Songs in the Void: A Multiversal Score

ICDS Universe, Earth, Japan, Tokyo. 

"Wow! This big metal tube can actually fly?" Shea asked while sitting inside one of Hwaya's private planes. "How does it work? I mean, it's so big and heavy." 

Shea wasn't the only one who was amazed by the plane they were sitting in, as Aletia and Tio were also in awe of the flying machine. However, the moment was broken by two voices. 

"That's what she said." x 2 

Hearing that, Shea turned to the source of those voices, James and Alfonzo, who were looking at each other and laughing like middle school kids. Meanwhile, Elicia, Rias, Sona, and Scáthach all rolled their eyes at their childish behaviors of their chosen partners. 

"Great, now there's three of them." Sona said while shaking her head. 

"Three?" Elicia asked curiously. "Does James have a brother, or something? No, he told us he only has a little sister." 

"Sona means his mother." Rias said. "Actually, Auntie Leona can be even worse than James at times. Still, when they have their prank wars, it can be pretty funny." 

"Seriously?" Elicia asked as she leaned forward with interest twinkling in her eyes. 

"Yeah, like that time James fed all of Auntie Leona's chocolate to a bunch of rats and recorded it for her to watch later." Rias said while giggling. 

Hearing that, Elicia opened her eyes in shock. She then looked at James reproachfully. Meanwhile, Alfonzo gave James a fist bump. Tatsuo looked at him with respect, as well. 

"Wait, you two don't like chocolate, either?" Sona asked after seeing the expressions Tatsuo and Alfonzo were wearing. 

"Nope." Tatsuo replied. 

"Not at all." Alfonzo added. "But I cook with it a lot. All my girls love the shit." 

"Ooh... I feel sorry for you, Man." James said while patting Alfonzo on the shoulder. 

"Wait! Tatsuo, you don't like chocolate?" Shea asked in a dumbfounded tone. "But I was gonna get you chocolate for Valentine's Day. Miss Sumire said that's what you do in Japan. What am I supposed to do now?" 

Shea's tone made it sound like she was having an existential crisis. Aletia looked at Tatsuo with worry, as well. She then turned to look at Violet with a betrayed expression on her face. However, she was surprised when she saw the expression on Violet's face. 

"Huh? Miss Sumire?" Shea said in surprise. 

"I didn't know either." Violet replied. "I didn't think there were people who didn't like chocolate." 

{"We are next in line for takeoff."} The pilot's voice sounded over the speakers. {"Please take your seats and where your seat belts until the seat belt light is turned off. Thank you."} 

However, before the conversation could continue, the pilot's voice sounded out. So, everyone took their seats and waited for the plane to take off. Meanwhile, Aletia, Shea, and Tio were too interested in how the plane would be able to fly rather than if Tatsuo liked chocolate or not. 

Instead, the plane's cabin fell silent while the others watched the three newcomers to the modern world marvel at the modern technology. And not long after that, the plane took off and started the flight to Page Airport in Page, Arizona, the closest airport to Antelope Canyon. 

ICDS Universe, Earth, United States of America, Page, Arizona. 

Several hours later, a group of four people, a man and three women, with the man and two of the women wearing masks that covered the upper halves of their faces, were standing near a stretch limousine outside of the Page Airport. 

"Tatsuo's coming, right?" Shin, wearing a Hawaiian shirt and a pair of loose-fitting shorts asked while leaning on the side of a limousine. 

"That's right." Hwaya, the only one not wearing a mask, , replied while checking the time on her watch. "Apparently, he's bringing some of the people he met while traveling, too. Some people who never registered with New Moon. But from what he told me, they're even stronger than he is." 

"Really?" Shin asked curiously. "Last time I saw Tatsuo, he was stronger than I was. And you're telling me the ones he brought are stronger than him?" 

"That's what Sumire told me." Hwaya replied with a shrug. "Besides, why do you make it seem like you're the strongest Awakened on Earth?"

Shin did not know how to answer that question. Luckily, he was saved when one of the other young women asked a question.

"Shin, who is Tatsuo?" Su Ye-Eun, a young woman of average height looking to be in her early-twenties with shoulder length black hair and eyes wearing a grey hoodie and black jeans, asked in a curious tone. 

"He's an explorer of the 1st Dungeon." Shin replied. "He was able to climb to the 23rd Floor or so in only five months. But he stopped climbing about a month ago. If he hadn't, he would probably be on par with me." 

"Hmm... That name sounds familiar." Palludia Gren Ehuir, a young woman with a beauty on the same level as Hwaya, long, golden blond hair and sparkling blue eyes wearing a white sundress, said while tapping her chin with her right index finger. "Where did I hear it before?" 

"They used to call him the Solitary Assassin." Shin said with a snicker. "In fact, you should make sure to call him that when you meet him. He loved that nickname." 

Hearing Tatsuo's nickname, Ye-Eun looked to be interested. As someone with the Assassin Class, she found meeting another one interesting. Meanwhile, Palludia looked at Shin skeptically while Hwaya simply rolled her eyes. 

"Yeah, he loves it about as much as you like being called Crowned Prince." Hwaya said sarcastically. 

In response, Shin flinched while looking away sheepishly. 

"Besides, if Ludia says it, he's only gonna turn his sights on you." Hwaya continued. 

"Oh, now I remember. He's said to be the most handsome Explorer in the First Dungeon, right?" Palludia asked, clearly trying to make Shin jealous. She then registered what Hwaya called her and shouted at her in protest. "Hey! Don't call me Ludia! Flame which!" 

Meanwhile, instead of only looking away, Shin turned his back to the others while looking up at the incoming flights. 

"Man, how much longer do we have to wait?" Shin asked, clearly trying to change the subject. "Isn't their flight here yet?" 

Once again rolling her eyes, Hwaya ignored Palludia's protests while also turning to look towards the incoming flights, hoping to see her personal plane's approach. And as it so happened, she managed to spot it shortly after looking towards the sky. 

"Oh, there it is." Hwaya said while pointing at the incoming plane. 

Catching everyone's attention, Shin, ye-Eun, and Palludia all looked in the direction of Hwaya's finger. 

Meanwhile, those on the plane with good perceptual abilities, namely, Tatsuo, Violet, James, Alfonzo, Elicia, and Scáthach, all looked out of the window in the direction where Shin's group was standing. 

"Oh, not bad." James said. "Three High-Ranks and a Middle-Class. There all pretty strong for humans." 

"Indeed." Scáthach replied. "A spearman, a mage, a priestess, and an assassin. They are all fairly strong." 

Meanwhile, Tatsuo, Violet, Alfonzo, Elicia, Aletia, Shea, and Tio were all interested in something else than the people below. 

"High-Rank and Middle-Rank." Elicia said with a smile. "Thaht's how you tell how strong everyone is in your world, right?" 

"That's right." Sona replied. "The ranks are broken down into Low, Middle, High, Ultimate, Minor God, Major God, God King, and Apocalypse." 

"Then, what rank are all of you?" Alfonzo asked. "In our world, you would all be considered S-Class. Though, that is a very broad level, as it's the highest level of classification in our world." 

"Well, Ri Ri and Sona are both Minor God-Rank." James replied while gesturing to both Rias and Sona, respectively. He then gestured towards Scáthach before gesturing to himself as he continued. "Master is at the Major God-Rank while I'm at the God King-Rank. I'm also at the Heavenly Dragon-Rank. But that's a level used to describe dragons." 

"But you're not a dragon." Shea said while tilting her head in confusion. 

"Well, technically, I'm not." James admitted. "But Because of the [Boosted Gear], I have enough draconic aura to qualify." 

"I see..." Shea said, not really understanding James' explanation. 

"Yeah, yeah, that's great." Elicia said, wanting to ask another question. "So, what level are all of us?" 

"Hmm..." James hummed while looking over everyone with his right hand cupping his chin. "Let's see... Alfonzo and Lici are both Ultimate-Rank. Intermediate-level for Alfonzo and low-level for Lici from what I can see. Tatsuo, Tio, and Aletia are all High-Rank with Tatsuo at the intermediate-level and Aletia and Tio at the initial-level." 

James then turned his attention to Violet and Shea. 

"Let's see, Sumire is almost at the High-Rank." James continued. He then gestured with his left hand by pinching his thumb and index finger together, only leaving a sliver of space between them. "Missed it by about that much. And Shea looks like she's at the peak of the intermediate-level of the Middle-Rank." 

Hearing James assessment, Alfonzo and Elicia nodded their heads, having expected something like that. Meanwhile, Tatsuo, Aletia, and Tio seemed to be a bit unsatisfied. Especially since they were so much weaker than the others. Violet clenched her fists, determined to catch up to the others. Meanwhile, Shea's ears drooped in disappointment at the fact that she was the weakest person here. 

"Don't worry, Shea." Tatsuo said in a soothing tone while rubbing Shea's head between her ears. "You've been training the least among us. And the fac that you're already that close to catching up is a good thing, right?" 

When Tatsuo first started rubbing her head, Shea leaned into his touch happily. However, when she heard his words, her ears stood back up. She then looked up at him with a new determination in her eyes. 

"That's right, I'll catch up to everyone." Shea said while raising her fists in front of her chest. "Then, no one will leave me behind." 

Seeing how quickly Shea bounced back to her usual cheerful mood, everyone smiled at the energetic rabbit girl. Everyone except for Aletia, that is, who moved quickly to take Tatsuo's hand off of Shea's head before plopping it down on top of her own head. 

"Hey, Miss Aletia, that's not fair!" Shea protested. "You could have his other hand. It's not like he only has one." 

Shea then reached for Tatsuo's hand to snatch it off of Aletia's head. Yet, Aletia held on to it tightly. As a result, the rabbit girl and the vampire girl played tug of war with Tatsuo's arm. Meanwhile, Tatsuo could only smile awkwardly. Especially since Shea was right. Yet, she was doing the same thing Aletia had done. 

{"Everyone, pleas return to your seats and fasten your seat belts."} The captain said over the speakers. {"We will be landing at Page Airport momentarily. I repeat..."} 

Hearing the announcement, everyone quickly returned to their seats and put on their seat belts. Then, they simply waited for the plane to land before disembarking and quickly moving through the airport to join Shin's team outside the airport. 

About twenty minutes later, Tatsuo's group of eleven approached the limousine where Shin and the others were waiting. And like Shin's group, all the members of Tatsuo's group were wearing masks, while Tatsuo wore a full black bodysuit with purple accents, made from the materials he collected from the Giant Sword Tiger. Meaning, he was also wearing a cowl that covered his face. 

Aside from noticing all the masked individuals, Shin and his group also noticed just how strong all the people in front of them were. That fact caused Ye-Eun and Palludia to hide behind Shin, who smiled wryly. Meanwhile, Hwaya, took the opportunity to approach the newcomers before drawing Violet into a hug. 

"I'm glad that you're here, Sumire." Hwaya said happily with the younger girl in her arms. 

"It's good to see you, too, Hwaya-Neesan." Violet said as she wrapped her arms around Hwaya as well. 

"Hmm... Not a bad view." James muttered quietly, focusing on the two pairs of large breasts that were pressed together. 

*Smack!* x 2 

Rolling their eyes at James comment, Rias and Sona slapped James upside the head while Scáthach only shook her head at her disciple's antics. Meanwhile, Tatsuo continued forward, stopping in front of Shin with his right hand extended. 

"Long time, no see, Shin." Tatsuo said with a smile. 

Despite not being able to see the top half of his face, Ye-Euna and Palludia were momentarily dazed at the sight of Tatsuo's smile. However, they quickly shook themselves out of their dazes while Shin reached forward and accepted Tatsuo's handshake. 

"Yeah, it's been a while." Shin replied with a smile of his own. "But where have you been? I haven't seen you in a boss fight for a while. I mean, I know you went to travel for the last month or so. But that shouldn't stop you from climbing the Dungeon, should it?" 

"Well, I thought Mastiford-San would have told you about it." Tatsuo said while maintaining his smile. "But I guess she didn't. Anyway, I'll tell you about it later. When we're in a more private place. It will probably blow your mind, though." 

"Now I'm really curious." Shin said with curiosity glinting in his eyes. 

Nodding in understanding, Tatsuo shifted his gaze slightly from Shin's face to his shoulders. On shin's right shoulder, a familiar eight-inch tall young girl with long black hair and golden eyes stood with a fan in her hand. On his left, a beautiful white wolf with ice blue eyes was present. 

When their eyes met, the young girl, Peika, bowed her head respectfully. Meanwhile, the wolf, Ruyue looked at Tatsuo with curiosity while sniffing the air. 

Seeing Ruyue's curiosity, Tatsuo reached out slowly and rubbed the wolf's head. When he did, Ruyue's tail started wagging in pleasure. 

"What's your name, girl?" Tatsuo asked in a friendly tone. 

"I'm Ruyue." Ruyue replied happily. She then turned to look at Shin without moving away from Tatsuo's hand. "Shin, I like him. He smells nice." 

Shin could only look at this interaction helplessly. Never before had either of his Elementals been so friendly with others. Not even with his family. Yet, Tatsuo seemed to be able to tame them so easily. 

Meanwhile, Ye-Eun and Palludia, who were unable to see the Elementals, looked at Tatsuo strangely. However, from Shin's reaction, they knew that he was not just patting the air. Yet, when they remembered the existence of Shin's Elementals, they widened their eyes. 

"Wait, Shin." Palludia said in an astonished tone. "Is he an Elementalist, too?" 

"No, I'm not." Tatsuo said as he pulled his hand away from Ruyue, answering before Shin could. "I just have special eyes." 

Tatsuo then turned his gaze back to Shin. 

"And I'm pretty sure that at least two of them back there can see them, too." Tatsuo said while pointing his thumb over his shoulder towards the rest of his group. 

Following the direction Tatsuo pointed, Shin saw James and Scáthach looking at the Elementals on his shoulders, as well. 

"So, they're like you, huh?" Shin asked. 

"Something like that." Tatsuo said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Anyway, we should get going. I really wanna see the Wyvern's Nest. I've never seen a wyvern in person before." 

"Then, let's go." Hwaya, having finished her reunion with Violet and introduced herself to everyone else, said before taking the lead in approaching the limousine. "It's not too far away. We'll be there in only a few minutes. Then, we can get settled and discuss the plan to clear the Field Dungeon." 

Agreeing with Hwaya's plan, the rest of the group approached the limousine. However, when they realized that it might be a little small for everyone after looking inside when Hwaya's driver opened the door, they stopped to look at each other. 

"I'll take care of it." Alfonzo said as he leaned forward and stuck his head and an arm into the limousine. 

Then, using his [Metal Magic], Alfonzo etched sigils into the Limousine's interior. And when the last sigils were in place, Alfonzo flared his magic power to activate them. 

"Alright, done." Alfonzo said before helping Elicia into the limousine and climbing in himself. 

The next to enter were James and his ladies, who were not surprised at what they saw. So, they did not linger. After them, Tatsuo helped Violet, Aletia, Shea, and Tio inside before climbing in himself. And while Aletia, Shea, and Tio had no idea what was so amazing about what Alfonzo did due to not having a point of reference, Tatsuo and Violet looked at him with admiration. 

However, Shin, Hwaya, Ye-Eun and Palludia did not enter immediately. Instead, the three ladies stared at Shin sharply. Unfortunately, Shin did not understand what was going on, causing the three to sigh in unison. 

"You deserve to be single forever." Hwaya grumbled as she climbed into the limousine. "Wha~~~~~! What is this? How is this possible/" 

Hearing Hwaya's scream, Shin quickly moved forward to make sure that she was okay. However, when he looked inside the limousine to see how she was, he froze completely. 

"What's going on here?" Shin asked in dumbfounded amazement. "It wasn't so big in here earlier. How is this possible?" 

Curious to know what caused Shin's reaction, Ye-Eun and Palludia exchanged glances before rushing forward and pushing the stunned Shin in side. Then, when they both got a look at the inside of the limousine, they, too, froze in shock. 

"It's not such a big deal." Alfonzo said while waving dismissively, though there was a hint of a smile on his lips. "I just expanded the space in here so that we could all fit inside." 

"Yeah, Fonzie did this to our house, too." Elicia said just as dismissively. "I was really grateful when he made my closet bigger, though." 

"If I didn't, your clothes would be in every closet in the house." Alfonzo said while rolling his eyes. 

"Nuh uh~." Elicia replied while pouting. "They would just be in yours and Cana's... Maybe Tear's, too..." 

While Elicia continued to rattle off the owners of rooms in their house, Alfonzo could only roll his eyes. Meanwhile, Rias, Sona, and Scáthach's eyes lit up. 

"Hey, Alfonzo, do you think you could help expand our closets, as well?" Rias asked in a hopeful tone. 

"Sure, just remind me when we come to your world." Alfonzo said before raising his right hand and rubbing his thumb and index finger together as he continued. "But you should know, wizards don't work for free." 

"Don't worry." Sona said while adjusting her glasses. "I'm sure we have more than enough capital to pay for your services. 

"Also, whenever you visit, I would like to train the two of you." Scáthach said. She then turned her attention to Tatsuo's group of five and continued. "The five of you, as well." 

Immediately, the seven Scáthach mentioned stopped their conversations and began to shudder in primal terror. Meanwhile, James, Rias, and Sona only looked at them with pity in their gazes. Shin, Hwaya, Ye-Eun, and Palludia, on the other hand, were confused by the other's reactions. 

Unaware of the conversation going on in the back, the driver of the limousine took his seat. Then, he started the engine before starting the trip to the Wyvern's Nest.