It has been 1 year since the NerveGear malfunctioned and trapped over 10,000 players in the world of Aincrad. Kirito the black swordsman, along with Asuna the Flash and their allies, managed to defeat Kayaba and save the remaining players, but at the cost of their own lives.Kirito's sister Kirigaya Suguha feels deeply responsible for her brother's death and hates herself for it. Suguha decides to go to Alfreim in order to find Kirito's two legendary swords that are said to have disappeared.

Alfheim is a continent surrounded by water from all sides. The continent is divided into nine large fairy territories that surround the central area of the land, the Alne plateau.

The Sylph territory, bordered by the Salamander territory to the south-east and the Cait Sith territory to the north, is a forest area called the Ancient Forest, located in the south-western corner of Alfheim.The capital city of the Sylphs is Swilvane, also known as the Emerald City due to its spires of varying green shades and brilliant dark green lights, located in a grassland area in the outskirts of the forest.

The Salamander territory, bordered by the Sylph territory to the north-west and the Imp territory to the north-east, is a desert area located in the southernmost part of Alfheim.Gattan, the capital city, is located in the southernmost point of the territory.The Salamander territory connects to the Alne plateau via the Dragons Valley.

The Imp territory, bordered by the Salamander territory to the south-west and the Undine territory to the north-east, is an alpine area located in the south-eastern corner of Alfheim. The Imp capital city is located inside one of the mountains in the area.

The Undine territory, bordered by the Imp territory to the south-west and the Spriggan territory to the north, is a wetlands area located in the eastern part of Alfheim.The Undine capital is a castle located in a small, round peninsula.The Undine territory connects to the Alne plateau via the Rainbow valley.

The Spriggan territory, bordered by the Undine territory to the south and the Leprechaun territory to the north-west, is an ancient ruins area, surrounded by a forest. The Spriggan capital is a village located around a ziggurat or pyramid-like structure.

The Leprechaun territory, bordered by the Spriggan territory to the south-east and the Gnome territory to the west, is a reclamation area located in the north-east of Alfheim.

The Gnome territory, bordered by the Leprechaun territory to the east and the Pooka territory to the south west, is a frost area located in the north to north-western area of Alfheim. The Gnome capital is an underground mining city located in the northernmost part of the territory.

The Pooka territory, bordered by the Gnome territory to the north-east and the Cait Sith territory to the south, is a grassland area located in the north-western corner of Alfheim. The Pooka capital is a carnival or circus-like city consisting of tents around a large theatre tent.

The Cait Sith territory, bordered by the Pooka territory to the north and the Sylph territory to the south-east, is a plain area.Freelia,the Cait Sith capital, is a castle located in a peninsula slightly larger than the one in Undine territory.The Cait Sith territory connects to the Alne plateau via the Butterfly Valley.

The Alne plateau is located in the centre of the continent and is separated from the fairy territories via a surrounding mountain range with mountains reaching above the altitude limit.The Butterfly, Rainbow and Dragon valleys, as well as the Legrue Corridor, are the only known ways to access to the plateau from the race territories.The plateau itself has a mostly flat terrain and consists mostly of forest and grassland regions.

Suguha has been shown to be a very aggressively sporty and a very sarcastic person, possibly more than her brother, Kazuto. She is depicted as outright cruel.However, much like her brother, this is all an act. Suguha's narcissistic and borderline sociopathic behavior stems from severe abandonment issues that originate from Kazuto quitting their kendo lessons, leaving her to be abused by their sexist grandfather. This abuse resulted in deep feelings of resentment, as well as self-hatred, regarding her own femininity, resulting in an aversion to traditional feminine traits, such as kindness and sensitivity, which she conflates with weakness. This means her attitude is defense mechanism to seem more manly in order to avoid more abuse,this lifelong repression has also bled onto her other relationships, causing her to belittle anyone she considers weaker than herself.Leafa decided to go to Alfreim through a Gate in order to find her brother's two legendary swords. The survivors of Aincrad described her brother as a hero who saved them. Suguha feels deeply responsible for Kirito's death, blaming herself for not being close enough to protect him.Leafa wants to find Kirito's two swords because they are the only things she believes will atone for her.

Recon has been a friend of Suguha,he followed her on her mission to find Kirito's two legendary swords. Recon is kind-hearted and reasonable but a bit immature. He tries to understand Suguha because he loves her, but she will never admit that she cares about him.

The Restoration Alliance

Salamanders

Pookas

Leprechauns

Spriggans

Imps

vs

The Revolutionary Alliance

Sylphs

Undine

Cait Siths

Gnome

Sword Art Online Series

Sword Art Online Aincrad Arc

Sword Art Online Fairy Dance Arc