At noon, the crowded demonstration of dissidents gathered at the gates of the complex, guarded by the local militia. A mixture of negative emotions spread like a plague, with anger and frustration clouding the reasoning of the civilians as they raised signs: "Out with the Blackthornes!" "Burn the ghetto!" "People first before nobility" "Templars first, before the inhumans!" "Burn the witch!"

"Let the witch burn!" A war cry erupted from the protesters. "Let the bitch Chroneidos burn! Burn that whore!"

"You are ordered to disperse this unauthorized demonstration!" a guard spoke through the megaphone of their armored helmet. "No aggression will be tolerated!"

A line of officers armed with transparent shields and electric batons pushed the people near the building. This riot control sector wore complete padded armor, in white and navy-blue colors. They bore a band on their right arm with the insignia of a bat, symbol of the ruling house of those lands.

"This is a complete nightmare," Tonatiuh spoke as he made his way through the crowd, holding María's hand. The guardian's huge body stood like a living wall, towering over most people, protecting his wife, hidden by her hood, from being crushed.

"I can barely hear you, this clamor is drilling into my ears," María communicated through their minds, pinching her nose as she couldn't bear the stench of sweat and other bodily fluids accumulated from the masses. It made her nauseous; the whole city seemed to exude a fetid cocktail of decay and oil.

Purple eyes surveyed the surroundings, tall buildings succumbing to deep shadows cast by the relentless sun. The architecture was a hybrid of industrial and Gothic styles, much like the emblem of the ruling family. This aesthetic extended to the people: women wore simple dresses in dull colors, while men donned shirts with jackets and hats, sporting a mushroom cut that was in vogue. They were mostly workers from the armament factories.

"You there, halt! You can't pass!" warned the guard through the amplified voice, deliberately distorted to conceal their gender or identity.

"We are guardians sent to handle the Blackthorne case, sir," Tonatiuh showed his badge, getting straight to the point. "We want to speak with the sheriff."

"Here I am," a middle-aged woman emerged from among the guards. She wore the standard coat adorned with the sacred sword and the sheriff's golden star. She was a woman of brown skin, curly hair tied in a ponytail barely hidden by her cap, of average height but sturdy build. "My name is Natalia Simons, it's a pleasure to have you here. María Cruz and Tonatiuh Bannek, right? We acquired your data via frequency cube. It's best we talk where there's less noise."

"Hey, savage bitch! You think you're better than us?" shouted a man in the front row, his voice loud enough for the sheriff to turn around. "The only reason you're in that uniform is because your ancestors knew who to screw to be a bit less animal!"

"Get him," Natalia ordered coldly.

The racist didn't see the blow from a baton of one of the officers coming, hitting him directly in the face and breaking his jaw. Blood and teeth splattered on those nearby, who could only watch in shock. María averted her gaze from that abominable act, causing her to furrow her brow.

The man fell to the ground semi-conscious, barely moving his fingers before receiving a barrage of blows from three other guards at once, unleashing electric shocks that numbed his gradually breaking limbs, and he didn't feel them as they handcuffed him.

Like sharks, the act of bloody violence unleashed madness in the demonstration. They pulled out farm items turned into weapons and even pistols, unleashing restrained aggressions against the officers' shields, who responded in kind.

"Pigs! Pigs! Protecting that monster! You're supposed to watch over us," a young woman pushing a shield received a blow to the face, breaking her nasal bridge, causing her to fall backward onto the people behind her.

"That monster will destroy our city! Who is the enemy? The rebels or our own government?" a man used a chain as a whip, striking an officer's shield, causing him to tremble, something noticed by the rest of the people who found the weak link.

In the struggle, two of the guards couldn't withstand the onslaught of massive crowds, and the horde broke through the line, ready to burn down the complex. An old man pulled a sawn-off shotgun from his coat, amid shouts of madness, aiming it at the sheriff, whose hand was on the revolver, but she wouldn't draw it in time.

María swiftly intervened, using her magic to manifest a barrier of crystalline sapphire energy. She blocked the shot, halted part of the crowd, and bought enough time for the officers to eventually repel the rest of the people.

"I never wanted things to escalate to this degree... please, follow me," Natalia called to the guardians, leading them away from the confrontation as tear gas was gradually released and water hoses were used to disperse the crowds efficiently.

María glanced one last time at the violence left behind; a feeling of sorrow washed over her, and she could only move forward, hoping that the contract they were to fulfill could improve the dire conditions that had driven these people to madness.

They bypassed the containment barricades that covered the entire path where vehicles passed, on a street closed at the orders of the city's elite. The guardians and the sheriff exchanged information along the way until they stood in front of the black iron gate, with high gray concrete walls overflowing with barbed wire.

The place was surrounded by well-armed security officers, supported by armored vehicles where they could rely on first aid equipment, provisions, and medical supplies. An area of extreme vigilance continued beyond the security fence.

Behind the gate, a lush green field could be seen, a thicket that completely obscured a carefully tended garden of civilized lands. The definition of savagery did not do justice to the immense green vegetation, full of bushes, thorny thickets, and twisted trees whose branches intertwined with each other.

A stench of death intensified at the threshold; the officers wore helmets to protect them from the foul odor emanating from the place. Tonatiuh's heightened senses worked against him, and he had to suppress strong retching as he got close to that place, covering his mouth with a wrinkled face.

"Who died?" Tonatiuh's words sounded muffled.

"I hope not too many..." the sheriff placed a perfumed wet cloth over her face, offering two pairs to the guardians, who accepted them.

"What mutated the garden... seems to have the ability to expel these bad smells," María covered her nose, thoroughly disgusted.

"Here you have it... the hellhole. Since the crisis began, this vegetation has undergone accelerated growth... to say the least," Natalia explained, presenting the place, escorted both by the guardians and her officers, armed and ready in case anything from inside the garden tried to escape.

"This usually happens when a little devil possesses someone, manifesting a series of mutations that allow it to alter the environment. It tends to worsen if its host has the gift or any other type of mutation by nature... it loses control," María analyzed the surroundings, and quickly spotted neighboring buildings where snipers were stationed. Some in open windows and others on rooftops. "Did Lord Gideon's daughter have these abilities?"

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"From what I understand, no..." Natalia adjusted her cap with a long exhalation. "That's why we have this thing under surveillance. We don't know what it's capable of."

"Our employer might be able to provide us with some information on how this incident occurred... perhaps we should go to his premises," María tested the officer, who remained silent for a few seconds, blinking. She had caught her off guard.

"I'll be the intermediary between you and the Blackthornes. Those were my orders, and I hope you'll comply, please," Natalia cut in quickly and precisely, killing any possibility of further inquiry. "Our lord is very stressed and busy trying to keep the city in one piece. He's torn up about his daughter, and he'd rather leave it to professionals like you."

"We'll do what we can... it's our job," Tonatiuh looked determined to resolve the situation. "You can count on us!"

"She tried to distract us with flattery... for now, I'll play along. I'm sure Tonatiuh noticed it too; his kind and always helpful nature is one thing... but he's not a fool," María thought coldly. She had learned a thing or two during her days with Priscila, so it was time to put it into practice.

Bending her knees, María propelled herself into flight using magic, impressing the police force, and halted at a height of thirty meters, her cape and ponytails dancing in the air.

She surveyed the labyrinthine gothic city surrounding her and the shadowy garden within its confines, encircling the opulent ten-story building that had taken on a gloomy appearance in recent months. The once bright and caramel-painted pink was now faded, marked with black streaks of moisture from leaks in the rooftop cistern. The planters on the balconies had mutated, spilling thorny vines cascading down one or more floors. Broken windows revealed only shadows, nothing inside the building was visible, nor the garden through the thick layer of green, under an eternal natural roof.

A void spread through María's core, memories of the experience in Trident came rushing back, hitting her in the face once more as she saw that place tainted by the grotesque stigma, completely corrupted by an unknown force.

She maintained her composure through breathing exercises, combating a possible post-traumatic stress attack as she descended abruptly onto the cobblestone. Awkwardly connecting her feet to the ground, she bent her knees, once again seized by a cramp, almost slipping and barely maintaining her balance.

"Are you okay, María?" Tonatiuh took her by the shoulders, helping her to stay on her feet.

"Y-yes... it's nothing. I rushed it," she stood firm, afraid but unwilling to admit it openly. She wouldn't do so in front of the police force, let alone someone who would serve as a mediator with the client. "I wanted to inspect the area from above for a moment... but you can't see anything at all."

"Are you planning to enter there now?" the officer asked, "If you do, I must be honest with you, we won't be able to provide assistance. I've lost many of my men by sending them in there, and communications fail when crossing the gate. Once you're inside... you'll be on your own."

"I have to pay a twenty-four-hour fee to summon a familiar. If I go in there, it'll be at the peak of my power," having Valkyrie in that place would be of great help, "My familiar dematerialized yesterday almost at dusk when we arrived, so we'll come back here in the morning. I'll take this time to prepare."

"That sounds perfect. Where are you staying?"

"We're staying in our vehicle, we left it on Sword Hill... you have my code for any situation." María already had the sheriff's code; they had been given it along with the mission data in Griffia. She handed over the paper with her digits, which was accepted by the officer. "Also... I need a tribute. It was within my specifications." She activated the hologram of the cube, showing certain data from her archive registration, which Natalia understood.

"Privileges of being from the Archive... I'll send you a shipment of three discards at night," Natalia lowered her voice, "Lord Gideon agreed as long as it's deducted from the payment."

"Yes... I know..." María held back her tears, pained by not having stocked up enough, telling herself it would be worth the sacrifice when she remembered she was doing it for Valkyrie.

María denied the possibility of sleeping in an inn; she didn't intend to keep spending the little money she had managed to save. Besides, the constant presence of rodent and vermin infestations cemented her decision. She preferred to bathe with buckets rather than spend again. She had indulged herself in the last city she visited, and she felt resilient enough to endure another few weeks in that state; as long as she had Tonatiuh's cooking, her tea time, and the documents she used to study both for leisure and a sense of duty.

"Anything you need... I'll be willing to help if it's within my range of possibilities," she placed her hand over her chest, "we'll keep in touch."

"Should I delve into the idea that this curse is somehow 'spreading'? No... she'll probably give me an evasive answer like the shopkeeper. Maybe she was referring to the plants... who knows, but... those snipers could be used to keep the protesters outside or to keep something inside," María pondered with her hand on her chin. She knew she couldn't pester potential informants with questions; according to what Priscila had taught her, she had to ask a few and make them count; covering more ground with less.

These thoughts followed her as she explored the permitted area around the complex. María, along with Tonatiuh, continued to walk through the city, stocking up on supplies. The search, which usually didn't take too long, was prolonged as they changed from store to store, discovering some in questionable hygiene conditions.

White fragrant vapors rose from sewers and large pipes, raising the temperature on the streets in the autumnal season entering winter. A palpable fear of rodents grew in María as she watched fat rats, almost the size of dogs, darting out of alleys, discovered by the homeless lying begging on the sidewalks.

"What kind of place is this?" María watched stagnant water flow under a bridge, beneath clotheslines hanging with flags and dirty laundry connecting the apartment complexes at both ends.

"One I never want to come back to... I need some wilderness or I'm going to go crazy in this concrete maze."

Tonatiuh had spent a significant part of his existence in the wilderness, so going to the famed civilizations didn't bring him an unconditional love for supposed progress. The excesses made him uncomfortable, and being in industrial cities filled him with a certain distaste. They didn't see remarkable homes in the maze; they only saw tall, colorless buildings. There were no houses in the heart of the city; people rented small cubicles among hundreds of gigantic complexes.

During their walk, María hadn't let go of the intrigue surrounding the operation. The Blackthorne case raised a barrage of questions for her. She continued to seek information by questioning civilians, receiving similar responses to those given by the shopkeeper. Hope was near extinction until a sudden light shone. Someone was willing to talk.

Their supply run led them to a butcher shop. Tonatiuh intended to grill some cuts of meat, and María discovered a wanted poster featuring a bald, mustached, obese man named Henry Oropeza with a disappearance date from two weeks ago.

"Have you seen him?" the butcher asked while cutting the meat into pieces as per Tonatiuh's order. The place seemed to be one of the few apparently hygienic places they had visited.

"Honestly, no... I've seen some of these posters on the lampposts," María began to connect the dots, "Did you know him?"

"Henry was another butcher... he had his shop not far from Tres Blackthorne," María's skin crawled; it was the name of the complex, "He disappeared without a trace... his family put up the flyers, but... there were no signs."

"Any theories about his disappearance?"

"To be honest... we don't know. He just went out one night to drink and never came back. The saddest part is that his wife went looking for him one day, and... she didn't return. His two kids are being looked after by the wife's sister," he explained, "that's all I know."

"I'm sorry to hear that... were you close?"

"We didn't get along... we were competitors... and he used to be a bastard," his face wrinkled with disgust, "He sold me some pigs with parasites in their tongues... my fault for not checking first. It seemed like the guy didn't care if innocent people suffered as long as he made money... ironically, that's why his business was doing so poorly," the conversation was interrupted by the high-pitched squeals of pigs behind the shop.

"Problems?"

"The kids are hungry... if you'll excuse me... I have to go."

Outside the shop was Tonatiuh, watching as children played in the street, wearing animal masks for the festival of souls. These weren't the typical brightly colored wooden masks; they aimed to promote the dark side of the festival. They wore grotesque cuts of skin belonging to calves, deer, and pigs, which hung over their heads as their heads were so small, and the black holes appeared pure darkness.

"The sun sets! The moonless night has come... the night of the hungry beast!" the children sang in unison, parading and playing toy drums in an improvised procession. Their childish voices contrasted morbidly with the lyrics, which were off-key and jarring with the roosters' crows, "If you've been bad, your stench will show... seal the door with a big lock, put a message in the basket for him, and pray that your forgiveness tribute is accepted, because if not, you're screwed! If you misbehave, the beast will come for you! He's recorded your scent; he'll tear you apart and he'll love it! He'll eat you! He'll tear you apart! He'll play with your guts! He'll choke on your bones and vomit them up! The night of the hungry beast!"

"Tonatiuh?" María called to her lover, taking his hand.

"Oh, yes!" he snapped out of his trance, "Is something wrong?"

"It seems... there have been disappearances of people close to the complex," she whispered in his ear, "we better be careful.

"Do you think they're related to the exorcism?"

"My instincts scream yes," María indicated they should continue.