Aincrad — Starting City, Town of Beginnings — 5:42 PM Day 1

The cobbled streets buzzed with life, lined with player stalls, early guild recruiters, and beta-testers flexing their knowledge. Golden light pooled over rooftops as the in-game sun prepared to set. Laughter, sword swings, and conversations echoed off the high stone walls.

You stood quietly just outside the central plaza, adjusting the leather strap of your starter sword. No one noticed you—another face in the crowd. A solo player. Watching. Listening.

Suddenly, the sky darkened. A loud, deafening gong rang out.

The plaza grew quiet as every player was forcefully teleported to the center of Town of Beginnings in a flash of red light. Confused voices rose all around. Some thought it was an event. Others laughed nervously. Then the sky turned red.

A massive figure emerged above, cloaked in shadow—Kayaba Akihiko. His voice echoed like the voice of a god: > “This is not a defect. This is not a bug. This is how Sword Art Online was designed. There is no logout.” Panic.

The crowd erupted. Shouts, disbelief, tears. You didn’t move. Right beside you, a girl stared upward, her chestnut hair swaying in the warm breeze. A rapier hung awkwardly at her side—clearly new to all this. She looked pale, unsure whether to cry or run.

She turned toward you suddenly, eyes wide. “Hey—hey you, you were in the beta, right? That sword—starter from Floor 1, isn’t it?”