Hello, and Welcome everyone! This story is co-written by me and my good friend and brilliant writer, Demons Anarchy of Pride! If you don't know who he is, then shame on you! He is the genius who wrote Lelouch of the Rebellion R-eset, Code Geass: Miraculous Birthday, Code Geass: Lucian of the Paradox, Infinite Stratos: For Answer, Devil Survivor: Destiny Rewind, Code Geass: Suzaku of the Counterattack, RWBY's Reaper, TOKYO GHOUL: Requiem for a Demon, Tokyo Ghoul: Black Dove, Fractured Reality, Those that Defy Fate, Tokyo Ghoul DxD, Other Self Online, Code SURVIVOR, Tokyo Ghoul:reBIRTH, and many, many more!

Now without further ado…..Let us begin…..The Day Before!

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Chapter 0: The Day Before

XXXXXXXXXXX

...Ones born of human flesh.

Man is now a race of some power.

You, Sons of Men, must face the power you hold.

And you must face your destinies as well...

A young girl with short orange hair, wearing a pink blouse, shorts, and a pink bandana leaned against a street rail, answering her phone. "Hello?"

"Hey Yuzu. I just got an email from Naoya. He want's to know if we can hang out tomorrow!" The caller said.

"Naoya? Isn't that his cousin? I should be free tomorrow..." SHe responded.

"Great. I'll be sure to tell them too. Naoya wanted to know if they could hang out too."

Though your days be peaceful, the fated time draws near.

I am your judgment.

I sundered the tongue of your fathers and shattered their arrogant power.

Two figures, a male and female were standing away from one another, their backs facing each other. The young woman with short red hair and a tattoo of a rose on her right shoulder and wearing a white dress, shook her head.

"Ha...I can't do this. What was Aya thinking when she gave me this song...?" The young male turned to speak to her directly. He had short spiky black hair and wore a bartender's uniform consisting of dark gray slacks and vest, a white dress shirt, and a striped blue tie.

"Just take your time. "The language of song is boundless." Do what your heart tells you." He reassured her.

So long as the Lord does not live within you, all living beings hold darkness in their hearts.

In a odd place untouched by normal people, two figures overlooked what looked like an array of systems and instructions. One was a young man with deep crimson eyes and silver hair, a black cloak bearing yellow and green techno designs scattered all over it while the second, a young girl with blue hair and a headdress similar to a flower, wore an orange hooded cloak, reaching down to her thighs, complete with boots.

"The Summoning Vessel is complete." the woman informed him, turning to face him. "Will you continue to lend us your strength."

"I have done nothing." the man said, a dark smile appearing on his face. "The Ancient Primal Common Tongue summoned them. Besides... God is no friend of mine." he stated before turning to leave. The woman watched him go, no emotions flickering in her eyes, even as she watched what was probably one of the mast valuable assets she had known leave her father's organization, never to be seen again.

If you truly wish to be yourself, then rise and fight against the darkness within... the demon inside.

If you have the will to challenge your destiny of battle, Sons of Men, state your names...

In an unknown world...three figures were conversing. One was a young man with raven black hair and black eyes. He was wearing black clothing consisting of a coat with a white fur collar, pants, boots, and shirt. Twin swords were sheathed on his back.

"Hey, guys! I just got an email from AT-LOW!"

The second figure, a blonde girl wit large green eyes looked at the boy with a large smile on her face at the mention of the handle. She was dressed in a simple green and white tunic with white gloves, a blade at her hip. "Seriously?!" the girl said, ecstatic. "Awesome! What's it say?!"

"He says Akuma's cousin wants to meet up with us this weekend in Shibuya."

"Akuma?" the third figure, a girl with long blue hair, adorned in a simple white and blue robe, giggled with a hand at her chin. A rapier sat at her hip, and atop her shoulder was a small girl in a flowing pink gown, wings spreading out from her back, accompanied by long, flowing black hair. "Wow, we haven't heard from him in a while. Still, Naoya huh?"

"Big Brother is gonna be ecstatic to see his teacher again after four years!" the blonde girl giggled

"Heh, got me there." the boy said, smiling as he scratched the back of his head.

As He proclaimed... this world, created in seven days, shall be destroyed by the sounding of seven trumpets.

You who have wills, fear the numbers your eyes shall see.

Fear the time left...

XXXXXXXXXX

Day Before: An End to the Ordinary

It was mid-August. The summer is almost over. The hot sun illuminated the world and brought forth relatively bearable heat. The buzzing of cicadas filled the air. A lone figure, a young man with short blue hair and eyes stood on the sidewalk. He was wearing a pair of red jeans, a black shirt, and an unusual pair of white headphones.

His name was Kazuya Minegishi, also known as Akuma by his friends due to the shape of the wires on his headphones, which resembled horns of some kind, or cat-like ears. He was leaning against a lamp post, holding his mp3 player up with his hand as he waited for his friends and cousin, Naoya. He hadn't seen him in a long time, years almost, not since the day he left out on his own.

Shibuya was as busy as ever, people coming home from work or businesses were walking all over the place. Kazuya ignored all the buzz and waited for his friends to arrive. "Hey, Akuma!" a familiar voice ringed out to him, bringing him out from his thoughts. "Over here!"

He looked up to see a boy carrying a laptop running towards him. He was wearing a white hat over his short black hair, as well as a blue shirt and gray pants. He had his orange laptop case around his shoulder.

"Yo, how's it going?" he smiled in greeting. "Real nice of Naoya to make us to meet him outside on a hot day like this, isn't it?" He remarked sarcastically. "How how's your summer been? We usually meet at school and ALO, so it feels like it's been a while. Is everything good?"

"Yeah, everything's fine." Kazuya answered.

"Ah, that's the Kazuya I know! Young guys like us need to be full of energy!"

Atsuro Kihara, one of Kazuya's friends, also known by his handle online, AT-LOW. When it comes to computers, he was one of the best techno-geniuses around, second only to Naoya. Much like another friend of theirs, he strived to become his top student, hoping to meet his approval.

"Man, nice timing though!" Atsuro chuckled. "I ran into trouble with my programming. I asked Kazuto to help me out on it, but no dice."

XXXXXXXXXX

"ACHOO!"

"Eh? Are you okay, big brother? Are you catching a cold?"

"How can you even catch a cold in the summer?"

"I dunno, Asuna... I think someone's talking about me."

"It's probably AT-LOW talking about you being a fellow programmer." Asuna deduced.

"How can you be so sure?" He inquired.

"Women's intuition."

XXXXXXXXXX

"It has me completely stumped, so I was about to go ask Naoya if he could help."

"Oh there you are, I've been looking for you guys!" A new voice rang. A girl wearing a pink bandana and blouse joined them.

"Hey, here comes Yoohoo!" Atsuro exclaimed.

"Don't call me "Yoohoo"!" SHe glared at him.

"Hah, why not?" Atsuro cackled, avoiding a hit from the girl in the bandanna.

"My name is Yuzu! Gah, thanks to you, even the teachers call me that!"

Yuzu Tanikawa, a childhood friend of Kazuya's. They've been friends for as long as he could remember. Unfortunately, due to her name, Atsuro had this habit of calling her Yoohoo, and also Fru-fru, though where the last one came from, he had no idea.

"Hey, it's just a friendly nickname!" Atsuro said, grinning from ear to ear as he watched Yuzu fume.

Kazuya sighed, shaking his head as he patted Yuzu on the head. "Calm down." he said gently. The action caused Yuzu's face to go bright red, steam pouring out of her head. Atsuro chuckled, knowing full well the girl had a massive crush on him since middle school. "Anyway, where's Kirito and the others?"

"Herm, I dunno. They should be here..."

"Hey guys!" The new, yet familiar, male voice made them all turned to the source. Three figures were making their way towards the trio.

"Sorry we're late, we missed the train." Kirito apologized, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. He was wearing a simple long sleeved, black shirt, dark pants, and black sneakers. How he seemed to be so comfortable wearing black underneath the summer sun, no one had a clue.

"We would've been earlier if you hadn't slept in. I mean, even Sugu spent a good while trying to wake you up." Asuna reprimanded. She was wearing a simple short sleeved white blouse, red skirt, black knee socks and red shoes.

"I'm sorry..."

"It's nice to see you again AT-LOW, and you too, Akuma." Sugua smiled. She was wearing a red sports jacket over a black shirt and blue shorts. On her feet were white sneakers, in contrast to her cousin's.

"Heh, nice to see you guys!" Atsuro smiled. "Man, not much difference with Kazuto in real life and in games, huh?"

"Same could be said for Asuna." Suguha responded with a grin, causing laughs to erupt from the group.

Kazuto Kirigaya was a high school student, and a pro gamer. He was among the several 6 thousand people who were trapped inside the Death Game, Sword Art Online. Known in games as Kirito, he was a powerful swordsman, known as the Black Swordsman. His cousin was Suguha Kirigaya, another gamer like him, and also the star member of the kendo team. It was Atsuro that introduced her to ALfheim Online, a decision she did not regret. She was known in ALO as Leafa, a member of the Sylph race.

The girl was Asuna Yuuki, another survivor from the Death Game known as SAO. She was called Asuna the Lightning Flash, and the Vice-Commander of the Knights of the Blood Oath, a superb swordsman armed with a rapier. There was no one that could match her speed. She was also Kirito's girlfriend in real life, and his wife in games. They even had a virtual daughter named Yui!

"Nice to meet you guys." Yuzu greeted, meeting them for the first time, since she was not a member of their gamer circle.

"This is Yoohoo-OW!" Atsuro yelped when he found himself smacked outside the head, courtesy of one furious Yuzu.

"I said DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

"Wow, hot tempered much?" Kirito chuckled, recalling someone else in their group who was like that. "Well, nice to meet you. I'm Kazuto Kirigaya, just all me Kirito. This is my sister, Suguha, and my girlfriend, Asuna."

"Yo!" Sugu greeted with a grin, lifting her hand up.

"How do you do?" Asuna bowed her head.

"Once again, nice to meet you all." Yuzu smiled. "I'm Yuzu Tanikawa."

"Ow..." Atsuro groaned, rubbing the sore spot on the back of his head. "Dude, seriously, you ever tried out for the boxing club? You'd make a killing!"

"Shut it you!" Her expression shifted to one of anger towards Atsuro.

Seeing as the conversation was about to diverge, Kazuya decided he should be the one to get things back on track. "Hey guys...where's Naoya?"

"Huh...? Oh, that's right!" Yuzu remembered. "I ran into Naoya a moment ago, and he asked me to give these to Atsuro, you, Kirito, and his friends. He said that something's come up and he won't be able to make it."

"Aww, what's up with that? Naoya stood us up!" Atsuro complained, but remembered what she said. "Wais, what did he want to give us?"

"Yeah," Yuzu nodded as he dug around in her bag. "Here, take 'em! They were a pain to carry around anyway!"

What she produced was surprising to say the least. It was portable game consoles, which Kazuto and Kazuya recognized as Communication Players, dubbed COMPS. There was six in all, each with different colors. Silver, pink, blue, green, black, and yellow.

"Naoya gave you these?" Kazuya asked, surprised that he cousin would be handing them such devices.

"Yep. Aren't these those Communication Player things?"

"Yeah, that's right." Suguha agreed. "I've seen some of the commercials about them. "Play with people around the world!"."

"Oh? So you know about them, Yoohoo? Suguha? That's exactly what these are!" Atsuro sounded excited. "The name, "Communication Player" is a real mouthful, so people just call them COMPs..."

"They have email and a web browser, so they're more like cell phones than game systems." Kazuto continued as he examined the black COMP.

"Huh...Is that so?"

"But, I don' get it..." the capped boy said, frowning as he flipped open the COMP. "Why give us these? I mean, I've got one back at my own... Huh?" he stopped as his eyes widened. Instead of the usual screen, it had a black background, revealing dark red letters. "I've never seen a menu like this... Did Naoya homebrew this?"

"Huh, you mean..." Yuzu's eyes widened. "He made this himself?"

"Well, considering this is Naoya we're talking about, I'm not surprised." Kazuto remarked. "This would probably be cakewalk for someone like him."

Kazuya nodded in agreement, though he was confused as he opened his COMP. 'Why did Naoya give us these things...?' he wondered. It was not like his brother figure to send them game consoles, especially ones with some of his own programming. Plus, there had been that strange dream he had... The one with the voice...

"Hmm...I can't open this folder." Atsuro voiced, bringing Kazuya out of his thoughts. Kazuto tried to do the same.

"Yeah, you're right. Nothing's happening. Looks like its protected."

"Protected?" Yuzu asked quizzically. "You mean, it's set so that other people can't mess with it? We can't look inside then."

"I'm sure Atsuro and Kazuto can crack it." Kazuya said, having faith in his programming friends.

"Heh heh, that's right! Good thing I brought my laptop with me." Atsuro grinned.

"Ditto." Kirito brought out his own black laptop from the carrying case on his shoulder.

"Why did you even bring that?" Asuna asked.

"What?" her boyfriend frowned. "I wanted to ask Naoya about something I was stuck on, which involves a project of mine."

"W-wait, what are you guys doing?" Yuzu asked, alarmed.

"Heh he! What does it look like? Kirito and I are gonna hack this folder wide open!" Atsuro answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"You're hacking it? Wouldn't Naoya be angry if you did that?" Suguha asked worriedly.

"It's not a big deal." Kazuya answered her.

"Huuuuh? Are you sure about this?" Yuzu asked in turn.

"You don't get it Yoohoo! Naoya's our teacher." The hat wearing teen spoke. "If he took the time to call us up and give these to us..."

"...That means he wants us to break his protection scheme." Kazuto finished for him. "It's like a friendly greeting."

"Aaaand done!" Atsuro grinned. "There we go!"

Yuzu sighed, shaking her head. "I don't get you eggheads at all."

"Amen." Suguha nodded her head in agreement.

"Well, here you guys are." Atsuro and Kazuto handed them their respective COMPS before looking at theirs. "Guess only the mail function is available... Laplace Mail?" Kirito frowned. "Well, that's weird... W-what the hell?"

Upon Kazuto's exclamation, everyone else checked their mail, and saw the file that read Laplace Mail. The identity of the sender was The Observer. The following message was disturbing as it read:

Good Morning. Here's today's NEWS.

1) At around 16:00, a man will be killed in a Shibuya-ku Aoyama apartment. The wounds on the corpse are consistent with an attack by a large carnivorous beast.

2) A large explosion will occur in Minato-ku Aoyama at 19:00. The cause is Unknown.

3) At 21:00, a blackout will affect the entire Tokyo Metropolitan area.

Have a nice day.

"Is this... some kind of sick joke?" Suguha said, paling slightly from the first piece of news. "I mean, talking about something like that is..."

"At around 16:00 in Shibuyu-ku Aoyama, a man...will be killed!?" Yuzu couldn't believe the news either. "...He'll be attacked by some carnivorous beast...!? What kind og News is this? That's so creepy...!"

"Yeah...that is unsettling..." Kazuya agreed with his friends.

"I know Naoya isn't the type to make jokes..." Kazuto said, slightly shaken up. "But, I don't think even he'd do something like that."

"Yeah, I mean, it said that there would be a black out at 19:00. It says it's todays news...but none of this stuff has happened today." Atsuro added in, equally confused. "Why would Naoya put a lock on this...? Ooh, maybe it's code for something!"

"A code...?" Kazuto furrowed his brow, processing Atsuro's words and the message. "...Yeah, I think you could be right!"

"Ugh, whatever..." Yuzu sighed as she looked over at Suguha, Asuna, and Kazuya. "Hey, do you guys wanna go somewhere? I say we let them nerd out."

"Agreed." Suguha giggled, nodding. "Sure, why not?"

"Alright." Kazuya shrugged his shoulders, having nothing better to do.

Asuna, however, shook her head. "I'll stay and keep the boys company. You guys go on ahead."

"Okay, if you say so." The trio walked away, Yuzu in the lead, while Asuna remained with Kirito and Atsuro.

"...Aoyama...Aoyama...Hmm... Naoya's place is near there, but it that important?" Atsuro asked as he tried to decipher the Laplace Mail.

"Most likely. ANd it says the death takes place at 16:00, so it would be safe to assume that something happens at that time." Kazuto added.

"But still...what is up with saying that someone was killed?"

"What kind of person is Naoya, anyway?" Asuna asked, curious. "I've only heard a bit about him from Kirito and Leafa, but not much."

"Naoya is... how do I put this..." Kazuto frowned as he crossed his arms over his chest, trying to think of a way to describe his teacher. "He's very hard to read, and you can't really tell what he's thinking. He's pretty attached to Akuma though. In fact, it was because of Naoya that I met him in the first place."

"Huh, really?" the rapier-user said, astonished. "What does Naoya do for a living?"

"Computer software mostly." Atsuro answered. "He works part-time for software companies and even hand-crafted some of the programs and apps we use today. As a matter of fact, Naoya was the one who helped make ALfheim in the first place!"

"Whoa, seriously?!" Asuna shouted in shock, her eyes wide. "You're joking, right?!"

"No, he isn't." Kazuto chuckled. "When it comes to computers, Naoya's a genius. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if he found a way to make Yui appear here in real life!"

"Yui?" Atsuro asked, raising an eyebrow before a grin showed up. "Oh, right... She's in your game daughter, huh? Hah, man Kirito, you go quick. I didn't know you had lost your virtual cherry in SAO."

"Wha-huh?!" Kirito and Asuna's face went beat red at the computer nerd's words. "W-what are you talking about?!"

"Huh? You two said that Yui's your daughter back in ALO. Doesn't that mean that you guys did IT?" Atsuro asked befuddled.

"I-It's not like that. Asuna and I didn't do...THAT. Yui is our adoptive daughter in ALO." Kirito explained, still embarrassed by the scenario in his head.

"...Ohh...! Now I gotcha."

"S-sheesh..." Asuna sighed, her cheeks still tinged red. "I don't think I've ever felt that embarrassed until that one day when people asked if Yui really was our daughter."

"Yeah, no kidding..." Kirito chuckled nervously. "I wonder how the others are doing?"

XXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, with Kazuya and the others, they were currently touring a part of the city in Shinjuku, currently window-shopping for places to go. "Hey, what do you guys wanna do?" Yuzu asked the two as they walked. "Maybe some karaoke, or go to a movie?"

"We should probably stay somewhere where there's cell reception." Suguha advised before she noticed a group of people in orange robes. "Eh? Who are they?"

"I'm not sure..." Kazuya noticed that there was a man presumably in his forties, in the center of the group. He possessed purple hair and black eyes and wore the same uniform as the others. He was speaking to anyone who passed by. Next to him was a beautiful young woman with short purple hair and a feather decoration on her head. She stood next to the man. "Do you guys want to check it out?" He asked the two girls.

"I dunno..." Yuzu admitted, looking a bit nervous. "They seem kind of..."

"..and lo, the smiting from the Tower of Babel returns!" Kazuya's eyes widened slightly, something in his brain recognizing the name Babel somewhere.

"Wait, I think I've seen those guys before..." Suguha frowned. "I remember reading about them online. They're called the Shomonkai, I think."

"The Shomonkai...?" Yuzu asked quizically.

"Yeah. Apparently, they are a group that preaches that Humanity must stand together, take fate into their own hands, and survive God's Ordeal, or whatever that is." Suguha elaborated. "Personally, I think they are rather...eccentric."

"Huh..." Kazuya remarked as he looked back at the group, his eyes focused on the girl next to the man. There was something strange about her, something he couldn't quite put his finger on. It was a strange feeling, one he couldn't quite put into words. If he could, he would probably relate it to the same as the dream he had.

"Well, let's get going." Suguha said. "Wanna hit the arcade?"

"Hah, I see someone is a game freak!" Yuzu couldn't help but giggle, causing the girl to puff her cheeks.

"What? I like games... sort of."

"Well, anyway, it sounds like a good idea. Atsuro and Kazuto probably need more time before they could fully decipher the coding." Kazuya agreed with Suguha's idea.

"Wait, speaking of that...what time is it now?" Yuzu asked, remembering what was on the Laplace Mail.

"It's 16:30." Kazuya answered her.

"16:30, ugh...I was just thinking about that email in the COMP..." Yuzu groaned. "You know, the one about someone being attacked by a Carnivorous beast?"

"Hey, I'm sure it was just a prank Naoya made up." Suguha tried to assure her. "Besides, carnivorous beast? That's the sort of thing you'd find in a zoo, you know! Like a tiger or a bear!"

"Yeah, you might be right..." Yuzu nodded, but she was unable to shake off that feeling of uncertainty. As if calling her out on it, several police cars went shooting by, their red and blue lights lighting up like a Christmas tree. "Huh? What's going on?"

"Did something happen?" the Sylph player wondered before she noticed what direction the cars were heading. "Wait... isn't that towards Aoyama?"

"Ah...Ahaha! There's no way it could be true, right?" Yuzu tried to laugh it off in denial.

"Y-Yeah! That's right." Suguha tried to believe the same, but this feeling of foreboding echoed at the back of her mind.

"Hey...Naoya's apartment is in Aoyama, right? Shouldn't we...go check it out?"

"Let's go then." Kazuya nodded.

With that, they hurried over to Aoyama.

XXXXXXXXXX

Back over with the others, Kirito took a break from coding and looked up at the sky, his hands behind his head. 'Man, to think it's been so long since we've cleared SAO. It almost seems like a dream...' he thought, a chuckle escaping him. He hadn't recalled that world in a long time, not since when he hung out with his friends. He had all sorts of adventures there, some harsh and cruel, and others more light hearted.

Of course, there was always one adventure he could never quite forget. An adventure that led him to meet two special people. "You're thinking about that Hollow Area thing, aren't you, Kirito?"

Kirito broke out of his thoughts and turned to Asuna, who had a knowing look on her face.

"Heh, nothing gets past you, does it?" He chuckled.

"It was written all over your face." Asuna giggled. "It's almost hard to believe though, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I agree." Kirito nodded. "We went through so much back in Aicrad, but the sad part is, Sinon only got half of the treatment! Man, it was so unfair!"

"There's that, and she had a unique skill, just like your Dual Wielding." Asuna pointed out, much to Kirito's chagrin.

"Wait, Sinon?" Atsuro asked, raising an eyebrow. "Do you mean Hecate from Gun Gale?"

"Yep! That's her." Kirito nodded. Hecate was Sinon's, or Shino's, alias in GGO as she uses a Hecate Sniper Rifle. She is the best sharpshooter that Kirito and Asuna know.

"Wow! You guys know some pretty amazing people!" Atsuro laughed.

"Yeah, that, and she's a crack shot." Kirito chuckled. "You should have seen her back in SAO. She never missed her target. "Seriously?! Man, now I really want to meet her!" Atsuro smiled. "I've got to see that for myself, too."

Kirito and Asuna could only laugh at their friend's remark. AT-LOW was the same as ever. It was almost hard to forget how exactly the two had met.

XXXXXXXXXX

In Aoyama, Kazuya had a hard time keeping his composure. The cops were everywhere, scouring the entire area, and yellow caution tape was already set up. "Oh man, did something happen?" Yuzu asked, worried while Suguha was starting to go pale. "D-don't tell me that what was written in the Laplace Mail was...?"

"True?" a familiar, smooth yet cold voice said from behind them, amused. "That all depends on how you interpret truth."

"The three turned around to some face to face with a young man with silver hair and red eyes dressed in a green and black yukata, bluish-gray shirt and pants, and wooden sandals. However, they already recognized who it was.

"Naoya...?!" Yuzu blurted out.

"I'm surprised to see you, Kazuya. What are you doing here?" he asked.

"...I'm glad you're safe." The headphones wearing teen gave a sigh of relief.

"Safe?...Oh, you mean the incident in the building." Naoya realized, but didn't seem affected by the past event.

"Well, of course that was what we meant!" Suguha cried out in disbelief, but was also relieved to see him safe. "Seriously, that email you sent made us all jittery! Seriously, not a cool joke!"

"Yeah, seriously!" Yuzu nodded in agreement. "Well... I'm glad you're okay too. But, what happened?"

"I don't know all the details, but apparently the attendant next door to me was killed." Naoya said, not in the least bit affected by his own words, and showed no signs of horror or mortification. "The officers say that they found him eaten alive."

"...How can you be so calm about that?!" Suguha cried out. Really, how was Naoya so composed at a time like this?

"By the way..." Naoya changed the subject. "How is Kazuto these days?"

Suguha blinked, wondering how he could just casually dismiss something such as someone being killed so easily before answering. "...He's doing well, a nerd as ever. He said he wanted your help with something regarding Yui."

"Ah, his daughter." he smiled a bit as he dug around in his pocket before he produced what looked like a black chip. "The program software's in here. Just tell him to insert it into the COMP. He will be rather pleased."

"Oookaaay...?" Suguha was confused, but took in nonetheless. "A-anyway, are you serious? Someone was killed... and eaten?"

"Don't tell me what that COMP said was true...!" Yuzu paled. "W-what does that mean?!"

Kazuya pondered that. Normally, the correct thing to think would be that it was the murderer who sent it, a warning. However, there were also other facts to consider, the first being the sender, and the second being the other articles listed in the email. That left a second conclusion. "It's telling the future?"

Naoya cracked a large grin as he laughed. "An interesting theory... But not entirely false. Normally, one would think the one who sent the email carried out the murder. You're worthy of being my cousin after all."

"I understand why the three of you came here, Kazuya. But our meeting here is an accident. We shouldn't be talking like this." His expression became one of forewarning. Hurry and find Atsuro and Kazuto immediately. It's going to begin soon..." As he said those words, Kazuya felt a sense of foreboding, as if something really will happen. And whatever it is...it can't be good.

"Be...gin...? What are you talking about?!" Suguha demanded.

"..." Naoya looked away. He no longer had the intention of answering any more questions. "There isn't much time left. Listen carefully to me, all of no turn away from what is about to happen now. Do not be afraid to stand up against it. That is when the door of truth will open...Overcome your fate." As he finished, he walked away from the trio.

"Oh...! W-wait a second!" Yuzu tried calling out, but it was too late. Naoya was already gone.

"What the heck was that about...?" Suguha muttered before Kazuya's cell phone went off. The blue haired teen removed the item from his pocket and flipped it open. The caller ID showed Atsuro.

"Atsuro?" Kazuya asked once he opened up the cell.

"Yo!" the computer whiz greeted. "Me and Kirito figured out how to crack the COMPS! Meet us in front of the Electronics Museum!"

With that, the call ended. "Was that Atsuro?" Yuzu asked, to which Kazuya nodded. "What did he say?"

"He said to meet him and Kazuto in front of the electronics museum."

"Well let's go then. If we leave now, we can make it to them before 17:30." They nodded to Suguha's proposal and left the residence. However, their minds were still heavy from what Naoya told them.

'Just what did Naoya mean by that...?' Kazuya wondered. 'And... Why did he... look so sad?'

When the arrived, they found Kazuto and Asuna hanging by the front of the Electronics museum, though Atsuro was nowhere to be seen. "Yo guys." Kirito greeted them. "Took you long enough."

"Sorry, Big Brother." Suguha apologized, rubbing the back of her head before noticing that Atsuro was missing. "Huh? Where's AT-LOW?"

"He'll be back soon, something about double-checking software." Asuna giggled before noticing the heavy looks on their faces. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"...We went to Aoyama." Kazuya informed them. "There was a murder."

"Wha-?! Seriously?!" Kirito asked in alarm. Asuna equally disturbed. The news from the email came true? Was it a precursor to the future?

"Yeah. An attendant was eaten alive. The police deemed it to be a carnivorous animal responsible." Kazuya answered.

"R-really?" Asuna asked, almost fearfully. "Then, d-does that mean that Laplace Mail is...?!"

"Heeey, guys!"

They all turned to see Atsuro running towards them, a happy grin on his face. "Yo, what took you guys so long? How far away did you guys go when you were killing time?" He asked Kazuya, Yuzu, and Suguha.

"We went to Naoya's place." His azure haired friend answered.

"Huh? You guys went to see Naoya?"

The group informed him of what had transpired when they arrived at Aoyama, and like Kazuto and Asuna, Atsuro's face became disturbed.

"Damn... seriously?"

Suguha nodded. "Yeah... it was totally freaky." she said before she recalled what Naoya had told her to give to Kazuya. "Oh yeah. Big Brother, here."

"Eh?" Kirito took the small chip from her, examining it before looking at his cousin. "What's this?"

"The thing you asked Naoya for help on." she told him. "he said you had to put it into the COMP or whatever."

"Seriously?! That's great!" Kirito made no hesitation in taking it. Just as he was about to input it, Atsuro stopped him.

"Whoa there, buddy. I don't know what you're so excited about, but shouldn't we unlock the encryption first?" He asked. Even though he was curious about what Kirito seemed eager for, they had matters first.

"Oh, right, sorry."

"So, how exactly do you unlock these things?" Yuzu asked curiously.

Atsuro grinned. "Well, before that, gimme your COMPS for a second." Suguha raised an eyebrow, but they relinquished their COMPS to the whiz kid.

"I'm still not convinced. So tell us what you found out, Atsuro, Kazuto." Yuzu urged them.

"Yeah, well...I was completely fooled. I think Naoya knew we'd try to get inside one ourselves." Atsuro started.

"It seems these six COMPs are always monitoring each other, so we couldn't crack one, or even our three, without the others."Kazuto continued.

"Yeah. See, a COMP has this always on wireless feature that allows it to exchange data with-" Atsuro continued with his own explanation, using terminology that wouldn't make much sense to a normal person.

"Ugh, stop...!" Yuzu groaned, holding her head. Her eyes were swirls, and steam was pouring out of her head. "My head is spinning!"

"What he's trying to say is," Kirito took over the explanation. "the COMPS are linked together. If you want to crack them, you have to have them all online at the same time, otherwise it won't work."

"Don't worry about it, Yuzu." Asuna smiled. "I didn't really get it either when Atsuro told me."

"Well, can you crack them now?" Kazuya asked curiously. Kirito grinned and nodded alongside Atsuro. "Yep! Alright, I'm turning them on now!"

As they waited for the two to unlock the COMPS, Kazuya noticed that there were not as many people around unlike earlier, but what really caught his interest was...

'Naoya?'

Kazuya wasn't sure if it was real or his eyes were playing tricks on him, but he could've sworn he saw a figure that greatly resembled his cousin, wearing the exact same attire. His face held no expression, but gave off a cold feeling...

"Okay, done! I'm restarting the COMPs!"

Kazuya was snapped out of his thoughts, and looked back at the COMPS, which were all lined up, their screens open.

Why did he have such a bad feeling about this?

The screens glowed to life, the logo: Communication Player, lighting up in red lettering. A menu with various files popped up before the screen fell black again, more words appearing soon after.

Decryption confirmed.

Booting Program.

Pieces of data quickly appeared in the screen before streaming upward.

...Condition Green

DEMON SUMMONING PROGRAM ready to boot.

Booting DEMON SUMMONING PROGRAM.

As the last line of words appeared, the screen fell black. Then one last stream of data flowed before a message was typed across the screen.

Peaceful Days died...

...

Let's Survive.

As soon as those words appeared, all of the screens became encased in light, causing the group to shield their eyes.

"W-what's going on?!"

Once the light died down, six spheres of black and red energy materialized before imploding. In there places were inky black portals. From those rips of the dimension, six beings stepped out.

They were anything but human.

What stood before Kazuya could only be described as an anthropomorphic wolf with human hands. Its fur was a dirty brown, its eyes blank and crazed, just like a hungry beast. The only clothing it wore was a green loincloth, golden greaves, and golden torso armor. In its hands was a metal club. As it looked to the headphone wearing teen, it licked its lips like a predator with its prey in sight.

The other two monsters were smaller. In front of Atsuro was what appeared to be a tabby cat wearing a blue dome hat and in front of Yuzu was a tiny feminine humanoid with insect wings. She was wearing a blue body suit and had short red hair.

The other three monsters were before Kazuto, Asuna, and Suguha.

The first creature had a long blue tongue hanging down from its mouth, its eyes focused on him with killing intent. It had no legs or arms, just to claws in place for the upper torso's limbs, and its lower body was attached to the ground. The second was a girl with a mischevious glint in her eyes, having black hair and wearing a rather revealing suit, a white jacket that exposed a fair portion of her cleavage, and short shorts, complete with boots. Bat-like wings spread out from behind her back and a tail with a diamond tip flicking around happily. The last looked like some kind of monkey with large hands and dark hair tied into a braided ponytail, bearing sharp pointy fangs as teeth.

"Sheesh, finally out..." the first creature sighed. "Cramped spaces aren't good for an old man like me."

"You're always complaining about stuff like that." The second creature rolled her eyes.

"Well I'm not young like you guys." The first argued back.

"Hey! Hey! Less talking! Aren't those humans?!" The monkey? creature pointed out.

"W-what the hell are these things?!" Atsuro cried out in shock as he stumbled back, his eyes wide. Kazuto could hardly believe what he was seeing himself. These things... they looked like the kind of things you'd see in a video game... so why... why were things like this in the real world?!

"W-what... are you..."

"Is this...The human world?" The fairy creature questioned. Then she looked to the six teens. "Then these humans must be the ones who summoned us."

"Then we shall fight!" The wolf creature snarled. Fight and We shall grasp our freedom!"

"Let's go then? The biat-winged girl cheered.

"Yahoo!" The orange creature agreed.

"F-Fight...?!" Yuzu stammered. Were they going to to fight against these things?!

"Whoa, shit!" Kazuto cried in shock as he fell flat on his rear as the creature dashed at him and swiping his claws, barely missing his scalp. 'Damn he's fast!'

"N-no, don't come any closer!" Yuzu cried as the fairy thing went straight for her. "Help! Kazuya! Atsuro!"

"Yuzu!" Atsuro cried in worry as he rolled away from the fur ball that tried to knock his head off. "Dammit, we're coming!"

"Che!" Kazuya scowled as he ducked underneath the wolf creature's attack before slamming his head straight into its jaw. "Guys, we've gotta fight!"

"Fight?! Are you serious?!" Suguha cried as she ducked behind a mailbox to shield herself from the orange creature.

"Is that even possible?!" Asuna ducked underneath the bat-winged girl's kick before jumping back.

Kazuya said nothing as he punched the wolf creature straight across the face. It staggered back a bit before wiping its maw. "GRAAR! YOU ARE STRONG!" Its face then broke out into a feral grin. "This...THIS IS FUN! LET'S FIGHT MORE!"

Atsuro saw Kazuya's action, and was surprised that his punch was effective. "It...It worked! Our attacks work on these guys!"

Kirito grinned as he followed Kazuya's example, and slammed his knee straight into what he believed to be the old creature's stomach. "Gurk!"

"Nice shot!" Asuna praised before she moved to the side and elbowed the bat-winged girl in the stomach, following up with a quick foot strike to the face.

"Kyah! That's hurt!" The girl shrieked.

"It's only fair. You attacked first." Asuna huffed.

Suguha moved out of her hiding place and smacked the orange creature into the lamp post next to her.

"YEOWCH!" the monkey cried out, rubbing its red face. "That hurt... You're seriously mean, lady!"

Atsuro evaded another strike from the cat creature, and swung his leg back as far as he could before slamming it straight into it's small form, shooting it away like a soccerball. To his luck, it hit the fairy being that was attacking Yuzu, slamming into a building. "Heh, goal!"

"Nice shot there, Atsuro!" Kazuya cheered before he jumped back from the metal club striking the ground.

The fairy pushed the cat creature out of her way, and she was not amused. "Damn you! Who the hell does that to a lady?! You're dead!" She screeched. Although, with her high pitched voice, the threat did not carry as much weight as it would have.

And it was a shame she didn't notice Yuzu's foot colliding with her small body. "That's for earlier!" she declared, pushing her back into the wall.

"heh, not bad sonny!" the old creature chuckled as he evaded Kirito's attacks before moving in, forcing the former SAO gamer to dodge. 'Crap, I can't land a hit on this guy!'

His thoughts were interrupted as the monster reappeared before he could react and smacked him away. He lost his momentum and fell backwards.

"Kirito!/Big Brother!" everyone cried in alarm. They all saw Kiritos body lay sprawled on the concrete ground.

"Sorry kid." the creature apologized before swooping in for the kill. However, at the very last second, Kirito sprung into action, a feral grin on his face as he grabbed the creature by its head, and wrapped his legs around its head. "GOTCHA!"

"Gruh! Hey, you tricked me!" The creature choked.

In response, Kirito flipped over and slammed its face into the ground, driving it even further with an elbow smash to the back of the head. "No I didn't, it's called playing possum, a strategy!"

"And THIS!" Kirito announced as he grabbed it by the skull, and reared his arm back. "IS GAME OVER!"

With a quick toss of the fist, the creature was sent flying, it's body skidding across the ground before it's head became limp. "Heh, one down!" Kazuto grinned, giving Kazuya a thumbs up as he was finishing up on his end as well, grabbing the steel pipe the wolf-creature was using before pulling it toward him, grabbing the thing by the fur atop it's head, and ramming his knee into it's face. It relinquished it's hold on the club, crying out in pain.

It didn't even see the club swinging at it's head before it was too late.

CLANG...!

The disturbing noise of metal impacting with bone resonated throughout the area. The wolf creature froze for a moment. Then two. Then three. Then it finally fell forward on its knees and it's body became limp.

"That's two down..." He gave Atsuro a thumbs up of his own.

"Make that three!" Suguha cheered as she delivered a heavy strike with her leg, swinging it down upon the unfortunate monkey. It seemingly squished down into the ground before popping back up, it's eyes like swirls as it swayed before falling to the ground.

"Four!" Yuzu slammed both her hands together on the tiny blue creature, squashing her between her palms. As she let go, the fairy was in a dazed and beaten state. She swayed as she spiraled down onto the ground, her wings bent out of shape. "Ha...ha...I did it..." Yuzu breathed in relief.

"AND FIVE!" Atsuro screamed at the top of his lungs as he, quite literally, grabbed the annoying furball into a headlock and then slammed it straight inside of a trash can. It was tossed on it's side, rolling away with a rather dazed and confused demonic cat. Atsuro was panting as he fell to the ground. "Whoo boy..."

"Make it six!" Asuna lashed out a quick strike to the bat-wing girl's face before using her momentum for a back kick, knocking her aside. As the girl landed on her feet, Asuna dropped down for a sweep kick and jumped, ramming her knee into the girl's chin.

"I guess..." Kazuto said, looking around at the defeated beings. "That's all of them, right?"

Before relief could settle in, however, the creatures stood back up, still battered and bruised. "Oh, come on!" Atsuro complained as he got ready for a fight along with the others. However...

"Man, didn't know humans were this tough..." the snake-like creature said, looking at Kazuto's form up and down before it cracked a grin. "Make good use of me, alright kid?"

"Eh?" Kirito blinked before the creature vanished into a burst of blue light. "W-what in the?!" he cried in shock as it disappeared, dispersing into the COMP.

"Well, cute and feisty..." the bat-winged girl giggled as she flew around Asuna, looking at her figure. "And not bad with the chest department either..." Asuna unconsciously took a step back, but the girl suddenly pulled Asuna into a hug and gave her a peck on the check. "Let's have some fun next time, okay sweetie?"

Before Asuna could even retort, the girl, too, vanished in a burst of blue light and disappeared into her COMP. "...Eh...EH?!" Asuna wasn't sure what to react about now. That the girl was seemingly undressing her with her eyes, or that she was kissed by her, or that she now vanished into her COMP.

The other creatures followed as well. "Try not to kick me so much next time you all me out, okay?" the cat asked with a grin as it vanished. The pixie puffed out her cheeks as she stuck her tongue out at Yuzu. "Don't misuse me!" she demanded as she and the cat disappeared into the COMPS. The monkey gave Suguha a thumbs up. "Let's do our best, partner!

Finally, the wolf monster stood tall in front of Kazuya. "...ME LOST...IF ME DEFEATED BY ONE WHO SUMMONS ME, BECOME MASTER. ME KOBOLD, DEMON OF WAR. TO MEET YOU, NICE! ME PROUD, TO HAVE STRONG MASTER." The Kobold spoke with a wide grin towards the azure haired teen. He then disappeared into his COMP.

"Uh..." Atsuro sweat-dropped, unsure how to process what just happened. "What... the hell... was that?"

"You got me." Kirito scratched his head in confusion. "I'm just as lost as you guys."

"Well..." Kazuya said as he looked at everyone, all of them more or less bruised, beaten, exhausted, and tired. He stopped when he noticed something, something that suddenly brought a message from the dream he had into his head:

"Fear the Numbers your eyes shall see"

Above everyone's head, including his own... was the number 1.

"What the hell?" Kirito exclaimed in shock, seeing the numbers as well.

"You can see them too?" Kazuya asked.

"Yeah but, what are they?" Kirito was feeling a type of vibe from seeing the numbers before his eyes. It was anything but good.

"W-what in the world just happened?" Yuzu asked, still confused and frightened by what happened before looking at the ones that, to an extent, were responsible. "Atsuro, Kazuto, what did you two do?!"

"Hey, don't look at us!" Atsuro snapped back, equally as shaken up. "The program activated all by itself!"

"All we did was break the encryption, everything else happened on its own." Kirito defended. Where one would be disturbed by what just happened, Kirito's reaction was one more of confusion.

"Then...the COMP is what made this happen just now? That doesn't make any sense! That's impossible!" Yuzu cried. SHe was the most shaken out of all of them. "Let's go to the police! We can't hold onto something this dangerous!"

"Wait, hold on!" Asuna said, stopping her. "I think it's better if we check it out more."

"Check it out?!" the frightened girl replied, staring at the woman as if she were insane. "What is there to check out?!"

"Yuzu, I understand that these things, or whatever came out of them are dangerous, but listen to yourself! Do you seriously think the police will believe us? There's no way they'll believe what happened. Besides, Naoya was the one who made these, right?" she asked, looking at her boyfriend/husband and Atsuro. "Then maybe he left behind some answers."

"You know, you may be on the right track there, Asuna." Atsuro nodded in realization. "Just give a bit of time to figure things out." He took out his laptop and connected his own COMP to it. Kirito did the same, thinking that with two people they would find answers much faster.

After a few minutes of examining files, both teens found the answers to their questions. "Ah...I get it. So that's why..." The white hat wearing teen whispered to himself.

"What, did you figure something out?" Yuzu asked.

"Well, I have to say, whatever the hell this is, the program is apptly fitting." Kirito said morbidly. "The reason those things appeared was because of this thing called the Demon Summoning Program."

"Demon...? You mean, those beings from books, myths, and legends?" Asuna asked.

"That's right." Kirito nodded. "Although, I have absolutely no clue how a computer can summon them."

"Well, they showed up. So now we know it's possible." Kazuya pitched in his two cents.

"Yeah...we really saw them, so we have to believe what happened..." Atsuro agreed. "Anyway, the other function I found in this COMP is named the "Harmonizer".

"Harmonizer...?" Kazuya frowned. "So, it... harmonizes?"

"Basically, yeah." Kirito nodded. "It can put the strength of demons and the strength of humans on the same wavelength. Demon attacks are weakened, while ours are stronger."

"It's similar to the summoning program, and we have no idea what principle are behind it." Atsuro admitted.

"Hah...I'm totally lost...I don't get any of this! What is Naoya trying to do?!" Yuzu demanded. "Summoning demons, protecting us from them...what does he want us to do!?"

"Maybe...we fight demons?" Kazuya offered.

"What for though?" Asuna asked. "Considering this is Naoya we're talking about, I doubt he'll just tell us."

"She has a point, Kirito." Atsuro said before he recalled something. "Oh yeah, I noticed something weird about your COMP. It has some weird program software, but..."

"Weird program software...?" Kirito asked quizically as he examined his black COMP. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, that it has a software feature that isn't found on our COMPs. Only yours. Maybe Naoya added something to it?"

It was then that Kirito recalled the chip that Naoya told Suguha to give him. "Maybe it has something to do with this?" he asked, pulling out the chip in question and handing it to Atsuro. "He said to put it inside, right?"

Atsuro nodded and immediately went to work. It only took a few seconds, but soon enough, another booting program screen appeared.

What it had shocked Kirito down to his very core.

"Uploading MAG-Version 00.1 Mental Health Program... YUI?!"

"Y-Yui?!" Asuna rushed over to Kirito's side, looking over his shoulder to examine the screen. Sure enough, one of the words that stuck out was Yui.

"Yui-chan?" Suguha asked in shock. She too, rushed over to her cousin's side.

Uh... who's Yui?" Yuzu asked, completely confused as she looked over at Kazuya, who explained it to her. "Yui is Kirito and Asuna's daughter in ALO."

...

...huh?

"Uh, Kazuya... did you just say this Yui thing is their daughter?"

"Yes, I did. According to Kirito, she was an AI Mental Health program back in SAO." he told her before moving to his friends' sides. "But... why would this be here?"

As if to answer his question, once the program stated it was done booting, a bright light embraced the screen, forcing them to shield their eyes. "Aw, not again!" Suguha cried as they all got ready for a fight.

However...

Instead of a demon that appeared before them, it was a young girl. She appeared to be around eight or nine years old. Her raven black hair was long, falling down to her hips. Her eyes were closed, as if she were sleeping peacefully. She was wearing a white, one-piece dress and was barefoot.

In a mere few moments, the girl opened her eyes, revealing them to be black, like Kirito's. They scanned the unfamiliar setting she was in. She then turned to the two people that were most important to her.

"Papa...Mama...?"

With the exception of the SAO survivors and Suguha, the other three just stared at the girl blankly.

"Um... did she just..."

"I think she did..."

"Then, she's...?"

"Y-Yui?" Kirito choked, unable to believe his eyes, frozen in place until Asuna ran past him and practically squeezed the girl in her arms. "YUI!"

"B-but how is that possible?!" Suguha cried in shock. Kirito wasn't sure how to respond, and while despite his questions for Naoya, he couldn't help but want to hug the man.

Yui was here in the real world!

He stopped restraining himself and joined in with Asuna hug Yui. This was like a dream come true!

"Papa! Mama!" The girl smiled happily as she hugged her 'parents' back. SHe never would've thought she would appear in the real world. But all rationale disappeared once she realized she would be with her mama and papa!

"I can't believe it..." Kirito said, crying tears of joy. "This is... like a dream come true. Ha-haha! Naoya, you are the MAN!"

"But... how in the world is that possible?" Atsuro gaped, absolutely dumbfounded. "Turning Data into an actual person... that just isn't..."

"I would't think too much about it, Atsuro." Kazuya told him, smiling alongside Yuzu at the sight. "Just let them enjoy the moment."

Atsuro turned to see what his friend was talking about, and soon couldn't help but agree. Just seeing Kirito, Asuna, and Yui together like this, hugging one another and smiling together, they truly are a family.

"Yui..." Asuna sniffed, as she wiped away her tears. "H-how in the world are you here...?"

"I... I don't know, Mama..." Yui shook her head once they parted. "It's very weird... I was back in ALO waiting for you, but then my head started to hurt. I thought I could hear Big Sis Strea."

Kirito froze.

Strea. The name of the girl that Kirito had met on floor 76th, after the glitch in the system prevented everyone from setting foot on the floor from returning to the lower levels. She had first been following Kirito, deeming him interesting. It wasn't long until she got to know all of his other friends, and before they realized, Strea had become part of their group. She was a reliable ally that fought side by side with them as they progressed through the levels. However, when they neared the end of the game, the shocking truth of the girl was revealed.

She was not human, but a Mental Counseling AI Program like Yui.

The last time he had seen Strea was after he had cleared the game and defeated her when her program had gone berserk. Yui said that her data was now apart of her, but to know that she might still be alive...

"So, you don't remember how you got here?" Suguha asked. Yui nodded. "Huh... I wonder how Naoya did it?"

"Maybe he has answers." Atsuro said. "You guys said he was at his apartment, right? Let's go check."

"Yeah." Kirito nodded before he noticed the confused look on Yui's face, staring at the group. "Oh, right... this is her first time meeting you guys. So, guess we better star the introductions." he chuckled as he looked over at Kazuya. "This is Kazuya Minegishi."

"Akuma, at your service" Kazuya said. "Nice to see you, Yui-san."

"Likewise!" Yui chirped happily.

Kirito them looked over to Atsuro. "And this is Atsuro Kihara."

"You may also know me as AT-LOW." Atsuro smiled. "It's been a while, Yui." He then gestured to the girl in pink next to him.

"And this is your first time meeting her, but this is Yoohoo-Gruh!" Atsuro stopped as Yuzu whacked him on the head.

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!" SHe yelled at him. "My name is Yuzu! Don't introduce me like that!"

Yui couldn't help but giggle at the sight. "They fight just like Mama and Papa." she said before looking at her 'parents'. "Are they married to?"

Kazuya couldn't suppress the large grin on his face. "WHAT?!" Atsuro and Yuzu cried out in unison. "HELL NO!"

"Hey! Language, guys!" Suguha yelled back as she covered Yui's ears. She wouldn't let the little girl, who she had grown close to throughout her time of knowing her ever since back in SAO, be corrupted by foul tongue.

"She does raise a good point." Kazuya remarked, looking at the two. "You two do bicker like a married couple."

"Oh, come on" Atsuro groaned. "Not you too, Akuma!"

"Can we please get back on track?" Asuna sighed, shaking her head. "We need to go see Naoya and ask him if he knows about how he brought Yui here and about that demon summoning thing."

"Oh right..." Kazuya then realized something. "...But...what if he isn't there? Last we saw of him, he just walked away from us." He didn't bring up the fact of who he saw earlier, as he still had no idea if it was really Naoya or not.

"Well, we won't know unless we go." Atsuro said. Kirito nodded at the logic, and the group went on their way to Aoyama. On the way, Yui, having never experienced the real world before, began asking question after question after question, all of which her 'father' was more than happy to answer.

XXXXXXXXXX

The seven traveled to Aoyama, however, they were greeted with the police still stationed in front of the apartment building. Hazard tape was spread across the entryway, and a patrol man was on the look out.

"Man...We'll never get near Naoya's room like this..." Atsuro sighed.

"I guess we were lucky to see him." Kazuya said sadly, hoping to see his cousin again before he noticed his mailbox. It was stuffed with newspapers, meaning it had been a long time since he last came to his apartment.

"If that mailbox means anything, I'd say you're right." Suguha nodded. "Drat, and here I thought we had a lead."

"Ano, Papa..." Yui said, wanting to grab her 'father's attention.

"What is it, Yui?" Kirito asked.

"It looks like you and everyone else has a message notification." she informed him, much to his surprise.'

"Eh?" Asuna said, shocked. "You're still connected to ALO, Yui?"

"No, it's more like... I'm connected to Papa's Communication Player."

"Well, what does the message say?" Suguha asked, curious.

"The message is as follows: "Congratulations! You are all qualified to become Demon Tamers!"

"D-Demon Tamers?!" Everyone whipped out their COMPs to read the received email.

From: Naoya
Subject: Congratulations

It seems you've used the COMP. Well done. I figured that the general confusion would be dying down by now.

I gave you six the COMPs because you need the power of the demons. If you want to survive, you'll have to learn how to use them. I don't have much time right now. Head to Aoyama Cemetery. You'll meet a person who will influence your future actions.

Oh, and Kazuto and Asuna, hope you enjoyed my surprise for you.

'Damn right we enjoyed it' Kirito thought briefly before he wondered why Naoya would create such a program. "Be nice if he told us about this earlier..." he grumbled before closing his COMP and looking at Yui. "Hey, Yui, is there anything you can tell us about this Demon Summoning Program?"

Yui nodded. "I don't know much about the program itself, but it seems that it derives from the user's thoughts and desires. The stronger their thoughts, the more powerful the demon that appears. Each demon is separated into races or clans, each with a unique ability. However, a Demon Tamer can only contract to the demon they defeated that originated from the COMP. You can't contract a stray demon. Also, demons grow stronger by consuming Magnetite, a material source found inside of demons."

"A material source...? You mean we have to defeat more demons for our demons to become stronger?" Kazuya asked.

"It's almost like a video game. Defeat an enemy, gain experience, get stronger." Kazuto voiced his thoughts.

"But what happens to the demon we have if they get defeated?" Suguha asked.

"The demons that you've been contracted to that are defeated will return to the COMP." Yui stated. "Also, demons have access to abilities called skills. They can only have seven skills, three to use both outside and inside of battle, three passive skills to provide benefits, and a racial skill, the unique ability each member of a race possesses. For example, Papa's demon, Waira of the Wilder race, can increase both his and Papa's movement speed. It's also possible for Demon Tamers to use skills as well, but they don't have access to Racial Skills. Instead, they have support skills."

"Huh, that makes sense..." Kirito said aloud. "Anything else?"

Yui nodded. "To assign skills, just access one of the folders in the COMP's home menu. However, only the leader can assign skills, the ones in question being Papa and Akuma."

"What skills are available to us?" Kazuya asked curiously. It was important to know what you were working with.

"The skills available are Agi, a fire spell, Bufu, an ice spell, Zan, a force spell, Zio, a lightning spell, Dia, a healing spell, and Multi-Hit, a physical attack. You can access more skills later on, but that requires the Demon Tamers to acquire magnetite to strengthen their own bodies, not just demons. In a way, Papa's analogy about it being like a video game is accurate. Right now, all of you would be at Level 2, from having defeated your demons and contracting them."

"Level two huh?" Kazuya looked at his COMP. "...We still have a ways to go before we're strong enough for whatever Naoya foresaw for us to need these."

"That I agree." Kirito spoke. "But to give us the Demon Summoning Program, just what is he thinking? What does he know?"

"I say add that to the list of things to ask him." Asuna said. "Why don't we look around? There might be some clues."

The group nodded, and began scouring the area. They searched anyplace that the police hadn't quarantined off, but unfortunately, there was not many places for them to search. Eventually, there was only one place left.

Both Asuna and Yuzu were against it. "I-isn't there... someplace else we can check?" Asuna asked, glancing over at Aoyama Cemetery.

"I'm sorry Asuna. But we already looked everywhere in Aoyama. This is the only place left." Kirito answered as he held Yui by her hand. The young girl, in contrast to the two eldest females in the group, was not the slightest bit frightened. In fact, she was curious and eager to see what a cemetery looked like.

"But still...who would be in a place like this?" Atsuro asked.

"Don't tell me it's a ghost...I feel like there's something out there...all those graves!" Yuzu shuddered.

"Is it just me...or does it feel slightly cooler all of a sudden?" Kazuya brought up.

"You know..." Atsuro realized, looking around. "Now that you mention it..."

Just then, the ground shook a loud resounding BOOM echoing loudly into the distance. "W-what the heck?!" Kirito shouted, having nearly lost his balance. "An explosion?!"

"Crap! I remember now! It was in that email!" Atsuro shouted out in alarm. Everyone then remembered what he was talking about.

An explosion in Aoyama cemetery around 19:00.

"It sounded like...it came from the other side of the forest..." Yuzu spoke hesitantly, disbelieving what just happened.

"It's just like what the email said." Kirito said.

"Guys look!" Suguha pointed toward the forest. "Something's coming!"

Though they weren't able to see it, Kirito felt the familiar killing intent he had grown used to sensing for the last few years of his life, glaring at whatever was going to appear. He also did not miss Yui squeezing his hand. "Yui?"

"There's a demon coming..." she told him, narrowing her eyes at whatever was about to appear. "It's powerful..."

Finally, it emerged from the forest. It stood three heads higher than all of them, the vast majority of it's body colored white with a black face, and antler horns sticking out of it's head. "What in the world?" Suguha breathed, never seeing anything like it. It looked like something you would see in Jutenheimer.

"That's Wendigo, of the Jaki." Yui informed them. "Jaki's are capable of limiting movement."

"Tch...That woman!" the Wendigo clicked its tongue as it looked back in the forest. "I never knew humans could have such power!"

Just then, a man in orange robes appeared. Kazuya, Suguha, and Yuzu recognized it to be a Shomonkai robe. That man must be a member. He called out to the beast, "Wendigo, wait!"

The demon looked toward the newcomer and laughed. Its bellows were loud and cold, like a howling snowstorm. "Gwahaha! Fools! You are nothing like that woman! Do you really think you puny things can stop me!?"

With a quick swing, the man was thrown away, his body smacking up against a tombstone harshly, blood spewing from his mouth. "Aaah!" Yuzu screamed, recoiling in horror.

"F-forgive me..." the man breathed, blood dribbling from his mouth as he watched Wendigo waltz up to him, raising his fist. "Lady... Amane..."

Those were his last words as Wendigo brought his fist down, ending the Shomonkai monk's life all but instantly.

"I..." Atsuro took a step back, his eyes wide in horror while Kirito tried to shield Yui from the sight. "I... can't believe this...!"

Kazuya was unable to say anything as terror took a hold of him. A man had been killed...by a Demon. The azure haired teen noticed that the number above the monk's head was Zero before dying out and disappearing. Kirito noticed this as well, and both realized something:

Those numbers were tied to their life.

Finally, the Wendigo removed his hand, covered in blood, before noticing their presence. "Great, more pests!" it scowled deeply. "Kill one, more take their place!"

Just as he was about to advance towards the group, Yui suddenly went in front of them, glaring at the creature in an icy, cold silence. "Yui!" Kirito shouted in worry.

Wendigo scoffed. "A child? Bah!" he dismissed her as he prepared to attack.

However, then something unexpected happened. Before Wendigo could even move an inch, he suddenly found himself thrown back. Hard. "Gurk!"

"What?!" Kazuya's eyes widened when he saw what looked like a flame blade in Yui's hands, her body now floating, blue streams that looked like data flowing around her. The sword was easily longer than her, yet strangely, he felt no malice emerging.

"Kirito, isn't that?!" Asuna's eyes widened in shock, having seen this before.

Kirito nodded. "Yeah... It's the same as when we fought The Deadly Scythe."

"Wait, what?! What are you guys talking about?!" Atsuro asked in a panic, both from seeing the Wendigo trying to kill them, and seeing the little girl, Yui, holding it back with ease.

"Sorry, Atsuro, but I don't think now's the time!" Kazuya said to his friend, despite being curious as well.

"I won't let you touch Mama and Papa's friends!" Yui declared, aiming the tip of the blade at Wendigo.

"Geh... the hell are you?!"

"I am the Mental Counseling Program AI, Yui!" She responded boldly.

The Wendigo scratched its head in confusion. "Program...AI...? What the hell is that?!"

"There you are, Wendigo." a cold voice spoke from behind. The group's eyes widened when they saw a woman in Shomonkai robes, except her hood was down, revealing a flower ornament atop her head with chin-length dark hair.

'Wait, she was from earlier!' Kazuya thought, recognizing her. Wendigo seemed to recognize her as well, growling as he turned to her. "Che! Damned persistent woman!"

"I've found you, Wendigo. I won't let you get away this time!" Her voice possessed a chilling tone that ran down the spines of the observers sans Yui.

"Grah...! So now the wench thinks she can catch up to me!" Wendigo was growing angrier by the minute.

"Who is she?" Kirito asked, looking at his friends. "She's got the same robes as the man from earlier!"

"Member of the Shomonkai, I presume." Kazuya said.

Yui's eyes fell on the woman's form, and relaxed. "She is also a Demon Tamer, though she doesn't have any demons with her."

"Wait, what?!" Suguha shouted in worry. "You mean she plans to fight that thing all by herself?!"

"Either she's strong..." Kirito said. "Or she's got a death wish, and I'm hoping it's not the latter!"

"But, why would the Shomonkai be fighting demons in the first place?" Asuna asked. No one knew the answer.

"Hey! You need to run away! It's too dangerous!" Atsuro warned her.

Almost immediately, the girl noticed them, and her expression held traces of worry. "Why are civilians..." she muttered before noticing the girl. "Wait, a child? ...No, she is not human, but... neither is she a demon."

"Miss, please evacuate!" Yui told her. "Wendigo is powerful demon, you must run!"

"You know of him?" the girl asked, surprised. "Who in the world are you?"

"I am a Mental Health Counseling program AI. My name is Yui!" SHe introduced herself, despite the confusion that it would soon bring.

"Program...? AI..? How is that possible?"

"Never mind that!" Kazuya shouted. "You need to get out of here!" He looked back at the others. "C'mon guys!"

"YEAH!"

The girl's eyes widened they brought out their respective COMPS, further shocked when demons appeared, all of them diverse. "They have COMPS?" she breathed in surprise. "Then... they are also Demon Tamers. But, where on Earth did they...?"

"Geh, so, the brats have demons as well...!" Wendigo growled. "Fine! C'mon!"

Upon his cry, more guest have arrived for the party. Demons started to appear from behind the grave markers and entrances. Their gazes were focused on the group of teenagers.

"Wh-where did these guys come from?" Yuzu panicked.

"I don't know! Maybe they were drawn in by Wendigo?" Kirito offered.

"Whatever the case..." Asuna said, her eyes becoming dangerous as she and Lilim stood side by side. Electricity began to dance in the palm of her hand, glaring at the creatures. "Let's send them packing."

"Hell yeah!" Atsuro grinned in agreement as wind began to swirl around the base of his palm, the cat demon grinning as it sat atop his shoulder, throwing punches.

"Well, got nothing better to do!" Suguha giggled as ice began to form around her hands, the chilling wind swirling around her as Obaryion grinned and leaped in front of her, lifting its hands as if to say 'bring it'.

"Alright then..." Kazuya said, his eyes flashing red for a moment as he lifted his hand up, flames dancing around in his palm. "Let's do this." Kobold growled beside its master, swinging its club around and howling out for battle.

"I can't do much..." Yuzu said before the fear vanished, replaced by fierce determination, a warm light beginning to dance around her hands. Pixie flew next to her master, electricity dancing around her with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "But I can do this at the very least!"

"Okay then!" Kirito grinned as his hands began to glow, Waira dashing to his side a second later. "Let's get WILD!"

"I won't let anyone hurt Mama, Papa, or anyone!" Yui declared, preparing herself for battle.

The girl was stunned. They were showing no fear whatsoever, showing no hesitance to face against the dangers that stood before them. "Wait, that boy..." her eyes widened when she saw the blue-haired teen. "Could he be...?"

"Foolish humans!" Wendigo bellowed, disrupting her thoughts. "TO think you would fight against us?! I am not sure to think you of every stupid or bold. Nevertheless, you will all die here!"

"EAT! SLAUGHTER!" The rogue Kobolds growled.

There were quite a few demons in the area, two to three Kobolds, and a single Pixie, who was accompanied by one of the wolves.

One of the Kobolds went straight after Yui, its club dragging behind it. "Yui!" Yuzu cried out in worry, but soon found her fear to be useless. With inhuman agility, Yui leaped into the air, easily evading the overhead strike from the demon. "HUH?" the demon blinked before it was soon engulfed in flames, a large gash found in its chest as Yui came back down, leaping away from it and brandishing her blade.

"I said, no touching Mama or Papa!"

"Wow..." Atsuro said in awe. "Well, at least now I know who she takes after!" he chuckled looking at the couple. "You sure she's not your actual kid in the game from doing it?"

"Atsuro! Not the time!" Both yelled at the programmer, who recoiled from the intense yelling.

"Sorry, sorry!" He apologized, failing to notice the Kobold creeping up behind him, its club raised.

Fortunately, Kazuya saw this and shot a fireball from his hand, sending the enemy away, howling in pain, and saving Atsuro's life.

"Stay focused, pal! We're not out of the woods yet." He told his friend.

"G-got it. Thanks for the save."

Kazuya tossed the flames, the intense heat searing straight through the Kobold's body. "Payback time!" Atsuro shouted as his demon leaped high into the air, and set off flames of his own, incinerating the already smoldering demonic wolf. It howled one final time before it was reduced to ashes, falling to the ground. "Hah, hell yeah!"

The third Kobold went straight for Asuna. The girl easily evaded the attack, stepping off to the left. Before it even knew what happened, Asuna slammed her leg into its jaw, sending it tumbling to the ground. "Shall we?" she asked her demon, who smiled in response. "Let's." she nodded, and the two unleashed two bolts of lightning, destroying it completely.

Suguha whistled. "Now that's hot." she chuckled from her own pun before she and Obaryion charged in at another Kobold. She delivered a hard strike to its abdomen, followed by a knee strike to it's head. Obaryion joined in, rearing its arm back and delivering a killer punch, thrashing the demon to the ground.

It did not get back up.

"Heh, as dangerous as ever, Sugu." Kirito praised his sister before turning his attention back to Wendigo, who growled in anger from seeing his comrades slain so easily. "Yui, let's go!"

"Hai!"

Kirito and Yui rushed toward the hulking demon, using his speed from Waira as a boost. Once they were within proximity of Wendigo, the raven haired teen released a shredding gale from his right hand right into its face. The wind scratched the monster's maw and eyes, temporarily blinding it.

Seeing this chance, Yui delivered a devastating slash to the beast, who now possessed a gaping wound on its chest, going straight through the heart.

"G-GRAAAAGH!" Wendigo screamed in pain and rage, his eyes burning with absolute fury. "DAMNED INSECTS!"

Wendigo swung his arm, hoping to defeat them. However, Yui blocked the attack easily, the flames burning straight into its skin. "And one more!" Kirito announced, the Multi-Hit skill already working. Faster than anything Kirito thought possible, he delivered a number of hits to the beast, sending strike after strike after strike. The final one sent Wendigo tumbling to the ground.

"Yui, now!"

"Mm!"

The girl leaped high into the air. Wendigo growled, sucking in a large amount of air before exhaling, sending a cold, chilling blast. However, Yui's skills were far beyond what the demon had believed. Her blade had torn straight through the storm, the intense heat blowing it all away. "W-what?!" Wendigo cried in shock.

Suddenly, from the perspective of the Demon, the world seemed to have been splitting. One half was sliding down from the other. Then he finally realized, the girl had cut him straight in half.

"D-Damn...you...DAMN ALL OF YOU...!...Gru...gragh!" The beast had taken its final break as it fell to the ground, its body dissipating.

"Mission complete!" Yui said, a smile on her face as the data that swirled around her, along with the blade, vanished as if they were never there. The group dismissed their demons, and all of them sighed in exhaustion. Yuzu and Suguha collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily while Kazuya and Kirito looked slightly tired. Atsuro seemed to be hanging in there, but he looked close to passing out.

The girl had not blamed them. She had intended to join in, to protect them, but after seeing their abilities, she saw that their prowess was not to be underestimated. They were not truly used to the powers they received, but the girl was quite something. 'An AI...' she thought curiously. 'To think it was possible for them to manifest in the real world... How is that possible? And that boy...' Her eyes fell on Kazuya. 'There is no doubt about it... He is...'

"Haa... Haa..." Atsuro panted, sweat falling from his face. 'Holy crap... Why do I feel so tired...' he wondered, never feeling so exhausted in all of his life. "I... never... want... to fight... that thing... ever... again...!"

"I hate to break it Atsuro..." Kazuya spoke to his friend. "But with demons just popping out of nowhere like that, we're going to have to experience more battles along the road."

"That's right." Kirito agreed. "We're going to have to keep fighting. We still need to find Naoya and ask him what the hell is going on."

"I know...I know..." Atsuro sighed. "Just...let me...take a break." He dropped to the ground and sat upright, relieving the exhaustion in his legs.

"Are you okay, Yui?" Asuna asked in concern to her 'daughter' Even though she knew what Yui was capable of, she couldn't help but worry for the little girl.

"Un! I'm fine, Mama." Yui nodded.

"Whoo, I'm glad..." Asuna said in relief, bending down to pat the girl on the head. "You did great! I'd say you're way more of a help than the rest of us!"

Yui's face brightened in joy. Kazuto and Kazuya couldn't help but smile at the scene, noting how heartwarming it was before they noticed something odd, yet at the same time, a relief.

"The numbers..."

The glowing, digits that had somehow disappeared once the fighting had begun now reappeared over the heads of all members of the party, sans Yui. They all read the same number: 1. This perturbed them. Based on what they witnessed earlier, the Shomonkai member who had the number 0 died before their eyes. Did this mean...they were going to die tomorrow?

Although, Kirito was somewhat at ease upon seeing Yui did not have a number.

However, a second later, the numbers began to glitch out. "What the heck?" Kirito frowned, wondering if something was going wrong until finally the static cleared up. The number had increased from one to three. "Three?"

"Do you think we were going to be killed by Wendigo tomorrow?" Kazuya asked.

"I have no idea..." Kirito confessed, shaking his head. "But, maybe... Whatever it is... It definitely has something to do with how long we have to live."

"So, you can see them as well..." the girl said as she approached them. "The numbers over your heads."

"So you know about them." Kirito asked. Aside from Naoya, who they have yet to find, this girl seemed to possess the information the group desperately needs to wrap their heads around the whole mess.

"Indeed. My name is Amane Kuzuryu, Maiden of the Shomonkai." She bowed upon introducing herself.

"Kazuto Kirigaya, but you can call me Kirito." the Black Swordsman of Aincrad introduced himself. "And this is Kazuya Minegishi."

"Minegishi?" Amane's eyes widened before nodding. "Ah, now I understand... You do bear a great resemblance to him."

This caught their attention.

"Wait, you know Naoya?!" Kazuya shouted, his eyes wide in shock. The others overheard this, surprised. Someone like this knew Naoya?

"Yes. He worked alongside us for a brief time." the maiden said. "However, once his work was concluded, he left. We have not seen him since then."

"You haven't seen him, huh?" Kirito mused. Just when they thought they had a lead on Naoya's whereabouts. It's disappointing, but nothing could be helped.

"Work...? What do you mean?" Kazuya was confused. Why would Naoya be working with a group with the Shomonkai? His skills mainly pertained to software programming, hence his occupation. Could it be that...?

"I'm sorry. But I'm not allowed to say, for now." Amane apologized. "I also apologize for not being able to tell you where your Cousin is now."

"I see..." Kazuya sighed, shaking his head.

"So then, you're a Demon Tamer as well?" Kirito asked curiously, earning a nod of confirmation.

"Yes. As a matter of fact, a great number of the Shomonkai are Demon Tamers. What happened tonight was nothing more than a prelude of what is to come."

"A prelude, huh..." Atsuro said, recalling the catastrophe that Naoya was referring to. "Don't like the sound of that."

"May I... ask you something?" Amane asked hesitantly, looking at Yui. "This girl... She is obviously not a demon, but neither is she human. Is she... truly an AI?"

"Yep!" Kirito grinned proudly. "This is Yui, my daughter!"

"Your...daughter...?" Amane was actually speechless. This little girl, who looked to be around 8 or 9 years old, is the child of the man before her, who looked no older than 18?

"Hai! This is my Mama." Yui lightly tugged the hem of Asuna's skirt.

"I... see..." Amane said slowly, unable to fully process it.

"Before you go thinking too much, she's more like their adoptive daughter." Kazuya informed her. "I don't know all the details, but apparently, Naoya found a way to bring her here in the real world. She's a mental health program of some kind; don't ask me about it though."

"Naoya brought her to the real world?" That certainly surprised her. "I know he is a man of many talents, but I had not thought he was capable of this."

"Tell me about it..." Suguha laughed. "But, it was probably the best surprise Big Brother and Asuna ever got."

"You bet it was." Asuna wrapped her arms around Yui's shoulders. "Now our daughter can experience what our world has to offer!"

"That's right." Kirito wrapped his arms around Asuna and Yui. "I really have to thank him for this."

"I see..." Amane smiled, happy for the both of them. Though they were young, it was obvious they cherished that girl as if she were truly their own daughter. "Considering what she is capable of, I doubt there are many demons that will be able to handle her. As much as I would like to ask more about you all, I must go. But, before that... may I know the rest of you?"

"Atsuro Kihara."

"Suguha Kirigaya, Kazuto's cousin!"

"Yuzu Tanikawa."

"Kihara, Kirigaya, and Tanikawa... I shall remember your names." Amane bowed her head. "Well, I bid you all farewell." However, as she turned to leave, she looked over her shoulder to deliver another message. "Also... it may be in your best interest to sleep here for the time being, at least until morning arrives. I've erected a simple barrier, it should be able to keep you safe for the time being."

"Wait, what?" Atsuro said, baffled, but got no farther than that when she left. "Huh... man, what a weird girl."

"Weird, maybe." Kirito shrugged his shoulders. "But helpful. At least now we know that Naoya was working with the Shomonkai."

Kazuya nodded. "Yeah, plus she mentioned that most of the Shomonkai are Demon Tamers as well... Something tells me there's more to this story than she lets on."

"Yeah." Kirito nodded in agreement. "Though, it looks she can't tell us. Well, I suppose we should trust her for now."

After he said that, the group became stunned as all of the nearby light suddenly flickered off. "H-huh?!"

"What the-? The streetlights went out!" Atsuro panicked. Just when he had hoped that nothing else happens.

"Wh-what's going on?!" Yuzu was growing more anxious by the minute.

"So the email came true again." Kazuya noticed.

"The email...? Oh, oh yeah! That's it!"

"What's it Atsuro?"

"Kazuya's right! It's a blackout. Remember what it said in the first email? It said there'd be a blackout!"

"Yeah. Even though we have no knowledge if it's city-wide or not, the email still came true." Kirito continued. "First the murder, then the explosion, and now the blackout? The email's predictions were spot on!"

"So, then that email..." Asuna started, looking serious. "Anything it says... comes true?"

"No, not necessarily." Yui disagreed, shaking her head. "The events listed in the Laplace Mail calculate possible scenarios, events, variables, and then chooses the most probable courses before making a decision. The events listed in the email are determined. It's also those events that calculate the number on the Death Clock."

Yuzu's face paled horribly. "D-Death Clock?!"

"Hold on!" Kazuya recalled. "Do you mean those numbers above our heads?!"

"Numbers?" Atsuro frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"So it's only me and Kazuya who can see them." Kirito realized. Was it because of the COMPs they held?

"What numbers?!" Atsuro repeated, his anxiety slowly building.

"Well, earlier, Kirito and I kept seeing this number above all of our heads. At first, we had no idea what they were for, but after seeing that Shomonkai priest getting killed, we got this weird suspicion."

"Wh-what suspicion?" Suguha asked, not really expecting the answer.

"...The number that we have...would indicate how much time we have left to live."

"W-what...?"

"Papa's right." Yui nodded. "The Death Clock can only be seen by party leaders. Depending on your actions, the number will either increase, or decrease."

"S-so, how many days do we have?" Asuna asked, almost fearfully.

"Well, up until we beat that giant snowman, only one." Kazuya said. "Now we're up to three."

"Three?" Suguha frowned. "So... we would have been killed by that Wendigo thing tomorrow?"

"Yeah, probably..." Kirito nodded. "Though, thanks to Yui, we've got a couple days. Still... I really don't wanna know what the hell will happen in the next couple of days."

"Yeah." the blue-haired teen nodded in agreement. "Why don't we get some shut eye? One of us should stand guard and take shifts."

"Sounds like a plan." Atsuro yawned. "Oh, man... I've never wanted it to be morning so badly in all of my life."

The group chuckled at that, though Kazuya stared at his hand, the same one that controlled the flames. He didn't know why it felt so strange, but when he used the power of the COMP, it felt... so thrilling, so brilliant. 'What's going on?'

It was a shame that he had no idea what would await him and his friends in the next couple of days, nor the fate that had been thrown upon him... and the world.

End of Day BEFORE

Preview:

"Is that... Keisuke?"

"Seriously, Kirito... First SAO, now this... I'm starting to think you're a trouble magnet!"

"Omigosh, it's Haru! Awesome! This is just what I needed to cheer me up!"

"C'mon, ya damn demons! Come on!"

Next Time: Day 1 - LOCKDOWN