A Zoologist’s Guide to Surviving Magical Creatures

As I rifled through the top stack, I glanced at my so-called colleagues.

Agnos was lounging in his cubicle, sipping tea like he had all the time in the world. Jiuge, on the other hand, was spinning around in her chair, clearly bored out of her mind.

"Excuse me!" I called out. "I could use a little help over here."

Jiuge's eyes lit up like fireworks. She bounded over, grinning like a child on their birthday.

"Finally! Puzzles! Something interesting to do!" She immediately dived into the files, spreading them across the table with unnerving enthusiasm.

Agnos didn't even glance up. "Sorry, not part of the job description."

I glared at him. "If you don't help, I'll personally review your performance and mark it as fail. And don't even think about sneaking off for tea again."

Agnos smirked, unfazed. "Threats don't work on me, Carl. Be creative for once."

"Oh yeah?" I countered, crossing my arms. "How about this? All expenses for this job and future jobs will go directly to your account. You're a VVVVIP member, right? Surely you can afford it."

His smirk faltered, and his teacup paused mid-air. "You wouldn't dare."

"Naga said I have final decision-making authority. Or would you rather I report your stellar work ethic to him?"

Agnos's narrowed eyes burned holes through me, but after a long moment, he sighed dramatically. "Fine. For now, I'll help."

As he reluctantly joined us at the table, I allowed myself a small, victorious grin. Small wins, Carl. Small wins.

Jiuge suddenly lit up like a pink Christmas tree, her eyes sparkling with urgency. "Amaterasu is missing?!" she exclaimed, her voice a mix of shock and determination. Without warning, she shoved a file right in front of my face.

"What the—" I stumbled backward, startled by the sudden invasion of my personal space. "How do you expect me to read this when it's practically glued to my nose? My eyes can't even focus that close!"

Grabbing the file from her, I placed it on the table and inspected the details. The headline read:

Missing Deity Report: Amaterasu Omikami

Status: Reported Missing

Date: Two Months Ago

Reporter: Tsukuyomi no Mikoto (Estranged Husband)

Summary: Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess, has been unaccounted for since her last known sighting in Takamagahara. No signs of her divine aura have been detected since. The estranged relationship with her husband, Tsukuyomi, has been noted in the records.

I blinked and glanced up at Jiuge, my confusion growing. "Why are you so fired up about this? And honestly, this report doesn't give us much to go on."

Before Jiuge could answer, Agnos, who had been casually peering over my shoulder, spoke up. "Because Amaterasu is her best friend," he said nonchalantly, like he was mentioning the weather.

My jaw dropped as I turned to Jiuge. "Wait, what? She's your best friend?"

"Close childhood friend, to be precise," Jiuge corrected, crossing her arms and lifting her chin proudly.

I raised an eyebrow. "You're telling me that you're childhood friends with Amaterasu, the literal Sun Goddess? How does that even work? Did you hang out on sunbeams together or something?"

Jiuge waved a dismissive hand. "Oh, it's not that complicated. When I was little, I lived in a celestial village in Takamagahara that bridged several pantheons. Amaterasu and I used to play together before she got married and moved to her palace full-time. We kept in touch here and there, but…"

She trailed off, her pink eyes clouding with worry. "We haven't talked much in the past few centuries."

I blinked again. "You're full of surprises, Jiuge."

"Focus, Carl!" she snapped, her worried expression quickly replaced with determination. "This is personal. We have to take this case!"

Agnos snorted. "You realize this is Carl's official work, not a personal crusade for your old celestial drama, right?"

I groaned, rubbing my temples. "Look, it's not that I don't want to help, but this feels way too 'normal'. Missing deities? Estranged celestial spouses? That's like... God-level marriage dispute material. It should be passed over to the Marriage and Relationship department at The Council. No?"

Jiuge leaned in, her expression serious. "Carl, this could be bigger than just a missing person or marriage problems. If Amaterasu is gone, it could destabilize not just Mythica but the entire balance of light and dark in the mortal world too. Please, we have to do this."

Her words hung heavy in the air, and I glanced down at the file again, the weight of the responsibility sinking in.

"Alright," I said finally, sighing in defeat. "We'll take the case. But I'm telling you now, if this turns into a cosmic custody battle, I'm out."

Jiuge grinned triumphantly. "You won't regret this!"

Agnos muttered under his breath, "I already regret this."

I had a sinking feeling I was going to regret it too.

********

We arrived at Takamagahara, one of the many celestial realm of the gods, where everything shimmered with a divine glow.

After a brief and slightly awkward call with Tsukuyomi, the Moon God, he granted us permission to visit his private dwelling—The Heavenly Rock Cave—but only during the morning.

"Evening is when I work," he'd said curtly, his voice as distant as the moon itself.

When we reached the so-called "cave," I couldn't stop myself from doing a double take.

"This is the Heavenly Rock Cave?" I muttered, staring at the enormous structure. "This isn't a cave—it's a palace. Or maybe a five-star divine resort."

The "cave" was split into two wings: the Sun Wing, which radiated warm, golden light and was adorned with intricate carvings of phoenixes and flames, and the Moon Wing, an elegant expanse of silver and obsidian decorated with lunar motifs.

It was immediately clear which wing Tsukuyomi called home.

The Moon Wing shimmered with a cool, ethereal glow, its polished surfaces reflecting the soft light of a perpetual full moon. The Sun Wing, by contrast, felt distant and empty, its doors tightly shut and guarded by two silent, golden statues shaped like lions.

"This isn't a cave. Where's the rugged charm? The stalactites? The bats?" I whispered to Jiuge, who was practically skipping with excitement.

"Did you expect an actual hole in the ground?" she asked, her pink eyes sparkling. "Tsukuyomi is a deity, Carl. Even his cave is going to have celestial feng shui."