Far from the wealthy districts and the glittering glass structures of the Central Academy, the outskirts of the capital dealt with an entirely different reality.
In these areas forgotten by the official patrols, the Investigation Commission almost never intervened for minor alerts.
The inhabitants had to fend for themselves against residual anomalies in order to keep the city running.
At the end of a dark alley, two municipal garbage trucks were blocking the passage.
The air reeked of fermented waste, mud, and decomposing matter.
In the middle of the narrow road, a one-and-a-half-meter gelatinous mass — a Green-level Suppuration — blocked the way, pulsing sluggishly.
Pressed against the doors of their trucks, the garbage collectors trembled, unable to continue their route for fear of financial penalties from the city hall.
“My father could lose his contract if the collection is delayed tonight,” Raad Charara grumbled as he adjusted his civilian jacket.
The teenager wore no school insignia.
Outside the training grounds, he preferred to remain discreet.
He spread his fingers, allowing thin blue sparks to crackle nervously between his knuckles.
Beside him walked Soura Sayal.
Left to fend for himself for years, Soura had never attended the Academy.
In a system where undeclared Spirit usage led straight to a cell, intervening without a permit constituted a major offense.
Yet far from theoretical manuals, Soura and Raad had been roaming the underprivileged districts for months, dealing with incidents like this.
“Stay focused,” Soura warned quietly as he observed the viscous mass.
“It’s a basic threat, but its texture is deceptive.
It’s saturated with moisture.
I can sense every pulse inside it.” Soura’s Spirit was not about creating gigantic waves.
He used water as a direct extension of his own perception.
By analyzing the circulation of fluids within his opponent, he could anticipate every movement before it even happened.
The creature emitted a cavernous sound, resembling a muffled moan, and hurled a muddy appendage toward the young man.
Soura did not flinch.
A thin layer of liquid instantly wrapped itself around his forearms.
Anticipating the exact trajectory of the attack, he deflected the impact with a simple rotation of his torso.
The creature’s acidic substance made his protection sizzle with a sharp hiss, but the boy maintained his grip and seized the parasite’s slimy side.
Pivoting on his heels to use the enemy’s weight against it, Soura violently slammed the anomaly against the asphalt.
Immediately, he compressed his fluid to pin the mass to the ground.
“Now!” he shouted, his jaws clenched under the target’s physical resistance.
“I won’t be able to hold it back for more than a few seconds!” Raad reacted without hesitation.
He launched himself into the air with a smooth leap.
Aware that his energy reserves did not allow for massive strikes, he relied entirely on controlled impact.
His eyes locked onto the focal point where the vibrations of the corrupted matter converged.
A dense bolt of lightning burst from his palm.
The luminous projectile pierced the air in a straight line and struck the target’s core.
The blinding flash shattered the glass of a nearby streetlamp.
Shaken by violent spasms, the carcass released a spray of blackish mud before collapsing into cold ashes beneath the lingering crackles of electricity.
Raad landed on the road, breathing heavily.
Soura released his grip, rubbing his forearms, reddened by the acid.
With a simple friendly fist bump, the two companions confirmed the end of the operation.
The road was clear for the garbage collectors.
However, the scene had not gone unnoticed.
Higher up, on the landing of a fire escape hidden in the darkness, a lone observer had missed nothing of the confrontation.
The wind made the edges of a long dark trench coat flutter, revealing the silver emblem of the Investigation Commission on his shoulder.
The stranger remained motionless.
In his gloved hand, an angular metal device emitted a faint purple pulse.
Like an energy suction cup, the receptacle silently drew in the last vapors rising from the Suppuration’s ashes, storing the corrupted matter with a soft buzzing sound.
The agent checked the device’s gauge with a brief glance, turned around, and disappeared into the night.