[SP-F1] Awakening (Complete)

[Evander 0]

A cool wind blew through the plaza. The sun's feeble rays shown through the clouds. The world awaited on the cusp of spring, eagerly awaiting that season of growth, regrowth, and change. Tumultuous times were coming, at least for one singular soul on this floating castle in the sky. Evander stirred on the worn wooden bench. Cold. It was pretty cold. A deep chill bit into him, and he tried to draw the warm blankets tighter around himself, before finding that there were no blankets. Eh. He sort of shrugged, in that sleepy manner most do in the morning, and tried to go back to sleep.

Wait. Just wait one second. There weren't blankets on his bed, which had somehow turned hard in the middle of the night? And why was it so cold in his room?

Evander jolted up, blearily opening his eyes. Where in the world was he? What was he even doing here? He looked down, and- wait, what was he even wearing? He didn't recall having these clothes. He lifted his eyes again, now alert, and peered about. He was in an empty plaza, alone on a bench, with stone buildings that looked somewhat medieval rising up all around him. At least, he thought it was medieval. It could be renaissance-like. It had been a few years since his last history lesson... Why was he even thinking about what era these buildings came from? Evander chuckled. "Guess that's the inner nerd in me speaking," he said to the empty plaza. Great. Now he was talking to himself. At least no one was around to hear that embarrassing slip-up. "Hey, are you talking to yourself?" a female voice called from the opposite end of the plaza. Shoot.

Edited February 23, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

Welp, time to move away before anything else stupid happened. Figuring stuff out could happen later, when he wasn't freezing to death in an unknown plaza on an unknown bench with unknown people gawking at this crazy bench hobo who liked to talk to himself. Evander tried to get up, then promptly fell over. Great, now he was on the floor, freezing to death as an apparently handicapped hobo who forgot how to walk. "Are you okay?" the voice cried out. Yeah, nope. No social contact after those two horrible blunders. Evander shakily got to his feet then began hobbling/running away. Hopefully they didn't decide to follow. "Must be some crazy kid. Oh well," the person muttered, then walked away, their shoes thumping away in the opposite direction. Mission accomplished- social contact avoided. Wait. What if they could've told him something about where he was? Evander groaned. Great. Another brilliant idea, Evander. Wait, again. Evander's feeble hobbling stopped. His name wasn't Evander. Why was he calling himself Evander? His name was Vincent. Eh, he shrugged, and kept moving on his way. He could figure out these mysteries in some other place, preferably a warm one.

Edited February 23, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

Evander limped along the uneven cobblestone pavement, slowly getting used to walking again. He had no idea where he was going, but if he didn't know where he was headed, at least he couldn't get lost! He looked up at the gray sky- though something seemed off, and promptly stumbled. That was what he got for trying to cloud gaze while he was walking along on unsteady feet. Another blunder in the same five to ten minutes! This was a new record, someone call the Guinness Book of World Records company (or something)! Evander passed by some market stalls, evidently now in the populated portion of the city. Though, some of the shopkeepers were odd, they just stared into space until someone talked to them, and- holy cow, that was a huge sword! Then, Evander had to remind himself again, figuring stuff out could come later. He came across a sign above that said "Bar", and had a picture of a glass of ale on the wood next to the engraved words. Looked like a nice place (not really, smelled of vomit), and though he was underage, they had to have some non-alcoholic drinks in the establishment, right? Right.

Edited February 23, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

Evander pushed open the door to the building slowly (hey, he was still pretty weak, cut him some slack, okay?) and stepped inside. There was only one guy in the creatively named "Bar", and that was the bartender. Evander face-palmed. Of course there was only the bartender, it was what, around 4'o clock in the afternoon? Whatever. At least there was going to be no other people to bother him. He slumped down at the nearest table, and attempted to call the bartender over, because he did not feel like getting up. Because he was half-asleep, he did some weird swiping down thing with his left hand to get the guy to come over, and suddenly, some weird screen thing appeared in front of him. Evander put his hand down, his need for a drink pushed to the side as he examined this strange contraption. It looked awfully a lot like an inventory screen in some online RPG on his computer or something. He saw the listed name, Evander, and looked at the black figure on the left side of the screen. It said the body was wearing the clothes he was now. Sweet. He looked to the other side, and, whoa, there was a whole bunch of options. He went into items, and there was a sick new sword for him. He tapped the screen thing, and a shiny new sword materialized in front of him.

Edited February 23, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

Evander looked a bit more closely at the sword. All the excitement and shock aside, it wasn't actually that great, besides for being a sword. It was really basic. Like, the most basic sword you could get. It had a simple leather bound handle, an iron pommel, a pretty average cross-guard, and an unadorned metal blade about three feet long. Now that he thought back, wasn't the sword even called "basic straight sword" or something like that? Wow. This thing was really simple. But, it was a sword, and, as with all swords, it was cool. However, Evander had no idea how to put it back in the screen thingy. At least he had a leather sheath on his back. He slid the sword in on the first try, feeling really cool and epic. Swords, swords, they were so cool. Someone should make a game about swords, that's how cool they were... suddenly, half-formed images and memories began rushing back to Evander. He reeled back from the shock.

[Evander 0]

His name was Vincent. That was the first thing to come back, followed by images of his family. Seventeen years (well, more realistically, it was probably only fourteen years or something) of memories came flooding back into his mind. Evander remembered. He remembered his first day in 6th grade, where he made a new friend in the chaos, he remembered joking around, having fun with family on a vacation, he remembered sitting in his room, crying for all of the evil in mankind (man, he was a pretty philosophical kid even back then, huh?), he remembered high school, he remembered skipping first grade in an exam, he remembered giving a speech for his project, he remembered his first day at college, he remembered coming home for his birthday, and, finally, he remembered it. He remembered that accursed game, Sword Art Online, he remembered his family's joy at seeing his joy at seeing the game, he remembered putting on the helmet, he remembered that horrible, horrible, life-changing speech, he remembered everything now. A tear dripped down his face, and he put his head down on the table, determined to not let his emotions control him.

[Evander 0]

He failed, and pretty badly. He started sobbing on the table, glad there was no one else in the building. Wait. Shoot! Evander whirled about, snot running down his nose (pretty gross, bro), and looked at the bartender, ready to apologize for his weird and messed up behavior, and-wait, the bartender wasn't even doing anything. Evander turned back around, and hit his head on the table. Of course he wouldn't say anything, he was an NPC! Geez, and didn't he just remember he was in a game? Stupid. At least no one could bother his crying. He got back into his pit of depression, and cried. He would never see his family again, or live his life again, doomed to spend the rest of his days in this horrid (well, okay, the graphics or whatever were actually really, really good) game. Evander sat up, wiped his face on his sleeve, and focused, trying to excise the emotion from his mind. Right now, that sadness was a weakness, and he needed to be at his strongest right now.

Edited February 22, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

Evander thought analytically, all emotion stripped from his mind. There was always a way out. He thought back to that day of the speech, and remembered. If they managed to clear all 100 floors of the floating castle, called Aincrad, they would all be returned to the real world. Evander sat back, relaxed. There was no way they could be in here for longer than a month or two! All the pro gamers of the world were in this game, and they probably were clearing this thing as he thought. Wait a sec, it was way more than a month or two since they entered the game. What in the world were these people doing? Then, Evander remembered (again? man, he had some terrible memory, even though he was pretty sure he had photographic memory) one part of the speech, the part that had chilled everyone to the bone. If they died in this game, they would die in real life. Holy cow, that was pretty serious. No wonder they weren't out yet, everyone was probably being really cautious. However, darn it, they weren't working fast enough! He needed to get out there, if only to speed things along a little bit.

[Evander 0]

If he was going to be getting out there, he needed to become stronger. He needed to strip all emotion from his mind. Emotion would drag him down, make him weak, force him to kneel before the world. No more humor, no more love, no more sadness, at least until he got out. At least, until he got to safety. He needed to focus, devoted to working to grow better and better and join those that were probably working to clear all the floors. Friendship would only bring him down, hinder him by forcing him to care for another person. He needed to set out alone to find his true potential and clear Aincrad. Evander calmly stood up, and began to walk towards the door. He only allowed himself to shed one single tear for his past, then straightened his back and stance and calmly walked out the door. Confidence, confidence in himself and his abilities, was the only way he could move on. He stepped out into the sunlight, with nothing in his possession except the clothes on his back and the sword in his sheath, and headed, self assured, towards a direction in which he could train.

[Evander 0]

Evander had no idea how to use a sword, but he was going to learn. He opened up the screen with a swipe as he walked down the crowded street, and looked at his profile. There were skills, as in any RPG, and he decided to assign his skill points to learning a skill called One-Handed Straight Sword, since that was the type of sword he currently owned. All at once, information flowed into his mind, and he knew the basics of fighting with a sword and how to perform several sword arts, like Vertical. He headed towards the city gates to train out in the wild. Monsters were likely too strong right now, but he could just as easily train and learn how to sword-fight by hitting a tree. As he passed under the vast and looming stone gates, with nary a glance of excitement or awe, he stepped out into the world of the first floor of Aincrad. He shuffled through the grassy, windblown plain toward the forest just past the clearing. In there, Evander could be alone and hone his skills at the sword. He ducked under a low-hanging branch and pulled out his sword to train under the dilapidated shade of the branches of the forest.

[Evander 0]

The light in the forest could best be described as murky gray. Leaves had yet to grow from the branches, and the sun was covered by cloud. It was in this murky light that Evander stood. He held the sword behind him, ready to charge and begin to viciously attack the tree. There was but one thing stopping him. He didn't know how to use a sword. He brought the sword back in front of him and planted it in the ground. He had invested in the skill of using the sword, and it had taught him the theoretical basics, such as the correct posture to most effectively attack a still enemy, but that was no substitute for actually being taught the art of the sword. He sighed. He was not going to find a teacher of the blade on Aincrad. Swords were actually fairly heavy as well, not as they had shown in the movies. Before any use of the sword could happen, Evander needed to exercise. In real life, Evander was thin, but he was not actually fit. His only workout at college consisted of a few laps at the pool and a walk in the park. He needed to work if he was going to learn the art of the sword. He took the scabbard off his back, sheathed his sword, and put it on the ground amongst the sprouting grass. He got down and began to work, doing push-ups and sit-ups in groups of ten.

[Evander 0]

The light began to slowly fade. Night was drawing near. The clouds had opened up and shown a dark blue sky, little impressions of stars faintly seen. The sun set, leaving its last vestiges of light on the land in a burning orange light. Evander was panting, having worked at a punishing pace for hours with few breaks, yet he still picked up his sword. He drew the blade, watching the orange light flicker across the metal. He was not ready to wield it, having only done one day of exercise, but he could begin practice on it anyway. He put the scabbard back on his back, and subtly shifted his stance to better lash at the tree. He held the sword behind him. Suddenly, he lashed out, landing a solid hit upon the tree. It kind of hurt, hitting a pretty much immovable object with a heavy metal blade, but he continued, lashing out from different angles and poses. The sun set, and the moon rose high into the sky as Evander practiced with a calm determination. When the moon had reached its highest point in the sky, Evander collapsed on the floor, panting. He took a few deep breathes, then growled to himself, "Not good enough! More. Again!" He continued his punishing work.

[Evander 0]

His stomach growled, his eyes drooped, and at last Evander admitted defeat to the limits of the endurance of the human body. He lay down on the ground, sweating, and grateful for the cool air of the night. He got up again after a few moments of rest, and peered about. He thought he could make out a pair of glowing yellow eyes in the darkness. Wary, and knowing that he was not ready to face monsters, especially in this state, he headed back to the main city. Constantly looking around him, his feet thumped across the dirt clearing. The grass had not yet grown beyond a few sprouts. He found himself back at the main gate, and looked up at the shining lanterns and torches strung on the gate. He looked into the future ahead. This was going to be his focal point, the point from which he would spread out, at first fighting weaker monsters, then expanding out towards exploring more and more of the land. This was going to be his resting spot, a place where he could be safe at night. In a way, the streets of this Town of Beginnings would be his new home for quite a while.

[Evander 0]

Evander walked through the streets. The cheerful atmosphere of the market had gone-it was late into the night. A few solitary lanterns waited at the end of every street. Evander kicked a rock as he walked past the "Bar" he had been at in the morning, now a more rowdy place at night. He looked up at the stars above him and began to hum a tuneless melody. He passed the market stalls of the morning, now empty and deserted, and passed by the bench upon which he had woken up on. He chuckled humorlessly- he remembered how lost and naive and young he had been, just that morning. Oh, how much can change in such little time! As he passed through a dark alleyway, he saw a group of drunk individuals, grasping each other's shoulders as they trooped along the road, laughing boisterously as they told incoherent jokes amongst themselves. Ah, youth. Wait, wasn't he younger than them? Eh, one could always reminisce wistfully of the follies of youth, at any age. As he passed through the lighted streets, he smelled the aromas of cooking food, and his stomach reminded him of its hunger.

Edited February 23, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

Evander looked around for a suitable restaurant at which to eat. Many colored signs, almost illegible in the dim light, hung above him. He decided to enter another NPC run establishment to better avoid having to speak with others. Right now, all others would feel for him was pity, and he didn't want pity, or affectations, or friendship, or any social bond with another. All he wanted was to remain in solitude, alone with his thoughts. He composed himself, settling his stance to a more relaxed, yet confident one, before opening the door to the building and stepping in. The lights were still very bright, and the restaurant still very populated, even this late into the night. Music played from a band at the other corner of the room, and waiters weaved through the tables to attend to their customers. Evander took a seat opposite the door, at an empty table, so that he could see who entered and exited. He patiently waited to be attended to, and thanked the NPC who had given him his menu. They were actually quite lifelike, he mused silently as he perused the menu.

Edited February 23, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

He looked through the menu, reading the descriptions of the plethora of food they had to serve. Evander really couldn't decide what genre of restaurant this was- they had both fine-dining and home-style cooking. There were steaks and pastas, and noodles and fajitas. He guessed this really was best described as just "Restaurant". It was the amalgamation of every single style of cooking that Evander had ever known, and then some he hadn't known of. He finally decided to order a beef au jus with a glass of grape juice on the side. As he waited for the waiter to come back around again, he decided to look at the prices. Whoa, some of these were pretty expensive, and they were next to some strange symbol (perhaps their symbol for currency?). At least he had his wallet and credit card with him... shoot! This was the game world, with its own currency, col, and he didn't have a penny of it to his name!

[Evander 0]

Evander quietly and calmly stood up, trying to be unnoticed amidst the chaos of the restaurant, and began edging towards the door. He set the menu down at his spot at the table, neatly folded back together the napkin he had unrolled, leaving it back on his plate, and walked out of the restaurant. "Sir, we hope you enjoyed your meal!" a waiter called out. Great. Guess the NPCs know everyone who enters and leaves the restaurant. Eh, whatever. He walked out the door, back into the cool night air. Now, the truth settled in. He really was alone and poor, on his own in this world. He would probably have to beg on the streets for some bread any passing person could spare, and plead for work. It was then that Evander face-palmed for the umpteenth time this day. This was a game, a RPG to be exact, there had to be some quests to do for some cash to spend. Well, thought Evander as he stared up into the pale light of the moon, that would likely have to wait for tomorrow. It was much too late tonight for any work to be done. And, the only quests out at this time would likely be extremely difficult ones that would kill him on the spot. He did not want to die today. At the very least, if he had to die, he wanted his death to mean something. A shiver ran down his spine as he thought of death, and how life could be snuffed out at any instant.

Edited February 23, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

Evander aimlessly wandered through the streets, planning out his next day. He would likely do the exact same thing as today, except for the fact that he wanted to wake up earlier than 4'o clock in the afternoon. Working out in the forest, then a little swordplay at the end of the day. Perhaps he could find some quests to do and scrounge up some money to actually get food. Who knew? Only time could tell. As he walked the cobblestone streets under the faint light of the moon, the cool wind tousling his brown hair, a sword on his back and his arms spread wide to feel the breeze around him, he thought that this world was actually quite beautiful, and a lot like those far off lands of the stories he had dreamed up for his brother back in the real world. He supposed that that was one thing he could thank Kayaba for. He kicked a rock along the road, hands in his pockets, and he listened to the faint music of a faraway concert, likely on the other side of the city. Evander sighed.

Edited February 23, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

Invariably, whether by mere happenstance or some inner, subconscious desire within him, Evander found himself back in the plaza in which he had started this morning. His stomach growled, and he was pretty tired, but he felt fairly content, certainly more so than when he was sobbing his eyes out in the "Bar". He sat back on the bench and mused of trifles, mind leaping to random topic after topic. Now that he looked again, the architecture of the city was most likely some amalgamation of different eras. The domed building in the center of the city that he had seen looming over all other buildings looked a lot like the Hagia Sophia, which was built by Justinian in the Byzantine empire, which was Romanesque. The individual houses and the Gothic churches spread throughout the city reminded him of the medieval ages, whereas the art and domes reminded him somewhat of the Renaissance period, which had copied the Greco-Roman era, and... this was a fairly convoluted way of describing the architecture of the city, wasn't it? Evander took a deep breath, and centered himself.

Edited February 23, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

Evander slumped back on the bench upon which he had awoken this morning. This morning he had been so young, so naive, and so emotional. Now, at the end of the day, with the moon high in the sky, he was weary, worn-out, and felt so very very old. The riddle of the Sphinx apparently had some literal meaning as well. Evander lay down on the bench, staring up into the unfamiliar stars and constellations of the night sky, and he felt sleep beckoning to him. He looked around, searching for an inn to sleep at, then just shrugged his shoulders and went back to the bench. He didn't have any money anyway, and he didn't think the innkeepers would appreciate a random person off of the streets sleeping in their lobby. He lay back on the bench, looked one final time around him, turned his head towards the stars, and slowly closed his eyes, drifting off to a comfortable, dreamless sleep, alone with his thoughts.

Edited February 23, 2016 by Evander