POV: NOAH WILLIAMS.
It was a stuffy summer night when I set off towards the municipal grove. The first place I intended to investigate was regarding H's whereabouts.
The clock was already nearing eleven at night, and the hot air seemed to stick to the skin, heavy, as if the environment itself wanted to discourage me.
I chose simple, dark, inconspicuous clothes.
A set of light trousers, dark tactel, and a short-sleeved t-shirt, along with a small bag by my belt with basic first-aid items and emergency magical apparatus.
The disguise wasn't elaborate, but it was enough to cross the poorly lit side streets unnoticed.
I passed by the bus station I had visited before; the place still reeked of that smell of alcohol.
After carefully reviewing the police reports, I understood that the Grove was the first point to be investigated.
The place was known to everyone as the heart of the city's drug trade. But not only that: at night, hidden under the thick canopy of trees, small groups also gathered to negotiate stolen goods.
The so-called 'open-air black market'.
It was a grove located in the heart of the city, near the river and with access from all sides, composed of various trails that cut from end to end.
Getting in and out wasn't the problem. I needed to infiltrate there, as it would probably be the best place to get information.
We had clues about the new drug spread by H, but we needed evidence of its origin or composition; we wanted to understand its nature and the symptoms it caused in the user.
Especially to confirm our suspicions about why H went after the scroll. The problem, however, was the treacherous nature of the grove.
There were too many trails, forks that got lost in the darkness, exits on all sides, the trees were dense, and the heat was strong. It was inconvenient.
A place made to confuse, and given the time, there was still little visibility. There were no clearings, just shadow and more shadow.
'I need to be concise and objective... Let's go'
As soon as I entered through one of the side passages, coming from the avenue where the main side trail gave access to the more open space of the grove, it was composed of several poorly maintained scattered trees.
I noticed the typical signs of human abandonment and nightlife invasion.
I saw rats and large rats scurrying among piles of dry leaves.
Smaller capybaras moved away discreetly, as if they were already used to sharing the space with unwanted human presences.
The sounds were a chaotic mix: the incessant chirping of cicadas, the crackling of broken branches under small steps, and the distant rumor of voices from the street, coming from a nearby bar.
Even the smell was also confusing. Wet earth mixed with the strong odor of cheap cigarettes and cheap alcohol. As I advanced, the broken bottles on the ground became more frequent.
The darkness, however, was my ally. I remained silent, using the lack of illumination to my advantage.
I didn't know exactly how to get to the center of the grove, but the reports spoke of a certain Chess.
That was the name given to the meeting point.
They said it was a park bench, a platform with chessboard patterns on the floor, isolated in the middle of nowhere.
The name appeared in police reports after several fires were reported in the area.
'What a peculiar name…'
I continued advancing until, suddenly, my senses picked up something. Energetic signatures, multiple, all converging in the same space.
They were all about two hundred meters deep into the woods. I approached quickly, expanding my senses around.
"Lupine Steps, make my tracks light," I murmured, as I summoned one of my primary marks.
Silently, my steps became lighter, and I managed to close the distance quickly.
When I saw them, they were there.
A considerable group of people gathered around that open space in the middle of the woods.
They were divided into small clusters: some selling, others buying.
The heavy air indicated not just cigarettes, but also substances being burned in improvised glass pipes, several hookahs scattered around, and a strong smell reminiscent of different drugs.
I crouched among the vegetation and tried to remain hidden in that gloom.
The lighting was low, with only a few lights in the center of the small open space, which contained just a few benches on a square concrete platform.
I needed to observe before making any decision, but before I could think about what to do at that moment, something unexpected happened.
On the other side of the clearing, in a more remote area where the gloom became even denser, one of the young men using a kind of improvised hookah began to convulse violently.
At first, I thought he was just too drunk, or that the drug had a stronger effect than usual.
But in a matter of seconds, the situation worsened.
His entire body began to contort grotesquely, each contraction so violent it seemed as if his bones were trying to break from the inside, as if flesh and bone were fighting a war with no winners.
The sound of screams escaping his mouth mixed with the sounds of the nocturnal forest.
It was a high-pitched, desperate scream, filled with real pain; it seemed as if they were torturing him in that place.
I saw people around instinctively retreat, frightened by the scene, but without the courage to approach. None of them seemed willing to help.
Dread took over the group, but to me, it didn't seem like just a physical crisis.
I knew how to recognize that something was wrong; I felt the energy flow around change suddenly, like an invisible gale.
His aura exploded out of control, growing in intensity frighteningly, like a balloon about to burst.
The threat was clear. If I let it evolve, not only would the young man be consumed, but he could drag everyone around with him.
I simply couldn't ignore it.
"Oh, Invasion of the Capital, shine in the light!" I proclaimed in a low voice, the words of a simple but effective enchantment.
Activating a literary mark on my left wrist.
The energy responded promptly, and a white, dense, and cutting light exploded in the air above us.
The flash was so intense that those present covered their eyes, momentarily blinded. Murmurs of fright and protest echoed in the clearing, but it was too late for them. I took advantage of the opening.
I advanced with quick and sure steps to the young man convulsing on the ground.
Up close, the scene was even more distressing. His thin body trembled uncontrollably, as if every vein was about to tear through his skin and his clothes, they were dirty and tattered.
Up close, I realized he was no more than eighteen years old. Too young and too inexperienced.
A weak body being forced to endure something no person should have to bear.
His face was a strong red, with eyes rolling in various directions without a pattern…
His appearance was practically that of a possessed creature.
I knelt without hesitation.
My hands moved almost by instinct, quick, firm, but without brutality.
I opened the small leather bag attached to my waist and took out the collection kit. Time was short; I knew that every second increased the risk of that uncontrolled energy being released for good.
I held his arm, dodging his violent spasms, and inserted the needle with precision. The blood gushed out in sufficient quantity to fill the small vial.
He continued to struggle, his eyes rolled back, his mouth foaming in a… purple color.
Without a second thought, I took out the syringe with the magical inhibitor from the side bag and carefully injected the measured dose.
For a moment, the young man's body stiffened even more, as if resisting.
But I soon felt the invisible pressure emanating from him begin to yield, slow, irregular, but real.
The chaotic flow diminished, although it remained unstable, like embers still glowing under fine ashes.
His breathing returned to normal, as did his energetic signature. I let out a discreet sigh. He wasn't saved, but at least the collapse had been contained. I stood up quickly.
The noise around was already changing, as the others began to recover from the temporary blindness.
Nervous murmurs, muffled curses, hurried steps in my direction.
I had no more time.
I clenched my fists and took my next step.
"Oh, Flames of Liberty, come to me," I proclaimed, this time more aggressively. The response was immediate.
A dry crack echoed in the air, followed by the sudden appearance of flames in a dry spot of the woods, which soon caught fire. The fire spread quickly, fueled by dry leaves and broken branches.
The burning orange illuminated the trees and cast distorted shadows against the ground.
"Fire!" I heard someone shout.
The chaos was instantaneous. People ran, some trying to flee, others desperately trying to put out the fire. Panic spread as quickly as the flames.
The distraction had worked. Without looking back, I ran towards the opposite side of the clearing.
The dense vegetation became my shield as I advanced through the narrow trails. The branches scratched my arms, and the uneven ground made my stride difficult, but none of that mattered.
I needed to get out of there before anyone had a clear idea of what had really happened.
In the middle of the run, I pulled the phone from my pants pocket. I pressed the button and brought it to my ear, still panting.
"Police," I murmured, trying to keep my voice steady despite my accelerated breathing.
The line connected with a click. "Fire in the Municipal Grove. Send units immediately"
I didn't wait for a response. I hung up before they could start asking questions.
It wasn't the time to give explanations. I kept running until I reached one of the side exits opposite to where I entered.
Behind me, the screams, the crackling of flames, and the sound of confusion still echoed, but each step took me further from that scene.
Inside the small equipment bag, close to my chest, the small vial with the collected blood seemed to weigh more than it should.
I knew there were answers inside.
And, perhaps, a glimpse of the true horror that this new drug hid. With each step, the sounds of chaos behind me grew more distant.
I chose one of the side exits and left the grove through the shadow of the trees, still smelling the smoke behind me.
The blood sample was safe, and the next step would be to send it for analysis.
Something told me that this collection would not only reveal information about H's drug, but perhaps also about the destructive effects it was beginning to cause.
I continued on my way in silence, carrying with me the weight of the night and the certainty that this was just the first move on the board.
'Let the games begin…'