The world inverted when Yuri felt his body become twisted and pulled in every direction.

The group climbed to the top of Tarqaron to face Duke and his perception of saving the world, and nearly defeated him when the Fell Arms appeared out of nowhere and escalated the fight further. The world turned on itself, colors becoming negative. The fight, with Duke now massively empowered, began anew.

Yuri's arm blurred away as he felt the space around him distorting more. One second he had been about to cleave Duke's head off in a moment of the other's lowered guard when the Abyssion rose to block it before emitting a dark, sinister light.

Judith and Karol's faces seemed locked in a state of horror, with the rest of the group only managing to stare in muted terror as their friend and de facto leader disappeared.

Yuri looked at them, using all the energy he had left to meet each of their eyes, to do his best to tell them to fight on. Half of his face had disappeared, being pulled into the air by some otherworldly force. His body was disappearing sporadically.

"I'll meet up with you guys later."

And with that, Yuri Lowell disappeared from Terca Lumireis from the top of Tarqaron.

Pain, racking all over his body, is what Yuri awoke to as he regained consciousness. His blood was surely boiling inside his veins as air expanded his lungs, as though they had never been used before. A scream tore free from him, a bellowing sound that seemed the only way for Yuri to alleviate the sensations that tore at him.

By the time the pain had dulled to an ebbing instead of knives twisting themselves into his nerves, the sun was setting. Yuri's throat, sore from the screaming that had ceased after an hour, clawed and pressed for water or some liquid to abate the rough feeling.

Blearily looking around, Yuri's addled brain tried to take in his surroundings. He was lying on grass, facing a cliff. There was silence around him, a pervading one that told him he was all alone. His armor and blade were both missing, but his deep purple clothes were still on his frame.

Out of the corner of his eye however, Yuri noticed that he was not weaponless after all.

Abyssion, in all of its dark power, was impaled in the ground a few feet away. It was different now though, from when he had first obtained it from the Krityan elder. Then, the blade had felt empty and hollow. Now the blade radiated power, and there was a feeling of bloodlust emanating from its steel; the kind Zagi gave off when he was most crazed. It was a weapon becoming of the madman.

Yuri did not have the energy to pick it up, however, let alone to move. Exhaustion over took him, and he passed out of the world of consciousness.

It was at this time that a pack of wolves, scouting out their potential meal, came cautiously from the underbrush. The meal may be feigning sleep and could attack at any moment. The wolves approached slowly, and gave a few cautionary sniffs in the air. Taking one more step closer, the pack stopped when a feeling of a much greater predator overwhelmed them.

Fear set into their minds and the beasts, understanding what their instincts were yelling at them, ran from the sleeping male.

Abyssion ceased glowing, and the light from the setting sun reflected off the blade before sinking below the horizon.

Yuri awoke again, this time to no pain on the level of his prior state of consciousness. The moon hung high in the sky, illuminating the field he was in.

Staggering painfully to his feet, Yuri could only grimace as he took in just how difficult it was for him to stand. "Well," he started, "let's not do whatever that was again."

Clutching his ribs, there was still some lingering pain, Yuri looked over at the blood red blade, still impaled in the earth. The grass around the blade was brown and brittle, and Yuri figured that it was the result of the sword itself.

'Going on unarmed in the wilderness with no idea which direction civilization is does not seem like the brightest of ideas.' Yuri thought as he staggered over to the blade, apprehension and disdain in each step. Better to have Abyssion as a weapon than not. Grasping the hilt, Yuri felt sick as a feeling of rightness, wash over him. Despite the sickening feeling, Yuri could not help but chuckle, "I guess all that dark enforcer stuff makes a lot more sense now..." he rasped, throat sore from his screams earlier.

Using the blade to steady himself, Yuri walked into the wilds, away from the patch of dead grass and unaware to the beasts that were avoiding him with a zeal. His legs complained with each step, but such soreness was something that Yuri had grown accustomed to from training.

Despite his weariness, Yuri kept an eye out for his companions, in the case that miraculously they were transported to wherever-this-is just like he was. Given that Repede could always manage to find him though, and he was very much alone, Yuri doubted that any of his friends were here with him. It was a thought that made his heart clench.

They were capable of taking care of themselves; Yuri knew this for a fact. They had done it before when Sophia had stabbed him atop Zaude. It did not change the fact that he would worry for them however. He would have to worry later though – right now he had to focus on himself.

He walked for what felt like hours, and resting for what only felt like minutes before continuing to walk for hours more. Abyssion was not giving off the bloodlust that Yuri had felt when he had felt earlier; it was almost as though the sword was asleep.

"Sword was asleep. Ha, you need to get some rest Yuri; the blade is not sentient…" Yuri muttered to himself, emerging from the woods to an open field with mountains in the distance. He didn't know if he was saying that as truth or just trying to convince himself.

The moon was back up in the sky, hanging a silent vigil over Yuri as he continued to walk, his breaths becoming labored each time he came closer to resting. Yuri, the fear that he would not find civilization having set in hours ago, gave a coarse laugh when he saw lights in the distance, nestled in between two mountains.

"People. I've never been so happy to see people…" Yuri said, his conviction to reach the lights fueling his tired body, which was screaming at him to cease moving.

The Vortex Inn was Asgard's oldest, and by consequence, cheapest inn. It sat at the entrance of the city, which was the sole reason it was still around to serve. Weary travelers, eager for a soft bed and a warm meal, would flock to it as the nearest inn. The Vortex Inn was a quaint place, frequently empty due to the difficulties of travelling in Sylvarant, but when it did have people it was booked. People rarely travelled in groups less than four when making the journey to Asgard.

It was run by an elderly woman, Myleth, whose last grandchild – and remaining family – had moved to Palmacoasta in the hopes for a more vibrant life and shunning the long held family business. Her son and daughter in law, soon after her grandson's birth, had been taken to the nearby human ranch by Desians, leaving her to raise him. With his departure, Myleth had to work diligently and take rests when she could. The only other employee was a young girl to clean the rooms.

It was because of this lifestyle that she was awake when a dark clad man, leaning heavily on a black and red sword, stumbled into her inn. His clothes were marked by dirt, and she could feel the exhaustion pouring off of him. For a moment, Myleth was afraid she was looking at a ranch escapee. Occasionally some managed to escape the ranch, only to die soon after.

This fear was allayed a bit though when the young man asked with a noticeably hoarse voice, "So how much for a room, granny?"

And with this and a roguish smile, the purple clad man collapsed, sleep and exhaustion finally overtaking him.

Myleth blinked, momentarily stunned at the young man's passed out visage before giving a sigh and stood up out of her chair behind the welcome desk. Rolling up her sleeves, she grabbed the man arms, grunting at his weight, and dragged him to one of the beds. With a great amount of effort, Myleth pulled him onto the bed and then went to collect his sword.

It was a black blade with a red trim, and strongly reminded her of a cleaver of sorts. Thinking back to the sleeping young man, she said aloud "That's quite the intimidating blade…" She observed it a moment longer, before coming to the conclusion that it must have been an artifact from years ago or a custom job. Desians did not carry swords like that.

Reaching for the sword, she suddenly flinched back as an intense fear overtook her. The sword, still where it had fallen when the young man collapsed, was simply lying there as though nothing had happened.

Myleth looked at the blade suspiciously before reaching behind the counter and grabbing her cane – which she was adamant she did not need and did her best to not use it – to push the blade further away from her and out of the path of the door. Once she was satisfied with its distance, she went over to the door, locked it, before retiring to bed herself.

When Yuri awoke, his muscles were sore and complaining as he tried to move from the bed, but compliant. He looked around the room he was in and realized that he had stumbled into an inn of sorts. Yuri's Imperial Knight training, drilled into him by Captain Niren, kicked in as he took in his surroundings and listened for any threats. Hearing nothing out of the ordinary, Yuri stifled the groans that threatened to escape and pushed himself out the bed and left the room.

An elderly woman was at the welcome desk, which Yuri also suspected as where she handled business. Yuri also noticed a cane leaning in the corner behind her, and Abyssion was by the door on the floor opposite of him. Deciding discretion was the better part of valor, Yuri coughed to get her attention.

"So, how much do I owe you for the bed? And where am I?"

She looked up, surprised at hearing him. She looked him over once, as he was leaning slightly on the door. "You're sore, my boy. I can tell by the look on your face," she said with a light grin, easing the tension in Yuri's shoulders. "Considering that it was one night, late at that, and you were alone, you owe me thirty gald. You're in Asgard."

Yuri nodded, filing the name of the city away. He had no idea where he was exactly, a rare thing given he had travelled to every continent in Terca Lumireis. Reaching into his pocket, Yuri grasped around before sheepishly looking at the elderly woman. "I don't have any money on me at the moment…"

She looked at him hard, before asking him, "You willing to do a bit of work to pay it off?"

Yuri narrowed his eyes slightly. "What kind of work?" He use to do odd chores for the Lower Quarter whenever he was short on cash as a child. Seemed like those skills would come in handy again here while he got his bearings.

"There is a young man in the weapon shop who fixed my door a while back, and business had been slow lately so I hadn't the money to pay him. You'd be doing a job for him, whatever it is." She punctuated this request with a firm nod.

Yuri mulled it over for a second before nodding. "Alright, sounds fine to me."

The elderly woman, who must have done business like this before Yuri noted, simply nodded, "You got a name, son?"

"Yuri, ma'am."

"You're a polite one. Go out and take a left, up the stairs and then go left. You'll see the shop. Ask for Garret. Tell him Myleth sent you to pay him back," she said. As Yuri walked to the door, she spoke up again, "Your sword will stay here, by the way, to make sure you don't skip town."

Yuri looked down by the door to see Abyssion lying on the floor. Yuri thought back to the clash with Duke, and to when he was in the field screaming, before shrugging and walking out the door. He didn't want anything to do with the blade for the moment. "Fine by me," he called back over his shoulder, letting the door shut.

Yuri took a moment to look over the city he had made it to. It was nestled into a mountain, with cavern dwellings stretching high and some flattened areas housed mansions or extravagant buildings. Marble or some sort of white stone, engraved with ornate designs, decorated the city. What stood out, however, was the distinct lack of a barrier blastia. How did these people defend themselves? There didn't seem to be many guards either.

"So this is Asgard…" Yuri said before remembering the directions the innkeeper had given him. Yuri headed left, up the stone stairs and looked around, noticing a sword on one of the buildings to his left.

"Excuse me, are you Garret?" Yuri asked, drawing the young man's attention as he opened the door.

"Yeah, that's me. How can I help you sir?" a young, brown haired man asked from behind the counter. Yuri noted that his hands were rough and calloused, an obvious sign of a blacksmith of sorts.

"Myleth sent me to pay you back. Said you would have an errand or something for me." Yuri began looking at the forged spears and assorted weapons the man had for sale.

Garret sighed, "I told her not to worry about the money; Norma asked me to do it as a favor. If she sent you though, that means she won't let you back in unless you do it and I vouch." He shook his head, "Alright, there is something that I asked around town about, but it is kind of dangerous."

Yuri raised an eyebrow; the old woman had not mentioned this. "In what way?"

"My sister wants to scout out Balacruf Mausoleum for her wedding as a venue, but she needs someone to escort her there. She knows the way, but this is worth a bit more than a door…"

Yuri nodded, "That doesn't sound too difficult. I'm sure we could work out a deal to cover the difference." He had no idea what Balacruf Mausoleum was, but it would let him get out and explore a bit more. Perhaps he could find out more about his surroundings.

"You sure? There are wild beasts between here and the mausoleum…" A note of worry was in Garret's voice.

Yuri paused at that, and noticed the man tensed up a bit. Yuri looked over the young man's shoulders, at the swords that were on the wall. Thinking back to the blade that was waiting back at the inn, Yuri made a decision.

"How about you give me one of those swords and custom sheath and we'll call it even?" Yuri didn't want to use Abyssion at all if he could avoid it. The blade had brought him here, to this strange place, and he had to figure out more about where he was.

Garret's eyes widened before looking at the blades. They were good swords, but it was his sister's wedding…sighing, he nodded. "Alright, one of the swords and a custom sheath. Do you have the designs now?"

Yuri shook his head, "How about we discuss the sheath later, after I escort your sister? When will she be ready to go?"

"Tomorrow, she'll meet you by the gate. What's your name?" he asked as he handed over a simple steel sword and a sheath for it. Yuri took it and checked the balance of the blade. Appeased, he put it away.

"Yuri. I'll see her then."

Yuri left the shop and walked back down to the inn. He now had a job and a way to get more information about his location. Yuri had no doubts that Abyssion had taken him someplace very foreign; during all of his travels with Brave Vesperia he had never heard of Asgard or Balacruf, nor had he heard of them during his time in the knights. Maybe he could ask the innkeeper without seeming too conspicuous.

"You're back, good. Did you square away a job with Garret?" Myleth asked as pulled out a pipe from her apron.

"I did. I'll be escorting his sister to a place called Balacruf Mausoleum tomorrow. Know anything about it Granny?"

Myleth's eye twitched at being called granny, but she let it slide. "It is believed to be the site of the ancient Balacruf Empire. The mausoleum was their capital, scholars think, but the empire fell when a great calamity struck it."

"Great calamity?"

"The winds of judgment called forth a great cyclone that battered the city with its gales. The Chosen of that era sealed it away, or at least that's the myth."

A piece of information. "The Chosen?"

The innkeeper blinked, "Yes, the Chosen. I suppose your ignorance can be excused a slight bit. When did you last attend service, Yuri?"

Religion, it would seem, played an important role here, "I'm afraid it's been quite some time." Yuri never quite was a church going man.

"Dear Martel, young people these days…at least go and pray at the House before your trip. Maybe you'll find yourself again." Myleth said, chastising Yuri. "Can you do something about that sword of yours, by the way? I don't want to touch it, but it's in the middle of the floor."

Yuri turned back to the black blade, which was still where it had fallen. Honestly, he didn't much want to touch it either, but he didn't have much of a choice in this case. Grabbing it, Yuri half expected to be whisked across to someplace else. Happily, the feeling of vindication that was present when he last held the sword was not there this time.

"Is there a place I could put this until I get back? I'm out of place to stay for the moment."

Myleth looked him briefly, scrutinizing his character a bit. "There is a room over there that you can use, and we'll discuss later if you can keep using it. Now go and pray at the House, young man, so that you have a safe journey free of the Desians."

Yuri's eyes narrowed the slightest bit. Desians, another term he didn't know about but would need to. From the way she mentioned them, it seemed that they were dangerous. He would definitely need to find out what they were in that case. Perhaps a bit of reconnaissance was in order.

"Yes ma'am," Yuri said with a light smile, making his way to the room to leave Abyssion and the blade he had received. "You'll see me back soon; I'm going to take a look around town after stopping by the church."

Nodding at him, Myleth waved him away and walked back to her welcome desk. She would still be there when he got back several hours later, close to midnight.

After having gone to the church, not pray as he had never been a religious man but rather to gather information, Yuri had made his way over to a book store. It was a small, quaint space, and Yuri had immediately asked the owner where their history books were. The elderly man had seemed pleasantly surprised that such a 'strapping young lad was taking an interest in the past' and directed him to the section with the instruction to take as long as he needed.

Yuri flipped through many of the books, skimming most of them and searching for repeating phrases and keywords; names of organizations and of people and the like. Desians were half elves, creators of human ranches and'blight on civilization that emerged whenever the world was in decline'. The world went into decline when mana, the source Yuri had set about to convert the aer in Terca Lumireis to, lessened. The journey of the Chosen was to bring mana back to the world by completing the Journey of Regeneration, whatever that entailed, and by consequence sealing the Desians away. However, Yuri's research turned up nothing of his home, no matter how much he searched.

"I'm closing up for the night, son," said the elderly man as he stood in front of Yuri. "Did you find anything that interested you?" he asked, eyeing the books that Yuri had pulled out.

"Yes," Yuri said, "but I'm afraid I don't have any money. I'm going to see about getting a job here soon; could I come back later and look at these?"

The old bookkeeper waved him off, "Lad, no one is going to buy history books about the Desians or the Church, you're welcome to look at them. Are you staying anywhere nearby?"

"The Vortex Inn. Myleth is putting me up."

He nodded satisfied, "How about you take those books, but bring them back to me later? You can read them tonight."

Yuri looked at him, surprised, but nodded his thanks and left the shop. There was a lot of reading up to do about this strange, new world. Yuri had no idea how long he would be here. Before he left the shop however, Yuri turned to ask the shop keeper a question.

"Have you ever heard of something called blastia?" Everyone knew what blastia were, no matter where in the world you went. It was a constant presence, one that was intrinsic to the way of life. The shop keeper's answer of 'No' is what made his stomach drop however.

Yuri was certain now he wasn't in Terca Lumireis anymore.

A/N: Just an idea that had been floating around in my head for a year or something. I actually wrote this a while ago. The idea is that Yuri falls through a portal during the fight with Duke and essentially turns into a rehash of the Symphonia story with Yuri tagging along and with slight divergence here and there. I'll write more once I get back home and I start playing the games again should the desire strike. Definitely will if they rerelease Vesperia on the PS4.