A Zoologist’s Guide to Surviving Magical Creatures

Trauco was… short and hairy.

If I had to describe him, he looked like what you'd get if Master Yoda and a dwarf had a kid. His face was wrinkled with age, his tiny fangs peeking out when he smiled.

He was busy tending to the affected inmates, his small hands moving with practiced efficiency. One of the patients was in chains—the first chains I'd seen in this so-called "prison." The room itself was surprisingly sterile, more like a high-tech medical lab than a treatment room.

"Trauco," Eva called, her voice firm but familiar.

Hearing his name, Trauco turned around, his sharp eyes lighting up as he grinned. "Eva! What brings you here? Everything alright with Maryam? She's not sleepwalking again, is she?"

Eva smiled. "No, my sister's doing fine now, thanks to you." Then she gestured toward me. "They're from MECCP. Carl here caught Bi-blouk."

Trauco's expression darkened. "It's getting worse. Just today, I treated ten cases—six weren't even inmates." He let out a heavy sigh before finally turning to look at me.

And then he froze.

For a brief second, his entire body stiffened, his brow furrowing as a strange, unreadable expression crossed his face. His eyes locked onto mine, as if searching for something—something he recognized.

And then, just as quickly, he smoothed out his expression, regaining his composure.

What was that? My brain went into overdrive. That reaction—it was familiar. I knew that look. That Oh crap, I know who this guy is kind of look.

Trauco knew something.

Something about me.

And I was going to find out what.

"Do you… know me?" I asked, my voice steady despite the unease creeping in.

Trauco blinked, clearly caught off guard. He let out a weak laugh, scratching his beard as if stalling for time. "I don't know what you're talking about. This is the first time we've met."

Liar.

But before I could press him, he gestured for me to sit. His demeanor shifted, slipping into a professional tone. "How long have you had it?"

"Two days."

Trauco nodded and placed a small, calloused hand against my temple. At first, all I felt was a comforting warmth, like a gentle breeze on a cold night. But then his expression twisted—his face contorted in pain, sweat beading on his forehead.

And then, without warning, he coughed violently and spat black blood onto the ground. His entire body trembled, his skin turning alarmingly pale.

"Trauco!" Eva gasped, rushing to his side.

I shot up from my seat, panic rising in my chest. "What just happened?! Is he okay?"

Amaterasu inhaled sharply, her gaze darting between me and Trauco.

Agnos, who had been leaning against the wall in silence, suddenly stepped forward, eyes narrowing. "That's… not normal."

"No kidding," I snapped.

Jiuge now alert, arms crossed. "Looks like someone forgot to read the fine print on magical infections."

Eva whipped around to face me, eyes sharp with suspicion. "Are you sure your Bi-blouk infection is only two days old?"

"Yes!" I stammered. "I caught it while I was at the Ziggurat of Between Realms. That was yesterday!"

Eva's face drained of color. "Wait—the Between Realms?! You were there?!" Her voice pitched higher in alarm. "No, no, this is bad. Really bad."

My stomach twisted. "Why? What's wrong with the Between Realms?"

She grabbed my shoulders, her grip firm. "Time works differently there! One day in the Between Realms is equal to ten days here. If you just got out yesterday, that means you've had the Bi-blouk for over ten days!"

Silence.

My breath hitched.

"Trauco can only heal infections that advanced if he hasn't treated anyone for an entire week," Eva continued, her voice now frantic. "But today alone, he's already healed ten people! And now…" She turned to Trauco, who lay motionless, his breathing shallow.

Oh. Oh crap.

Jiuge frowned. "That's… unfortunate."

Agnos muttered something under his breath. "That means Trauco just tried to heal something far beyond his limits."

Amaterasu barely breathed, her fingers trembling slightly as she covered her mouth.

"Oh, crap," I whispered.

"What do we do?" Jiuge asked, now looking mildly concerned.

Agnos exhaled through his nose. "Find another healer."

Eva shook her head. "Not one that can handle this level of magic exhaustion. And for this, only Trauco can."

I clenched my fists. "How was I supposed to know time worked differently there?!"

Really, how was I supposed to know that in the first place?! There was no handbook or even a realm guide about these things.

And more importantly—what the hell do we do now?!

Then, in a weak, barely audible whisper, Trauco rasped, "…Wine."

I blinked. "Wine? You're half-dead, and the first thing you ask for is wine? Do you even hear yourself right now?"

Trauco's eyelids fluttered, his breath shallow. "Tündér Spirit Wine… It restores vitality…"

Eva's eyes widened. "Wait—Trauco's right! Tündér Spirit Wine can replenish his strength. We need to get some, fast!"

Tündér Spirit Wine?

Why did that sound familiar?

And then it hit me—Usumgallu. Just yesterday, he mentioned that his wife, a Tündér Spirit Folk, was a renowned winemaker. He even bragged about how her wine could restore a person's vitality.

Great. We had a solution.

Now the real problem—how the heck were we supposed to get some?

Because if I remembered correctly, Usumgallu also said that Tündér Spirit Wine wasn't just rare… it was obscenely expensive.

"Where can we get it? Where do they sell it?" I asked, trying to keep the desperation out of my voice.

Eva hesitated. "We need to go to the Between Realms. The Tündér Spirit Folk live there."

My stomach dropped. Again?!

I had just escaped that place! And if time worked differently there, wouldn't going back make my condition worse? I could step in for five minutes and come back looking like I'd spent a month rotting in a swamp!

"Uh… not to be difficult, but isn't that a terrible idea for someone in my condition?" I asked, raising a hand. "Also, and hear me out on this—can't we just… order it online? Like, express shipping? One-hour delivery?"

Eva shot me a flat look.

"…You do have delivery services here, right?" I added, not-so-subtly hoping Mythica had some kind of magical Uber Eats for rare, life-saving wine.