Ch. 2 And Everything Changed

AN: Review questions will be shortly answered at the bottom.

Yuri woke up like normal at six in the morning as was custom for his habits. Getting up a small part of his mind noted that it wasn't as difficult as normal and his back wasn't popping in six different places.

"Must of had a good sleep I guess," he thought as he idly stretched his body. As he looked around though his sleepy brain starting to fully wake up realized he wasn't in a tent or his sleeping bag, he was in his old inn room. It was impossible though not because it was destroyed or anything, but because how impossible it would be to cover the distance from Ehmead Hill to Zaphias in a single night would be inhuman. Not waking him in the middle of the move would be a similarly impossible feat. He was at his peak in spatial awareness, he had countered hundreds of would be assassins and monsters in his sleep even before they had made it within hearing distance. It made him wonder if he really was in his old inn room and not a trap.

As he turned to the mirror on the wall he was surprised to see his face, not because it was unfamiliar but because it was too young. It was his face but from when he was far younger, and his hair was back to it glossy black instead of silver. Then heard a voice, young.

"Yuri, it's time to get up, you got to go help Hank move the carriage for the sale today!" a young boys voice yelled through the door.

"Ted?" He questioned.

"Yeah, Yuri what is it?" the new named Ted asked confused by Yuri's questioning wary tone.

"What's the date?" He asked looking at his youthful complexion.

"Oh it's, the fourth," Ted answered, still confused.

"No, the year," Yuri clarified.

"Um, 20XX," Ted answered completely clueless on what Yuri was asking for.

"Thanks Ted," Yuri said after a moment.

"Ok Yuri," Ted replied after another moment.

About fifty years, fifty years less. He remembered this it was just a week before the blastia thief took the core. He had promised to help Hank move the stuff that was to be sold to raise money to fix the Aque Blastia. But how that was impossible, time travel wasn't even worth looking into for most researchers, many considered it a useless topic to even think about. No, he had to look into this as one of Estelle's characters said "Once you have eliminated the impossible what's left must be the truth no matter how improbable" or what Rita said once and Estelle shamelessly stole. He needed to look into this and that meant getting up and looking around as he exited his room, he noticed Repede by the door. Another impossibility Repede was dead but here he was alive and looking like he could take on the world,

Repede was looking at Yuri with worried eyes before making a whine and brushing against his leg just slightly. Surprised Yuri let out a startled laugh. Even now Repede still could notice his discomfort, or a very good illusion of Repede could.

"Yeah boy it's good to see you to," Repede just tilted his head at him before walking down the stairs into the lower quarter proper. Still wary Yuri followed after him.

Looking around in surprise Yuri could tell this was no illusion his body wasn't grumbling in pain making it difficult to move or protesting in anyway. Looking around the lower quarter was bustling with activity selling items to raise gald, or doing their daily business. The amount of detail was impossible for an illusion there was always something wrong with an illusion. No something else was going on. The impossibility of an illusion made him question his sanity, was he really back in time?

Repede had in the meantime carried on to entertain and play with the children too young to help, keeping them out of trouble as the adults go about. their jobs

"Hey, Yuri are you gonna help out or just stand around all day like a nimrod?" an old man said white hair, glasses, and standard peasant clothes meant to last forever. Good old Hank. "And where did you get the new threads thought you couldn't afford clothes like that."

"Oh they we're a gift," Just now noticing he was in his clothes he had when he was an old man, and technically they were a gift, the gang had designed it for him way back when they were younger and still flying everywhere in creation. He had made dozens of variants on it but the original had always dear to his heart.

"Hmmph, Must have been a good friend," Hank noted. Yuri nodding absentmindedly

"Yeah," he sorta replied.

"They look good on you, now get to helping," Hank ordered.

"Aye, aye captain," Yuri snarkedly replied as he went to help pick up items and move them to benches to sell or to the carriage to move it up to the middle quarter. As he looked around discreetly he noticed things in an almost deja vu sorta way it was a familiar scene. If he was right Ted should run up to one of the benche shops and trip. He remembered it because he had laugh at the kid and then helped him. He watched as Ted did just that, still amusing but he only smirked before walking up to him and helping him up. Nearly throwing the kid into the air by accident, before gently setting Ted down.

"You need to be more careful Ted, you could hurt yourself pretty bad doing that," he advised.

"I'm sorry Yuri, I'll try to be more careful," the kid said looking down. Repede padded up to the boy to check up on him before herding him back to the other children.

"Good, now run along," Yuri said. The changes to himself were obvious he was far stronger than when he was younger, he had his armour, and clothes. Did he have his equipment too? Opening his inventory discreetly he reached in and did a mental count of what was in it. All of his equipment even the stuff he couldn't use but his group had used throughout their adventures. Only a few items were missing the unique ones the one of kind can't find anywhere else. Annoying some of their best equipment had been unique, but he already had a boon with the stuff he had. At least he had his sword it had taken forever to find and get all those gems, and if he was right from the feeling of bloodlust, that brushed against his senses the Fell-arms.

It was quite clear at this point that the area wasn't an illusion, but it was different from the time travel that he had heard about. If he had to he would say that it was like his body was sent back and merged with the younger one, taking the best from both to form the current one. Rita would probably have been able to figure it out but she was gon…. , but she wasn't was she? If what he thought happened was true then everyone was alive. Everyone was alive a grin spread over his face before a frown covered it, but they didn't know each other. Raven was still living the life of a double agent for Alexei, Rita was still a social recluse shunned by the rest of the mages, and Karol was still a cowardly kid in need of guidance. Estelle was still a naive little princess, and Judith was still flying around with Ba'ul destroying Hermes Blastia.

Everyone was separated again, and had no knowledge of each other. He would have to get the gang back together again. He could do it the way he had before but he wasn't sure he could do it exactly like that again, especially while keeping everyone in the dark until they trusted him again. Rita and Judith especially would figure it out the quickest, he wanted the gang back together, but any route to do so would be fine as long he could do that. The lynchpin had been Estelle her circumstances had been what drawn so many of them together. He had to get Estelle that was undeniable. Still it will be about a week before Dedechi steals the core so he had until then to plan, and make sure certain events happened, and others didn't.

_ToV:NTNW_

Capur Nor currently dull, depressing port town that is constantly raining. Karol awoke to someone berating him for staying up to long last night, nothing new honestly Nan had gone on entire tangents about her worry for him and his workaholic attitude, but the voice was so young. That was new. Opening his eyes he looked at the one who had thought it was okay to wake him up at this unholy hour.

"Nan?" Karol spoke in confusion she was far younger than before, he was confused don't get him wrong his wife looked far younger than a woman her age had any right to be, but she didn't look young enough to be mistaken for a fourteen year old. It was Nan but from when they were kids, and none of his grandchildren look exactly like Nan.

"Finally up coward." He frowned she hadn't called him that in years. He forgot what it was like to be called that, nobody intelligent were quite willing to call a giant of a man a coward.

"What's going on Nan?" frowning when he heard his voice it wasn't the deep grumble he had grown use to since he hit fifthteen.

"What's going on!? What's going on is that you have to get your ass in gear so we can make it in time to protect Halure." Protect Halure? Why? It had walls and defenders now, why did it need now? He had gotten no reports that indicated it was in danger and having him go was a bit much why not just send some Brave Vesperia members to handle it. Unless something big was making its way there. Eyes hardening he stood up and asked.

"What's the threat," voice solid and demanding cultivated by years of needing to know what was going on right there and now. Idly he noticed that he wasn't standing heads above Nan, but he was about even with her. Taken aback Nan answered almost reflexively.

"A horde of high level monsters are making their way to attack Halure while the barrier is weakened."

"Barrier? What types of monsters," Karol asked, needing to know what the threat was and how best to assign people to fight or to end the fight himself.

"Yes, the barrier weakens this time of year and it looks like the Gattuso pack is looking to take advantage of it," shocked by the authority and calmness Karol was suddenly carrying himself barely heard him acknowledge her, as he walked past her.

"What was that," she questioned, it was like instead of Karol she had been right in front of the Boss. What had just happened? The coward had just gone from young boy to hardened general, but how?

_ToV:NTNW_

Taking note of his surroundings, and body after grabbing his sword which he noticed was his old original greatsword. He left the local inn the Hunting Blades were renting out for the night he took note of anything that seemed important: he was younger, Capua Nor was oppressed, he was far stronger than when he this age before easily lifting the greatsword in two hands, there was still barriers and Nan currently hated his guts. That hurt the most honestly, but first prioritizing. He was back in time probably the weirdest thing he's ever experienced but it could be worse, it could always be worse. He was at the point where the Hunting Blades were making their yearly trip to protect Halure, right before he met Yuri and Estelle. Also if he remembered right the Boss had been interested in the Gigantos Monster Brutal. He needed to get to Halure and find them, and then see if any of them had similar circumstances. As he continued walking he remember just as he approached his current Guild Leaders how bad his reputation was just as their mostly silent boss Clint gave him a glare, and Tison immediately started to attack him with words.

"Sigh, this will be a long week or two," he thought. Nan approached them giving him the most confused look he'd ever seen on her face. Nan was obviously studying him trying to understand what happened back at the inn. Clint took notice of this Karol could see it in his eye. The non expressive man was now curious about what could have caught Nan's attention. "A very long week," he thought.