After her spat with Lile, Adrianna looked around. She kept looking around for Raz but didn't find him anywhere near the vicinity of the place.Thinking that perhaps he might have been injured, she tried to shake off the tumultuous thoughts off.

Adrianna went for the special spells class with Professor Ziu. She was wondering as to how many classes are still remaining as she walked through the alleyways. When she reached the room, she noticed that the door was closed. She pushed the door to open it, however it was apparent that someone had bolted it from the inside. Feeling bewildered about it, Adrianna knocked at the door but there was no answer. She tried to push it open but it still didn't budge. She banged on it loudly and shouted, "Who is in there? Open it!"

​​

"Hisss…" a sharp intake of breath was heard from inside.

Adrianna felt a little uncomfortable. She shouted loudly, "Who is in there? Come out. Open the door now!" As she said that, she took out her wand and just as she was about to cast the spell that would open the door, it creaked open slowly. When it opened completely, Adrianna was stunned at the sight in front of her. A huge black monster was sitting right in the center of the room in a bubble of water. The monster looked like a giant sea horse with so many fin like appendages all over its body and floating around in the water.Its sharp tongue would come out and eat the fish around it. It hissed as it saw Adrianna.

"Who are you?" she asked as she looked at him with wide eyes, horrified to the core. Goose bumps lined her skin.

"You have forgotten me so easily… hisss…" he replied. His voice was warbled.

Adrianna went near the water bubble to touch it but it appeared as though it wasn't there. She was seeing a mirage or was she hallucinating? She reached out her hand to touch it. Her skin felt cold but she couldn't feel the slippery and wet feeling of water.

The monster laughed at her astonished and perplexed expression and exposed its fangs. "Don't touch me, Adrianna."

Suddenly, she saw a human body floating around it. It appeared the size of a palm in front of the beast's gigantic body. Its face was facing away from her but Adrianna could make out that it was a man.

The monster took out what seemed like its hand and held the body in his hand. He bared his fangs again and took out his tongue. He licked the man's body with his large tongue and suddenly tossed it towards Adrianna. The body turned and came to the periphery of the water bubble.

Adrianna shrieked in horror and her hands reached her mouth to contain her shirek and horror inside instinctively. "Ahhhhh!" That was Nate floating around him. He was unconscious and looked pale.

"You recognize him, don't you?" asked the monster. "He is my prized possession for the day. If you want him back, come find me… hisss…"

"Release Nate now!" Adrianna bellowed at the top of her lungs.

The monster caught Nate in his hand and said, "Don't shout or I will gobble him up."

Ziu came running inside when he heard the strange conversation. He was shocked and took his wand out. Adrianna stopped his hand, "No! Don't. That human he has as a hostage is Nate."

The monster started laughing again, "You are quick to learn Adrianna."

"Please tell me what you want. What has Nate done?" asked Adrianna exasperated.

The monster opened its blue eyes fully. "Ah, now you are talking in a way that makes me want to converse with you ." He released Nate from his hands and gently left him in the water to float around . "I want three potions that you have successfully made in the last few days and I will release Nate. You should personally come to give me those potions or else I will not hesitate in killing him."

"But tell me where are you?" she coaxed him.

"No… you have to find me by yourself and you have until tomorrow's sun set," he replied lazily, while stroking Nate's hair with his hand as he floated in front of him. Finished with his words, he suddenly lashed his long curvy tail and swam away. The water around him rippled as Nate's body bumped on the bed of the water.

"Stop!" Adrianna shouted but the monster had already disappeared.

Nate's body slowly settled on the bed of water and fish surrounded him.

Adrianna felt worried for Nate's well-being. . She looked at him as he lay there unconscious. Her tears started gushing out. Just two days ago , he and Ookashi had decided to stay together. She turned to look at Professor Ziu and asked him with tears in her eyes, "Do you know who that is? I am baffled because he said that I have forgotten him. Please tell me Professor Ziu, who is he?"

Ziu was bewildered. He shook his head and said, "I don't know Adrianna… I have never seen anything like that…" He went forward to touch the water bubble but it disappeared instantly.

"Nate!" shouted Adrianna. She felt helpless. Where would Nate be at the moment? All the coldness that surrounded him must be horrifying. Why were the fish surrounding him? What would she tell Dmitri?

Adrianna turned around to go out of the classroom while her mind whirled with a slew of questions that remained unanswered as of now. Before leaving, she turned towards Professor Ziu and observed, "I am leaving to go and talk to Dmitri…"