Wednesday morning's breakfast was… tense, to say the least.

Shouri and his trio quietly ate their food, awaiting the arrival of Vince and his duo. And arrive they did, with them causing a ruckus as usual.

"Zephyr no!" Vince immediately chased after the fairy who sprung from his shoulder upon catching sight of the fresh cut fruit platter.

Mila shook her head and followed at a more relaxed pace.

Vince managed to catch Zephyr, who took a strawberry with her, the steeped liquid dripping from the fruit like a tiny raincloud.

"At least she seems to be in a better mood this morning," Rebecca noted, earning nods of agreement from the other three at the table.

After gathering their own food, Vince, Mila, and Zephyr joined the table where the other quartet was sitting.

A few moments passed in silence with everyone quietly partaking their meals. Taika noticed Shouri pausing, raising his head to speak, then lowering it to continue pecking at his food without saying a word. Finally, she stopped eating and took his hand.

He mouthed a quiet "thanks" before he spoke his mind. "Zephyr, what's going on with you?"

The fairy jumped and tried to hide.

"Seriously. We're about to go through a Scherzando infested tunnel for you – you at least owe us an explanation for the caginess," said Shouri.

Vince went to speak up on her defense, but Mila held out at arm and shook her head.

Zephyr poked her head up from the fruit bowl she had hidden behind, trouble plaguing her gaze.

"It's a lot," she murmured.

Shouri eased up a bit, seeing her truly bothered about this. "We'll start slow then. Why did you leave your village?" he asked.

"I didn't," was not the answer anyone was expecting. An unsettled hush fell across the table as the six non-fairies shared their building concern.

"I was a sacrifice."

And that didn't help the confusion. "I was weak. I was useless. So they offered me up in exchange for their safety. I was just an expendable trinket so they could keep the peace of the grove." Her tone was deadly, serious. Every word exuded the dark truth of the matter.

Shouri wanted to probe further, he wanted to know more, but Pacifica held him back, shaking her head. Instead, he spoke his understanding of the situation. "That's why you want a Maestro then? You wanted a home since you didn't have one to go back to?"

Zephyr gave a slow, silent nod.

"Then I only have one more question for you: Why me? Why PTRS?" Shouri asked. "I heard your name a lot. Shouri, Shouri, Shouri, Shouri," she paused, mulling over her words, "It built this image in my head of who you were, so I had to find you."

That was troubling. Who or what was talking about him so much that Zephyr was able to find where he was?

Zephyr turned to Vince. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "If you don't want me, I understand."

Vince gently scooped the fairy up and held her at eye level. "Of course I do. I want to be with you, because you want to be with me. If anything, knowing what you went through, I want to give you that home you were looking for."

The fairy didn't say anything. She jumped up and fluttered over to her Maestro, hugging him tightly.

Shouri glanced to Pacifica, who nodded slowly.

"Alright. I'm going to want to know more in the future, but for now let's get the matter of your tuner settled."

"Well, here we are," said Shouri.

The group of seven stood outside the van in a small parking lot. Mila and Rebecca carried bags on their backs, while Taika had her usual shoulder medical bag at the ready.

A flat path led up to the looming mountains; the walk there was sandy, devoid of vegetation. At the base of the mountain cluster was a small cave with no discernible features they could spot – it was as if a portal into a never-ending void awaited them.

"Hey look, there's a sign," Rebecca noted, pointing to the only other landmark standing defiantly against the sand-blasted landscape.

"Let's check it out." Shouri motioned for the group to advance.

The sign didn't promote confidence.

Ventallo Cave – Passage to Loggiavento Warning: Heavy Scherzando infestation! Fortissimo-ranked spells recommended </div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table>

Rebecca whistled. "Demanding the big guns," she commented. "Never seen a warning sign like this before," Shouri noted. "I've seen them dotted around while I traveled alone. Never saw one recommending Fortissimo spells though, kinda crazy," said Pacifica.

Taika simply nodded in agreement with her friend's analysis of the situation.

"We're well-equipped for this then." Mila adjusted the bag on her back and resumed the trek towards the cave.

"Mila's right. We just need to stay sharp, let's go." Shouri followed along, with his trio right behind him.

Zephyr stared at the sign, her frustration manifesting in her trembling fists.

"It's okay. I'm here and so is everyone else," Vince reassured her. "If you say so." "I know so. You can rest in my pocket if you want." He lifted his jacket. "I will, just so you don't have to worry about me," said the fairy, flying into the interior pocket. Before he rested the side, she poked her head out. "Don't hesitate to call spells of me if you need my help. I'm your secret weapon – use me," she demanded.

"I will, and I trust you." "You better, you thief."

And with that, she vanished into the pocket, curling up out of sight. Vince wasn't sure what she meant by her accusation, but he ran to catch up with Mila and the others.

"Ready beansprout?" asked Mila as Vince joined the group. "Yeah, just making sure Zephyr was secured before we go in," he replied.

Shouri nodded in agreement with the preparation. "Good idea."

Facing the cave, Shouri went ahead and loaded the map of the cave system which was thankfully available online. "Vince, I sent you the link to this map, go ahead and pull it up," he told the other Maestro.

"Oh, sure, thanks!" Vince did as was instructed and began to study the map.

"It's basically a straight shot from here to there. We can make it up to Loggiavento in about an hour if we hustle. Though according to this map, it's a steep climb to the top; so we're going to get some good exercise," Shouri announced to the group. "Any questions?" he asked.

Rebecca raised her hand. "Yes, well actually, a request," she began. "Have me summon a couple of Famiglio Incendio in Lento rank for you and Vince," she suggested. "It will make the walk easier on both of you and provide some protection just in case."

"Good idea." Shouri swapped to Rebecca's tuner to call the spell. "Famiglio Incendio, Lento."

Rebecca summoned the massive rhythm beast, surprising those who hadn't seen it before.

"Is that even the same spell?" asked Pacifica, watching as Shouri hopped up onto the rhythm beast.

"Alright, Famiglio Incendio, Lento," Shouri called for the second one. However, something was wrong – he didn't feel the rhythm link like normal.

"Huh?" Rebecca blinked. "Why didn't that work?" He cast it, and she knew his intention was right, but it just didn't work.

"Famiglio Incendio, Lento," Shouri called again. But nothing happened.

The rest of the group shared in the confusion, not understanding what was wrong – they watched him cast it once with no problem.

"Hang on, hang on." Shouri began looking into the matter on the tuner already in his grasp. "What…?" he hummed, furrowing his brows. "Apparently the Lento rank version of this spell only allows one beast to be summoned, it's like a different version of the spell built into it. It's why it's much bigger than the normal version of the spell," he explained.

"Well that's dumb for exactly this situation," Rebecca huffed. "Now what?" asked Taika. "Yeah, do we let Vince ride it instead?" Pacifica wondered.

"No," Vince spoke up. "It's more important that Shouri stays safe," he insisted. Shouri shook his head. "I can't agree with that."

"Shouri, you're a way stronger Maestro than me. If something happens to you, Taika and the others can't cast spells, and their ad-Libs would put them in more danger without you backing them up," Vince laid out his logic regarding the matter.

The guildmaster hummed and frowned hard. "I hate that you're right. Stick close to the fox then, we're not going to go fast," said Shouri.

"Got it!" Vince agreed, taking his place at Shouri's side.

"Taika and Mila, you get the front; Rebecca and Pacifica, cover the rear. We'll move with this formation," Shouri instructed.

"Right!"

The four girls moved into their respective places, forming a perimeter around the two Maestros.

"Let's get this over with!" Shouri declared.

They entered the cave, the glow of the massive flame fox Shouri rode aiding in their visibility of the surrounding path.

"Rilevare l'intenzione, Rubato – keep it refreshed Taika," Shouri cast. "Sì, ce l'hai fatta!" Taika shouted back.

Updates began to flood the maps of the two connected tuners. Shouri and Vince both watched as they moved along. Each pulse of rhythm showed huge clumps of red dots in the distance. They didn't move with each update, so the travellers could count their blessings that they weren't immediately jumped.

They came upon the first group of Scherzando. Unfortunately for the travelers, the beasts were in a wide variety of elements, so there wasn't a one-sized fits all solution.

"We'll avoid using ad-Libs, focus on spellcasting using our rhythm," Shouri told the two vanguard Resonators. "Pacifica, Rebecca, keep watch on the back," he instructed to the two covering the rear.

The four Resonators nodded, while Taika and Mila awaited their spells.

"Luce Lunare, Rubato!" "Lanciafiamme, Rubato!"

Taika and Mila took the fight to the Scherzando. "Cover the waters for me!" Mila called to her lunar counterpart. "Si!" Taika crossed Mila's path, an orb of lunar energy pooling in each hand.

With a swipe of her arm, Mila let loose a wave of flames which overtook the Scherzando in their path. Meanwhile Taika sniped the waters that resisted the torrential fire that swept their brethren away.

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"We're clear!" Taika shouted, confirming with a quick ping of her detection spell. "Good job!" Pacifica cheered from the back.

"Whew," Shouri sighed. "Let's keep moving."

The trek continued, the only sounds were the patter of their footsteps echoing off the cave walls. A cold, gentle breeze blew through the cave, so despite the uphill climb, they were kept from getting too hot (much to the ire of the two fire elements present).

Another Scherzando roadblock barred the way.

"Sho! There's some approaching from the back too!" Taika warned. "Yeah, I can see that," Shouri grunted, scanning the map. "Mila, Taika, you still have your spells from the last battle. Take care of the ones in front as needed. Rebecca, move a bit down and set up some Anello di Fuoco, Rubato. Pacifica, move to the front with Taika and Mila and Idrante, Rubato," Shouri commanded.

Vince just remained quiet and watched the elder Maestro work.

"He's really cool," Zephyr commented, poking her head out of Vince's jacket. Vince stared at his senior in awe. "Yeah…"

They continued moving forward, Rebecca leaving walls of flames in their wake. Mila took point this time, creating waves of fire while Pacifica and Taika played sniper duty with spears of water and balls of shadow respectively.

Even with such a brutal assault, it took minutes for the trio of Resonators working in tandem to push through the pack of shadowy beasts that blocked their way.

"Don't worry about formation, keep advancing!" Shouri barked, urging his own rhythm beast forward at an increased gait.

Vince had to jog to keep up, while Rebecca carefully kept the rear protected.

Eventually, they returned to their previous pace and Pacifica was allowed to return to her spot while Rebecca halted creating more firewalls.

"Whew." Shouri wiped the sweat from his brow. "You alright?" asked Vince. "Yeah, just a lot to keep track of and managing the spells on top of it." "Don't push yourself," warned the younger Maestro. Shouri nodded in agreement.

The journey continued, though the path ahead was clear. Unusually clear, which bothered Shouri. He studied the map and there were no other Scherzando being detected by Taika.

That was until it showed up.

"Sho!" Taika cried out. "A big one ahead!"

Sure enough, a large dot barred the way. Right before the exit too.

There were no other Scherzando around. Just the big guy stood between them and their freedom from the cave.

"It's not moving; let's take a quick breather before we attack," Shouri decided. "Taika, keep pinging it and let me know the second it moves even a hair," he instructed. She replied with a smirk and a thumbs up.

Shouri jumped down from the rhythm beast and joined the others in sitting on some rocks they had decided to rest on.

"I can't wait for dinner," Rebecca groaned. "And a hot bath, uhg," Pacifica complained. "I've been through worse, grow up," Mila scoffed, rolling her eyes.

Vince passed around some granola bars for the group while Pacifica took the first drink of water from her bottle. The break was mostly silent, everyone focused on conserving their energy for the fight ahead. Shouri had Pacifica top off her water bottle before they got ready to move again.

"I think the big one is scaring off all the small fry Scherzando. So the plan is we're gonna throw everything at the big guy and break through so we can get into Loggiavento before the smaller Scherzando realize what happened," Shouri advised.

With no dissenting opinions, the group marched forward. Fragments of light poured in from ahead. Though most of the light source was blocked by the massive shadow blocking the way.

The beast was serpentine in form, a massive snake Scherzando. What coated its body wasn't any of the five elements of the element wheel, but black protrusions informing of the lunar element.

"Oh boy," Shouri gulped. "A lunar Scherzando… you don't see those too often, do you?" asked Vince.

Shouri shook his head. "Solar and lunar Scherzando are rarer than the other elements. Lunar is a particular pain in the ass." He looked to Vince. "We're gonna need Zephyr for this."

He nodded, and the fairy popped out upon hearing her name.

"Your job is going to be making sure to erase their shadows if they get pinned, got it?" Shouri instructed.

"Easy enough." Zephyr flew up and sat on Vince's shoulder, ready to go. "You remember the spell you need, right?" Shouri confirmed. "Yeah, Guardando il Sole. Big bright light." Vince flashed a thumbs up.

The Resonators up front remained tense. The Scherzando wasn't moving. It had to know they were there, right?

Especially if it was a lunar element there was the very real possibility it possessed Rilevare l'intenzione, so it most certainly knew.

"Sotto," Shouri called, breaking all links with the spells except for the massive rhythm fox by he and Vince's side.

"Vince, get on the fox," Shouri ordered. "Huh? Me?" the boy questioned, pointing at himself. "Zephyr still doesn't have a tuner, if we want to use her spells you need to be directly touching her. Also meaning you two need to get closer. This is the safest way," Shouri reasoned.

"That does make sense," Zephyr acquiesced with a frown. "But what about you?" Vince brought up the more pressing concern. "I'll hang back with Paci. She's more of a distance fighter anyway," Shouri smirked.

With the plan in place, the ranks reorganized. Vince was now in the center, atop the great fire beast, while Mila and Rebecca flanked either side. Taika was behind the vanguard trio. Lastly Shouri and Pacifica took the back.

"Taika, Passo Silenzioso, Rubato and Mente Offuscata, Rubato – keep it stunned if you can. Rebecca, Bolide Rubato, deal damage. Pacifica, Idrante, Rubato, if it starts coming our way lay waste to it," Shouri instructed of his trio. They confirmed their roles with a synchronized head nod.

"Mila, Arcobaleno Fuoco, Rubato, same as Rebecca, hit hard and don't stop until it's gone," Vince told his fire cat who flashed a quick thumbs up.

The younger Maestro looked down at the fairy clinging to his jacket. "Zephyr, stay close to me, and Guardando il Sole, Rubato if those arrows come out," came the solar's orders.

Zephyr jumped feeling herself linked with him. The connection waned if she wasn't touching him, so she nestled back into his chest, getting comfy – this was going to be a wild ride.

"Ready?" Rebecca asked her fellow fire. "Born ready, let's rock," Mila grinned back.

The two fire elements took off in a blaze of glory, shooting fire balls at the beast. The giant snake began how Shouri expected it to, a cloud of shadowy pins raining down from above. Shouri and Pacifica were stuck fast, as were Rebecca, Mila, and Vince. Taika however freed herself by applying Passo Silenzioso and spot dodging out of her entrapment.

"Oh! I can do that!" Taika realized. The snake was gathering shadowy energy at its maw, but a quick Mente Offuscata broke its concentration, disrupting the spell. As such, it turned its ire towards Taika, breaking its defensive posturing to advance towards the group.

"Close your eyes!" Zephyr shouted (mainly to Vince). She threw both hands into the air and a massive ball of light illuminated the cavern for a moment, dispersing the shadows and the pins that stuck them in place.

Right on time too, as Rebecca and Mila needed to move. The snake was right on top of them, but both girls launched a fire ball in the beast's face, and retreated while it staggered. From the inferno of the two advanced fire spells, blades of shadowy energy erupted, necessitating quick footwork from everyone present, though the intensity of the attacks meant there were hits taken.

Mila and Rebecca were too close to fully dodge and were sent flying back from some slashes they took.

Taika spot dodged where she could, but also ended up knocked back. The worst damage was taken by Vince's cluster. Thankfully the Maestro himself wasn't hurt by the magic, but he was thrown from Rebecca's summon and rolled a distance down the cave, curling up to protect Zephyr.

The fairy had made the Scherzando's shit list and was now the priority target, slithering to Vince to snuff out the light.

"Mila!" Shouri barked.

The cat rolled up to her feet and ran over, putting herself between the Scherzando and her Maestro.

Vince locked up. That Scherzando was way too big and they were throwing everything at it only for it to shrug off the blows.

"Close your eyes!" Zephyr shouted.

He did as he was told and another burst of light graced him even through the lids of his eyes.

"Vince! Shielding spells! Now!" he heard Shouri shout. "Riflettore Musicale, Fortissimo!" Vince called on instinct.

He opened his eyes right in time to see Mila reflecting another barrage of bladed Luce Lunare back at its caster. Rebecca and Taika had gotten over to him and pulled the boy to his feet.

"Go! Pour everything into it!" Shouri commanded from the back. Spears of water flew overhead as Pacifica sent several volleys of Idrante from her position, while Mila and Rebecca resumed their fireball bombardment. Taika kept focusing on disrupting the beast with Mente Offuscata.

"Me too!" Zephyr shouted over the fire fight. "Aria Crepia, Rubato!" Vince shouted.

Joining the fireballs and water spears was the distinct booms of the air popping. This was the final straw and the beast turned to retreat. The Resonators' attacks didn't falter and with one final push, the beast fell, slowly dispersing into the rhythm that made up its long form.

The seven stared at the cleared path ahead of them, which led into the daytime blues.

"Holy shit," Shouri groaned from the back. "We need to move now," Pacifica advised.

"Looking good," Rebecca snarked at Mila. "Likewise," Mila smirked back.

The two fire elements had white bleeding into their hair and they were scuffed up from the encounter having been ground zero for the initial advance that broke their ranks.

Vince himself could feel the exhaustion creeping up, and Zephyr helpfully commented, "Don't go gray on me now!" He knew he probably bled himself dry with Mila and Zephyr's spellcasting. The boy turned to face his guild master and found Shouri was still able to move at their previous expedient pace, though his hair had significantly more white in it than his.

"Been awhile since I burned myself down this far," commented the older Maestro. "I think that was a big Scherzando, so we're probably gonna get a few thousand notes for that." As he reached Vince, he patted the younger Maestro's back. "Good job, both of you." His smile was warm and appreciated by the recipients.

"Of course!" the boy and his fairy beamed.

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