Shihai’s draconic body slithers over the stage, his footpaws shifting to talons as his shape alters to support him standing upright in the center as a bunch of attendees murmur amongst themselves. While they all signed up for the exchange, it being a hypnotic game of hide-and-seek is an unexpected twist for many of them. The dragon chuckles as he sees the attendees discussing quietly.
‘Now, now. I promise it’ll be a very fulfilling and fun time for you all. Trust me, the pamphlet that you all received didn’t lie. Some of you probably already knew what was to happen, because not everybody is so susceptible to be hypnotized by the mere sight of a spiral. However, we know that you’re all into hypnotism to a certain degree. Your principals, managers, friends have shortlisted a group of potential attendees through extensive study and research into your behaviors,’ the dragon explains.
A silence falls in the room. A mixture of confusion, maybe even slight embarrassment for some, but none of the attendees seem to raise their voice to challenge what Master Shihai is saying. The dragon smirks, noticing the vibe.
‘Of course, none of you are strangers to being hypnotized, or hypnotizing others. And this is a chance to live out your fantasies to the highest degree. Everyone gathered here today in this room applied either as a dom, or switch, and has been selected as hunter. Those who you shared a ride with, who got equipped with a collar, applied to be a sub or switch, they and have been selected as hiders.’
Luc looks around the room. He immediately notices that, indeed, none of the attendees in the room are wearing the collars like Austin and Robin were. As he looks over his shoulder, his eyes meet those of a Lemur-fox hybrid. He winks at Luc with a smirk, a smug aura radiating from him. Luc turns around again, and somehow Shihai has almost entirely turned around on the stage, constantly slithering in near-hypnotic motions, emphasized by his black-and-white scales.
‘Now,’ the dragon continues, ‘the idea is simple. During the program, you are going to play a game of hypnotic hide and seek. The hiders will be trying to stay out of your grasp, and it is your task to catch them. They have a total of four… let’s call them “lives”, and every time they are caught, their collars will instill a trance during which they will be fully obedient and subservient to you. Alternatively, if you brought you own hypnotic devices or wish to use the cadence of your voice, gestures, whatever, that too is allowed of course. Once you’ve had your fill, you are to return to home base to give the hider a chance to escape, and simultaneously return a trophy that the hider will give to you once they’re caught. I know this is a lot of explanation, but does it all make sense?’
From the crowd, a seafoam-green-scaled kobold raises a handpaw.
‘What kind of trophy is it?’
‘Great question, Akko,’ Shihai responds. ‘It depends on what stage of the game you’re in. Regardless, I’m going to leave that as a surprise for now. It’ll make sense as the game progresses,’ the dragon says mysteriously.
Another dom in the crowd raises a handpaw. This time it’s the rabbit boy that Luc saw earlier.
‘So all we essentially have to do is… just outspeed the hiders?’
‘Thank you, Zerg. I was about to get to that. The hiders do get a chance to defend themselves. They’ll all be supplied with a slingshot and foam balls. If you’re hit, you are to return to home base as well before being allowed back onto the hunting grounds. Once they run out of ammo, the hiders can resupply. Of course, this will pose a significant risk to them as the resupply areas will be known by you all,’ Shihai continues.
Behind him, a map of the grounds is projected onto the wall. A rudimentary drawing of the mansion and its demesne shows a bunch of paths, buildings, and circled locations marked as “supply bay”, whereas the building itself is marked as “home base”.
‘Any other questions?’ Master Shihai asks.
Luc raises a handpaw.
‘Two, actually.’
‘Yes, Luc?’
‘What is in it for the hiders? What’s their incentive to hide? Do they win anything? And secondly, what’s our incentive to actually seek them out?’ The fennec asks.
Shihai chuckles.
‘Those are four questions, Luc. Anyways, allow me to put it this way. Without giving away too much of the surprise yet, the incentive for you—the hunters—is that you get to live your hypnotic fantasies with eager and willing subs. Those who have gathered the most trophies in the end, get a special prize,’ the dragon explains.
The mentioning of a prize gets the crowd excited, a low murmur buzzing through the room as the hunters speculate quietly amongst themselves.
‘As for the hiders, they, too, get to live out some of their wildest fantasies. The last hider to remain undetected—no matter how many of their four lives remain—also gets a special prize. Of course, you all also get extra credit for participating in this exchange like the pamphlet promised,’ the dragon concludes.
The crowd mumbles even louder as their rewards and incentives become clear. Luc can’t help but wonder what the main prize is. Regardless of what it is, it’s bound to be something good.
‘Now,’ Shihai says, ‘if you don’t mind, I have a second group of attendees to visit.’
Happy Hypnovember everybody! For 2026, I am writing a sequel to my story Exhibition Match, featuring the athletic Austin, theater kid Luc, and many many many cameos with my fans, friends and followers! --- Shihai gives Luc and the other hunters a thorough explanation of the ground rules, as they learn what hypnotic shenanigans await them. --- Featuring (short) cameos from Zerg and Julian!
![Akko's Hypnovember 2026 Day 10 - The Mansion [A]](https://sf.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/6226/6226898_Akkobold_chapter_10_-_the_mansion_a_.jpg "Akko's Hypnovember 2026 Day 10 - The Mansion [A]")
