The X Guide

The clans returned to harass the government yet again. The two forces fought before they retreated again. None knew their motives except those who were heavily involved.

As usual, the government espers did not pursue. Most of the espers were getting restless but the squad leader still kept them in check.

It seemed it was not yet the time for the all-out war. Everyone had this impression, even the clan forces.

At the clan camp, there was a rare calm that settled in the air. Aicel, who had been furious at Georgina saving Keeran, returned to his composure as though none of it had happened.

Those around him could not question him either. Although Aicel was not the strongest, everyone could not help but feel uneasy around him.

The affiliated espers of the Nevaris clan were no exception.

It was the dead of the night, and the city was dampened by a despairing atmosphere, and none of the house lights were turned on. While some of the citizens managed to escape earlier on, and the others were rescued after the government forces arrived, the majority of them could only huddle inside their homes.

The clan was not doing anything to them, but that did not mean they were safe from the war. The number of casualties from usual skirmishes alone had been steadily increasing.

"Huh? Is it going to rain?" One esper looked up and blew smoke from his mouth.

The one beside him also looked up and nodded.

"Maybe. Whoa, it’s also cold. How come the temperature dropped so much?"

Minutes passed, and everyone noticed the unusual weather. The skies had become gloomy, as though any minute, the rain would fall.

Others who were not used to the cold could not help but hug themselves.

However, aside from that, it was far too calm. The wind was not blowing much, but they could perceive the temperature dropping even more.

A few minutes later, when the sky suddenly lit up, followed by loud thunder, even the espers jumped at that, startled out of their minds.

"What the hell? There’s going to be a storm?"

"Suddenly?"

Not long after the downpour started, the skies lit up with lightning, followed by deafening thunder. It was pretty unusual, somehow.

The temperature dropped to a terrifying degree, as though a hailstorm were about to come next. And it was not even exaggerated, as they soon became dumbfounded and ran to shield themselves.

"Fuck? There’s ice, too?"

The rainfall was accompanied by small ice blocks. They were not the only ones surprised by this phenomenon, as the government forces experienced it too.

However, the rainfall was not as hard in their area; even the whole city was not that impacted. This unusual phenomenon seemed to focus heavily on the area occupied by the clan.

"What is this?" At the balcony, the Nevaris clan-affiliated espers looked at the ice rain. They could not help but glance at Aicel, who was calmly reaching his hands to feel the rainfall.

"Do you know what this is?" The man who was always around Aicel asked him.

Aicel pulled his hand and glanced at the man, flashing an insincere smile. "Do you think I’ll know?"

The man rubbed his head in embarrassment, giving an awkward laugh.

"Well? You looked calm, so I asked."

Aicel walked past him, and his expression turned solemn. He was not as calm as they thought. His mind wandered and began to think of what was the reason for this.

It could not be just simple weather at all.

The others followed him inside.

"Is there any news in the government camp?" Aicel still wanted to get that woman, but it was not urgent, especially when there was this uncertainty in front of them.

The espers went and asked not long after, and they got the report.

"They are also experiencing the sudden ice rainfall. But not as heavy as ours."

Aicel leaned on his table, his fingers tapping slowly at the surface. What could this be?

Was it a dungeon? But this place was a green zone, and the space was stable. Aicel’s mind clicked and thought of their space rift.

Could it be because of that? However, the space rifts should not be the reason for the space to become unstable all of a sudden. If not, the other locations should be experiencing the same thing.

He looked up and made eye contact with the man who was always with him, Rigor.

"Should we report this to the headquarters?"The other asked. Aicel quickly shook his head.

"There’s no need for that."

They were not in a desperate situation to require assistance from the headquarters and would only invite ridicule towards himself.

While the two talk, the other chatters around them. One particular voice was prominent among the rest.

"Do you think it’s the work of an esper?"

The reason it became prominent was that everyone fell silent after his voice fell. And everyone looked at him as if he had gone crazy; this was the same for Aicel and Rigor.

The man became cautious and laughed it off.

"What? I’m just saying what I think?"

"And you should have kept it to yourself, man."

"No espers are capable of doing this. Unless it’s an SS-class esper."

Another silence arrived. This time, even Aicel frowned at them. The mention of SS-class espers was like the most taboo thing in the esper world, for some reason. This was not the case before, but no one actually knew where it started.

Perhaps because the two espers rarely show themselves now.

"Stop talking nonsense!" Rigor could not help but reprimand.

Were they sick in the head? To dare to think of those two espers in this situation? In fact, if not for the confirmation that the SS-class espers would not intervene, then this war would not have happened at all.

Aicel frowned slightly, feeling something amiss.

He looked outside and fell into deep thought.

Ice rainfall... lightning...

Aicel furrowed his brows. It could not be them... That would be impossible.