Dmitri had entered the main hall by then and had listened to what he had just said. He stopped in his tracks. Was Mihr changing his loyalty just now and showing his solidarity to Adrianna? Was he so desperate for Adrianna to win the competition?

Adrianna was listening to him with rapt attention. But she wasn't prepared for what came next.

​​

Mihr paused and then said, "Listen Adrianna, Isidorus won't be able to even talk to you now because otherwise they might blame him for favoring you. So I have decided something, which is of utmost importance and I know this may sound odd to you, but you still need to know some spells for that competition and I can teach you those spells!"

Dmitri had walked to his side by the time he had spoken those words. Both he and Adrianna looked at him with shock.

"Why are you offering to teach me?" she asked. With Mihr's history, it was possible that he might be bluffing them.

"Let's just say this – I want to be loyal to the woman who helped my daughter out of danger. Without you, Nefasky would have died by now and this is the only way I can show you my gratitude."

The way Mihr said those words Adrianna could see his humility. He was genuinely looking unpretentious.

"Thanks Mihr, that was very nice of you to offer. We will get back to you with our answer soon," replied Dmitri, as he was wary of him.

Mihr took a deep breath and said, "Okay, but you people need to answer me fast. You only have four days left until the next stage and in four days you can't learn much even if I teach you for twenty four hours."

Adrianna still hadn't recovered from what he said. Mihr bowed and was sucked in a vortex.

Adrianna was looking so baffled that her mouth opened to form an 'O'.

Dmitri laughed at her expressions.

"What do you think about his proposition Dmitri?" she asked with that expression.

"What do you think?" he asked her back.

"Well, he was really not pretending this time. I couldn't see any malice when I delved in his brain," she answered naturally.

Dmitri smiled at her. He had forgotten about his wife's ability to enter other people's brain so effectively that sometimes even he was spooked.

---

When Mihr was standing there and waiting for his daughter to come out of the operation theater, Cy's men contacted him. They were not concerned about what happened to his daughter, instead they demanded to open a secret portal in the wizard kingdom for them to enter. They had planned something nefarious for the third stage of the competition.

Mihr told them that they would have to wait until his daughter came out of the operation theater, but they were very impatient. "Do you think we have all the time in the world? Open the portal now!"

Mihr became very angry. He was already so perturbed and nervous about Nefasky and these people were only thinking about the portal. Not only that, it was because of Vikra all this happened, and still they had the guts to come to him and ask for help.

"Nefasky is in this problem because of you people, because of Vikra and you people think that I am going to help you into the wizard kingdom?" he replied with blazing eyes.

"Mihr, you have to sacrifice for bigger things in life. Nefasky was just a small sacrifice that you have to give for Vikra. It is nothing compared to the bigger picture. You should know this since you had always been a part of Cy's team. You have helped us because you wanted Cy to come back and because you want Vikra to come back. Now why are you wavering? Your daughter is a pawn that was knocked out in the first move. So move on!" said one of them threateningly.

Mihr's anger was on its epitome. They dared to threaten him – the military general of the wizard kingdom. It was their selfishness and apathy that triggered his psychological control. His nose wrinkled and he drew his head backwards. His face became red and it seemed as if his brain would explode. It was a threat and a strong one. He knew that going against these men would mean more harm. He knew he was going against the monsters. But he had to.

"Get out! Don't even dare to meet me or send anyone to seek help. From today onwards, I will not help you in any of your nefarious activities. Trust me, if I even see anyone of you people in the wizard kingdom, I will be the first to slain you!"

Cy's men could feel the tension in the intensity of his tone. He was emotionally spent. They sniggered and left after making a threat, "Wait and watch Mihr. You will be our first target."

---

Adrianna had sent her men to find out about Mihr and what she came to know was a huge shock to her.