A Zoologist’s Guide to Surviving Magical Creatures

The portal ride to the Trial Center was anything but peaceful.

Freya, now dressed in a tailored suit that somehow made her aura even more intimidating, stood beside me with the slimmest tablet in hand, scrolling through notes.

I was trying to look nonchalant, but the tension in the air was thicker than a dragon's scale armor.

"So," I began, breaking the awkward silence. "This Trial Center… What exactly goes down here? Gladiatorial combat? Obstacle courses? Or are we talking more escape-room vibes?"

Freya didn't even glance my way. "It is none of those things, Mr. Suis."

Her tone was brisk, her words clipped like she didn't want to waste any syllables on me.

"The Trial Center is a vital division of the Winged Hall," she began, her voice carrying the authority of someone used to explaining things only once. "It is designed to provide safe, controlled environments for rites of passage across all species in Mythica."

She continued, "Every creature here has traditions, tests, and benchmarks they must meet to earn their place in society. Our center ensures these rites are conducted ethically and efficiently."

I blinked. "So… you're like Mythica's HR department for coming-of-age stories?"

Freya's lips twitched—just the barest hint of amusement. "If that's how your mind chooses to frame it, sure." She tapped her clipboard. "We also collaborate extensively with MECCP as part of our conservation efforts."

That caught my attention. "Wait, MECCP? THE M-E-C-C-P? As in the Mythical and Endangered Creatures Care and Protection agency?"

"Indeed." She looked over her glasses at me, clearly gauging my reaction. "The Winged Hall and MECCP maintain a joint partnership. MECCP provides ecological data and expertise, while we ensure that traditional rites and creature behaviors align with conservation goals. It is a symbiotic relationship."

I couldn't help but gape. "That's… kind of awesome. I didn't know you worked with MECCP."

Freya arched a perfectly shaped eyebrow. "To be clear, we're only in a beneficial partnership. We don't report to MECCP. We have our own SOPs—Standards of Procedures and rules. And why, pray tell, would that impress you so?"

"Well…" I scratched the back of my neck, suddenly sheepish. "I work for MECCP."

Her hand froze mid-scroll. For the first time since we'd met, Freya actually looked surprised. "You? An MECCP employee?"

"Initially an intern," I clarified quickly. "Just turned full-time recently."

She recovered from her surprise with alarming speed, the corners of her mouth lifting into a faintly amused smirk. "A human employee, no less. Fascinating. You're the first I've encountered from your realm to last long enough for me to notice."

That stung more than I cared to admit. "You mean there were others?"

"Oh, plenty," she said casually, as if we were discussing the weather. "Most of your kind either quit or fail within the first week. The Winged Hall has hosted several human realm interns in the past—none particularly memorable, I'm afraid. Even fewer made it beyond orientation."

Ouch. I could feel the weight of every failed human intern pressing down on my shoulders. "Well, maybe they just weren't prepared for Mythica's, uh… unique challenges."

Freya gave me a pointed look. "Or perhaps modernity has eroded your realm's sense of perseverance."

I bristled. "Hey, that's not fair. Modernity comes with its own set of pressures, you know. It's not like we're all—"

"Modernity exists here too, Mr. Suis," she cut in, her tone as sharp as a griffin's talon. "And yet we endure."

I opened my mouth to argue but quickly realized I had no good comeback. "Touché," I muttered, crossing my arms and deciding it was safer to just shut up for now.

We stepped out of the elevator into a massive atrium that made me feel like an ant in a cathedral. The ceiling arched so high it vanished into mist, and the walls were lined with intricate murals depicting every imaginable creature undergoing various rites—some triumphant, others humbling.

A distant roar echoed through the halls, followed by what sounded suspiciously like applause.

Freya gestured broadly. "Welcome to the Trial Center. This is where creatures earn their place in the world of Mythica. Everything from phoenixes proving their rebirth cycles to kelpies mastering their aquatic transformations."

I tried not to let my jaw drop as I took in the sheer scale of the place. "And you just… leave them to it?"

"Supervised autonomy," she corrected. "Each trial is monitored to ensure fairness and safety, but the participants must succeed—or fail—on their own merits. That includes you."

"Wait, what?"

She didn't answer. Instead, she turned on her heel, her heels clicking against the polished marble floor as she strode away.

"Hold on!" I called after her. "You're just leaving me here? What am I supposed to do?"

Freya glanced over her shoulder, her smirk returning. "Figure it out, Mr. Suis. That's part of the trial."

And just like that, she was gone, leaving me alone in a place that looked like Hogwarts had collided with an Olympic training center for mythical creatures. I sighed, squaring my shoulders.

"Alright, Carl," I muttered to myself. "Time to meet the famed Fenrir creature."

********

When you imagine a meeting with Fenrir, the infamous wolf of Norse legend, you expect fangs, growls, and an overwhelming sense of impending doom.

What I didn't expect was to find myself facing a man so strikingly handsome he could have walked off the cover of Entrepreneur Weekly.

There he stood, impeccably dressed in a tailored midnight-blue suit, with an aura that screamed "corporate overlord" more than "world-destroying beast."

His golden cufflinks glinted under the crystalline light streaming from the stained-glass depiction of the Nine Realms behind him. Fenrir's silver-streaked hair was swept back in a way that managed to look both effortlessly casual and ruthlessly intimidating.

He scanned me with amber eyes that seemed to pierce straight through my very existence. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but something about his gaze made me uncomfortable.

It felt as though Fenrir was sizing me up like some kind of exotic delicacy he was debating whether to take a bite out of.

"Carl Suis," Fenrir said, his deep voice carrying just a hint of amusement. "So, you're the one sent to represent the trolls?"