Sword Art Online: Echoes

Reflections

2022.08.01JST1728: F1 ToB-Eastern Church-Room 1N

I poke my head through the doorway and yell "Hey, need you to get out of the room so we can reload to show the upgrades."

Closing her menus and making her way out the door. Sasha gives an acknowledging nod. 

When suddenly, we both start glowing blue as we're being forcibly teleported. Both of us exclaim as we are whisked away into the blue light.

2022.08.01 Aincrad Standard TIme 1730: F1 ToB-Central Plaza in front of The Black Iron Palace

"What?!" Looking around I see several thousand other players in the same area as me. More and more blue lights flash as players appear.

"Where's Zashaw? Oh, I can use the map." I pull up the map and look for him, not noticing it's spelled <Sasha>. 

As I head towards Sasha position on the map, I over various comments. 

"Hey, what gives?!"

"What's with the barrier?"

"Why can't I leave? I was in the middle of a good deal!"

As I get closer to him, I see Zashaw standing next to an equally confused and bewildered female player with the username <Mina>. 

Before I could yell out her name someone exclaims "THE SKY!"

Looking up I see a black hexagon grid form into the sky above clock tower. Each hexagon starts flashing red with yellow 'WARNING'. 

 A few of the hexagons right over the middle of the plaza start disappearing. Suddenly a skeletal being crawls out of the hole and wraps itself around the clock tower. 

The being has a pitch black cursor over its head, four arms, no legs and a long tail that appears to be an extension of its spinal cord. After being coiled around the clock tower it lets out a menacing roar.

Blood gushes out of the hole in the sky and covers the skeletal being.

Players are in terror as the grotesque scene unfold. Screams can be heard echoing throughout the plaza. While some can't even move from the fear.

I was trembling myself. "This is just a game right?.." My rattling mind was interrupted by Zashaw and Mina clinging onto me in fear. 

Saying it as bravely as I could "Stay close you two." but it was obvious that I was terrified.

Menacing laughter shatters through the sky as another being draped in red robes enters from the bloody gape.

" Attention, players. Welcome to my world."

"My name is Kayaba Akihiko. As of this moment, I am the sole person who can control this world. It's God."

Some players off in the distance question out "God?"

"I'm sure some of you have already noticed, that some of your friends haven't resurrected. As long as I rule here, I can assure you that they won't be coming back. It is a feature of my world, Sword Art Online."

Shocked responses from almost all the players ridicule Kayaba's words.

"There's no way you could do this, we're in a Government Facility!" 

"Yeah, the government will get us out of this game at the end of the month anyway!"

Kayaba claps and delivers a thundering boom quelling the rampage.