Beams of light lit all around the Central Plaza and every player in the Virtual World of Sword Art Online ended up in the Central Plaza of the Towns of Beginnings.
Rozari landed, looking around confused, standing with Klein, Kirito, Arisa, Kiyoko and Reiri, though all of them were spread out, the closest to Rozari, is Kirito. Every player is equally confused as us, but when Rozari looked on over at Arisa she looked more scared and worried.
"what is happening?" Rozari asked Kirito
"I honestly don't know Rozari," he said.
"Just stay calm everyone," gulped Kiyoko
"Someone forced a teleport" responded Reiri looking around.
Rozari stepped back to meet closer to Kirito's side, scared. He glanced over to her, curious as to why Rozari moved back. She also glanced over to Arisa.
However, once the bell stopped ringing, it all went silent, with the questionary of the players. Rozari, heard Kiyoko point out, as she looked at the sky. "Everyone, look at the sky?!"
Once Rozari, following, Reiri Arisa and everyone else, who looked upwards at the sky. Rozari saw a red warning sign with words calling a 'System announcement' thought it was unreadable to the players from down below.
Suddenly the sky started to show red hexagons, around the single one as they started to highlight above the heads of all of the players, blocking out the sky above the central plaza. The Red Hexagons appear to have two black prints on "System Announcement" and an alert noise blasting around as they filled the sky.
Rozari tilted her head upwards, She glanced all around her and it seems, that every player was also glancing up at the forming hexagon dorm.
"What is happening?"
"I'm scared," said a player holding another player beside her.
Rozari, heard people in the crowd mumble out loud, questions that are clear and which can't be answered by anyone, Rozari glanced at Kirito for comfort, and he just looked as confused as her, same with Kiyoko, Reiri, Klein and Arisa. What is going on?
Everyone began to question, and suddenly something leaked through the red hexagons in the sky, it almost looked like blood, but it seemed to be forming a figure, soon enough a faceless man in a giant cloak was formed and was now hovering in the middle of the all of the players.
Everyone began to feel scared and more confused about what is happening.
The Figure stared in front of the players. "Welcome Players, to sword art online! I am the game master Kayaba Akihiko!" Its voice boomed around the crowd.
The players went quiet, no one dared to speak up. Rozari looked at Kirito, but all Rozari saw was a look of confusion and fear. "I bet at this point you have discovered that there is no log out button. That's because I removed it!"
Rozari clenched her fist, glaring at Kayaba. She glanced over at Kirito who spoke his name. "Why did you do this?" Rozari yelled at the gamemaster.
"Don't you see, we were trying to contact you!" yelled Kiyoko over the crowd of players.
Everyone gasped. "I removed the logout, button, at the end of your menus, so it can be what I Originally Intend, to have sword art online and it's so to have control over it! This is my main objective to sword art online!" His voice boomed through the big hood, overall the players.
Rozari, heard a few players yelling at Kayaba, saying it wasn't fair and demanding why to trap everyone in the game. She glanced over at Kirito and Klein, seeing that they too were getting uneasy, the same goes with Kiyoko and Reiri.
Sword art online is now turning into a death game. Rozari thought in her head.
"... Oh I also chose to remove the revival system, and if your bar drops to zero, you die in the game, meaning you die in the real world..."
Rozari felt sick, at what she heard, and the sentence you die in the game, you die in the real world overlapped her thoughts, forcing a vision of her fighting a Frenzy boar on the Plains, and with one strike of the boar, she fell backwards her life bar goes to zero, screaming she shattered.
Rozari screamed shocked, back in the current reality. She held her chest, after that startling vision, of her imagining if she ends up dead, seething of the existence of both worlds. She then focused on the announcement, still holding her chest.
"Have you all noticed they are fewer players, in the game now, It seems that a few adults outside in the real world have been removing the Headgear, ... Let me tell you now, that if anyone in the real world attempts to take off the NerveGear, radioactive frequencies built in the rig, will instantly destroy your brain and thus ending your life," Kayaba announced, "There is only one way to escape the game, You are all gathered on Floor 1, and for you to beat the game, is to travel through all the floors, beat all of the bosses on each floor, Defeat the boss of Floor 100 and you will clear the game!"
Rozari gritted her teeth and tightened her fist.
"Clear?"
"What he's talking about?"
"But that will take forever!" yelled Kiyoko
"How can we clear all the floors, when it's impossible?" called out Klein. "Even the beta Testers never made it that high?"
For once, Rozari agreed with what Klein and she heard because even she didn't make it that far, only up to level 4, in beta... she couldn't figure out how to defeat that hippogriff; and she felt the tendency of the other players around her. Rozari also heard Arisa yell straight at Kayaba.
"This is not fair, let the players who don't want to be here out..." yelled Arisa.
"This is BS, let players go"
"This is madness!" yelled Klein
Two Players even tried to exit SAO but were stopped by an invisible wall. "One Last thing.." paused Kayaba, before he heard a player instantly fall, Rozari, jerked up and scanned around, for the player.
Rozari glanced at Kirito standing in place, who just stared at Kayaba Akihiko with an angry glance. She scanned and scanned, even more, until she turned to where it came from, she noticed Kiyoko gritted her teeth, slowly feeling something, as she was trying to hit whoever was touching her head.
"Kiyoko!" Reiri yelled as she was holding her friend, kneeling on the stone of the plaza.
Players froze all around Rozari, noticing Kiyoko's start to scream slightly, but trying to keep it in all the same. It was too intense, she was getting scared, as she was trying to move her hands in the real world, but to no avail.
"Ki-' started Rozari, with tears in her eyes scared.
Suddenly Kiyoko stopped feeling like she was in pain, she felt the hands who were holding her Nervegear, let go, almost like it was dragged away. "That. was. scary... I almost. felt. the. life..." she breathed slowly.
"Ah, as you just witnessed everyone from a player, that what will happen if someone from the outside attempts at removing your headgear," spoke Kayaba intrigued at what just happened.
"Kayaba?" growled Reiri facing the gamemaster, while helping Kiyoko up to her feet.
"A player nearly died, and yet you are satisfied by it!" yelled Kirito
Although Kayaba just ends up continuing with his speech, Intentionally ignoring the player's complaints and angered screams, even though, he was aware that Arisa was amongst them, he still ignored her angered glance.
***
"I might have to say that, some of the players and I am sure you know who you are... have chosen avatars that are less recognizable and is more so you can't be recognized to others, because of, certain people you don't want to be seen... So one last thing I am giving you a little gift" Kayaba spoke, "go on check your menus, I added a little something?"
Soon enough everyone opened their menus. Rozari opened her menu and went into appearance, and only to discover an odd option, titled Mirror and so she tapped on it, A mirror showed up in front of her, much like the other players around her. Rozari had to glance over at Kirito, he also held a mirror. "A Mirror?" She asked
Rozari looked in the mirror, confused. Suddenly the mirrors began to glow around the plaza, blinding light surrounded everyone. Rozari gasped stepping back, putting her hands over her face. All around, most of the players with different avatars in the central plaza looked different, as if no players recognized each other, anymore. All had their real-world appearances in the virtual world.
The purple hair, from her Beta avatar just minutes before, suddenly is black and her eyes aren't even two-toned anymore, her height is even like her height from outside.
Rozari heard Klein screamed at Kirito and her.
"Is that what you look like Kirito? Rozari?" he asked before he looked over at Kiyoko, who was met with a blonde-haired girl, Reiri seems to have blue hair. Arisa didn't have black hair, either. However, has light brown hair. Every Player around Rozari, looked confused as they were facing first with a stranger.
All of us still had our equipment, and current armour. "is that what you look like in the real world Kiyoko?" asked Rozari.
"Is it just me or does Kirito and Rozari look like twins?" complimented Klein in confusion almost feeling like he was about to faint from shock.
Rozari looked at Kirito and blinked in surprise after hearing Klein's compliment. Kirito even looked at her "Is that you Rozari?" he said.
Rozari shrugged.
"Is that you Kiyoko? Reiri?" responded Klein toward the other two girls.
"I bet you are all wondering why? Why would Kayaba Akihiko, developer of sword Art Online, do this?" he responded "My goal was a simple one, The reason I created this world, was to control the fate of a world, of my design"
Rozari glared up at him and shot a glance at Kiyoko. She gulped. How is this fair?
"As you can see, I have achieved my goal," he replied.
Rozari and Kiyoko glanced over at Kirito who was getting tense. Arisa bit her lip, forcing herself not to speak.
"This marks the end, of the Tutorial, and the official launch of Sword Art Online. Players I wish you the best of luck" responded Kayaba, before he disappeared.
After the strange hooded gamemaster, vanished. The red hexagons disappeared one after the other, from the sky. Every player stayed silent. Rozari heard the dripping of blood and turned her attention to Kirito.
Rozari looked at her hair, and around the quiet players, "I can't believe it, this is not a game, but it's real" spoke Rozari softly but loud enough for Kiyoko, to hear.
Instantly, Kirito grabbed Rozari's wrist and pulled her along and out of the plaza. In realization. Every player began to panic and run to the nearest exit, but to their dismay, the exits are protected with an invisible barrier.
"Come on we need to discuss something. Follow me?" he spoke beckoning towards Klein, Arisa, Kiyoko and Reiri as he passed them in the thousands of upset and screaming players.
Rozari stumbled, trying to match Kirito's speed, with him holding her wrist. "Kirito, I can walk by myself" Rozari responded "also you're hurting my wrist and I can not run right with you holding me"
Kirito realized quickly stopping to let go of Rozari as he spoke to her "sorry, just follow me" As Kirito raced off to a nearby alleyway. Rozari looked behind her seeing Kiyoko and everyone racing after them so she picked up the pace.
Rozari reached the Alleyway panting, she has taken a deep breath, "before the others reach here, I need to say is that what you look like in real-world?" he spoke turning his undivided attention to her.
Rozari straightened up and nodded. "Yes," she added, staring straight into Kirito's black eyes.
"I can't agree that Klein might be overthinking it, by saying that we look like twins... but I am still not sure it's a good idea to tell our real names right now," he thought looking through Rozari's black eyes.
Kirito, but we are... I'm Reiko...
Rozari heard voices enter the alleyway behind her, She jumped around only to notice Kiyoko, Arisa, and Reiri come from around the corner.
"What is happening?" Kiyoko questioned loudly "I thought I'd get away from my real-life troubles and end up stuck in Sword Art Online"
"And you nearly died, during the announcement Kiyoko" added Reiri "freaking out Players even more"
"Reiri, I know, but that is my dad for you, I bet he was the one who tried to yank my NerveGear off my head back there" as Kiyoko crossed her arms.
"Isn't that what every player expected to do Kiyoko?" Rozari told her
"I agree with Rozari, some players thought this was a fun game to get away, from our life," said Arisa
"And what happened to Kiyoko is scary," responded Kirito
"What are we going to do now?" spoke Reiri
"The only thing we need to do now is Beat the game and free the players" spoke Kirito, over the voices
"Beat the game?" Rozari thought out loud.
"How are we going to beat this game Kirito?" asked Kiyoko
Kirito looked at everyone, hearing Klein's voice approaching them.