Meeting The Ghost of You

Page 4: Visitor

Page 4: Visitor 

I don’t know why I chose to log into Phantom Secrets Online. Perhaps I am hoping to see her, the phantom that looks like Mayuri. Perhaps I am trying to distract myself from all the recent happenings... Ever since the first Sword Art Online survivor was lured to her death, people have been dying at a steady rate. Within four days, four survivors have been killed. That’s one person per day, one less person who was unable to live their life to the fullest. It’s one less person that was able to escape one hell just to be thrust into another. 

It seems that I DO know why I’m logging in after all. I’m looking for answers. I’m doing some investigating. I’m doing some investigating where people don’t know who I REALLY am, and where people  don’t know what my weakness are. In VRMMO’s I am powerful, I’m treated as an equal. In VRMMO’s I’m not a copy boy who is treated like a servant, I’m treated like a person. 

As soon as I log in, I know that something is amiss. Everything looks like it should but there is something missing... I’m playing a game that countless people play at various times, but yet there seems to be no one but me currently playing. I wander around the town, peering into seemingly open shops, only to find emptiness. Is the game glitching again? A blur of movement catches my eye, and I spin on my heel, hoping to see whatever it is before it leaves (or attacks me... I have no idea if it is friendly or not). 

The boy looks familiar. Perhaps it is because he is very dull looking. He looks like your typical Japanese person... He has dark hair, dark eyes, and pale skin. My mind tells me that there is a better reason why he looks so familiar. Perhaps I’ve met him before? I don’t really know any kids though... The realization hits me like a slap across the face. “Akiki, what the heck do you want?” I ask, preparing myself to respond to his annoyingness with wit and sarcasm. 

“It’s good to know that you have a hint of a brain in the huge head of yours,” the twerp says with a small smirk. He seems different... He seems a bit more serious, a little less of a smart aleck. “Then again, there is no way Mayuri would let herself fall in love with  a COMPLETE idiot.” Mayuri... How does he know about Mayuri? I wait for him to say more, to explain, but he doesn’t. Instead, he turns away from me, and begins to walk away. Confused and angry, I follow him, ready to yell at him. My anger slowly fades away as our surroundings melt away. The town is steadily morphed into a stunning garden, complete with various plants and a pond containing koi. Akiki stops suddenly, and I narrowly avoid running into him and knocking him over.

Just a few inches away from Akiki stands a dorky man. The man has a very organized look to him. He may be wearing the typical tattered, battle tainted clothing of Phantom Secrets Online, but he is clearly someone who belongs in a suit, in an office. Heck, the guy is probably the CEO of some company. 

“We have a lot to discuss, Kenji,” the man says with a small, reassuring smile. Why should I listen to him? Why should I listen to Akiki? How do I know that I can trust him? I shouldn’t have followed Akiki... I shouldn’t have talked to him... I shouldn’t have... “I know that all of this is sudden... You probably aren’t sure if you can trust me or Akiki. You can. To prove it to you, I’ll tell you some things that very few people know.” Both the man and Akiki tell me many things, starting with their real names. They tell me many things that I’m sure that I’m probably not supposed to know. 

Unsure of how to respond to it all, I say the first thing that comes to my mind. “So why are you telling me, some nobody this? I understand why Akiki knows, he’s some master hacker after all. Me on the other hand... I have no special skills. I’m just your ordinary guy,” some birds chirp as I say this, as though trying to interrupt me, trying to tell me that I DO have some sort of special talent. “Besides, you had Kirito help you with the last investigation you did, right? Why don’t you just have him help you again? Now HE is a guy with some talent. He’s the guy that could fight with two swords, he’s the guy that brought Sword Art Online to an end.” The man, who had already been serious and somber becomes even more gloomy in appearance.