A Zoologist’s Guide to Surviving Magical Creatures

The ground trembled beneath my feet as if Mythica itself decided it was done with all of us.

A burst of purple light shot out from the center of the lake, crackling with an intensity that made my hair stand on end.

Then, as if that wasn't dramatic enough, a coffin—yes, an actual coffin—erupted from the lake, suspended mid-air, glowing ominously in the purple light.

"Oh, good," I muttered to myself, trying not to hyperventilate.

"It's not like I wanted a quiet day. Nope, I definitely wanted a haunted lake and a flying coffin. Just another Tuesday in Mythica."

The moment was short-lived.

With a final flicker, the light dimmed, and the coffin fell unceremoniously back into the lake. It landed with a splash that sent ripples all the way to where we stood, leaving behind an eerie silence.

"No!" Agnos shouted, his voice breaking with a raw, desperate edge I'd never heard from him before. He thrust his hands forward, performing the same intricate gesture he'd used earlier to summon the gem that started all this chaos.

Another purple beam shot from his palms into the lake. But this time, the light fizzled out like a cheap sparkler.

"No, no, no! Why won't it work?" he shouted, his face a portrait of anguish.

"Stop it!" Jiuge barked, stepping forward with a commanding presence that could've cowed a dragon.

Agnos, however, wasn't having it. He shoved her aside roughly, his movements wild and uncoordinated, like a man drowning in his own despair.

"Hey!" I called, stepping in to steady Jiuge before she toppled over. "Get a grip, Agnos! You're scaring the fish—and me, by the way."

Before I could process the fact that I'd just scolded someone capable of shooting purple death beams, the atmosphere shifted.

A heavy, oppressive pressure descended on us like a giant's hand pressing down. The lake's surface churned, and the golden coffin reappeared.

This time, it didn't shoot into the air. It rose slowly, almost ceremonially, until it hovered a few feet above the water.

And then, the light returned.

Bright, blinding, suffocating. The air itself seemed to thicken, each breath a struggle. My knees buckled under the weight of it all. The oppressive force made it hard to breathe, let alone think.

I glanced over at Jiuge and Agnos; both of them were down too, their faces pale, their bodies trembling under the pressure.

"What were you doing, Agnos?" I rasped, turning to Agnos, who was struggling just as much as I was.

"It's not me," he managed to gasp out, his golden eyes wide with panic.

The pressure increased, and I felt like my lungs were being crushed.

"Not... how I thought... I'd go out..." I wheezed, my vision tunneling.

Just when I thought I was about to pass out, something strange happened. Two objects shot out of my pockets like overenthusiastic fireworks.

My Conflict Mediator badge and my Predator-Level Security badge floated toward the coffin, glowing faintly. They hovered there for a moment before merging into one—the Gleipnir badge.

The badge erupted in a brilliant burst of golden light, clashing violently with the coffin's ominous purple glow. The two forces collided with a sound like a thunderclap, the air rippling from the sheer intensity of their confrontation.

The coffin trembled, its surface etched with jagged cracks of glowing energy, before it began to descend, as though an unseen force was dragging it back into the lake.

With a deep, resonant groan—eerily lifelike—it resisted, but the golden light prevailed, forcing the coffin down with a thunderous crash.

The lake churned violently, water boiling and hissing as thick plumes of steam billowed into the air, shrouding the scene in a ghostly mist.

"What... the hell is happening?" I managed to croak, though no one was in any condition to answer.

Agnos tried to intervene, but a beam of light from the Gleipnir badge sent him flying like a ragdoll. He landed a few feet away, motionless.

Finally, the coffin disappeared beneath the surface, and the lake calmed.

The Gleipnir badge dimmed and floated back to me, settling into my hand with an almost apologetic weight. I stared at it, my mind racing.

Was it out of power now? Could it be recharged?

Did it come with a manual I conveniently forgot to read? Add that to the list of things to ask Fenrir about—assuming I survived long enough to find him.

I forced myself to my feet, legs shaking like I'd just run a marathon. Agnos lay unconscious nearby, while Jiuge's face was a mix of fury and something else—fear, maybe?

"Do you have any idea what you just did?" she growled, her voice low and dangerous.

"Uh, saved us from being crushed by a magic coffin?" I ventured, though I had a feeling that wasn't the answer she was looking for.

"You alerted the Gleipnir!" she snapped, her eyes darting around as if expecting someone to materialize out of thin air.

"Okay, I'm gonna need a lot more context than that," I said. "What do you mean 'alerted the Gleipnir'? And why is that a bad thing? Also, who or what is the Gleipnir?"

Before I could press on further, Jiuge grabbed my arm. "We need to move. Now." With a wave of her hand, she conjured a portal and unceremoniously dragged me and Agnos through it.

The last thing I saw before the portal closed was the lake, eerily calm once more.

The scenery around us shifted. We now stood in what looked like an opulent library, shelves of ancient tomes stretching endlessly in every direction.

Jiuge dropped Agnos onto the ground like a sack of potatoes. He groaned, slowly coming to.

Agnos groaned and began stirring. His eyes fluttered open, and he sat up, looking as confused as I felt.

"Where... where are we?" he muttered, his voice hoarse.

"My sanctuary," Jiuge said, her tone dripping with annoyance.

"Okay, cool," I said, glancing around. "So you have a Batcave. Neat. Can we get back to the part where you explain what just happened?"