A Zoologist’s Guide to Surviving Magical Creatures

The world around us felt like it had shrunk, the weight of everything pressing in tighter.

Every step forward felt like I was sinking deeper into something I wasn't sure I could escape from. Worse, I wasn't even sure if I wanted to.

"You really think this is all connected, don't you?" My voice came out tighter than I meant.

Agnos didn't answer right away.

Instead, he studied the ground ahead, his golden eyes narrowing in thought.

"It has to be. Every sign points to it. Whoever tried to take that sixth fragment, whoever twisted the creator's will… They're not just after power. This is bigger than that."

My heart gave a painful thud.

I wanted to trust him. I wanted to believe this wasn't some insane, spiraling rabbit hole.

But the more he talked, the more it felt like we were marching toward something way out of our league. Something we couldn't control.

I exhaled sharply. "Uh, question. Do you think this task covers life insurance? Because at this rate, I might not make it to the end of this quest."

Agnos shot me a look—half exasperation, half I will throw you into a portal if you don't take this seriously.

I offered a weak grin. "Hey, just saying, this definitely wasn't in the job description. Maybe I should be negotiating some hazard pay with you when this is all over."

He snorted, his voice carrying the faintest trace of amusement.

"If you survive, I'll compensate you heavily."

I squinted at him. "…You do realize that makes it sound like I won't survive, right?"

He just chuckled. The infuriating kind of chuckle. The kind that suggested he knew something I didn't.

"But you do have a knack for survival," he mused. "Who knows? You might surprise me."

I frowned, but despite myself, a small, reluctant smile tugged at my lips. Some things never changed.

We kept walking, the path ahead uncertain.

But one thing was clear—we were in deep. And there was no turning back.

Agnos suddenly tensed, his eyes sharp with resolve. "I need to know who's behind this. Because once we do, everything changes."

I nodded, even as my gut twisted with the urge to run in the opposite direction of whatever we were getting ourselves into.

But it was too late. The threads were tangled, the pieces in motion.

The game had already begun.

And in this world, the fragments weren't the only thing that could break.

I turned to Agnos, who had been lost in thought, his sharp gaze focused ahead, making our way to the final fragment's location.

"Agnos," I said, my voice breaking the silence between us. "You've told me about the fragments, about the creator's will, but… why did the Baku end up here guarding one of them? What did he do to deserve such a punishment? He seems like a good guy."

Agnos halted, his golden eyes narrowing slightly as he shifted his gaze toward me.

For a moment, he said nothing.

Then, with a sigh, he began to speak, his voice low and tinged with a hint of bitterness.

"The Baku," Agnos started, his words slow as if he were recalling something painful, "was not always doing good things. He was once something much more… reckless."

He paused, collecting his thoughts before continuing.

"Before opening his clinic, he spread nightmares for a price. He secretly cursed people, feeding on their fear and suffering. It wasn't just a business—it was an addiction for him."

"The more nightmares he spread, the more powerful he became. He fed on them, consumed them, and used their essence for his own gain."

I frowned, confused by the sudden shift in the Baku's character. "But… why? Why would anyone do that?"

Agnos' eyes hardened as he stared ahead, his voice growing sharper.

"He thought he could control fear, manipulate it. But in the end, he only grew more reckless. More dangerous."

"He fed on the nightmares of those who were desperate, who were willing to pay anything to feel better, but it was all a lie. Instead of helping them, he was making them worse."

I could feel a chill crawl up my spine as I processed what Agnos was saying. The Baku, the very creature who now served as a guardian of the fragments, had once been an instrument of torment.

A manipulator of dreams. A monster.

"So, how did you get involved with him?" I asked, already knowing the answer but needing to hear it all the same.

Agnos's lips curled into a grimace.

"I caught him, of course. He didn't just harm a few people—his actions were far-reaching, and the consequences were severe."

"By the time I found him, he had already caused enough damage to destabilize entire communities. He had spread nightmares so potent that they were starting to seep into the very fabric of reality itself."

I shuddered at the thought. Nightmares could be dangerous enough in the waking world, but to have them leak into reality? That was terrifying.

Agnos shook his head. "He was too dangerous to be left unchecked, but I couldn't simply kill him. He's useful. He needed to atone for what he had done."

I glanced sideways at Agnos, not sure what he meant by "atoning," but my curiosity was growing by the second.

"The Baku doesn't erase nightmares, Carl," Agnos started, his tone level but serious. "He devours them."

I blinked. "Wait—what? Devours? Like... eats them?" I couldn't keep the incredulity out of my voice. I mean, sure, I'd heard of strange magical creatures with unusual habits, but eating nightmares? That was a new one.

Agnos nodded, his eyes narrowing slightly as if I was a student being lectured. "Yes. Devours. Consumes the essence of the fear, the terror itself. But it doesn't end there."

I raised an eyebrow. "Okay, so, he eats the nightmares. Does that mean people wake up without any nightmares at all?"

He shook his head. "No. The Baku doesn't just get rid of them. He absorbs them, Carl. The nightmare doesn't vanish. It changes. He can... understand them."

Now I was really confused. "Understand them? Are you telling me the Baku's got some kind of nightmare reading club going on?"

Agnos didn't even blink at my sarcasm.

"Something like that. The Baku doesn't just erase the fear. He learns from it. He finds patterns. Uses it to grow. The people he helps don't just wake up free of nightmares. They wake up with answers. Insights."

Agnos sighed heavily. "So, I gave him a choice. I told him to open a clinic—to use his powers to help others, to fix the nightmares he had caused. But it wasn't just about therapy, Carl. He was to record them, to track them, to use them as a resource, a weapon."

I blinked.

"A weapon? You're telling me the Baku was supposed to turn nightmares into something useful? But then you wanted it as a weapon?"

Agnos nodded.

"Yes, exactly. He began to develop methods—methods to help others, but also to train himself. His nightmares became dream orbs—powerful, volatile things that could be used in combat or to manipulate the dreams of others. They could serve as a tool in times of war."

I felt a sinking feeling in my chest. It was a terrifying thought.

"So, you gave him a purpose. You gave him a way to redeem himself."

Agnos's lips tightened into a thin line.

"At least, that's what I thought. But when war came, the Baku... he fled. The coward ran, hiding in the shadows of his own creation. Instead of facing the consequences of his actions, he chose to hide. And that's why I bound him with the sixth fragment. The sixth is the power of illusions. Who's best to guard and receive the fragment's mental strain than the nightmare devourer?"

I was stunned. "Wait… so you punished him by making him a guardian of a fragment?"

Agnos gave a quiet sigh. "He's not the same as he was before. He may not be able to redeem himself fully, but by protecting the fragment, he can protect others from making the same mistakes he did."

I wasn't sure if I believed that, but I wasn't about to argue. Not now.

I couldn't stop thinking about Baku's methods. It wasn't just that he had once used nightmares for his own gain—it was the thought that now he might be trying to turn that same, terrifying power into something... useful.

Or worse—something weaponized.

The idea of a nightmare being twisted and bent to someone's will, then used as a tool for good, was disturbing in ways I couldn't fully wrap my head around.

The fragments were powerful, yes, but so were the creatures who guarded them.

Agnos' eyes softened, just slightly, as he met my gaze.

"It was the only way to keep him accountable. The fragments are sacred, and they are meant to be protected. To guard one, you need to be more than just capable. You need to show integrity, discipline, and perseverance."

"The Baku didn't have that before," Agnos said, his tone reflective.

"He has a chance to prove himself. He has to stay, keep watch, and make amends. It's a punishment, but it's also a form of penance. Of course, he's free now. He's managing his clinic well. At least he's got purpose and a decent career."