Sword art online 9 (light novel): alicization beginning - reki kawahara

Kirito awakens in a vast, fantastical forest filled with towering trees.

In his search for clues to the truth of his surroundings, he encounters a young boy who seems to know him.

He ought to be a simple NPC, but the depth of his emotions seem no different than a human.

As they search for the boys parents, Kirito finds a peculiar memory returning to him.

A memory from his own childhood, of this boy and a girl, too, with golden hair, and a name he should have never forgotten--Alice.