"It'll be fun!" Nick had said. "We could totally team up and kick everyone's asses!" he had promised. Anna didn't think she'd have to wait in line this long. Everyone around her was grumbling with excitement and all she was grumbling with was lack of sleep and food. She had promised Nick that she'd get up at 3am to go get the game. Anna would've been surprised at the amount of people who had the same idea, but it was friggin' Sword Art Online. Every gamer was cramming their bowls in for a share. Luckily there was no school that day; some government holiday offered her time to get the game and sleep a bit before it went up.

After finally getting the copy in her hands, she finally felt the excitement everyone else.

How lucky am I to receive one of the ten thousand copies? she asked herself. Obviously very.

It'd been the talk of the internet for months now. Even in band kids would talk non stop about it.

Anna rushed home at about 5am, all the way protecting her copy like it was a precious child. She unlocked the back door and slipped inside silently. She was never one for coming home at such early hours (except when Nick dragged her out), but she still kept quiet just in case her father was already awake.

She tiptoed up stairs and didn't breath when she passed her father's room. The fan was still on inside. He was still asleep. Anna closed her door with the utmost care and laid her copy down on her desk. The young teenager grabbed her phone and called Nick.

Beeeeeeep
Beeeeeeep
Beeeeeeep

The phone went to voice mail.

Hello you've reach Nick Parker! Just leave your name and message after the thingy.

AND ANNA IF THAT'S YOU CALLING I'M STILL IN LINE.

Anna giggled at the last bit.

Anna took a deep breath and said after the phone beeped: "Nick, get your copy already!!! I have mine and it's only 5! Surprisingly, Game Stop's line wasn't as bad as we thought it would be. Looks like you lost that coin toss, not me. Anyway, call me when you get your copy. And don't forget to eat before we start up. Don't want to find your corpse with the NerveGear still on your head, do I?"

Anna ended the call and laid face down on her bed.

This wait would be one hell of a ride.

A young boy walked out of the Taxi in the busy street, carrying a half full backpack with him. He looked forward at the familiar building in front of him. He was eager to step out of the rain but hesitant to walk in through the doors. Clicking his tongue, the boy took the first step and then the rest came easily. He knocked on the door and waited for a moment, slightly propelling himself forward with his toes and then falling back on his soles in a loop. Finally someone answered the door. "Aiden! Come right in," said the woman. "Mark! Aiden's here!"

---

Aiden sat beside his friend in his bed. "You sure this is safe?"
Mark looked at him skeptically, "Of course it's safe, blockhead," he scolded his friend. "I tried it before during the beta. Plus, the scientists made sure it's safe to use or something, so it doesn't damage your nervous system."
After a few moments of silence, Aiden grabbed the Nerve Gear, ready to put it on but stopped again. "What if I get paralyzed?"
"You won't get paralyzed! Stop being such a wuss and-- Ow!"
The friend rubbed the back of his head as Aiden's hand hovered over it. "I'm putting it on," he muttered. "But if anything happens to me, you're accountable!"

Laying back on the small bed, he put the gear on. "Don't you dare tell my parents about this," he said jokingly as he turned the machine on.

"The cable goes where?"

"Plug it into the back of your PC. You know, the computer."

"Um...I think I got it...sorta."

"Fiona, seriously, it's not that hard."

The blonde haired girl let out a somewhat irritated huff of indigence, her cell phone pinned between her left cheek and left shoulder, her hands occupied with numerous cables. She was on all fours on the floor, trying to figure out the NerveGear's cables and their appropriate locations. Sure, she should be grateful to even have one, but the thing was overly complicated for her taste. She bit her lower lip, looking from the many cables in her hand to the PC before her, and let out a whine of confusion. She had no idea what she was doing. Her dad was still working, so he wasn't around to help her out like usual--the man was the picture of patience when it came to explaining technology to the technophobic Fiona.

"Onii-chan...Felix...I hope this game is worth it." She grumbled as she continued her effort to get the thing going.

On the other line, Felix held in his own frustration. He tried to explain how to set up everything by phone, but of course, that proved difficult. Anytime they would game together, their father usually took care of everything so that all Fiona needed to do was sit and play. Felix already had his own NerveGear, having played several games on it, but Fiona would only use the NerveGear when she visited. And thus, she had taken hers with her when he decided that they needed to play Sword Art Online together. He looked at his copy of the game, grinning as he imagined Fiona's face as she tried to set it up herself. He had even decided to skip judo practice today just for the launch.

"We aren't Japanese, Fiona, why do you call me that? Where DID you learn that, anyway?" Felix asked Fiona through the phone.

She paused long enough to roll her eyes. "I think it's cute when girls do that in anime, don't you? Besides, you said I can't call you by your name when we play, so I have to call you something, right?" She asked, though she let out a cheer of victory as she finished plugging it in. "Finally done! Yes!"

"Eh...true...okay! Fine, your onii-chan says to plug in the NerveGear to make sure it works. The little lights on the side should blink to show everything is plugged in correctly." Felix instructed her.

Fiona took the virtual helmet in her hands, turning it. The lights did not blink. She sighed, wondering where she went wrong, though she did see the problem: the main power hadn't been plugged. She quickly plugged it in, and to her delight, the lights blinked. "Yes, they're on, finally." She stifled a yawn, looking around for her copy of the game. "Hmm...where did I leave the game...?" She pondered out loud.

"I'm going to let you go, getting a call from Marco, he's probably going to ask if I got the game yet. I'll call you before we start, okay?" Felix said as he heard a beep on his phone.

"Huh? Oh, okay, onii-chan."

"...Yeah I'm not sure how I feel about that yet."

A whole month. That’s the kind of Hell he went through to make sure his over-night duties and shift rotations within the company were squared away so he had three entire schedule days off with Sword Art Online. It wasn’t difficult convincing people to let him take their nights, for him to skip his originally scheduled day offs. It was hard to rough through several nights in a row with no rest, no sleep, only to be ready for the following morning duties with just a few hours to square himself away and prime up for it.

Getting all the gear and a copy of the game was easy. All he did was get one of T.F.N.G.s to take his fire watch, in turn for getting an extra day off next month. The new meat was always easy to push into that, they were always ready to rise and shine above everyone else. How he loathed that ass-kissing mentality, and how many kids thought the military was like Call of Duty. Ironic he’d hold that point of view, given his adamant history of video gaming. Wasn’t hard to convince himself that his case was different, of course. In a sense, it was, after all. Video games made him into what he was today. Critical, on point, and always moving toward the end goal, no matter what it was or what it took.

Yet, now he sat there on his bed, in a small apartment on base. Lights were off, AC was set to make the whole house below 60 degrees Fahrenheit, and he just ate a relatively large meal consisting of chopped up chicken fajitas. He could still taste the faint leftovers of the BBQ-sauce in his mouth as he looked over the NerveGear, a slight wave of anxiety washing over him. He told his folks on that day they were buried, alone after the burial ceremony had ended and the sun was looming down low. Standing above their final resting place, he swore that he’d never let video games turn him away from reality ever again. They were driving to meet him at his ex-girlfriend’s apartment, to "surprise" him for his birthday. He would’ve know about it, if he paid attention to his phone, or Facebook. If he cared to call them, or visit them. He might have met them somewhere else that day, or visited them instead… he knew in the back of his mind, he couldn’t keep blaming himself for it. It was an accident, something he had no control over.

That, of course, didn’t prevent it from chewing him up inside, tearing him down to the core level and making him freezing with the shivers at nights, yet covered in fresh sweat even if it was hot and heavy in the air.

So, there he was. Staring right at the window to another possibility of shutting himself off from reality. Was it really worth it? Could he really keep it in moderation? He wanted to think so… but reality came to a closer point at that time. With a heavy sigh, he put it down on the bed, stood up, and began to move toward the door.

“Nah. Ma and Pa wouldn’t forgive me… I promised them. I promised them a lot of things, rarely kept them. Iffin’ I was to ever try and make up for it, wouldn’t be right to go breakin’ the last thing I swore to ‘em…” He spoke out loud, as if thinking his parents were able to hear him from beyond the grave. Foolish, childish, and irrelevant… but it comforted him, none the less. A whole month spent getting ready for this, and a good bit of cash, too. All gone away at a last moment's reflection? It seemed dumb... but it also felt right, in the end. It was just a game, after all.

He was just about to get through the door of his room to head into the main room, when his gut began to sank, twisting and turning inside of him. The hairs on his arms and the back of his neck shocked upward and bristled, and an odd sense of perplexion issued over his mind. A primal, “gut” feeling made him stop, and he couldn’t help but look back to the NerveGear. It was all hooked up, ready to go. He was almost set on returning everything the next day, but now something was gripping him by the folds of his conscience. Much like when he decided to enlist into the Marines, now he was presented with a part of his body telling him “don’t turn back”. He was frozen there for what felt like forever, but in reality was just a few seconds. He turned about, and walked toward the gear… and pluck it up and began putting it all on.

“Sorry Ma, sorry Pa. I reckon, somethin’ just ain’t right with puttin’ everythin’ ‘bout who I am behind me just like that. I promise, though… this time, it won’t consume my life. It won’t be everything that I live, breath, and think ‘bout.”

Oh, how damned wrong was he going to be.

As Rhett stood in the seemingly never ending line to get what he came for he couldn't help but often let himself dream on and lose himself in what he was thinking about. He just got away from hanging with a few of his friends and earlier this day he took a small leave from work for just a few days or so. His boss was so chill, it was a blessing one would say. But at the moment Rhett felt like his legs were going to collapse on themselves.
Midst the cold air of the city and the constant barrage of noise that was entering his ears one would think that any sane person would just give up and go home to rest and relax. But Rhett was determined to get what he came for. He had already dropped a great sum of money on this project and he wasn't about to just leave out the key part.

He kept calling this a project but it really wasn't that at all. Oh hey! The line moved slightly! Oh no...the line was moving rather rapidly now. Eager people continued to pour out of the store on the other door, each of them holding a copy of the fabled game that Rhett had been waiting to get his hand on. Rhett knew a few of the guys that worked at the game place where he was at, and all of them already had their copies of the game. Each of them guaranteed Rhett a copy...but he knew how time, and possible angry customers, could change that.
So with a shift of his jacket the young man continued to step up in the line he was waiting in.

Finally he entered the store. The warm air from the heating unit clasped onto his body and gave him comfort from the harsh winds of the city outside. He actually felt bad for the people standing outside still. But this line was moving now so..
Inside the store the SAO propaganda was plastered all over the place. Promises of untold adventures and a massive world to explore filled every gamer's head with their own vision of how the game would pan out. From the things Rhett had read about and heard about...he figured he was going to love this game.
And now was the time. He approached the counter and gave a smile to the worker behind the counter.

It wasn't one of his friends but the worker knew what he was here for but he still decided to ask. "Lemme guess. Want your copy of SAO?"

Rhett replied with a soft chuckle and a nod as he brought out his wallet. "Yeah, that's it." The worker nodded again and brought over a copy of the game in its pristine case, still wrapped. He punched a few numbers into the system and as Rhett handed him the exact amount of money for the game the worker handed him his copy of the game. Rhett grasped a hold of his copy and said his goodbyes by simply waving, and then he was out of the store. The transition from the warm interior to the brisk exterior was a bit unwelcoming but he had somewhere to be. It was rather late but he had nothing else to do tomorrow. He had the day off and all.

As he drew close to his apartment he reached for his keys and wriggled with them until he found the key he needed. With a few clicks his apartment door opened up and he was back home. Luckily he left the heat on inside so his home was nice and warm. With a triumphant push he shut the door and then laid the game on the table next to him. He took off his jacket and scarf and laid them on the back of a chair.
He picked the game up and started to take it out of its wrapping as he examined the back and simultaneously made his way to his room with his computer.
Once inside the room he flicked the light on and smiled as his system was still on. He was happy know that he went through all that trouble to set the whole thing up and get it running earlier. Now all he had to do was just put the game in and put on the Nervegear and he was good to go.

With a slight hesitation Rhett took the game out of the case and held it in his fingers. He examined it a few times before looking down to the disc tray on his computer tower. It looked hungry for the disc, who was Rhett to deny a computer food?
Slowly he placed the game in and he closed the tray. A few lights on the Nervegear started to flash so Rhett unplugged the helmet and held it in his hands. He gently placed it on his head and strapped it around his chin.
The young man then collapsed on his bed and his whole body just seemed to melt into the sheets and covers. But he couldn't sleep. He was wide awake and he was about to experience something amazing.
"Alright.." He said hesitantly. "The time has come." A smile crept on his face as he readied himself for Sword Art Online.

It was early in the morning when Erin walked to the door, dressed in her pajamas. The clock on the wall read 5:13, but her body felt like it was the middle of the night, when she should be asleep. Outside, another knock came again. Erin reached to the door and opened it, seeing that Mason stood out on the deck. He looked exhausted; his hair was shaggy and he hadn't shaved since yesterday morning. Waiting in line for Sword Art Online took the crap out of him. Although, the thin line of stubble on his chin was kind of cute...

"I got em!" He said, and held up to copy's of SAO, his face bearing a stupid grin. "Seventeenth in line, and I only had to fight one guy!" He joked. Erin laughed, and moved aside, allowing him to step inside the kitchen area.

"Nice, Mom's upstairs, dad's still asleep, he got home late, so we've got free reign to jump into the game whenever we want." Erin said. Mason unzipped his jacket, and hung it on the coat rack, exposing his grey T-shirt, which was a little small on his chest. Yep... definitely cute. The two of them went from the kitchen and into the hallway, stopping a door short from Erin's room. She opened the basement door and descended the steps, turning into the large room. The heater in the room was running, and the carpeted floor helped the cold of the morning to leave the space. On a long desk, Mason had set his desktop up right beside Erin's last night before he left to wait in line for the game. Beside either computer was a NerveGear headset, which Erin had found was slightly big on her head. "I'm gonna go change into my sweatpants, I've been wearing these stupid jeans for too long."

Mason ducked into the bathroom with his back pack, and Erin went over to her computer. The couch had already been beside it, but they had put down a mattress for Mason to lay on while they were in the game. She eyed the NerveGear apprehensively; she was nervous about this to say the least. Sword Art Online was only her second MMO, and it was her first Full Dive. As footsteps sounded from the stairs, Erin saw her mom enter the room, holding her cup of coffee. "Hey."

"Morning, Baby." She said, and leaned against the doorway. "I made some coffee, do you or Mason want coffee before you start?" Almost on cue, mason emerged from the bathroom with his new sweatpants. Mom smiled at him and lifted an eyebrow. "Coffee?"

"No thanks, Momma Haley, I had at least three cups while I was waiting in line."

"I'm fine, too." Erin said. Mom smiled and left, leaving the two alone.

"You ready to dive?" Mason asked. He set his backpack under the desk, and picked up his NerveGear. Erin nodded and picked up her own, positioning herself on the couch. "3... 2... 1."

"Link Start!"

Nick had not replied to Anna at all within the past few minutes, and the link was going to be starting soon.

She sighed,"Sorry Nick. Hopefully we'll find each other in there."

Anna turned the air down to a comfortable level and put on pajamas. She tied her hair back in a bun and ate what she could, for her hunger was overthrown by anticipation.

She peaked her head out her room and yelled to her father that she would be playing, not caring whether he was awake or not.

Anna plugged in the NerveGear, her hands shaking. What if the NerveGear didn't work? What if the game crashed? What-

Her alarm went off, signaling her it was a minute before the link went up. Anna scrambled onto her bed, quickly putting the NerveGear on. She breathed and closed her eyes. She was scared as hell of what she'do find in this world.

"Link start!" she said in unison with her timer,

---

Anna was struck by a series of questions from the NerveGear. She confirmed all the functions to be working and logged on. She suddenly felt a falling sensation and then the ground was beneath her feet. She blinked and looked down at her feet. "Oh my god," she whispered as she inspected her hands and fingers and body. This body was completely new to her. And so was this world.

She turned and felt her long(er) hair swish behind her. People were showing up out of nowhere. She laughed and jumped up and screamed with joy. Suddenly the plaza she was in started to fill up to the brim.

Anna surveyed the crowd, trying her best to look for Nick's character.

"Holy shit," she said as she smiled. She wasn't scared anymore. This world had too many wonderful things to offer.

"What were the words I needed to use again?"

"Link Start!"

---

Aiden, or rather "Edge" in-game after having finished the customization, found himself standing among thousands, tens of thousands of people in what seemed to be a plaza. He looked around, smiling. Maybe this was a good idea.

The boy walked through the crowd, following the path drawn from his point to where the weapon shop appeared to be. He looked through his item bag, seeing one singular item to help "noobs". He bumped into a couple of people as he followed the map and skimmed through the book. There was some information on what style to choose, some pointers for the monsters and bosses... He found himself to have reached his destination in no time. He walked in and looked at the NPC and the players around it. There were so many people, even in the small building. A panel appeared in front of him, different from the profile panel. This is so awesome! He clicked "Trade" and picked one of the names on the list, confirming his selection.

---

Having equipped his new item, the boy went back to the plaza, seeing some rather enthusiastic people jumping and hugging each other. He didn't really have anyone to hug at the moment... Especially since he was just borrowing the game.

High school was now behind him and the summer was his. June, july, august.. three whole months to game, party, and hook up. Mostly game. Tony was stoked thinking about all of the possibilities that the season held for him but highest of all of them was the greatly anticipated Sword Art Online. Of course he had the game preordered. Though that didn't stop him from waiting in line all damn night to be one of the first ten people to pick it up. Tony had a switch blade in his pocket in the event some other gamer tried to get the best of him and steal his copy once he was out of the store. There were only ten thousand copies of SAO being sold to the public and owning it basically made you the envy of every gamer on the planet.

The drive back to his house was killing him and if he could have plugged it into his car to play he would have. Going the speed limit it would've taken about an hour to get back home. Tony finished the trip in thirty five minutes and made all haste form the garage to his room. His Nervegear was already plugged in and he quickly set up the game, changing into some basketball shorts and a white undershirt to get comfortable. A giant black leather recliner acted as his gaming throne and he kicked back in it, donning the Nervegear. The equipment flared to life and a timer appeared signaling one minute until the link was initiated. Tony couldn't find any words to describe how excited he was. Finally, he was going to be able to live the game instead of controlling an avatar in third person. This time he IS the avatar.

3.. 2.. 1.. "Link start!" the sensation that followed could only be described as otherworldly or like he was having an out of body experience as his conscious was projected into the game. Icons appeared naming the five senses and turned green, confirming that the full dive system was operating normally. Character creation was faster than he'd thought initially. He had all night in line to think of a name and whatnot. No longer would he be Tony, not in this world. Now he was Tosun, soon to be the greatest sword master the MMO universe has ever seen!

Apollo sat in the Town of Beginnings, clearly bored out of his mind. His avatar was dark haired and burly, the complete opposite of Felix. But that was the beauty of MMORPGs--you can be anyone you wanted to be. Tall, short, manly, feminine, whatever. Escapism, perhaps, but it was somewhat relieving not being burdened by real world identities. Only people you knew in real life would know what you liked like and who you were. Speaking of said people, a certain little sister was taking forever to finish up her character. True, the options were vast and extensive, so it may have been too much for the poor noob. He chuckled lightly to himself, but let out a sigh. He had specifically instructed her to pick a certain name so he could find her, as well. But knowing Fiona, she was bound to mess it up somehow.

Thankfully, his prayers were answered in the form of a player appearing in front of him. She was tall with short dark hair, and as she turned to him, blinking with purple eyes, she flashed a grin. He knew this was Fiona, or rather, "Artemis". "What took you so long?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I wasn't sure if I wanted blue or purple eyes." Despite Artemis' very adult appearance, Fiona's young voice made it very clear that she was a high school kid acting as an adult. "I mean, I was going after one of those 'tall, dark, and gorgeous' types, but...eh?!" She let out a yell of disbelief, pointing to him. "You have purple eyes too?!" Apollo let out a nervous laugh at this point, scratching his head, though in about five seconds Artemis went around him, inspecting his character. She paused before him before letting out an irritated sigh. "Onii-chan...we're basically the same character but gender swapped." She stated flatly, clearly unamused.

"Great minds think alike?" He suggested. "About the whole 'onii-chan' thing, I decided, it's weird enough that I'm playing with my little sister, so I'm going to have to ask you to cut it out."

"What? But...you realize Apollo and Artemis are brother and sister in Greek mythology, right? People are going to know we're siblings anyway, so what's the big deal?"

"I know that, that is specifically WHY I picked these names weeks ago...took me forever to think of decent names--wait, no, the point is it's weird when you call me that!"

"Why?"

"Because it is!"

"Is it because of the whole incest thing they have going on in anime?"

"FIONA!"

"Ah, ah, ah, it's Artemis here, remember? You said we can't call each other by our real names!"

"You can't just talk about things like that!"

The two began to bicker with one another, clearly irritated with the other as they each tried to make their point across. Which was pointless, seeing as how the two siblings were arguing about different things.

After Rhett felt good and ready and let out a heavy sigh before remaining silent for a few more seconds. The Nervegear on his head was beeping and blinking as it anticipated his command. So Rhett finally felt ready, he felt the words build up inside of him and he opened his mouth. "Link Start!"
With that said the flash of lights and sounds came seemingly out of nowhere as they flooded into Rhett's mind. He saw a few words pop up as they were checking his senses and...vitals? He sword he saw that pop up. But that didn't matter now.

He was prompted to sign in and he did and right after that the flashing colors stopped and he was given a white screen. At this moment he didn't know it but he was now fully a part of the virtual world. He was gone.
Next thing he knew he was opening up his eyes in an unknown plaza of sorts. His ears were taken over by the sounds of voices and other noises and Rhett quickly came to his senses.

He looked down to his hands and then all over his body and realized he was now in the game. Players were spawning in all over the place and it was a wondrous sight to see. A few players cast looks all around and Rhett was doing the same. He started to smile as he walked along through the plaza. Sure he was alone but that didn't really matter to him now.
He just felt so immersed in this world...it was unreal. Everything felt so real though! As he continued to walk along he decided to stop at a fountain of sorts and just take a moment. A few players walked past him, talking about going and slaying a few monsters or looking for loot. That sounds fun to Rhett!..Or..now Pipit. He forgot about his username. He was going to need to get used to calling himself that. Shouldn't be hard.

So as he standing next to the fountain he brought his hand up and waved it down. Even though it was unintentional he opened up his menu. Pipit looked over his stats and his inventory and everything else. Everything was basic for him, as it should have been. He picked beast tamer...so why didn't he have a beast yet? Or was that just a name title or something? Oh well..no time to think about that now.
So Pipit closed his inventory and started to head off in one direction. He had no idea where he was going, but he was still in that same town of sorts it seemed. It stretched on for a good while. Did he have a map of some kind? Or a quest at least? Only time would tell most likely, the game did just start.

Erin found herself amazed at what she saw; the game was like she was seeing it through her own eyes. She quickly examined her HUD, and she saw a green health bar, beside which was her username: "Erios". Mason had suggested the name, taking the first three letter's of "Erin" and the first two letters of her last name, "Oswald". She found that it sounded pretty cool. The girl glanced around the town before her, hundreds of players littered the area. Erin jumped as a hand touched her shoulder, "Erin- agh. I guess I have to call you Erios in game." Erin jumped, letting a slight yelp. "Hey, cool down, it's Mason."

"Don't scare me like that!" She snapped. She examined Mason's avatar; he looked nothing like his real self. He wore a black cloak and similar armor to hers. "This... this is amazing..."

"I know right? It blows all the other VRMMOs out of the water." Mason said. "We should go get some potions and then we can go start leveling." Erin nodded, and followed him towards an NPC vendor. She could tell... this was going to one heck of a ride.

"Link start." He said rather phlegmatically. Reserved as he was in the notion, he was still bordering on the possibility of breaking a promise to his now-dead-parents. That gut feeling, though... he knew he had to go in. Something was going to happen inside of this game, and he was going to need to be there for it. He didn't know what or why, but it was the same gut feeling that drove him into the Marines. The same feeling, that ended up putting him in a position to saving the life of someone who wanted to commit suicide while in basic combat training. Then, later down the line, when there was a shooting on base, and was able to disarm the man before anyone was seriously injured. There were other situations, too, when others ended up depending on him for strength and guidance. He wasn't the most sociable of people, but he knew his spot in the military. There was no room to isolate yourself and be a cold, unrelenting hardass. He was introverted, but not anti-social.

In seconds, he was prompted with a bunch of miscellaneous questions and tests to run for calibration. The avatar was pretty simple. Tall, like himself. Broad and rather well muscled, as he became with the training. Blonde hair instead of his regular black, and a rather healthy beard fleshed out, since he wasn't allowed to grow one anymore due to regulations. Then, the name. "Bjorn", to fit with the personality he always took when he was in a game. Large and in charge, and ready to rush into the action head-first. Plans never held up in a battle, and only strength and endurance is what keeps you alive. With it all finished and filled out, an odd sense of euphoria washed over him, and then planted him right down in the first town.

It took him a few seconds to adjust, but it kind of felt like the various training exercises he under went during the military, and was comfortable in seconds with the new body of his. "Right. The manual said there'd be... ah!" He was already shifting through his inventory, and discovered where he needed to head off in. His selection was for the players who intended to gear up toward the two-handed abilities, with its own guide and tips on how to level up the abilities and what manner of play styles were found to be most effective during the beta tests. Bunch of the information was all in the little starter's guide, courtesy of the beta testers, from a simple cardboard-stock NPC. No shame in that, it was the starter zone after all.

Set and ready to go on pretty much the same level as everyone else... he trucked on out. Sight seeing could come later, he wanted action. He wanted to test what his limits were in the game. To see the challenges ahead, the struggles that were meant to make it the mold-breaker of all video games. To become, literally, an entirely new and different person.

As well, of course, to shake this terrible gut feeling he was going to be as much of a Marine in here, as he was in reality.

A green health bar floated in the top left corner of his vision along with his level (one) and his new name. Tosun. [iUnreal[/i] he thought as he examined his hands and performed a series of quick jabs and kicks to feel out the motions. It was all totally fluid as if it was his own body, none of it was pre scripted movements. New players were materializing in the plaza almost every second, some finding each other while others looked around for their friends. Partying and guilds would come later, right now Tosun wanted to level up. The guide in his inventory, which he selected from the holographic menu that appeared, would tell him a few key details that he wanted to know about how to build the type of swordsman he wanted to be. He'd heard somewhere along the line that there was an unlimited number of skills within the game. Perhaps that was because players could create their own? time will tell.

The game thus far was amazing, everything he'd hoped it to be and he hadn't even left the spawn area yet. A smile crossed his features as he thought of rectifying that fact and not a moment later he was on his way out into the lands surrounding the Town of Beginnings, a single handed curved sword in his possession and a glint of excitement in his eyes at the prospect of fighting monsters.

Damian dashed home as fast as he could in the pouring rain. Both out of need to escape the downpour and excitement to play The Game. This game was making waves all across the world, the first of its kind, a full dive VR-MMO, was bound to revolutionize the gaming industry. With only ten-thousand copies being sold world-wide, to own it would be to become part of history. It was no easy feat to get the game either, Damian had to work many secondary jobs to help pay for the Nerve-Gear and SAO by the time it was released. Through his hard work, and his patience to sit in a line for 9 hours, he was able to get his copy of SAO. The game was tucked under his jacket as he ran through the streets.

Damian burst through the door to his house as soon as he got home. He placed the game in a safe place and began to shed his wet clothing, which he replaced with more comfortable attire. He retrieved his game and ran to his room where he checked the connections to his nerve gear and his computer. After insuring everything was hooked up he placed the game in his computer and donned the virtual reality helmet. The display flashed around him as the nerve gear initialized, the settings checked out, and then his vitals were registered. Damian nearly shook with anticipation, this chance to leave the real world behind, a place where he could forge a life he wanted to live. An escape from his depressing life, and the limits of the real world. "Link Start." He spoke to the helmet, immediately he senses dissolved around him as he entered the game-scape.
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Exiting the character creator Genjii, as he would now be called, felt a calm falling sensation and then his feet were on cobblestone. He had bright orange hair tied up in a warriors pony tail, he wore a simple blue tunic paired with leather pants and fitted with pieces of metal armor. He stood at a slightly taller than average height and could scan the streets much better than he would be able to in the real world. He swiftly made his way from shop to shop, picking up what he considered to be the essentials. As he went from shop to shop he was hard studying the beginners guide that was compiled by the beta-testers. He was going to understand this game to the best of his ability, he planned to the play this game and not let it play him. Genjii's next plan of action was to test out the fighting system and get as much loot as he could for the time being, so he set off to the outskirts of town following the map found in his menu.

Anna, or "Ace", as she was now called, had been searching for Nick for what seemed (and probably was) hours. Sure, there were only ten thousand people in the game, but they really hadn't discussed usernames at all. Just their anticipations and hopes for SAO. She walked through the markets shouting his full name and even wandered out onto the fields with wild boar things. She couldn't find anything.

"Screw it," she said to herself. "I'll find him later, set up a meeting point." Ace brought up her menu and looked to logout. There was no logout button. "What the-?" Her words were swallowed in her mouth when she blinked and was in the large square everyone spawned in. More people starting teleporting in, but it looked like they didn't mean to do it either. All around her, the air was filled with questions as soon the entire plaza was filled.

The sky turned red and her stomach churned with fear.

System Error is what little tiles on the sky said. All language stopped. Everyone stared.

What looked like blood leaked from in between the cracks. It formed into a shadowed figure. The figure told everyone that it was the game creator, and that they were all stuck there. No one could log out. No one could opt to leave. Unless, of course, they died. People collapsed to their knees and cried. Ace just stared blankly at the creator, her mind still trying to process the news.

I'm stuck here. Forever.

The creator then said that the only way out was to finish all 100 levels.

Ace tuned him out after that.

Nick, she thought. Nick. I gotta find him.

Nick nor Anna needed anyone to look after them, but she needed him then. She just did.

"Finally," the word he breached her thought bubble with. "I have added a present from me to your item storage. Please see for yourselves."

Ace figured that if she could see his face, he'd have a smug little smile on his face. She went into her inventory and found a solitary item labeled "Mirror". She tapped it and into her hands came a small mirror. She could see her avatar's face. She looked somewhat like herself, but she gave herself longer hair and made it red. She had thicker lips. These were the features of Ace. Why did they matter to her?

The blue light swallowed up her body and when she looked back into the mirror she saw Anna. She saw Anna's face. More and more people turned into their real selves as her mirror shattered. She touched her face, feeling tears on her cheeks.

"How...?" She and many others asked. She suddenly remembered the NerveGear surrounding her face.

I'm going to die tonight, aren't I?, the young girl asked herself.

Anna was no longer shielded with the face of a strong warrior. Her mask shattered. Ace was gone now.

The creator disappeared as the crowd dissolved into its own madness.

Anna's legs suddenly snapped into action. She ran through the crowd, looking at each and every face, searching for Nick.

What would she do without him here? How could she survive?

She didn't know.

She didn't know.

"Technology's development is so amazing," Aiden muttered to himself as he sat in the town center. I guess I should log out. Mark might want his game back before it's too late. He pulled out the menu and scrolled to find the Log Out button. He scrolled up and down repeatedly for several minutes. Where the hell is that button?! Maybe it's in settings... Nope.

Just as he was starting to panic, there were giant red signs appearing over the town saying System Error. A figure appeared in the sky, talking about a certain "feature" in the game. At first he thought it was a joke but it did make sense. Some people around him started to disappear when the man mentioned that some people had ignored the warning not to take of the headgear and had forcefully killed the people in the game from the real world by frying their brains in the process of the removal of the Nerve Gear. The boy suddenly got anxious, waiting for something to happen to him, but thankfully, nothing did.

"Finally, I have added a present from me to your item storage. Please see for yourselves."

His eyes open wide in horror, he carried his trembling finger over to the item storage and flicked the button, seeing a "mirror". He selected the item and it appeared in his hand. He suddenly found that he'd reverted to his real physique. His face, his body... It was all like in real life with no difference at all.

This is just a bad dream...

Erin, among all the others in the mass crowd, were astonished when the figure appeared in the air, naming himself "Kayaba Akihiko". The creator of the game, he announced that all the players were trapped... As he spoke, Erin couldn't help but laugh inside at the attempts to make the game seem so serious. However, this notion faded when everyone seemed to be taking him seriously. She glanced at Mason, who studied the figure with intense focus. "Why is everyone so serious about this?"

Instead of responding Mason, brought up his menu and examined it closely. He shook his head and his face darkened. "...Because there's no logout option." He stated. "He's... He's telling the truth." Erin brought up her own menu frantically, maybe Mason was just glitching- She shuttered when she saw that there was, indeed, no logout option. Erin's eyes widened, and her mouth fell agape.

Akihiko announced that he'd sent everyone a gift, and everyone needed to open their inventories. Indeed everyone had received something, an item labeled "Mirror." Erin opened the item, and a small mirror appeared in her hand. When she glanced into the glass, she saw the reflection of her avatar. Suddenly she was enveloped in a bright blue glow. When the glow faded, Erin glanced at the mirror again, and saw that she was no longer inspecting her avatar's face, but her real-life features. Her breath caught, and tears formed in her eyes. She raised the collar of her tunic and looked at her left shoulder; a brown bruise prominently rested where it did on her body in the real world, a bruise that she'd attained from her late abusive father.

It dawned on Erin: this man was telling the truth... they were trapped here until the game was conquered... Mason looked equally dumbfounded.... they were going to die.

Artemis blinked as the creator disappeared. People around her seemed to panic murmur among one another. Was this guy for real? She couldn't believe it, no, she just didn't understand. So what, suddenly they were stuck in this death game? Really? As she was informed of getting an item, she went through the menu, and a small mirror landed in her hands. As she turned to ask Apollo what it was, he was enveloped in a blue light, as were several others. No longer the buff, dark haired man, he appeared exactly as he did in real life--blonde haired, blue eyed, slender young man. She gasped as she, too, was surrounded by that light and it dissipated. She looked into the mirror and saw her face--her own face. Her eyes were hazel and her hair was blonde again. It was scary how accurate it was, it even got the exact length of her hair as it hung just above her knees.

"I-I don't get it, how...?" She picked up her now blonde locks, letting them slip from her fingers back to their resting place.

Chaos erupted soon after. Apollo grabbed his sister's wrist, simultaneously pushing through people and pulling her along. The girl gripped her brother's hand and tried to keep up and prevent herself from getting dragged. Once they were free from the crowd, he placed his hands on her shoulders, looking at her straight in the eye. "Listen to me, we are going to get out of this." He told her sternly, his gaze one of determination. "You need to trust and believe in me, no matter what happens I will protect you, we will survive this. We have to work together--I have your back and you have mine. Do you understand?"

He was so serious. It was so unlike him, it almost scared her. Her lower lip quivered slightly, and she already felt the tears in her eyes. She closed her eyes and willed them away. If there was one thing she was certain about it was that when her brother promised something, he meant it. She opened her eyes and nodded, making sure there was no hint of doubt or fear in her face. "Yes." She told him, her determination matching his.

"Good." Apollo let out a sigh of relief, though he pulled her into a hug. "I dragged you here. I'll get you out, I swear it." He told her quietly, though he broke the hug and took her hand again. The two began to make their way out of the central plaza.

Pipit let out a small yelp as he, along with the whole other mass of players online at the moment, were transported to the center plaza in the Town of Beginnings. Midst the commotion a large figured appeared as the sky turned a dark red along with warning messages all over the place. The large figure silenced the crowd and began to speak. Words of how they players were all trapped inside the game sparked new noises to come from the crowd.
Just as every other player was doing this Pipit brought his menu down and sure enough, the Log Out button was missing. So..this just had be some kind of event right? There was no way the developers would just do this to all these people...right?

Just when he was about to close his inventory he caught sight of something. He didn't remember having anything before so he gave it a second glace. A Mirror had been placed in his inventory.
Pipit tapped it and it materialized in his hand. He noticed he wasn't the only one with the mirror either. So he looked into it and when he did a flash of white erupted around him, and all the other players who looked at their reflections. When the light subsided, Pipit looked himself over and then looked back at his reflection
He let out a small yelp again as he now looked exactly like he did in the real world! The changes from his avatar weren't that much though, but they were noticeable to him. Player's quickly realized who everyone really was.
At this moment the figured continued to speak and after a few minutes he was gone and the sky returned to normal and the barriers around the town went away.

Players started to funnel out of the Plaza and the commotion started up again. Pipit slowly started to walk along with the mass but he really didn't know why. If this was real...then he was trapped in here. And if he died in this game..he was dead in real life. It was almost too much to comprehend at this moment...but now he just needed time to think.
So the young man continued to walk by himself through the small crowd he was a part of to exit the Town. This had to be some kind of Day One event or something. There was no way this was real. Right?