Chapter 38 - 36 - A Strange Spell
"It's a special spell that only shows up whenever I'm in trouble. I can't find anything about it online."
"The guy who sold Cecil to me said not to show it to anyone or tell anyone about it."
"Well yeah, I thought it was kinda weird, but it's super-duper strong and it has saved my butt a ton."
Vince's half-explanation didn't ease the concern of Shouri and his Resonators. They managed to get back safely, thanks to the timely casting of the strange spell, Grave Torcitore.
The user in question didn't know too much about it. Just that it was a sort of "pinch" spell that showed up when he found himself in a sticky situation, and during no other time.
"It's evil," Pacifica finally broke the silence.
The group of Shouri and his Resonators had made their way back to their room in silence. They had all almost died out there, but that wasn't even what was bothering them. They all sat around the coffee table, Shouri and Pacifica on the couch, while the two foxes of the group each took up one of the recliners.
"What do you mean?" Rebecca asked.
"That spell is evil. I... could feel Cecil being consumed by it. It's evil." She hugged herself tightly, pushing tears down her face as she closed her eyes.
Shouri moved over and pulled Pacifica into his arms. She buried her face in his chest, trembling.
Taika grimaced, averting her gaze. "My spells have been called evil," she mumbled.
"No!" Pacifica suddenly shouted, locking eyes with the raven-haired fox. "Lunar spells aren't evil. They're dark, sure, but darkness is natural!" The otter continued to cry as she spoke. Taika was taken aback, her face flushed. "This felt like actual evil, unnatural, wrong," the water element clarified.
Shouri sighed, stroking the otter's hair as she continued to tremble.
"It was hella strong whatever it was." Rebecca paused, mulling over that thought. "Though..." She covered her mouth for a moment, really thinking over her choice of words. "Maybe it was the heat of the moment." Another pause. "It didn't feel like Vince had to use that much rhythm to cast that."
Now that Rebecca mentioned it, she was onto something. "Yeah..." Shouri pulled up Pacifica's tuner, examining his reflection in the glass screen. Half of his normally thick brunet hair was an ashy white at the present – a testament to the sheer volume of rhythm he had used up in their escape attempt. And he would have used more if it wasn't for Rebecca (who was currently nursing some burns she had gotten from overtaxing herself).
Even using a spell as powerful as Grave Torcitore (one which wiped out nearly all the Scherzando and dished out significant damage to the trees around them) Vince's hair didn't have any greying. He could cast that devastating spell multiple times.
"Either way, Vince wasn't bullshitting – there is absolutely nothing online about this spell. It basically doesn't exist." Shouri returned the blue tuner to his side to focus on consoling the still distraught Pacifica.
The room fell to silence. "Let's try to get some sleep," Shouri decided.
There was no protest from the other occupants of the room. Despite all that was on their minds, they were exhausted and they knew too little about the strange spell to ruminate on it any further.
Pacifica refused to release Shouri – she was simply upset and needed consolation. Rebecca and Taika didn't argue and took their spots on the outside edges – Rebecca claiming Shouri's back, and Taika Pacifica's.
Slowly, the poor stressed-out otter calmed down and even managed to break a small smile as she nuzzled her face into her beloved Maestro's chest to drift off to sleep.
"Wh-where are we Pacifica?" Shouri spoke as he came to.
"I... dunno." Pacifica turned her head to and fro.
Surrounding them was a dense, unclearable fog. The kind of haze that swallowed even the brightest of light after only a couple paces away from it. There were no discernible landmarks, just a seemingly endless void, and the cold, uncaring mist.
The otter shivered, hugging herself and rubbing her arms in a vain attempt to warm herself. She could see her breath as she exhaled, a testament to how cool it was. She looked to her Maestro, face reddening slightly. She sidled up next to him.
"Cold?"
"Very."
He wrapped his arms around her, keeping a tight grip on her while he tried to figure out their situation.
What even happened to them? How did they get here? All three of his tuners were missing and both of them were in their bed clothes. Taika and Rebecca were nowhere to be seen – they were all alone. It was so very strange.
"Let's try to find somewhere to get out of the cold," Pacifica suggested.
"Yeah." Shouri nodded.
Hand in hand, the pair walked, though there remained nothing recognizable outside of one another. "This is seriously creeping me out Sho." The otter squeezed her Maestro's hand. Their voices were muffled by the unending blanket of fog.
Shouri noted the warmth of Pacifica's hand. It was such a vivid feeling; he couldn't help but squeeze her hand back in affirmation that he was still there.
No matter how long they walked though, it felt like they weren't making any progress. "Sho, it's so cold." Pacifica trembled, teeth chattering.
He wasn't sure what to do. If he had his jacket, he would have handed it over in a heartbeat. He gripped his head with his free hand. He couldn't recall anything specific about how they had gotten into this situation. What happened to Taika and Rebecca? Was anyone even looking for them? "Let's try to sit and think," he decided.
They found a wall they could lean against, and Shouri slumped to the ground. Pacifica dismissed her shyness and sat on his lap wrapping herself around his form as much as she could.
"C-cold," she whimpered, a few tears escaping her tightly closed eyes.
He returned her embrace in kind. She was shivering so much. "I'm here Paci..." he whispered.
"Sho..."
Her tremors began to slow, and her pained expression eased. "Sho..." she breathed out, now more of a coo.
"Feel better?" The Maestro smiled.
"Yeah. You're so warm." Without realizing it she began to nuzzle his face, making him much warmer than he was her.
"I-I'm glad Paci," he managed to utter.
They remained this way for a bit. With no clock or sky to inform the passage of time, it could have been minutes or even years. Either way, they became cognizant of their surroundings once again when a low, guttural growl hit their ears.
"What was that?!" Shouri perked up.
"Was that your stomach?" Pacifica asked hopefully.
"N-not at all."
A frigid gale blew over them, though despite the movement of the air the fog hung in place like a permanent fixture. The pair shivered, chilled by the sudden unexpected winds.
Grrrrrrrrr
The bestial growl grew louder. Whatever lurked in the mist was coming closer. Shouri scrambled to his feet with Pacifica. A shadow began to take shape within the fog. A large, beast-like shape, a Scherzando. Shouri's hand brushed his side, his fingers gliding over the waistband of his shorts. His stomach sank instantly; that's right, he had no tuners.
But they weren't defenseless. His hand whipped up to Pacifica's back, his rhythm connecting with hers instantly. "L'onda di tempesta, Accelerando!" he declared. The Maestro didn't think they could overpower the beast, but certainly, they could push it in the opposite direction with the river spell.
"Wh-why?!" Pacifica held her hands out, but the usual stream of water wasn't forming.
The otter's desperation was evident as she turned to him, eyes at their maximum width. "I feel your rhythm in me but-!"
SLAM
The features of the Scherzando became clearer as it drew near. It was a lion adorned in white. A solar Scherzando. With a great roar, it unleashed a maelstrom of bladed air. The attack itself missed the duo. However, the mere wake of the spell that was left behind as it passed by was enough to throw Pacifica and Shouri off their feet and a small distance away.
"Pacifica!"
"My spells don't work!"
Now totally out of options, they scrambled to their feet and began to run. They had no destination in mind, they just fled in terror.
The predator merely watched its quarry's pitiful attempt at escape, almost relishing in the futility of the endeavor. Lowering its body to the ground, it suddenly sprung into the air, landing directly in Shouri and Pacifica's path. A combination of the earth-shaking landing and the sudden appearance of the beast sent the pair to the ground, where they lay in a heap.
Before Shouri could get off of Pacifica, a massive paw pinned them down. A gentle, but firm force pushing the air out of their lungs. The next act in their torment was the beast slowly extending its claws.
"AHH!" Shouri cried out as his shoulders were pierced by the swords affixed to the beast's feet. Going through her Maestro, the otter felt their sting next.
"AAAAAUGH!" she screamed as now her arms were penetrated by the natural weapons.
Neither of the two had any air left to utter a cry as their life force drained and pooled underneath them in a sticky, sickly soup, all whilst they tried and failed to gasp for any amount of life-giving breath. All while the white lion smiled sadistically over their inability to mount any form of meaningful resistance.
Everything began to dim, growing colder. Despite it all, Pacifica pushed her being, the fading vestiges of her rhythm towards her Maestro.
After all, she said she would be with him to the very end, and what was this but... their end?
"Pa-ci..."
"Sh...o..."
…
"Wa.. ..."
"..ke up ...se!"
"Plea..! ... ..ve to wake up!"
Warm. It was suddenly so very warm. She was holding a comforting warmth. Her Maestro's rhythm, she could feel it so clearly.
"Pacifica! Shouri!" That was Taika crying out for them?
"This isn't fucking funny! Wake up!" And Rebecca too?
Was her mind tricking her? Or maybe her life was flashing before her eyes?
She tightened her vice grip around her Maestro; she'd never let go of Shouri. God himself would have to come down from heaven on high to tear them apart.
"I-I think we're safe Paci..." Shouri's voice whispered into her ears. She could feel his breath tickle her. It had to be real. She so desperately wanted this to be real. Finally, she allowed her eyes to open and loosened her hold over her beloved Maestro.
It took a moment of the two staring at one another for their brains to finally piece together that they were back in reality. Back in the Maestro Affairs Office they had fallen asleep in. Free from the cold. Free from the pain.
"A dream?" they both whispered.
"We dreamt together?" They each had the same thought.
"What the fuck happened?" Finally recognizing Rebecca's voice, the dreamers realized that there were others in the room besides the two of them.
Rebecca quickly rubbed away her tears, exchanging her concern for indignation. "You two started screaming," the fire Resonator clarified, sniffling while maintaining a glare.
Taika was still crying but managed to speak calmly despite the rivers of water pouring down her face. "We couldn't wake you up no matter what we tried."
Shouri looked at the otter still clinging to them. He himself could feel the sweat drenching him, and the tears that soaked his face. Pacifica seemed to be in the same condition and kept a grip on his shirt.
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!
The four looked to the nightstand, where Pacifica's tuner specifically was lit up, beeping, and vibrating all at once. Nobody moved to silence the device.
"R-Rebecca, could you-?" Shouri pointed to the blue tuner.
"Sure." She crawled over and retrieved the device for her Maestro, presenting it to him.
As soon as it was in its owner's hand, it ceased the racket. The device was showing the spell screen for Pacifica.