A Zoologist’s Guide to Surviving Magical Creatures

I woke up in an unfamiliar place.

"Where… am I?"

My voice echoed, swallowed by the silence.

My head throbbed as fragmented memories resurfaced—I was feeding Zilant, the hybrid chicken, an Allghoi. Then it gave me something. I picked it up.

And then—agony. Darkness.

I pushed myself up, brushing off the cold dirt clinging to my clothes. A shiver ran down my spine—not from fear, but from the bone-chilling air. The cavern around me stretched into an abyss of shadows, vast and unyielding.

"Great. Just great."

My eyes caught a faint glow in the distance.

A way out?

I started forward, cautiously scanning my surroundings. If some weird cave critter decided to jump me, I'd rather see it coming.

As I neared the light, my breath hitched.

It wasn't an exit.

A huge floating orb of crystal hovered in the air, pulsating with an intense, blinding white light. It radiated an eerie familiarity, sending a strange sensation crawling up my spine.

"Whoa… what the Mythica is this?"

A deep instinct stirred within me, an unsettling déjà vu. My mind raced. The shape, the glow—it resembled my core fragment. No. It couldn't be.

Wait.

Was this the core? Mythica's core? Kaleon's very essence?

How the hell did I get here?!

Panic twisted my gut as realization struck like a lightning bolt. The thing Zilant spat out—the so-called gift.

A fragment.

But whose? Which Unknown God's fragment had I just touched?

The moment realization struck, a pulse of energy rippled through me. My token—the core fragment—flared to life, its glow intensifying as it lifted from my grasp, drawn toward the floating crystal.

Then—blinding white.

What the—?!

Before I could even process what was happening, the world around me shattered.

And just like that, I was yanked back to reality.

My eyes flew open, met immediately by a cluster of faces hovering way too close—Agnos, Jiuge, Amaterasu, Trauco, and Eva. Their expressions were a tangled mess of concern, shock, and something else I couldn't quite place.

"Alright, he's awake, children. Give him some space before he freaks out!" Agnos barked.

Just like that, the group scattered.

I tried to organize my thoughts, hesitating before saying anything. Then, my attention shifted to the two Unknown Gods before me, watching me intently.

Their expressions were hard to decipher.

"I absorbed an Unknown God's fragment, didn't I?"

My voice was sharp, accusatory, as I glared at Agnos and Jiuge.

They exchanged glances, their silent conversation stretching just long enough to make my stomach drop. Then, in eerie unison, they both nodded.

Agnos sighed. "You absorbed Vorta's fragment." His brows furrowed.

"Vorta?" I repeated, incredulous. "Who the hell is that? Which Unknown God are we talking about here?"

Jiuge crossed her arms. "We're just as surprised as you are. Vorta's never had any issues with his powers before… but it seems there's something we didn't know." She threw Agnos a pointed glance.

I frowned. "Hold on. Who exactly is Vorta? And what happens when an Unknown God's powers fragment? I thought Agnos was the only one with scattered pieces?"

A tense silence fell between them as they exchanged another knowing look, their expressions unreadable. Finally, Agnos exhaled heavily.

"Vorta is the Unknown God of Space-Time Leylines," he explained. "And it looks like Zilant was one of his fragment guardians."

"What?!" My jaw practically hit the floor. "Zilant was a guardian too?" This changed everything.

"But guardians are supposed to protect leyline nodes, aren't they? Unless…" My mind raced to put the pieces together.

Jiuge gave a solemn nod. "This city—it's one of the leyline nodes."

"And if that's true," Agnos added, "then we've just entered the Lost Realm—Vorta's domain."

Before I could react, Eva casually interjected, "Wait. You guys didn't know this was the Lost Realm?"

I whipped my head toward her. "You knew?! This whole time?!"

She shrugged. "Well, yeah. We live here. Of course, we know it's the Lost Realm. What's weird is that even the Unknown Gods didn't realize it."

Agnos rubbed his temples. "We don't interfere with other Unknown Gods' domains. The Lost Realm is one of the most well-hidden places in Mythica—its existence is kept secret."

Jiuge nodded. "We always knew of it, but we never knew where it was. It's shrouded in mystery. Besides… Vorta's a bit of an introvert."

Agnos gave a small, knowing smirk. "That's putting it mildly."

I stared at them, stunned. I had unknowingly stepped into the Lost Realm, a place hidden from even the gods. But what threw me off even more was Amaterasu. She looked completely unbothered.

I narrowed my eyes. "Wait a minute… you knew, didn't you?"

The sun goddess gave me a polite, almost smug nod. "Well, of course I knew. I did my research before coming here. And there were clues. Also… one of the Forest Druids kind of gave it away." She coughed, looking vaguely embarrassed.

"If I may interrupt," Trauco raised a hand, drawing everyone's attention. His expression was unusually serious. "The prison… it's one of the leyline nodes."

Silence fell over the group.

"The prison?" I repeated, blinking. "Seriously? What is it with Vorta's nodes being stuck in prisons? First the Eternal Prison, and now this? Is this some kind of a fetish or something?"

"Well, I can understand that," Jiuge said thoughtfully.

I blinked. "Wait, what? You can?" That was new. Jiuge, of all people, making sense of something this bizarre?

She nodded. "Vorta was once Kaleon's mount."

I stared. "What?"

Agnos leaned in, arms crossed. "Vorta is an ancient Roc. A golden Roc, to be precise."

My brain stalled. "A Roc? You mean, like… a bird?" That certainly explained the giant hybrid chicken.

Jiuge sighed, giving me a look. "If he hears you calling him a bird, he'll roast you until there's not even ash left."

"Wait—but isn't he?" I protested. "I mean, a Roc is a bird, right?"

Eva cut in, shaking her head. "Not just a bird. An ancient Roc is a divine creature. Calling one a mere bird is offensive. They're proud beings."

I frowned, suddenly feeling like an idiot. Even Eva knew this? I really needed to brush up on my knowledge of magical creatures. If I was going to survive in Mythica, understanding their nature would save me from more than just embarrassment.

Curious, I turned to her. "How do you know so much about this? Are you into magical creatures?"

"Oh, not really," Eva admitted with a small shrug. "But my husband is. He reads a lot of books and articles about them. I guess some of it rubbed off on me."

I blinked. "Wait… you have a husband?"

She tilted her head. "Yes?"

That threw me. Eva was always alone, and she looked so young. "But I've never seen him."

She hesitated for a moment, then sighed. "Well… my husband isn't here." Her expression dimmed, as if remembering something painful. "He's gone to Heaven."

"Oh. I'm sorry," I said quickly, feeling a pang of guilt. "You have my condolences."

Eva blinked at me. "Huh?"

I frowned. Why was she looking at me like I just said something ridiculous?

"Doesn't that mean your husband is dead?" I asked, confused.

"My husband's not dead," she clarified. "He works in Heaven. Fifth Heaven, to be precise. I was going to say it's hard to visit him because of the distance, restrictions, and all the paperwork needed to travel there."

I went still.

Jiuge and Amaterasu burst out laughing. Agnos just sighed and patted my back.

"Carl," he said, shaking his head. "This is Mythica. And Heaven can mean a lot of things."