In the depth of dark slumber, a gleam of consciousness mushrooming the mind.

Mir slowly opened his heavy eyes. With a blurry vision, he faintly discerns smoky surrounding gradually blooming the foggy view. The blurriness is slowly fading away. Every cell of the body is feeling relaxed and numb. A tiny stream of mild pain is flowing from the back of his head. A throbbing, needling headache was drumming beneath his temples. He winced, brows furrowed tight with pain.

He forcefully tries to move, but his movements are stiffly restricted. In a moment, he realised he is tied down to a chair.

He is still in the cottage. The darkness is eradicated by the illuminating bright lights of fire torches, fueled lanterns and battery charged lamps. There is also this modern, expensive battery-operated light. Naked flames from aesthetically arranged candles, sets a soft, warm, and romantic ambiance.

An image of a familiar figure floating in his sight. After a couple of seconds, Mir recognised the person. Piran is standing in front of him with a small but perfectly serviceable knife in his hand. It's sharp and has a razored edge.

There's a dangerous stillness about him. Cold gaze fixed on the anxious Mir. His dark eyes radiated a fierce, uncompromising intelligence.

Slowly, eyes narrowed, he got a vertical wrinkle between his eyebrows. His lips pursed slightly.

With a fixed expression, he asks "So, you are finally awake."

Mir grins and retorts

"Am I?? I sure hope not. "

Piran smiles

"Seen you following me. So, what's yer game, fella? What do you want?"

"At the moment, I want something to drink. "

Utterance freighted with wit and irony.

A laugh sparks in Piran's face only to quickly fade away.

Piran supplies him some cool fresh water to drink. Mir wets his throat with cool, revitalizing water.

After gulping down the fresh water, it felt like soul restored to his life force. It breathed life into him.

Mir thanks Piran. However, gratitude is merely the secret hope of further favors.

"Have some good booze? " Mir asks with a casual manner.

Piran calmly rejects "We wiccans are nature-lovers, admirers of purity. Indulging in alcohol isn’t really in my interests. "

With a stiff and righteous anger, Mir shouts

" Fine. Tell me, you nature-o-phile, is using dark magics to kill the club girls a part of the nature loving ritual too?"

Piran looks at him like Mir is the psychopath in this room.

"What are you blabbering about, nutjob. You got few roos loose in the top paddock?"

"Bubble. Does the name ring a bell?" Mir tosses Bubble's name into the conversation.

"What? How do you know her? What business do you have with us? Stay away from her! " Anxiety floods Pirans face.

"Easy there, boy. One question at a time. Well, I am a private investigator hired by your ex-girlfriend Bubble."