A Zoologist’s Guide to Surviving Magical Creatures

Agnos frowned, arms folding tighter across his chest. "You do realize that's impossible, right? There's no way to reach Vorta. No contact, no passage. Nothing."

I held his gaze, my voice low but firm. "If we don't find a way soon, Mythica won't just be in danger—it'll fall. Everything we know will end up in ruin. Mythica will become a ruined world."

The crackling bonfire was the only sound for a beat—until Trauco spoke, voice hoarse. "Ruined world…?" He stared at me, eyes wide. "Carl… are you saying Mythica could become a ruined world?"

His hands were trembling around his mug, green knuckles pale with strain. He wasn't just worried—he was afraid. Really afraid.

Right. Trauco used to work in Ziggurat's Information Mall. He'd have studied the collapse patterns of worlds past, the worst-case scenarios others only whispered about. He knew exactly what it meant if Mythica fell into ruin.

"How bad?" Eva asked, barely above a whisper. Her brow was drawn tight, concern carving a line between her eyes.

"If it's true…Catastrophic," Trauco replied before I could. His voice was distant now, almost like he was reciting something burned into memory.

"If Mythica falls… it won't just end here. The collapse will ripple out. Other connected realms, the leylines, even dormant domains—everything could be destabilized. We're talking extinction-level events. Magical inversion. Temporal bleed. Entire continents swallowed or rewritten. We must not let it happen."

His voice cracked on the last word, and the fire seemed to sputter with him.

"Why does meeting Lord Vorta matter so much?" Eva asked, arms crossed, her tone skeptical. "You're saying the entire fate of Mythica hinges on one god—an Unknown God of Space and time? Not the Owner? That sounds… absurd."

I met her doubt with a quiet grimness. "Because Vorta is the only one who knows how to defeat the Stragglers." My voice dropped lower. "When I was in the fragment's memory realm… I saw one. They've already breached the space-time memory layer. If we don't stop them, their next step is here—Mythica's real realm."

The reaction was immediate.

Jiuge jolted up like she'd been electrocuted. Her tails flared out behind her, thrashing with such violent energy that the bonfire roared higher, flames leaping like they'd been fed a fresh log. A spray of cinders whooshed into the night—and toward me.

"Jiuge!" I shielded my face. "Can we not roast the entire camp alive? I just got out of the memory realm. I'd prefer not being flambéed right after."

She didn't even flinch. Her eyes were blazing—not just with fury but purpose. "You're saying the Stragglers are here? Good." Her voice was sharp as obsidian. "I've been waiting for this."

And before I could react, she lunged. Her fist curled into my collar and yanked me halfway off the ground. I flailed slightly, dignity hanging by a thread.

"I will drag you to Vorta myself," she hissed. Her pink eyes blazed hotter than the fire behind her, and I swear there were sparks of electric serpents flickering in her irises. "Let's raid that damned Eternal Prison."

I blinked. "Okay… Jiuge? Let's maybe start with not igniting our friends first and then talk about storming divine lockdowns, yeah?"

Crazy. Completely unhinged. This was a new level of Jiuge. Wild tails, glowing pink eyes, and a declaration of divine jailbreak. The scary part? She wasn't bluffing.

Agnos shot to his feet the moment Jiuge snapped. In a blur, he shook Heim awake—who groaned, half-conscious—before appearing between me and Jiuge like a gust of wind. He gripped her shoulders firmly, his feline ears twitching with subtle alarm.

"Jiuge," Agnos said softly, steadily. "Let Carl go. You need to breathe. Stay calm."

But she wasn't hearing him.

"It's your fault!" she shrieked, her voice cracking with grief. Her fist flew before anyone could stop her, landing squarely on Agnos' chest. "I could've saved them! My cubs!"

The words hit heavier than the blow.

Then she broke. Her legs gave out beneath her, and Agnos caught her, pulling her into a steady embrace as she sobbed into his chest.

I stood frozen. So did everyone else at the camp. The sudden turn of emotion had knocked the air out of the night. What just happened?

Even Heim, now a little more sober than before, blinked at the scene in stunned silence. Then he spoke, brow furrowed. "It wasn't Agnos' fault."

Wrong move.

Jiuge's head snapped up, and the wild look in her eyes returned. She lunged—but Agnos held her back effortlessly, one arm still wrapped protectively around her, the other raised to keep Heim at bay.

"Don't," Agnos warned, his voice like steel wrapped in velvet. One look from him was enough to shut Heim down. The Wolf God faltered, then lowered his gaze like a scolded pup.

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. Classic Heim. The guy had the emotional awareness of a rock. Probably spent too much of his divine life trying to live in Agnos' shadow to develop his own sense of timing—or tact.

He really needs to start living for himself, I thought. Not everything is about Agnos. Especially not grief.

I glanced again at Jiuge—grief-stricken, trembling, buried in a Agnos' arms.

Something had cracked open tonight, and not just in the firelight.

After a few quiet minutes, Jiuge finally calmed down. She returned to her seat, drained the last of her wine in one long gulp, and muttered something about needing air before walking off into the night.

Agnos watched her go with a strange expression—something caught between guilt and grief. He didn't say anything. Just quietly followed her, as if making sure she wouldn't set the entire campsite ablaze on her way out.

Heim stood up, clearly intending to trail after them, but Agnos shut that down with a single glare. Heim froze, then plopped back down beside the fire with a pout, crunching down on a burnt marshmallow like a sulking child denied a bedtime story.

I sighed. The pieces were falling into place now.

Jiuge's fury hadn't come from nowhere. The Stragglers must've killed her cubs. Their cubs—hers and Agnos'. And that loss… it must've torn them apart. Maybe that's what fractured their bond. Maybe that's why they ended up divorced.

The fire crackled quietly between us. My mug sat empty in my hands. I stared at it, not really seeing.

We needed to find Vorta. He was the only one who knew how to stop the Stragglers. But he was imprisoned in the Eternal Prison—sealed away behind walls guarded by War Beasts that would rip me apart without hesitation. And because of Hestia's Oath, none of the other Unknown Gods could interfere or even send a message in.

We were stuck.

That silence lingered, heavy and hopeless, until Trauco cleared his throat. His voice was cautious, uncertain—as if he wasn't sure he should speak at all.

"Carl… I don't know if this helps, but… maybe try the Ziggurat."

I turned to look at him.

He met my eyes. "There could be archived data or loopholes about the Stragglers. Maybe even something on the War Beasts or the Eternal Prison's seals. If you're lucky, you might find a workaround."

My ears perked up. That's right—the Ziggurat Information Mall! One of the largest knowledge vaults in the sphere of the Owners Realm, built for divine-level clearance and inter-realm data traffic.

I stood up so fast my empty mug nearly fell out of my hand.

"Trauco, you magnificent mossy genius," I said, grinning. "That's the best lead we've had all day."

I turned toward my buggy with renewed energy—only to halt halfway.

Damn. I forgot I was powerless. I'd need help. The peculiar tree, the only entrance to magically teleport to the Ziggurat's location, required someone strong—preferably god-tier—to break through its enchantments.

My eyes shifted toward Heim, who was still sulking and poking a stick into the fire.

Perfect.

I walked toward him slowly, smiling with intent.

He caught the look and scowled. "What?"

"I need your help," I said cheerfully. "You're coming with me."

"No," he deadpanned, chomping on another marshmallow.

I crouched beside him, still grinning. "What if I told you that what we're about to do will impress Agnos so much, he'll regret not volunteering himself instead of you?"

Heim froze. "You're bluffing."

I leaned in slightly. "Did you miss how he always steps in to protect me? Even tonight—he told Jiuge to stand down when she came at me."

His brow furrowed, and for a moment, his expression wavered—hope creeping into his eyes like dawn light.

"…You really think he'll notice?"

"Absolutely," I said without missing a beat.

He hesitated, then stood, brushing ashes from his pants. "Fine. I'll come. But if this ends with Agnos scowling at me, I'm banning your entire existence regardless if you're the Owner or not."

"Don't worry, you won't regret this experience."

I patted him on the back with a victorious smirk. Poor Heim. So earnest. So easy to manipulate. His loyalty to Agnos was strangely admirable… and incredibly useful.

Let's put it to good use.