December 24, 2022. 16:24 – Misty Forest, Floor 1

  The air in the clearing vibrated with tension. Blitzen bellowed, chains clashing against the ice as an infernal blaze spewed from its blackened muzzle. The beast pawed the ground, preparing another charge.

  Silver raised the Aegis, dug his heels into the earth, and stepped forward. His HP bar already showed the toll, and the damned cooldown condemned him: for the next several minutes, no healing was possible.

  —Keep it busy, I'll hold the line! —he roared.

  HappyGoose didn't need further instructions. He darted to the side with a sharp spin, his spear flaring bright blue.

  —Sonic Thrust!

  The tip pierced the reindeer's flank, scattering crimson sparks through the air. The second HP bar dropped by only 5%, but it was enough to draw the monster's guttural roar and turn its fury on him.

  —Hey, stable demon, your fight's with me! —Silver slammed the shield hard, pulling the aggro back.

  Blitzen rammed with brutal force. The impact rattled Silver down to the bone; his HP dropped another 12%. The screen flashed red, and the Aegis groaned with a metallic crack. Still, he stood his ground.

  Miwa burst in like a flash, her daggers gleaming in a clean arc.

  —Switch!

  She cut across the beast's hind leg, leaving a crimson line before darting back. A heartbeat later, Yuiha leapt with a sharp cry, her short sword flashing gold.

  —Back Rush!

  Her blade slashed behind the boss's knee, and she landed in a crouch, rolling back with improvised agility. A minor cut, but enough to make the monster stagger for an instant.

  HappyGoose seized the opening:

  —Piercing Barrage!

  Five consecutive thrusts hammered into Blitzen's torso, each marked by a burst of critical damage. The monster let out a roar that rang like a shattered bell.

  The third HP bar fell by 15%.

  —It's bleeding! —Goose shouted with a grin, though sweat was already pouring down his face.

  Blitzen reared up, then slammed down, unleashing a shockwave of black fire that forced everyone to retreat. Silver barely shielded himself, but his bar flashed into dangerous red. One-third HP left. And no healing.

  —Damn it... six minutes feels like an eternity... —he gasped.

  —Hold on, Silver! —Miwa rushed to cover his flank—. I swear we won't let you fall.

  Yuiha stepped up beside him, her breaths sharp but her gaze burning with unexpected resolve. Her golden eyes, wet with tears just minutes earlier, now blazed with contained fury.

  —You're not dying here. Not today.

  Silver swallowed hard. He wanted to answer, but there was no time. Blitzen lowered its head, the tips of its glowing antlers blazing brighter red—it was charging a skill.

  —Careful, skill incoming! —Goose shouted.

  The sky lit with a crimson glow as the reindeer lunged forward, cloaked in black flames:

  [Infernal Charge]

  Silver barely raised his shield before the impact hurled him several meters back. His body smashed through two thin trees before slamming into a thicker trunk. His HP plummeted into critical red.

  —SILVER! —Yuiha screamed.

  He staggered to his feet, breath ragged. Every muscle trembled, but he planted the shield into the ground for leverage, forcing himself upright.

  —Not... yet... —he whispered—. I'm the wall that does not break.

  HappyGoose and Miwa rushed in, unleashing a coordinated flurry of strikes. Yuiha glanced back at Silver and shouted:

  —Stay alive! We'll bring it down!

  Blitzen's roar rang out again, mingling with the clash of steel. The clearing swirled with dark fire and steam. Each breath felt like swallowing ash. The boss pressed on relentlessly, and the group barely clung to formation. Silver held with the Aegis, but each strike pushed him closer to the edge.

  The cooldown timer still burned on his HUD, a cruel reminder. Yet between charges, his SP bar flickered faintly. At least a reprieve—enough to trigger a Sword Skill.

  —Silver, watch out! —Yuiha cried.

  The reindeer, blinded by rage, swung toward her. Its flaming antlers swept down like a burning scythe. She raised her short sword in defense, her figure dwarfed by the beast.

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  For Silver, time froze. His body moved before thought.

  —Triangle Slash!

  His silhouette split into three streaks, carving perfect angles through the air. The first cut ripped across the monster's flank, the second burned a searing line into its chest, and the third struck straight at its throat. Each blow burst into red sparks scattering like embers in the dark.

  Blitzen let out a piercing cry, staggered back, and its last HP bar shattered into fragments of light. The screen flared with a system notification:

  [Blitzen, The Fallen, has been defeated. Reward granted.]

  But victory came with a price. In its death throes, the boss lunged one last time. A flaming antler slashed through the air and caught Silver in the side. The blow lifted him off the ground and hurled him across the ice.

  —SILVER! —Yuiha's scream broke the silence after the enemy's fall.

  His HP dropped at an alarming rate, blinking in critical red. Nearly at zero.

  Yuiha dropped to her knees beside him, trembling, pulling out a green potion. She poured it over him, but the liquid fizzled uselessly against his virtual skin. Miwa knelt on the other side, repeating the attempt with another potion. Nothing.

  —No... it's not working! —Yuiha's voice cracked.

  Silver weakly lifted a trembling hand, lips barely shaping words.

  —Stop... Don't waste... more...

  —Shut up! —Miwa shouted, tears of frustration in her eyes—. Don't you dare think we're letting you die here!

  Yuiha clenched her teeth, desperate. Her heart pounded like a drum as she poured another potion. Nothing. His HP kept falling, slow but inexorable.

  —Come on, damn game, work! —she begged, voice breaking.

  Silver gave a faint smile, the light in his eyes fading.

  And then—just as the life counter was about to hit absolute zero—the last potion flared emerald. The prohibition icon vanished from the HUD: the penalty had ended.

  Silver's HP surged, stabilizing in low yellow. A warm glow enveloped him.

  Yuiha froze, tears streaming down her cheeks, then released a sob of relief. She leaned close, pressing her forehead against his shoulder.

  —Don't ever do that to me again... you hear me?

  Miwa collapsed onto the ground, breathing hard, while HappyGoose arrived at the clearing panting, taking in the scene. Blitzen's pixelated body disintegrated into the air, its rusted chains vanishing with a fading rattle.

  The battle was over. But emotions still pulsed like an open wound.

  December 24, 2022. 19:42 – Town of Beginnings, Floor 1

  The group finally returned to town after a long rest in the forest. The fight hadn't been long, but it had drained them mentally, especially Silver. For the first time, he had felt death breathe down his neck—and it wasn't something he wanted to repeat soon.

  Miwa, with that knack she had for breaking down defenses, managed to bring out a side of Yuiha Silver had never seen. Relaxed. Smiling. Joyful. The golden gleam in her eyes sparkled with each laugh, and Silver could only silently thank the redhaired girl who made it possible.

  When they reached the plaza, Yuiha stepped ahead, turned with almost theatrical poise, and bowed lightly.

  —Thank you all so much for your help today. I need to go see Kain and the other children.

  —I'll come with you —Silver offered at once, stepping forward.

  But Yuiha shook her head softly, her refusal wrapped in tenderness.

  —Don't leave your friends alone. That would be rude.

  Silver stood speechless, caught between wanting to insist and knowing she was right. Miwa, as always, cut through the tension with an exasperated sigh.

  —Please, Yu-chan, don't leave this fool with me. I want to take advantage of my brother not being here to have some time alone with Goose.

  She said it with a mischievous grin and a playful wink. Silver blinked in disbelief, unsure if she meant it or was just pushing him along. But Goose... his face was priceless. Disbelief etched every line, afraid to speak and confirm he'd understood.

  Yuiha simply smiled in silence. With a graceful wave, she beckoned Silver to follow, and the two slipped down a cobbled street toward the cathedral.

  —Lucky you —Miwa said, flashing Goose a wide grin—. I'll let you treat me to dinner.

  HappyGoose didn't answer right away, still tangled in his own shock, but eventually followed Miwa toward one of the busiest inns on the floor, where Aincrad's best food was served.

  December 24, 2022. 22:03 – Town of Beginnings, Floor 1

  Miwa and HappyGoose made their way to the high overlook at the edge of town.

  At night, the place felt like another world. The circular platform bathed in pale artificial moonlight, casting long shadows over the metal railing. The air was cold and purer than in the streets below, steeped in that uneasy silence only a starry sky could bring.

  From there, the heavens stretched wide. The sky arched above the floor's dome, thick with impossible constellations, stars gleaming with hypnotic light. And leaning past the railing revealed something even more breathtaking: the world's edge dropped into an endless abyss, the same starry void stretching below as above.

  It was like being suspended between two skies—one overhead, one beneath. The Town of Beginnings shrank into a distant glow, swallowed by the vast emptiness. The wind rose from the abyss with a steady murmur, as though Aincrad itself breathed, reminding them this wasn't an open field but a floating castle hung in eternity.

  —The view here is beautiful. But I can't help remembering the people who jumped, thinking death would log them out... —Miwa broke the silence, eyes on the stars.

  —Logically, it was more likely just a rumor. I still doubt we truly die here. But I'm not about to test it.

  —Why do you think the developer made this?

  —So I could find you again —Goose replied with a gravity that caught her off guard.

  Miwa let out an incredulous laugh.

  —You're the only one who could turn this nightmare into something that cheesy.

  —I'm just telling the truth —he said without flinching.

  She studied him for a long moment, trying to decide if he was serious or playing with her. At last, she chose a mocking smile.

  —Find me again? What, are you going to say you knew me in your dreams? That we were destined? —her voice teased.

  —No. I mean it. I've known you for a long time... in the real world.

  Miwa's eyes widened. She searched her memory, but found no trace of the boy before her. Forcing a nervous smile, she said:

  —You're joking...

  But Goose didn't smile. His gaze carried solemn weight, like a secret too heavy, held too long, waiting for its moment.

  —I'm serious. I've been in love with you for a long time, Akane.

  Her real name cut through the air like a sharp blow. Miwa flinched, frozen by the intensity in his eyes. Instinctively, she stepped back two paces, her right hand resting on the hilt of one of the daggers always hidden beneath her cloak.