Why was Eugeo in Cross Edge? So the rumors about reuniting with the dead were true. Of course I hadn't believed it, but standing before my eyes was, without a doubt, Eugeo. And he was smiling at me, just like he used to.

"Oh, Kirito. Way to be overdramatic."

"Y-Yeah...sorry."

　

Even the way he talked was exactly like the Eugeo in my memory. I looked down so he wouldn't see the tears in my eyes.

"Anyway, we have to carry Layla to someplace calmer."

"Yes, indeed. We must determine why she attacked us."

Asuna and Alice's voices finally reminded me of what we were originally doing there. Seeing Eugeo again had tossed everything else out of my head, but Layla attacking us had been more than enough of a shock.

"So we have to carry her? I'll help."

"Thanks, Eugeo."

As we carried Layla back to town, I marveled over how long it had been since we had a casual conversation like this.

We moved Layla to a mostly-deserted plaza on the outskirts of town, and lay her down to rest. Luckily, Layla woke after not too long. We were concerned she might attack us again, but she showed no such inclination.

"...Where are we?"

"In a plaza outside of town. Don't worry. We're safe here."

"Oh..."

Layla's gaze sank downward as she clenched her fists.

"You...spared me? But I attacked you all."

"Well, none of us were mortally wounded. And I'm sure you had a good reason, right?"

I tried to make my tone as casual as possible. Hearing that, Layla raised her head and stared intently into my eyes. Then she burst out laughing.

"Wow, Kirito. You're the biggest people-pleaser ever."

"Yeah. He just might be the biggest people-pleaser in the world."

"That's rich, coming from you, Eugeo."

Alice and Asuna both laughed at that. Layla gave Eugeo a curious look-over.

"Layla, this is Eugeo. He's my partner."

"Eugeo..."

After scrutinizing a bit longer, Layla finally spoke as if to reassure herself:

"Oh...it's nothing."

It was a barely audible whisper.

"Well, then, let's hear your side of the story. Why did you attack us, Layla?"

"...Remember how I mentioned I have a little brother?"

"Yeah, he designed Cross Edge on his own, right?"

"Goodness! He built this world all by himself?"

Alice exclaimed in surprise. Layla's gaze softened.

"My brother...Sora...he wanted to explore the full potential of VR. So he thought up a new system."

"The full potential of VR?"

Layla answered Asuna's quiet question by pointing at herself.

"I'm sure you know this, Kirito, but in full-dive VR games, the VR experience is made from data sent and received in your brain."

"Yeah, I know that..."

The "full-dive" experience was made possible by connecting the system directly to the brain. It let you experience not only sight and sound, but taste, smell, and touch in VR.

"It means it's possible to retrieve memory data from the brain during that transfer."

"As in, retrieve...memories?"

Like...my memories?

My eyes darted to Eugeo. He had a gentle smile on his like always.

"So, that rumor about meeting ghosts..."

Asuna's voice trembled a little.

"Exactly. In VR, you can reconnect with beloved people and pets you've lost. That was Sora's vision...the Reminiscence System."

Layla's cold, quiet voice, echoed like thunder in my ears.

Experiments had been conducted in the past using AI and AR to recreate the deceased. How true-to-life a replication could be achieved hinged on the vast amounts of data on the deceased it demanded. If they could utilize full-dive technology...to extract data from our memories...they could make far more precise replicas than ever before

"Me and my little brother lost our parents at a very young age... The only family we had was our dog, who was with us as long as we could remember. We lost our dog, too, though. That's why Sora made this game, so we could see our dog again."

"Oh, wow..."

Wanting to see a lost loved one again...I was painfully aware of how that felt.

"As he neared completion, a company took notice and made us the offer to try it out on a bigger server. This helped us release Cross Edge at the big scale it is now. But when Epsilon bought out that company...everything changed."

Layla's voice was filled with rage. Epsilon... That was the company that ran Cross Edge at present. We had looked into them a little before logging in, and they were broadly involved in VR productions.

"Cross Edge's admins are overseen by Erikawa, the president of the Japanese branch of Epsilon. He kept ordering Sora to read memories more accurately. Then one day, Erikawa called Sora to his office...and something happened."

"What do you mean by...something?"

Alice's question was answered with a shake of Layla's head.

"I don't know. I just got a message that Sora was in the hospital, and when I got there...he was in a coma. His brainwaves were normal, but they didn't know if he would ever wake up..."

"His brainwaves were normal?　Isn't that just like SAO...?!"

Asuna looked at me in shock. I was thinking the same thing.

"Do you think Sora is trapped in the game?"

"Yeah. Sora plays Cross Edge under the player name 'Michael.' When I looked it up, there was a record of him logging into Cross Edge during his meeting with Erikawa. And he's never logged out... Sora's consciousness is trapped in the game—it's the only logical explanation!"

"So that's why you suspected us..."

"That's right. You were trapped in SAO, but you got free. So you must know the way out... That's what that man told me."

"That man?　Who are you talking about?"

For a moment, I thought he might be with the Laughing Coffin...but before I could ask, Layla started to cry.

"Kirito...Please...please save my brother... Save Sora..."

We spent the rest of that day comforting and calming Layla, and decided to ask her for more details later. I was still personally shaken up by my reunion with Eugeo, and I wanted to have enough time to recover and question Layla with a cool head. Eugeo and I parted ways with a casual "See ya later," but there was no telling what kind of being "Eugeo" was in Cross Edge.

The next day, we met with Agil at Dicey Cafe and had him contact his friend who had been looking for a deceased lover. We also asked Yui to run a search on Cross Edge. There was a possibility that they were tampering with the AmuSphere's safety functions to gain access to people's brains and extract memories. We couldn't let this be another SAO. Never again.

"Hey there."

Asuna, Alice, and I logged into Cross Edge together. Layla was already in the lobby when we arrived. She seemed tired, but she was clearly calmer than the other day.

"Hey. Sorry I lost it the last time I saw you."

"Don't sweat it."

"That's right. We're all friends."

Asuna's reassuring words made Layla's face go blank for a moment. This version of her looked much more youthful than the stressed, terrified girl we had come to know. Actually, this was probably the real Layla.

"O-Oh. Friends...huh."

Layla smiled shyly. It was contagious.

"By the way, Kirito. Is Eugeo here again today?"

"I'm here, Alice."

Eugeo spoke up from behind us. It was as if Alice's question had triggered his arrival. When Layla saw Eugeo do this, a look of realization dawned on her face.

"...Today, I'd like to tell you what I couldn't last time. Specifically, about the MRS."

"The MRS?"

"Its official name is the Memory Reading System. "That was Sora's vision...the Reminiscence System."

It could read your memories and regenerate them. That a middle-schooler could conceive of and develop such a thing still shocked me.

"My brother theorized that you could utilize the systems of a Full-Dive MMO that influence signals directly in the brain to access a person's memories. The Memory Reminiscence System was built on that theory. That's how we recreate memories in Cross Edge. Only my brother and Epsilon's technicians know the details of its nature."

"I see..."

It reminded me of the research at Shigemura Lab, the developers of Augma... They had collected data from the gamers to reproduce certain gamers...rather, they tried to recreate them.

"So that's how they regenerated avatars and fields from other games in such high fidelity."

Asuna sounded surprised, but Layla shook her head warily.

"That was a side effect of the Reminiscence System after Epsilon got their hands on it. As far as the public was concerned, it was facilitated through data sharing via The Seed...but Cross Edge's current incarnation greatly surpassed the boundaries of the Reminiscence System we envisioned. The way things are now, you wind up seeing people who are still alive, without their consent. That wasn't Sora's vision for Cross Edge..."

Layla's voice was filled with a mixture of sadness and resentment. It was clear just how deeply she cared about the game her brother built.

But because of Epsilon's meddling, I got to see Eugeo again. No matter what the circumstances, I was of course happy to see him.

"You know, it's not all bad. Thanks to your brother's MRS, we can in fact be reunited with loved ones."

It was a hollow consolation, but Layla must have sensed the sincerity in my voice. She smiled softly and thanked me.

"Well, about that MRS...Epsilon's plan was to fuse Sora's system with a different system of their own. But Sora was not on board with the idea."

Layla saying this prompted me to finally ask the question that had been bugging me since yesterday:

"By the way, why did Epsilon take over operation of the game?"

"One day, the CEO of the former company, Mashiba...asked to speak with my brother. Due to financial issues, he wanted to delegate everything to Epsilon. Sora was left completely in the dark."

"Wow...so they just did it out of nowhere, without getting the dev's permission."

"And the CEO of Mashiba was...how should I put it...he was acting strange. He's usually calm and cool, but that day, he was oddly pushy and intense. He wouldn't listen to our side. He said the decision was already made."

"Yeahhh...that's a pretty weird story. Did you guys have a good relationship with Mashiba up to that point?"

"Yeah, we had no major issues. We trusted them... Looking back on it now, the CEO's sudden change was odd."

Just maybe...Sora's disappearance and the CEO's change of personality might be related.

"Is that why he asked to speak with Sora?"

Layla nodded at Asuna.

"Sora went to that meeting to turn down the offer. But then he logged in to Cross Edge, and never logged out. If only I'd been with him..."

"You are not at fault, Layla."

Alice lay a gentle hand on Layla's shoulder. Layla wiped her wet eyes and smiled at Alice.

"According to Epsilon, Sora disappeared while logged in during the meeting. So I've been searching all over the game...but I can't find him. Then a hooded man approached me. He said he'd tell me how to save my brother."

"A hooded man..."

"He told me you would know how to save my brother, since you're an SAO survivor."

"So that's what happened."

It wasn't certain that he was with Laughing Coffin, but the hood made me connect him with PoH. It also concerned me that he knew I had logged in to Cross Edge.

"There is one matter that piqued my curiosity. Layla, did you put up missing person pictures of your brother?"

"No, I didn't. There might be foul play, so I haven't told people about Sora..."

"Then I wonder—how did that man know about your brother?"

"Huh?!"

Layla looked at Alice with a start.

"That's a good point... I was so laser-focused on finding Sora that I didn't even consider that... And in my desperation, I accused you all..."

"I don't blame you. It just shows how worried you are about your brother. If somebody I loved were in trouble, I probably would have acted the same way."

Asuna consoled Layla when she tried to apologize. Alice nodded in agreement and added more:

"From everything you've told us, Layla, Epsilon is somehow involved with Sora's disappearance. And the hooded man knows about his disappearance because..."

"Because of Epsilon—he must work for them. Yeah. The hooded man might be with the admins," I agreed.

"So does this mean the admins are after you, Kirito?　Will you be okay...?"

Asuna looked at me with concern.

"Don't worry. I'll be extra careful. You all need to stay sharp, too."

They disappeared Layla's brother, and now they were after me. We didn't know our enemy's intentions, but one thing was clear: They were dangerous. And one other thing stuck in my mind...what was this other system of Epsilon's that Layla mentioned? Nothing made any sense, but there was no harm in being cautious. We wrapped up our chat with Layla, with the plan being to help her look for Sora while finding out everything we could about Cross Edge's admins.

"By the way, Kirito, I only jumped in halfway through the conversation, so I'm unclear on some things...but this girl is looking for her brother, right?"

When there was a lull in the conversation, Eugeo finally broke his silence.

"Yeah. His name is Sora. It's very likely he is somewhere in this world."

"Then I'll help, too. If my brother were missing, I'd be worried sick"

"Thanks, Eugeo," I said.

Eugeo was still one of the kindest people I knew. As I looked at him, he blushed and averted his eyes.

"What's wrong, Kirito? You keep staring at me."

"Uh, it's nothing. Sorry. Just thinking it's wild that you haven't changed after all this time."

"Come on, Kirito...you're being weird. It makes me worry that your sword skills have dulled."

"No worries there. Wanna duel me to find out?"

"As you wish, Kirito."

Alice watched with a tender smile as we teased each other. I assumed Alice would also be on board for a duel, but that didn't seem to be the case.

"Okay. Let's find a good spot!"

I took Eugeo with me out of the lobby. We headed for a dueling area in town. Cross Edge was focused primarily on PvP, so it contained many areas like this.

And it need not be mentioned that Asuna, Alice, and Layla came with us. Eugeo and I were always a pair, so it felt a little surreal having my other friends with us.

"It's okay if we don't use practice swords, right?"

"Of course. I feel more at home with this sword anyway."

Eugeo drew his Blue Rose Sword. It shone with the same glimmer as back in Underworld.

"That's what I'm talking about. Okay, let's rumble."

"Ready when you are."

We squared off in the dueling area and readied our swords. There was no judge to give the signal to fight. But as the tension rose around us, our breathing synced.

"Raaah!"

"Hah!"

In perfect unison, we slashed from the upper-right repeatedly. Our blades clashed violently, each deflecting the other. I thrust again, this time head-on, but Eugeo's sword stopped my attack. When I aimed for his throat, he parried with the base of his sword. I swooped in from the side when he lost his balance. But Eugeo backstepped out of my attack's range.

"Looks like your skills haven't dulled after all, Kirito."

"Right back at you."

After a brief exchange of words, we whirled our blades to action with a shout.

Our swords met too many times to count. Neither of us was able to land a solid hit. But he was starting to gain the edge.

He'd gotten stronger.

Eugeo and I had not fought in earnest like this very often. Still, my muscles remembered the precision and weight of Eugeo's moves. But in this Eugeo, I sensed a strength that surpassed that of his former self. It wasn't like anything had changed dramatically in him. But I could sense his attack precision, power, and movements had leveled up.

The odds weren't in my favor in an extended battle.

Eugeo's intense attacks were beginning to wear down my confidence. If the fight lasted much longer, I'd catch a fatal blow sooner or later. So I gritted my teeth and aimed for a quick, decisive victory.

"Yahhh!"

Eugeo heavily rained blows down on me. I blocked them and braced myself for a fierce battle. Our swords ground together, a scraping sound filling the air around us. I dug my heels into the ground and poured all my strength into my sword to deflect him...and Eugeo pushed back. I pulled my sword away and put some distance between us.

"You're a master, Eugeo."

"So are you, Kirito."

"But I'm winning this fight!"

Before Eugeo could close the gap between us, I drew my other sword with my left hand. It was the dual-wielding skill. Eugeo never saw it in Underworld. That might be enough to beat him.

"A sword in both hands?!"

As Eugeo cried out in surprise, I lowered my head and charged. Eugeo quickly took a defensive stance, but I let both swords fly.

"Raaah!"

"Ungh! So fast...!"

My chain of attacks broke Eugeo's form, and he wobbled. My lefthand sword found its opening then.

"Oof!"

Just when my righthand sword swooped in to attack, Eugeo raised his hands.

"I yield. You win, Kirito."

While I was left gasping for breath, Eugeo seemed like he still had plenty left in the tank.

"I'll never be as good as you, Kirito."

"No, no, that last attack of yours almost got me. If I'd fought with only one sword like I did at the Academy, I'd have lost."

"But I'm surprised. I didn't know Aincrad Style had a dual-wielding form."

"Yeah...I just never had the chance to show you before."

I meant what I said. Without the dual-wielding skill, I would have lost to Eugeo. What's more, Eugeo's ignorance of the skill's existence worked in my favor. There's no telling how our next fight would end.

"Good job, both of you. That was a great match."

"Yes, it was well-fought."

"You guys are both really good."

Asuna, Alice, and Layla offered words of encouragement.

"Alice, you've fought Eugeo too, right?" Asuna asked.

"We have crossed swords many times, yes. However, we fought on the same side on the top floor of the Cathedral. The strength Eugeo displayed then remains vivid in my memory to this day."

Alice's memory...

That memory might very well be the source of Eugeo's strength. According to Layla, the Eugeo that existed in Cross Edge was created from our memories of him. I had always thought that Eugeo would eventually surpass me as a swordsman, had he lived longer. And Alice had witnessed Eugeo at his peak at the Cathedral. Those thoughts combined may have given him powers that surpassed his former self.

"What is it, Kirito? Why are you grinning?"

"Uh, was I grinning?"

"You were."

Huh...I guess the idea of Eugeo being strong makes me happy.

"Okaaay! I'm winning the next fight, too, ya know!"

"Not if I win it first. Next the match will be mine for sure."

"You two really are quite chummy."

Alice murmured, a pleased smirk on her face. Asuna watched the whole scene with a soft smile.

After we logged out of Cross Edge, we headed for Dicey Cafe. Agil told us he wanted to share the intel he'd gathered. Yui had also said she wanted to talk, so we decided to combine the meetings.

"He's in the hospital? The friend of yours who's looking for his deceased lover?"

"Yeah, it's a psychological issue. He's not allowed to have visitors."

"Wow, I'm sorry to hear that... Do you know if he found his lover?"

"Nope. Not a clue."

"Oh..."

I really wanted to know why that gamer was hospitalized. Because we had actually met with Eugeo, after all...

"And that's not all the concerning info I learned. Before management shifted over to Epsilon, they ran a beta test of the new system. It was apparently a disaster. It ended immediately, and not many gamers participated," Agil said.

"How was it a disaster?" I asked.

"When attacked by enemies, the players experienced a pain so intense they couldn't believe it was just a game. Some of them even fell unconscious and logged out due to the pain."

"Intense pain...which must mean the Pain Absorber."

So this was the information Layla was looking for.

"The shock from the pain was so intense that it negatively impacted their real lives. Though the doctors say there's nothing wrong with them," Agil added.

"But why would they do such a thing...?"

With pain that bad, their game would be a failure. They wouldn't need to run a beta test to find that out.

"May I go now, Daddy?"

"Oh yeah, please do, Yui."

"As for the AmuSphere anomalies, I couldn't find any recent reports aside from the normal issues."

"Okay... So if there's something wrong, it has to be on the software end."

"Also, and this might be related to what Agil just said...but when I was looking into those negatively impacted by the AmuSphere, I found several reports of adverse physiological reactions from Cross Edge. Over twenty gamers were afflicted over the same time period."

"Is this 'same time period' what I think it is...?"

"Yes, when I heard Agil's news, I cross-referenced...and it coincides with the beta test. Every victim experienced intense pain, and four of them needed to be hospitalized."

"Wow, that's a lot..."

Agil shook his head in shock. He must be worried. Some of his regulars at the cafe were Cross Edge players.

"Kirito, I know I was the one who originally brought this up, but...we can always just back off. Judging by Yui's news, this sounds pretty dangerous."

"You're right. But we still haven't ID'd the hooded man either. And most importantly, Layla's brother is in danger. I want to keep digging a bit further."

"Then I will help you, Daddy."

"Thanks, Yui."

"Okay, fine... I'll gather as much intel as I can, too. Just be careful out there," Agil warned me.

"I will. Thanks for the help, Agil."

I decided to try talking about the Pain Absorber with Layla tomorrow.