A Zoologist’s Guide to Surviving Magical Creatures

Viracocha hesitated, his expression tightening as if he were grappling with the weight of what he was about to say. Finally, he exhaled deeply and spoke, his tone heavy with reverence and caution.

"Kaleon isn't just the creator of Mythica," he began, his voice steady but laced with unease. "He's omnipotent. Invincible. There is no force in existence that can rival his strength. His essence is... overwhelming, to put it mildly."

Oh boy... don't tell me this is what I think it is?

He paused, his piercing gaze locking onto me.

"And you... you reek of that essence. The Unknown Gods may not have noticed because the trace is faint, almost imperceptible. But I'm different. My senses are sharp. I can feel it. If you're carrying even a shred of his essence, it can only mean one of two things."

I knew it! Kaleon's essence? In me? What kind of nonsense is this?! This Incan god must have been watching way too many conspiracy dramas on his phone, of all things!

He hesitated again, the silence thick with unspoken implications. Then, with a weighty sigh, he added, "You're either marked by him… or—"

The sentence hung in the air, unfinished, but the unspoken possibility lingered, pressing down on me like a tidal wave.

"Or what?" I asked, dreading the answer.

"Or you're a fragment of him," Viracocha finished grimly.

The room fell silent, and I felt the blood drain from my face. "A fragment? Like, what—part of his soul or something? That's ridiculous!"

"Ridiculous or not, it's the only explanation," Viracocha said. "The essence doesn't just appear out of nowhere."

Agnos looked between us, his face a mix of confusion and concern. "But Carl is... Carl. A mortal. I've seen him bleed, complain, and faint more times than I can count. He's definitely not some reincarnated god."

Jiuge, ever the skeptic, crossed her arms. "Essence doesn't lie, Agnos. If Viracocha says he reeks of the creator, then there's something to it."

I slumped in my chair, overwhelmed. "So what does this mean for me? I can't enter the Eternal Prison, and now you're telling me I might be part god? Do I get, like, creation powers or something?"

Viracocha snorted. "If only it were that simple. The Eternal Prison's wards will reject you outright—or worse, they might draw the creator's dormant consciousness to the surface. Do you really want to risk destroying the place?"

I didn't have an answer to that, and judging by the grim expressions around me, neither did anyone else.

"W-wait," I stammered, piecing things together aloud. "Maybe it's because of the fragments? Agnos, your fragments—your powers—they're part of the creator's too, right? Maybe when I absorbed it—"

"You absorbed the Unknown God fragments?" Viracocha interrupted, his voice sharp with disbelief. His eyes narrowed. "And you didn't die?"

"He didn't," Agnos interjected flatly. "Just fainted."

"Yeah, I didn't die," I said quickly, waving off the fainting detail like it wasn't humiliating. "Agnos blessed me."

My words landed like a thunderclap. Jiuge and Viracocha exchanged baffled glances before turning to Agnos, whose squirming in his chair could've powered a windmill. He avoided their stares with all the grace of a guilty kid caught stealing cookies.

I leaned forward, narrowing my eyes. "Right, Agnos? You blessed me, didn't you? That's what you told me."

"Carl," Viracocha began gently, his tone dripping with the patronizing patience of someone explaining gravity to a toddler, "there's no such thing as a person blessed by an Unknown God surviving the absorption of its fragments' powers."

I blinked. "Wait. No, no, no. That's where you're wrong. I didn't absorb its powers. I absorbed the memories."

A ripple of shock crossed Viracocha's face. Beside him, Jiuge's eyes widened, her sharp intake of breath filling the room. They both turned back to Agnos, their expressions demanding answers, and this time, Agnos shrank like a snail retreating into its shell.

"Okay, enough," I said, slamming my hands on the table. "What's going on here? I'm not a kid, so stop treating me like one! Spill the truth, or so help me—" I paused, jabbing a finger at Agnos, "—you really don't want to see me mad!"

Jiuge finally spoke, her voice measured but grave. "Carl, listen to me. Nobody—nobody—can absorb an Unknown God's fragments. Not even the Unknown Gods themselves. If anyone tries, they're obliterated—gone. Ashes, nothingness. Not even a chance at reincarnation."

I froze, the weight of her words hitting me like a freight train. Slowly, I turned to Agnos, hurt etched across my face. "Does that mean… you lied to me?"

"I didn't lie!" Agnos burst out, his voice defensive. "When I told you that you were blessed, I meant it. You are. That scale—" he pointed at me, "—it carries the will of Kaleon."

I frowned. "The scale? You mean Queen Isadora's scale? She gave that to me because you imbued it with power!"

"Yes… and no," Agnos admitted reluctantly. "It's true the scale was imbued with power, but it wasn't my power."

"Then whose power was it?" My voice rose, frustration bubbling over.

Agnos hesitated, then sighed. "Also, that's not Isadora's dragon scale, Carl."

My breath hitched. "W-what? Then whose scale is it?"

"It's not a scale at all," he said gravely. "It's a fragment of the Core."

For a moment, the words didn't register. "Wait… the Core? You mean the Core? Of the Mythica's Leylines—that core?"

Agnos nodded. "And somehow, that fragment linked itself to you. Originally, it was designed to track Kaleon. But instead of leading me to him, it led me to you. At first, I didn't understand, but then… then you absorbed it. That's why I believed you might be capable of handling the fragments."

Viracocha's voice cut through the air, his tone grim. "And speaking of the fragments… only Kaleon, the Creator, can absorb them. Only Kaleon's will has that power. But for you to survive the process, to access the memories... Unless..."

He stopped, his words hanging ominously in the air.

"Unless what?" I demanded, my voice sharp with desperation. "Just say it! I've heard enough crazy things today that nothing—nothing—could shock me anymore!"

"Well, there's only one possible explanation," Viracocha hesitated, searching my face as though looking for confirmation in my features. "That you're his descendant. Kaleon's offspring."

The words felt like a bomb detonating in my head. My jaw dropped as I stared at him, dumbfounded.

"Kaleon's… son?" Jiuge's voice cracked, and she turned to Viracocha with wide eyes. "That's impossible! Hestia isn't pregnant!"

The sheer absurdity of the moment crashed over me like a tidal wave. "Whoa, hold on! Back up! Son? Kaleon? Me? Are you guys hearing yourselves?" I sputtered, my voice rising in pitch. "I'm just Carl! A mortal who came to Mythica for a job and got dragged into this madness! There is no way—"

But as my voice trailed off, I noticed Agnos avoiding my gaze again. My heart sank.

"What… what are you not telling me?" I whispered, suddenly afraid of the answer.