Turning Back the Clock

The next morning, before beginning preparations for their final journey to the top floor of Aincrad, Riko noticed that Ui was feeling uneasier than usual, despite their success on their various missions.

Riko: Hey, Ui. Are you okay?

Ui: Yeah, I'm okay.

Kiyu: We're noticed that you've been feeling a little...off today.

Ui: I know.

Riko: Did something happen?

Ui: Basically, I tried calling the police a couple of times to check in on the situation with Kayaba, but they haven't responded to my calls lately.

Kiyu: Maybe they've been busy with all of the activity regarding the players stuck here in SAO and their families.

Ui: Perhaps. I'm just hoping that either the police or some other group can get a hold of them before...

Riko: Before what?

Ui: Before he commits suicide or something, like what your father told us about him. Even if we succeed in this mission-...er...project, what's the point if he doesn't get what's coming to him? What he deserves?

Kez: But we would still be able to beat him regardless, no? Like how Kirito was able to?

Ui: Yes. But...I kind of agree with what the inventor has said about him. How he's a madman, and how he should never be forgiven for what he had done to the thousands of SAO players who lost their lives in the real world.

Gus: Does this whole thing affect you on a personal level?

Ui: ...Well...

Riko: Ui, you can tell us anything. Remember that we're a team. Not to mention, I noticed that you keep calling this project a mission.

Ui: That was unintentional on my part, but...ok. I'll tell you all my story. *deep breath* You see, my great-grandfather was one of the players trapped in SAO when it originally launched. He and his wife were to have a baby soon, but while the baby - my grandmother - was eventually born, her father never got to see her, as he had died in-game. This left his wife broken-hearted for a long time. This affected how she raised my grandmother, which led to how she raised my mom, and so on.

Kez: Sounds like a bitter history. Were you all able to live normal lives, make friends and all of that stuff?

Ui: Yes. We were still able to do all of that. However, it felt like our family carried this heavy burden on our shoulders in that no one in our family was able to save him when he was trapped in the game and died. We were powerless.

Gus: You say "we," but wouldn't you not be born for nearly a century?

Ui: Yes, but you know what I mean. Anyway, I've been helping the inventor work on this project for a long time. Not only was he passionate about it in his own right, but I saw this as a way to avenge my great-grandfather's death, and possibly lift this heavy burden and feeling of guilt off of my family's shoulders. That's also why I tend to call this project a mission very often.

Riko: I see. But isn't this still technically a simulation, even if we have traveled back in time?

Ui: It is indeed a simulation, but the inventor and I have been planning to consider this project idea with a future WC2, WC3, and so on. We could even invent or discover real time-traveling as opposed to a mere simulation, and we could possibly change the past so that Kayaba is properly brought to justice.

Riko: Ahh...I understand how you feel. I don't have any family burdens that I've been told about in my family, but I've been losing my passion for online and VR games lately. You could say that the gradual effect that SAO had on the industry and the gaming world caught up with me after a while. I want to feel that passion for gaming again. The passion that I once had and was gradually sucked out of me.

Kiyu: I understand where both of you are coming from, and I'll tell you this. No matter what happens to us in this simulation, or whether or not the "World-Changer" projects become fully realized for real time-traveling in the future and more, you can use this project, or rather, this mission as a learning experience. Riko, you get to experience online gaming with thousands of players once more. And it's been exhilarating, hasn't it?

Riko: It sure has.

Kiyu: And Ui, even if this doesn't become a reality, have you felt a sense of relief now that you're technically able to face this "burden" head-on?

Ui: Absolutely. And honestly, I've never felt so alive.

Kez: No matter what happens, let's stick together until the end.

Gus: By the end of this...mission, I'm sure we will all feel like changed people. Changed for the better.

Riko: Agreed. I'm so glad I got to meet all of you and work with you.

Ui: Me, too. This has meant the world to me.

The group embraced in an emotional hug, followed by Kez saying:

Kez: Now let's get out there and kick Kayaba's butt!

Team: Yeah!

The group ran outside to meet up with the other players and Kirito's group to get ready for their journey to the top floor, and to face Kayaba head-on within the game.