"Merida?"

Someone whispered the girl's name again. Ran this time. But now even the shards were vanishing, and all of Reaver's Requiem was frozen in horror.

Memories of the blue-haired player replayed in Drifter's mind. From their first meeting back on the 4th floor, to all the adventures they went through together. Floor boss battles, the deadly fight against the final boss of the << Elf War >> campaign.

He had known the broadsword-user for less than a year, but Merida had been a constant in his life for all that time. Another cheerful, happy-go-lucky little sister. In retrospect, she had been very quiet and subdued these last few days. Drifter should have noticed something was wrong.

"Wh-What happened?"

"Merida... She can't be... She can't..."

"We are in a safe zone! Why?!"

"No... Please no! Not again!"

"Merida!"

Even when watching << Kagachi the Samurai Lord >> tear apart the Assault Team, the Reavers hadn't been as shaken as they were now.

Fragile.

Drifter could see in their faces the same fear he was sure was reflected in his. The attempts to deny the truth, and the immediate realization that it was useless. There was only one reason why a player would shatter and disappear. And that was death.

Merida was dead.

Drifter could feel his heart beating painfully in his chest. Merida was dead. She was a frontliner, no monster or player could have one-shotted her without any of them noticing. Merida was dead. They were in a safe zone. Merida was dead. How had she died? Merida was dead. Why... Merida was dead.

Merida was dead Merida was dead Merida was deadMeridawasdeadmeridawasdeadmeridawasdead...

Why?!

Drifter dragged his gaze from the empty air in front of him and looked at his family. He saw Keita, Sachi, and the three new Reavers, shocked and confused. Kirito, wide-eyed and already grieving. Silica, holding onto Vallerk as if both would fall if the other wasn't there.

Ran and Yuuki... They were crying. But Drifter saw something in their faces. As if they weren't surprised. As if Merida's death hadn't been a shock, even if it was sudden. As if they had been expecting it, only not now.

Drifter looked at Yuna, whose eyes were beginning to water as she processed what happened. He touched her shoulder, and she turned to him, tears beginning to fall. His voice croaked with his own suppressed emotions.

"The Monument..."

That was all he managed to get out before he took off in a dead sprint. Drifter ran through the streets of Maclanta, dodging players and NPCs, until he reached the teleporter. Ignoring everyone shouting and complaining, he shoved people out of the way and pushed his way through to the head of the line.

"Town of Beginnings!"

A blue flash and three seconds of weightlessness later, and he was on the 1st floor. Drifter hadn't stopped running. His eyes were focused on something he couldn't see, and he didn't notice the person watching the teleporter from under the eaves of a building.

Drifter was a clearer and a frontliner. His level was the highest it could be in SAO, his stats were overwhelmingly higher than normal players, and his equipment was crafted by Aincrad's best blacksmith. He blitzed through the streets of the Town of Beginnings so fast that most of the low-level players barely saw a blur.

He arrived at the plaza that held the << Monument of Life >> and halted unconsciously. Even after being here a dozen times, the imposing black slate still took his breath away, and not in a good sense. All the crossed names were an invisible pressure crushing him.

But Drifter didn't have time to think about it now. He hesitated only for a moment, before running down the << Monument of Life's >> length until he found the name he was looking for. It was crossed.

Merida. June 12th. Forced disconnection.

"Haa... Haa... Merida..."

That had been his worst fear. More than some player finding out how to kill people inside a safe zone.

"We are damned."

Drifter knelt, starting to lose his cool. Merida had been forcefully disconnected. Someone outside had pulled the NerveGear off her head.

Those in the real world had given up on the SAO players. They were starting to pull the plug. Merida was the first. Who would be next?

"So that was why. I'm sorry, Drifter."

Someone walked up to him and softly put their hand on his shoulder. Drifter didn't even hear their steps. But he recognized the voice.

Getting up, Drifter took a deep breath and schooled his expression. He rubbed his eyes with his forearm. He wasn't crying - yet.

Turning around, the spearmaster beheld the black-clad figure of Akari. This was actually the first time he saw her during the day, but the clothes she wore and the way she held herself still left just as little clues as to her identity as when he saw her before. The bump in her chest gave away her gender - and yes, that was something Drifter hadn't yet confirmed about her, that was how secretive Akari was. Her dark eyes still stared straight through him.

"How are you here, Akari?"

Despite only having talked face-to-face twice, Drifter had a lot of respect for Akari, and some amount of wariness. Akari had been instrumental in allowing Drifter to kill Morte. On the other hand, she had helped him kill Morte. The cosplayer was on their side, no doubt, but she was someone Drifter couldn't fully read.

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But Akari wasn't role-playing today. And Drifter could see her emotions plain as day through her eyes.

"I have someone watching the teleporter of all major cities. They saw you rushing out of Maclanta and into the Town of Beginnings. Figuring out where you were going wasn't that hard. There's really no other place on the 1st floor that someone would come to in such panic."

The ninja was choosing her words carefully. Drifter appreciated that. Glancing at Merida's name on the << Monument of Life >>, the spearmaster sighed.

"Give me a second, Akari. I need to let everyone else know."

The woman nodded. Drifter swept a finger and opened his HUD.

[ Drifter: Merida's gone. Someone outside pulled the plug. ]

It took a while for Kirito to answer, although he saw the message almost immediately. Yuna must have let him know where Drifter was going. And when the swordsman replied, it wasn't what Drifter was expecting.

[ Kirito: Got it. And... Maybe not. Come to the 9th floor. Lyusula. ]

Drifter frowned. Reaver's Requiem had a history with Lyusula. It was a familiar place. As close to home as anywhere else they had in Aincrad. It made sense that Kirito had led the guild away from the 16th floor. They couldn't continue exploring today.

[ Kirito: Come quickly, Drifter. Bring Argo. Ran and Yuuki say they have something to tell us. But they are not in a good way. Not good at all. ]

[ Drifter: On my way. ]

Ran and Yuuki were twins, but Merida was like their third sibling. The broadsword-user herself had called them sisters many times. They had known each other for a long time out of Sword Art Online. Obviously, Merida's loss would affect them even more than the others.

[ Drifter: Merida is dead. We are meeting in Lyusula. ]

Argo wasn't someone to whom he needed to sugar-coat bad news. Quickly sketching the message and sending it, Drifter looked up again. Akari was still there. He gave her a sad smile.

"Thanks for coming here. It hit me harder than I expected."

"If it had been on the battlefield..."

"It is what it is, Akari. I have to go. The others... Hah. We just recruited some new people too."

The spearman started walking away, shoulders hunched. Drifter wasn't running anymore. He didn't have the energy. And truthfully, he didn't know how to face his friends. Especially Yuuki and Ran. Akari was right. If it had been in a floor boss raid or something like that, Merida's death wouldn't be so hard to accept. But the way she died was so... Pointless. Out of their control.

Just before rounding the corner, Drifter turned his head one last time. Akari was gone, but he was sure she was still around. She went with him to hunt Morte, she wasn't the type of person who would just leave like that after coming to comfort him. He spoke, believing she was listening.

"Keep in touch, Akari. I would hate to find out from..."

He looked at the stoic << Monument of Life >>. From the shadows, Akari nodded unseen.

...

He ran into Argo on Lyusula. The info-broker was waiting for him on a bench, clearly frazzled, and jumped up as soon as he walked out of the teleporter.

"Merida is dead? Where? How?"

Checking the location of Kirito and the others on his map, Drifter started walking at a brisk pace, Argo almost sprinting to keep up with her shorter legs.

"It was in Maclanta. She just died. I think... I might have heard a groan, and then Yuuki called out. I turned, and she was gone. I just came back from the Monument. She was disconnected."

Argo froze, her eyes wide. Drifter sighed, and pulled her into a one-armed hug.

"Come on, little rat. They are waiting."

"Yuuki-chan and Ran-chan..."

"Kirito said they are taking it hard. But also that they have something to tell us."

Argo allowed herself to be dragged, and Drifter was glad for her presence. It was easier for him to control his emotions if he had to care for someone.

"They are here?"

"Yeah... I guess they needed to relax."

Drifter and Argo stopped in front of the hot spring building the Reavers had gone to, what seemed like a lifetime ago. He was puzzled at first, but then realized this was better than moping around in their rooms and crying themselves to sleep - which was what most of them would do if they went to the inn.

They found Reaver's Requiem already submerged in the hot water. Unlike the last time they came here, the cheerful mood was nowhere to be found. Sorrow hung over their heads like a shroud.

Keita, Sachi, Sasamaru, Ducker, and Tetsuo were in one corner, unusually silent. From their faces it was clear that they were still feeling lost. Maybe this was the first time they saw someone die personally, and it was even someone they knew, even if they weren't close.

Agil, Wolv, and Shigio were together too, submerged up to their necks. The Merchant Warrior gave Drifter and Argo a tight nod when they entered. Vallerk and Liz were close by, with Kizmel sitting between them, Silica on her lap, the young girl's back resting on the dark elf's chest. Silica had her eyes closed, but Drifter could see she had been crying. She probably fell asleep from emotional exhaustion. Feredir was outside of the hot springs, but still within arm's reach of its master.

Kirito and Asuna were sitting together, the fencer leaning heavily on the swordsman's side. Both appeared to be deep in thought, and Drifter saw the worry in their eyes when they glanced at him. Argo went to join them after wrapping her body in a towel, and gave Asuna a gentle hug. She whispered something to the couple, and they nodded.

It were the last four Reavers that weighed the most in Drifter's mind as he slipped next to Yuna, pulling the Songstress close to him and planting a kiss on the top of her head.

Yuuki and Ran were right in front of him, but their eyes were unfocused. They didn't notice Drifter or Argo entering the water. It was only when Sinon and Nautilus, who were almost wrapping the two girls in a four-way hug, shook them that the sisters looked up and met Drifter's eyes.

He had nothing to say to them that they hadn't heard already. Merida's loss would hurt for a while. There was nothing any of them could do about it other than being here for each other.

"Kirito said... Merida's cause of death is a forced logout on the << Monument of Life >>, right?"

Ran's words came out in a coarse, pained murmur. Drifter nodded.

"Yes. Forced disconnection."

The purple-haired girl shook her head and straightened her back, still holding Nautilus' hand in a death grip.

"That's wrong. Merida died because she was sick. She should have told you sooner. We should have told you sooner."

Drifter's eyes widened. He didn't know if that was better or worse than thinking that someone pulled the NerveGear off their friend's head.

"Wh-What... What did she have?"

"A brain tumor."

Yuuki answered. Asuna, Yuna, and several others gasped in horror. Drifter closed his eyes. So that was why Merida was feeling down these past few days. She must have felt it coming. But even Ran and Yuuki hadn't noticed anything wrong until it was too late. The blue-haired girl must have made an effort to behave normally. She probably didn't want to spend her last days surrounded by pity.

That last thought connected to something else in Drifter's brain. Ran and Yuuki were sad Merida had passed away. Heartbroken, even. But they hadn't been surprised. Which was normal. They had been friends for many years, from what they said. They knew Merida was sick and that it was fatal. But what if...

"Ran. Yuuki. Was Merida the only one? Or are you two sick as well?"

More gasps. Drifter stared hard at the sisters, and saw that flash of unwillingness he knew too well.

"Brain tumors aren't contagious, Drifter."

Yuuki stuttered and Ran tried to play it off - badly. The fake smirk with trembling lips fooled no one, and Yuna's grip on his arm was almost painful now. Silica, Asuna, and Nautilus blinked away tears. The rest were just stunned.

"Yuuki-chan... Ran-chan..."

Argo wadded through the water to grab the twins into a bone-crushing hug. Ran held her at arm's length. She was smiling now, but there was no mirth in her eyes.

"Like I said, we should have told you. We were just afraid of what you would say. And there was really nothing anyone could do."

She shook her head. Yuuki reached over to hold her sister's hand.

"Yes, Drifter. We are sick, both of us. We have AIDS."

Silence. It didn't sound quite as lethal as Merida's brain tumor, but from the way Ran spoke, it was clear it was just as terminal.

Drifter covered his eyes with his hand, and sighed. Today was just not a good day.