Sword Art Online - Alternative Reality

Demon's Sighting CHP.6

A gentle breeze provided a nice wave of refreshing air as it passed over me. It was getting close to sunset, but the heavyweight on my eyelids stopped me from getting up. Well, that was only half of the reason. The other half came from the repetitive sensation that passed over my hair, occasionally taking a detour to mess around with it, braiding it in complex patterns. The fencer who had picked up this habit had been working away at this particular braid for a few minutes, piquing my curiosity.

"So, what are you doing up there?"

"I'm trying to see if I could make a mini rope-braid...the beginning part is fine but it loses its support after a bit."

"Pretty sure that's because it's not a system hairstyle."

"I thought so too, but there's no harm in trying right? Go back to sleep, we still have time."

It was sometime in the evening, April 14th, After a good day's work on clearing the labyrinth, we ended up back at the same tree Asuna had fallen asleep at two days ago. However, this time she insisted that I take the first nap, and without any room to argue, I had snoozed off for an hour or two. While it was tempting to take her up on her offer, it was about time for us to head back to town, although this time, we shouldn't have any disturbing interruptions.

"Hm...getting kinda hungry...what do you want to do for dinner?"

"I wouldn't mind eating dinner at that restaurant. After all, we didn't get to finish ours the last time we went there."

"Heh..."

It had been about two days after the GA incident came to a close. After learning about the specifics about inventory sharing through marriage in SAO and looking into 'Kains' real name, we realized the danger the three of them were in, and since Asuna had friended Yolko, I made it just in time to help them out. During my confrontation, Asuna had found our suspect hiding in the woods and brought him before us. The blacksmith Grimlock.

He denied his involvement at first, and I couldn't help but admit that his words had shaken me up. Yet it was a combination of Asuna's resolve and Yolko's sudden reveal of Griselda's rings that forced him to confess. He and Griselda were married both in this world and the real world, yet he had her killed when she 'changed'. When Yolko and Caynz came around with their idea of creating an illusionary avenger to force a confession, he used his connections with LC to try and bury the entire incident

LC, Laughing Coffin, the red guild that had been founded by PoH. At first, I thought he had been behind the entire incident, but while that paranoia had been disproven, he and his ilk had been involved. When I first saw them, I nearly charged straight into them but had to stop as they were holding hostages. I say that, but when I realized that they were going to escape if I didn't do anything, I seriously considered if it was worth risking their lives to take PoH down. I had promised myself that I would stop PoH so that I could protect those I cared about, no matter the cost. But I couldn't tell what was worse. That I had let him get away again to continue his madness, or that I was a hair away from sacrificing people to achieve that goal.

"Ki-ri-to!"

Flicking my forehead, I opened my eyes to see that Asuna was staring straight down at me, a worried yet beautiful expression that shined brighter than the setting sun.

"Your brows were furrowed...what are you thinking about?"

"Ah..."

The person I held most dear in my life, the one I couldn't lose. What would she think if I told her about the choice I was about to make? Actually, since I ended up attacking them anyway, I already made it. Death should be the thing that a person fears the most in this world, but for me, it had become the thought of no longer being at her side. Her words that had shut down Grimlock's justification for murder resounded in my head.