#asuna alo

[princessmimoza]

.alfheim online

i really enjoyed the second part of the alo arc (the first part with suzuha was quite awkward) and i just wanted to draw an elf kirisuna lovelydovely pic X3

[chstart]

i want to say ordinal scale was the sao universe's pkmn go but. in-universe it gets released in 2026. it's pkmn go,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,2

[favficbirthdays]

Happy Birthday

Yuuki Asuna (30th September 2007)

Sword Art Online

[spiritsuru]

Continuing my rewatch of SAO, got through Gun Gale Online. I think GGO is such an interesting game setting that I’m glad there is a spin off of it, because the main anime makes it seem so barren compared to other games. I still dislike “Bullet of Bullets” though. Such a stupid name. Call it “Ballet of Bullets” or something! Also Kirito and Sinon’s dynamic is so fun. I love the love-hate relationship she has for him.

Anyways, in the middle of the Excalibur arc. I always enjoyed this arc but I gotta prepare for the soul crushing next arc.

[berserkyuya]

SAOVS: ALO Asuna March Calendar

[radioactivecatboy]

do NOT talk to me i need to think really hard about my life choices (seriously considering rewatching sao)

[yogahealth2]

Click here for additional details.

[lavender01art]

亞絲娜 アスナ Asuna (ALO) night dress

more on patreon https://www.patreon.com/LAVENDER_art

[romancemedia]

Asuna and Kirito have both experienced a similar situation when they went to find each other in a virtual world at one point or another.

In Season 1 during the ALO arc, Kirito went in search of Asuna when she was spotted inside the virtual world of Alfheim Online. In Season 3, Asuna went in search of Kirito when he mysteriously disappeared following the attack of Johnny Black and later found him on Rath.

The reason I suddenly started thinking about this was based on this old meme about the length of time it took for them to find each other in Seasons 1 and 3.

What's funny about this though is that really, it's different because it's based on how long it took for them to reunite with each other, but there's a different way of looking at it.

The truth is Kirito and Asuna were quickly able to find each other in the real world when they both were comatose.

while on the other hand, it took them both a LONG time before they could actually reunite with each other in the virtual worlds.

It took Kirito 10 episodes until he was reunited with Asuna inside Alfheim.

It took Asuna 28 episodes! before she was reunited with Kirito inside the UnderWorld and even more so until Kirito was no longer catatonic.

[heyyallitsbeth]

oh my god.

when Kirito is locked in his own thoughts in Underworld, he's constantly bombarded by his own failures.

and then in those thoughts, he gets visited by visages of Asuna, Suguha and Shino, who he saved. He saved Asuna from SAO and ALO, he rebuilt his fractured friendship with Suguha, and saved Shino from Death Gun and her past.

But even seeing Asuna and Shino in Underworld doesnt wake him up.

What wakes him up is someone he couldnt save.

What finally gets him to move is someone who in his own eyes, he failed, someone he loved and someone he let die.

and Eugeo tells him it's okay. that the others are waiting for him.

He knew Asuna Suguha and Shino loved him. But he didn't know Eugeo loved him, and he couldnt believe it. That's why after Eugeo comforts him, he can stand and fight, because in spite of everything, in spite of failing him and letting him die, Eugeo still loves him all the same.

[heyyallitsbethfanfic]

dry eyes

A dead eye peered through the scope of the hecate sniper rifle.

BANG! Clink… A shot fired, and the casing rolled aimlessly away.

On the top of the clocktower, a depressed noir laid down, near motionless.

BANG! Clink…

The raven had been posted there for longer than they’d care to remember. All they wanted was release.

BANG! Clink…

“Full party down…” the black-cloaked figure sighed. “Guess this’s just been a buncha aim practice…”

Not a single fight. Not a single shot fired in their direction. Though it’s not like they cared. If someone fired, they wouldn’t move. They had no desire to fight. They wanted to give up.

“Footsteps…”

They had heard someone ascending the clock tower and were suddenly eye to eye with a familiar sight down their scope.

“Heh, guess I gave a lasting impression on ya Kirito. Never would’ve suspected you’d pick up the sniper mantle.”

Kirito stared up at the teal haired girl before her, his eyes tired and weary. A dull grey emptiness was set into them, where a purple shimmering light had been before. Sinon’s more playful appearance dropped as she saw the zombie before her. He slowly shifted his positioning away from Sinon before he fired the last shot in his clip ending another enemy player miles away.

“... I don’t wanna think about swords at all right now. Staying as far away as possible.” 

He remained focused on the scope of his rifle. He didn’t want to meet her eyes again. His voice was empty, quiet and strained like it was the first sentence he’d spoken that week.

“You okay Kirito? You’re not lookin’ so hot…” She trailed off. She knew he hated discussing himself but this was the worst he’d ever looked.

“Yeah… just some stress relief is all…” He looked aside for a moment, but still refused to meet Sinon’s empathetic stare. “I see why you love the sniper. Gotta always be on alert… Can’t talk. Can’t think… Can’t cry.” His eyes started watering at the edges.

“This is bad,” Sinon thought to herself. “He’s never like this…”

She lifted Kirito out of his perch, and propped him up next to her.

“Hey, you can talk to me.”

His eyes couldn’t meet hers. He couldn’t face her. His body ached. His heart felt like a worn and tired rope, just barely holding on by the thinnest of it’s threads.

“Hey Kirito. I’m worried about you. Nobody hears from you for a week after you logged out of ALO and now you’re here looking like you’re dead.”

Kirito finally looked to her and met her eyes. Sinon’s heart shattered as the boy who had so desperately tried helping her for so long looked as if he was one inch from the edge.

“... I…” he sighed out. “It’s been too long since I was playing solo… And now… I gotta remember how to do it…”

“Huh? You’re not making any sense?” Sinon tried holding Kirito’s hand, and she saw him fighting back tears as he pulled it away.

“Asuna… was the person who pulled me out of being solo… I’d always been alone up to then. Both in game, and out there… and she’s not here anymore.”

“Asuna? W-what’s going on? Is she alright?”

Kirito could no longer hold back any of the tears she’d been keeping these past days.

“Asuna got accepted at a college in the U.S… and she’s leaving. And… and… and…” his voice faltered and got weaker as he went on. “She wanted to break up. So that distance wouldn’t hurt.”

Kirito’s avatar’s mascara ran down her cheeks, staining them black, and beneath Sinon could see even on his avatar the dark circles that indicated Kirito hadn’t been sleeping.

Sinon clutched above her heart. She couldn’t believe that Asuna could do something so heartless to the poor boy in front of her.

“Hey, hey. I’m here now.” She pulled him into an embrace, stroking his hair as he sobbed into her chest. “It’s all gonna be okay. I promise.” She tried her best to reassure him, but how could she promise that? His wife had left him here like this…

“T-thank you Shino…” Her heart broke hearing him pleading out to her, not her avatar, but her.

“Hey, have you been sleeping?”

“I… I haven’t been able to. So I’d just log on here, away from everyone else…”

“Kazuto…”

“I still log out to shower and call Yui before bed… but it’s mainly just been… this.”

“Even after everything he’s still doing his best to be there for Yui…”

“Ki-Kirito have you eaten at all? And is Sugu not there?”

Kirito tried getting up, but Sinon pulled him right back into the embrace. 

“Sugu’s been on a class trip. She won’t be back til next week…”

Sinon saw the broken mess of a boy in front of her and wanted to cry herself. This was her rock. The one who held up their whole group, helping each and every one of them. He had held her as she cried, punching and kicking and saying things she’d always regret and yet he was steadfast, unflinching, just there for her when she needed it most. And he was crumbling…

“Hey Kirito… Listen… You need to rest, and you need to eat… Log off and shower… A-and I’m gonna be over as soon as I can. I’ll pick us up some food on the way…”

She’d dreamed of spending the night at Kirito’s before, but never like this. She wishes it could have been under better circumstances.

Kirito intended to protest, but couldn’t. He desperately wanted somebody to help, even if he wished he could be alone. Both of them embraced one final time before they logged out.

About 30 minutes later, Suguha gets a notification on her phone, from the motion camera at the door. “Why is Shino coming over at… 11pm?” She laid back down and passed out. “Tomorrow’s Problem.”

…

A knocking came at the door.

Kirito slicked back his still-damp-from-showering hair and sheepishly answered the door.

As the door slowly crept open, two broken souls met eyes. The girl had been tightly holding onto her purse and the food she’d picked up for the boy, but they were abruptly dropped to the side in the doorway as she launched herself at the boy. His eyes were vacant, like his body was still here but the soul had long since left. She hadn’t seen him like this since that time in Underworld, where he was… gone. She couldn’t help it, she held onto him and cried into him.

“Kazuto… I was so fucking scared…” She could barely speak through her sobs. “The thought of you hurting… I’m so sorry…”

Kazuto lightly brushed his hand against the back of her head, stroking her hair.

“T-thank you Shino… I- I’m sorry you have to see me like this…”

“You have nothing to be sorry for- I should’ve reached out sooner.” She looked up from her place nuzzling his neck to his face. Beneath one of his tired eyes sat a scar cutting long across his cheek. She traced the faded mark, sighing out. “I’m sorry.”

They pulled away from eachother and Kazuto slumped down on the couch of the living room as Shino collected her things and placed her bags on the kitchen table.

“Shino- I… I don’t know why you put up with me.” The boy’s hands shook, and tears bubbled in the corners of his eyes.

Shino sat beside Kazuto and gently cupped his face in her hand. “I care about you Kazuto. I always have.” 

“All I’ve ever done is hurt people. I don’t deserve to be cared about.” His breath was brisk and harsh. He was fighting not her words, but the words he was holding back.

“Every day, that’s all I do. I left behind my family when I found out I was adopted- and I left them behind for two years in SAO- And then on my first day there, I abandoned Argo and Klein.”

His knuckles were white as his fists shook in rage at himself.

“Then I abandoned Asuna. I took Liz on a suicide mission and nearly killed her, and broke her heart. If I was quicker, I could’ve saved Pina for Silica. I let Yui die. And I was too weak… I let Kayaba kill Asuna. She died in my arms…”

Shino gripped onto Kazuto’s shoulders, but he wasn’t finished.

“And then I came home, and I was a burden to everyone. And all I could think about was her. Not my family or other friends. Just her. And Sugu-”

The tears flowed out.

“After everything- Sugu helped me. And I broke her heart. And I just stood there like a jackass and couldn’t say anything…”

“Broke her heart?...”

“I pushed myself away from her time after time and she still cared about me- and she fell in love with me- she cried herself to sleep at night over me in the hospital and I never gave her the time of day. I don’t deserve to be called her brother.” He screamed out the last sentence, his voice breaking.

“And then- and then I was in Underworld. And. And. If I were faster, Ronye and Tiese…”

He grit his teeth.

“And I failed you time and time again Shino. I used your trust. I hurt you. I embarrassed you. If it weren’t for me, DeathGun wouldn’t have even targeted you. And I let you get-” 

“Kazuto you saved my life. If it weren’t for you-”

“If it weren’t for me, ten more people would be alive right now.” His voice bit at her.

“The members of Laughing Coffin?...”

“No… The Moonlit Black Cats. Ducker, Sasamaru, Tetsuo, Keita… Sachi… I failed them all. I let them die. And Keita killed himself in front of me.”

He clutched his chest.

“Sachi… Sachi was so fucking afraid of dying in Sword Art Online. I promised her- I promised her she’d live. I’d protect her. That she and I’d make it out together…”

He wailed into his hands. Shino stroked his back.

“And then there was Eugeo… my best friend. I fought alongside him for two years. I… I loved him… and he died in my arms. I couldn’t save him. He was better than me. He was an actual hero, he wasn’t just some roleplaying dickhead who could never help anyone- I let him down… It’s my fault he died.”

Shino pulled Kazuto into a hug.

“Kazuto… none of them would blame you. They were your friends. They knew you’d do anything to help them, anything at all. That’s why you fought so hard for them, and fight so hard now. Since they’re still here with you…”

She pet his head as he sobbed into her shoulder.

“I- I was so scared when I heard about what happened to you. That the last Death Gun got you… I was so worried, and I hurt myself because I thought it was all my fault… You got hurt because you got caught between me and Shinkawa.”

She pulled back, and held his face so his eyes met hers.

“You saved everyone in Sword Art Online Kazuto. It’s because of you, everyone in the game could walk free. And you saved everyone in Underworld too. And now people like Alice and Yui can be here in the real world too. You’ve helped so many people.”

Kazuto looked in her eyes for a moment, considering her words, before closing his eyes. He didn’t want to see her as he spoke again.

“They said that of the ten thousand people who logged into Sword Art Online, six thousand survived, and the other four thousand… I always thought I should be a part of them.” Shino’s grip on the back of Kazuto’s shirt intensified. She was digging into him now.

“K-Kazuto?”

“Every day I’ve thought it would have been better if my brain was fried there. If I was one of the ones who jumped on day one… maybe it would have been better that way…”

Shino pulled him into her like a vice, holding on for dear life.

“Kazuto- never. Never say something like that. You’re… You’re the one who told me that nomatter who you are, your life has touched someone else. That there’s someone out there who loves you, and cares about you. You saved me then. And I wanna be here for you now. Kazuto… My life belongs to you. I’ll give it up for you. I wanna stay with you until the end. I’ll do everything I can.”

The tears stopped. Kazuto looked at me, and smiled softly. “And I promise to do everything I can do to protect you too, forever.”

He held onto her hand, and the two softly blushed.

“Kazuto… Could I stay with you for the night?”

The boy could only nod.

…

The two held onto eachother until they had recollected themselves. But neither wanted to let go as they got up to eat. The quiet slowly faded away as they chatted to eachother, the warmth in the home growing with each word. They eventually retreated to the couch, spending the evening watching movies together, curled under a blanket. They hadn’t noticed how somewhere along the way, they’d shifted into eachother, their bodies pressed together cuddling, as if it was natural for them. Two broken pieces fitting together, forming one single heart.

They slept on the couch that night, settling in at almost dawn, and neither would ever want to admit it, but it was the most peaceful sleep they’d experienced in a long long time.

…

The raven of the star-crossed soldiers were awoken by Kazuto’s phone ringing in the morning.

“Big brother- Why exactly is Shino staying the night at our place?” Her tone was accusatory, which Kazuto figured was entirely fair, given the circumstances.

“I’ve been having a really rough couple of days. Ever since Asuna left, I hadn’t been taking care of myself… Shino noticed and came over to help.”

“Asuna… left?”

Kazuto huffed out a sigh. “Guess she decided it’s on me to tell everyone. Asuna broke up with me. About the same time you left on your trip.”

“Jeez… at the same time I’m not there to comfort you- how cruel. I’m sorry big bro. I’ll be home soon to help you. I’m glad Shino was there to help.”

“I am too.” Kazuto combed the hair of the still sleeping girl beside him with his fingers. She murmured slightly in her sleep. “Kirito…”

…

Shino ended up staying at the Kirigaya residence for the next week, until Suguha got home. They’d spend the day together, cooking and cleaning for eachother, and playing GunGale together. Each night Kazuto insisted that he’d take the couch and Shino could sleep in his bed, yet nomatter where they decided upon sleeping, they’d still end up in eachother’s arms by the end of the night. Shino insisted that it was because she heard Kazuto stirring and worried he was having a nightmare, but Kazuto couldn’t complain either way. The gentle fondness she’d showed him made his heart flutter, and he was ashamed to admit, but every time he started worrying about Asuna, there would be a Shino in his imagination there to save him. His knight in shining armor. As they spent the day in GGO again, they ended up walking by a shop as a glimmer caught Kirito’s eye. He nabbed it before Sinon even realized what he’d done. 

…

As they cleared another mission together, they sat next to eachother in the same cave they’d shared their first night in. Kirito slightly anxiously shifted in his seat as Sinon went over their loot from the mission.

“Oh actually Sinon- there’s something that I wanted to share with you.”

“Oh did you get different drops than me? Anything good?” The boy twirled his hair nervously.

“H-hopefully…”

He tossed a small sphere at her.

“A present grenade?”

She looked up at him, slightly confused.

“J-just hit the button.”

He hid his blushing face in his hands as Sinon pressed the blinking red trigger. The sphere split open in two halves, revealing a pair of two rings, a deep galaxy purple and a bright ocean blue. 

Kirito swallowed his fears “I… I saw them and thought of us… consider it a thanks for everything you’ve done for me Sinon.”

Sinon blushed and hugged the boy beside her.

“You dummy! I love it!” She slipped on the purple ring, and took Kirito’s hand and slipped on the blue on.

“Eh? Sinon?” Kirito was slightly confused by her choice of color.

“It’s just like your sword and your eyes. It’s a nice thing to always remember ya, even when we’re not by eachother’s sides.” She smiled warmly and hugged tighter.

“Guess so. But I don’t wanna leave your side anytime soon.”

“Me neither.”

Sinon looked deep into Kirito’s eyes, the color returned to them, the sparkle was back. She leaned in to him and he followed, and their lips found a home together.

[approximateknowledge]

ok so now that everyone who will realistically ever give a shit has seen this:

well, hear me out, there's something very interesting about these chibi shorts beyond the superficial content;

they're *not actually canon*; what they are is characters reacting *to* the events of the arc. events that asuna wasn't there to witness

in the main canon, all she knows about what happened in that game is a few bits of BoB footage, and whatever sinon and kirito told her afterwards (which will have been rather bare-bones, considering both of their characters)

so the end result is that in these shorts we basically have an AU version of asuna who *does* know

and that got me thinking

the ggo avatar was *randomised*! the way she had fun with it speaks volumes of course, but it being there at all was a coincidence

but here's the thing: so was the original ALO avatar! (the second one wasn't)

^spikey little androgynous elf twink

so then...

what if the "random girl avatar" thing happened *then*?!

^add pointy ears and change the outfit a bit and there you go

this would've genuinely been just as likely as what happened in canon!

but the *consequences*!

because in this scenario she'd just end up saving asuna and kicking sugou's creepy kidnapping nepo-baby ass *looking like that*

and on top of that she'd probably end up behaving just as femme with leafa before that as she canonically did with sinon; but the different is leafa is *suguha*. her *sister*. and the moment they figure it out there'd be questions sugu would probably be asking!

and from the chibi shorts we already have official confirmation on how asuna would react; and i suspect sugu would be *very* in on it, especially because she and kirito do in fact still live with their mom in the same house irl

they wouldn't just "knowingly wait it out" like sinon does (because she absolutely knows)

conclusion: the only reason kirito's egg hasn't been cracked by force yet is because of the fact the most blatant egg shit happened in the one game the gang wasn't there to witness it

[shima-draws]

I've only seen season 1 of sao. Do you need to watch the others? Gun Gale wasn't for me. Is it worth watching the others?

To get a general understanding of what’s going on and any new characters introduced, yeah I’d probably watch the others? It’s not necessary that you HAVE to tho.

I totally get GGO not hitting, it’s definitely a different vibe from the first season :’) I highly recommend the second half of season 2 tho, bc we go back to ALO and get a mini arc that’s one of my personal favorites (Calibur my beloved), and then the latter half we get introduced to Yuuki and Asuna gets some time to shine ^^

And then season 3 is after that and that’s Alicization which is the best arc imo!! So yes it’s definitely worth it!

[94badbye]

i just came to the realization that saudade is basically kirito's and asuna's word with eugeo and with yuuki and even with each other. i can't even begin to explain it. it's such a powerful word that has no translation into english at all, and even its meaning in other latin languages is different from its meaning in portuguese, but it's their word.

because saudade is about missing something so deeply that it hurts. it describes the melancholy that comes when you lose something or someone that may never come back. it's about asuna's feelings when she thinks of yuuki and realizes that she lost part of her heart when yuuki died. it's about kazuto thinking of eugeo and seeing that a part of his soul will never return. it's about what kazuto felt when asuna was trapped in ALO, or what asuna felt during the underworld war arc.

but also, strangely enough, saudade can be about missing someone even though we know we haven't lost them forever, even though we know that person will come back. it's about affection and warmth and love. it can be a good and necessary feeling that don't need to be followed by pain. such a complex word, but i think it fits them perfectly.

[spiritsuru]

Been busy but finished my rewatch of season one of Sword Art Online. Fell back in love it 100%. It has it's flaws (*coughsecondarccough*) but I can enjoy it regardless, but understand why people get turned off from it. I am excited to venture back into Gun Gale Online though!

[thegayfromrulid]

Since you're mood for writing...

SAO gang x reader in a spooky event!

The gang must survive the haunted house as they prepare for a challenge. Will the gang survive the night, or they'll forever lost from the headless knight, The Hallow Echo

I apologize for the wait! I'm wrapping up a really big paper this October, but I wanted to get this one done before Halloween! I hope that you enjoy! Link to AO3 version below, and Tumblr version below the cut!

AO3 Link: The Hallow Echo

         “I-I don’t know if I can do this any longer!”

         “I-It’ll be fine! Just a b-bit longer, guys!”

         “A-are you sure?”

         “Kyaaaaaaa! Something touched me! Something touched meeee!”

         “You’re fine! Just bear with it! You’re fi–aaaagh!”

         Perhaps, at this moment, you’re wondering how it got to this point. All of your friends are trying their best to find one another in the pitch-black space while also keeping their guard up; this certainly wasn’t how the morning started. In fact, it had been a normal Saturday morning of just lying around in bed until a very excited text game through the group chat.

         Kirito: guys! theres a horror event happening tonight!

         Lis: waaah Kirito why did u wake me up for this

         Kirito: we should totally do it!

         Asuna: Kirito-kun, you *know* I don’t like this sort of thing…

         Silica: im not scared!!!! i have pina! <3

         Lis: ofc u would say that Silica

         Silica: ;-;

         (Y/N): ig im down. what time?

         Klein: yeah, deets kiri-bro!

         Sinon: wth are we all yelling about @ 10 on a Saturday???

         Silica: spooky event…

         Kirito: starts 10pm and runs til bout midnight. meet at the house in 22 @ thirty til?

         Asuna: Kirito-kun! Come on!

         Sinon: you don’t have to join, Asuna

         Lis: ofc she does!!! dont wuss out Asuna heh

         (Y/N): haha yeah, ill be on. see ya then.

         Since Kirito had been a bit sparse with the details, you did yourself the favor of looking up what he meant. Alfheim Online was hosting a single-day event for Halloween that took place on a special map. Players could enter the space in groups to take on the challenge, giving each group their own scrambled map. There was no chance they’d run into any other groups during the challenge, so it wasn’t a fight for a single prize. Basically, it was a haunted mansion that was being disturbed by a field boss-level enemy called The Hallow Echo. No description was provided about what this mysterious boss looked like, but players would enter the house and be trapped inside of it for the duration of the event. They had two options for completion: survive the time limit without dying (flight) or defeat The Hallow Echo and escape (fight). The rewards were different for the two completion styles, with defeating the boss as having more desirable prizes.

         The intensity of the quest mentioned that it was somewhere between medium to very hard depending on the overall stats of the party that entered and whether they chose fight or flight. It was designed in a way that ensured that the players who chose simply to play the evasion game could still get something out of it, even if higher level players wanted to challenge the difficult boss monster and reap the rewards of a battle well fought. You assume that the group will likely be trying to defeat the boss monster; if Kirito suggested it, then there’s definitely a cool prize he wants from the rewards. It’s an exciting event to look forward to.

         At a little before 9:30 PM that evening, you log onto ALO and confirm that you’re in the log cabin. You typically log out there, but every so often, during a big quest you can’t be peeled away from, you’ll stay at an inn in the closest town over night so that you can get back to it faster. You’re relieved to find that you did, in fact, log out from within the cabin. Kirito appears to have already beat you there. He holds up his hand for a high-five. You grin and give him one.

         “Glad you could make it, (y/n)!” he says.

         You let him know that you’re excited to start the quest. It’s been a while since something big has happened that everyone could show up for. The others start appearing, the chatter in the little player home increasing until the last member, Agil, shows up. He had to wrap up some things at his café and bar before logging on, but the gang is finally all here. Asuna opens up a map with an uneasy look on her face and shows everyone where the haunted house appeared. Everyone checks their inventory to make sure they have enough potions, and then you’re off.

         The haunted house itself it about a ten-minute flight from the cabin. It doesn’t take long for everyone to get there, and a small crowd of players has already started to gather around it. There’s a timer display in front of it, counting down to when the event will start. A few people are trying to shove their way to the front, but you know there’s no reason to do this. After all, every team will get their own map separate from the others. There’s no limit on how many people can enter at once; if that were so, they’d have to make more than one version of the house. The exterior is dark and gloomy, and the weather around it seems to have turned from a clear, moonlit night into a stormy one, with flashes of lightning cracking close enough to the top of the house that it might sound rather alarming from the inside.

         “Ohhh, this is gonna be so good!” Lisbeth exclaims.

         Asuna awkwardly chuckles.

         “You don’t think there are any astral-type monsters in there, do you?” she mutters.

         Kirito reaches down and grasps her hand, giving her a soft look.

         “I’ll make sure they don’t come after you,” he says.

         Sinon rolls her eyes.

         “Get a room, you two,” she says.

         Lisbeth laughs and smacks Asuna on the back.

         “We’ll be fine!” she says.

         The timer finally hits zero, and players all dash forward to enter the haunted house. Each party is sent into a separate map, so there’s no worry if some members are faster than the others. They’ll all end up in the same map as long as they’re registered in the same party. The speedier members of your party arrive first, so when you enter the space, Kirito, Asuna, and Leafa are already taking a look around the dimly lit hallways. Sinon trails in right on your tail. Lisbeth practically pushes Silica into the space, and Agil and Klein trot in behind her. Alice, for some reason, is bringing up the rear, her hand perched on the pommel of her sword as if expecting something to attack the group from behind. An NPC appears out of the shadows when there’s been about thirty seconds of no new entries to the space.

         This NPC is an elderly woman with spindly grey hair sticking out of a tightly wrapped bun. She’s wearing clothing that you would expect to see the proprietress of a traditional Japanese inn wearing, which seems a bit out of place for the fairy world setting. It isn’t quite accurate, though; the cut of the fabric is wrong for a kimono or yukata, making it more of what one would imagine a quick, from-memory sketch of Japanese traditional clothing looked like from someone who’d seen it perhaps once. The designs on her dress also could be European in nature. Its coloring is either a dim blue or a grey, but it’s hard to tell in the low lighting. She bows at you all, and Kirito walks up to her. She starts to talk as soon as he initiates with a “hello.”

         “Weary travelers, I’m afraid that this abode isn’t the friendly stay that it used to be,” the NPC says. “For years, I offered beds to those traveling across Alfheim, and I fed my tenants enough to fill their bellies for the road ahead they had to travel. As of late, however, there’s a disturbance in this house that keeps me from keeping adventurers overnight, so I’m afraid I can’t arrange beds for you this evening.”

         It was a natural enough way to start a quest. Kirito prompts her for more.

         “What kind of a disturbance?” he asks. “Is there any way we can help you out?”          The old woman scrunches up her forehead and sighs.

         “There’s something haunting my home,” she laments. “It’s too much to ask of you, but if you would be willing to check it out for me, I’d be willing to pay you quite handsomely if you can get rid of it.”

         A quest menu popped up in front of Kirito. He clicks the button to accept the quest, and then a darkened map appears in the corner of your vision. It seems like the map needs you to walk around in order to see the pathways. You suggest splitting the group in half. Everyone else agrees that this is a good plan, since the goal of the party is to locate The Hallow Echo and defeat him. You go with Kirito, Asuna, Silica, and Lisbeth. The other group of Sinon, Agil, Klein, Leafa, and Alice goes to the left, while you all go to the right. Along the path, there are smaller monsters that don’t take too much work to defeat as a team.

         But things change when the lights all go out.

         An echoing, guttural voice laughs in the halls. You can’t tell from which direction it’s coming; it’s all-encompassing. A light flickers in front of you for a moment as Kirito, you think, holds up a torch. In that moment, you lay eyes on its form—The Hallow Echo, a knight decorated in a dark armor that soaks up the blackness around it, with a sword hovering dangerously close to your own neck that is dripping with something wet and thick. A lone detail stands out in the center of the light; a gaping, dark hole sits where the knight’s head should be. As soon as you note this, Kirito’s torch is extinguished with a sizzle and a hiss, as if something licked its fingers and pressed them against the tip to put it out. The group lets out a collective scream, and they all leap backwards to avoid possibly getting hit by the knight’s weapon.

         “Was that it?!” Lisbeth shouts.

         Metal clangs against something solid in the dark, most likely the wall.

         “That’s DEFINITELY it!” Kirito shouts back.

         A yelp comes from your left. It sounded like Silica.

         “Headless…why did it have to be headless?” Asuna mutters.

         “How the hell are we supposed to defeat that thing in the dark?” Lisbeth asks.

         Another clang slams down. It sounds like it hit the floor this time. Silica shrieks and you hear her jump up to her feet and start running. She winds up bumping into you.

         “S-sorry, (y/n)!” she stammered.

         You tell her it’s all right and give her a gentle pat on the head. The same echoing laugh as before greets you again, still feeling as though it’s all around you.

         “Listen to the sound of its footsteps!” Asuna cries out. “When it’s close enough, attack it! If you hear it stop for too long, then it’s getting ready to use one of its attacks. Jump back if you hear no footsteps for more than six seconds!”

         Despite her fear of the ghastly, Asuna takes full charge of the fight immediately. Her prowess as a leader always comes out in situations like this. Her methods work well for a bit, and as the group fights, you run into the others, who join in on Asuna’s strategy. Everything seems to be working well, up until you see The Hallow Echo’s HP fall into the last bar. Suddenly, his footsteps vanish all together, and his echoing laugh zooms around as if he’s floating through the air around you.

         Suddenly the battle changes from a physical one to a true test of courage. You can feel things making grabs at your body in the dark. Touching the walls often renders a slimy, unpleasant texture. More than just the one laugh surrounds you; other voices echo in the halls, and sounds of chittering or scurrying accompany it. Now in an astral form, The Hallow Echo flies around you and sometimes through you, sending a cold chill inside of the space he passes through.

         “I-I don’t know if I can do this any longer!” Asuna finally wails.

         There’s a grunt from Kirito as he swings at the specter flying past him. You can hear a metal “clink!” as his sword hits the core inside of the ghastly figure.

         “I-It’ll be fine! Just a b-bit longer, guys!” he reassures you all, though the words were most likely directed at Asuna more than anyone else.

         “A-are you sure?” she stammers back.

         Another thud comes from behind you.

         “Kyaaaaaaa! Something touched me! Something touched meeee!” Silica cries.

         Someone else hits the core.

         “You’re fine!” Leafa cries. “Just bear with it! You’re fi–aaaagh!”

         An arrow whizzes past your ear and hits The Hallow Echo’s core. The light from the arrow gives you enough space to swing at it. Your sword connects with the core inside, and this time, instead of just hitting it, it slices through it with a sound like glass shattering into hundreds of tiny pieces. White light bursts from the spot, and everyone can see The Hallow Echo in his full form once more as he dissipates into a black mist and gets swallowed up by the center of the light where the core burst. Everything is pitch black for a moment, and then the hallways light up with the same dim candles that you’d first seen when entering the haunted house. Right on cue, the elderly NPC walks up with her hands clasped together.

         “Oh, thank you!” she cries. “How ever can I thank you for taking care of that monster for me?”

         Kirito lets out a strained laugh.

         “I-It’s our pleasure,” he says.

         A few of the group members chuckle at his statement. The NPC waves her hands and points them at the group.

         “Will this be enough?” she asks.

         You all get a dialogue box showing you the quest rewards for beating The Hallow Echo. The prizes, as mentioned in the notice for the event, are quite handsome. A large sum of yrd is given, as well as some crystals that are useful in smithing. Everyone receives a weapon in their specific class that has quite high stats. Some rare potions are present as well. As you all leave the haunted house, high-fives are shared for a job well done.

         As you log off for the night, you know you can rest well, as The Hallow Echo has been defeated, and the limited time quest didn’t escape your grasp.

         Well, that is, unless he returns for revenge next year…