A Zoologist’s Guide to Surviving Magical Creatures

Agnos, now perched on my shoulder, blinked slowly as if this was the most natural greeting in the world. "Zhuanlun, it's been a while," he said coolly, flicking his tail.

"A while?" Zhuanlun bellowed, stepping down from his elevated seat with a grin so wide it practically split his face. "It's been eons! Ages! I thought you were scattered to the winds!"

"Well, technically, I was," Agnos replied, his tone dry.

Meanwhile, I was standing there, completely lost.

My head ping-ponged between Zhuanlun, who looked like he was about to hug the cat, and Agnos, who acted like this was a casual reunion with an old buddy at the grocery store.

Zhuanlun's gaze finally flickered to me, and his grin softened into something more scrutinizing. "And who's this mortal with you?"

"Oh, that's Carl," Agnos said dismissively. "He's helping me retrieve my fragments."

I cleared my throat, awkwardly shifting under Zhuanlun's intense gaze.

"Uh, hi. Big fan of your work. Love what you've done with the wheel back there. Very...ominous."

Zhuanlun let out another booming laugh, clapping his hands together. "A mortal with a sense of humor! I like him. You've chosen well, Lord Agnos."

"Don't give him too much credit," Agnos said, hopping off my shoulder and landing gracefully on the ground. "He's a work in progress."

"Gee, thanks," I muttered under my breath.

Zhuanlun gestured for us to follow him toward the massive wheel looming in the back of the hall.

As we walked, spirits shuffled past, clutching scrolls or documents, their ethereal forms glowing faintly. The whole place had the energy of a supernatural DMV—somber yet bustling, with a strong whiff of bureaucracy.

"So," Zhuanlun began, addressing Agnos, "I assume you're here for the fragment I've been safeguarding?"

"That's right," Agnos said, his voice carrying a rare seriousness. "I knew I could trust you to keep it secure."

Zhuanlun puffed up with pride.

"Of course! It's been under my protection since the day you entrusted it to me. No force in Diyu—or beyond—could pry it from my grasp."

"Wait," I interrupted, my curiosity getting the better of me.

"You entrusted a fragment of your powers to him? How does that even work? Did you just show up one day and say, 'Hey, buddy, mind holding onto this cosmic shard of me for a few millennia?'"

"Pretty much," Agnos said, shrugging.

Zhuanlun chuckled. "It was a bit more formal than that, but yes, Lord Agnos and I go way back. When he needed a secure place for the fragment, I was honored to oblige. Besides, I only hold it on special circumstances."

"Honored, huh?" I said, eyeing the glowing wheel nervously.

"So, uh... is there a catch to getting it back? Because I'm starting to get the feeling nothing in this underworld comes without some kind of deal."

Zhuanlun's smile turned sly, and for the first time, I felt a chill creep down my spine.

"Oh, the fragment is safe and ready to be returned... but there is a small matter of protocol."

"Protocol?" I echoed, glancing at Agnos.

Agnos sighed, his ears flattening slightly. "Here we go."

Zhuanlun gestured grandly to the wheel behind him. "As the Tenth King of Hell, I cannot simply hand over such a powerful artifact without a proper trial."

"Trial?" I repeated, my voice rising. "I didn't commit any crimes!"

As luck—or fate—would have it, the sixth fragment was in Zhuanlun's possession. Getting it, however, was going to be a nightmare.

"This isn't about you," Zhuanlun said, waving off my protest. "It's about ensuring the fragment is still worthy of being reunited with Lord Agnos. A test of balance, justice, and fate!"

Agnos groaned, muttering, "He always did have a flair for the dramatic."

I crossed my arms, glaring at the two of them. "So, what exactly does this 'trial' involve?"

"Let me guess," I said as I stepped forward. "You're not just going to hand it over, are you?"

Zhuanlun's golden eyes gleamed. "Of course not. To earn the fragment, you must endure a trial."

"And let me guess again," I said, crossing my arms. "You're going to make me spin that wheel, aren't you?"

He smirked. "Correct."

"Why is it always me?" I muttered, dragging my feet toward the wheel as Agnos watched with a look that was far too amused for my liking.

I stared at the wheel, my stomach twisting. The odds were abysmal. One tiny sliver of innocence against countless forms of punishment.

"Fine," I said, stepping up to the wheel. "Let's get this over with."

Zhuanlun's grin widened, and he clapped his hands.

The wheel clattered, the glowing segments shifting like a slot machine of doom.

'Endless Labyrinth'? 'Swamp of Eternal Regret'? 'Forced Karaoke with an Angry Banshee'?

The options blurred—until the pointer landed on something unexpected.

Zhuanlun's eyes lit up as he read the result. 'Unknown Outcome'.

"What does that mean?" I asked, my stomach twisting.

His smirk faltered for a second before returning full force.

"Ah, excellent! It means I get to personally decide your trial. And your trial is... a game of divine negotiation!"

I blinked. "You just made that up on the spot, didn't you?"

Zhuanlun ignored me and continued. "You must mediate a dispute between two feuding spirits. If you can bring them to a peaceful resolution, the fragment is yours."

"And if I can't?"

Zhuanlun's grin turned ominous. "Let's just say you don't want to find out."

I turned to Agnos, who was now busy grooming himself again.

"You couldn't have mentioned this before we got here?"

"You're the one who wanted an adventure," Agnos said with a shrug.

"Adventure, yes. Potential eternal damnation? Not so much!"

Zhuanlun clapped his hands again, and two ghostly figures appeared on either side of me, both glowing faintly and glaring daggers at each other.

"Good luck, Carl," Zhuanlun said with a wide grin. "You'll need it."

But before I could mediate the issue before me, the room suddenly fell silent, and a low, ominous hum began to emanate from the fragment resting on Zhuanlun's desk.

"What's happening?" I asked, backing away.

Before anyone could answer, the fragment exploded in a burst of blinding light, and a shadowy figure emerged from the glow. Zhuanlun's eyes widened, caught off guard by the sudden brilliance.

"Carl Suis," the figure intoned, its voice echoing like a thousand whispers. "Your path is far from over."

And just like that, the light faded, leaving the courtroom in stunned silence. Zhuanlun's golden eyes narrowed, his fingers flexing like he was ready to summon divine fire.

"This... shouldn't be happening."

"Well," I said, my voice shaking. "That was... unexpected."

Zhuanlun's gaze darkened, his voice a low murmur. "Take the fragment and leave. If you linger, I might regret this."

The moment the fragment floated toward me, it felt heavier than it should—dense with something I couldn't quite name. Its edges shimmered faintly, inscribed with more runes than I'd seen on the others.

I reached out, and the second my fingers made contact, a sharp pulse shot up my arm. My breath hitched as memories surged—faces, places, emotions. Too many.

My knees buckled. Before I could process it, I was falling.

And then—nothing.

When I opened my eyes, I was no longer in Diyu.

I stood at the edge of a vast lake. The water was so still it might as well have been a mirror, perfectly reflecting the orange and crimson hues of a setting sun. The air carried a faint chill, the kind that bites just enough to remind you you're alive. But the scene, for all its tranquility, didn't soothe me.

It felt...familiar...

I turned my head, sensing a presence beside me.

And there he was.

With a startled expression, I took in his appearance, my eyes widening in shock.

Me. But not quite me.

He looked like me—same build, same features—but there was something off. His eyes were sharper, carrying a weight I didn't recognize in myself. His posture was more rigid, his expression distant.

The difference? He had an aura of command I definitely didn't have.

The stillness pressed down on my chest.

This wasn't just seeing myself in a mirror—this was something deeper, something wrong. My fingers curled into fists, but my reflection didn't mimic me.

He just stood there, calm, waiting. And smiling.

"Looks like you've finally seen me," he said, his voice echoing faintly against the lake.

I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry.

"Who... who are you? Are you me?"

His gaze flicked toward the lake, avoiding my question. The silence stretched between us until it was unbearable.

Finally, he spoke, his tone soft but heavy with something I couldn't place.

"I had to do what I had to do," he said, his voice tinged with sorrow. "I'm sorry."

My chest tightened, and I stepped forward, fists clenched.

"What does that even mean? What did you do?"

But he didn't answer. His figure blurred, the edges of him began dissolving like smoke caught in a breeze.

"Wait!" I cried out, my voice cracking as panic clawed at my throat.

My feet dug into the soft, damp ground by the lake, but it didn't matter. The vision around me wavered like heat rising off asphalt, distorting the serene landscape into a swirling, chaotic blur.

The other me—not-me—turned slightly, just enough for me to catch the faintest flicker of regret in his eyes.

"No!" I shouted again, reaching out a hand toward him as though I could grab onto the moment and stop it from unraveling.

"You can't just say that and disappear! Tell me what you mean! Tell me—"

Oh, come on! Did they seriously think I was a mind reader? Or worse—some poor fool who actually enjoyed untangling their cryptic nonsense?

But the lake, the setting sun, and the shadowy reflection of the sky dissolved entirely, leaving nothing but darkness.

I felt my body falling, my stomach lurching with the sensation of weightlessness. There was no sound, no light—just the deafening silence of the void swallowing me whole.

Then, like a slap to the face, reality snapped back into place.