The truck rattled past an overgrown jungle. It devoured an old city, vines crawling over deteriorating walls. Thick, powerful roots twined around buildings, coiling toward the skies. Unease twisted Ian's chest as his gaze narrowed, straightening against the seat.

  Something jumped in his chest. A tingling sensation. He dismissed it, as always.

  Adam glanced around nervously. "We should be reaching it soon. I only heard of an approximate location, but I don't know the exact place."

  "Who told you about it?" asked Ian.

  "Uh, this really hot guy, but he looked really scary too. I don't know his name, although he looks a little familiar. He smiled and said this would be the safest for somebody looking to grow stronger. Anyway, he was really hot."

  Laughter rang from the back. "Damn, he must have touched you since that's all you remember."

  "Hey! You don't understand, there are some faces in this world universally loved..."

  At his word, Ian's expression chilled. There was one that met those requirements, both hot and scary, familiar by his infamy. Always smiling. If that Esper was involved, he didn't know if the upcoming Rift would be a blessing or a curse.

  Was this another scheme or manipulation? Ian's fingers curled into his thighs and said nothing.

  The vegetation grew denser as they continued down the main road, covered by thin grass, dewdrops hanging on their leaves. A slithering creature snaked the roots, darting away from Ian's gaze.

  Then, a small, fluffy seed fluttered by the front window.

  Adam didn't notice, chatting with the members in the back. Another one gently landed by Ian's side. A tiny oval that sprouted a fragile, white feather.

  "What is that?" wondered Ian, and Adam turned sideways.

  He blinked, furrowing his eyebrows. "I think I've seen that recorded somewhere—it looks a lot like a dandelion seed. I didn't think they existed out here."

  Dandelions fluttered in the wind. Ian's heartbeat accelerated as another lightly fluttered by the window in a steady stream. Many more—too many. The dandelions blanketed the front window like a sheen of fine snow, building rapidly.

  The wipers furiously swept away the endless storm as the car staggered. "Hey, hey—I can't see! What the hell is this!" exclaimed Adam.

  "Stop the car!" screamed Maya in the back, clutching onto the headrest.

  "The break isn't working!"

  He slammed his foot several times down with no success, smashing several buttons by the dashboard. Sweat beaded his forehead. "What do I do? Tell me, oh god, what do I do?"

  Ian didn't answer, his gaze frozen on the veil of fluff. A small, pinpoint black dot emerged from underneath. The closer he looked, the more he found peeking from the white fluff.

  Dozens of black dots crawled from under the dandelions. Hundreds.

  "You're an Esper! Don't you have abilities?"

  Adam grinned wryly. "Yeah! But I'm only an E-Rank, and my specialization is super strength! I can also cook extra nutritious food!"

  "You're useless!" screamed the girl as their other companion pulled her back from shaking Adam, and the last curled in a corner and buried their head.

  "It's fine," gritted the leader with an unsteady voice. "We have a healer. We'll get a bit banged up, but you can patch us right up. We'll be okay!" He forced himself to smile reassuringly, but it leaned more on the side of somebody with bowel problems.

  "A shadow," said Ian, his eyes widening. "There's a shadow in front of us."

  "What—!"

  Behind the flurry of white, a dark shape neared, increasing in clarity. Adam swore and jerked his arm, swerving the car. It spiraled out of control, and Ian's brain jostled in their cavity, dizziness hammering spots against his vision.

  The vehicle slammed against a pillar, hard.

  Glass shattered over the trunk, half intact. A storm of white flooded the gaps, drifting into their noses and mouths. Ian coughed as he tried to swipe them away, but fine, feather-like particles continued to invade.

  A syrupy scent wafted past his nose. He squinted, but his sight continued to blur and his muscles slackened. Unable to resist, he slumped against the passenger door.

  The scent clogged his nose and static scratched in his ears, combining into a sickening, unbearable blanket of disgust. His body writhed, clawing at his throat as his eyebrows furrowed, the space around him tightening.

  He couldn't breathe. It was down his esophagus, burrowing a home in his lungs.

  He kicked out his leg and ripped his arm free of a web of thin strings. He jerked, gasping as he tore away the remnants of fine strings that clung to his skin.

  His pupils shook unfocused, darting around in the darkness that layered above him.

  This wasn't the overgrown city—he'd entered a Rift.

  Cautiously, he stabilized his breath and inched towards the end of the narrow cave, crawling on his hands and knees.

  A low rumble rushed along the desert grounds, and he stilled, ducking back into the shadows. He watched endlessly long poles, like brown, feathered sticks, pass the opening one by one. His breath caught in his throat, and he didn't dare make a sound.

  When he was certain it had left, by the distant tap of its step, he exhaled slowly.

  He flipped onto his back and examined the walls—grooves running down cylindrical shapes that stacked against each other. Collapsed pillars.

  He didn't know where the others were, if they were together or even alive, but his main priority wasn't to search for them. Numbers could be useful, but relying on company rarely produced success.

  Although he hoped they'd lived. But Ian knew better than to cling to futile hopes.

  Silently, he sent out a mantra of curses to that Esper who guided them here. Victor likely predicted trouble the group couldn't handle, and directed them anyway.

  A test to him, and an unfortunate encounter to the rest.

  Goosebumps ran along Ian's arm, and they weren't from fear. He wondered how many times he could crawl back alive against that Esper's belief, until his strength became a cemented truth and not a fluke?

  What would it take to hammer his capability into that creepy brain?

  Ian's thoughts churned as he wriggled around, deeper into the little cave. A stack of interlaced twigs was wedged in the corner. It could serve as a torchlight, but there was nothing to light it.

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  While he waited, the creature passed by seven more times within the span of approximately two hours. He pressed himself flat against the earthy ground, peering through the darkness.

  On the eighth return, the skies folded into night almost instantaneously, stripping the ground of daylight. Rows of tiny spiders scuttled past the cave, tiny legs rapidly scrambling.

  Ian dragged his body forward slowly, tentatively peeking his head out. There were shadowed outlines of pillars and crumbled structures, open archways leading into an unknown. Rocks were scattered against the ground, and bushes climbed the stone bricks.

  An eerie silence draped over the ruins. A regular static buzz continued to hum in Ian's ears, a backdrop of sound that never left.

  Carefully, he emerged and navigated the maze of structures. Small leaves itched past his legs, and another scatter of baby spiders scurried by his feet.

  He reached a towering row of arches forming a circle, vines wrapping around its towering pillars, and a sheen of water painted across the ground. In the depths, curled on a raised platform, a giant creature with a jagged shape lay. There seemed to be something behind it.

  Ian's foot barely grazed the ground when it stirred, slowly rising onto endlessly long, stick-like legs. Eight of them.

  "Shit!" he cursed as it wobbled closer, outlining its misshapen and lumpy figure.

  Ian pivoted, darting away without a second's pause. The legs slammed against the earth, accelerating towards him. Click, click, click. He couldn't outrun it.

  A sharp exhale broke from his chest, and he swerved as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. The shapes sharpened as he twisted around a towering pillar, heading further into the ruined structure ahead.

  A long leg slammed down, wind rushing past as he jumped, crashing into the ground. He groaned. He rolled away, losing a sliver of flesh as it tore through.

  Ian clutched his abdomen, flat against the ground. He needed to hide—

  Where?

  Where could he go?

  His mind spun as the looming creature paused, its legs scuttling against the ground in confusion. As if it couldn't see him.

  When he'd braced himself to roll away, the creature stopped again in one direction. His foot lightly moved in the air, and his breath seized. The air stagnated, soulless and cold. Somehow, he could feel it, the certainty of its gaze fixed onto him.

  A predator with its eyes on its prey.

  He scrambled up when something small and soft grabbed his wrist and yanked him underneath a hole in a wall. Ian jerked, squeezing inside. The roof of the space dug into his skin, and his eyebrows twitched.

  His hands flew to his gun, gripping it tight.

  But only silence enveloped him, and the heat of another's body a short space away. Ian held his breath, weighing the enemy in the shadows or the one that waited outside.

  The long legs rushed past in the sliver of exposed space, and he exhaled.

  Tension knitted his muscles as he slowly rolled over. A shadow sat before him, two large, curious eyes blinking. A young face; a familiar face. The teenager from that first Rift, Ian realized.

  He opened his mouth when a girl crawled over, reaching out to pinch his cheeks without a single conception of personal space. She beamed. "You're handsome! The fourth most handsome person I know!"

  Her head grazed against the roof, and chunks of rubble fell in a pile of dust. She glanced at it briefly and turned back to him. Her toothy smile revealed a gap that gave an air of silliness.

  "The first is me, of course," she proclaimed proudly. "The second is my cute little brother there, and the third is that scary, doll-like man. Oh! But that pretty Guide Hermes showed us is cute too... You can share it with him then! Ares is okay... I guess."

  He recognized that name.

  Ian propped himself up on his elbows, unable to sit upright with the low ceiling. Every movement kicked a smatter of dust that itched his nose. The tragedy of not being able to sneeze.

  He made a rash hypothesis. "You're members of the Aegis Alliance."

  The girl blinked and tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Oh, you're smart too! A smart, handsome man is always liked! Although it's not really smart to say it to our faces," she flashed her teeth eagerly. "We're very scary, you know?"

  Ian stared at the small girl with crooked teeth and nodded. "Very scary."

  She beamed in satisfaction. "Right! Anyway, Ares is here too, looking around, but Apollo wanted to save you. Be grateful! It's an honour to be liked by him!"

  Ian continued to play along. "I'm very grateful."

  The girl rubbed her nose with a sniff and smiled. "Good, good! I knew my little cutie had a good eye for people!"

  Ian's eyes swept sideways, meeting the direct eye contact of the boy who stared unblinkingly. It was a little creepy, but he felt that the boy would quietly wilt in sadness if he said it aloud.

  But he was glad that the child from that Rift had a family, even if it was a group of miscreants scorned by the Base. If they'd let that child go out alone, then the two before him should possess strong abilities.

  Quietly, he straightened his back and raised his caution. Two innocent pairs of eyes continued to peer at him in the shadows.

  Were they wolves wearing sheep clothing?

  The boy inched closer to Ian's legs, stealing pieces of warmth as he silently gazed at the older man without speaking. It was a curious, strange thing that Ian couldn't define, but the child peacefully settled by his body as if that satisfied him.

  The girl giggled. "Oh, I'm Artemis, by the way! Also, you didn't come with others, right? 'Cause we saw some shriveled, ugly-looking people while exploring."

  "Shriveled?" Ian frowned and rolled onto his stomach—it felt strange to lie on his back and speak.

  She nodded. "Yeah, they were all wrinkled and ugly, like their insides were emptied. We only saw three, but we didn't look for too long before Ares told us to hide. Even though I'm stronger than him."

  Ian opened his mouth when he felt a tug on his pants, and Apollo stared at the bleeding wound on his stomach. The fabric frayed, seeping red.

  Ian glanced down briefly. "It's a minor wound. Don't worry."

  The boy shook his head firmly with a determined frown on his face—actually, when Ian examined closely, his lips seemed to be set in a perfectly mathematically straight line. When Ian refused, it curled down a single degree.

  "Does it upset you?"

  The boy stared and then nodded, tugging at the end of the pants again. He pointed at himself and then at the wound.

  "You can do something for me?" guessed the man.

  The boy nodded again, inching closer eagerly. He decisively ripped away the sleeve of his loose jacket and lifted Ian's shirt. His small hands pressed the cloth down, and Ian watched as it molded into a slimy texture, cold against his skin.

  It fused to his skin as the boy moved his hands, both uncomfortable and comfortable. He carefully tugged the cloth around Ian's waist and pulled it tight.

  Somewhat satisfied, the boy drew away and peeked at Ian eagerly. Ian brushed the wrapping, only to feel smooth skin tickle under his fingers. He inhaled, snatching his hand away.

  The boy was still staring, even closer now. Big eyes, practically on top of him. Was this a human or a puppy? But Ian examined his wound a second longer before ruffling the bowed head that quietly waited for praise.

  "Thanks. I don't know what you did, but it feels better."

  He felt the compression of the fabric tied around his waist, but it felt like warm skin under his touch. The boy had changed the texture of the cloth.

  An Esper.

  The extent of one's abilities was hard to define, and the limitations were almost endless. From what Ian read about and was taught, their abilities continued to develop and unlock higher levels.

  Espers: humanity's salvation.

  Artemis sighed and grabbed the boy's hand. She cradled it gently and drew a slight breath, her long eyelashes cracking open a fraction.

  And Guides: Espers' salvation.

  The boy's shoulders relaxed as if smoothed by an invisible force.

  Ian instinctively shuffled away, guarded by a bias against Espers. The boy noticed, rueful as he inched closer again. He tilted his head, blinking slowly.

  Artemis glanced at him and tapped her lips. "You don't really like him, right? Or maybe you did, but now that he's helped you, you don't like him anymore."

  Ian's voice remained steady. "I don't dislike him."

  She neared, and a soft glow had taken to her eyes, an illusion of sharpness that unsettled Ian's body. They were hawk-like and piercing, stripping layers from his skin and seeing far beneath.

  "You don't like me either, then. Unhappiness. Fear. Bad feelings."

  "You're reading my emotions," said Ian, narrowing his eyes dangerously. Children were a scarcity in the facility, kept under lock, so he was fond of them. But objects of danger weren't restricted to their appearance. "What are you?"

  Frost pressed against Ian's fingers, dug against the ground tersely. A numbness tickled his nails, and thoughts surged in a storm of suspicion. His black eyes, a dark abyss, were unblinking.

  The boy glanced at the crooked fingers and then back to Ian.

  Artemis scuttled back, a pout pushing air into her cheeks. She crossed her arms with impatience. "Rude! It's not what, it's who—and I said I'm Artemis. Don't blame me for reading them, they're so stinky I have no choice!"

  A soft hand pressed against Ian's wound, and another grabbed his sleeve. A rawness coated his fingers before he felt a trickle of warmth seep into his body.

  The boy tugged his sleeve again, peering at the reddened fingers that were peeled of the top layer of flesh. He frowned in dissatisfaction, moving his hand up before Ian yanked it away.

  "What are you doing?" he asked in a muted mutter, and the boy gulped.

  Artemis snatched the small hand away, scolding. "Leave him! Just because his face is nice, he's all arrogant and bitter!"

  The little boy turned around with a blank face and patted his sister's knee several times. She stopped her complaints and sniffed, venting complaints about 'judgmental adult men' and how 'all handsome men were scum'.

  In the darkness under the ruined structure, Ian silently watched the one-sided chatter between the twins. A silent boy with Esper abilities, and a noisy girl with Guide and Esper traits. The latter appeared to be a passive ability that appeared less frequently.

  Two words rang in Ian's mind in bold, provocative strokes.

  Aegis Alliance.

  To what limits did their mystery and power reach—to what extent were they hailed as villains by the Base's misconception or seekers of an unknown truth?