she was in the center of town along with others who murmured words of confusion. An eerie red glow started to fill the area and Kiyomi looked up, seeing a blood colored substance leaking from the sky. It formed into a faceless hooded figure and she took a few steps back, bumping into someone. Turning to murmur an apology, she was cut off by the hooded figure speaking.
"Attention players. I welcome you to my world. My name is Akihiko Kayaba, and as of this moment, i am in control of this world. I'm sure most of you have already noticed an item missing from your main menues; the log out button. Let me assure you, this is not a defect of the game. I repeat, this is not a defect. This is how Sword Art Online was designed to be. You cannot log yourselves out of S.A.O and no one from the outside will be able to shut down or remove the nerve gear from your head. If anyone attempts to do so, a transmitter inside the nerve gear will discharge a microwave signal into your skull, destroying your brain and ending your life. Despite my warning, the family and friends of some of the players have attempted removing the nerve gear. An unfortunate decision to to say the least. As a result, the game now has 213 less players than when it began. They've been deleted both from Aincrad and the real world."
Kiyomi couldnt believe her ears. They were trapped here, forced to stay. "No way..." she whispered. People had already died. Tears began to sting in her eyes. She knew every word out of this sick bastards mouth was the truth...and nothing but.
"It is important you remember the following: There is no longer any way to revive someone within the game. If your HP drops to zero, your avatar will be deleted from the system, forever. And the nerve gear will simultaneously destroy your brain. There is only one way for a player to escape; you must clear the game. Right now, you are gathered here on floor one, the lowest level of Aincrad. If you can get thru the dungeon and defeat the boss, you may advance to the next floor. Defeat the boss on floor 100 and you will clear the game. Last but not least, i've placed a little present in the item storage of every player. Please, have a look."
Kiyomi swiped down the air with her right hand and opened the menu. Going to her items, she noticed a mirror and selected it. Peering at her avatars face, she heard screaming and jumped in fright before being cloaked in another blue glow. Moments later she felt different. Looking around, she noticed others looked different...very different, and she looked into her mirror as well. It was her real face staring back at her. Her long brown hair was the same color and length, but in two ponytails like she had it back in the real world. She was skinner, less muscled, 4 inches shorter and then she freaked. Running from the center off the mass of people, she reached the back, only to hit a forcefield. Her eyes widened and she returned her mirror to storage.
"Right now, you're all probably wondering why. Why would Akihiko Kayaba, developer of Sword Art Online and Nerve Gear do this? Ultimately, my goal was a simple one. The reason I created Sword Art Online was to control the fate of a world of my design. As you can see, i have achieved my goal. This marks the end of the tutorial, and the official launch of Sword Art Online. Players, I wish you the best of luck."
As soon as the forcefield dissapeared screaming erupted, Kiyomi made a mad dash for the item and food shops. She would spend all her money earned from the beta test and her few hours of hunting today. Alot of people started rushing the shops and Kiyomi knew she had to get out then. She made her way through the alleys to the next town. She wanted to cry but really, she had no time for that.
If there was only one thing about S.A.O, it was that she could trust no one.