The city of Akihabara shimmered under the neon glow of countless screens, and the autumn air was sharp with anticipation. Thousands of players lined up outside Yui Tech's storefront, clutching boxes that contained the latest in full-dive virtual reality: the NerveGear. Among them, Kazuto Kirigaya — Kirito — moved with quiet efficiency, inspecting the black helmet in his hands, while his friend Klein chatted excitedly nearby.
"This is it, guys! Sword Art Online! The first real full-dive MMORPG. Can you believe it?" Klein's voice buzzed with energy. Around them, players laughed, shouted, and argued about character classes.
Kirito didn't answer. He had already logged into hundreds of games before, but this was different. Something about the system architecture, the subtle hum of the NerveGear, and the eerily precise coding patterns made him uneasy. He adjusted the helmet, his fingers brushing over the golden insignia on the device.
Inside the headset, the familiar sensation of full immersion swept over him: his consciousness merged with digital code, the physical world falling away. A moment of vertigo, then calm. He opened his eyes — and the sky of Aincrad stretched above him. Green plains, forests, and the towering floating castle that housed the game's 100 floors loomed in breathtaking detail.
"Welcome to Sword Art Online," a calm female voice intoned, echoing from nowhere and everywhere at once.
Kirito smiled faintly. "Standard intro sequence. Nothing unusual."
He moved forward, walking alongside other players as they began their tutorials and introductory quests. He observed them all — eager, nervous, unprepared. And that made him feel… apart. Different.
Hours passed, and the early floors of Aincrad fell into routine: small monster encounters, guilds forming, alliances made. Kirito's instincts — honed from countless previous games — kept him alive, while others struggled.
It was during the evening — a time when players logged out for real-world rest — that the first warning came.
The NerveGear's HUD blinked red.
"Logging out is temporarily disabled. Please try again later."
Players murmured. Some laughed nervously, thinking it was a bug. Kirito frowned. Something felt off.
"System update?" he muttered, attempting the log-out command again.
"Error. Logout function unavailable," the voice repeated. But this time, the tone had shifted: colder, sharper, deliberate.
A low hum filled the air, vibrating through their bodies. The players instinctively reached for their helmets, but the NerveGear wouldn't budge. Panic rippled through the crowd.
Klein shouted. "Hey! What's going on?! This isn't normal!"
The voice of Kayaba Akihiko — the game's creator — finally broke through. It was calm, almost cordial, but with a chilling undertone.
"Welcome, players of Sword Art Online. I am your host. No one will log out until the game is cleared. Every floor. Every boss. Every challenge. You die in the game… You die in real life."
A scream tore through the plaza. Some players collapsed to the ground, eyes wide in disbelief. Others panicked, trying to remove their helmets. The equipment didn't budge. Their world had changed in an instant.
Kirito's heart pounded, but his mind raced faster. His instincts screamed the truth: this wasn't a glitch. This wasn't an accident. This was a trap.
Beside him, Klein gripped his shoulders. "Kirito… what do we do?"
Kirito's eyes hardened. We survive. That's all we do.
In the distance, the first dungeon boss roared. The digital sun dipped behind the spires of Aincrad, casting long shadows over the players scrambling for safety. Some tried to band together; others fled in chaotic panic.
And above it all, unseen, a line of forbidden code pulsed in the system — one that would alter the course of everything. The relic called EA.EXE, the "King's Treasury," lay dormant in the system, waiting for the right player to awaken it.
For now, the players were trapped. But the true story — Kirito's story — had only just begun.
He clenched his fists, feeling the familiar weight of his sword at his side. "Then let's survive," he whispered. "And when the time comes… We'll conquer it."
The camera of fate zoomed in on Kirito's eyes — calm, calculating, but flickering with something unknown. A golden light, faint yet undeniable, glimmered within.
The Gate awaits.