Chapter 42: Awakening

"...Thank you. Morin-kun, you resolved the doubts I had before my failure."

After a moment of blankness, Kayaba Akihiko finally composed himself and looked at Morin across from him, speaking with a wry smile.

"It was nothing. So then, Senior Kayaba Akihiko, what do you plan to do now?"

Morin gazed at Kayaba Akihiko, who seemed to carry a death wish. Recalling Kayaba Akihiko's final choice and situation from the original SAO storyline, he could not help but ask, "Including the situation with SAO, Senior, are you not worried about your own circumstances after turning SAO into a death game?"

Although phrased as a question, Morin's eyes held a deeper meaning, tinged with wariness. He was very concerned that Kayaba Akihiko might stir up more trouble. It was not impossible after all. Judging from the events of the SAO arc, Kayaba Akihiko could easily be called a paranoid genius scientist and a madman. Now, with Morin's butterfly effect prematurely ending the SAO game, who could predict what Kayaba Akihiko might do next?

However, what Kayaba Akihiko did next left Morin staring in disbelief.

"Please rest assured. You will soon leave the SAO game and return to reality. As for SAO, I have long since reached an agreement with the national authorities outside. Once you clear the game, the initial model data of full-dive technology and the SAO world will be made public to the world. You need not have any worries. As for me, I will be buried here with the disappearance of Aincrad and my dreams. That castle in the sky from my dreams."

Wait a minute. This does not match the script.

You are just going to release the SAO data openly? What about the virtual world seed that Kirito was supposed to obtain?

Noticing Morin's strange expression, Kayaba Akihiko slightly shook his head without explaining further. His eyes turned toward the distant sky, filled with a complex emotion.

As he spoke, his figure gradually began to fade. Even after disappearing, his voice lingered in the endless expanse above.

"Kayaba Akihiko..."

Seeing Kayaba Akihiko vanish, Morin came back to his senses. He looked around and found no one else. He did not know what to say.

After blinking a few times, Morin suddenly felt his body become lighter. In the next instant, he too vanished from the spot.

—

In a daze, Morin seemed to see countless threads of light and darkness intertwining, just like when he first entered SAO.

He felt the weightlessness of riding an elevator, his body floating gently before abruptly sinking. Familiar sensations rushed back to him—the inhalation of oxygen through his mouth and nose, the feeling of blood coursing through his veins, the nerves throughout his body slowly reawakening, the weak and powerless state of a body that had long been immobile.

The flood of sensations hitting him all at once made Morin groan involuntarily. He could faintly hear voices around him.

"Look, quick."

"Front desk. The patient in room A017 seems to have woken up."

"Monitor the patient's condition."

Amidst the flurry of whispers, Morin sensed footsteps approaching him. He realized that he was lying on a bed, most likely in a hospital somewhere in Japan.

Clearly, after passing through the virtual stage of the Sword Art Online world, Morin found himself in a hospital with excellent conditions. Besides the sensation of breathing oxygen, he did not smell the harsh disinfectant scent common in hospitals. The doctor and nurses did not immediately rush into action either, but calmly began questioning him.

"Mr. Morin? Can you hear me? Please do not open your eyes immediately. Keep your eyes closed for now and focus on adapting to your physical condition. If you feel any discomfort, please either speak or squeeze my hand."

As Morin's eyelids twitched slightly, he heard a low, steady baritone voice beside him, accompanied by the gentle grip of a hand holding his.

"I... I... very thirsty... water..."

Morin had intended to say more, but the dryness in his throat made his voice hoarse and almost incomprehensible.

Fortunately, the doctor seemed to catch his meaning and immediately instructed a nurse to bring over lukewarm water.

After sipping a few mouthfuls, Morin finally regained a bit of strength. Following the doctor's guidance, he slowly opened his eyes.

The dimly lit room came into view, the curtains clearly drawn to block the light. A man in a white coat, probably in his thirties or forties, stood before him, flanked by two nurses.

Morin noticed he was alone in the room. A private room with good facilities, by the looks of it. It seemed he was in an expensive private ward.

"I was sent to the hospital..."

Surveying his surroundings, Morin roughly guessed the situation but still asked aloud.

"Yes. Mr. Morin, after the SAO incident over a year ago, you were sent here and have been under the care of specialists," the doctor explained patiently, glancing at the monitoring equipment beside the bed.

Seeing that Morin's vital signs were stable and even above average, the doctor smiled gently.

"Right now, you have just escaped that death game. After being unconscious for more than a year, your physical coordination will be extremely weak. Please do not move your body too much for now. Let your body adjust slowly."

"Where is... my helmet?"

Morin answered absentmindedly, then noticed the familiar full-dive helmet placed on a table beside him.

"Sir, please do not move around just yet."

A nurse hurried forward to prevent Morin from trying to sit up.

The doctor and another nurse quickly joined in, trying to dissuade Morin. Their expressions looked a bit odd. They had heard about Morin's situation and sympathized with his experience, but now that he had just awakened from that nightmare, why was he in such a rush to grab the helmet? Was he planning to smash it to pieces?

"Alright. Please keep the helmet safe. I want to keep it as a memento."

Sensing their concerns, Morin quickly gave a rather unique excuse.

"...Understood. We will keep the helmet by your side, but please do not attempt to move unnecessarily."

The doctor and nurses exchanged glances again, their expressions growing stranger. Nevertheless, the doctor refrained from asking further and shifted back into professional mode.

"For now, I will ask you a few questions about your physical condition. Please tell me if you experience any discomfort or abnormal sensations."

—

Later, the private room grew quiet once more.

After about ten minutes of detailed questioning, and confirming that Morin's physical and mental state were stable, the doctor concluded the examination. Before leaving with the two nurses, he specifically instructed Morin to rest well and call for assistance if he felt any discomfort.

"Mental state is stable. Physical condition shows general weakness from prolonged bed rest and dependence on intravenous fluids..."

After seeing the medical staff leave, Morin shifted his gaze toward the full-dive helmet beside him and began silently evaluating his situation.

Apparently, after being trapped in SAO, he had been discovered when the game turned into a death game and was sent to this hospital for care.

Over the past year and more, Morin had been fighting and plotting within the virtual world of SAO, but his real-world body could not grow stronger like it did in the game. If not for the excellent medical care he had received here—regular physical therapy, massages, and careful nourishment—he would be in a much worse state now. Losing a little over ten pounds seemed almost miraculous.

Still, Morin was not overly worried about his physical weakness. After a quick check of his basic abilities, he immediately shifted his focus to more pressing matters.

"For now, once I recover, I have to find Asuna... and I have to deal with Yui's situation too..."

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