The ground shook beneath , and I felt that all-too-familiar pull—the one that had yanked from my cozy apartnt back on Earth into Mythica. My stomach lurched, and before I could even scream "Not again!" I was sucked into a vortex of swirling light and chaotic magic.
It was eerily similar to my first arrival here. Only this ti, I wasn't brimming with excitent or naive curiosity. Nope. Just a resigned sense of doom. I was free falling into the unknown.
I scread. Of course, I scread. Who wouldn't?
"ARGHHHHHH!"
Five minutes later... Still free falling, still screaming.
"ARGHHHHHHHHH!"
About thirty minutes in, still free-falling.
By then, I was completely over it. I had scread myself hoarse.
With a sigh, I crossed my arms, deadpanned, and waited for the inevitable splat. My voice, now as dry as my sense of humor, muttered, "I'd rather just get this over with."
Then the view shifted. The swirling colors of the portal gave way to a sight that froze my breath.
Lava.
A lot of lava. Rivers of molten, bubbling death stretched below like a glowing red carpet of doom.
"Oh, co on!" I shrieked. "Not lava! Why is it always lava?!"
Flashes of my life played before my eyes— the ti I'd saved a baby dragon from choking on a tiara, my failed attempt to beco an influencer, the Kraken breakdance debacle… and now this.
I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for the hot, lty end. But instead of sizzling to death, I felt a sudden jolt. My descent stopped inches above the lava's surface.
I cracked one eye open. "I'm alive?" My voice was barely a whisper. Then louder, "I'M ALIVE!" Relief surged through , and I began to laugh—until the magic holding up vanished.
"Thud."
Sohow I magically fell face-first into the rocky ground that appears out of nowhere.
"Ow," I groaned, peeling myself off the stone floor.
When I finally stood and brushed the soot off my uniform, I noticed I wasn't alone. Sitting primly on a rock, tail swishing lazily, was Agnos.
The Unknown God.
Or, as I preferred to call him now, the purple cat.
"You're here," he said, his voice carrying the kind of calm superiority only a cat—or a god trapped as a cat—could manage. "Took you long enough."
"Sorry for the delay," I muttered, dusting off my pants. "The thirty-minute freefall was so relaxing, I nearly forgot to RSVP."
Agnos yawned, flashing those unnervingly sharp teeth. "Sarcasm doesn't suit you, Carl."
"Neither does lava," I shot back.
---
Agnos explained his predicant with all the casual indifference of soone ordering takeout. He was one of Mythica's Unknown gods, he claid—a divine overseer tasked with maintaining balance in this magical realm. That was, until he was betrayed.
Great. Such a brief way to explain his backstory.
"By whom?" I asked, leaning against a rock.
"That," Agnos said, golden eyes narrowing, "is a story for another ti."
Of course it was. Gods and their cryptic nonsense.
The betrayal led to his imprisonnt, and worse, the shattering of his powers. Now his fragnts were scattered across Mythica, hidden deep within the world's most dangerous places. Follow current novels on novel·fire·net
"You said you're one of the Unknown Gods. How many of you are there, exactly?" I asked, probing.
"There are seven of us."
My eyes widened. "Seven? Are they still alive?"
Agnos was silent for a mont, thinking before answering. "They should be. I can still feel their presence, though weak."
"Each of us guards one of the seven core elents of Mythica. Fire, Water, Air, Earth, Shadow, Light, and Spirit. Our bond with the leylines ensures the balance of this world. I am the guardian of Spirit.
When we weaken, the leylines fracture. The chaos you see around you—the natural disasters, the berserk creatures—it's all the result of our imbalance."
My mind raced. The leylines, the guardians, the elents—this was no longer just about being a zoology intern in a strange world.
"Wait, you an to say that Mythica's very existence depends on these seven gods and their elental leylines? That's... huge."
Agnos nodded, his form shifting subtly, a ripple of light and shadow that hinted at the power he still held beneath the surface.
It was a lot to digest, but it clicked.
Everything I had seen since arriving here, from the raging storms to the out-of-control creatures, had been a symptom of this imbalance. The very fabric of Mythica was unraveling.
"So, how do we fix this?" I asked, already feeling the weight of the task settling in.
Agnos's expression darkened, his voice taking on a more somber tone. "By collecting the seven fragnts of the Unknown Gods. Only by restoring our strength can we restore balance to the leylines."
"So let guess," I said, already feeling the weight of his request. "You want to find these fragnts for you?"
He nodded, looking far too pleased with himself.
I groaned. "Why ? I'm just a zoologist! I specialize in creatures, not treasure hunts or divine power retrieval!"
"You're resourceful," Agnos said, hopping down from his rock to circle . "You're clever. And, most importantly, you're expendable."
"Gee, thanks," I muttered.I couldn't suppress the laugh that bubbled up, despite the gravity of the situation. "I was hoping for a little more agency in this whole thing."
He didn't flinch. "You're the only one who can help. The fragnts are scattered across Mythica. They are not easily obtained. But without them, the leylines will continue to fracture, and this world will collapse. It is not a matter of choice."
Agnos turned to face fully, his eyes flashing with an intensity that sent a shiver down my spine. "You will help , Carl Suis. Whether you want to or not."
I swallowed hard. This was no longer an internship. This was a full-blown quest to save the world. And I had no idea what I was doing.
Great. Just what I needed—another world-ending prophecy I had to solve. And dr. Philippe even said prophecies are overrated. "Alright, let's say I'm on board. Where do we start?"
Agnos's expression softened just a fraction, as if he were acknowledging the weight of the journey ahead. "The first fragnt lies in the land of the Dwarves—Dwarftopia."
"Got it. Let guess... more mysterious and cryptic warnings coming my way?"
Agnos's lips curled upward just slightly, as if he found my sarcasm amusing. "Perhaps. But for now, prepare yourself, Carl. The journey ahead will not be easy."
I glanced at the darkening sky, where the storm clouds gathered ominously on the horizon. "Yeah, well, at least it's never boring around here."
Agnos gave a brief look, almost like a challenge, before turning toward the path that led down to the Dwarves. "Then let's see if you can survive the first step."
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