The Red Player (A Sword Art Online story)

Chapter 19 (Part 3): I Wonder What Would Happen If...

Chapter 19 (Part 3): I Wonder What Would Happen If...

Heathcliff (Akihiko Kayaba)

"The player Piifalo has drawn a legendary weapon!" A large, dark blue hexagonal sign appears on my screen before me. "Piifalo has obtained the legendary sword: Fireheart."

"Would you look at that..." I say as I circle my office. "Piifalo... I sent Daisuke to follow him not long ago. He really has turned out to be an extraordinary player! Him and the one known as Kirito are exceptional, both with formidable weapons, Piifalo already has a legendary!"

I can barely contain my excitement, breaking out into a huge smile. The smile fades shortly after, however. "Still..." I say peering off outside my window into the vast golden plains. "Things have been too... relaxed. They're moving much too slowly, I need some way to hasten the pace." The sun begins to set below the horizon. "They've been in the game for so long, yet they're only on the 13th floor! I wonder what would happen if... I intervened?"

I sit back down on my cushioned seat calmly, but the weight on my mind nearly drops me through the floor. The longer I sit and think, the farther the sun falls, while the moon climbs higher into the heavens.

At dusk, realization finally dawns on me. Immediately I slide my menu open, finding the extra button at the bottom. Admin abilities. I tap it open with my finger, causing a massive list of options to choose from. A small grin crosses my face. "Lets get to work," I stare into the vibrant white moon as it continues to float weightlessly in the sky. "Miki."

Ashas

I'm glad I can get to see him smile again. I think joyously. The hotel bed is soft, and warm. It'd been so long since I stayed in one, and it's not a luxury I'll give up so easily again.

Outside my window the moon has almost reached it's peak. The clock reads 11:30, but it feels like 3:00 in the morning. Exhaustion sets in, and before I know it I'm under the covers. My eyes sting a little as I close my eyes, and I realize it'd been so long since I'd blinked. I laugh a little, rolling myself into a cocoon in the blankets.

A hefty sigh slips through my lips. Today's events had been... torturous. I would leave them behind in an instant, block them from my memory! If only it were possible...

I roll onto my back, facing upward, still enveloped in the warm hug of the blankets. An image of Piifalo's cocky smile runs through my mind, and I cant help but smile inside a bit. Next is the time he held me in his arms, ever so tightly, that one time by the lake. I wrap myself with the blankets even tighter, holding onto the fond memories.

If only it ended there. The storm of glass, spinning around him as he drops the sword that killed Kirino. I pull the covers closer, but the warmth is gone. I see his crazed, hungry expression as he begs to kill, more, and more! Tears build up in my face. Each time his body shakes and twitches I want to scream, but I cover my face, and let fearful tears fall instead.

But then it comes. The worst one yet, the one I dreaded my subconscious would remember. The image of his broken, tattered, mind and soul as he sits on his weary knees burns into my brain. His Devotion outstretched before his heart, on the verge of ending his life. I scream out "Stop! Don't do it! Wait!" but it's too late. His Devotion plunges through his exposed chest, and a smile of distinct hopelessness is etched into his expressionless face. "No!" I shout, jumping out of bed, landing on my hands and knees on the hard wood floor. "Don't do it..."  I sob weakly.

Finally I open my eyes and come to. I breathe a sigh of relief and be thankful I could stop him that time. The pain washes from my body, and relax. "H-He's fine..." I say to reassure myself.

I turn to the window, to see the moon shining high above the world, raining luminous light upon the city. The clock reads exactly midnight.

Just then a bright blue, hexagonal message appears before me. "Player Miki has cleared floors 13-20." Another message follows seconds later. "Player Miki has obtained legendary sword Moonlight." The final message ensues. "Player Miki has obtained legendary shield Evanescence."

"Damn, talk about spam!" I laugh. "Not to mention the luck he mu-" My sentence is cut off by an earsplitting shout from Piifalo staying in the room next door.

"Raaaaagggggghhhh!" He shouts at the top of his lungs. "THE HELL?!"

End of chapter 19. I hope you liked the song choice! This chapter was a little bit more light hearted, I hope! Miki is a name that means the moon.