Come To Life: Into The Outerworld: SAO After Alicization

5: Dreams

The truth of Eugeo's condition seemed to have more of a positive affect on him than Kirito and Asuna thought. As the days slowly moved along, he seemed more alert and less moody, constantly asking them questions about what had happened and where they were. Of course, all three of them would go silent when a doctor or nurse stepped into the room, but gradually, Eugeo even began to ask them questions...even if it was just the names of the medicines they were injecting him with or why they appeared at certain times of the day. It seemed as though he would continue to improve, and his positive attitude showed not only through his demeanor but the fact that he was becoming stronger and more able to move freely each day. It had now been almost two months since they had discovered the experiment that Rath had housed below the STL, and Eugeo was even able to get out of bed, not to walk, but he could at least sit in a chair and talk to Kirito and Asuna.

...

As with before, the more he was able to talk and move the more vivid his dreams became at night when he finally fell asleep. He still had not mentioned this to any of the doctors but would often try and recount his dreams to Kirito and Asuna when they woke up. Kirito had instilled a strong distrust of any of the medical staff that oversaw them, and though he had told Eugeo that he should follow their instructions in order to get better...he still didn't trust them and whatever ulterior motives they might have had with the experiments. Asuna seemed to be the most positive among them, reassuring both boys that as soon as Eugeo was able to walk on his own that they would most likely be freed.

...

Night fell on the first day of the third month they had spent on the Ocean Turtle since the discovery of Eugeo. The day had been warm and the nurse had even allowed the small windows in the room to be opened so the soft sea breeze could filter through the room. Eugeo was perplexed at first by the sweet, salty smell of the ocean, but the breeze against his thin, chilled skin felt warm and inviting. After dinner the three of them had sat chatting for a while about the theories they had as to when and where they would be released, but Eugeo gradually grew weary, as he typically did and drifted off to sleep as Kirito and Asuna let him rest. It wasn't long after that they too, fell asleep and the entire room fell, engulfed with silence, save for the gentle, cool breeze drifting in through the small windows.

...

Opening his eyes, Eugeo was met with the warm glow of sunshine on his face and the breeze against his forehead. For a moment he lie still, then slowly looked around. He became aware of the soft grass beneath him and the blue sky above, partially obstructed by the lofty branches of a tall, dark tree, its leaves glossy in the sunlight, above him. Slowly, Eugeo sat up, in the distance he could see across a bright field where the sky met the earth, blue and green, reflected in his like-colored eyes. Gently raising his hand against his forehead he brushed his bangs out of his eyes and gazed around at his surroundings. It was clearly summer time and the soft wind blowing against him was warm with the cheerful sunshine.

Where am I?

Another dream?

A memory?

Eugeo shook his head and steadied himself. Then he shakily rose to his feet and took a few steps forward.

Wherever I am, I can walk perfectly fine.

Glancing around again, he took a small breath in and opened his mouth.

"Hey! Is anyone else out there?"

His answer was the gentle breeze, playing with his blond hair. Eugeo decided, since he was able to walk, that he should examine his surroundings. Stepping back and turning towards the tree he looked up through the branches and glossy leaves, seeing flashes of blue sky between them. As he carefully moved around the tree he took note of the gnarled, dark bark, and on the side opposite of him, a long straight gash running across the bottom portion of the tree, near where the roots sunk into the ground. Leaning closer, Eugeo brushed his hand across the gash, it wasn't very deep, but the wood beneath the bark was almost black, and smooth. Something about this tree and its shade seemed familiar, but Eugeo couldn't bring any word to mind to describe it. After a few minutes of pondering, he turned away from the bright, sunny, but empty field and walked slowly towards the forest behind him, where more trees, similar to the one he had just touched, grew tall and closer together. Why he was drawn towards the shade and quiet instead of the warmth and sunlight, he didn't know...but there was something almost alluring about the shadows and quiet of the forest.