Come To Life: Into The Outerworld: SAO After Alicization

7: RATH

"Kirito, I'm going to get the doctors, we can't just leave him like this, we need to know what's going on." Asuna turned and dashed out the door. Kirito knew it was no use arguing with her, Asuna was stubborn, and she was probably right. If Eugeo's memories were somehow coming back, they would need explanations from the doctors. Even Kirito knew he couldn't answer all of Eugeo's questions about the Underworld if he himself couldn't even remember. Leaning back against the wall he looked up at the monitors beside Eugeo, watching his friend's heartbeat and breathing rise in fall in regular motion for a moment.

Alice Zuberg.

The name brought nothing to mind, but there was no doubt that Eugeo had remembered it on his own: a boy with no memories of this world, recalling lost memories from under the influence of the STL. The Underworld.

Kirito closed his eyes and focused hard. There had to be some memory. Eugeo had mentioned a golden knight. Alice.

The Golden Knight.

What did that mean?

He clenched his fists, forcing his mind to remember something, even just a fragment.

Alice.

Golden Knight?

Alice Zuberg.

Then.

A flash of blonde, a pale face, a serious blue gaze.

"Alice," Kirito gasped, opening his eyes.

Beside him, Eugeo had begun to stir. He scrunched his nose and tossed his head to the side before opening his eyes slowly.

"Kirito, what? What happened?" His voice was groggy and confused.
Kneeling down next to his friend's bed, Kirito met Eugeo's green gaze.

"I remember Eugeo, Alice! I remember her! Alice Zuberg. You weren't dreaming! It was a memory, a hallucination, but still a memory."

Eugeo lifted his head slightly, "Really? You remember too? Really?"

"Yes. The Golden Knight with blonde hair. We fought side by side. I don't remember when or what but I do remember her."

"Oh Kirito!" leaning forward Eugeo choked back a few tears before forcing himself to sit upright. "I knew it. I knew if we could remember her..."

"...Alice Zuberg."

His eyes welled up with tears.

...

When the doctors entered the room they found Kirito sitting next to a tearful Eugeo. Asuna rushed to their side and glared back up at the doctors, who looked rather taken aback at how upset the boy was.

"Alright, we want answers!" she demanded, her hands on her hips in defiance. "What the hell are you doing, letting Eugeo suffer like this."

"Night terrors are common," one of the nurses remarked, checking the monitor next to Eugeo and pressing a few buttons.

The head doctor had bent over Eugeo, shining a light into the boy's watery eyes. "Perhaps it was more than just a dream, although I don't see anything else wrong with the boy. Heart rates often spike during a lucid nightmare or panic attack."

Eugeo pulled away, shaking the doctor off him. "No, it was a memory, I want to know why!" His voice breathed a hint of anger.

"Why what?" the lead doctor looked perplexed. "It's not uncommon for a comatose patient to experience terrors after regaining consciousness."