Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The morning of the game's launch, Allen was watching the live stream that was currently airing - an interview with the creator of the game - and listening intently. Nearby sat the headgear he'd soon be putting on, and he gave it a glance. Elswrath was supposed to be magnificent, and totally immersive. Biting his lip, he shut down his desktop and went to his bed, where his nervegear sat. He grabbed it and put it on, leaning back into his bed. The headpiece activated, with a simple beep. The world around him melted, as a white screen greeted him. 

HELLO ADVENTURER: 

PLEASE WAIT AS THE GAME LOADS...

The screen darkened until he saw his character begin to load. He spent a long time on the character creation screen, trying to perfect his character, but after a while he shrugged it off. He'd probably end up changing it anyway, as he exited the screen.

Then he was loaded into a large town where people were bustling around, talking adamantly and fighting each other. Allen smiled slightly. It had been a worthwhile purchase, he was definitely going to be obsessed with this game. He ventured through the city, before reaching the gates. An NPC stopped him, looking confused. "Excuse me sir," they asked, "May I ask what kind of player you are?" 

A number of options popped up in front of him. 

PLEASE CHOOSE A CLASS:

 (this determines only your stats. It can be changed later on.)

WARRIOR: high strength stats, uses swords and shields, hammers, and other high damage weapons.

BLADE MASTER: high dexterity stats, a player of this type can use an assortment of swords.

NINJA: this player has stealth skills that can make them undetectable. Can use a katana and other Japanese style weapons.

MAGE: magic stats, this type of player uses a magic staff.

RANGER: great agility. The main weapon is a bow.

Allen chose the blade master class without much hesitation, figuring it sounded the coolest. The NPC immediately handed him an assortment of swords. A regular sword, that he equipped and it appeared on his hip. A rapier sword, that he could surprisingly also equip. There were also throwing knifes and daggers, that were strapped to his arms and thighs. Only after listening to the villager drone on about his class did he get to leave. 

"Oh? You're a blade master? That means you have high stats in speed and dexterity! You're very flexible unlike the warrior, good luck on your adventures!" The NPC said, before moving aside so he could walk out of the gates.

Allen explored the sprawling fields surrounding him. Trotting through the grass and past the trees were many boars, and chasing after those harmless boars was a boy with fiery red hair. The man's hair was pulled back into a bun, and he was having trouble even catching up to the creature. 

Allen smiled, exhilarated to even be a part of this experience. He took a short run over to the man's aid, cutting off the boar's escape route. He drew his sword fluidly and the weapon glowed, before a Sword Skill was activated and he easily killed the animal. A small pop up window came into existence. 

Mob defeated!

Exp: 24

Coins: 20 

He closed the smaller screen and gave the redhead a smile. "Sorry," he said, scratching the back of his head, "I stole your kill," The redhead was staring at him in awe. Allen nervously shuffled his feet. 

"That was so fucking cool!" the man said, "Can you show me how you did it?" He asked, his hands pressed together. Allen gave a slight nod. 

"Sure no problem," He replied, his grip on his sword tightening. "What class did you pick?" 

"Warrior," 

"Okay," Allen began, launching into an easy explanation. "There are certain Skills that each weapon in the game possesses. For swords they're called Sword Skills, it's easier if you just think of them as power moves. They're automatic moves, and they help you lock onto your target too," He took note of the man's hammer in his hands. "For example, Hammer Skills are activated during an attack, you'll feel it building up, and you should instinctively know when to strike," 

"Wha..?" Lavi mumbled, as this short boy with light brown hair explained the concept. 

"Let me show you," Allen replied, going to the nearest boar. "Basically what you want to do is, go up to your target and get ready to strike," 

He lunged forward, and his sword began glowing again. Once it did, Allen swung his sword, his body following the move naturally. 

"So basically when my sword starts glowing I should hit it?" Lavi wondered aloud. 

"I mean yeah, but you wont always use your Weapon Skill when you get better at the game," Allen told him, "So I wouldn't make a habit of relying on that," 

"Oh thanks..." Lavi began, before stopping short. 

"Allen," he provided, before waiting for the man's response. 

"Lavi," 

"Nice to meet you, Lavi," Allen told him with a warm smile. 

"Nice to meet you too, shortstack," Lavi said with a shit-eating grin. Allen gave him a glare with no malice behind it. 

"I'm not that short," He stated, crossing his arms. "Anyway I should get going, I've gotta make my dinner," 

"Oh shit I ordered pizza and completely forgot!" Lavi exclaimed, quickly pulling up the main menu of the game. After a few seconds he shot Allen a concerned look. "The logout button is gone," 

"What? It can't be," Allen said as he too drew up the menu. It was sure as fucking rain, gone. "What the hell?!" 

"DUDE," Lavi exclaimed. "I'm going to miss my fucking pizza!"

"Who cares about the pizza if we can't log out," Allen said blatantly. "The game masters should be making an announcement by now, there's no way we're the only one's who's experiencing this," 

"R-really?" Lavi mumbled, his eyes brimming with concern and alarm. Just then, as the two of them stared at each other, a bell sounded throughout the land. Allen opened his mouth to voice his concern, but before any words made their way out of his mouth the two of them were teleported to a town square. 

Allen scanned his surroundings, surprised to see that almost everyone from the game was probably here. In the sky above them was a single, red flashing message. Quickly, the message multiplied at an alarming rate, a red substance looking suspiciously like blood oozed from the messages. The blood like liquid gathered in the sky, forming a huge cloaked figure. 

"Attention players, I welcome you to my world. My name is Akihiko Kayaba, and as of this moment I am in control of this world. I'm sure most of you have noticed an item missing from your main menu's. Your logout button. This is not a bug. I repeat, this is not a bug. This is how Elsewrath was designed to be,"

"You cannot log out of the game, nor can you're families take your nervegear off to end the game. Any attempt to do so will result in your death, the nervegear transmitter will send microwaves into your skull and fry your brain," 

The crowd erupted into cries and shouts of outrage. "H-he's lying, right Allen?" Lavi said. Allen could only shake his head. 

No this man was completely serious. "If the safety is disabled it certainly could kill you," Allen told him, "And there's no way to shut down the nervegear. It's powered by an internal battery," 

"That's crazy as fuck!" Lavi yelled, yanking at his hair desperation. 

"Despite my warning," Akihiko continued, "Families have already tried to do so, and it has resulted in two hundred and thirteen deaths, they've been deleted from the game and real life," He sighed, "But, luckily, the news has covered this already, and the likelihood of that happening in minimal at best. Hopefully that helps as you attempt to clear Elswrath," 

"Clear it?" Lavi wondered aloud. 

"Please remember the following," Akihiko said, "There are one hundred and three levels to Elsewrath. To clear each level you must defeat the boss of that floor, and to do so you must have Innocence. What is Innocence, you ask? Innocence is a magical substance scattered around the games world. Currently on this floor there are five pieces of Innocence. All in all, the game only has one hundred and three pieces, and you must be an Accommodator. Not every player can use this substance - you must be in sync with the piece," 

"To sync with a piece you must be a certain type of person, a fighter - willing to risk your life to get out - and you must be lucky enough for the Innocence to choose you," he explained, "Me and the staff went through every single person who purchased the game and hand-picked our Exorcists. Luck to you all. Before I go, I have placed an item in everyone's inventory,"

And with that, Akihiko Kayaba left as everyone scrambled to go into their inventory. 

Items:

-Mirror

"Mirror?" Lavi said aloud as the two of them took it out and stared at it. After a few seconds they realized what that meant. All around them people began to glow, and their appearances changed. When the light engulfed him Allen he gulped apprehensively. 

Looking in the mirror again he cringed. His hair was it's natural white, his eyes silver, and his skin pale. Marring his eye and cheek was a scar, and ugly red against his white skin. He couldn't bare to look at his arm, but did so anyway. He was deformed and red. Disgusting. 

"W-who are you?!" Lavi exclaimed, as Allen turned toward him. In shock, Allen could only gape. Lavi didn't look all that different, but his hair was considerably shorter. He had a bandanna equipped now, as well as an eye patch. He was way younger than Allen previously thought. 

"A-allen," He explained, "this is what I really look like," 

"Whoa, you're even shorter than a few seconds ago!" Lavi remarked, "Is it rude to ask why  you look the way you do?"

"First of all I am not short," Allen snapped, before crossing his arms and shuffling awkwardly. His eyes glanced every which way his cheeks flaming. "And yes that's a rude question,"

"Awww, but I wanna know!" Lavi whined, draping himself dramatically all over Allen who blushed even more. 

"M-maybe one day, but who cares about that! We could die in this stupid ass game!" Allen exclaimed, pushing Lavi away, but the boy was persistent. It made Allen nearly laugh. 

Suddenly adopting an air of seriousness, Lavi straightened. "Yeah, about that...do you want to team up? I feel like if we went together we'd make a pretty bad ass team," 

Allen gave him a concerned look. Should he take him up on his offer or go at it alone? He smiled. "Of course!" He told him, "But..." 

"But?" Lavi pushed. Allen swallowed thickly. 

"I don't want to make a mistake and get you killed," Allen explained, "If we weren't level one I would've said yes, we're both really new to this," 

"O-oh, that's fine," Lavi said, before cheering himself up, "Just add me, just in case you change your mind!" 

Allen nodded before sending a quick friend request his way. "Well, I should be off," He told Lavi, "See you around, Lavi," 

"See ya pipsqueak!" Lavi yelled after him as Allen took off. From what little he played in the Beta Testing, he knew that The Town of Beginnings would be cleared of all it's mobs by the end of tomorrow. If he headed to the nearest village, to farm EXP and collect some coin before everyone else got there. He was quick to begin his journey, winding his way through the medieval town, dodging a carriage or two on his way out. 

He passed the field where he met Lavi and continued onward. With nothing but the clothes on his back, he marched onward alone. 

Chapter Text

After walking what felt like miles, Allen ended up at the next town, where only a select few people were walking around. The rest of "people" were NPC's selling many different items at their stalls. Allen ignored them for now, not having any coin to speak of, therefore unable to buy anything at all. That would soon change though, as he cut in to the nearest patch of woods. From the Beta Testing he knew that there were beautiful Faeries in this forest in a secluded - almost impossible to find - spot. 

But on the forums after the Beta, no one had ever talked about it. It was weird, but he couldn't bring himself to care. If he was the only one who found it, then that was good by him. 

He neared that spot, killing a few animals as he went. They'd be worth good coin if he sold them. He continued, walking past gnarled roots and trees that grew close together. He finally came across a waterfall. Allen walked through it, and on the other side resided a village of Faeries. From there he could start a Quest Line that would give him a mysterious item. 

If he was lucky, it could possibly be Innocence. He walked up to a lady adorned in white silk. The lady was extremely exposed, her outfit only covering what needed to be covered while the rest of the silk draped down her body. Allen paid her appearance no mind as he knelt to her. On the top right of his vision said the lady's name. Queen of the Fae. 

She gave him a regal smile, her back ramrod straight and her white hair cascading down her exposed back. "Dear child, do you seek a quest?" She asked, initiating a Quest. He gave her a curt nod. 

"Thank you," She breathed, her voice melodic and graceful. "I need you to gather an ancient stone tablet from a cave nearby, it should be a simple task. You'll be rewarded greatly in experience points and I'll give you beautiful elven armor," 

"I'll be back with the tablet," He told her with a dazzling smile, leaving the village to head to his objective. He weaved his way through the trees, going into town to sell his catches from earlier before heading a little ways away. On the opposite side of town there was a cave visible, and he smiled at the ease of this Quest. 

He took a short walk to the cave, passing a very disgruntled teenager around his age on the way. He entered the dark cave, rummaging around in the darkness before going deeper inside. He walked for a while, almost getting bored before coming across a huge open chamber within the cave. Fire erupted from each torch, giving the place light as he stepped into a city of ruins. 

He gawked at it, all underground was a entire city, crawling with who knows what. Allen drew his sword cautiously, venturing into each and every rundown building. he searched, finding ancient texts and coins. He took as much as he could carry, but he couldn't read the books. They were in Elven, and he couldn't read any of it. He'd probably sell them then. 

Allen continued on, killing the occasional man-eating spider. He leveled up twice before he came across the tablet. With the Quest Item in hand he went back to the Faerie Village. He was greeted graciously by their Queen. "Thank you, dear traveler," She bowed slightly to him, as a white screen popped up. 

Quest Completed!

Items: 

4,000 EXP. 

1 set of Elven Armor (Legendary)

5,000 gold. 

He accepted his rewards with a swelling heart, his coin count now nearly past six thousand. It felt like a lot, but he knew that gear and weapons got pretty expensive really fast in Elswrath. Allen also leveled up a few more times before going to look at his new armor. He went into his inventory and equipped the armor. It was a cloak and iron breast plate for now. 

"You can go to a blacksmith and level up your armor," the Queen told him, "Upon leveling up your armor, it will change in appearance until you can no longer level it up," 

She then took her seat again, her chin resting in her hand. "I have another thing to ask of you," She told him, "I need you to defeat a monster by the name of Black Spirit, he has threatened me and my kingdom for too long. But alas, you are not strong enough, young one. Come back when you have defeated this floor's boss," 

He stared at her in confusion, before being beckoned away by one of her servants. How could they defeat the first floor boss if there was a risk of dying because of it? No one had even found it yet. 

"Good luck," She said with a wave as he turned away. 

 It was a whole month before they even found the boss, and he wasn't ready for the prospect of facing the first boss with only around forty people. Everyone was still at considerably low levels, and a pit of anxiety curled in his gut. 

This boss fight was probably not going to end well, as he took in all their noobish gear and excitement, not that he could brag. He was only a little higher level than them. The group of forty or more held a meeting mere hours before they faced the boss. According the updated version of the Guide Book the first boss was called Illfang the Kobold Lord. 

He sat on the stone steps, looking at the man with blue hair who was directing them. "So, for this to work, you'll need to split into parties of six," The man explained. Allen gave an annoyed sigh. Beside him, a teen wearing a black cloak gave a similar sigh. Though he sounded considerably more annoyed than Allen was. 

Allen wanted to ask him to party up with him, but his intense blue eyes warned him not to. Fine. He could do it solo, or just sit back and watch. He leaned against the stone, listening to the man with blue hair drone on about the boss. All that mattered was the Boss's attack sequence in all honesty. If you knew the attack pattern and could avoid it, the fight would be easy. 

At least he hoped, as everyone began to prepare. In a few minutes after their impromptu leader was done explaining, they began to divide into teams. The rest of the group discussed strategy while Allen and his strange companion watched. 

"Alright, then let's get going," The man announced, "Teams A, and B will be our tank parties. Parties C, D, and E will be our high movement assault parties. F and G groups will be our long weapon support parties. You two," He mumbled, pointing at Allen and the cloaked stranger, "Will be an extra support party, supporting group E,"

The stranger clicked his tongue, and Allen cast him a quick glance. "Move out! All of you!" the man said, "We're going now!" 

Allen stood, and the stranger beside him did too as the group began to head to the boss's location. The two of them trailed behind, not knowing anyone around them. Still though, they didn't talk, even when they were forced into a party with each other. 

The teen beside him didn't talk much as they moved forward, finally reaching the tower where the boss was supposed to be. The same man from before stood in front of the stone door, where the boss was. "Let's kick this boss's ass!" He shouted, before throwing the door open. The chamber was quiet and dark as the duo walked in last. The second they all were inside, the door slammed shut behind them and the room lit up. 

The boss stood from it's throne, his red eyes shining. The two tank groups assaulted the boss, while Allen and his partner took down the weaker minions. Looking at the corner of his vision, he could see that his partner's username was Kanda. Allen dispatched another minion easily, Kanda occasionally switching with him and entering the fray. 

After killing all twelve of the minions guarding the boss, Allen turned to watch the rest of the battle unfold. The boss was on it's last stretch of HP, and Allen readied himself for the weapon swap that was sure to happen. 

Instead of the curved sword he was supposed to draw, Illfang drew a different type of sword. A nōdachi sword. Allen's eyes widened in alarm. "Wait!" He shouted as Diavel rushed forward, meeting his untimely death. 

But before the sword could make contact, Kanda was there, wielding a Samurai sword. "Mugen," Kanda growled, cutting through the Boss's sword. "Innocence activate!" 

There was a flash of white light as Kanda moved two fingers across his sword's blade. He swung the sword in a wide arc, cutting through the Boss like it was butter. It only had a little health left. "Kanda switch!" Allen yelled as the teen landed deftly on his feet. Kanda gave a simple nod, jumping out of the way so Allen could join. He blocked the Boss's next few attacks, allowing Kanda to get a killing blow in. 

He thrust the katana forward into the soft skin of the Boss's stomach. The Boss exploded into shards of pixels as one word was displayed above them. 

CONGRATULATIONS! 

A familiar screen popped up in front of all the players, dividing EXP and coin evenly between the raid group. Kanda luckily landed the last blow, and earned a cloak. Allen was too busy looking at Kanda in awe. 

"Hey he's a fucking Beta Tester!" someone yelled in outrage. "You almost let Diavel die!" 

"He's nothing but a naive idiot," Kanda snapped, equipping his new cloak, revealing his long flowing raven hair. Allen was weak in the knees. "Fuck off," 

"Hey! You can't be that rude, damn," Allen snapped back, "Even if he was being a jerk," 

"Back off moyashi!" Kanda roared angrily, pointing his sword dangerously at him. Allen glared daggers at him. 

"I'm not a beansprout you fucking ass!" He yelled, drawing his own sword, but Kanda ignored him in favor of leaving. He left through the door they came through, disbanding their party together. Allen hissed in annoyance, as Kanda turned and flipped all of them off. 

"Asshole," Allen muttered darkly. 

 He headed back to the Faerie Village after that. The Queen welcomed him with open arms, "Dear traveler! You've returned and you've defeated the First Floor Boss!"

"Yes I have," He spoke up, she smiled broadly. "I'm ready to take on the Black Spirit, now," 

She nodded, "Use this special sword to help you, and when you return I have a very special reward. Use this scroll to summon him," The Fae Queen handed him a white thin sword and the summoning scroll. "May luck be with you, feel free assemble a party first if you wish," 

He equipped the sword, the blade light in his hands as he held it. "What's the special reward?" he asked. She gave him a wink without elaborating. 

Allen huffed a sigh and left the Village. He had no clue he'd been chosen to know the games true purpose. He just went to the most open and abandoned place he could find before summoning the monster. The scroll caught fire, and Allen jumped away. Erupting from the flames was a dark, shadowy figure. Upon it's summoning, it rushed toward Allen who was quick to dodge out of the way. 

It's long spindly fingers swiped at him, catching him in it's grip. His eyes widened in alarm as one finger trailed along his scar, leaving behind a painful ache. He squirmed out of the monsters grip, and drew his sword before going forward, fighting the Black Spirit off. He could see the monsters health bar dwindling, as well as his own. Sweat dripped down his back, as the creature lunged. Allen was thrown back onto his ass. 

Allen got to his feet again, his health going into a risky range. He wanted to fight, and he wanted to win. He wanted to make it out of this game and live his life. He clenched his fists. It would piss him off if he died here, right after he defeated the First Floor Boss. His deformed arm glowed a bright green, blinding the monster. 

Allen gaped at himself in shock. He had Innocence inside of him already, as he grabbed his hand and pulled. A giant sword sprouted out of his arm, and he turned to face his opponent as his scarred eye watered with stinging tears. He paid the pain no mind as his HP gauge refilled itself. 

He fought the creature with renewed resolve. He was among one of the lucky one hundred and three people to get Innocence, and he wouldn't lose here. This was the reward the Fae Queen told him about. 

Chapter Text

Okay so, Kanda was not a people person, but Alma Karma - his life long friend - definitely was. He didn't want to save a guild filled with noobs, but here he fucking was, saving noobs with Alma. So now he was stuck with these blithering idiots that grated on his delicate nerves. He was fucking done. They were lethally annoying, to the point he wanted to fucking off himself. He didn't care if he had Innocence, and was probably one of the few who could actually beat this game.

He'd fucking do it, that's how done he was with human interaction right now. He sat through their many EXP farms, watching as they painstakingly leveled up. He was currently level forty-eight. Two levels above Alma, who was instructing the fresh meat. These kids were only level twenty-five. Mere canon-fodder in the war they were all fighting.  

No he wasn't talking about the weak ass bosses he fought with the Elite Assault Team. He was talking about the monster who truly ruled their world. The war was coming, and no one but the few Exorcists who attained innocence could stand a chance. No one except the Exorcists knew what they'd face on the 103rd floor. It wasn't a boss. 

Instead of preparing though, he was stuck babysitting thanks to Alma. He clenched his fists angrily as the group chatted up a storm while Kanda brooded angrily. He had better things to do as the group sat at a bar, drinking their lives away without a care. 

The only reason he was sticking around was because of Alma, he needed to protect Alma at all costs, even if Alma wasn’t willing to fight. Yes the other boy was a high level, but that meant nothing if he refused to fight. His Innocence wasn’t even the fighting type either. It was Future Telling Innocence. He could see the future sometimes, and it really helped Kanda and the Assault Team before boss battles. He was irreplaceable if they wanted to attain victory. 

When the guild of computer geeks finally retired for the night, he went out. Midnight leveling was his unhealthy habit. He felt the need - the constant itch - to get as powerful as possible. Even if he couldn’t care less if he died. 

Even if he was one of the twenty-four Exorcists in the game so far. 

When the game began, there were five pieces of scattered Innocence. If you were lucky, you would find the Innocence at random and Accomodate with it like Kanda. Or if you were unlucky - in Kanda’s opinion - you attained it through an insane Quest that would be impossible to complete on your own. 

Thats how Alma got his Innocence, with the help of Kanda. 

Anyway, Kanda was now wandering around this floors easiest EXP spot. He spent an hour or two farming EXP, inching closer and closer to level fifty. It was painstakingly boring and it took forever, so he finally took a break. He was going through his inventory, looking for anything he could part with an sell for a pretty penny when he heard a familiar annoying voice. Lavi. He audibly groaned as it got louder and louder. 

“Yuu-Chan!” Lavi exclaimed excitedly, and sure as hell, Lenalee - his wife in game - was following him. Kanda could easily tolerate her presence over Lavi's. 

"What do you want, Baka Usagi?" He snapped, glaring at the pair of them. Lavi pouted, before his brow furrowed in confusion. 

"Wait, Kanda," Lenalee began, "Did you perhaps, join a guild?!"

"He did!?" Lavi shouted, with a pathetic whine, "That's not fair! You refuse to join mine every time we see each other!"

"Tch, who fucking cares, fucking idiot," Kanda growled, "Get off me damn it, I was forced to join because of Alma," 

"Fine," He pouted again, "but you should've joined my guild!" 

"No one wants to join our guild, even though both of us are Exorcists. All other guilds with at least one Exorcist are really popular!" Lenalee whined. 

Kanda rolled his eyes, "I don't care about your stupid guild, and it's not popular because you have yet to join the Assault Team," 

"That's true," Lenalee remarked. 

"Wait hold up," Lavi replied, "You know that really 'famous' exorcist who's apparently still going Solo? We could recruit him!" 

"Who?" Kanda asked, turning to glare at Lavi again. 

"Wow, you're really behind on the times, Yuu-chan," Lavi mumbled, "Remember when you were famous for being Solo for awhile, and then you disappeared so everyone forgot about you?" 

"Thank fucking god for that," Kanda snapped. 

"Well, basically, there's a new famous Solo player, and his Innocence is fucking gorgeous according to my sources. He's the only Exorcist that had Innocence inside of him since the game began,"  Lavi launched into a lengthy explanation, "And I think I know who he is," 

"How do people not know who he is?" Kanda grumbled. 

"Well, they know what he looks like, but he never adds anyone so they don't know his username," Lavi said, "But they say he has white hair - and that it's natural - and his Innocence is in his arm!" 

It clicked immediately.

"So you're saying..." Kanda began.

"That his name is," Lavi replied. 

"Allen Walker," They said at the same time. 

"You know him too?!" Lavi exclaimed, looking extremely excited. "When did you meet him? Did he add you? He taught me Sword Skills right before the Akihiko Kayaba speech thing. I almost teamed up with him. He told me no because he was afraid of being responsible for my death if I accidentally died," 

"I met him during the First Floor Boss raid," Kanda grumbled, "I dealt the killing blow, and he didn't have Innocence at that point," 

"We should recruit him!" Lenalee squealed.  

"No, don't you fucking dare. He's annoying as shit," Kanda growled, "He sent me a friend request forever ago, that I've ignored. He messages me every once in awhile since he met Alma. They're friends but he never sent Alma a request, and he asks me about him. I don't understand him," 

"Why doesn't he just friend people?" Lenalee wondered aloud, "And why don't you accept his request!? You're probably the only person to receive one from him!"

"I heard he doesn't friend people because he's afraid they'll follow him and try to PK him," Lavi said, "I heard when he first started getting famous someone tried to take him out and he completely cleared out his friends list after that," 

"Player Killing is still a thing?" Lenalee shuddered, "That's horrible," 

Lavi turned to Kanda, "You should accept his friend request," 

"No way, he's annoying and I was a dick to him when we first met," Kanda mumbled, "I've got other things to deal with, I don't have time to babysit that stupid Moyashi," 

"Pleaseeee?" Lavi whined, "He unadded me after his near-death experience and I wanna be friends with him again!" 

"No fucking way," Kanda snapped. "I'm leaving," 

"Kanda, I'll pay you," Lenalee stated seriously, "You know what kind of war that's coming once we reach floor 90! Things are gonna get serious, and we all need to band together as Exorcists!"

"How much?" Kanda asked, "I've got other shit to do, you know," 

"Two billion?" Lenalee offered, "Please," 

"Fine, I'll think about it," Kanda mumbled. 

There was no way he was friending such a fucking idiot, and when he told Alma about it, Alma insisted he did so. Kanda, once again, was not a people person. He didn't want to add the stupid fucking beansprout. So he refused and refused, even some of Alma's guild came to coax him into it but he was adamant in his decision.

He'd rather die, he thought, as he brooded in his dark room. He heard a soft knock and turned to the door as it opened slowly to reveal Alma, tears in his eyes. Kanda softened at that and silently patted his bed. Alma smiled a bit and quickly made himself comfortable in Kanda's bed. In was silent for a long time as Kanda silently looked at the friend request still unanswered from Allen. 

"Kanda," Alma said softly, grabbing the back of his shirt. 

"Hm?" Kanda mumbled, giving him a glance before closing out the friend request neither accepting it or denying it. Alma was crying again. "Is something wrong?" 

"I don't want to die," Alma blurted, blinking away his tears, "I'm not like you Yuu, I can't fight. I can't defeat the Millennium Earl and his Noah, but everyone with Innocence is expected to fight! I might die because they chose me instead of someone else," Alma admitted, "I don't want to die," 

Kanda flipped over, now facing Alma. "You won't die, dumb ass," 

"W-what?"

"I'll fucking protect you," Kanda snapped, "Now shut the fuck up and go to sleep." 

He'd soon learn he couldn't keep that promise. 

 Kanda had been tasked with buying them a house, but in the midst of buying one he got a notification. Then another, and another. 

Your guild member, Keita has died. 

Your guild member, Tetsuo has died.

Your guild member, Sasamaru has died.

Your guild member, Ducker has died.

Your guild member, Alma has died. 

The Moonlit Black Cats guild has been disbanded due to insufficient amount of members.

He had spent the entirety of the rest of December in a state of numbness. He didn't care about anything, or anyone. When he received concerned messages from Lavi and Lenalee he only sent them one message. 

Alma is dead. Leave me the fuck alone. 

They stopped messaging him after that, to give him space he assumed. Shortly after Alma's death he reached a simply conclusion. This game was shit, and it wasn't even worth clearing at this point. His light, his life, his brother from another family was extinguished thanks to this piece of shit. 

Then he heard about the possible Revival Item that the Christmas Event Boss was rumored to drop. You bet your ass, Kanda Yuu was going to give everything he had to get it. That's why, merely thirty minutes before the Boss was said to appear, he was speaking with his usual info Broker. "The boss is called Nicholas the Renegade," she droned, her eyes a light blue, her Information Innocence activated. "Level Four Akuma, four HP gauges. Rumored to spawn under a huge Burr tree, all major Guilds are searching for it right now," 

Kanda clicked his tongue, and got up. The lady stopped short, "Y-you're not thinking of taking on the Boss yourself are you? That's suicide!" 

"I don't care," Kanda growled, as he stepped into a teleportation square, and shouted. "Floor 35: Forest Maze," 

In a flash of light he appeared in the snowy forest where he had a feeling the boss would be. His breath was a white cloud with each exhale of breath. He was headed for the largest tree in the area, completely certain that's where the Boss would appear. He was nearly there when he heard the familiar sound of teleportation. Kanda stopped, glaring unabashedly at Lavi, Lenalee and their guild. 

"Kanda," Lavi started, his eyes swimming with concern, "What are you doing," 

"Defeating that fucking Boss, what else," He snapped. 

"Not alone, you can't," Lenalee said, reaching out to comfort him, "I'm sorry about Alm-" 

"Shut the fuck up, Lenalee," Kanda growled. 

"It's not worth it Kanda," Lavi began, already trying to convince him to stop, "It's suicide!" 

"I," Kanda told him, his eyes icy with rage, "Don't give a fuck," 

"But-" Lenalee mumbled, but The Holy Dragon Alliance teleported nearby. Kanda gave the two of them a seething look. 

"They followed you guys," Kanda growled, "Keep them back, I need to defeat that boss," 

Lenalee took one look at the fire burning in Kanda's eyes and nodded. He took off toward the tree, just at midnight. Falling from the sky, was Nicholas the Renegade. With his sword at the ready, he charged forward on his own. 

Awhile later, he return to Lavi and Lenalee who were laying in the snow, taking a breather after pushing The Holy Dragon Alliance back repeatedly until the Guild up and left. He didn't even acknowledge them as he dropped the revival item. He left without a single word. Lavi scrambled to grab the item, reading aloud it's discription before Kanda could teleport away. 

"Divine Stone of Returning Soul, you must administer this item within ten seconds of a players death," 

Kanda ignored him, as he teleported back to his house. He sat in the complete darkness contemplating the value of life for awhile before he got a notification. At first he thought it was Lavi, but when he opened it he was surprised. 

Gift box: From Alma. 

He was quick to open the box, and activate it through a single button on the device. The box floated and glowed, before a prerecorded message began. 

"Merry Chirstmas, Yuu. By the time you hear this, I'll probably be dead," 

Kanda gripped the sides of his desk, fighting back the onslaught of emotions that assaulted him. 

"How can I explain this? To tell you the truth, I never really wanted to leave the Town of Beginnings, and I knew if I fought with an attitude like that - you know what i'm talking about - I would end up dying someday. That's not anyone's fault, and that's something I have to deal with. Kanda Yuu, ever since we became friends in kindergarten you protected me no matter what,"

"When you told me you'd protect me and make sure I didn't die, I knew you'd blame yourself if I died. So I recorded this just in case. I just wanted to say, I loved you like a brother, and you should totally accept Allen's friend request. I only met him a handful of times, but I know if I really did die he'd be the only one to cheer you up. Even if you hate him, you should still give him a chance," 

"Thank you so much, Yuu-chan," 

Kanda covered his face with his hands as the box lost it's glow and dropped onto the desk. He wasn't the crying type, but here he was, silent tears falling down his cheeks. He wiped at his face, as he brought up his main menu and finally clicked accept on the stupid friend request from all those months ago. He put his head on the desk he was sitting at. 

There was a dull ding, and a button flashed, indicating he got a message or gift. Wiping away the remainder of his tears, he opened the message. 

Gift: From Allen

Allen: Merry Christmas. I hope this doesn't make things worse.

The box was small, and wrapped impeccably. He unwrapped it ruthlessly, a card accompanied his gift and he ignore it before lifting the lid off the small box. He looked inside, his eyes widening as he stared at the thing inside. He slammed the box shut as he grabbed the accompanying card. 

In memory of Alma Karma. An AI faerie molded after his personality and appearance.

He lifted the lid open again, and the small faerie fluttered out, with Alma's famous smile. "Hi! I'm Alma Karma, your new familiar!"

Chapter Text

Allen was surprised when he was sulking in his bedroom. He'd been remembering his previous birthdays, missing Mana as he usually did when Christmas rolled around. Mana was his foster father, but he'd died when Allen was young, and Allen ended up in the arms of Cross. The man was gruff and sort of rough around the edges, but he was almost never around. It was like the man was constantly on business trip somewhere.

Allen wondered if Cross even knew if he was trapped in this stupid game. Probably not. Or maybe he'd heard about it and returned home. Either way, there Allen was, curled up in his bed, in his house on floor 50. The house was cozy, but bigger than he needed. He was nearly asleep when he got a notification altering him that someone had accepted his friend request. 

He raised an eyebrow. 

He didn't remember giving out any friend requests except for maybe one to Lavi when the game first began. He opened his main menu and covered his mouth in shock. 

Kanda has accepted your friend request! Send him a message!

Allen felt anxiety fill his stomach. Why had he accepted his friend request after all this time? After thinking for a few seconds, he remembered an important piece of information he'd nearly forgotten. Alma Karma, Kanda's best friend had died recently. Pity replaced his anxiety, before he got out of bed. He opened his menu again, selecting a special skill given to him at the start of his game after completing the Faerie Queen's Quest line. 

Familiar Creation:  the ability to create a familiar based off of an NPC, or player from the game. Each familiar created possesses a special ability. This Skill was given to a player through The Fae Queen's Quest Line. 

Allen had only used it once, to create a familiar that would heal him occasionally if his health got down to a certain point. He did the same for Kanda, creating the Familiar into a spitting image of Alma. He even implanted what he could remember of Alma's personality in it. His own familiar, named Timcanpy watched excitedly. 

"Is this for Kanda-sama?" Tim asked excitedly, as Alma got to his feet. 

"Yeah it is," Allen told Tim, before sitting back, looking at his work. Alma was fluttering around, laughing excitedly.

"When can I see Kanda?" Alma asked, floating leisurely near Allen. 

Allen got out a little box, "Get in the box, Alma, and you can see him right away," 

"'Kay!" Alma replied, with a smile. Allen closed the box and sent it to Kanda, also sending a message he was sure Kanda would ignore. 

Allen: Merry Christmas. I hope this doesn't make things worse.

He waited for a few seconds, and he was about to close of out the window but he got a message back. 

Kanda: Thank you. 

Allen: Anytime, I hope he acts like him. If he doesn't you can send him back and I'll tweak him.

Kanda: He's perfect.

Allen breathed a sigh of relief. 

 Allen was venturing through a forest late at night, doing a simple quest which was to clear this specific forest infested with Ape monsters. The Quest itself was easy enough, and he had finished the Quest easily. Upon kill the last three Apes, he came across a girl who had nearly been killed because of them. He gave her a comforting smile. "Are you okay?" He asked, as the little girl clutched a glowing feather. 

"Y-yeah i'm fine," She sniffled, "But Pina isn't, my familiar," 

Allen bit his lip slightly, before snapping his fingers. "Click the item and see if it has a description," He instructed. She did so. 

Pina's Heart 

"I thought so," Allen told her, "You can revive her," 

"H-how?!" She exclaimed desperately. 

Tim jumped off of Allen's shoulder, and flew down to her, a warming smile gracing his face. 

"The Hill of Memories! Floor 47!" Timcanpy told her, with a gentle pat on the head. "You can revive familiars at a Shrine situated there," 

"Floor 47?" Silica mumbled before deflating, "I'll never be able to clear it on my own, but i'm sure if I try hard enough, one day I could do it," 

Allen rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "Unfortunately you have to revive it within a three day time limit, but I can help," He gave her a beautiful smile. 

"Y-you'll help me?" Silica's eyes watered in gratitude. "May I ask why?" 

"You look like you need my help," Allen replied, running his hands through his hair.

"I've got to grab a few things before we head to Floor 47," Allen told her, "We can clear it tomorrow and revive Pina, I can get us some rooms at an Inn," 

"Okay!" The girl said cheerfully, wiping at the last of her tears as the two of them left the forest. They ended up walking down the cobblestone streets of the nearest town after Allen bought the necessary supplies for their trip. They encountered a lady named Rosalia, a woman that Silica had previously been in a party with. The two of them managed to avoid her for now by heading into a small restaurant that according to Silica, served amazing cheesecake. 

The two of them sat at a round table, sipping on their drinks as she explained Pina's death to him. Apparently the feathered dragon had died sacrificing herself for Silica. "That's some loyal Dragon," Allen commented, "Are you excited to revive her?" 

"Yes!" Silica replied, her eyes shining with gratitude. "Thank you so much for offering to help me," 

"It's not a problem," Allen told her, "I was going to pass the Hill of Memories either way, so I might as well help you," 

"I'm glad," Silica said, as their cheesecake finally arrived. The two of them halted their conversation to eat their cake before heading upstairs to their rooms. Before Silica could retire for the night though, the two of them discussed Floor 47 further. 

"See, if we go with this route-" Allen stopped short, glaring at the door. "Someone's listening," 

"W-what? I thought you had to knock first before you could hear anything inside of a room," Silica replied. 

"Not if your Listening Skill is high enough," Allen explained. 

"Who would want to listen in on us?" Silica asked worriedly. Allen gave a mere shrug. 

"We should just call it a night," Allen mumbled. 

The two of them arrived at Floor 47 early in the morning. Flowers adorned every inch of the landscape, and Silica gave a slight gasp at the beauty of it all. "So many flowers!" Silica exclaimed, rushing forward to lean down and admire them. Allen smiled, his simple white cloak moving with the slight breeze. 

"Yeah," Allen said, "A lot of couples come here for dates," 

Silica blushed, "Have you ever taken someone you liked here?" She asked, but instantly regretted it when Allen's face turned a bright red. He took a nervous step backward and looked away. His cheeks burned, and he laughed nervously. 

"N-no," He stuttered, "I-I don't like anyone r-right now," 

Silica grinned mischievously, "Oh really?" She raised an eyebrow, standing and getting in his personal space. "No one? Not a single person?"

Allen took another timid step back, "I-I'm serious," 

"Aww, too bad," Silica whined with a slight twinkle in her eyes, "Let's get going before it gets dark," 

Allen cleared his throat, quickly regaining his composure. "Before that, take this," He told her, handing her a teleportation crystal. "If I tell you to warp to the nearest town, do it," 

"Okay," She replied, pocketing the item, "No problem," 

"Alright, now we can go," Allen told her, his gentle smile back and more kind than before. The duo walked the cobblestone pathway, they came across a few mobs, but Allen gently instructed her on how to get rid of them easily, allowing the girl to level up even further. 

Soon enough, Allen and Silica arrived at the Hill of Memories, and the flower bloomed before them in the shrine. Silica wiped away a tear as she picked it. "Are you sure this will revive Pina?" 

"Absolutely, but we should wait until we get back to town to revive her. There are high-level mobs nearby," Allen told her, "Let's head back," 

"Okay!" 

The two of them ventured back, with far less mobs getting in their way this time. They were crossing a flower covered bridge when Allen stopped, Silica along with him. "Whoever's out there, show yourselves," 

Out of the patch of trees walked Rosalia, a cruel smile adorning her face. "Well well, your detection skill must be really high for you to find me," She muttered, "And I see that you were successful in getting the Pneuma Flower, hand it over," 

"Hm," Allen pondered, tapping a single finger on his chin, "I don't think we will, Rosalia, Leader of the Player Killing Guild Titan's Hand," 

She smiled. 

"I'm right aren't I?" Allen mumbled, as she took a step closer. 

"S-she can't be a Player Killer Allen," Silica said, "Her cursor is green!" 

"It's a simple trick," Allen explained, "The green players lure out their victims for an ambush," 

"S-so that means, you were in my previous party to kill me?" Silica deduced, bringing a hand to her mouth in shock. 

"Well, yeah. I was excited about you, but then you left. Then I heard you were collecting a rare item!" She cackled, clutching her spear for support. "What I don't understand though," She continued, pointing at Allen, "Is why you brought her here if you knew about us, does she have you wrapped around her finger or are you just that stupid?"

"I would like to say neither," Allen snapped, quickly bringing up his main menu and equipping some other items. "I've been looking everywhere for you and your Guild. Do you remember ten days ago? You attacked a guild called the Silver Flags, the Leader was the only survivor. He wants you to go to prison for your deeds instead of killing you," 

"Do you have any idea how he felt?" 

"Can't say that I do," She grumbled, with a snap of her fingers. "But you should watch yourselves," From the forest emerged the rest of her guild. Allen sighed, as the group approached. 

"There's too many of them," Silica stated. 

"Keep the crystal handy and teleport when I say," Allen replied. Allen equipped a different, more ornate and beautiful armor. A familiar white cloak replaced his old simple one. This new cloak was lined with fur on the hood and hem of the cloak. Reaching up, and pulling down a masquerade mask made of Elven Iron, Allen smiled. 

"Allen wait!" 

"A-allen?" someone muttered fearfully, "Dressed in white, one-handed sword. No shield, holy crap!"

"It's the white swordsman! He's on the same level as the Black Swordsman Kanda!" Another exclaimed, "Look at his cloak! His mask! His hair!" 

"Rosalia, he's the Exorcist who plays Solo on the front lines, he's with the Assault Team! Let's get outta here!" 

Rosalia ignored them, "Why would a member of the Assault Team be down here? Attack him and take everything he owns!"

So the guild charged at him, and he drew his sword of Innocence from his arm. Resting the blade on his shoulder he glared at them, "Silica teleport," 

She obliged, disappearing in a ball of light. The group rushed for him and he stood there, watching as his health went down, but refilled faster than they could do damage. He pouted childishly. "Is this all the damage you can do? I'm level seventy-eight, so naturally it worked out like this, my HP gauge refills faster than you can inflict damage, sorry," Allen shuffled his weight slightly, drawing out a warp crystal from his pocket. 

"My client spent his fortune on this crystal, he'll get his money's worth," He looked around, the attack had long since stopped. "It's set the coordinates of the Prison. I'm sending each and everyone of you bastard's there,"

"Well I'm a green player, and if you hurt me you'll go orange and-" But Allen was already there, his sword angled at her throat. 

"You forget," He snapped, "I'm a solo player, and I don't give a shit if I go orange for a few days," 

Rosalia gulped thickly, before submitting. "F-fine! I'll go," 

The rest of the guild followed suit. Five minutes later he returned to town to apologize to Silica. 

He found her in the midst of reviving Pina at the nearest Cafe. He gave her a nervous smile. "I'm sorry I used you to lure out Rosalia," 

"I-it's fine! You were doing it for a good reason!" Silica said, before their conversation died off. 

Allen looked at anything but her, "I-" 

"You know Allen, you're really cool being on the Assault Team," 

"There are more important things than that," Allen told her, "Making friends, surviving this game, finding someone you like,"

"Whoever you like is very lucky," Silica suddenly blurted, "And don't say you don't like anyone, I can tell." 

"O-oh," 

"She's really, really lucky," 

"Uhh," Allen mumbled nervously, "It's not a girl," 

"Then he's really lucky," She corrected, "I'd love to meet him one day,"

Silica pulled up her main menu and sent him a friend request. Allen, for once, accepted it.