Asuna, ~3 hours after the attack on the Ocean Turtle
“Are you ready?”
“Yes. Anytime you’re ready, please.” Asuna turns away to the boys one last time, firm in her determination. “Joshua, Kazuto… We’re coming to save you. The four of us will be reunited at last…”
“Ms. Asuna,” she hears Mr. Higa call over the intercom, “You’ll be using the superuser account 01. Stacia, the Goddess of Creation, ’kay? Although this account gives you admin rights on the unlimited landscape alteration command, since there’s so much data being transferred between the STL and the Main Visualizer, it can seriously overload your Fluctlight, ‘kay? So please try not to alter the landscape recklessly. If you feel a headache starting while using the command, stop doing it right away, ‘kay?”
“Yes.”
“Ms. Yuuki,” Nurse Aki says, “I’m counting on you to take care of Kirito and Jaymes.”
Asuna smirks. “Of course.”
xxxxxxxxxxx
Oh, there’s the headache, the side effect of landscape alteration. Rubbing her forehead, she spots Jaymes nearby. She nods her head, and she would go to him, but he has a more important reunion to attend to. Koharu approaches him and the two girls with him. "You've either grown rusty or were holding back."
"Hey, he was… No way… You can't be…"
"It's been a while for the three of us, hasn't it?" Koharu removes her hood, shocking Jaymes so much he turns to Asuna for confirmation. She nods to him again, telling him what they both see is the truth. Koharu Hanao, by an accidental miracle, lives in the real world. She lets them have their moment as she had hers, her eyes now on the destruction of the earth she wrought.
“Lady Stacia?” Asuna turns to the two girls with Jaymes and the soldiers behind them. “Are you...a god?”
“No. I’m sorry. We’re not gods.”
“But… But you both just performed a miracle and saved my life! You saved the guards, the monks, Master Jaymes, and Master Kirito as well.”
Asuna gasps. “I… I’ve come here just to see him...to see Kirito. Please… Where is he? Let me see him! Please take me to Kirito!”
Jaymes steps over to Asuna, holding her shoulder. “Don’t worry, he’s here. Guards, make sure this area is secure. We’ll hold here until we receive further orders.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Ronie, Tiese… Take us to Kirito.”
xxxxxxxxxx
Jaymes
Asuna, Koharu, and I enter the wagon where Kirito sits. Asuna is on the verge of tears when she sees him. “Kirito.” To my inner jealousy, Kirito responds instinctively, his head raising to look at Asuna. He tried to speak out, tears roll down his face… Asuna kneels down and hugs him. “Kirito, it’s all right. That’s enough. But look, I’m not the only one here.” Asuna turns back and gestures to Koharu, who (if the expression is correct) Kirito looks at with even greater surprise.
Koharu kneels beside Asuna and takes Kirito’s hand. “It’s me, Koharu...back from the dead.”
After a moment, the girls rise to their feet and face me and the pages. “Thank you. You’ve been protecting Kirito in place of Jaymes, haven’t you?”
Ronie nods. “Um… If you’re not Lady Stacia and Lady Lunaria, then who are you?”
“My name is Asuna, and this is Koharu. We’re human beings, just like you. Just like Kirito and Jaymes, we’ve come from the outside world in order to fulfill the same goal.”
YOU ARE READING
War of Underworld
AdventureThe Final Load Test has come, and the war between the Human Empire and the Dark Territory commences. With Kirito still out of action, Jaymes, along with Medina, Eydis, and the Integrity Knights, must keep Alice safe from enemy forces from the real w...
