A Zoologist’s Guide to Surviving Magical Creatures

"It's not that," Fenrir said, his voice measured—but his eyes flicked toward Naga.

The Iron Dragon God's expression remained unreadable.

Okay. What's this?

Why do I feel like there's another big secret no one bothered to tell me?

I crossed my arms. "You two—Naga and you, Fenrir—you're hiding something."

Naga ignored me entirely and turned to Agnos and Jiuge instead. "You both knew he went to the heavens?"

Agnos and Jiuge nodded, looking utterly unfazed. Like I'd just taken a casual weekend trip.

"And nothing out of the ordinary happened?" Fenrir's tone sharpened.

"Uh, hello?" I waved a hand. "I'm right here. Maybe ask me, the guy who actually went to heaven?"

Agnos, ever the killer of dramatic buildup, simply said, "He rode a divine beast."

Naga visibly stiffened. His gaze snapped to me. "A divine beast?"

Oh. Oh no.

I recognized that look. The same look Viracocha gave me when he found out I could absorb Fragments.

I narrowed my eyes. "Okay, why are you both looking at me like I just committed some cosmic crime? What's so weird about riding a divine beast? I even rode Arion, the divine horse."

"Arion is nothing," Fenrir scoffed. "Just an intelligent horse that happens to talk."

Ouch. If Arion ever heard that, he'd have an existential crisis.

"But you," Fenrir continued, his expression darkening, "you rode a divine beast of the heavens. Which one?"

I blinked. "Uh… not sure what it's called, but Enlil referred to him as Anzu. Oh! I even took a selfie with him—reminds me, I need to upload those la—"

"Wait." Fenrir's ears twitched. "Anzu? The Anzu? The ferocious divine battle beast of the gods?"

Agnos choked mid-sip, spilling his tea. Again.

I sighed. "At this point, Agnos, I should start carrying extra napkins for you."

Agnos shot me a look. "You rode Anzu? And you're still alive in one piece?"

Wait. What's that supposed to mean?

"Yes, I rode Anzu. He's tame. Loves selfies. Even has his own photobook," I said, still confused. Were we talking about the same Anzu? Because the one I met was basically a giant feathery golden retriever.

Fenrir gave me an exasperated look. "Carl, only you would call a war beast tame."

"Why does no one believe me? Look!" I held up my selfie as proof, flipping through pictures. I even showed them a video of me riding Anzu. Ugh, my face looked awful with the wind slapping me around—I was not uploading that.

Naga, however, looked more concerned than impressed. "Anzu doesn't let anyone ride him except his master."

I shrugged. "He was friendly to me. Even licked my face like a golden retriever." The memory made me smile.

Agnos choked on his tea. Again.

I sighed. "Dude, at this rate, I need to start carrying a towel just for you."

Fenrir, on the other hand, just stared at me, looking… speechless. That was never a good sign.

"He… left his scent on you?"

"Huh? That's what that was?" I blinked. "Wait. Is that… bad?"

Fenrir let out a weak laugh. "Bad? Carl, if Anzu marks someone, it means he's claimed them as his owner. For life."

…What?

"I'm Anzu's owner now? No, no, no—Enlil's his owner, not me! He lent him to me to send me back!"

Then a thought hit me. Could it be because I had Kaleon's essence? Enlil and Kaleon were brothers, after all. Maybe Anzu mistook me for family?

I shook my head, pushing the thought aside. "Wait, back up. Why is everyone acting like me surviving heaven is some kind of miracle? Was I not supposed to be there?"

Naga exhaled sharply. "Because you're mortal."

That made me pause.

"…Enlil said the same thing," I muttered. "He was surprised at first, but when he found out I was from Earth—he called it the Origin Realm—he just brushed it off."

At that, Naga and Fenrir exchanged a heavy, silent look.

Fenrir was the one who finally spoke. "Kid… here's the thing. You might not be from Earth."

…What?

My brain short-circuited. "I'm not from Earth?" I repeated, my thoughts spiraling. "Then where am I from?"

"Fragment Bearers aren't from the Origin Realm," Fenrir explained. "Because if you were truly from Earth, you wouldn't be able to hold a Core Fragment. The Origin Realm doesn't have them."

I felt the blood drain from my face.

Oh. Oh crap.

What did that make me? An alien? A lost soul from some other dimension? My curiosity warred with my absolute dread of what the answer might be.

"T-then… where do you think I came from?"

Fenrir hesitated. "We assumed you were from Mythica, but… you entered heaven. So…" His voice trailed off.

I stared at him. Then at Naga. Then back at Fenrir.

"…You're telling me I'm from heaven?" I deadpanned. "A mortal from heaven? Are you kidding me?"

If they had told me I was from another realm or planet, maybe I'd entertain the idea. But heaven?

What kind of nonsense was this now?

"But you just said it yourself—there are no mortals in heaven! And I am mortal," I pointed out. "Don't you think it's more likely that I got in because I have Kaleon's essence? I mean, if he's from heaven, then maybe that's why it let me in."

Agnos nodded thoughtfully. "That… could be possible."

Naga was deep in thought, arms crossed, while Fenrir still looked like he was trying to process everything. He didn't refute my theory, which meant I was probably onto something.

Meanwhile, Jiuge just looked bored. As if the revelation that I might be from heaven was as exciting as watching paint dry. She even yawned.

The nerve.

Baku, on the other hand… yeah, let's not even talk about Baku. The guy was snoring loud enough to shake the room. Everyone turned to stare.

I deadpanned. "Wow. He can sleep through this?"

Agnos barely reacted. "He's recharging his energy. Activating the Dream Orb took a lot out of him. He needs his beauty sleep to compensate."

"Oh." That actually made sense. "What happens if he doesn't sleep?"

Agnos shrugged. "He dies."

…Wow.

The way he said it, so casual and unbothered, made me wonder if he had any compassion at all.