A Zoologist’s Guide to Surviving Magical Creatures

Agnos sighed deeply, his golden eyes dimming further.

"It began with a political marriage. Hestia was promised to another—someone powerful, someone her family approved of. But she ran away and met Kaleon, who was disguised as a mortal. They fell in love and married in secret."

Jiuge picked up where he left off.

"At the time, Kaleon was uniting Mythica, bringing the realms together under one banner. Many opposed him, and when they discovered his secret marriage to Hestia, they saw it as an opportunity to discredit him. They accused him of kidnapping her."

Hestia, a runaway bride, and Kaleon, the rebel uniting realms. This was straight out of a tragic epic.

"Hestia returned to her family to clear his name," Jiuge continued, her voice trembling. "But instead of forgiveness, news spread... they killed her."

The air grew cold. Even the bright sanctuary seemed to dim in response to her words.

"And when Kaleon found out," Agnos said, his voice heavy with sorrow, "he went mad with grief. He waged war against her family and anyone who stood against him. The Ancient Realm War began, and it shattered Mythica. Two leylines were destroyed. Thousands died. And in the end..."

"Hestia woke up," Jiuge said, his voice low. "Turns out, she faked her death to stop her family from accusing Kaleon of kidnapping her. She figured if they believed she was gone, they'd lose all leverage—and then she and Kaleon could finally be together."

Agnos picked up the thread smoothly. "She was supposed to die for only a day. But when her body was returned to Kaleon, she didn't wake up for a whole decade. We all thought she was truly gone." His expression darkened. "When Kaleon found out she hadn't actually died, he was overwhelmed with guilt and regret."

"He put himself in the coffin," Jiuge finished. "To stop the war, to contain his own power, and to preserve what was left of Mythica."

I let out a long, shaky breath. "That's... a lot to process."

Their love story is tragic indeed. Wait. Hold on... Why does it sound like Mythica's version of Romeo and Juliet, though? I brushed the thought aside.

Neither of them spoke.

These two Unknown Gods, who were always at odds with each other in front of me, seemed to sync perfectly when recounting the story of Kaleon and Hestia's love.

I couldn't help but wonder what had caused their own marriage to fall apart. "Irreconcilable differences" seemed like a standard answer for most celebrity couples in back in my world, usually implying a no-fault divorce.

But with them? I suspected there was more to it than that.

Finally, I said, "So, now what? Agnos, you want to move the coffin to the core of Mythica. Jiuge, you want it to stay here. Both of you have orders from people you clearly respect. How do we solve this without, you know, blowing up another leyline?"

Agnos crossed his arms. "We follow Kaleon's orders."

"No," Jiuge snapped. "We honor Hestia's wishes."

"And round and round we go," I muttered. "Look, if you two can't agree, then we'll have to find another way. A compromise. Something that honors both Kaleon and Hestia."

"Such as?" Agnos asked, raising a skeptical brow.

I hesitated. "I... don't know yet. But I'll think of something. In the meantime, let's not kill each other, okay?"

They both glared at me, but neither argued.

One thing was clear: this wasn't just about a coffin. This was about grief, love, and a world still healing from the scars of war.

And somehow, I'd become the guy stuck in the middle.

Great. Just great.

********

"Hey Agnos, quick question. What's the core of Mythica? I always thought the leylines were what held this whole place together," I asked, trying to sound casual.

Agnos gave me a lazy, unimpressed look. "Everyone in Mythica knows what the core is," he replied, his tone dripping with condescension.

"Well, apparently not everyone in this room is from Mythica," I shot back, jabbing my thumb at my chest. "Human? From another world entirely? Remember?"

Agnos stayed silent for a moment, clearly debating whether or not to indulge me. Finally, with an exasperated sigh, he answered, "It's where all the leylines converge. The source of power for the entire network. To use one of your favorite metaphors, it's like the main battery or generator for all of Mythica."

"Wow," I said, genuinely impressed. "So... what happens if someone shuts it down?"

Agnos's eyes narrowed dangerously. "No one can shut it down. The core is the lifeblood of Mythica. Its power is beyond comprehension, even for gods. And no one can get close to it—anyone who tries is obliterated instantly."

My stomach dropped. "W-what?! Then why would you put Kaleon there? Are you trying to obliterate him?!"

Agnos smirked, his signature lazy grin returning. "Oh, Carl. Your brain must be melting from Jiuge's death stares. You're starting to lose what little intelligence you had."

The room's temperature noticeably dropped as Jiuge, who'd been eavesdropping, smacked Agnos with one of her tails. Pink lightning crackled ominously around her.

"Ouch! Why'd you hit me?!" Agnos yelped, rubbing his arm.

"Your brain will be the one melting if you keep talking like that," Jiuge snapped, her eyes blazing with lethal intent.

Agnos glared at her but wisely held his tongue. Turning back to me, he said, "You should have figured it out by now. Kaleon isn't just some ordinary being. Do you even know who he is?"

I frowned. "Nope. The name doesn't ring any bells. There's no record of him in any of the mythology books I've read back home. So, who is he? Some kind of hero since he united all of Mythica?"

Agnos sighed, his expression softening into something almost sorrowful. "He's not a hero. He's a god. But not just any god—Kaleon is one of the most powerful gods to ever exist. Even Zeus or Odin couldn't compare."

My jaw dropped. "Wait, what? You're telling me he's stronger than Zeus and Odin combined? That's... insane."

"It gets better," Jiuge added. "The core of Mythica? It's powered by Kaleon's essence. A single drop of it."

My brain short-circuited. "A drop? You're saying one drop of his essence fuels all the leylines? Holy crap. This guy isn't just overpowered—he's freakishly OP! If he ever went to war, wouldn't Mythica be obliterated just by him existing?"

"Yes," Agnos said matter-of-factly. "But Kaleon has a dual nature—creation and destruction. When he waged war, it wasn't to destroy."

"Then why go to war at all?" I asked, baffled.

"Because of the Mistress," Agnos replied, his voice taking on a somber tone. "Hestia loved all the creatures of Mythica, and Kaleon made a promise to her. So, he fought, but he never unleashed his destructive power."

Jiuge chimed in, her tone reverent. "We, his servants, are tied to him. His thoughts are our thoughts. His feelings, our feelings. When he's angry, we're angry. Even the smallest ripple of his emotions becomes a command."

Agnos nodded. "When Kaleon was consumed by grief and anger, Mythica fell into chaos. The balance was shattered. We all knew that only Hestia could calm him. But his enemies thought Hestia was his weakness."

"And instead," I said, piecing it together, "she was the catalyst all along."

"What about Hestia?" I asked, leaning forward. "I'm asking because, at this point, I can't trust the books from my world to understand her situation. You guys have already butchered everything I thought I knew about mythology."

Silence fell over the room like a heavy blanket. Neither Agnos nor Jiuge said a word, their expressions unreadable. It was as if the very mention of Hestia had turned the air toxic. My eyes darted between the two, my confusion growing.

"Hello? Where is she?" I pressed, my voice cutting through the stillness.

They exchanged a glance—a fleeting, loaded look that spoke volumes. Whatever they were deciding, I wasn't part of it. Then, finally, Jiuge broke the silence.

"The Mistress... Hestia... she's alive."

"She's alive? That's great!" Relief bubbled up inside me, and I leaned in eagerly. "Then maybe we can ask her about all this. You said it yourself, Jiuge, these were her wishes. If anyone can fix this mess, it's her, right? Maybe she'll change her mind if we talk to her!"

I was already running scenarios in my head, mentally rehearsing the perfect speech to convince her. But Jiuge's reply brought my train of thought to a screeching halt.

"You can't," she said, her tone as final as a slammed door.

"What do you mean, 'can't'? She's here in Mythica, isn't she?"

"Yes," Jiuge admitted, but her hesitation was palpable.

Agnos stepped in, his voice uncharacteristically serious. "She's alive... but she's imprisoned. And nobody is allowed to visit or meet her. She's now... a prisoner of war."

"For eternity," Jiuge added softly, her gaze dropping to the floor.

The weight of their words hit me like a punch to the gut. "W-what?!" I stammered, my voice breaking.

Prisoner? For eternity? This wasn't just some tragic love story—it was a full-blown nightmare.