A Zoologist’s Guide to Surviving Magical Creatures

"Why? And Enlil—he never mentioned…" My mind was spinning. But then again, Enlil didn't even seem to know about Mythica's war or that Kaleon was in deep slumber.

"The Creator never spoke of having a brother," Naga cut in. "But we always knew the Creator came from the Heavens. So when you told us about his sibling, we were surprised—but not entirely. He never spoke about his past. He even came to Mythica disguised as a mortal."

"You're all avoiding my question." I crossed my arms. "How many other realms exist? Ballpark it for me. I need to know."

Fenrir exhaled and shook his head. "We don't know. Only the Owners have access to that knowledge."

I frowned. Only the Owners know? But… wasn't I an interim Owner? Shouldn't I have that information too? That meant one thing—I needed to go back to the Ziggurat. It was the only place that stored information for Owners.

Crap.

All I wanted was a decent career, a job that actually matched my passion. But instead, I was now stuck dealing with realm crises, cosmic threats, and the balance of Mythica itself. This was way beyond anything a zoologist was ever supposed to experience.

"I just wanted to be a zoologist..." I sighed deeply, suddenly regretting the moment I clicked on that cursed job ad that led me here.

Agnos smirked. "Aren't you one? You're helping conserve magical creature habitats, solving their problems, and learning more about them—understanding their behavior and all that. Isn't that exactly what a zoologist does?"

Jiuge nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Carl. Don't zoologists always think they need to save the world or something? You're lucky—not everyone gets to be a zoologist studying magical creatures. But you do."

I shot them a deadpan stare. Meanwhile, both of them sat there, completely unfazed, leisurely sipping their tea like they had all the wisdom in the world. What do they even know about being a zoologist, anyway?

"Wow," I drawled. "Did it ever occur to you that my zoology degree didn't involve magical creatures?"

"Well, that's why you're an intern first, isn't it?" Naga chimed in. "So you can learn the ropes and get familiar?"

I had no words. Just existential dread and a rapidly shrinking will to argue.

Crap. Scrap it. They were right. Not everyone got the chance to study magical creatures and live to tell the tale. Since I was already here, I might as well see it through.

"Fine. I'll take up the challenge." I exhaled, shifting my tone to something more serious. "Now, let's start with the biggest issue at hand. We know Mythica's balance was disrupted by the Theos, but we have no clue how. So far, all we know is that creatures are either vanishing or behaving abnormally outside their usual habitats."

Then, it hit me. The Theos each possessed a Soulless Orb. And I knew exactly who to ask about it. My gaze snapped to Agnos.

"Agnos, I think it's about time you explained what the Soulless Orb actually does—and why the Theos are using it as a weapon to disrupt everything." I narrowed my eyes at him.

The entire room fell silent as everyone turned their attention to Agnos. He frowned, exhaling through his nose before reluctantly answering.

"The Soulless Orb is an artifact. A divine artifact, to be precise. It originated from the heavens—the Creator obtained the blueprint from there and had the dwarves mass-produce it."

My breath caught. A divine artifact from the heavens? Everything kept circling back to the heavens. I scowled at the realization.

"But there's something no one knows," Agnos continued, his expression darkening. "The runes and symbols on the orb. The mass-produced versions only have basic functions. But the original—the mother core—bears runes and symbols. And once fully activated, that core holds 1% of the Creator's pure destructive power."

My eyes widened. Wait. A Soulless Orb with runes and symbols? That sounded exactly like the one Agnos and I had found.

"Hold on—what does it actually do?" I pressed.

"The standard orbs absorb a creature's power and essence, driving their mind berserk," Agnos explained. "But the mother core? It doesn't just absorb—it annihilates. It erases whatever it touches, leaving no trace behind."

Erase? But Huur wasn't erased when Agnos activated the orb.

Wait…

I had accidentally activated that orb—with runes and symbols. And the wraithhounds had vanished instantly.

Holy crap.

I felt my stomach drop. "Let me guess—only Kaleon can activate the mother core, right?" My face paled.

Agnos blinked, momentarily caught off guard. Then, a slow smirk tugged at his lips. "I forgot—you're carrying his essence. You must've pieced that together because of that."

I swallowed hard. Fantastic. Yet another layer of cosmic-level problems to add to my growing pile of things I never signed up for.

"So, you're saying the orb absorbs a creature's essence? What kind of magic makes that possible?" I pressed, narrowing my eyes at Agnos.

Agnos shot me a deadpan look. "How should I know? I'm not the one who made it."

"Then let's ask the dwarves," I fired back. "Since they manufactured it, they must know something, right?"

Agnos shook his head. "No. The dwarves who made them had their memories erased."

I stiffened. "All of them?"

"Every single one," he confirmed.

Damn. That was way too convenient.

My mind scrambled for another lead.

"What about the blueprint?" I asked, grasping at straws. "If we have it, we might be able to figure out what kind of magic powers the orb. Because I have a sinking feeling that whatever magic it uses is the same one that secretly drained Amaterasu's essence in the ruins."

Silence.

Then, Jiuge casually spoke up. "I might know where the blueprint is."

Every head in the room snapped toward her.

My pulse quickened. "You know where it is? Where?"

Jiuge hesitated. "You're not gonna like the answer."

I frowned. "Why not?"

She exhaled. "Even if we do get the blueprint, no one can read it. It can only be accessed with the Creator's blood. Which means… we need Kaleon's blood to unlock its contents."

I sucked in a sharp breath.

Jiuge continued, "When the Creator ordered the mass production of the Soulless Orbs, he oversaw the entire process himself. Only his blood can unseal the original plans."

My fingers curled into fists. Fantastic. Another cosmic-level obstacle standing in the way. Because if Kaleon was still out of reach, that meant we were flying blind.