

ESPER AND ESPER
Normally, an Esper would fall in love with their Guide—unless they were a machine without a heart or feelings. Well, Kaleb does seem like a heartless machine. (Okey, Just kidding—he's not actually a machine. Probably. haha) Kaleb is an S-Class Esper. Cold most of the time, hardened by years of war and countless battles. But that doesn't bother him. The real problem? He's an Esper who can't find a stable partner. A guide? Screw guides. They're weak—and all they do is steal power from Espers. Who would've thought Kaleb's heart would start showing signs of life the day he met a newly transferred Esper? This is ridiculous. An Esper isn't supposed to keep looking at another Esper like that. The Guideverse is a world where magical rifts randomly open and release monstrous entities. In this world, people are born with supernatural abilities and fall into one of two categories: Espers or Guides. Espers wield powerful but unstable abilities—and risk losing control, descending into madness just like the entities they fight. Guides possess stabilizing powers that regulate an Esper's energy, preventing them from losing their minds completely.The rain began to lash furiously against the rubble as Kaleb kept his golden eyes fixed on the gigantic entity before him. The portal from which the beast had emerged barely ten minutes ago still floated, dark as night. He swallowed hard. A line of blood ran down from his skull, staining his left eye, but he didn't care.
"This isn't the time to worry about blood. This entity isn't the only threat."
Just as he finished that thought, a flicker of light flashed. Kaleb reacted instantly and leapt from his position. In less than 0.3 seconds, the rubble beneath his feet was pulverized. The next wave of attacks had begun.
With every impact, his power increased... and so did his Rupture level: 80%.
The entity wasn't seeking revenge, nor did it have a purpose. It simply wanted to destroy. It was in its nature. And Kaleb... was getting closer and closer to that same essence.
He knew there would be no return if he crossed that threshold.
But reinforcements weren't coming. And now, two more entities tore rifts into the sky, dyed in an unnatural red.
He clicked his tongue and threw another brutal strike.
His breath burned like a thousand embers as he swallowed again.
Elsewhere on the battlefield, the other Espers were also giving everything they had. Some had already lost limbs, and the guides fought beside them or supported the most weakened.
Kaleb's assigned guide was burning his energy helping others.
"Idiot... who the hell is going to guide me when this damn battle's over?" he couldn't help but curse in his mind.
But just as he turned to look at his guide, the Class S entity seized the moment. It unleashed a blast of air as sharp as blades.
Kaleb reacted quickly, but not fast enough. He created a gravity shield, and while he managed to block the attack, the explosion of energy hurled both of them into the air.
The other two entities approached at high speed. But they stopped cold. Kaleb was now radiating a murderous aura of compressed energy.
Suddenly, a shockwave burst out around him, invisible but devastating.
His golden eyes were glowing intensely.
By the time the entities tried to respond, it was already too late.
Silence fell like a shroud: sound vanished completely.
The rubble levitated, frozen in the air as if time itself had stopped.
Then everything returned, Sound, Movement.
Gravity reversed, and the entities were violently pulled toward Kaleb.
Once they were close enough, they were repelled with brutal force.
Their limbs exploded on impact, and their bodies were launched into the ruins of a building.
Kaleb could barely see.
His body trembled. His mind was beginning to fracture.
The whispers returned. They demanded more.
He was on the brink of collapse... of Rupture.
But the original entity—the one that had come from the dark portal—still remained.
His body began to burn. His skin cracked with crimson energy, as if a blazing web ran through his veins.
"More... more... I need... more power"
A chilling laugh slipped from his lips before he even realized. His nose bled.
"No... damn it... ugh... like hell I'm gonna... AAAAAAGHHHH!! AHAHAHA!!"
He clutched his head and began slamming it against the rubble beneath him. Blood splattered across the stones. The ground groaned beneath him.
"KALEB!! NO!!" His guide's voice was getting closer, but Kaleb's Yang energy was out of control.
The hallucinations were unbearable: he saw himself dying again and again... or slaughtering his parents with his own hands.
"NO!! HAHAHA!! THAT... THAT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN... DIE... DIE... DIE..."
95%.
And then... a hand rested firmly on his shoulder.
"THE REINFORCEMENTS HAVE ARRIVED!!!" his guide shouted hoarsely.
The lower-ranked Espers, who had been aiming at Kaleb in case Rupture completed, lowered their weapons.
They were here now. The reinforcements. New Espers. New guides.
And among them... another Class S Esper.
"Please... help us!" cried an Esper running toward the new arrival.
Kaleb froze when he saw him.
Standing at his side, imposing and powerful.
