The Binxtrunach lay limp and askew upon the gleaming autopsy table, and it was ready for the wrecking by nearby surgical instruments, all cold and pristine in their orderliness. Alicia, Ayser, and several fellow researchers looked down upon the inert creature in circles like disdainful gods for their peculiar attire—a pallid-green rubber suit from crown to sole. But when viewed through the observation pane, they appeared to be an assembly of freaks, with their perfect yet oversized triangle helmet that obstructed even their chests. Leather visages concealed their true facade, each bearing a unique semblance—some akin to animal snouts, some gaping beaks. Two glass circles were their windows to the world, and a tube that was tethered to the helmet’s agape nozzle encircled each of their midriffs.

This was no chamber of their dreams. The subdued lighting lent a funereal pallor on the walls, a dull grey rather than the familiar minty green of a medical domain. Understandably so, for they were deep underground in a bunker alongside other refugees. Regardless, the acrid tang of alcohol and menthol brought a glimmer semblance of clinicality to their surroundings. The surgical suite had been replaced by a commodious circular chamber, and beyond the protective glass lay tiered seatings—not triple-tiered, but quintuple—most of them warmed by the idle researchers who had turned fresh pages in thick notebooks and bespattered tiny ink stains with their pens. An anatomical theatre, luxurious enough for a bunker’s capacity.

With both palms raised like supplication, Ayser, donned in the guise of a bahamut catfish, beckoned a grain of white sand from an urn nearby into a machine beside the autopsy table. A mechanical click resonated, and the gears whirred into motion, sculpting the sand into a luminescent line that traced the gears’ forms.

"The examination of a deceased mujino conducted by the research division of the Magisterium of Arcane Plane, in collaboration with Alicia Crimsonmane, on the tenth day of the third month of Summer, 2966 Years Since Liberation. Initial Trial.

“We have discovered a monster known as mujino, taken from the tongue of Kagatse, Michi No, the Unknown. Thorough research is intended in an effort to unveil the origins of their emergence, which instigated the Kingdom's Plague that has ravaged Kagatse Bakufu for five years. There is much to be done, but the hope is that whatever we find shall stem this ongoing catastrophe and impede its spread to other parts of the continent. Our first step involves elucidating the mujino’s affiliation with the creatures of this realm."

And with that, one hand allowed the least tall of them all—Alicia in a cockatrice mask—to pick up a small scalpel.

"The specimen is christened Binxtrunach. It has the stature to that of an adult barghest dog, if not surpassing in size. But it had none of the hallmarks of canine lineages: No fur, no eyes, no nose, two pairs of tentacles."

With Bocchoris' help, Alicia scored a patch of the monster's pale skin with precision. She tried to keep the slices thin, so as to preserve the integrity of its flesh. Then on the exposed, striated muscle tissue, she made another cut of the same size and just as thin.

Ayser was fond of littering the floor with his ramblings, but his hands were just as enthusiastic about making incision marks on the carcass. He dissected the abdomen to extract the white globules—the fat—then thrust tubes at different surgical points to drain away blood and lymph. The hammer in Bocchoris' hand fractured the lungs and extracted debris from it. "Flesh, bone, blood, fat, and water bear the tale of their possessor. Its identity, how it moves, how it eats, whether or not they help shape its bodies," Ayser went on in his soliloquy. "We will segregate these elements into separate containers, then put them in the Geneharmonizer to determine the subject's kinship with living beings registered within. The process will take three to four days."

Outside the sanctum, the audience composed jottings and squiggles on their notebook that the masked surgeons could not delight, while the surgeons themselves proceeded as if Ayser's monologue was an order. The Geneharmonizer in question had six baffles, each of which had a flap before being sealed again in one larger seal board. Alicia's eyes seemed to round curiously behind the mask, even if only to see the researchers storing the components of the monster in order. Once everything was sealed, Bocchoris activated the machine. It emitted a hive of whirs and hum.

"While we wait. Alicia, the laurels of the hunt are yours," Ayser said, "so we leave you to decide what you want to learn from this Binxtrunach. Shall we learn its skeleton of bones? The arrangement of its dentition? Or perhaps the biomechanics of its tentacles?"

Quite childish choices, Alicia pondered. Yet, given her modest background in biological studies at the General Academy and the fact that in front of her were skilled researchers of the Magisterium well-versed in dissections of myriad lifeforms to study their body parts of which she did not even know the names of, the lass deemed the choices acceptable. Plus, she could glean their erudition of the relationship between mana management and the anatomy of living beings.

"Given its lack of sight and scent senses, it stands to reason that Binxtrunach can recognise prey in three ways: by its hearing, by tasting the air on its tongue, or by their sensitive skin," Alicia postulated. "But I've seen Binxtrunach turning its ears towards the prey afore preying, which means that hearing is most likely its main arsenal. I believe even Arcane and Khaos can be recognised with that too. Should we start our investigation from this angle, Mister Ayser?”

"Hmm... a simple-sounding theory yet ripe with intrigue. As you wish, Miss."

With a nod of agreement, Ayser selected a larger scalpel and held it against Alicia's hand, slowly executing a precise incision the size of a long strip, beneath the ear hole down to the neck. The cut, more profound than its predecessors, revealed the intricate auditory anatomy of the hound mujino when lifted with tweezers.

"Fascinating," muttered Ayser. "Bin, get the image recorder!"

Researcher Kiyooka Bin secured a bulky camera upon her back as Ayser continued, "This really resembles a dog's auditory structure!"

"Why’s that, Mister Ayser?" asked Alicia.

The catfish mask turned towards the cockatrice. "Never dissected a dog before?"

Alicia was stupefied. "Only frogs. And a few sorts of lizards. The academy promised lessons on drake anatomy, but their mating season turned out to be a flop."

"Oh, very well. So here's the crux, Alicia. See the ear canals? It's longer than a normal human. No, longer even than a barghest dog. And this," Ayser mimed a rotating motion, tracing the spiralling shape of the canal, "Its cochlea contains a high density of hair cells, which are responsible for converting sound vibrations into neural signals."

However, Alicia’s attention was drawn by a yellow line interconnecting the auditory structures. The line was initially blurred by the neural tissue in the entrance tunnel, to appear as prominent on its own towards the newly exposed flesh. "And what should this yellow line be…?"

Ayser too took notice of the yellow line, his hands resting thoughtfully at his sides. Bocchoris and Kiyooka Bin cast a fleeting observation before shrugging in unison. "Again. Fascinating thing. Perhaps this is the key to Binxtrunach's ability," remarked the head researcher, prodding at the surface of the line. He rubbed his finger between two others. It came away as slick, oil-like. "It appears to be a specialised fatty tissue to facilitate transmissions of sound vibrations. We need to look into the cranial vault."

They then sawed through the shell of Binxtrunach's cranium to get a clear view of what the brain of this middle-of-nowhere monster looked like. Under the membrane that bridged cleaved parts, a cosy sitting cerebrum appeared as depigmented as its body skin, though the yellow lines from the ears entrenched the cerebrum—that also received yellow strokes from the rest of the body—creating a nexus around the brain.

Behind the masks, Alicia and Ayser's eyes widened as they sliced open the brain, revealing the epicentre of the intricate yellow lattice.

"Philosopher's stone...," Alicia's voice trailed off.

"Unbelievable," Ayser added. Alicia could see the underside of his eyes arched to form an implicit smile. "We found out the why!"

The repressed laughter erupted as a small celebration. No regret lingered for their premature undermining of the brain; after all, Alicia could always catch tens more. However, this fact cast a shadow over their jubilant expression.

"This is good," Alicia remarked soberly. "But it means one thing. This here isnae a beast from another dimension!"

"You're absolutely right, Alicia," Ayser concurred as he extracted the stone as though it had been the creature's organ from conception. Their scrutiny intensified upon the peculiar artefact. "Philosopher's stone is not also a naturally occurring substance; it’s a creation of a skilled alchemist. And they... How could they discern power solely through hearing? I mean, the Philosopher's Stone can only resonate with the energies of Arcane or Khaos upon direct contact with those forces.”

A contemplative hush fell between them.

"It's possible," Alicia broke the silence. "Just as Orb can reveal Protos particle hidden in a certain radius, so can the mujinos."

"Oh, yes! I remember your debate with the Kagatsean Defence Minister last night!"

The mention of the elixir certainly piqued the lass’ interest. But there would be a time for that. "The Philosopher's Stone embedded in the magical mechanism typically responds only to a specific threshold of power. Nonetheless, it can still pick up on traces of it, even in wee amounts. Even if both energies arenae actively channelled by the casters, their presence is still felt as auras. And this specialised fatty tissue, as ye mentioned, helps transmit sound vibrations. Makes them more sensitive to stimulation, does it not?"

Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

How the Divine had cursed them. Alicia's shrewd theorem fell on deaf ears when a strong earthquake suddenly brought down dust from the sky. The once-clear vista beyond the glass now resembled a sandstorm-shrouded landscape.

The sombre lighting turned an eerie red, and the wail of sirens set their heart alight with apprehension. Before the researchers could react, spiral-masked soldiers were already standing at every threshold. Weapons were held high, and their rough hands dragged the researchers from their seats. The autopsy organisers were startled once again when an army captain from nowhere pounded the glass behind them. The two guard automatons outside did not even bother to announce their arrival in any way.

"Oh my, Officer! What manner of disturbance is this? I believe our procedures shouldn't be reverberating throughout the bunker corridors!" Ayser protested. "And even if they were, so what, we are not in our own office!"

"Ayser-dono! You and your colleagues must retreat to the evacuation vault!" the officer retorted matter-of-factly. "Mujinos have penetrated the city's defences and somehow infiltrated the bunker network!"

"Sacred Pillars, that can't be!"

"No! Oh, no that's not possible!" Alicia's voice trembled with shock, and her breaths became shallow. She grabbed her bag and lurched out of the room, hastily stripping off all her safety attire. "Has Otnagochi really collapsed? Wisesa! What of Wisesa? I dinnae see him!"

"Mujino has entered the city, Miss, but the soldiers are battling valiantly to purge the beasts—”

"Take me there!" Alicia was about to hurry the platoon, but the physique of a lass like her was unlikely to cause even the slightest shift to one soldier before her.

"Our orders do not include escorting civilians to the battlefield—that includes you!"

"I can help them with Orb!"

The captain's lips wilted with hesitation. "I'm afraid I can't allow that."

"If this is related to the Arcane incident with the mujinos—"

"Miss!" Ayser's voice tried to be as gentle as possible as he positioned himself beside the captain. "Why this panic? Does your friend fight there?"

"Yes. I mean, I believe he's strong, but..." Alicia’s own words seemed to soothe the frown etched upon her worried face. "No. He’s strong," her voice finally faltered. "I apologise, good sirs. But... I can help them to eradicate the Mujinos in a short time. Faster, and fewer casualties, right? I won't let the misfortune that you experienced by Arcane be repeated by me!"

A buzzing behind the bag drew their attention. But only Alicia understood. I'm glad for your resolve, but I can’t ignore my concern that you currently unable to use Arcane for more than ten minutes without losing control.

"Oh, Orb...," Alicia sighed because the truth was bitter. "If so I'll get it done in less than ten—and I'll be extra careful! At least say it's possible!"

"Miss Alicia, I didn't mean to sound adversarial," Ayser interrupted. "It's just that, since they haven't ordered the soldiers to evacuate you to the surface, it implies they can manage the situation, doesn’t it? At least, that's my attempt at optimism."

"Or they wanted me to join them, but communication with the bunker was cut off," was Alicia's pessimistic response.

But Ayser did not waver from one more hope. "Or maybe they want you to be the last pillar of being to the bunker's inhabitants—that’s a metaphor from my mother country—and even all Kagatsean behind Otnagochi!"

"Sorry if we conveyed the wrong impression." The captain bowed respectfully. "But this is an order from above; our brave warriors are still fighting hard. You don't need to worry."

Alicia's heavy sigh signalled her relent. Securing her waist bag, which had previously revealed Orb, she followed the soldiers' guidance out of the room alongside the researchers.

Once again, the Divine had dealt them a cruel hand. They should not have squandered their time in the anatomical theatre with futile debates.

Just as Alicia and the others took a few strides down the bunker's hallway, a throng of panicked civilians surged up from behind, shoving and jostling. The bespectacled lass found herself pressed against the wall and almost fell, while the soldiers and researchers admonished the unruly mob.

Yet, the sight of the vacant space teeming with a school of wagging fishes was far more chilling than any stern reprimand.

In the distance, another contingent of soldiers emerged around the bend, shouting at Alicia's entourage to pick up the pace. No amount of patience could stave off their relentless swim until they broke through the soldiers' spiral masks, shattering their teeth to get in!

One by one, the soldiers fell. Their sturdy armour shattered as their bodies metamorphosed into colossal fish that bounced off the ceiling. Ayser and the researchers cried in horror. And they went straight past the bespectaled lass. "Protect us from that strange fish, Alicia!" the head researcher moaned.

However, Alicia, still being pulled by one of her automatons, stood transfixed. I didn't see this in Mujino's research notes, she thought, as her tongue remained numb with shock. And when Ayser chittered for survival instead of providing crucial trivia, Alicia realised she could not afford to take any chances. Her hand must remain firmly on Orb.

When the baby fish's eyes began to perceive the shape of the Arcane orb, the expected happened—they behaved absurdly and morphed in shape. And with each transformation came an unforeseen consequence.

Their once-round faces contorted grotesquely, and their skin tightened into a macabre semblance of a human skull. The previously ceaselessly undulating circular orifice now bore a perpetual grin, rows of jagged teeth like rocky outcrops in tumultuous waters. Those endearing, diminutive undulating fins unfurled into immense, ominous sails, fluttering in an unseen and unholy zephyr. Yet, no breath of wind whispered within the confines of the subterranean pathway. Their corporeal forms swelled to such proportions that even the stout walls of the chamber had no choice but to genuflect and crumble before their dreadful enormity.

No spoil from all directions seemed to damage the majestic fins and tails still blown by the ghostly wind as they continued to swerve. They stopped, however, when the humans in front of them also stopped and turned around. Their eyes glowed. The humans' eyes glowed. Alicia was no exception. One by one, either out of misguided admiration or fear of never witnessing such a beatific spectacle again, the humans rushed towards the fish-monsters, willingly diving into their gaping maws as their serrated gates unhinged.

The prey lined up like kindergarteners, voluntarily diving into the unfathomable depths of the predators' maw as if spoon-feeding a child.

The lass also ran, utterly unopposed. One automaton grasped the collar of her suit from behind, while the other wove a Mountain Knot and spewed forth a violent roar of wind behind the sailing paper talisman. The fishes exploded into a blood haze, but that merely acted as a prelude to a new wave of piscines. Like the humans who had lost their idols, Alicia, still captivated by the beauty of the fish, shed her suit in frustration and headed towards the famished mouths once more.

Foolish girl! Wake up, Alicia! Orb snapped. A violent jolt inevitably struck the lass’ heart.

"What the—clipe!" Alicia summoned Arcane snares to ensnare the potential victims a step closer to the unfathomable depths of the mujinos’ mouths and dragged them behind her. But the surge of people swept past Alicia again, prompting her to erect a barrier of Arcane energy. That clearly garnered objections from the fish.

The fish mujinos rammed straight into walls, ceilings, anything, in a frenzied attempt to create a shortcut towards their prey. Alicia unleashed torrents of Arcane energy at every snout that emerged, filling the air with a symphony of squelch with every hit. Alas, there were just too many. The fishes crammed into each other beyond the barrier, and their shapes were in danger of flattening out that Alicia had to complete the Arcane wall into a cube. She gathered the remaining humans and flew with them. The fish mujinos cared nought about the twists and turns of the bunker's passageways; they charged straight at Alicia while wreaking havoc as they barrelled forward. More and more humans were found running along the way, and she pulled them all into the Arcane cocoon, creating another one, even, when it was at full capacity. Alicia had to rely on two Arcane fortifications now.

And in the midst of maintaining the defences, Alicia had to conjure Arcane beams to fend off the fishes. Her attacks proved effective, but the swarm of fish was relentless, not to mention nausea shaking her stomach as the evolved mujinos headbutted from all directions and sent her Arcane cocoons reeling.

And thus, came the first glint in her eyes.

"No! It hasn't been five minutes!" Alicia exclaimed.

But you're expending too much magical energy for one person to handle! Orb warned, to which Alicia paid little heed.

"How could I abandon the civilians?" Alicia's voice rose an octave. "No. I will stand my ground. Breathe! Remember what Lord Domen said, catch your breath!"

Ahead of her loomed colossal metal doors—the evacuation bunker, the last bastion of defence. Yet, the title of "last defence" sounded rater utopian now, for the layers of protection only seemed to goad the mujinos into greater fury. The rough landing left those inside the Arcane cubes tumbling to the ground, but at least none of them were outside the door. As the massive gates closed, Alicia swiftly extended her Divine Grace like a neural web, enveloping every inch of the room.

Because sure enough, panicked cries erupted from the civilians as the metal walls groaned, the ground shook, and the lights flickered and turned murky red.

"We're going to die! We're going to die! How can these feeble walls deter those monstrous mujinos?" shouted Ayser, which only fuelled the despair in their midst.

"Mister Ayser! Calm yerself, no one's going to die anymore!" Alicia tried to pacify him. "Orb and I will protect you all!"

But Ayser's frantic gaze fell upon Alicia as she spread her hands, each finger tracing a series of blue ley lines. "Alicia, I hope you have a bright idea, I know you have a bright idea to prevent us from dying in the grave. Oh no, dying in a grave! Oh, dying in such a manner is ghastly—”

"Mister Ayser, please-"

"Do something! You can't possibly maintain this barrier indefinitely! Can't you make it fly or—”

Ayser was jolted by a flash of blue in Alicia's eyes that darted towards him. “Truly, I will throw you into the school of fishes, for your babbling is a stumbling block, and your fear is poison!"

Alicia's eyes returned to their usual state, but the damage was done. She was acutely aware of what she had just said, and she jerked herself out of it. She saw Ayser; he was already trembling and hitting the ground with a foul smear across his trousers. Her gaze shifted to Orb, still clutched in her hand, and she trembled too.

"I-I didn't mean to say that, M-Mister Ayser..." Alicia stammered. "I'm sorry. Lifting a room with people in it is very difficult. But I promise to keep you all safe!”

Moments later, the entire structure vanished in a flurry of skeletal mujino fins, leaving the humans inside the barrier adrift and Alicia straining to maintain her Arcane shield against the relentless force of gravity. The screams and wails echoed around them.

She saw no recourse. Ayser had been right. She could not linger in mujinos' encirclement indefinitely, and the creatures didn't seem to have the same patience to wait for her strength to weaken.

She was scorching her nerves. A searing sensation began to wreak her entire being. But the increasingly luminous glow of the protective shield signalled that her efforts were not in vain. The Arcane Shield began to shoot upwards, incinerating the fishes until a new, blinding light greeted them all.

The Arcane Cube shattered into a powerful wave that blew away the people inside. Another rough landing, sadly their luck fell a little short. They found themselves on the edge of the Otnagochi cliff, injuries abound but alive. Considering the crowd of fish perished in the force of the blow, it was probably worth it, was it not?

Ayser failed to reach that conclusion when in the paralysing pain of his right shoulder, his eyes caught the massive evolution of the mujinos in the city that shifted towards them.

No, that immense attention was not directed at him and the others. What were they but mere mortals? But being trapped with Alicia, who remained afloat without any signs of hominid life, augured ill for their future. []