The call had come in around midnight. Hermaan lay asleep in bed, dreaming of a getaway with his beautiful girlfriend when the phone rang and tore him from his dream. On the other end of the phone, his cousin Lily cried for what seemed like hours while he tried to calm her down. Once her tears had stopped, she calmly described her situation of paranoia and trepidation that her life was in immediate danger, and something had to be done. Thanks to the love he shared for his cousin, they were always close, he agreed he would come up to Locksbury at once and investigate what was going on. Before she hung up, she gave him one clue, 'Virgil Cross.'

After alerting the proper channels for work, and making sure his girlfriend didn't worry, Hermaan drove the four hours from Norfolk, Virginia to Locksbury, awake only thanks to the numerous cups of coffee that kept him going. After arriving at around four in the morning, Hermaan refused to sleep and quickly leapt to his laptop, beginning his search for his lead. After countless hours, he was left with only snippets of information regarding 'Virgil Cross;' it was as if someone had deleted the information from the system. On a whim, he also cross checked all of Lily's info as well and found similar results, the information had seemed to disappear.

However, Hermaan didn't give up, and, thanks to several attempts at hacking several F.B.I., military, and C.I.A. databases, the detective came across three top secret files: one about Virgil Cross, one about his cousin Lily, and the third about an unknown person, Gunther Wheeler. Clicking into each of these files, Hermaan found information detailing beings known as 'Riders' and 'Dobatsu,' and even some videos showing fights between the oddly shaped monsters versus their armored counterparts. In each of the separate files, the detective found respective forms for Virgil, Lily, and Gunther, their special weapons and techniques, and videos of their transformations.

With this lot of information processing through his head, Hermaan barely recognized that the moon had been relieved by the early morning sun. He wiped his eyes clean of tiredness and frustration and quickly printed out a small sheet of paper with more information on it. Grabbing his coat, a cup of coffee, and his car keys, he set out to find Lily's clue, Virgil Cross.

Roland's Gym, the gym Virgil frequented, was always quiet around six thirty in the morning. Aside from the elderly owner sweeping up and wiping down the equipment, the harsh sound of weights striking each other emanated from wherever Virgil's workout took him that day. When Roland himself left, it was only the white Rider in the room, training his body to his specifications.

But as Virgil laid into the punching bag with a fury of punches and kicks, loud footsteps echoed over the sounds of the leather being struck. He turned for just a second and noticed as an auburn haired man sauntered over to him. Virgil picked up his towel and dried the sweat forming over the exposed skin of his body, finally wrapping the towel around his neck.

"Can I help you?" Virgil asked, looking the man up and down. His attire was casual, certainly not here for the gym.

"Virgil Cross?"

Virgil nodded in response.

"I'm detective Hermaan Barzhad with the Norfolk Police Department. I'd like to ask you a few questions." The auburn haired detective fished out his badge and flashed it in front of the white Rider. As far as Virgil could tell, it was legit.

"Sorry, but I haven't been to Norfolk in years. I couldn't help you with anything." Virgil shrugged his shoulders playfully, adding a dull interest to his tone.

"Today, Locksbury is in my jurisdiction Mr. Cross. I'm looking for a certain someone." Hermaan moved over to the punching bag and gave it a little push, watching it move back and forth.

"I haven't been here that long either, Detective Barzhad. I'm really no help to anyone. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a workout to finish." The white Rider pushed past the detective and set his hands on the bag, stopping it's motion. As he pulled his fist back for a roaring punch, Hermaan stepped in his way; Virgil lowered his fist.

"How about you let me finish, Mr. Cross?" Obviously annoyed, the auburn haired detective pulled a photograph from his leather jacket and shoved it into Virgil's hands. It was a picture of Lily. "Does this woman seem familiar to you?"

"Barzhad, right, I get it now. You're Lily's cousin Hermaan."

"You catch on quick…" Hermaan snatched the photo and stuffed it back in his jacket. The smirk on his face lent him an arrogance that he had met before, a tell that always came about when he was close to getting his man. "She called me last night at midnight, crying hysterically. It took some time to calm her down. When I finally had, she mentioned something or someone was after her and was scared. The only clue she gave me was you, Virgil. She mentioned you and promptly got off the phone. I immediately rushed over to come and help her out. Can you tell me what's going on?"

Virgil sighed heavily and took a seat on a nearby bench, beckoning Hermaan to join him. As the detective walked over, Virgil ran his fingers through his hair to relax and find the words he needed to say. Since Hermaan was a detective, not to mention someone close to Lily, he would have to word this carefully.

"I honestly don't know, Detective Barzhad. Lily and I had a falling out about three months ago when her daughter died. I tried to maintain what relationship we had before then, but I was consumed with guilt over Isabella's death. Lily decided that it was ultimately my fault, and therefore didn't talk to me, even going as far as avoiding any and all contact with me when I actually tried to communicate with her. We met the other day, in the street. I let her know that I didn't want her to be consumed with what she was going through, that I wanted her to pull through it and be ok… And then I left."

Virgil recounted the memory in his head, and choked up instantly. Grieving was a hard process that required time to defeat, a few days were like reopening the wound.

"I see," Hermaan said, pacing back and forth, "but you're the only lead that I have right now. Whatever happened between you and Lily could've caused her paranoia around you. Have you ever put Lily in danger?"

'Multiple times…' Virgil thought, but the obvious, truthful answer wouldn't likely convince Hermaan to his plight.

"No, I never had. Whatever you're thinking detective, you're wrong. I-"

"You what?" Hermaan raised an eyebrow and folded his arms together.

"I… I loved Lily." Virgil put his face in his hands and sighed. It pained him to admit his feelings out loud, and even in his own mind. When Lily left, she was all he could think about, and it destroyed him. He loafed around the house until he had felt sorry enough for himself to go to the gym to get back into shape, better himself, and return to fighting the good fight for the vengeance of Isabella. But in hindsight it didn't matter at all. All he wanted was to at least get closure from Lily, to tell her his true feelings and at least hear the truth from her. But of course, it would always be too much to ask.

"Right. Whatever happened between you too, I need you to put it aside and help me find her. You're the only one that she mentioned while in Locksbury, besides Isabella. Do you think you can take me to her house?"

"Yea," Virgil said standing up, "let's go."

The ride over was quiet and uneventful. Hermaan, who knew nothing of the precarious situation that extended between Lily and Virgil, decided not to pry as it would more than likely interfere with his investigation. Virgil; however, didn't know what to say. The auburn detective clearly showed trepidation in talking to him, and the white Rider thought it best, for nothing could be helped either way. Virgil was; however, intrigued in why his name was spoken in such a manner for Lily to inspire an investigation against him. There was no secret that she hated him since Isabella's death three months ago, but did that hate extend this far? Virgil had hoped not.

"It's here," Virgil uttered, unbuckling himself from the seat before Hermaan could stop.

As the car came to a complete stop, the two men exited the vehicle and proceeded past the white picket fence that seemed all too cheery to be a member of Lily's real estate. Her two and a half floor, white house she occupied looked like it hadn't been lived in for a month or so. The grass was poorly managed, windows looked musty, and the mailbox held several letters referring to unpaid bills.

"Are you sure this is it?" Hermaan asked quizzically.

"Lily doesn't handle guilt well." Virgil responded.

Hermaan scoffed in agreement and took a step forward, but immediately met resistance in Virgil's hand on his chest. As the auburn detective turned to ask what was up, Virgil pointed towards the screen door, revealing the heavier door behind it was wide open. With eyes wide open, Hermaan's instinct to investigate quietly was overridden with his cousin's wellbeing.

"Lily!" He screamed, wondering if his cousin was trapped inside with whatever she was afraid of.

"Hermaan, no!" Virgil attempted to quiet the detective, but was pushed away as he ran straight for the door. Virgil immediately followed the detective into the empty house and quickly caught up to him. He stopped inside as he found the house in shambles.

"What happened here?" Hermann muttered as he bent down and picked up a crumpled photo of Lily and her daughter.

"I don't know. " Virgil responded as he surveyed the house with a closer eye. Furniture was either over turned and broken down to mere firewood. Glass littered the floor as it was hard to move around the once untouched hardwood without hearing a small crack underneath their feet. The banister on the staircase had suffered the most damage, as well as the steps the piece of wood guarded. There was no doubt in his mind that there had been a fight, but had this new altercation been the demise of Lily? "No."

"Is this some kind of sick joke, Virgil?"

"What are you talking-!" In a flash Virgil was thrown up against one of the walls by Hermaan's ferocity. Grabbed by the shirt collar, he struggled to get free but found the grip of the detective's to be iron.

"Don't fucking play around with me! You expect me to believe that you've had nothing to do with Lily disappearing just because you love her? Let me tell you something, asshole! Every lover of a disappeared person said the same god damn thing! I'm going to enjoy putting your ass in a prison cell to rot!"

"Whatever Lily told you was a lie, Hermaan! And if you don't let go of me, I swear I'll-"

"You'll what… Turn into that white bug guy? Oh! Big man on campus here, everyone!"

"How do you… How do you know about me?" Virgil let his hands drop to his sides in disbelief. Often there were times he transformed in public view with no disregard, yet he heard no news reports or had anyone knocking down his door for any kind of answers. The people he usually saved just thanked him and ran off, never to be seen again. But Hermaan hadn't been in Locksbury before now. Could Lily have told him?

The detective slackened his grip and pulled out a small folded piece of paper waving it high above his head.

"I spent a little bit of time researching you Virgil, but any and all databases had been wiped clean. It was if you never existed. But then I dug deeper. I found three files, one about you, one about some Wheeler kid, and the other about Lily. I don't know how you pulled her into all of this, and I don't know where she is, but I won't let you rest until I've found her and know she's safe. You're under arrest, Virgil Cross."

Ignoring the info dump given to him under this precarious situation, Virgil had to do something to get Hermaan to back off. The detective seemed irrational under pressure, and especially when it came to his cousin, but perhaps he could get through to him, try to appeal to the same affection for Lily that Hermaan seemed to have.

"Hermaan, god dammit! Listen to me, you've got the wrong guy! I want to find Lily too, but you've got to stop all of this!"

It seemed the white Rider had gotten through to the detective. Hermaan let go of Virgil and pulled back, placing the piece of paper back into his jacket. As the white Rider brushed his shirt down, he heard a swift click and looked up to see Hermaan had a gun trained on his forehead.

"Put your hands up. Now."

"Don't do this." Virgil placed his hands at his sides.

"Hands up." Hermaan swallowed hard.

"Hermaan, don't." Virgil took a confident step forward.

"HANDS UP!" Hermaan screamed.

"HERMAAN!" Virgil announced back.

Hermaan pulled the gun down and fired off a round towards Virgil's leg to incapacitate him. As the bullet sped towards it's intended target, a white blur flew through the air and intercepted the bullet, allowing Virgil to send a swift kick into the detective's stomach. As Hermaan tried to reclaim the gun, the white blur reappeared and smacked the weapon, sending it across to the white Rider's feet. Virgil quickly kicked it under a broken bookshelf and bent down to Hermaan.

"I told you not to do it."

Upstairs in the attic, small pieces of coral lay smashed out across the floor. Dormant and docile for the time being, it wasn't until a commotion downstairs began to wretch it's broken frame into one complete piece. As if the pieces were telekinetically linked, they began to fly towards each other, smaller pieces forming into bigger pieces, and the bigger pieces forming into shapes reminiscent of a human body. First the torso came to be, then both legs, then both arms, until finally the head reclaimed it's spot on top. With a brilliant huff, the creature expanded it's body mass and transformed itself into a hulking brilliant blue beast, crystalline structures jutting from all of it's joints.

As it regained it's composure, it looked down at the dusty floorboards and located the source of the commotion. As the Coral Dobatsu slowly began to regain it's memories it remembered one important detail: This was the home of the butterfly Rider, Farfalla. Thankfully, the Rider returned home, and it was time for another visit.

"Just go ahead and get it over with, Virgil. Use your weapon to kill me like you did Lilly!" Hermaan had been handcuffed and sat in a corner. His resolve was to continue to poke and prod at Virgil until he finally confessed to the crime, even if Hermaan himself was incapacitated at the moment.

"For fuck's sake, Hermaan! Do you not understand yet that I didn't do it? You think that in the time it took for my beetle to fly in here and save me, it could've drilled straight through your brain or something? Are you that dense?"

"I just-"

Before the detective could finish his sentence, the floor above them cracked open with immense force and rained down various bits of debris. In the midst of the destruction, a blue figure dropped through the crack and roared with such force that the windows and glass in the house blew out in unison. As it surveyed the room, it found Hermaan lying under a floorboard and quickly trudged in his direction.

"Virgil?" The detective asked aloud, as he lay frozen on the floor watching the creature advance towards him.

HENSHIN!

The white Rider barreled into the blue monster, forcing him through a weakened wall and out onto the yard. As the two struggled outside, Hermaan freed himself and leapt through the hole; stopping short as Virgil was tossed next to him.

"That Dobatsu, did he get Lily?"

The crystalline Dobatsu raised it's right arm and pointed it at Hermaan. Loud cracking noises erupted from the arm as shards of the creature began to fall off the limb, collecting in a haphazard pile on the ground. Standing in the arm's wake was a crude looking automatic weapon.

"Don't think that way! She's alive!" Virgil yelled! He jumped to his feet and leaped in front of Hermaan as soon as the Dobatsu began firing it's organic weapon. The crystalline bullets collided with the heavier parts of his armor and stuck inside deep. He shook off the damage and ran towards his enemy, only to be stopped in his tracks when the crystalline bullets exploded.

Sent spiraling to the ground, the white Rider got back up and charged the Dobatsu with full force. His shoulder connected with the monster's diamond like abdomen, but he couldn't move the behemoth above him. He pushed with all his strength, so much so that his feet began to permeate the hard earth beneath him. As he yet again heard the crackling of the monster changing it's physiology, Hermaan yelled out.

"Virgil, his hands!"

Virgil looked up quickly and saw a terrible mace forming at the bond between the monster's hands. Before he could react to dodge, the organic weapon connected with the armor upon his back and sent him crashing directly to the ground. He emitted a soft grunt and tried to get back up, but the Dobatsu placed a heavy foot upon his injured back.

"Aaaah!" Virgil screamed in agony, his body screaming back.

As the battle raged on outside, Hermaan ran back into the house desperate to find a way to help. While his mortal status did nothing but leave him in danger, he knew that perhaps his gun could cause some sort of dent to the creature, or at least chip it a bit. As he rifled through the wreckage of Lily's former residence, he heard Virgil's agonizing scream from outside, and found himself touching the cool metal of his personal side arm. Bringing the weapon eye level, Hermaan fired a shot into the creature's head and watched as it raised it's attention to the detective. Once the monster released Virgil from it's hold, it started on Hermaan.

"No you don't!" Virgil acting quickly, grabbed the demon's foot and yanked hard as it started it's advance towards the detective. The monster fell hard upon the ground as Virgil leapt up and quickly put in place the motions to unlock his sleeker armor.

"Cast off!"

CAST OFF!

The heavier pieces of his armor flew from his body in various directions. His majestic horn rose to it's spot upon his head, six smaller horns adorning his helmet. Once his red eyes flashed crimson, Virgil summoned his sword.

CHANGE LESPID BEETLE!

He wielded his blade with great dexterity, slashing and stabbing at the crystalline Dobatsu once it regained it's footing. As the blue demon endured each and every hit, it formed a broadsword into one of it's massive arms and slashed back at the white Rider; only missing Virgil's speedy frame by mere centimeters.

"Let's get this over with!" Virgil reached down and slapped the pad on his belt. "Clock up!"

CLOCK UP!

As time slowed down around him, Virgil rushed at the demon and thrust his sword to it's diamond like abdomen. With an impressive manipulation of it's physiology, the Dobatsu thrust a crystalline column from it's stomach and into Virgil's own, knocking him back onto the street. As the white Rider rose to his feet, the Dobatsu had formed a cannon into it's left arm and promptly fired at it's target. Quick reflexes cut the projectile in twain which exploded on either side of him at once.

"It's not often that I find a Dobatsu that can clock up, it's an honor."

The monster said nothing as it readied and fired another shot. Yet again, Virgil cut the projectile in half and escaped unscathed. While the dust settled from the duplicate attack, the monster had launched itself into the air. Anticipating such an offensive, the white Rider slapped the bottom of his sword to split the monster in half upon it's descent, but the Dobatsu thought otherwise. Mid air, the cannon arm materialized into a broadsword that shot forth towards Virgil as he stood. The white Rider dodged at the last second as the tip of the blade collided with the earth beneath him.

Virgil watched as the monster used it's appendage to quicken it's descent, allowing the creature to touch ground in a mere second where it quickly assigned it's other arm a mace to swat at the airborne Rider. The organic weapon collided with Virgil's less defensive armor and sent him rolling to the ground in an effort to control his fall; his sword did not follow suit. As the weapon lay prone on the asphalt just out of his reach, he started on a path to reclaim it, only to meet the blue Dobatsu again. The monster swung it's giant broadsword in a horizontal arc, missing Virgil as he hopped over the blade and tumbled to his weapon.

"Rider Slash!"

RIDER SLASH!

Virgil reached below the weapon and slapped the hilt hard and fast, allowing the energy to surge to his horn and collect power as it moved back to the blade. The blue Dobatsu turned and extended it's mighty blade towards the Rider. Virgil pushed off the balls of his feet and ran as fast as he could, connecting the deadly sword with the tip of the Dobatsu's weapon, following the crystalline blade, and eventually through the monster itself. But it didn't stop there. Virgil spun around as fast as he could, and upon the zenith of the spin he jumped high in the air, bringing the weapon over his head. Upon his descent, he slammed the blade down as hard as he could until the sword hit asphalt.

CLOCK OVER!

As time returned to it's rightful place, the Dobatsu's body erupted into a brilliant shower of sparks followed by the harsh explosion of it's parts. Blue crystalline shards rained down upon Virgil commemorating his victory against his formidable foe. He dug the blade into the ground and leaned against it, his body exhausted with the fight over. Now that time had returned to it's rightful place, Hermaan eventually found Virgil in the street and nodded approvingly at him.

"Thanks, Hermaan. Shooting the Dobatsu in the face was dangerous, but much appreciated it. Without your help I would've-"

"Don't worry about it. I hope that makes up for going crazy thinking you killed Lily." Hermaan turned his head in thought. With Virgil gone as the primary suspect, and the true perpetrator lying in various parts of the surrounding area, the detective still felt unresolve. Granted, the last part of the battle had gone unseen with only the remains of the monster to be actual evidence to the case, it was more than possible that Lily had become overwhelmed and... He shuddered and chose not to think about it.

"She's still alive, Hermaan. I know it." Virgil walked over and put a reassuring hand on the detective's shoulder, hoping that would at least calm his nerves for now. The good thing was that the Dobatsu was gone, but now the bigger questioned remained. Where was Lily?

"Thanks, I appreciate-"

The sound of cracking crystals permeated the air, interrupting whatever thoughts both men had running through their minds at the moment. The detective and Rider both looked on as they saw the remnants of the crystalline combatant shift and move.

"What the..." Virgil began as he watched all the tiny little crystals converge on a fixed spot in the street. As each one began to come together, the body of the creature he had just destroyed came slowly into view like a puzzle being put together over a lapse of time. Finally once the creature was rebuilt, it roared a deafening roar and slammed it's enraged fists upon the ground.

Once again the sounds of cracking crystals permeated the air, but this time, something more sinister came about. The ground began to rumble beneath their feet, while giant crystals erupted from the earth, jutting high into the air. Before the crystal pillars reached them, Virgil grabbed Hermaan and leapt away to safety. After placing the civilian down, he jumped back into the battlefield and charged at the monster, dodging the pillars erupting around him.

The closer he got, the more pillars were raised to stop his advance until finally he was upon the creature in the middle. He readied his sword for another duel of blades; however, the Dobatsu formed two crystalline automatic weapons and began opening fire upon the Rider. Tired from the exhausting battle beforehand, the bullets kept Virgil on his toes until it was finally too much for him. He took several blasts to his armor and was flown out of the Dobatsu made arena, his armor disengaging upon impact.

"Virgil!" Hermaan braved the crystalline pillars and rushed to his side, helping him get to a more stable position on the ground.

"Get out of here, you have to find Lily." Virgil pushed the detective's helping hand away and stood up haphazardly, only to fall back upon the ground again. His stamina prevented him from even running away.

"I'm not leaving you." Hermaan grabbed onto the white Rider and helped him to his feet. As they prepared to leave, a pillar raised was raised in opposition. They were trapped.

"Fuck." Virgil said as the blue Dobatsu barreled down upon them. It's charge was great, and would hit them in mere seconds.

Mid-step a loud BOOM ruptured the Dobatsu's footing and tore it into a tumble. Once the great beast fell, the makeshift arena created by the creature fell as well, revealing twelve people in combat armor as well as the two Humvees that carried them to the location. On top of the first Humvee housed a giant sniper rifle, smoke escaping the muzzle. The operator of the weapon pulled back on the bolt to release a comically large bullet casing, and quickly fired off another shot that drove the advancing Dobatsu back.

"Well, hello there, boys!" A female voice echoed, drowning out the dead silence the sniper rifle had created. From within the sniper rifled wielding Humvee, a woman with an all too familiar voice spoke to them over the speaker system retrofitted upon the vehicle.

"Lily." Both Hermaan and Virgil said at once. With renewed vigor, the detective carried the Rider over to the small army in combat gear, and let Virgil be taken away when some of them held out their arms for him.

Lily stepped out from the vehicle, brandishing her own set of combat gear, as well as a shorter, shaggy hairstyle. With great confidence she hit a small button on the sleek, black earpiece that she was wearing.

"Alright, team, this is the moment. Don't let me down." As several voices echoed the command, 'Roger' over the communication channel, several people emerged from hidden locations around Lily's and the other surrounding houses, as well as a few men and women from the line up near the Humvees. "Armor up."

In unison, each member of Lily's team placed a familiar looking brace upon their right wrists, quickly then extending their left hands out. Almost immediately, a small hole burst from the ground and several mechanical ants began to surge towards the people brandishing braces. As the ants crawled up their bodies, they calmly grabbed the mechanical insects and placed them into their braces.

"Henshin!" They all screamed together.

HENSHIN!

Instead of the hard, mechanical voice that eminated from Virgil's own belt, this voice sounded exactly like Lily's. Black, techno-organic material spread throughout the soldiers' body and enveloped them in the black body suits that stood as the building block for their next step of armor. The sleek, slim armor formed first and housed a basic method to it's madness. While being incredibly complex, the armor only housed design for abdomen muscles, pectoral muscles, breast plates for the women, and the shin, forearm, and shoulder plates. When no heavier armor took it's place, the helmet formed instead, giving the look a sleek, stylized ant head to the suits the soldiers wore, all dark blue in color. Once the armor had finished forming, the eyes glowed a golden yellow and the brace announced one final statement.

CHANGE ANT!

Author's Note:

Holy crap! I had this short little note for you guys, until I saw that the last time I updated Lespid was six months ago... Fuuuuuuuu! Well, my bad! Haha. I'm sorry for taking so long, Lespid takes a lot of time to write and get out to you guys. For example...

This chapter took a lot longer than expected. Life got in the way as usual, but this chapter was also complicated. I toyed with the idea of introducing the next new Rider this chapter as well as the footsoldiers, who at the time were planned to be nothing but soldiers with combat gear. As you can see, that turned out quite differently. So without giving away too much future detail, I wrote and wrote and wrote this chapter over and over again until I was completely satisified with the end result. But this time I can assure you that time between chapters shouldn't be so long this time... I hope. Haha.

Thanks for reading this stuff even though it takes me a bajillion years to get a new chapter out. Just want to say that things are picking up for the story and that I hope you continue to enjoy Lespid from here on out!

P.S. If you enjoy the chapter, or any chapters, or Lespid in general, please leave me a review! I've got like five, and a few don't count because they're from Chuck Poon, my partner in crime. I'd like to get a general concensus if people actually like the story or not. Regardless, I'll still continue to tell the tale of Virgil Cross!