Until the next rain, all footprints and tire tracks remained perfectly preserved in the worked ground. Once Kaigo found the tracks of his stolen bike, he and Vigo followed the lines across the forest. Every now and then Jenny checked in with them, anxious to have them back at HQ. For over an hour the duo searched with no sign of the Guide. What they did find were signs of battles all over the place. Scratched-up and fallen trees. Imprints of crystal monsters in the dirt. Static in the air of magic residue. In a lit-up sandbank they found the heavy motorcycle. Bruised and dented to all hell. Vigo got off his ride and inspected the grove. All the compartments on the bike lay open. A half-empty water bottle and some snacks remained behind. Around the site were unprecedented amounts of glittering obsidian dust.

  “Something does not add up.” Vigo commented as his hand trailed over a fallen tree covered in jagged patterns and black salt. “I was told there had been little to no activity these past days.”

  “Yeah. Jenny said the same thing. Though to be fair, we can only pick up Dungeon signals. Maybe your friends failed to mention all the strays they have been dealing with. In any case, we can tell that Belaphorde was here. I don’t see a dead body anywhere, so that’s a start. How long do you think this has been lying here?”

  “Don’t know. I’d reckon it’d be two or three days at most, considering nature has yet to loot the candy bars.”

  The two quickly got back up on their bikes and continued their search after they failed to find any more clues at the crashed bike. Kaigo honked his horn and cursed at Belaphorde. “You better not have gotten yourself killed out here. I’m not ready to be a widow at my age,” he muttered to himself. Uneasy tension rising in his chest.

  “You feel that?” Kaigo focused, letting out a mist to feel for magic in the air.

  Vigo looked around like a dog at attention. “Feel what?”

  “Jenny, I will highlight the area with my magic while you run a scan. I sense something, but it's unusually faint.”

  “Are you sure?” Jenny sounded apprehensive. “Though your recon method is effective, it does build up quite a bit of ichor. How big of an area are we talking about?”

  “I don't suggest things I don't mean. Besides, time is ticking.”

  The line remained silent for a few seconds. “Alright. I'll give you a signal when I have the scanner and satellite in place.”

  “I'm counting on you, apple pie.”

  “Hold on now, what are you planning, kiddo? Guides have no magic presence.”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  “Duh. But I'm sensing something. If Bel is out hunting, our best shot is to find his prey. Since it's so faint you can't feel it I think we got a baby rift not yet blooming on our hands.” Kaigo explained. He slowly lifted his hand as he filled the air with a gentle mist slowly enveloping the woods. The temperature dropped. Vigo felt a chill down his spine. Droplets flowed down his helmet.

  Jenny's voice cut through the quiet woods. “Ready in three, two, one.”

  The forest turned white in a thick fog. Vigo could not see more than a meter in front of him. His clothes suddenly turned heavy with water. His breathing got heavy with all the moisture. Then, as Kaigo took a deep breath and sighed, the fog evaporated. Vigo felt as if he had gone in and out of a steam bath. His skin was smooth and his beard glistening. Moisturized and fresh.

  Kaigo bent over and gagged. He had forgotten how rotten ichor tasted. Usually it did not bother him. He had been carrying ichor since he awakened as an Esper. Belaphorde was the only one who had ever managed to Guide the ichor out of him. It had taken days, lying in bed together, going through the stages of being hyperaware of their situation and monotonous indifference. Vigo patted his back and looked at him with fatherly concern.

  “I’m fine,” Kaigo coughed. “I was just taken by surprise.”

  Vigo gave him a few more masculine pats. “There, there.”

  Kaigo knocked on his helmet and called out, “Still with us, apple pie?”

  “Kaigo, you were right that there’s something strange about the area you are in. The whole place radiates with magic. If you had not drawn it out, these low amounts would not have been able to be detected.”

  “Yeah. I'm kinda amazing.”

  “I've detected a core just south of your location. Though it's behaving strangely. Like it's trying to hide its signal. You might not be able to see the rift with your eyes. I'll send you the coordinates, and you can use your mist to coax it out.”

  Kaigo clicked his tongue. “I don't like it. Every time rifts have been acting out of the regular, it's meant Knave trouble.” Kaigo kicked up the bike stand and turned the bike around. “Any theories, my sweet Jenny?” He motioned for Vigo to follow as a bright arrow appeared on his AR visor.

  “My first thought is that we have located the spawning point of rifts before they have materialized. But with the signal being so spread out, it could mean we got a cluster of rifts on our hands, like with the Knave incident. In any case, I'll officially make this a Guild mission. There's too much on the line for us to keep this a secret.”

  “Thank you, miss. You have been most helpful.” Vigo got in over the radio. He could feel tension rising within the boy.

  “Your mission is as follows: locate the rift. If it has not developed into a Dungeon yet, then you are to stand by. If you can enter it, then we must assume the worst, and you will go in to hunt the Knave immediately.”

  “Do you think I can take on the Knave, Jenny?”

  “The evidence says yes. The only question is how much Ichor it will take. Don't be stupid and rely on Vigo to support you.”

  “I love it when you praise me, Mommy.”

  Jenny rolled her eyes and got off the radio to begin the hectic job of organizing an emergency mission.

  They quickly arrived at the marked location. There was no sign of the spot being special except for the floating marker on their visor displays and a slight magnetic pull. They got off their bikes and gave each other an uneasy look. Kaigo reached to the side of his bike and opened the straps holding his beloved diamond spear.

  “Vigo. If we have to go in, just promise me that you will be careful. I don't know how well you can handle the pressure of the Knave. It would really suck if you died from an Ichor overdose.”

  “Don't you worry about me, kid. I know you are the main star of this show. We will deal with this and be back home with my Belaphorde before the day is over.”

  Kaigo let out an uneasy chuckle. He took his spear and spun it for dramatic effect as he summoned a geyser with an upwards swing. The water glowed with light as a perfect rectangular rift appeared in the water. A door of light pulsating as if restraining itself and its shine.

  “Jenny? We got a rift. Heading in now. You know the location.” Kaigo grabbed Vigo's hand, and they ran into the rift.