A Zoologist’s Guide to Surviving Magical Creatures

"You'll get there eventually," he said softly, his voice almost... reassuring?

I met his eyes, and for the first time, I saw something in him that wasn't just sarcasm or mystery. There was something almost human in his gaze—a flicker of something deep and hidden.

Maybe it was guilt, or regret, or just plain exhaustion from carrying a burden too heavy to bear.

"Just promise me one thing," Agnos added, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Promise me you won't rush it. Don't force it. The truth has a way of coming when it's ready. And if you're not careful, you might just break yourself trying to understand too much too fast."

I didn't know how to respond to that. It felt like he was speaking from experience, like he knew exactly what it was like to uncover truths that weren't meant to be uncovered.

I glanced at the ground, shaking my head.

"I can't wait around forever, Agnos. I've got to keep moving forward. I can't just sit on all these questions."

"I know," he said quietly, his tone almost... understanding. "I'm just telling you to be careful. Some answers come at a price you might not be ready to pay."

A heavy silence settled over us.

I stood there, looking at him, trying to piece together everything that had happened in the last few minutes—the fragments, the visions, the other me—and somehow, it all felt like a puzzle with missing pieces.

Agnos was right about one thing, though... I wasn't ready to understand it all, not yet.

But I didn't have the luxury of waiting.

Still, something told me that the closer I got to the truth, the more dangerous it would become.

Maybe the world wasn't just a game, and maybe, just maybe, the creator—whoever they were—had left behind a legacy of secrets that even the most powerful beings in Mythica were afraid to touch.

"What are you waiting for?" Agnos asked when he saw me looking around.

"I'm waiting for the guardian of the fragment to arrive. I'm preparing myself," I replied.

Agnos chuckled and licked his paw. "The guardian won't be coming."

I was surprised. "Why?"

He gave me a knowing look that made me feel suspicious. I began to understand more about Agnos' behavior.

He wasn't going to tell me.

Instead, I sighed, lowering my gaze to the ground. "So, what now? We're still chasing the last of the fragments, right?"

Agnos nodded, his usual playful smirk returning as he stretched again. "Of course. But before that, I think we have a little detour."

I raised an eyebrow. "Detour?"

His gaze flickered, and for a moment, I thought he might actually open up, maybe give me the answers I was looking for.

But then, just as quickly as it appeared, the crack in his defenses slammed shut, his expression unreadable again.

Agnos's grin widened.

"Oh, yes. A little visit to someone who might have some answers for you."

My stomach sank.

"Someone? Who?"

Agnos's eyes gleamed mischievously. "Oh, you'll see. But trust me, you're going to love it."

I couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that had settled in my chest. Whatever this detour was, I had a bad feeling it was going to complicate things even further.

But I didn't have much choice, did I?

The fragments were out there, and I was the one who had to retrieve them.

I was in too deep.

"Lead the way, then," I said with a sigh, bracing myself for whatever came next.

Agnos's lips twitched, like he was suppressing a grin.

"That's the spirit. We head to the last fragment after this short detour. And trust me, it's not going to be pretty."

"What is? The fragment's location, or the detour?" I asked, my eyebrow raised in curiosity.

Agnos's grin only grew wider as he turned toward the exit, leading me forward into the unknown.

*********

My time in Mythica had been a rollercoaster of mind-bending revelations, cryptic warnings, and creatures I'd barely had time to digest before the next one came knocking.

But nothing could have prepared me for Agnos's so-called detour.

As we walked through the twisting streets of Diyu, a sense of dread clung to my every step.

It wasn't the city itself that spooked me.

Diyu was alive, an ever-changing labyrinth of stone buildings, glowing lanterns, and magical fog that gave everything an eerie but strangely welcoming vibe.

No, it wasn't Diyu. It was Agnos.

"So, where exactly are we going?"

I asked, trying to keep the edge out of my voice. There was a limit to how much "mysterious" I could handle in a day.

Agnos didn't even spare me a glance, his quick cat strides carrying him ahead with that unmistakable grace of someone who knew exactly where they were going—yet refused to say a word about it.

"Somewhere special," he replied, eyes glinting as he wove through the crowd, a figure of confidence in a sea of uncertainty. "You'll love it."

There was something in his eyes, some unspoken promise of fun—and every time he used the word "love" in reference to whatever we were about to encounter, I couldn't help but feel my stomach tighten.

I wanted to ask what the hell it was, but the truth was, I wasn't sure I wanted to know.

Agnos had this tendency to pull me into bizarre situations where the lines between magic, mayhem, and complete chaos blurred into something unrecognizable.

We reached the edge of the city, where the cobbled roads turned into narrow paths veiled in shadow. The air grew thicker, the kind of dense, oppressive air that made you feel like something—or someone—was watching you.

I didn't like it, but Agnos was still a few steps ahead, moving in his casual cat pace as if he were strolling through a park.

I quickened my step to catch up.

"Agnos," I began, frustration edging into my voice, "how am I supposed to trust you when you're leading me into… this?"

He shot me a sideways glance, his lips curling into a grin.

"Oh, Carl, don't be such a worrywart. It's just a little visit. Nothing too dangerous."

The words too dangerous hung in the air like a spell, and I swore I could almost hear the distant roar of something angry—a creature, maybe, or just the atmosphere.

Mythica had its way of testing your nerves, and I had a feeling that whatever was waiting on this detour was going to test me in ways I didn't want to be tested.

But then Agnos suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He looked at me, his expression unusually serious.

"We're running out of time, Carl."

I froze. Time is running out?

My mind raced.

What the hell was happening?

What was I supposed to do with that cryptic warning?

My stomach dropped. "Time for what?"

Before he could answer, a deep rumble echoed through the diyu forest. The ground beneath us trembled, and a faint vibration ran up my legs.

"What now?" I muttered, bracing myself as the tremor grew stronger.

Agnos's ears pinned back, his fur standing on end like static-charged needles.

"Something's coming."

"What is coming? Is it the guardian? You said there's no guard—"

Agnos's fur bristled, his ears flattening against his head. "No. Something's wrong," he said, his voice low.

"Wrong? What do you mean something is wrong?"

His tail flicked once, twice—a nervous tic I'd never seen before. Whatever was waiting for us, even Agnos wasn't sure we could handle it.

The air grew heavy, thick with an oppressive energy that sent a shiver down my spine.

I turned toward the source of the disturbance just in time to see a dark portal rip open in the space above us, its edges crackling with jagged tendrils of black lightning.

From the portal emerged a figure cloaked in shadow, their form shifting and flickering as though they weren't entirely solid. Their presence was suffocating, an icy weight that settled over the court like a smothering blanket.

"Lord Agnos," the figure said, their voice a chilling whisper that seemed to cut through the air like a blade. "You've meddled long enough."

Agnos growled low in his throat, his claws unsheathing as he stepped protectively in front of me.

"Stay behind me," he said, his voice sharper than I'd ever heard it.

I opened my mouth to protest, but the figure raised a hand, and the air around us grew colder, heavier. My breath hitched as an invisible force pressed down on my chest, forcing me to my knees.

"The fragments were never meant to be restored," the figure hissed, their shadowy form inching closer. "Return the fragments, or face annihilation."

Agnos snarled, the dim glow of violet energy crackling through his fur, like a storm brewing beneath his skin.

"Over my dead body."

The figure's hushed tone twisted through the air like a snake. "You think you're saving this world? No. You're waking something you can't control."

The figure's hand twitched, and a wave of dark energy shot toward us, the sheer force of it rattling the ground beneath my feet.

Agnos leaped forward, his glowing claws slashing through the air as he met the attack head-on.

I stumbled back, my heart pounding as the clash of energy lit up the area in flashes of purple and black. The sheer intensity of their battle left me rooted to the spot, a whirlwind of questions and fears swirling in my mind.

Who was this shadowy figure?

Why were the fragments so important?

And most pressing of all—what was I supposed to do now?

The weight of everything crashed down on me as I stood there, helpless, watching the fight unfold.

One thing was clear.

Whatever lay ahead, it was going to get worse before it got better.

Agnos glanced back at me, his golden eyes blazing.

"Ready yourself, Carl. This is going to get messy."

And with that, the area erupted into chaos.