Sword Art Online: From Spark to Flame

Part 2 - Aincrad, the First Day

-----Aincrad 20:00-----

Shaizu sat on the stone bench a few meters from an alleyway leading into the Town of Beginnings armor shop district. For the past twenty minutes, she had been watching other players slowly recover from the shock of in-game death and being trapped, and party up to begin the starting game quests with the idea of safety in numbers. A few hundred meters down the street to her right, a few players were trying to comfort a crying girl, attempting to reassure her that everything would be fine it they worked together.

Sword Art Online's sun was a little below the horizon of Aincrad, they sky starting to darken and twinkle with artificial starlight. Looking up at them, Shaizu found herself reminded of her family, her father and cousin. She began to wonder what they were doing, how worried they were, if her cousin blamed himself or not for her unfortunate fate. A warm drop of water rolled down her cheek, and she realized she had started crying. Hurriedly, hoping no passing player had seen, she took her sleeve and wiped her eyes, soaking up the tears into her avatar's costume. She glanced passed her arm, temporarily meeting eye contact with two male players, who awkward turned away. A little embarrassed, Shaizu got to her feet, still wiping her eyes, and darted into to the armor district.

A few minutes of light jogging passed, and she slowed to a stop in front of a potion shop NPC, who smiled at her and gestured to the available potions on display, beckoning her to make a purchase. Shaizu looked away, and steadily walked to the wall. She rested her back on it, folder her arms, and looked at the ground with a depressed expression.

'How did this happen?' she wondered. 'How are we supposed to survive this?'

Thoughts of doubt and worry ran through her mind, pushing away any positive thoughts of hope.

----- Aincrad 20:15 -----

"Hey!"

A boy's voice startled Shaizu, causing her to gasp with surprise. She quickly glanced up at the player in front of her, meeting eye to eye with a white haired boy who smiled in a slightly reassuring way.

Shaizu stumbled over her words. "Ah... uh... h-hi."

The boy took a step back. He was shorter than her, and bowed to her in apology. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," he swiftly said. His short white hair bounced a little as he energetically straightened up. He paused. "You alright? You don't look so hot."

"I... no," Shaizu quietly responded, averting her eyes from the concerned expression of the boy. "I'm... overwhelmed, I guess."

"I can understand," the boy respectfully commented. "A lot of people are still shocked from the whole death game thing." He took a step forward, causing Shaizu to glance up and meet with his round cheery eyes. He responded to the eye contact by warmly smiling.

"H-how can you be so cheery?" Shaizu glumly mumbled.

The boy cocked his head to the side, his eyes darting up to his forehead as he pondered. "I don't really know. I guess I'm just really optimistic," he explained after a few short moments. "I'm still kinda thrilled by this whole virtual reality thing." Scratching the back of his head suggested he was a little uncomfortable with his feelings.

Sighing, Shaizu unfolded her arms and pushed herself off the wall. "Okay," she softly said, then slowly walked passed him.

The boy darted passed her and looked at her whilst walking backwards. "Do you... wanna party up or something?" he optimistically suggested, his expression childish and hopeful.