Railgun Online Book 4: Alicization Beginning

A Scarlet Priestess in Rulid Village

"Goblin raids from the Dark Territory have been kind of frequent lately." said Eugeo. "So everyone's on the cautious side. Some villagers have already been kidnapped by goblins.. and not many of us are warriors.. we've only got guards... though.. I doubt any of the goblins would want to mess with our priestess.."

"Why?" Mikoto asked.

"Because.. well.. when the circumstances are right.. she becomes a giant fortress!!" said Eugeo. "Okay.. maybe I'm confusing you here.. eh, you'll see.. some day.. how long are you going to stay in the village?"

"We have absolutely no idea." said Sinon. "You could probably say we're a bunch of homeless wanderers.."

"Oh really?" said Eugeo with a laugh. "Then feel free to call this your new home if you like! The people in this town are friendly, even to strangers like you."

Eugeo stopped in front of an old looking church with a large bell tower on the top. "Well, this will be your home until you guys leave or buy a house at least.. hold on.. I'll get somebody to get your rooms ready.."

Eugeo walked into the church.. as the three friends waited outside, Mikoto gave Kirito a frantic look. "Kirito.. that 'priestess' mention Brain Burst.. have you mentioned anything about our secret project to anybody since last month?"

"No.." Kirito muttered back. "But the government's got a lot of resources.. and the longer we spend in this world, the more I feel like this isn't just some game test.. everyone here.. they're real living people.. with real lives, and their own specialized community which must have taken hundreds of years to develop. And yet none of them are even aware of the fact that this isn't a real world.. that it's all data.."

"Maybe.. that's what it has to do with Brain Burst.." said Sinon.

"What do you mean?" Mikoto asked.

"Here's a theory." said Sinon. "I don't know much about the secret project you two have been doing.. but it speeds up the brain right? Makes 12 minutes seem like a year almost.. perhaps all these people are like us.. their memories were taken when they dived, and they were put in here for years.. only in the real world, the government is using Brain Burst to speed everything up.. so it's only taking minutes or hours.. or.."

"Or three days." said Kirito. "This.. could all be some experiment.. or.. worse.. maybe we're the only three people from the real world.. and these people are all.. like Yui.."

"Yui? I don't think so.." Mikoto said. "Yui's way different.. I think these people are all human.. yet not.. do you think it might be possible.. to erm.. clone Fluctlights? And put them in a human avatar? A living soul born in a VR world.. and living in a VR world not knowing of the Real World.."

"Okay, that's a freaky theory." said Sinon.

"Hey, after I met Seyat and Othinus, I'm ready to make any theory." said Mikoto. "Maybe we're not even the real Misaka, Asada, and Kirigaya!! Maybe we're cloned Fluctlights too!"

"Ahhhhh.. I'd rather not talk about that now.." said Kirito. "Now that's just scary.. I don't even know how somebody would clone a human soul.."

"In Academy City, I once saw the Arch Angel Gabriel cause mass mayhem.." said Mikoto. "Like I said before, anything's possible in the world we live in.. and Nox is living proof."

"Hey everyone." Eugeo walked out the door, behind him was a girl wearing a black and white nun's habit with tea colored hair tied back in a braided tail and tea colored eyes.

"This is Selka." said Eugeo. "Be really good to her, she'll be taking care of all of you.."

"U-uh.. it's nice to meet all of you!" said Selka, bowing to them. "If you would come with me please, I'll show you where to you'll be staying.. and I'll explain the rules to living in our humble village."