Kirito I: Aria of a Starless Night
January 1st, 2022: 1:00PM Japan Standard Time
Character Creation
"LINK START!"
Those were the final words Kazuto Kirigaya spoke to the real world before the familiar flowing lines of his jump into virtual reality engulfed his vision. He was excited to say the least, diving back into the virtual world. After having participated in the beta test, he had only further descended into the introverted lifestyle he was so accustomed to. The game had felt so real, so immersive, and in it he could be something more than he was in his real life. At least, that's what he tried to tell himself.
He was quickly met with the character creation menu. He didn't have to spend much time fiddling with the different sliders, he already knew the character he wanted to create after spending so much time in the beta. An older man stared back from a mirror in front of him, long hair covering the sides of his face like curtains. Kazuto didn't think he was bad looking by any means in the real world, but this was a virtual world after all, and he wanted to make the perfect avatar. Sharper features, perfect hair, a tad taller…features all of which were part of the grand fantasy he was submerging himself in.
Once he confirmed the customization, it was time for a name, a name he just as easily entered. His hand lifted to tap the floating console in front of him. 'K-I-R-I-T-O' was entered letter by letter before he confirmed it. It was his name of choice in most of his games, this one would be no different.
He was taken by surprise on the next menu. In the beta, they had spawned the players with one of each weapon type. It was probably a way to let them test the various mechanics to make sure they were working right. Now however, Kirito was presented with a rotating wheel with each weapon on a different segment, the "current selection" on display in the front facing view.
He knew what he was going to pick already, he just had to find it. It didn't take him long as he swiped his hand to the left to rotate through his options. Axe? No. Spear? Pass. Magic? Maybe later. He finally stopped at his weapon of choice, the one-handed sword. Locking in his decision with a button press of confirmation, Kirito was finally greeted once more with flowing lines in his vision and a rushing sensation ripping past his ears.
Once what was essentially a glorified loading screen had finished, Kirito was met with the sight of buildings and paved roads he had come to love surrounding him. Looking up at the sky, he took a breath in and smiled. He was once more back within the world of Aincrad. He savored the air and inhaled, still enamored by how real it all felt, how seamless it flowed. Now was not the time to get sidetracked though, he had to get as far of a head start as he could.
Kirito started off in a sprint down the streets of the spawn zone known as [The Town of Beginnings]. It was one of the largest zones on the floor, if not period that he had experienced during his time testing the game. Its purpose was to serve as a central hub for new players to get their footing and learn to play in relative safety, something that Kirito knew most would desperately need with how large the different floors of Aincrad were.
His feet carried him through familiar streets he had walked months before, moving with the purpose of getting out of the town and immediately into the fields that surrounded it. He wanted to be the first one to reach the prime spots for grinding monsters, as such he would have to hurry. After a few moments, he took a turn into an alleyway he knew was a shortcut. He made it halfway through the narrow passage before a voice shouted behind him.
"Hey, wait up!"
Kirito halted in his tracks, screeching to a stop and turning on his heels to look at the source of the voice. Behind him, a man that appeared to be in his late twenties stood with his hands on his knees gasping for breath. The man had long reddish hair that was tied up in an even more red bandana. He wore the same gear all of the other players started with, that being simple clothing and a flimsy metal breastplate.
"Oh man…" The redhead let out an exhale to catch his breath before continuing in a panting voice. "You look like you know what you're doing, you a beta tester?"
Kirito paused for a moment at the question. While he tried to put up a facade of a calm and cool face, internally he was still an awkward young man. He contemplated just ignoring the man, but decided against it. His response came a moment later with a tone that almost betrayed how unsure of himself he was.
"Uh…yeah, I was." Kirito managed to get out in brief reply before the man in front of him had managed to collect himself enough to interject once more.
"It's my first day! Help a newbie out, yeah?" The redhead's tone was excited and full of energy. All Kirito could manage was an "Uh…" before he started in again.
"Please! I'm begging ya…" The man sounded desperate. At this point he had righted his posture, putting his hands together in a way that made it look like he was praying. The man paused for just a moment to glance back up, giving Kirito a thumbs up accompanied by what could only be described as a cheeky smile.
"The name's Klein, nice to meet ya."
Kirito felt a look cross his face, one that threatened to show the awkwardness hiding underneath. As quick as it came though he wiped it away with a confident smirk. His right hand came to rest on his hip and stared at the man now known as Klein.
"I'm Kirito, nice to meet you."
His guise of confidence seemed to work since Klein gave him an ecstatic nod in response. Klein crossed his arms, retaining a seemingly unending jolly attitude.
"Would ya help me learn how to play? You've got to have some tricks you can share."
Normally, Kirito would have immediately shut the man down. He often chose to remain solo if he could. He found it easier to not have to deal with others and their social expectations. Today was different though. It was launch day, and he was feeling good.
"Sure, as long as you can keep up." The words came out of Kirito's mouth before he could register them. He internally sighed, there was no turning back now. He extended a hand to make a downward swiping motion that caused his menu to appear. Moments later he saw a notification pop up in front of Klein, a party invite.
Klein hastily accepted, the joyous and eager look never once wavering from his face. With the party formed Kirito turned on his heels back towards the direction he had been running originally, motioning with the hand that had been on his hip in a beckoning motion for Klein to follow him.
"Well then, let's get going. I've got a lot of ground to cover."
It hadn't taken them long to reach the destination Kirito had in mind. Between his own knowledge and Klein's eagerness they made short work of the travel time to the outskirts of the city fields. Kirito knew the monsters here were slightly higher level, but they were nothing he couldn't handle. He also had a tagalong now, which made it all the more safe to fight outside of their level range.
He came to a stop at the edge of the dirt road the pair had been following, pausing to look out into a field of tall grass. Kirito brought a hand up and pointed out into the field at the head of an animal that poked out just above the slowly swaying blades.
"Let's start with some basic combat. You have to learn to fight after all. A boar is a pretty easy target, let's see what you've got."
Kirito's words were met with an excited exclamation as a response. "All right!"
Without the time for a second thought, Kirito heard the familiar sound of a sword being pulled from its sheath, Klein darting forward shortly after. Before he had even reached the boar, Kirito could already see how it was going to end. The man had spunk, Kirito would give him that, but he lacked any real technical form.
The red eyes of the boar locked onto Klein as he approached, and before the man could even get an attack off it came charging at him, its head connecting with him shortly after. With a thud and the sound of a pained groan, Klein was sent flying backwards onto the road. He came to a painful stop against the dirt, his sword having been dropped a few feet in front of him and his hands quickly wrapping around his stomach.
"Owowow!" Klein was clearly in pain. Though Kirito felt a brief moment of empathy, it was quickly replaced with amusement. Klein had to learn the hard way else he was never going to learn at all. He was definitely going to have some bruises, but he would live.
"Give me a break, fighting a boar is like fighting a slime in other MMOs, they're the weakest of the weak." His words were clearly teasing, continuing moments after in a more instructive manner.
"At first, you can let the game handle most of your inputs. As long as you begin in the correct starting stance for a skill, you can push your momentum forward and the system will complete the movement for you."
As if to prove his point, Kirito took a step in front of Klein when the boar reared back to make a follow up attack. He drew the sword on his back from its scabbard in a smooth, familiar motion. Holding the blade parallel to the ground at around shoulder height, he let the system take over and his sword began to glow.
"You wait…and activate the skill when the time is right." Kirito spoke with confidence as the boar began to charge. He let the system guidance carry him forward to show Klein how it was supposed to look. His body shot forward and his arm extended with purpose. The tip of the blade connected with a sharp stabbing noise as the boar closed the gap between them.
This time instead of a person making sounds of pain, the boar let out a squeal. The boar faltered and slid into the dirt between the two party members. As it took its time to get back up, Kirito looked past it towards Klein.
"Eventually, you can get skilled enough to rely on your own input and reaction time. Once you do that is when you really get good. For now though, it's best to practice the general feel and how your weapon behaves so you know the limits of your style."
At this point, Klein had managed to get himself back to his feet. He wiped a smudge of dirt off his forehead as the boar got back up in tandem. It seemed to have its sights set on Klein, most likely because he was the one that had aggravated it. Luckily Klein wouldn't have to do much to finish the creature off. Above the boar's head there was a floating bar. What was once on a full green was now a deep red, indicating the creature's health was almost empty.
"All right…let's try this." Klein seemed to speak mostly to himself. His curved blade came up and over his shoulder into a ready position. When the boar once again began its raging charge forward, Klein waited. It seemed he had taken the criticism of his mentor to heart, waiting until the animal drew closer before the glowing of his own skill began.
A slash followed by another squeal signaled his success. The boar went sliding along the remainder of the dirt, now completely off its feet. It took a few full tumbles, each time it hit the ground it was accompanied by a loud smack. For a few brief moments, pixelated blood dripped from the wound Klein had created. The animal breathed heavily in pain, unmoving before it shattered into multiple polygons of light.
"All right! I did it! Did you see that Kirito!?" Klein was excited, that was for sure.
Kirito couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle. The older man behaved like an excited child when it came to his "accomplishment". It wasn't like he could blame him though, it was an amazing experience.
"Good work. Like I said though, these are hardly a threat. It feels good to let your body do the movement though, doesn't it?" Kirito had sheathed his sword at this point with a single fluid motion, mimicking what one might see from a protagonist in an action movie. His attention was on Klein now, seeing the man light up at the question.
"Ya! Say Kirito, there's supposed to be all kinds of skills aren't there?"
Kirito raised a brow at the question but his lips twitched upwards. "Yeah, there's supposed to be all kinds of weapons, trades, crafting…even magic. It really is a wonderful system."
The statement seemed to make Klein light up all the more, if that was even possible. "That's so cool! I need to find a katana, stat!"
Kirito chuckled softly at his words. Leave it to the eccentric middle aged man to want the katana. He shook his head in amusement before tilting his head in a questioning manner "Now then, shall we go to the next one?"
"Yeah!" Klein continued with his ever present enthusiasm. It seemed it would be hard pressed to bring his mood in any other direction then up.
Kirito's response was to turn back towards the grass, stepping into it with the intent to continue fighting monsters and helping Klein with his introduction.
A thud echoed over the field as Kirito side stepped a boar charging at him. With the flat of his blade he had managed to parry the headbutt of the wild animal. He was used to playing without the system assist, and now that he had taught Klein the basics he was able to move back into his own element.
He turned his attention briefly off to his right. Ten feet or so away from him Klein was struggling against a boar, but he was winning. He didn't even have help this time. What he hadn't mentioned to the redhead yet was that the zone they were fighting in was slightly higher level. That meant that while Klein was getting a trial by fire so to speak, he would also get a feel for the game that much faster. Kirito shrugged, the only person aware of it himself. Or he'd die.
With retaliatory swing, he brought the sharp edge down on the neck of the creature and watched it fall to the ground in a heap. The slash wound dripped blood into the grass below as the boar's breathing came to a stop. A few seconds passed before the shattered polygons filled the air.
A menu with his loot appeared in front of him. He knew he wasn't going to get anything good this early on, but it was still sad to see the pitiful amount of cor that dropped from each monster. His train of thought was broken as Klein called out next to him.
"Say Kirito, I didn't read much about the magic system. I know it was only publicly tested late into the beta. What gives?" Klein had finished off his own boar at this point, but where Kirito was missing no health, Klein's had just barely dropped into the yellow.
Kirito performed a flourish of his blade before returning it to the sheath on his back and then turned to his companion. "I didn't get very much time to use it. I really enjoy swordplay more than anything."
Klein looked like he was about to say something in response, but Kirito held up a hand. "That being said, I know the basic run down of it. Like your weapons have different types, magic is divided up into elements. As far as I'm aware there is; fire, water, air, nature, psychic, poison, lightning, thunder, frost, necrotic, holy, and shadow."
Kirito paused for a moment, shaking his head in amusement. "And yes, there is some overlap there. Most of the beta testers had given feedback that something like water and frost should probably be the same thing."
Klein had given his full attention at this point to his companion, listening intently at every word.
"Most of the time, you'll find thematically related attacks and buffs in their respective elements. Nature and holy have more healing, fire and lightning are more destructive, etcetera." Kirito continued, his arms now crossed in front of his chest.
Klein nodded along, clearly mulling the information around in his head. He took a minute before giving a reply. "And how do ya unlock this stuff? How does it actually work? I saw there was an option for it at creation, but man I just wanted to swing a sword around for a bit."
Kirito chuckled and dipped his head in agreement. "I'm sure there are NPCs around the world that will teach you. As far as using it, spells cost mana." He paused mid sentence, pointing a finger up towards where his health bar was. Under the green bar, a small blue bar sat under it.
"Your spells will be worse if you aren't using the proper weapon type. From what I've gathered in the beta there's things like focuses you can wield in your offhand or full wizard staffs you could use if you wanted to play the two-handed style."
As Klein listened he set up his sword once more to engage a boar that had respawned. He was growing more comfortable with the system by the second. He continued to hold the conversation even while he engaged the creature.
"That's cool. I might give it a try at some point. Would be neat to mix it in with my katana style, y'know?" Kirito let out a laugh at the man's statement. There he was, at it again. Maybe he was a role-player of some kind, who was he to judge?
Kirito had also decided to continue his combat with one of the respawned creatures. He tapped it on the rear to aggro it, turning back to Klein to continue speaking. "I'm sure it'll be amazing to witness."
He let the joke sit in the air as the new boar charged him. They were so predictable, even the higher level ones. He took a step to the left and spun on his feet, easily evading the attempted headbutt. He quickly struck with the tip of the blade and exited his maneuver. Just like that, another boar was down.
He turned to Klein who had also managed to just take his own down. "It looks like you're starting to get the hang of this, let's keep at it for a bit longer and maybe get a level."
Klein let out a laugh and gave a thumbs up that Kirito was sure would become a signature of his. "Yeah man, let's do it!"
"I still can't believe this is all just a game, that we're in it." Klein spoke with amazement as he sat on the edge of a cliff side. Kirito stood above him with his arms crossed, observing the view ahead of them. They had fought and trained for hours, the virtual sun having begun to set at this point.
In the distance the pair watched as birds flew across the sky. Behind them a backdrop of floating islands and waterfalls. It truly was a beautiful sight, a testament to hours put into the game's development and the talent behind it.
"I rushed to buy the Nerve Gear. This is my first experience with full dive ya know…I'm lucky to be born in this generation and experience this." Klein continued to speak with complete adoration about the game. His hands were behind him to keep him in an upright position as he spoke. The smile never left his face, his eyes closed and his senses taking in the world around him.
"You really are endlessly excited aren't you?" Kirito's question came with a tone of amusement. He wasn't normally a social creature but Klein had found a way to worm past his usually cold exterior and get him to open up, if only just a little.
Klein's response was a laugh, his head tilting back to look up at Kirito. "What can I say, whoever designed this was a genius. It's really something special."
Kirito tilt his head forward as his response. It was true, it really was something special. It was even more special to experience it first hand.
"Say Kirito, how far did you make it into the beta?" Klein's question broke the comfortable silence once more, still staring up at him.
"Over the months the beta was active? I made it to the fourth floor. The game is full of things to do, and clearing the floor bosses takes time and coordination between groups." Kirito paused for a moment, looking back towards the scene ahead of them before continuing. "This time though I think I can make it there in a month or two."
"Wow, you're really into this huh?" Klein's voice came with a hint of exasperation. It quickly fell away though, replaced by a look of knowing. Kirito might have been awkward, but it was clear how much he loved the game.
"It was all I could really think about if I'm being honest. I feel more alive here than I do in the real world." Kirito wasn't sure why he was being so forward with the truth. Maybe Klein's optimistic attitude was contagious. He brought a hand to the back of his head, sheepishly scratching his hair in embarrassment.
"Shall we continue hunting then?"
"Of course! But…" Klein trailed off for a second, a look on his face that said otherwise appeared, and his hands went to his stomach as a comedically timed rumble filled the air.
"I need to eat. I'm hungry and I already ordered a pizza that should be here soon." He trailed off at the talk of food, an expression crossing his face that made it clear he was eagerly anticipating his dinner.
"Say though Kirito, when I log back in I'm supposed to meet up with some friends. You wanna friend them and play with us…?" Klein paused as he noticed the grimace of uncertainty that crossed his party member's face. He quickly put his hands up, waving them in the air.
"Obviously if you don't want to, you don't have to. There's always another time."
The sides of Kirito's mouth turned downwards in a frown, staring at the redhead with a blank look. "Yeah, thanks Klein."
"Hey no worries man, I'll repay ya another time for all the help you've given me." As he spoke, Klein had closed the distance with a hand falling on Kirito's shoulder. The younger man let a small flinch past his composure, but quickly composed himself.
"Now, I'll see ya later man!" Klein said, giving Kirito's shoulder a squeeze before removing it to extend his hand.
Kirito continued to hang onto the positive emotions, accepting the hand. He shook it, giving Klein a sincere reply. "Of course, and if you ever want to know anything else just ask me."
Klein let go of the hand, giving a wave before turning to leave. "I'll do just that."
With his back now towards Kirito he mimicked the now familiar motion of swiping his hand down to open his menu and log out. Kirito turned to leave at that point, making it only a few steps before he heard a confused and slightly embarrassed voice behind him.
"Say Kirito…I may sound like a total idiot…but how do I log out?" Kirito had to stifle a laugh at the final question from his, dare he call him, friend.
"It's just at the bottom of your…" Kirito trailed off as he opened his own menu. He too had scrolled down to find the log out button. However when he went to look for where he knew it was, he instead found a blank box.
"That's strange…maybe it's a bug? I'm sure the server people are all freakin out." Klein had started to speak before he paused, his eyes shooting up.
"Man! I've got a pizza coming!" Klein sounded more worried about his food than being stuck. He had already opened his menu when Kirito replied.
"Just contact a gamemaster, I'm sure they can manually disconnect you."
"That's what I'm trying, but it's just sitting here loadin." Klein's response came out slightly annoyed, his eyes narrowed at the menu open in front of his face that displayed a rotating circle that indicated his request had stalled out.
"Well that's…" Any reply Kirito was going to attempt was cut short. In the distance a loud bell began to ring as both he and Klein were surrounded by a sudden shimmering of light. A flash consumed his vision for a brief second before it returned moments later. When he got his bearings, Kirito noticed immediately he was back in the Town of Beginnings. More specifically, he was towards the center of the large circular plaza of the city.
Klein materialized next to him moments later, followed by another person, and then another, and then another. It wasn't long before the entire plaza had become packed. While he couldn't be sure, Kirito was confident that there were hundreds of thousands of people here, all of them teleported seemingly at random by what he could only assume were system administrators as he had been moments ago.
Kirito didn't get much longer to think about what was going on before a deep noise echoed above him, it sounded like an alarm or a warning. His attention drew upwards, looking for the source of the sound. What he found was a blinking red sign labeled [System Announcement]. The warning blinked in time with the noise and a few moments later more of the same elongated hexagons began to fill the sky.
Eventually enough of the shapes formed together, creating a bright red dome that surrounded the plaza. From the central point where the dome formed, what appeared to be blood poured from the lines that marked the connections between shapes. This blood wouldn't make it to the ground. No, instead it began to take the shape of something. More specifically, a person. Once the liquid had hardened into shape, in its place was a robed figure with its hands outstretched like it was welcoming the players home.
All around him, Kirito could hear whispers from different players. Some wondered if it was an event. Others remarked that they needed to get off to attend to real life duties. Some simply admitted they were scared. Various conversations surrounded him but were unceremoniously cut short. A booming voice filled the plaza, its source clearly from the figure floating in the sky.
"Welcome my players, to the world I have spent so long crafting for you. My name is Kayaba Akihiko. As I am sure many of you have already noticed, the button required to logout from this world is missing from the main menu. I would like to take a moment to assure you…This is no defect. I repeat…This is not a defect, it is a feature."
"What does he mean by a feature?" Kirito heard Klein's voice off to the side. He didn't respond though, at this point he had already frozen. He felt the tendrils of fear begin to creep their way up his spine and into the back of his head. It wouldn't be long before others started denying it, crying to the sick pretend god above them. Kirito knew better though, this man wasn't bluffing.
"You cannot log out of Sword Art Online yourselves. No one in the outside world can shutdown or remove the Nerve Gear. Should they attempt to do this, it will send an automatic signal that causes a powerful microwave to scatter and destroy your brain, thus ending your life.
Now the panic had started. All around him Kirito could hear the exclamations, the fear, the demands to say this was all some sort of sick joke. "He's gotta be nuts right?" Klein's voice once again came from beside him.
"He's right…the transmitters for the Nerve Gear work just like microwaves…if someone were to disable the safety protocols…" Kirito barely managed to get the words out. He felt sick to his stomach just thinking about the statement Kayaba had made.
"Unfortunately many friends, families, and government officials have not heeded this warning. As a result, nine thousand four hundred and sixteen players are gone forever. Both from Aincrad and the real world."
That seemed to have gotten people's attention. The mass of players fell silent for a few moments, staring in awe and horror up to the figure in the sky after hearing the sheer volume of deaths he had just claimed took place.
The figure floating in the sky, now known as Kayaba Akihiko, raised a hand to make the same menu motion Kirito had been doing the whole day. Instead of an inventory though, multiple screens appeared for all of the players to witness first hand. News reports, blog articles, chat rooms, all of them were talking about the mass hysteria that had just taken place.
"As you can see, this reality has already begun to be taken seriously. After the unfortunate deaths, Nerve Gear related removal is now minimal. I hope with this knowledge you can begin with the task ahead."
People had begun to cry. Others had begun to succumb to rage as they shouted towards the sky, Kayaba all but ignoring them. Chaos had begun to take hold. Reality began to set in with the now trapped players. Kirito continued to feel the spike in adrenaline, the fear trying to take hold of him too, but he had already begun to formulate a plan in his head.
"I would like you to take heed though. There is no way to revive another player. Should your health drop to zero, your avatar, and your life, will be lost. There is only one means of escape. You must travel through the floors of this glorious castle, defeat the final boss on the hundredth floor, and clear the game."
If the amassed players hadn't fully devolved yet, this would have been the breaking point. Crying turned to sobbing and fear turned to complete terror. Shouts of anguish and screams shattered the air around the plaza.
"There's no way…Clear an MMO!?" Klein joined in on the shouting with his own injection. The same look that had etched itself into so many others had also found its way onto his face.
"I have left you with a final parting gift. You will find it in your inventories. You must be asking yourselves, why would I do this? I hope you discover the answer to this question on your journey to the end of the world. Good luck my players!"
Kirito, along with all of the others, had begun to open their menus to find this "gift" that had been left for them. Scrolling through his inventory, Kirito came upon the item in question. [Mirror] was its name. The minute he scrolled over it, it appeared in his hand. He stared at the reflection of his avatar for but a moment before another flash of light consumed his vision.
When he came to, he could hear the sound of blood withdrawing back into the dome ceiling. As Kayaba disappeared into the night, Kirito turned to face Klein, and now he had to look up. He was taken back when he was met with a different face than the one he had helped learn the game over the last few hours. He didn't appear to be very different, but before him stood a more scraggly man. His hair was a light brown instead of a deep red. He had the makings of a wispy beard that was mainly stubble.
His worst fear was recognized when he looked down into his own mirror. His own face, not his avatar, stared back at him. Instinctively a hand went to his cheek in a protective manner, like he was trying to shield himself. His hair was shorter, his face younger with softer features. He was only eighteen after all. His eyes and hair were still the same jet black he had made them on his avatar, but he was shorter by a couple inches.
"How is this possible…?" Klein had asked, the fear clear as day in his voice.
"It must have been the calibration before launching the game. It needed to measure our body responses and get a good scan to work properly." Kirito had surmised right, not that there was anyone to confirm his hypothesis.
"Let us go!"
"This can't be real!"
"Oh god…"
Voices had begun to break out all around as the plaza erupted into full blown anarchy. Even though liquid fear ran through his veins like poison, something spurred Kirito into action. He grabbed Klein's arm, hauling him back. "Klein, let's go. We have to go NOW!"
Klein didn't fight him, he was probably still in shock. Kirito managed to push and maneuver around the mass of players scrambling and shouting, all the while making sure Klein stayed behind him. Once he had broken free of the plaza he would immediately pull Klein into one of the side alleys and turn to face him.
"Listen Klein. I'm heading to one of the next towns immediately. If there's one thing about MMOs that won't change it's the fight for resources. All the easy zones around the Town of Beginnings will be picked clean. I know safe routes to get ahead and good early quests to complete."
Frankly, Kirito didn't know why he was offering his help in the first place. A voice in the back of his head warned him that any tagalong would be dead weight. Something inside of him though was thankful for the short time he had spent with the strange, but endearing man.
Klein had broken out of his shock at this point. There was a twinkle in his eye, but he looked down at the ground with a sudden sad expression. "But…I spent all night in line with friends that I came here with. I can't leave them Kirito, they're out there in that plaza and I have to go find them."
At this point, Klein had returned his gaze upwards. He locked eyes with his mentor and put his hands on his hips, his face beaming with pride. "Besides, I can hardly ask you for anything else right now can I?"
"Besides, I used to run the guild in our last game. I'll use what you taught me to get by!" Klein seemed to be sure of himself, but in reality he was probably putting up a front just like Kirito was.
"Alright then…let's say goodbye here." Kirito managed to croak the words out. He wasn't sure why it hurt so bad, not moments before he was mulling around the thought in his head that the man in front of him would just hinder him.
Kirito turned around, taking a breath to steel himself. "If something happens, send me a message."
"Will do." Klein's response was accompanied with expressions of joy that never seemed to waver.
"Okay, goodbye Klein." Kirito paused for a brief second to give one last look over his shoulder before beginning to walk away. Why did he feel so sad?
"Kirito!" He had only made it a few steps before Klein had called his name. He stopped in his tracks. Deep down, he thought part of himself might have wanted Klein to ask him again to join his group, to meet his friends.
"Take care of yourself, you're a good guy."
He paused for a moment. It was only then did he realize he had been blinking back tears. Was it from the stress of the situation finally catching up? Was it from losing the closest thing to a friend he had? He couldn't be entirely sure what the real source was.
"You too, Klein." Without another word he sprinted down the alleyway. He didn't dare look back, dropping the party he had been in all day. A single tear escaped, falling to the stone below him. The fight for his life had begun, and he was alone.