Belaphorde’s mind flickered in and out as he could do nothing but watch in silence. He attempted to move his body to the side but no matter how much he thought his abused body ignored his commands. Events passed by in blurry monochrome like he was in a war movie flashback scene.

The muffled sounds of engines and people came from the distance. Distressed shouting, gunshots, and explosions. He watched the bright moon hanging low over the cathedral from where he lay on the hill of salt. The moon was shifting with a waning shard of darkness growing with each skirmish.

"Come on, wake up already!”

Belaphorde was half aware of the voice echoing from the tower behind him. It was the same voice that talked in his mind earlier but now ringing out into the air.

"Damint. We don't have time for this." The beast Esper sounded desperate. The moon was half covered and so the arena was split by a growing shadow that crept ever closer towards Belaphorde.

A jeep drove past the Guide and stopped by the tower’s entrance

“Your orders Valentina.”

“I… fuck, okay. Take Kaigo and get out of the Rift so you can contact HQ. We got about fifteen minutes. Get them to send in Ava or something, I’ll face the Knave.”

“Valentina, you can’t, it’s against orders. “

“I’m in top shape. This arena is perfect for me. I can run away. Now just go, that’s an order!”

They did not waste another moment. Valentina ran and jumped into the shadow ahead of Belaphorde. He could see the woman dressed in camouflage armor dive in and disappear without making a sound. The Guardian officers carried the unconscious Kaigo up on their jeep, a gust of shivering cold blew over Bel, frost forming over his wet eyelids. A single snowflake landing on the tip of a salt crystal. It glittered in beautiful fractal patterns, the first ever snow Belaphorde had ever seen.

He attempted to reach out as the shadow of the moon passed over his fingertips and his mind blacked out once again.

***

The quiet darkness in his mind was comforting. A formless void where he could do nothing no matter the anxiety pumping through his veins. He wanted to cry, to confess his hate for the whole world in its cold unfairness. But, it was too much effort, too childish, and the light was calling him through his closed eyelids.
Belaphorde thought he could hear voices. It sounded like prayers, or was it desperate pleas?

“Requesting…- “

The voices became clearer. Belaphorde could feel he was sitting upright strapped into a seat. A bump in the road jolted Belaphorde awake.

“What do you mean twenty minutes? We don’t have that much time!” an officer in the front seat.

Belaphorde was in the back. Kaigo was unconscious next to him and leaning on his shoulder. There was no time to waste. Bel was still alive and things looked dire. He still felt drained and lightheaded but he managed to reach out and put his hand over Kaigo’s. He didn’t know what would happen if they could not defeat the boss monster in time but he knew Kaigo could deal with it. Not really knowing what he was doing Belaphorde attempted to give Kaigo his energy, to do what he did when Guiding but with no malicious intent. Kaigo’s hand was ice cold, his skin sickly purple.

Father in heaven, forgive my sins. I never meant to hurt anyone. I’m not afraid, so please, give me the strength to make something right.

Belaphorde prayed and breathed through his pains. The frost in both men’s hair melted, the little rivers washing away the ichor on Kaigo’s face.

Wake up, you idiotic super soaker.

The car was filled with a mist of warm water as Kaigo burst to life, steam-cleaning everyone inside.

"Sorry. That was me. So embarrassing." The Esper stretched in his seat and slapped his face a couple of times. "Where are we? What are we doing? Guys, I think I got mega betrayed."

Belaphorde sighed before he was hit by a blinding strike of pain.

Kaigo stumbled over Belaphorde, “Hi? Hello? Nice to see you?” he rambled and almost fell over as he got outside the car. Once outside he was immediately swarmed by agents handing him his crystalline spear, a snack bar, and a water bottle while an officer with a clipboard and a radio strapped to their chest filled Kaigo in. Belaphorde was barely aware of what was happening.

“The three Rifts lead to the identical dungeons. The Knave has been sighted at each of them at different intervals.”

“Not much we can do about that, I will go and tag out Valentina and either fight or wait.”

“Important to note is the ground. The salt can be soft making for sink traps or sharp crystal formations, stay up in the air as much as possible.”

“Got it.” Kaigo made a thumbs up and coughed up ichor. “Don’t worry about me folks, I’m going.” He put on a jovial smile and skipped up towards the Rift.

From the open window, Belaphorde could see the Hills, glossy and simmering. The Rift had an oppressive glow where it stood ominously on the open field of muck. The area had been secured with search teams looking for valuables or people that had been left in the mud. The puddles were on fire in the setting sun. As Kaigo turned around and glanced toward the Guide his bleached hair appeared as a halo, all for a moment before he was tackled to the ground by a panther double his size.

Kaigo struggled to push off the beast and get enough space to breathe. “You big beautiful beast, now is not the time for carebear hugs.”

Belaphorde could hear a car door slam open and a woman ran into view, her silken hair flowing like waterfalls. “Vale-” she cried out and wrapped her arms around Valentina's muzzle. The snout morphed into Valentina's angular face. Kaigo rolled up to his feet, his back covered in mud, his front in blood and ichor.

“Tina. Tina, is it you? Tina, love. It’s too late. The Knave, I didn’t stand a chance.” Valentina scrambled to hold on to her Guide. In their embrace, they both began to glow with a soft golden light.

“Hush. I got you. You did amazing.” Tina comforted and then turned to face the officers. “Don’t just stand there! Get the medic team. Kaigo. Go. Now. And for the love of God prepare all Espers for Kaiju exposure. At this stage, you either have a Guide or evacuate.”

Then the Rift suddenly shrank. The white shard pressed itself into an opalescent pearl in the long claws of the Knave. The creature stood towering over the Guardian officers and held up the pearl into the light of the sunset. It laughed with an alien voice like churchbells and alp horns. The ground was visibly trembling under it.

Kaigo lashed out, creating a geyser under the Knave which it teleported backwards to avoid. Kaigo followed, aiming his staff at the hand with the Rift pearl while spikes of ice sprouted from the ground. Belaphorde watched, the water Esper seemed sluggish and shaking. He would not hold for long. Around them, other officers were spasaming in the mud as the ichor consumed them from the inside. Those strong enough or who weren't Espers were dragging the others away in an effort to save them.

With some energy returning to his body Belaphorde got out of the car, his legs were shaking like he was a newborn deer. No one seemed to mind him as Valentine was carried into the vehicle. Tina held on tight to her head, shielding her Esper from the sight of the Knave.

“Is Ava getting here?” “Can we get a Guide?” “Rockets in place, waiting for an opening.” “This is our last chance, the final stage, come on people!” The officers and their callouts blended together in Belaphorde’s muffled perception.

The Knave was floating in the air, blocking an onslaught of raining icicles with one of its arms as Kaigo went in with his spear, flying at the monster like a torpedo. The crystal spear pierced the Knave in its chest at the same time as Kaigo was stabbed by its other hand in the same area. Ichor was flowing from his mouth and chest like water from a faucet. The Knave cackled, and with a flick of its wrist sent Kaigo flying back into the ground.

“Now!” An officer shouted, and a bombardment of machinegun bullets and rockets all unleashed unto the Boss Monster.

The bullets ricochet off the Knave’s gemstone body, the bombardment made it barely flinch, but there were cracks and chips of its body falling off around where the spear still skewered it.

Kaigo grunted and with much effort sat up and tried to breathe through all the ichor.
“I’m a hero, dammit. And heroes never give up.” He rasped out once enough bile was out to clear his throat.

“Halt assault support! Kaigo, he’s all yours!” An officer called out over a megaphone.

With newfound energy that only a soldier ready to die could find Kaigo used his waterjets to get right up to the Knave. He put his hands out, encasing the whole creature in ice and sending waves of pressurized water cuts to slice off its limbs.

The Knave fell apart. Kaigo reached out and grabbed his spear as he and all the bits of the Knave crashed into the ground. It was silent for a moment. Kaigo was convulsing violently, his eyes searching the cadaver.

“That’s what you get. Haha. Ha,” he was laughing, but something was not right. “Fuck, where is the orb. Don’t tell me-”

The face of the Knave was frozen, holding the creepy diamond grin in place. Kaigo looked at the face, his laugh turning from triumphant to hysterical. “You sneaky bastard. You were just toying with me, huh? Well played. Bitch.”

The head began to glow, the light shining through its teeth and spreading out like prisms. The head burst into a pure white beam shooting up towards the sky. Everything was shaking like an earthquake was raging from the center of the beam. Kaigo was on his knees, an empty vessel.

The light fountain flickered and in its place stood a giant of obsidian and bismuth. Fractal spirals, cubes, and hard edges constructed a skyscraper of a creature. Belaphorde and Kaigo were right in the shadow of the colossus. With one step it could crush them both.

Belaphorde made a choice. He had asked for a chance and this was it. This was do or die for the both of them. Belaphorde stumbled over to Kaigo, tripping over his own feet. He was terrified and thought himself mad for not having just stayed in the car and waited to be taken to safety. Maybe it was his shame, his death drive, that caused him to cast himself in the role of martyr.

Kaigo was still when Belphorde finally reached him. Belaphorde put his arms around his face like he had seen Tina do. The Guide was so weak. He watched the giant as it took its first steps toward the city and passed right over their heads. He began guiding. Even as he lost his sight he held on and continued. Even as he lost his sense of touch he continued. The last thing he felt was his heart beating in his chest.