A hot summer day scalds the asphalt and rocks of the town of Trinketshore. In the shadows of the narrow alleys, an indeterminate human was shrouded by a black garment, absorbing the very heat instead. He was half-naked without it, his clothes ragged like being eaten away by a pack of wolves.

Caleb Dune sought to find comfort in the shade. His face was red hot and covered in sweat. His eyes glared wildly, and his hands scraped the skin of his neck. An anxious Caleb shattered the trash container and murmured incoherently.

"Meth, meth… where the fuck are you?"

Sometimes his voice was a little louder.

"I—need—that—thing! Fucking mage, I know ye can hear me! Come out of yer hiding hole!"

The figure of an elk-headed magus emerged from the shadow of the trash can, granting his wish. "Ready to serve, sire."

Now even though Caleb himself asked for his presence, the ultimate junkie still could not get away from being gasped! He looked back right away to find himself a black-robed figure wearing a fork-horned beast's head with a protruding neck. Such a stature would never get people used to seeing it.

"You! Thank the gods." Caleb's mouth was bubbling. "I need that meth again! A bunch of teens exhausted all my power! I want revenge! I WANT TO MELT THOSE FUCKING WEE BAIRNS!"

"Exhausted your strength?" The mage saw his emaciated body turning red from being scratched. The black magic on his body was almost imperceptible. "That magic is too powerful to be drained away like that. Who did it, and what kind of magic did he use?"

"Not a 'he', a 'she'! She's using some kind of magic baw, releasing bright blue energy—FUCK IT! To Hades with the details. Jist gie me the damn purple rock!"

The mage did not need any details from him indeed, for he already knew what Caleb meant. Even though his true face wasn't revealed behind the elk's neck, Caleb could sense the mage was in intense hysteria.

"I see. I understand." The elk let out a half-hearted laugh behind his mask. "To think I'm this 'fortunate'. It's nearly impossible, but it has been predicted. We're getting closer to the Big Design! I have to inform the others."

Caleb just gawked at the elk's muttering. "What in the bloody Hades are you chirping about?"

"Nothing, this is none of your affairs. But here, receive this gift from me to you," the magician gave a lump of Protos particle three times the size of the last night's sample. "It is free. Have a pleasant time with it."

Caleb's eyes lit up but also showed distrust at the same time. The addict then snatched the stone from the mage's hand, turned around, and walked briskly without even saying a word.

"My advice to you. Don't suck in all of it at once."

"Aye, right, tosser! Hahaha!" Caleb chortled and left the mage all alone.

Under the bridge, the ultimate junkie had gathered all the fancy apparatus needed to execute his 'lunch'. He kept all the smoke in a large glass jar to hold it in.

Lacking fortitude, the addict inhaled the stone that sublimates into magic gas. None of its essences escaped the suction of his nose. His body healed and blackened as desired. He felt a massive scale of magic energy flooding into his being. He finally rose in power and was ready to conquer the world again!

Suddenly, his body became uncomfortable. His innards were getting hotter, so hot he felt his digestive organs melt. Caleb let out an earsplitting screech, his layered voice buzzing around the river! His black skin scalded and melted like hot mud. His eyes popped! A terrible stench spread to the corners of the bridge. All fish in the river floated to death from the pungent smell that poisoned those poor creatures! Caleb died the same way he slew the old grandmother that night.

Caleb overdosed on Protos particle.