Back at the inn with his friends Kaito sat at his bedside, mind washed with thoughts.
"What's got you, is it because we messed up our quest again?" Rika asks.
Kaito shakes his head, "no it's someone I met, he seems.... sad."
Dante tilts his head, "Is it the Toni guy, you brung up?"
Kaito nods. "Hey i know! Tomorrow we should all help him out!" Kaito says happily.
Rika too tired to argue rolls in her bed. "You're the boss!"
The next day dawned hazy and cold, with gray clouds hanging low over Astrale's rooftops. Toni was already out before most of the town had stirred, his boots hitting the sandstone streets with purpose. Determination buzzed beneath his skin. He was going to do it—somehow, some way. He was going to play at that concert tonight. For his sister. For his mom. For himself.
He darted through alleyways and narrow streets, checking notice boards, asking around, searching for any last-minute opening—anything that would get him on that stage. The hours slipped by with no answer, but he refused to give up.
As he rounded a corner near the old merchant quarter, a familiar voice called out.
"Well, look who's up early and running like he's somebody."
Toni stopped in his tracks. His so-called friends lounged nearby, leaning against crates and low stone walls. They greeted him with mock warmth—wide smiles that never reached their eyes.
He gave them a short nod, already turning to leave.
But before he could take another step, one of them lunged forward and yanked the guitar off his back.
"Hey!" Toni shouted, reaching for it.
The group surged toward him, shoving him hard against the alley wall. His shoulder scraped rough stone as they crowded around.
"You think you can just leave?" one of them hissed. "We move as a team."
"I'm done with that," Toni snapped, struggling against them. "I'm not that guy anymore."
They sneered. "What, you think you're better than us now? Is that it?!"
"You're acting like you're some saint all of a sudden," another added, their voices rising with bitter laughter.
"It's 'cause of that stupid dream of yours, huh?" The leader waved the guitar mockingly. "You think this music's gonna change anything?"
Toni's chest tightened. "Give it back."
But the boy holding it just smirked and raised the instrument above his head, ready to bring it down across the stones.
"Don't!" Toni shouted. "Stop!"
And just as the guitar began to swing downward—
A hand grabbed the attacker's wrist, stopping it mid-air with quiet, unshakable force.
Kaito stood there, calm but firm, his grip locked around the boy's arm.
The alley went still.
"Playing around with someone's dream?" Kaito says, The boy attempts to snatch from Kaito but he's unable to move. "Hey let go of me!" He shouts.
Kaito's grip tightened, the boy was trapped like a plank of wood in a vice. "You don't make fun of somebody for trying to follow their dream, not if it's near me." Kaito says in a cold voice. He looks down at the boy almost breaking his arm.
Kaito tosses him aside, picking up Toni's guitar.
The boys all look at him not wanting a fight. "He might be an actual mage, let's back off." The boy says rubbing his sore wrists. The quickly all scurry away. Running back into the ally.
Kaito walks over to Toni, handing him back the guitar with a warm smile. "I think you dropped this." He playfully says.
Toni looks back at Kaito, he takes the guitar back with a smile. "Thanks friend."
Toni looks up again for a moment and takes a deep breath allowing his guard to drop for a moment. "Hey Kaito, you think you could help me?" Toni asks.
He explains the trouble he's in. Leaving out his mother being in the hospital, but truly asking for Kaito's help in performing at the hall tonight.
Rika slides in behind Toni and throws her arm around him. "Well lucky you, Kaito wants you to perform in there." Rika says before waving her hand dramatically, stars appearing over Toni's head, "the stars have aligned." She playfully says.
Toni looks at Kaito and his three friends with a smirk. "Who are yall?" He asks.
Rika poses. "We operate outside of the law, we are Rika's Ravans!" She says, "And we'll be helping you get on that stage!" She says with overly flashy effects.
"Would you all really go through that trouble, just like that?" Toni questions never thinking people would do this. "Why's this worth it for y'all?" He asks.
Dante pushes her out of the way. He taps on Kaito's head. "He thinks of you as his friend, that's enough for us." Dante explains.
Toni looks confused, but he scratches his head and laughs. "You're a strange group, but hey i'm weird too!"
He says before looking to Nanami, "What about you miss?" He asks her.
Nanami shakes as she sweats. "Hi." She says.
After she calms down Nanami huddles them together and they make a plan.
Night fell over Astrale like a velvet curtain, and the grand hall glowed with golden lights and the murmur of an eager crowd. Inside, the final acts were getting ready backstage—technicians moving like clockwork, performers checking instruments, and nerves buzzing in the air like static.
Toni stood off to the side with his friends, bouncing on the balls of his feet, heart hammering in his chest. He looked down at his guitar, then glanced up at the stage.
"Okay," he said suddenly. "This is supposed to be a duet… Can any of y'all sing?"
They all blinked at him. One by one, they shook their heads or shrugged.
"Not a chance," Kaito muttered.
"Nope," said Nanami.
But Rika raised an eyebrow enthusiastic. "Actually… I can."
They all turned to stare at her.
"You what?" Dante asked, half-grinning.
Rika tossed her hair over her shoulder as if she was waiting to reveal this. "What? I'm a woman of many talents. You never asked."
Toni blinked, then whooped with joy, grabbing her by the shoulders. "You're serious? Rika, you legend!"
She smirked. "Let's crash a stage."
And just like that, they did.
Toni and Rika burst onto the stage, slipping past distracted techs and performers. Toni took his place front and center, guitar slung, heart ready to explode. All eyes turned toward him as cameras swiveled in his direction. Confused murmurs rippled across the crowd.
"Who the hell is that?"
"He's not on the schedule—get him off the stage!"
One of the operators reached for his headset, but before he could speak into it, Nanami stepped behind him. A flick of her wrist, and the control panel fizzled out in a puff of smoke and sparks. Her tech magic in front of her.
Across the other side, Kaito moved like a shadow, disarming another with a swift motion and an apologetic smile.
With the chaos subdued, Nanami tapped her magical tablet, and the entire stage changed. Lights dimmed and shifted, colors sweeping across the hall like brushstrokes. A dreamlike glow bathed Toni in soft blue and gold, and the backdrop reshaped into a vision of starlight and cityscapes.
Rika stepped beside him, giving him a confident nod.
Toni felt the doubt rising in his throat—but he swallowed it down.
Then he played.
The first notes were soft, uncertain, drifting through the hall like mist. The crowd began to stir, uncomfortable with the unexpected interruption. Some turned to leave, unimpressed.
But the song didn't stop.
Toni's fingers danced across the strings, slow and heartfelt. Then Rika's voice joined in—clear, soulful, warm. A hush fell over the audience as the melody found its strength, and suddenly no one was leaving.
They played together—Toni and Rika—an aching, brilliant symphony full of dreams, scars, and hope. Cameras swiveled back, locking onto the pair. Kaito leaned over a rail, happiness on his face. Nanami, watching from the sidelines, nudged him.
"She's better than I thought," she said.
"Rika?" he replied. "She's a showoff. Of course she is."
In the crowd, Toni spotted her—his sister, small and wide-eyed, squeezed between strangers. She waved. He waved back, never missing a note.
Across town, in a quiet hospital room, Meriel stood by her window. The song reached her through the open glass, and she closed her eyes, singing softly to herself—crying, smiling, remembering.
And just when the piece seemed to end, a figure stepped nervously onto the stage.
It was Dante.
Shaking, clutching a single triangle like it weighed ten thousand pounds.
Toni grinned. "C'mon, friend," he called. "Tie it all together."
Dante raised his hand… and struck the triangle with the lightest, purest chime imaginable.
The sound rang through the air—bright, soft, and absolutely perfect.
The hall erupted in applause. Thunderous cheers roared through the rafters. Toni and Rika bowed, arms raised. For a moment, the dream was real.
Then—
"Get them!" a voice barked.
Guards swarmed the back of the hall.
"Time to go!" Kaito shouted, already running.
They scattered, laughter and footsteps echoing through the corridors.
As they sprinted into the streets under the stars, Toni looked around at the people beside him—Nanami clutching her tablet, Rika tossing her hair with a victorious laugh, Kaito leading the way, Dante bringing up the rear still gripping his triangle like a weapon.
Toni laughed. A wild, breathless, impossible laugh.
"I can't believe that just happened," he gasped. "I actually played the stage."
"They're gonna remember your name now," Rika said, tossing him a wink. "You're welcome."
He laughed even harder, the joy spilling out of him in waves.
"These guys," he said. "You guys… You're the best people I've ever met."
Kaito mimics Rika's dancing. "How were you moving like that?!" He asks happily.
Rika giggles, "i'll teach you to dance one day, i know i'm amazing!" She says with yet another dramatic pose.
Nanami on the other hand is just shaking, "looks like Nanami's social battery is running out!" She says as they all laugh.
Toni quickly takes note of the time. "Sorry to do this again friend!" He says running away. "Thanks for all the help friends!" Toni shouts as he runs away.
Kaito quickly takes note of Toni's guitar. "Oh he left it, come on guys." Kaito says as they follow him