~from Author's POV 3rd person~
Kirito blinked opened his eyes, sitting up and stretching his arms over his head. Then he swung his legs out to the side of the bed and stood up, heading downstairs. He was staying in an inn on level 100. He wasn't going to buy a house, nor was he going to return to the one he owned but stubbornly refused to visit.
He exited the small in and checked his map before heading into the thick woods that surrounded the lake. Making sure that he was alone, he hid behind a tree and summoned Yui.
"Daddy!" she said as she appeared, looking happy yet restrained. "It's been a while since you've called me," she said almost shyly, looking at the ground.
"Yeah," he said softly, avoiding eye contact before looking up again. "But Yui, I need your help right now. For-"
"For Mommy?" she asked softly, and Kirito visibly flinched and paled before nodding, his hand shaking slightly. "Yes. For- for her."
"Of course I'll help, Daddy," Yui whispered, her eyes wide with a desire to please and to take away the suffering of others.
"Then I need you to do a scan of this level and see if you can locate the boss. Any details would help...attack patterns, weapons, stuff like that."
Yui nodded and closed her eyes, holding her fingertips up to her temples. After a moment, she frowned and opened her eyes. "I can't zero in on the location very well. This level is different than the others. The only thing I know is that this boss is completely different from every other one you've ever faced. That much, I can tell."
"How is he different?" Kirito asked immediately, keeping his desperation hidden under a facade of his usual calm, cool, and collected self.
Yui shook her head in frustration. "I can't tell. It's like I'm being blocked somehow. This entire level is just..." She motioned in the air. "Vague. Uncharted. Unknown."
Kirito hid his disappointment. It was a long shot, anyway. When has it ever been this easy? "Well thanks, Yui. You did your best."
"You won't ignore me anymore, Daddy?" Yui asked, looking up at Kirito with wide eyes.
Kirito looked at her in shock. "Ignore? I was never-"
"But you never called on me. Ever since Mommy died-"
Kirito's jaw clenched and he inhaled deeply before exhaling slowly. "Look, Yui," he said as gently as possible, trying to hold it together for her. "I promise I won't ignore you. Okay? And I'm sorry. It's just that..."
"I know," she murmured dejectedly. "You're sad about Mommy. I am too. But you're not alone, Daddy. You have me."
"That's right," Kirito said with a strained smile as he ruffled the AI's hair. "And you've got me." He looked up at the brightening sky. "And I'm going to beat this whole world and win it for Asuna." He smiled down at Yui. "That's another promise."
Yui smiled, eyes closed, and as she disappeared a few pixels at a time, she whispered, "Bye, Daddy. Love you!"
"You too," Kirito replied to the empty air, grasping at nothing before sighing and turning to the woods. "I've got a month, and it starts now."
***
Kirito wandered through the woods for a while, stumbling across a few quests and a dungeon that he easily soloed all while searching for the boss and trying to cover as much ground as possible. The entire Assault Team was no doubt doing the same, but it had been clear for a long time that Kirito had always and would always remain a solo player. With Asuna gone, he'd retreated even further into himself, only talking to his close friends Agil and Klein and a few others on occasion and fighting alongside them when they needed help. Of course, the only reason they'd even made it past level 80 was all thanks to Kirito, who's power and level had far surpassed everyone else's. With Asuna dead, he needed somewhere to focus his efforts to divert his grief, and he ended up recklessly taking on as many quests and dungeons as he could, soloing them all. That lasted for about two months, around when Klein finally tracked him down, gave him a solid punch, and knocked some sense into him, that if he died, Asuna's death would be for nothing. So Kirito returned to the front lines, more withdrawn than ever before.
"How big is this forest?" he asked out loud. It was a little past midday, and he'd been walking - more like hiking - for near four hours. "And of course it's all uphill," he added, grumbling softly. Just as he thought that he would have to turn back and return to civilization soon, he put his hand against a tree and noticed that the tree line ended suddenly, leaving a clearing open to reveal a cliff.
"Looks promising," he noted, walking to the edge and, once again, nearly gasping in awe. A huge waterfall opened just under the cliff, falling into a small pool down below that was surrounded by willow trees. Catching a flash of movement in his eyes, he fell to the ground, body spread flat to avoid being seen. Slowly, he crept up the precipice of the cliff and looked down.
Sitting on the bow of one of the willows bordering the pool of water was...
...a girl? Who is she? An NPC? Has to be...Or maybe she's an AI, like Yui...
Just then, Kirito got a message from Klein.
MEET ME HERE. Attached to the message was a map with a glowing icon on it, and with a final look towards the possible NPC or AI, Kirito pulled out a crystal and transported back to the opening area of level 100.
Just as he disappeared, he could have sworn that the girl's eyes met his own. Her eyes...full of sadness...they're so captivating...
But then he was gone, and he was no longer looking at the strange girl but at the tree house he'd stayed at overnight, his thoughts lingering for only a second before going to Klein and what he wanted.
"This better be good," he muttered as he took a seat in what looked like a cafe and waited.
Two minutes later, Klein entered, seeing him and making a straight line towards his table, almost falling into a seat. "They found it," he breathed. "They found the room."
"Already?" Kirito asked, nearly jumping out of his seat. "No way. Where'd they find it?"
"I'll show you on a map later," Klein said, sounding like he'd been rushing all day and was exhausted now. "We need you for the final attack," he said without delay. "How much time do you need?"
Kirito paused. "Well, everyone needs healing crystals, and we'll have to pick the most able to form our 7 parties of 7. Since we lost a few last time, our roster will be different. We'll need..." Kirito trailed on, listing various items before trailing off to see Klein just watching him with a smile on his face and not listening to what he was saying. "What is it?"
"It's just good to see you a bit more active. It's amazing, huh? That we're almost out?" he said, looking away before adding softly, "Asuna would be proud."
Kirito also looked away. "Yeah." He stood up. "Well, you work on those preparations. You'll probably need two weeks, which gives us plenty of time."
"Plenty of time for what?" Klein asked, blinking slowly.
"Didn't you get the letter?" Kirito asked slowly, and Klein tilted his head.
"What letter?"
"The one I got when I reached level 100," Kirito responded, and when he noticed that Klein clearly didn't understand, meaning that he hadn't received the letter, he continued vaguely, "Just that the sooner we beat this level, the better."
***
Kirito left the cafe two minutes later, wondering the whole time why he was the only one who'd gotten the letter warning him of the ticking clock. For now, no one needs to know, not as long as we beat this level. Otherwise, everyone will panic. People might even try to solo the final boss and gets themselves killed.
So for now, Kirito kept his secret.