A Zoologist’s Guide to Surviving Magical Creatures

"So," he said, his voice a deep rumble that seemed to emanate from the very bones of the earth.

"You are the mortal who managed to survive and win my games. The one who dares to come uninvited."

I held up the invitation card, its faint glow intensifying in his presence. "Not uninvited. I earned this."

His lips quirked into what might have been a smile—or a smirk. "Indeed. But earning the invite and surviving what lies ahead are two very different things. Speak, mortal. Why have you come?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat, forcing myself to meet his gaze.

"I've come to uncover the source of the corruption spreading through Mythica. It's destabilizing ecosystems, endangering creatures, and threatening the balance of life itself. I was told you could grant a wish."

Hades leaned back, studying me with an unreadable expression. "And what makes you think I care for the balance of life?"

"You might not," I admitted, "but the underworld is part of that balance. If it collapses, it affects everything—including you."

His eyes narrowed, the embers within them flaring. "You speak boldly for a mortal."

"I don't have much of a choice," I replied.

For a moment, silence hung between us, heavy and charged.

Then, Hades rose from his throne, his towering form casting an even darker shadow across the room.

"You are more perceptive than I anticipated," he said, his tone shifting to something almost... begrudgingly respectful. "There is indeed a corruption within my realm. It originates from a fragment of power not meant to exist here."

A chill ran down my spine. "The fragment... where is it?"

Hades gestured, and the air around us shimmered. At the center of the room, a small pedestal emerged, and atop it sat the fragment—a jagged purple shard, pulsing with a sickly green light encased in a glass box.

"The fragment has taken root within Domos Haidou," Hades said, his voice laced with disdain. "It feeds on despair and discord, growing stronger with each passing moment. Even I am not immune to its influence."

I stared at the fragment, a sinking feeling in my gut. "Then why do you want to keep it here?"

Hades's gaze darkened. "I wanted to destroy it at first. But then I realized, by destroying this fragment, it would unleash its full power, tearing a rift through the realms. It must be contained—but its presence is a constant strain, even on me."

He paused, his eyes narrowing as though considering something.

"I've found that it feeds on temptation. The more desires it feeds on, the less strain it puts on me. And so, I grant wishes. You might call it... a delicate negotiation."

I blinked, caught off guard by his casual tone.

"Wait, you're telling me that you purposely grant wishes just to stabilize this thing? To keep it from tearing you apart?"

Hades gave me a wry smile, his gaze flickering toward the artifact as if weighing my words. "You'd be surprised how far people will go when they think their wishes will be granted. And as for me... well, it's a mutually beneficial arrangement. I grant a wish, they indulge their desires, and the fragment grows just a little bit weaker."

I couldn't help but laugh, despite the seriousness of the situation.

"So you're just giving people what they want? That sounds suspiciously like you've turned into some kind of... cosmic wish machine."

Hades' lips curled. "Don't get any ideas, mortal. It's not nearly as enjoyable as you might think. The desires I feed it... they're often darker, more desperate."

He sighed, and his gaze darkened even further. "But yes, I know I'm slowly being consumed by the fragment. The more I feed it, the less strain I feel. But the cost is... well, me. Every wish, every indulgence, drags me closer to its grip."

I stared at him, trying to process everything. "So, in a way, you're making a deal with the fragment, but it's slowly eating you alive?"

"Exactly," he said, the bitterness in his voice unmistakable. "A delicate balance. But without it, everything—this realm, Mythica—would collapse."

Before I could respond, the artifact flared violently, the sickly green light spreading like cracks through the air. Hades staggered, clutching his chest as the room began to tremble.

"The fragment... it's destabilizing!" he growled, his voice tinged with pain.

The floor beneath us cracked, and chunks of obsidian fell away into the void. The pedestal holding the artifact shattered, and the shard hovered ominously in the air, pulsating with unchecked power.

"Hades!" I shouted, panic rising in my chest.

He waved me off, his form flickering like a dying flame.

"Leave, mortal! This is beyond you!"

But I couldn't just leave—not when the room was collapsing around us and the artifact was growing more unstable by the second. I willed myself forward, trudging toward the floating shard despite Hades's protests.

With each step, the air seemed to grow heavier, as if the very fabric of the room was being torn apart. The ground shook beneath me, and the fragments of the shattered pedestal fell like jagged rain, but I pushed forward, heart pounding.

Finally, the glass box containing the fragment cracked, shards scattering in all directions.

The green light from the shard flared dangerously, its power seeping through the room like poison.

I reached out, my fingers trembling, and grabbed hold of the fragment.

A searing jolt of energy coursed through me, but I gritted my teeth, refusing to let go. The shard pulsed wildly in my grasp, as if it recognized my defiance.

The weight of the underworld seemed to bear down on me, but I stood firm, holding onto the fragment as the room continued to crumble around us.

As the walls of Domos Haidou began to crumble, I realized one thing with terrifying clarity: this wasn't the end of my journey. It was only the beginning of a far greater battle.

The fragment flared again, its energy washing over me like a tidal wave.

My vision blurred, and the last thing I saw was Hades collapsing to his knees, his eyes burning with something between fury and desperation.

Then, everything went black.