Hannibal was a man of control, always prepared for multiple situations. However, balancing his life as a gentle psychiatrist with that of the Chesapeake Ripper was exhausting him. Of course, he had been doing this for a long time, but since he also started working for the FBI, things had become more demanding. Not that he wasn't used to it, but he needed a point of equilibrium for a while.

Vacations weren't something that always crossed his mind, ever since he mentioned to a colleague that his routine was getting a bit demanding. That colleague said, "Why don't you take a vacation?" He didn't need a vacation, just some time off... After much deliberation, he finally gave in to the idea and isolated himself... but not severely. ────────𝜗ৎ──────── On a sunny day, Hannibal was already on an island, not deserted, but isolated from the tourist spots, in a simple beach house. It was the meaning of peace. The cool air that came from the waters whispered in the palm leaves around him and hit the large rocks nearby. This was a dream. And it was real. Hannibal sat on the sand near the sea, just observing, not caring about the messages coming from his laptop or phone, only the silence and the sounds of the nearby birds and nature.

It was a unique beauty, magnificent to behold. But during its peace, a strange movement in the sea caught his attention; it was gentle, imperceptible to a normal person, but Hannibal was anything but normal. He watched the movement intently; it looked like something swimming, but he only deduced it was a shark, and ignored it for a few more days... ────────𝜗ৎ──────── On a cold night, Hannibal rested in a chair on the balcony, his crackling was a spectacle, his glory reflected in the endless sea. A beauty to which he clung throughout his stay. He took a deep breath, felt human, genuinely alive, letting the air whisper on his skin. Looking ahead, he saw a silhouette that took his breath away—"Is anyone here?" Hannibal was visibly tense, unable to make out what it was due to the lack of bright lighting, just a shadow in the middle of the pale sand.

He hesitated for the first time and stood up, walking slowly and silently until the figure was clearly visible to him. Then, he was enchanted... a mermaid?... a man half-fish, his slender figure was human, but his legs... there was a fish tail, elegant even, shiny, beautiful... the beautiful creature in front of him seemed not to have noticed him, with its back to Hannibal, it observed the view ahead, of the vast sea.

For the first time, Hannibal had no decisions, thoughts, or words; he simply... stood there, mesmerized, by a mystical creature before him, a tale that had become reality. Although logically he shouldn't have approached, it was like in the legends, the song of a mermaid calling to him.