Pruned Trees Re-Sprout!! ~ Ragazza Volpe Magica ~

Morning arrived in the town of Drahgo, and with it, one Auerolin Tomoshibi began to stir. Her emerald eyes fluttered open as her vision came into focus.

“Morning…” she whispered to herself.

“You’re hearing voices?!” Damian’s surprise from the night prior was at the top of her mind.

“Why didn’t you tell me?!”

“I didn’t think it was important!”

“My Maestro hearing ghosts is pretty fucking important!”

“Why are you getting so mad about this?”

“I dunno, 'cause we came all the way out here on our own – what if this is a trap?”

“I doubt that.”

“God damn it woman, have some self-preservation!”

Her expression soured. Her mind drifted to her brother and his three Resonators. She figured he must have gotten verbal lashings from them all the time for the reckless stunts he pulled. It wasn't even worth asking; it was obvious what kind of tomfoolery he got himself into.

“He constantly throws himself into danger to protect us.”

It must run in the family, Aura chuckled hollowly to herself.

Slipping out of bed, she ran her tongue around her dry mouth. “Blech,” she breathed out. Water. Maybe coffee. Damian’s fire element was great for the desert traversal, but it ruined her love of cold water. Either way, the common room had a pretty good coffee maker with complementary coffee beans.

Aura tip-toed out of the room attempting not to wake her Resonator with his sensitive hearing. Thankfully he was out like a light and Aura succeeded in escaping the room with Damian remaining fast asleep.

It was still quite early in the morning, probably around six or so. As such the usual culture of the MA offices and the late nights the Maestros who dwelt within worked meant there was no one prowling the hallways at this early hour. Which wasn’t a problem, she had left the room in her pajamas, a thin pale red top with matching shorts – she preferred lighter clothing with a nice thick comforter while she slept. It was oddly quiet this morning though, MA Offices like this usually employed stray Resonators to take care of housekeeping. Normally they'd be working at the moment to stay out of the way of the Maestros who would be asleep at this time.

Aura dismissed their absence as a simple cultural difference. Probably just do things differently here in Drahgo, she mused to herself.

Reaching the common room, Aura took it in for a moment. There were a couple of recliners out for anyone to use, some vending machines in the corner, a row of computers with privacy dividers, and of course an ice machine and coffee machine side by side against one of the walls.

The coffee machine was simple to use; the nearby vending machines had cups that were pre-portioned mix that slotted into the machine in question. Paper cups were provided as a courtesy, so with an application of her rhythm, Aura got herself a cup of mix. Popping it into the machine, she reached over to grab a paper cup, but her eyes widened as someone forced a cloth around her mouth and nose.

It took everything in her power not to inhale in surprise, instead, she jabbed her elbow back with an upward motion, hitting the mystery assailant's rib cage.

The assailant in question was caught completely off guard, releasing his captive. Spinning around on the ball of her heels, Aura faced her attacker. They were entirely disguised: with a hat, mouth covering, sunglasses, and heavy obscuring clothing. Even their rhythm was being muffled, probably by the clothes. That was the only way this mystery person could have snuck up on her.

Her hand passed her waist – tunerless. She had left her tuner in her room! And there were no employees, Maestro, or Resonators around! Was she set up?! There wasn't any time to consider the possibilities.

There was one gambit Aura could try. “DA-” Before she could get the rest of her Resonator’s name out, her mouth and nose were covered again. She held her breath and threw a punch aimed squarely at the center of her assailant’s face. She wasn’t a traditionally trained fighter, but Damian taught her how to street-fight.

Whoever this person was, they were brave enough to come after her with sleeping drugs in a busy MA Office. They were confident they could get away with this crime, and that more than anything scared Aura.

She was no easy prey though and she made that known: Her fist connected with its target, knocking the masked attacker off their feet.

With the brief reprieve, she took in a breath to call her Resonator, “DAM-!”

A second cloth cut off her airways. There was another attacker! She went to free herself the same way as before but her elbow was caught, and her arm restrained. The Maestro tried to break free from her entrapment, all while holding her breath. In the next moment, she was put in a compromised position, as her feet were swept out from under her and she smashed into the ground, the full weight of her second assailant winding her.

Her body demanded she take in fresh air, her head pounding, her lungs fighting her to pull in more air. She couldn’t scream, she couldn’t fight. Her supply of oxygen quickly ran out as she did everything in her power to shake off her attacker.

But it was all in vain, her body won out and she took in a deep breath and blacked out.

“Abolish the fear in your heart”

“Take me in your grasp.”

“Our connection cannot be severed by such impure hands.”

“Now arise, my beloved.”

Warmth, gentle warmth. That’s what Aura felt coursing through her as she returned to consciousness. A pair of gloved hands glowed over her as her first sight after returning to the waking world.

“DAMIAN!” she immediately cried out.

“You’re wasting your breath,” a gruff voice advised.

The situation Aura found herself in was dire – her arms were bound behind her back. Currently, she was against the hard, rocky ground, all still in her thin pajamas, which wasn’t the most comfortable place to awaken. Her hand radiated a dull pain from where she had punched her first assailant.

Surrounding them were many rubato crystals, glowing in a rainbow of different colors.

Her heart raced, cursing her stupidity. Had she taken her tuner with her when leaving the room calling Damian would have been easy. Now all she could hope for was someone to have witnessed her abduction.

Though, that’s not something she could rely on – they had a second attacker ready. Whoever these people were wanted her and came prepared.

A Maestro and Resonator, well-trained ones at that. The Resonator that was one that ultimately subdued her was a lunar-healer. She knew this combo well from Taika. “Alright, what do you want from me?” Aura asked.

“Simple. You’re going to find something for us,” the Maestro of two spoke. She recognized him as the one who first attacked her. The one she had slugged. And he most certainly held that against her, she could practically smell the killing intent radiating from him.

“You really think a valley girl like me knows what you’re looking for?” she snarked. It was a bad idea in her admission to antagonize her attackers further when they held all the cards, but she was panicking and it was the little she could do to stay sane.

“You definitely do. It’s been whispering into your ears for a few days now,” they replied, maintaining some stoicism.

“That’s quite a claim. Have you considered you have the wrong person? I haven’t heard any voices, except my own insanity,” Aura continued to snark.

The Maestro drew their black tuner from their coat. Aura tensed, awaiting the call of a spell.

“You’re hearing voices?!” Damian’s voice came from the man’s tuner. Aura failed to hide the shock on her face as the rest of their conversation from the night prior played.

“You bugged my room?” Aura ground her teeth in frustration as the recording ceased.

“We had all of the rooms in the MA Office bugged. Fortunately, you chose to have that conversation right next to it.” The Maestro returned their tuner into their coat.

“So, what do you want?” Aura questioned again.

“I told you already – you’re going to lead us to the source of the voice.”

“And if I refuse?”

The man stepped closer, then placed his foot on her head, slowly crushing it into the ground. “You’ll disappear.”

After a moment of holding his foot there, the Maestro released the pressure. “Understood?”

“Y-yeah,” Aura spoke quietly.

The next moment Aura found herself being yanked up to her feet by her bindings. They left her mobility in her legs, presumably to lead them to whatever they had kidnapped her for. Fortunately for them, she was no kickboxing expert or any other form of martial art utilizing her legs.

“Lead away. And don’t think about pulling any funny business,” the lunar Maestro demanded of his captive.

Hesitantly, Aura turned and began to walk into the depths of the cave. As she quickly learned, it wasn’t the climb into the Fangs of the Dragon that was the hard part – no it turned out there was an extensive cave system going well into the depths of the mountain that provided the challenge for young dragons wishing to be recognized as adults.

And for good reason – the cave was illuminated by rubato crystals, and as such Scherzando naturally made their nests within the depths.

“Luce Lunare, Forte,” the lunar Maestro called out. His Resonator chucked a ball of lunar energy at a serpent-shaped Scherzando and easily dispatched it.

Aura could hear it, and despite not wanting to, she heard a small heartbeat-like sound that informed her movement. She continued to lead her captors through the labyrinthian structure. The air grew thinner, more stagnant as they went, wearing on the young woman. Her link with Damian had been severed for too long, and as such the heat and cold protection he normally provided her was waning.

She trembled, letting out a haggard breath. “D-damn it… so cold.”

“Walk!” The lunar Maestro kicked her in the back, causing her to lose her footing and slam into the ground.

“Asshole!” she barked, resisting the tears that wanted to spill from pain and frustration.

Once more she was yanked up to her feet and pushed forward. “Walk!” the Maestro demanded again.

If she ever got the chance, this man would eat dirt.

The walk continued in miserable silence; the entire time Aura could feel the beating grow in strength. It ceased being a mere sound and more something she could feel.

A bright, blinding chamber awaited them ahead, and upon crossing its precipice into the room proper, they were greeted with the motherlode of all rubato crystals. Enough crystals were lying about in the pocket to make them extraordinarily wealthy. A normal person would see the money signs in their eyes from the amount of concentrated power just lying about on the ground. One might even be able to swim in the loose, spiritually charged rocks.

Yet, the lunar Maestro cared not for these frivolities. He dragged the woman into the chamber, where they all immediately sank into the loose crystals. “Where is it?” he questioned his captive.

“I dunno,” Aura winced. Her head was pounding, a beating drum that continued to alert her to its presence. “I-it’s definitely in here, it won’t stop pounding,” the woman managed to get out.

The Maestro looked to his Resonator. “She tells the truth,” the Resonator replied.

“Hmph. Fan out, we’ll find it,” the Maestro decided. “Stay out of my way,” he warned the captive.

And with that, Aura moved through the practical lake bed of crystals to one of the side walls. The blonde Maestro watched her captors trudge through the waist-deep crystals searching for the treasure they came here for. She allowed herself to slide to the ground and sit, giving her exhausted form a chance to rest. She knew running at this point was futile, the Resonator would probably snipe her and end that attempt quickly.

“Ow!” she yelped. A sharp crystal embedded in the wall poked into her. “Oh?” she breathed. The point was quite pronounced on this particular stone. Perhaps…

The crystals were about at her chest; her captors couldn’t see her arms at all. Slowly and methodically, she raked her bindings over the jagged crystal, wearing away the ropes until they popped free.

“Yes!” She excitedly released her arms, rotating her shoulders in an attempt to soothe the soreness. Furthermore, her captors were deep in the chamber now, preoccupied with their search. She kept her movements subdued though, knowing that things could go south very quickly if they realized she was free.

Slowly, she turned to crawl away when the pounding in her head grew stronger. It felt as if her eyes wanted to pop from her head while her eardrums were ready to burst. “Nnngh…” She gripped her head, curling upon herself. “Leave me alone…” she pleaded with the invisible force assailing her.

All this journey, this voice or whatever it was, had gotten her roughed up and nearly killed. She just wanted to be freed from this insanity, to go back to her room in the MA Office. Damian had to be beside himself with worry right now. At that moment, her eyes came across something that stood out. Amongst the glowing, rainbow-colored crystals, a small pipe poked out, right next to her.

The pounding in her head stopped, instead it was her own heart that hammered now. There was a sudden rush of excitement building in the young woman, her breath shallowed as her hand extended out and took grasp of the pipe.

“NO!” the Maestro shouted. The Resonator grabbed a handful of crystals nearby and drained them of their contents to form a Luce Lunare. The blob of shadowy energy was slung squarely at Aura, who hadn’t realized she had been caught.

Right before she would have been struck by the lunar spell, a down draft came out of nowhere and blew the spell off-course, slamming into the wall right next to Aura. The girl was thrown back from the force of the attack, and the full pipe was drawn from its crystalline prison.

What Auerolin Tomoshibi held tightly in her hands was a flute, a yellowish golden instrument, with an ornate mouthpiece and end piece, at the end hung a little sun-themed ornament affixed via a tassel. However, she wouldn’t have too much time to take in its beauty as the Maestro and Resonator were preparing another attack.

Aura scrambled to her feet and tried to make a break for the chamber’s entrance.

“Fissare la Ombra, Adagio! Don’t let her escape!” the Maestro belted out. The Resonator unleashed a wave of shadowy arrows that missed Aura entirely, sticking into the ground. However, the young woman discovered their intention immediately: the arrows pinned her shadow, and as such, she couldn’t move her body from that spot.

“No!” Aura cried out. She held the flute tightly against her chest, refusing to give it up.

The Maestro and Resonator steadied their approach, not having to rush now that Aura was secured in place.

Though perhaps they should have picked up the pace, as the flute began to glow. The instrument wretched itself from Aura’s grasp, floating in the air before changing shape.

What formed from the instrument was a silhouette of a child – one bearing magnificent draconic wings. Long blonde hair flowed from their head, which two horns and two fluffy ears poked out of. Their top was blue accented in reds and golds, while their leg-length skirt was brown, accented in greens and golds. A long reptilian tail with a fluffy tip swayed behind them.

Golden eyes opened, meeting the emeralds that stared back in shock.

“I ask of you: what is it that you desire; why have you taken hold of this Shine Flute?” the child spoke.

Aura stared in awe at the figure that had formed from the flute she once held. It was hard to tell at this point if this was the reality she was living or an incredibly intricate dream. Either way, the fear in her heart was real, as such her mouth moved before her brain: “H-help me,” she squeaked out, pointing back at her captors.

The Maestro and Resonator glared daggers at Aura. “Now why did you go and do that?” the Maestro snarled. “Now you have to die. There’s no two ways about it.” His voice was low, dripping with malintent.

The dragon-winged child touched down atop the lake of crystals as if standing on water. They were nonplussed by the threatening air about the two men. “I understand,” the dragon spoke. “No matter the era, people never change.” A pitying shake of the head, before the dragon glared upon the male Maestro. “I highly suggest you take your leave. I will forgive your rudeness if you do so.”

“Luce Lunare, Fortissimo!” the assailing Maestro responded. A massive ball of lunar energy quickly formed and was pelted at the golden dragon.

Even as the powerful lunar spell hurtled towards them, the winged child pivoted their feet on the surface of the crystal lake, regarding the glowing stones underneath.

“Look out!” Aura shouted.

Just when the ball of concentrated shadow energy would have struck the dragon, they smacked it back like one would swat a bug, returning the spell to its sender.

BOOM!

The lunar Resonator barely managed to dodge his own attack, only being able to fall out of the way of the reflected spell.

“What the fuck…?” the Maestro breathed out. That’s when he spotted it: the crystals around the Shine Flute’s feet had lost their luster. In an instant, the dragon had drained them and used defensive magic to reflect the Luce Lunare back at its caster.

The dragon wore a wry smirk. “Care to try your luck again?”

Try they did: “Fissare la Ombra, Lento! Bury it!” the attacker demanded. A practical tidal wave of the shadow arrows that pinned Aura in place flew at the dragon.

“Ah, it certainly would be a shame if I didn’t have a shadow to pin, wouldn’t it?” the dragon taunted. Before their adversary could question the meaning of those words, a ball as luminous as the sun itself formed over the dragon, and moved in such a way to eliminate the shadows that the arrows attempted to stick into.

With no target, the magical arrows evaporated until none remained.

At this point, it was made clear to the Maestro that they could not beat this opponent – Aura had called no spells. This Resonator was beating them without any Maestro intervention.

“Damn it. Damn it all! I was supposed to possess the Shine Flute!” the Maestro cursed.

“You were never meant to possess me, little man,” the dragon taunted. “Your role was to guide my true Maestro to this location.” Their wings extended out. “And your role is finished.” They lifted off the bed of crystals. A wind began to gather in the chamber, their wrath being carried upon the drafts that circulated through the caves.

The assailing Maestro and Resonator did not stick around to face the dragon directly. They fled, scrambling out of the crystal lake and back into the cavern. The dragon moved to give chase.

“Let them go,” Aura cut in.

“Oh? After all they put you through?” the blonde dragon questioned, though heeding the command.

“Losing you was probably the biggest failure in his life. I want them to live with the knowledge that I got you and they didn’t.”

An approving smirk rose upon the dragon’s lips. “Of course.”

They landed atop the surface of the crystal lake once more. “Now that those brutes are gone, allow me to formally introduce myself.” They curtsied, lifting their dress ever so slightly. “I am the Shine Flute, a member of the Orchestra of Heaven. Through your claim of me I am your Resonator until your final breath.”

Aura just stared at the small dragon child before her. “You’re really it… an honest-to-God ethereal. And you’re mine?”

“Yes, until the end of your final day, I am your Resonator, no force can ever change that. I am your sword and I will protect your life to the best of my abilities.”

The poor mortal Maestro was left to quietly ponder the ramifications of all of this. That man knew killing Aura would force the Shine Flute back into that instrument form. Others must be aware of this fact as well.

“I know of your name, but I feel it rude to use it without you providing it to me,” the small dragon spoke.

“Aura, I’m Auerolin Tomoshibi,” the Maestro spoke quietly.

“Take my hands, Aura.” A pair of small hands was offered to her.

The Maestro did as she was instructed. “The healing spell, you know of it," spoke the dragon.

Aura understood the implication. “La Bella Vita, Presto Tutti,” she recited. Her eyes widened as her rhythm passed to the legendary Resonator before her and then came back twice as strong in the form of a healing warmth that flooded her body.

“What the-?” Aura gasped.

The Shine Flute smiled warmly. “There are many things I have to teach you, my Maestro. This is not the place for that though, shall we head back down to the town? I’m sure your other Resonator is worried sick.”

“G-good idea.” Aura was normally a cool and collected customer, but everything happening right now didn’t feel real. She was cold and numb - it was easy to dismiss reality in such a state.

The newly formed pair began their trek back up through the cave system, the Shine Flute leading the way.

“The first thing we should probably establish is my name,” The solar ethereal began, breaking up the silence.

“Your name?” Aura asked.

“It certainly attracts far too much attention to call me Shine Flute all the time. All of my owners have given me a common name to call me so my true identity isn’t easily leaked to our enemies,” they spoke knowingly.

The weight of those words was not lost on Aura. This dragon had lived many lives she would never have known. Any advice offered to Aura would accept as fact.

“Chiara,” the name passed Aura’s lips so easily, that it was strange to her.

For the first time since they met, the Shine Flute was caught off guard, her mouth hanging open just slightly in surprise. The immortal dragon quickly corrected this and smirked. “You have wonderful taste. From today until the end of our contract, I will be Chiara, your faithful dragon,” she spoke.

“So what else do I need to know?” Aura questioned. “You’re ridiculously strong, right? I’ve heard ethereals being the most powerful Resonators one could have.”

“Of course,” Chiara spoke. “Us Orchestra members have several traits to keep in mind.”

“Our spells are all automatically available for your usage, don’t concern yourself with harming us. Though, I would recommend against casting the Solar Ultimate spell, that will end your life,” Chiara began. Aura vaguely recalled something about the infamous Solar Ultimate spell, but no specifics.

“Next, any solar or healing spell you call will be upgraded by one level at no additional rhythm cost to you,” Chiara continued.

“What the fuck?” Aura interrupted. “That’s broken!” She shook her head in disbelief. “That’s why that La Bella Vita felt so much stronger than I thought I had cast.”

Chiara nodded in the affirmative. “We also have both the normal and rare ad-Libs available to us for usage, again for no cost – so do not worry about me running out of rhythm from overusing my ad-Libs.”

“Broken broken,” Aura continued to mumble in disbelief.

“My unique species ability I believe was coined as Dragon of Legend. Like other sky dragons, I can fly and carry you, however, those dragons are but a mere imitation of my visage. Your and I’s passage through Sage Cielto’s domain is cost-free,” the dragon boasted.

“Wait wait wait. Sage Cielto, the sky sage? That means you can carry me while you fly for no rhythm cost?” Aura restated in her own words.

“But of course. Dragons were made in my likeness as I said. It’s only natural that my abilities are far superior to theirs.” There was an air of pride that this tiny dragon girl carried.

“My god you’re so busted.” Aura shook her head, continuing the train of disbelief. “Is there anything else I should know?” the Maestro asked.

“Ah, I do have access to the full suite of Healing and Shielding spells. Though I don’t get any additional benefits to my shielding spells, they are my weaker side,” she admitted, a little quieter.

At this point in the conversation, the pair reached the opening of the cavern. “You should do everything in your power to treat me as a regular Resonator,” Chiara advised. “I will do my absolute best to protect you, but I am only one Resonator. Attracting attention to your ownership of me is ill-advised,” the dragon spoke solemnly.

“I understand.” Aura wore a tired smile. She reached out and placed a hand on her new Resonator’s head. “Damian’s gonna freak out when we get back.”

Chiara smiled. “Indeed,” she chuckled.