A Zoologist’s Guide to Surviving Magical Creatures

Usumgallu sighed, the kind of long-suffering exhale a teacher gives when a student just can't grasp basic math.

"We weren't always separate."

His eyes gleamed with something unreadable—something that hinted at a much bigger story—but before I could press further, he waved a dismissive hand. "But that's a tale for another time, owner. If there's nothing else, you may leave."

Wow. Talk about customer service.

No wonder he rarely had visitors. His attitude was about as welcoming as a 'Closed' sign at peak business hours. How did he even survive in this economy? Actually… maybe that explained why he charged me for everything.

I frowned. The pieces were starting to come together, and honestly? I didn't like the picture it painted.

After obtaining the location from Usumgallu, we finally left the CCC Book Mall. Navigating through the maze of shelves and aisles had been tricky, but despite his lack of social skills, Usumgallu was surprisingly helpful with the information. Of course, it wasn't exactly free.

From his explanation, and with the overwhelming influx of knowledge now swimming in my head—my brain practically on the verge of bursting—I managed to piece everything together.

As an interim owner of Mythica, I had certain responsibilities and powers, even if they were limited. But they were enough to help restore balance.

At least, that was the hope.

*************

We were back at the Forest of Forgotten Tales, the eerie atmosphere of the place almost suffocating as the night drew in. The lake shimmered in the dim light, and the buggy we'd left behind was parked not too far off. We'd decided to camp for the night and leave first thing in the morning, but my mind was far from restful.

I slumped against a nearby tree trunk, feeling the weight of everything pressing down on me.

The pressure of it all was overwhelming, but there was no turning back now. We had to make sense of this, or Mythica—my responsibility—was going to slip through my fingers.

"Alright," I started, pushing myself off the trunk, "let's try to make sense of all this."

Agnos, Jiuge, and Amaterasu stood around, watching me as I processed the flood of information that had just been dumped on me.

"Okay," I finally said, straightening up. "Let's get this straight. I'm an interim owner of Mythica."

Jiuge raised an eyebrow. "I know you're an interim owner. You don't need to remind us."

"Right, right," I muttered, rubbing my temples. "I'm just stating a fact. I've got partial control over maintaining the balance of Mythica's realms, but it's not full control. It's enough, though, to make a difference."

Agnos leaned forward, his arms crossed. "Okay, so that's one thing settled. What about the rest?"

"Well," I began, forcing my scattered thoughts into something more cohesive, "the Forest of Forgotten Tales is located within the Space-Time Leylines. And that's... not good. The forest is slowly eroding, as we noticed earlier. Amaterasu's essence is being siphoned off."

At the mention of her essence, Amaterasu stiffened. "Yes, that was... shocking. I can feel my power being drained, but I can't even sense it happening. It's like it's slipping away without me knowing."

I nodded grimly. "It seems that way. And it's not just that. We don't even know who's behind this, but it's clear that the decay is connected to whatever is draining your power."

Jiuge's brow furrowed. "But that's not all, is it?"

I shook my head. "No. There's more. As you've already seen, I've been infected with something called Bi-Blouk—a dark disease that affects the mind. It drives people to madness, eventually causing eternal insanity. And to stop it, I need to find a being named Trauco."

"Great," Agnos muttered, crossing his arms. "So, on top of saving the realms, you've got a ticking clock with that disease, too?"

"Yeah, fun times," I said dryly. "But that's still not everything. Here's the part that might blow your minds: Kaleon has a brother. Apparently, he was a powerful being who once ruled all the realms. Now, he rules the Seventh Heavens. He's like a godly mentor, guiding others."

"Seventh Heavens?" Jiuge echoed, her interest clearly piqued. "That sounds... complicated."

"It is," I admitted. "But it gets even more complicated when you look at Amaterasu's star chart. We found her, but her charts are all over the place. We can't figure out why, but it's clear something is wrong."

Amaterasu's frown deepened. "So, something is attacking me directly. This is all so much to process."

I gave her a reassuring look. "We'll figure this out, I promise. But there's one more thing—Mythica's regions are being siphoned off. And not by some random force. It's other realm owners—people working in secret to drain parts of Mythica. My guess? There are traitors involved, and probably Unknown Gods, too."

Agnos frowned. "You're saying one of our own comrades, one of the Unknown Gods, might be a traitor?"

"Yeah, well," I said, letting out a tired sigh, "there's a lot on my plate right now. Honestly, I don't even know where to start. But one thing's for sure—I need to find Trauco and cure myself before Mythica falls apart."

Jiuge leaned against the wall beside me, her expression serious. "You'll figure it out, Carl. We're with you on this."

Amaterasu gave me a soft smile, her eyes shining with determination. "I might not be able to help much, but I believe you'll be able to do it."

I exhaled, feeling a little lighter. With them by my side, maybe—just maybe—I could handle everything that was coming.

Agnos took a slow sip of his tea, eyeing me over the rim. "Well, that's settled then. Tomorrow, let's go find this Trauco guy."

Amaterasu raised her hands in a sudden, dramatic gesture. "Erm, before you guys go off on your little mission, could you send me back first? I've been missing from work for two months now, and I really don't want to get fired because I didn't realize how much time had passed."

Everyone stared at her, speechless. After a moment, she added shamelessly, "I have to maintain my stellar reputation, so could you all put in a good word for me? You know, talk to my superior and tell them it's not my fault?"

I cleared my throat, trying to stifle my amusement. "Yeah, sure. We'll make sure you won't be penalized for your absence. And, of course, you won't since you were reported missing anyway."

Amaterasu sighed in relief and smiled brightly as she sipped her tea, looking far too pleased with herself.

Agnos raised an eyebrow. "So, where exactly is this Trauco guy? Got any leads from the information you bought from that Sumerian dragon?"

I blinked, my mind briefly lagging. "Wait, that was a Sumerian dragon? I didn't know…"

Agnos slapped the side of his cup lightly, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Carl, focus. Location?"

"Right, right. Sorry," I muttered, shaking my head to clear the fog. "Usum said Trauco is in the Forest of Forgotten Tales. So, sorry, Amaterasu, but after we find him and I get cured, we'll send you back. Of course, we'll put in a good word for you."

Amaterasu gave a reluctant smile, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Well, I guess it can't be helped."