...Tokyo, Japan. Sixteen-year-old Aoi Sato stirred in her cramped Tokyo apartment. The city's familiar hum was already a dull backdrop to her morning. Her black, tightly curled hair framed a face etched with a weariness beyond her years. Green eyes, shadowed by dark circles, blinked open to the familiar sight of her room. She was an average girl, a single persistent pimple marring her cheek - a small, defiant mark in a world that often felt intent on leaving larger ones....

...Aoi rose, the simple act revealing a landscape of bruises blooming beneath her thin nightclothes. Each mark was a silent testament to encounters best left unremembered. Her gaze drifted to the wall, where a woman's exposed photo was tacked beside faded band posters. A bitter twist touched her lips as she looked at them, a silent acknowledgment of the torment she endured. Her small bookshelf held an eclectic mix: tales of grand adventures, distant galaxies, the supernatural, and fantastical realms. Nestled amongst them were also the brightly colored spines of Yuri manga, a quiet acknowledgment of a truth she held close....

......The morning routine was a practiced ritual, each movement carrying the weight of unspoken anxieties. Breakfast was a solitary affair, eaten with a dull resignation. As she prepared to leave for school, a wave of fear washed over her. She takes a moment to gaze at her reflection in the mirror "Hmm.. great looking unattractive as always".

Then Aoi walks towards school by herself. Wrapping her arms around herself, as if to ward off unseen blows, she Whispered into the Tokyo air, "I wish I could disappear." The sentiment was a constant companion, a silent plea in the bustling streets.......

...Then, her gaze snagged on a figure ahead. Hana Tanaka, with her blue eyes that always seemed to hold a spark of joy and hair the color of cherry blossoms in spring, was practically dancing down the pavement, skipping steps and humming a cheerful tune. Aoi felt a flicker of warmth, a momentary respite from the gray landscape of her mind. Hana's carefree laughter, even from a distance, was a melody Aoi unconsciously leaned towards. "it's great to be the popular student huh?" Aoi murmured herself....

...But the vibrant scene fractured in an instant. As Hana reached a busy intersection, a golden light erupted around her, an ethereal corona in the mundane reality of Tokyo. Hana froze, her joyful skip arrested mid-air. Confusion warred with dawning fear in her cerulean eyes. She looked around wildly, a trapped bird seeking escape. Her lips parted in a silent cry. She wanted to flee, but an invisible force held her captive. Her small hands trembled, and her knees visibly shook. Her gaze darted to the onlookers - her friends, perhaps - but their faces were masks of terror, frozen in place....

...In a heartbeat, driven by an instinct she didn't understand, Aoi surged forward. Ignoring the paralyzing fear gripping the others, she reached Hana and yanked her back with surprising strength. It was too late for herself. The golden light intensified, and the ground beneath Aoi dissolved. She plummeted downwards into a gaping chasm, a tunnel of shimmering gold that seemed to lead to an unknown abyss....

...Tears streamed down Aoi's face, a mixture of terror and a strange sense of relief. A weak smile touched her lips as she looked back at the bewildered Hana, now safe on solid ground. Her vision blurred. "At least, I could save that girl... I'm glad..." she whispered, her voice fading into the golden void. "It's much better than leaving behind such a worthless life."...

...Then, darkness claimed her. The vibrant colors of Tokyo, the fear, the fleeting moment of connection with Hana - all dissolved into an inky blackness, leaving only the echoing silence of the unknown. The golden light above flickered and then vanished, leaving the street as ordinary as it had been moments before, save for the gaping hole that now marked Aoi Sato's sudden and inexplicable departure....

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......To Be Continued......

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...Aoi opened her eyes, a cacophony of loud, unfamiliar voices assaulting her ears. Blurry silhouettes danced before her, slowly resolving into unfamiliar faces as she blinked. She tried to speak, to demand answers, but all that escaped her lips was a frustrated cry. "Why can't I talk!?" she wailed, though the sound was merely a baby's squall. Her gaze drifted downwards, and tiny hands and fingers came into focus. A jolt went through her as she took in her miniature form-she had been reborn into a baby....

..."What the hell is happening here!? How?! And where am I? Who are these people?" Her mind raced, a whirlwind of confusion. Then, a strange calm settled over her, worry and uncertainty giving way to a bizarre acceptance. "Yeah, I get it," she mused to herself, her thoughts remarkably clear for a newborn. "I'm in another world."...

...She glanced at the faces peering down at her. "But according to all the mangas I've read, a circle with light is a summoning thing... hmm... and those who get killed or have an unnatural death get reincarnated... so, if I was summoned, why in hell am I born into a freaking baby?!" The indignation of an adult mind trapped in an infant's body was overwhelming. "God, I'm so confused-huh? What's that!?"...

...Her attention was abruptly diverted by a warm, unwelcome sensation. She looked down. "Am I p-p-peeing!?" A wave of mortification washed over her. "God, it's so embarrassing, ugh!" She quickly darted her eyes back at the people surrounding her....

...Her gaze landed on a peculiar figure with fiery red hair. He was sniffing pathetically, more so than even she, a literal baby, was. "Look at all his tears," she thought with a tiny frown. Yet, despite the copious tears, he seemed incredibly happy and joyful. "Does that mean he's my dad?" Her tiny eye narrowed, scrutinizing the man....

..."What language is he speaking?" she wondered, straining to decipher the strange sounds. Then, she heard a distinct phrase. "Virel Lunis?" He called her. "Who is that? Is that...me?"...

...A toothless smile spread across her face. "Virel Lunis," she articulated perfectly, her new name echoing clearly in the stunned silence of the room. A wave of surprise rippled through the surrounding faces, and she savored their shocked expressions for a moment. But the effort was immense. Her eyes glances towards her mother beside her "Wow! She is so Beautiful and so Warm...She must be my mother...I guess" The baby girl snuggles up to her mother's warmth and a yawn escapes her tiny mouth. "I'm tired," she thought, her eyelids drooping. "Let's rest a bit then." With that, she closed her eyes, drifting into a peaceful nap....

...But her sleep was not empty. A vibrant dream unfolded before her, a breathtaking vision of a gorgeous goddess. The deity smiled warmly, her eyes overflowing with kindness. "Whoa, you're so gorgeous," Aoi blurted out, still herself in this dreamscape. Then, her inherent curiosity took over, overriding her awe. "Are you a Goddess? If you are, why am I reincarnated as a baby if I was summoned by a magic circle?" A sense of wonder and confusion mingled within her, eager for answers from this benevolent, ethereal being....

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...To Be Continued...

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...A silent gasp caught in Virel’s tiny throat as a figure coalesced before her, wreathed in an ethereal glow. A warm, gentle smile graced the being’s face, framed by sparkling, smooth, silky silver hair that flowed like liquid moonlight. Her eyes, strangely, remained closed, yet Aoi felt an intense, knowing gaze pierce through her very essence. A blue magic spell in her hand....

..."Greetings, it's a pleasure to meet you," the figure murmured, her voice a melody of calm affection that resonated deep within Virel’s infant consciousness. The being leaned closer, a translucent hand reaching out, not quite touching her. Aoi, still trapped in the tiny, uncooperative form of Virel Lunis, the newborn baby, tried to pull back, to recoil from this impossible encounter, but her new body wouldn't obey. She was tethered, mesmerized....

..."Are you a goddess? And what is in your hand? Is it magic?" Aoi’s thoughts screamed, the words emerging only as a frustrated, urgent baby cry. "Why aren't you answering my questions? Or are you... evil?" A chill, born of profound uncertainty, settled around her. This being was too serene, too perfect, to be easily categorized....

...The figure’s small smile deepened, a flicker of amusement playing on her lips. "No. I am not a Goddess or an Evil," she replied, her voice a balm against Aoi’s mounting panic. "I am You, or would I say, I am the past You. I am the one you turned into from the summoning."...

...Virel’s miniature eyes widened in a dizzying whirlwind of surprise, disbelief, and profound confusion. You are Me? The thought was incomprehensible. "What do you mean—you are Me? And what happened to Me when I got summoned?" A torrent of questions flooded her mind, each one more urgent than the last. "And why don't I remember anything about it? How are you here now? Are you inside me? Am I possessed?" The idea was horrifying, yet somehow, in this dream-like state, it felt less like a threat and more like an unfolding enigma....

...The past Aoi’s eyes remained closed, her smile unwavering, almost painfully nonchalant. "I understand your confusion, little one. But I don't have much time left to explain all of that." Her voice softened, taking on a melancholic echo. "Your memory was vanished by my death. It was a consequence, a protection in a way. I was betrayed by someone I had trusted the most. A bond thought unbreakable, shattered. And that's why you're reincarnated into another universe by my will—no, our will. You are here to fulfill what the past You, what I, couldn't do. You're here to fulfill what I left behind."...

...A shimmering aura began to ripple around the ethereal figure, her form starting to dissolve like mist caught in a gentle breeze. "For that," her voice grew more urgent, though still calm, "you have to be strong. Stronger than I ever was. And you must find a way to get to that other universe, the one I spoke of, where the person who betrayed me resides."...

...Her translucent form shimmered faster, becoming increasingly indistinct. "Remember, Virel Lunis! You have a duty to achieve!"...

...Before she fully dissolved into nothingness, two names, whispered like ancient, forgotten secrets, lingering on the fading air, distinct yet imbued with a profound weight: "Lyra" and "Aethelgard." Then, she was gone, leaving only the lingering scent of something akin to starlight and sorrow....

..."At least tell me your name!" Virel cried out, her tiny baby voice a desperate, unheard plea against the emptiness....

..."There is no need," a soft, knowing giggle echoed from the now vacant space, a final, playful, yet undeniably mysterious farewell that hung in the silence. It was a sound that promised more questions than answers, a puzzle with crucial pieces missing....

...Virel jolted awake, her dream's vivid remnants clinging to her. A strange, unfamiliar warmth moistened her cheeks. Unknown tears streamed from her tiny eyes, a profound empathy for her past self, a grief and sense of purpose she couldn't possibly describe, welling up within her newborn body. The words "Lyra" and "Aethelgard" pulsed behind her eyelids, foreign yet intimately connected to the heavy, unfamiliar duty that now settled deep in her infant soul. It was a burden, yes, but also a whisper of a grand destiny, a thrilling, terrifying journey she was just beginning to comprehend. The world of humans was behind her, a forgotten dream. Her new life, and its hidden purpose, had truly begun....

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...To Be Continued...

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