The Hollow Swordsman

Prologue I - The Road to Despair

I was born on November 23rd, 2007 in a small little town a fair ways from Tokyo. If I remember correctly, it was in either the Nagano or Gunma Prefecture, but I've never really known for certain. It had a nice country feel to it, and it was large enough to have all the things a big city has, but still small enough that it doesn't feel overwhelming.

I had a fairly standard childhood, living with my parents and attending elementary. I was actually one of the smartest in my class, so much so that I was able to skip all the way to junior high by the time I was 10. Life was good, and I had made quite a few friends during this time. Though I occasionally got picked on for my long hair, it was only from a few people, and I didn't really notice anyway.

Alas, the good things were not meant to last, and just a couple of months shy of my 13th birthday (September 2020, to be exact), my life would change forever, and not in a good way.

You see, I was at a post office my father works at, and my mother had sent me there for a mail run. I greeted my father and proceeded to get a parcel and any other junk mail the government or whatever decided to send us. I was chatting up one of the receptionists like I sometimes do, and all was good and well until I heard a woman's scream to my right. I looked to my right in slight shock as it turned out she had been pushed down by this strange man in a baseball cap, who I was quickly able to identify as being drunk. However, my shock turned into fear as he went into his bag and pulled out a pistol, that being a Type 54 Black Star (don't ask me how I was able to know that).

Me - (Oh no... HE'S ARMED!)

I immediately, and somehow without him noticing, took cover behind a potted plant in the corner, which had just enough gaps to allow me to get a rough idea of what was going on. It sounded like the man was demanding money and that he'd shoot if anyone tripped the alarm. However, as soon as the alarm went off...

*BANG*

The man fired his gun, and my eyes widened as I immediately knew who he shot: my father.

Me - (FATHER! NOOO!)

I mustered all of my willpower to keep silent and not grab the man's attention, as that could have led to my early demise. 

Me - (Oh lord... My mother will not be happy about this)

As soon as I thought that, another scene began to develop in front of me. From the looks of it, it looked like a young girl, who I presume was the daughter of that woman the man knocked down a minute ago, was biting his hand. I watched the two struggle as the girl managed to take hold of the gun.

*BANG*

Me - (Did she... Did she just fire that gun?!)

I watched in both horror and amazement as she fired the gun not once, not twice, but three times in quick succession; one bullet penetrated the stomach, another pierced the shoulder, and the last one hit him square in the head. I was somewhat relieved as I knew for certain that that guy was dead now and that I could come out of hiding. However, the entire scene ended up being too much for me, and I soon made a run for the door, not even paying attention to anything else. Unfortunately, I tripped on the guy's arm and landed head-first into the door frame. My head hit the ground, and just like that, out like a light.

[a few hours later]

I awoke to find myself in a hospital room, with the doctors and my mother standing nearby. It turned out that I was knocked unconscious when I was fleeing from the scene that I had witnessed a few hours prior. My mother embraced me and began to tell me about how she heard about the attempted robbery.

Mother - I sure hope your father's okay.

Me - Yeah... about that...

My mother's eyes widened, and she began to tear up.

Mother - You mean...

I sadly nodded. She immediately began crying despite my best attempts to console her. We were eventually able to leave the hospital and returned home. Needless to say, neither of us got much sleep that night.

The next day, I found a news article online about the robbery that happened yesterday, and it indeed stated that my father had been among the two that died (the other being the robber himself). I went out to see my mother and noticed something odd. The once happy-go-lucky individual that was my mother was now looking rather depressed.

Mother - I'm sorry to have to do this to you, but... I don't see any reason to go on.

I looked at her hand, and my eyes widened when I realized what it was. It was a pistol, this one being an M1911, and she soon lifted it to her head. That's right; she was about to commit suicide.

Me - No! Don't do it! I've already lost my father, and I don't want to lose you too.

My mother said nothing and smiled at me.

*BANG*

I screamed in horror as her lifeless body fell to the ground. I cried at her side for a good 15 minutes, and after that, I packed my things and set off for my grandparents' house. They accepted me into their household, and they have been my legal guardians ever since then.

Life continued as usual, but I was no longer the joyful soul that I once was. Seeing both of my parents die in front of me within just 24 hours haunted me for years, and I wanted to leave my town as soon as possible. A couple of years later, with the help of my grandparents, I decided to move to Tokyo to pursue high school and maybe get a decent job. I got myself an apartment somewhere in the Nerima ward, which just happened to have a nice high school nearby.

When I got settled, I soon heard about the Nerve Gear and its game, Sword Art Online, or SAO. The game was hyped as hell, and I wanted in on it so that I could take my mind off my struggles. I figured I could potentially start a new life for myself in the fantasy world it advertised; a clean slate free of the worries and constraints of the real world. When the day finally arrived, November 6, 2022, I waited in line to get myself the NerveGear and SAO.

After that excursion was complete, I quickly ate lunch and went to my room, putting on the headset and settling in my bed. At exactly 1:00 PM, I chanted these two words:

Me - Link Start!

A mass of colour flew through my eyes, as well as a sense calibration just to make sure they worked properly. I entered my info to create my account, and with that, I was officially in.