[SP-F1] The Far Edge [COMPLETE]

[Endilix 0]

Endilix stood, looking out into the vast sea of clouds that surrounded the floating castle of Aincrad. He stood on the fence to the edge of the world they were trapped in. The world they had made their home. He had seen many players end their lives here. Many of which had every right to do so, given the circumstances of this world. Of what could be the rest of their lives. His cloak billowed in the breeze as he stood with his hand on the hilt of his hammer. Endilix had no plans to do that today. Nor any day. But given the reputation that this fence earned, he found that he could often come here to think in peace. To watch the virtual clouds drift by. To reflect on who he was, and who he had been. It had been a long time since he had actually lived in the world of Aincrad. It was here that he considered why that was.

Edited August 2, 2017 by Endilix

[Endilix 0]

Nothing spoke to Endilix as much as justice. Nothing spoke to him more than justice except for betrayal. In the wake of betrayal he had tried to stand strong, only to find that life wasn't quite that simple for the man. He had tried to help struggling players, only to find that he had been struggling himself. The wind blew his hair as he shifted in his sandy armor. He could feel the plates shift against his skin, the metal cooled by the breeze. He had never replaced this or any piece of equipment, despite it all being severely outdated. Perhaps it was nostalgia. Perhaps fear. Endilix never really could decide, no matter how many times he had stood here. Perhaps Endilix was just lazy. That was the answer now more often than not lately. He told himself that he had the right to be upset, but did he? He never could answer that question.

[Endilix 0]

Slowly, Endilix turned his back to the wide open sky. He always told himself it would be easy to give up. But Endilix was never one to walk the easy road. Instead he hopped off the fence, and walked out into the field. He pulled his hammer from the strap on his waist and swung it around his arm, whistling as he walked. His cloak bloomed behind him from the wind, tugging at his neck, and his hair was a bit more messy than usual. Which was actually saying a lot, as his hair was usually particularly messy. He wondered if he should fight some boars. He wondered if it would actually be fun, or if he'd just hate it. Probably the latter. He had fought enough boars helping the struggling players along. It usually just resulted in them smacking him around until the low levels finally finished it off. Without them it would just be getting smacked around by a boar until he was tired of it.

[Endilix 0]

Endilix sat in the grass near the fence. He wished he had a picnic. At least then he could have eaten lunch. It was funny, he had become a culinarian ages ago, but had never done a thing with it except woo Flints. He wished now that he had done more. Perhaps it would have kept him going, running his bar. But he wasn't one to dwell on what ifs. Slowly he laid back in he grass, an arm behind his head. His armor clattered, and he opened his menu to unequip his gaudy pumpkin shield before it stabbed him in the back. Running his bar. How long had it been since he had been there? Too long, that was all he had come up with. Perhaps he should go back and try that dream again. Perhaps that was better than trying to be a heroic knight in a world that didn't really want one.

[Endilix 0]

Endilix reached out, pretending to grab clouds as they floated by, and couldn't help but chuckle at the childishness of it all. That's what got him the most in trouble was his childishness. He had no real desire to fix that, but he couldn't deny where it had landed him. He never wanted to be as serous and upright as his brother, always searching for power and finding that it was never good enough. They had seen eye to eye once, but then a girl got in the way, and so did Endilix's ego. He gave a heavy sigh as he reflected on events, only to push them from his mind. Maybe fighting a boar was better. At least then he could hit something. Even if it wasn't all that hard. But that laziness kicked in, and he found himself not wanting to get up. So what would he do?

Edited July 29, 2017 by Endilix

[Endilix 0]

As Endilix laid in the grass, he found himself thinking of the future. Though, the worst part of this, was he couldn't figure out what that meant for him. Was he too old and washed up to be of any use? What if he spent the next 20 years in this game and escaped only to find that he couldn't function ever again in the real world? He realized he would be over 40 years old in that case. He wondered if it was even possible to be in what was essentially a coma for that long. Though a part of him hoped that by that time they would have been found and brought out of the game. But who was Endilix to say? He was just an aloof office worker. He hadn't really given much thought to even where his real life had been headed, much less where his SAO life was headed.

[Endilix 0]

Endilix slowly sat up, his recent thoughts making him feel older than ever. As he decided that it was pretty much now or never. He would need to do something to further his life. To further his goals. If he didn't do it, he would probably just waste away into nothingness. He had watched plenty of players do that in recent times. He didn't want to join them. He leaned his head against his hand and rubbed his eyes. The question still remained. Where to begin? But the more Endilix thought about it, the more he realized he had to talk to one person. The man who always had the plan, and the one to pull both of them out of this funk. Slowly, Endilix pushed himself away from the grass and stood. He knew who he had to talk to, though the part of what to say exactly still stayed up in the air.

[Endilix 0]

As Endilix stood near the edge of Aincrad on the lowest floor possible, thoughts ran through his mind in a blur. Slowly, he turned to look at the fence again. In his mind's eye, he watched players run and launch themselves over it. He watched contemplative players such as himself turn and plummet into nothingness. Exploding into pixels and never returning, not to this world or the next. That wasn't Endilix. He wouldn't, but he would be lying if he tried to say that the thought never crossed his mind. Idly he tapped on the hilt of his hammer, before deciding that staring off at the edge would do far more harm than good. A man could lose his mind thinking of death. It was best to avoid that here in Aincrad. He had a home, a family to return to. He had family here with him. He had more to live for. He would find his way

Edited August 2, 2017 by Endilix

[Endilix 0]

Steadily Endilix's feet began to move forward. He stood on the very edge of Floor One, and so he had a lot of ground to cover to get back to the center of the floor where the Town of Beginnings stood. He knew his destination, and he knew he had time to consider his game plan as he made his way there. He wasn't sure how the person he was going to talk to had been. He wasn't sure if they were even still alive. His heart couldn't help but feel a bit of a pang as he thought about the idea that this person was dead. Of all the people he could lose here in Aincrad, this one would certainly be the worst. But it wouldn't do much good thinking of what ifs. He would need to find out for himself. A part of him considered checking the Monument of Life on the way, but he needed to just go see, and that was that.

[Endilix 0]

Endilix had been thinking of his brother of course. The man who had been, from the day he found him in the game, Endilix's driving force and shining beacon in this game. Emerath had been so full of life, and so happy. They had built shops next to each other, and had lived a happy life with Endilix's ex Flints. It had been nice until Flints had left both of them behind, which also served to create a rift between the brothers. And much like the endless expanse that surrounded Aincrad, it seemed impassible. But as Endilix considered it, he also realized that he had never tried to get through to his brother since those days. He realized that he had been too hurt. He had made amends with Flints, and he considered the pumpkin shield in his inventory. She had given that to him, to help the man survive. What a waste it would have been if he had left that behind.

[Endilix 0]

As Endilix reached the gates of the Town of Beginnings, and leaned up against the stone, taking a breath and trying to calm his nerves from the coming encounter, he realized that it had been months since he had seen his brother. Not since the day that Emerath had come to tell him that Flints was getting married to another man. He wondered why that struck him so badly, when it was mostly his fault for their separation. Endilix had been aimlessly and pointlessly roaming Aincrad for ages now. Even if Emerath had wanted to find him, it would have been damn near impossible for him to do so. Of course, Emerath had sent no messages, no updates, nothing. It had been just as much his fault as it was Endilix's. Not that either of them should be pointing fingers. Really, it should just be that they made amends and got on with their lives.

[Endilix 0]

Endilix made his way to the Teleport Gate through the throngs of people swarming through the Town of Beginnings. It was good to see that it hadn't really lost its liveliness, though Endilix would be more surprised if it had. No matter how he thought about it, they had still only cleared 1/5th of the game, and that didn't leave people with a lot of options on where to live anyway. And why not just live where everyone started anyway? It was more comfortable that way. For a moment Endilix couldn't help but watch everyone go about their lives. Honestly, SAO had become pretty easily adaptable to most people. Many took real world experience and used it here to create real businesses, political agendas, prisons, and other real world type establishments. For many, this was a second chance. As it turned out for Endilix, this would be chance five, or something ridiculous like that.

[Endilix 0]

As Endilix stood in front of the Teleport Gate, he realized that he still had no idea what he was going to say to Emerath. What could he say? That he was sorry? Certainly that was true, but how good were apologies in the face of a long separation? They were twins, and used to be inseparable. But here they were, worlds apart. Endilix folded his arms and looked down at the ground, the metal plates of his armor digging uncomfortably against his skin. That was really the long and short of it though. Endilix was just sorry. So much had happened, so much had yet to happen, and all things considered he just wanted to see Emerath and know he was alive. He just wanted to see the man run off on another adventure, scowling probably. It was hard to imagine Emerath smiling, though he did do so occasionally.

[Endilix 0]

With a heavy sigh, Endilix finally stepped onto the teleport pad and called out for Floor Four. In a blue flash, Endilix was standing in the snowy cobblestone streets of the icy floor. Immediately Endilix began to shiver, and a part of him wished he had a cloak of some sort to keep him warm. Much too late for that now though. He would just have to grit his teeth and bear it. Slowly his feet began to move. But he was hesitant. It wasn't the cold though, it was still the thought of his brother. He would have to face him. He would have to deal with the outbursts, the emotions, and everything in between. Soon the shivering had become due to nervousness more than the cold. He watched as his boots sank in the snow with each moment he paused. Was this really it? Was he going to come this far only to turn back?

[Endilix 0]

Endilix shook his head and clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. He steeled himself as he walked through the snow to the man's store. If there was one place that Emerath was almost entirely certain to be, it was his alchemy shop. He lived in it, more so than most shopkeeps that were player run. Emerath spent hours and whole nights making up new and creative concoctions. He would often make so much noise that Endilix would feel like he had to go check he was okay, since much of his sounds could be heard through the adjoining walls between the shops. Endilix used these memories, the happy times, to keep himself moving forward. He had to face Emerath, and he needed his forgiveness. He needed a plan to move forward. He needed his twin and companion. Now more than ever, as they both sat in limbo of a game that might never end. They needed each other.

[Endilix 0]

Endilix finally reached the door to the "Magic of Science!". Emerath's aptly named alchemy shop. Despite their differences, Emerath and Endilix had always had a bit of a flair for the dramatic. Both had named their shops equally silly things, but both loved each other's names. No matter how you looked at it, they would still be brothers at their core. Endilix couldn't help but smile at this thought as he put a hand on the cold wood of the door and thought again about what he would say. Nothing came. Nothing would. Not until they were looking at each other and deciding what fate had in store for either of them. He sighed. He wanted to go in, but he thought he might just stand here for a bit longer. He was admittedly still incredibly nervous about seeing his brother after all this time. What would be the result of their actions?

[Endilix 0]

Endilix found that his heart was in his throat as he finally reached down and put his hand on the handle of the door. He gripped the cold metal and gave it a turn, but found that it wouldn't. Locked? That was strange. Though Endilix hadn't really considered that possibility when he should have. Emerath most likely didn't want visitors if that was the case. But did that mean his shop was closed? Did that mean that the man had given up on crafting and running the shop he loved so much? Had the damage been that severe? Endilix blinked at the wood, as if it would have all these answers and more. Realistically, it did have these answers. It knew everything about what Endilix needed to know, but he knew that the door wouldn't tell him. Endilix chuckled as he considered the idea of a door talking to him, remembering that one Disney movie.

[Endilix 0]

Well, regardless of anything, Endilix needed to see his brother now. It was time to make amends. Endilix had done all of this spur of the moment, sure, but he wasn't about to turn back from that. So Endilix brought his fist up and rapped on the wood with his knuckles. "Emerath? It's..." Endilix started as his voice caught in his throat. But he would finish. He needed to. "It's Endilix. It's your brother. I need to talk to you. It's probably not super important, but please don't take that as an excuse to ignore me. I... I miss you," he finished, his voice cracking with emotion. He swallowed it though, and hoped for the best. What would he think when he saw his brother's face? No doubt Emerath would not be all that pleased to see him. He wasn't that on the best of days, let alone after all that had happened.

Edited August 2, 2017 by Endilix

[Endilix 0]

Endilix waited some time, and even knocked a few more, but no answer came. Much to Endilix's surprise, not even the sound of the man's owl alerting Emerath to the presence of someone at the door made a sound. Was Emerath truly not here? But if that were the case, where would he have gone? Was Emerath wandering much like his brother had been? That seemed very unlike the man. Endilix considered this as he turned away from the door and stepped back out into the snow and cobble surrounding the shop. Endilix supposed he could message Emerath, but that would take time, unless Emerath got any faster at answering his messages. Which, Endilix faced it, he probably hadn't. And so Endilix made his way over to a nearby stone wall and sat, watching the door to the shop. He wondered if he should just wait for the man to show. He always came back to his shop eventually.

[Endilix 0]

Endilix shivered in the cold, wishing that Emerath had answered the door after all. Sitting out in the cold would do the man no real good, but he was also worried that if he moved he would miss out on his brother's return. It wasn't until Endilix caught something out of the corner of his eye that things finally started to look up. Endilix turned his head to see a red haired, suit wearing, scarf covered, green eyed, and owl toting wonder. It was Emerath! Endilix nearly jumped for joy at the thought of his brother alive, and out and about no less! It took all of Endilix's willpower to sit back down on the stone wall and wait for the man to get closer, and as he did he saw a mixture of surprise and cold regard from him. He carried a bundle of wood under an arm and if Endilix could see past the scarf, he was certain he would be scowling. "Uh, hey," was all Endilix managed.

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