This morning wasn't like any other morning at this farm. Maybe it was calm and serene, even a little warm compared to the other mornings. However, there was some pronounced restless is nurturing inside the heart of everyone, especially for those who resided in the manor.

A weird sensation of an upcoming great change was felt but never understood by those who call themselves mongrels.

Whether good or bad from their perspective. It was undeniable as a wave of intense sleep hypnotized all the residents gradually into a deep slumber, except those who were directly under Seaben's direct control.

The scent of unnatural sleep lingered in the new air that was overflowing without restriction. A subtle sign that could never escape lady Akila's keen senses.

While she stood outside, gently patting the Hippogriff neck, reflective eyes to the sky, her lips were neutral and her head busy forming a million connections.

Someone is activating the emergency sleep incantation, thus every being whose name is recorded on the farm's register will go in deep slumber.

This elaborated counterattack measure against any deregulation and chaos was designed by Lord Shiva for emergencies to avoid a big causality. And only the three key investors know the incantation. Plus, the one who activated the spell needed the names' register in his possession for the incantation to work.

Nicolai is playing all his cards to not lose his shares. Or this was what lady Akila thought. But, the question that she couldn't formulate an answer for was: how could he calculate the events, so they all succeed in his favor? There is no doubt in Akila's mind that the barrier abolition is closely related to the activation of the incantation.

At first, and before she entered the farm, when her informers related to her that the Chimera farm supply has stopped for months, she had sent Nicolai several letters of inquiry asking for the reasons why the supply has stopped? And when she didn't get a reply, she thought that the greed ate his brain, and he wanted to exploit her preoccupation in the last few months with some small conflicts with the regional border council and gain full control over it.

Those last few months were really difficult, but they were also beneficial. The murder of the colubrine black dragon and the seizing of Mt. Ninurta was a gigantic step since years of stagnation. Though, of course, this step came with it one challenge, starting from regional border council charges.

Akila also thought that Nicolai has a hidden hand behind those charges to implicate her further in the murder. However, it seems that she was overthinking it.

While she was wrestling all her enemies inside and outside to expand her clan territory and keep her authority. Nicolai was having his bloody battle in unexpected places and against unexpected frenemy.

She knew about his tight relationship with the Jasmine bloodline and never minded it or cared about it as long as he was fulfilling his responsibilities towards their mutual investment. Nevertheless, now, she eagerly wanted to know what happened between one of the eminent Jasmine bloodline figures and Mr. Hendrickson, as well as what could be that caused his downfall to this unrecoverable degree?

When Her hand stopped the patting movement, the Hippogriff snaffled in displeasure. She hurried and soothed it with affection, aware of the approaching shadow on the horizon.

"What happened?" Akila asked the person whom she was waiting for. But her inquiry was answered by another.

"So I wasn't hallucinating. Lord Shiva is here." Savannah approached from behind, admiring the carriage and thinking fast to find a way to answer her mother's next questions without fully answering them.

"Everything has calmed down there? What was the cause of this mess?" The same question but using other words. Akila was impatient to find out what was going on.

"Yes, calmer than it should be. I even stumbled on a multiple Chimera in profound slumber, the name register had been used probably within an hour after the barrier abolition."

Akila paused, then she walked toward the entrance and Savannah followed in her trail and asked, aiming to taste the water and finding out what her mother's thoughts were:

"This is so unexpected. What do you think, mother?"

"How about you, my dear? What do you think of the whole situation?"

Savannah was startled a bit, but she answered, giving her half-knowledge about the matter.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

"It's very obvious that this is Hendrickson's hidden hands working in the shadow. He used the Chimera uproar as a decoy to burn the main contracts made by the Chimera dealer so he won't be able to sustain the barrier anymore. It's surely not a coincidence that the barrier collapsed the same day when our negotiations were concluded. That means that he was waiting for us the Crocotta to cut off the Magus's most powerful contractor before he proceeded to destroy the other secondary contracts. Typical Hendrickson's strategy."

Akila stopped ascending the stairs and turned toward Savannah, whom she was just behind her. She seemed that she wanted to say something, but she didn't move her lips.

"Isn't it a good thing?" Savannah said instead, "It means that Hendrickson is still on our side. He never betrayed his agreement with the Crocotta in the first place, as we have initially considered?"

"Yes. But life is not always as simple as we love to imagine it."

"Then what is it?" Savannah looked at her mother then she declared: "Could it be… That we have already sold him out?... Mum, I hate not being faithful to those whom I consider my allies."

"This is not the warrior code of honor Savannah, this is business. And Nicolai is far from being a warrior and certainly less than an ally."

Akila turned back and resumed moving toward the stairs. She also added after a few steps:

"The deal was made. You have no say in it. Don't forget your decision to not participate actively in the negotiation. Second, you still didn't meet Hendrickson in person. You will understand your sister's choice when you see him."

Savannah felt that her mother last words carried a touch of anger against her because she refused to be an active part during the entire operation. Probably her mother wanted both her and kanari to work with each other, support each other, and learn something new in the process. But Savannah's superficial interest ruined her mother's plan. Yet, Savannah never thought that her mother will follow Kanari's childish desire to cut off Hendrickson's collaboration based on a personal taste of like and dislike.

While in contrast, Kanari will never decide on anything without the blessing of her mother.

Savannah reflected deeper on the subject and decided that she needed to meet Hendrickson in person before she could judge her mother's decision.

Savannah lost in her world of logic. She didn't notice her mother's back ceased to advance. As a result, she received a powerful blow to the nose made her lose her balance. She recuperated by taking her mother stretched a hand to pull her forward while hearing her say in a low voice,

"I was monitoring Nicolai all the time. He never gets out of the house. How did he cause the Chimera mess? No matter how calculating he is, there is no way he could pull all of this by himself alone considering the awful shape of his body… he must have someone helping him." She paused for a short period, then she added: "At first I thought he was using Bi-an, but I didn't feel her presence at all. Didn't you notice any suspicious person when you were strolling the farm?"

Savannah's expression stiffened as she felt this subtle comment was directed to her and this little accident of dumping her nose was, without a doubt, intentional.

And while she was soothing her naris’s pain, she captured a very particular scent revived in her memory of the flower she had seen drawn in Rokah painting.

The scent was distant, faint, and came in spaced waves. She looked at her mother's face, asking for approval to follow the source of this smell, and easily got the nod of consent. Without wasting a second, she hunted its source.

The last thing she had heard from her mother was that she needed to bring some clothes with her before she will join her sister and Lord Shiva in the main hall.

***

The scent guided Savannah to the music room. There, she perceived the presence of somebody she knew. However, he seemed, in some way, she couldn’t fathom different, weird.

Her eyes glowed in the darkness as she entered the room. And there he was, alone in the dark.

This must be Mr. Hendrickson’s look. But what is this strange aura that he reflects like he wasn’t the same person anymore?

When he turned his head to look at her, she instantly understood the basis of her mother's choice. And that made her limbs rigid.

Before he raised from the chair, Savannah advanced slowly, step by step as if she was afraid of being found out. And when he finally confronted her, she said in the abrupt, spasmodic voice:

"You are… no longer a human being!"

Nicolai’s face didn’t change at her frank remark. Placid and pretending as always, he also commented: "You are taller and much manlier than I remember you."

Savannah didn’t respond. In contrast, she mirrored back to him the same face’s expressions of indifference he had shown her.

To avoid the awkward silence that emerged to dominate the room again, Nicolai hurried to strike first.

"The letter I sent with my servant Bi-an, was addressed to you. To be honest, it distressed me when the replay comes from your mother. And what has bugged me more is when you didn’t take part in this negotiation. Even, you didn’t openly show yourself as a member of the Crocotta’s delegations…"

"…."

"There is no way Akila will deny you the chance of meeting a pure bloodline Hématophage."

"Get to the point."

"I don’t know, it's just speculation on my part. There must be a shift in the authority line of the Crocotta congregation."

Savannah paused for a few seconds and used the opportunity to look at the files in Nicolai's hands. Despite that, there wasn’t enough light yet she could read some words, then concluded that this must be the final contract.

She shifted her pale yellow eyes to Mr. Hendrickson again and denied: "No, your speculations are wrong. My mother still holds the complete control and authority over the clan."

Nicolai moved his wrist of the hand that is gripping on the cane’s handle, then pressed it into the floor while saying: "Then the problem must lie within you. Have you changed your mind? Do you not wish to be the next successor because of that?"

Savannah's eyes closed, therefore the white hair in her right eyelashes became more prominent. She also gave a broad smile, then walked overstepping Hendrickson's current position, hands behind her back, chest respiring rhythmically. This black snake succeeded in overthrowing the conversation elsewhere, to the topic that she detests the most.