"Ah!"
Once Yuri was inside of the space tunnel void, her vision was instantly met with endless nothingness as she feebly tumbled down the ground, her head and body still throbbing in excruciating pain after she just withstood the full on force of the space tunnel void's spatial barrier despite having the body of a mere ordinary human.
If only I had the tenacity of a Martial Artist… Then maybe this won't be too painful for me…
"Ugh…"
Fighting the urge to vomit, another thought formed in Yuri's head—Where am I?
Darting her head around, Yuri carefully propped herself up from the cold ground.
"Ah…" Yuri sighs in relief as she stretches her limbs first before she called out and waved her hand across the air, speaking in a clear voice, "Vivian: Starlight Retina"
Upon saying this, a small black floating ball appeared in front of Yuri, its circular form warping into a star as it momentarily blinked in rich violet before it bursts into a fit of blazing light, changing Vivian's color into a pearlescent white star as it illuminated the path up ahead with its brilliant warm light.
Gazing unto the far distance, Yuri could only sigh inside her heart.
If Hilda was truly just bluffing and a spatial beast have appeared in the later moments, considering how Yuri had no strength nor power to manipulate the vitality and mana of the world, she won't be able to defend herself from spatial beasts, and even if she had a 0.1% chance of survival, that small chance won't really suffice the greater danger.
The point is—Her death was just too inevitable that even the Gods won't be able to help her from dying.
After realizing this, Yuri could only say one thing to herself—"Fate is indeed cruel"
Having said that, Yuri finally had her strength back without having to endure the side effects of the spatial barrier from before as she quietly trudged through the dark path, her only guidance being that of the gleaming white light from Vivian, its star shaped form floating a good meter up ahead, spreading its luminescent light up to 5 meters forwards, enabling Yuri to see much farther of what was up ahead.
Half an incense later, after walking for a great while, Yuri felt as if she had been walking for days now when in reality, she had only been walking for ten minutes.
"Thump! Thump!"
The sound of something bouncing off unto the ground momentarily caught Yuri's attention, as she halts and looked down at the sight of a small stone on top of the flat surface.
A space tunnel void is made to be just like its name, a void.
And what was a void was supposed to have?
Nothing.
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So why is there a rock here out of all places?
Crouching down to pick up the small rock, Yuri inspects the stone in curiosity, "This rock…"
Yuri flips the stone around to look. The small stone had several sharp cutting edges, the shape doesn't have anything distinct about it, but its size was the same as a palm of a 10-year-old child.
Looking at it, Yuri couldn't help but think that there was nothing special about the stone.
Just like who she was, something who isn't special.
But since the small stone have appeared in a place where it shouldn't have existed, then, it must have been somewhat connected to the space tunnel void in some way.
Nonetheless, that was only Yuri's theory but still…what could possibly be the small stone's real purpose?
Looking closely, as Yuri was examining the stone up close, she was suddenly reminded of something from her past.
Ah… That's right.
I remember now.
A rock like this… no… not just a rock. What I remember were ROCKS like this were often thrown at me when I was little…
How nostalgic.
Upon thinking that, the same small stone that she carefully held in between of her fingers have suddenly emitted a faint glow of yellow light.
"Huh?"
At once, as if sensing the upcoming danger that was about to unfold, Vivian immediately rushed back to the place where Yuri was still crouched down on the ground, its whole being blaring red as an unfamiliar man's voice suddenly resounded from somewhere close to Yuri, exclaiming, "Young Master! Watch out!"
At that moment, Yuri was confused about three things.
First, a rock just glowed.
Second, she just found out that a divine-grade magic tool could have its own will since Vivian just acted in response to 'something' without a command from its owner.
And third, to top off all of her already very concerning concerns, an unfamiliar voice have suddenly called her 'Young Master' when she was supposed to be alone inside of the space tunnel void!
Shutting her eyes close as her vision was suddenly blinded by a bright white light, Yuri could only wish for all things to go well once she opened up her eyes again.
Stradivari Yuri Del Gesù! I command you to wake up!
That was my wish yet why did the moment I opened my eyes, the scene in front of me have already changed into something quite peculiar?
"Ah…"
Amidst her dizziness, she still wasn't able to comprehend what have happened to her right after she was blinded by the bright white light when a loud voice has suddenly thundered beside her ears, "Stop playing dead!"
Receiving a kick just as she opened her eyes, the kick threw her backwards as her head swirled and ears buzzed at the sound of a young boy's voice, exclaiming, "Get back up you lunatic!"
At this moment, Yuri's eyes gradually cleared up.
Ah? Where am I?
Squinting at the sun's light that slapped Yuri's eyes the moment she woke up, Yuri rolled her small body across the dirt. She thought about getting up but her short limbs failed to uphold themselves so she resigned and just silently sat down the ground, her voice croaking in dehydration as she asked in a small voice, "Where am I?"
After analyzing her new surroundings, Yuri found out that she was now in the middle of a quite busy road, and even though there were both adults and other children that saw her miserable state, they only turned a blind eye at the discrimination of their 'young master' in broad daylight.
This place…
Looking around, a couple of adults that supervised the abuse were only looking at her in disgust and while several kids of the same age surrounds her, an 11-year-old young boy that wore a set of elegant clothes, arrogantly stepped his small foot forwards, snapping his long whip as it cut across Yuri's cheeks.
"That whip…You…"
There was a small shop that has a glass panel by the left side of Yuri so when she turned her head; the sight of her current state immediately greeted her.
"Oh no…"
Looking at her own reflection, Yuri was instantly flabbergasted by her own appearance.
There she saw, her own self but a much smaller version.
This is bad.
As it turns out, that small rock that she found was made for those people who have encountered its existence inside the space tunnel void to be transported into one's past!
But why must she be transported into this one specific time!
This… This day was the very same day that she almost lost her life!