Mobius finally completed the last of his dissections and records.
He removed his bloodstained gloves and smock, then methodically cleaned the stone table and his instruments. The dissected organs were sealed away in glass jars of varying sizes, each submerged in a clear preservative solution. When he was finished, he lit several sprigs of dried herbs in an iron basin. A thin, lingering fragrance soon spread through the chamber, masking the lingering stench of blood and decay.
Mobius closed the door to the dissection chamber with care. Cradling the thick ledger of his notes and an iron box containing the two diamond-shaped crystals, he made his way toward the study on the fourth floor.
The study was quiet, with no sign of Gru or Shadowling. No doubt the two restless creatures had wandered off once again into the depths of the forest on one of their so-called “adventures.”
Mobius took a seat at the desk. Waiting for him were a plate of sliced bread, a small jar of golden honey, and a cup of clear water. Chelorra must have left it there, noticing that he had missed midday meal. He regarded the simple spread, and the corner of his mouth lifted in a smile.
He tore off a piece of bread, dipped it into the honey, and let his gaze drift to the corner of the desk.
There, resting in silence, lay an emblem of the Wizard City.
At its center was a hexagram, encircled by the sun and the moon—symbols of the eight great elements of natural magic: wind, water, fire, earth, wood, lightning, shadow, and light. Set within the heart of the hexagram stood a plain wooden staff, its shaft entwined by two serpents, one black and one white. Together, they marked magic as a double-edged force—capable of salvation, yet equally capable of ruin.
The emblem was like a mirror, drawing his thoughts back into the past.
The Wizard City—It was the place he had once called home.
At the age of thirteen, he crossed the border alone with a merchant caravan and came to the Wizard City. There, he passed the entrance trials of the Wizard Academy, became an Apprentice, and forged bonds with friends who would last a lifetime.
Upon graduating with distinction, he declined the overtures extended by royal courts and great noble houses alike. Instead, he chose to remain in the Wizard City, taking up a post as a researcher devoted to the study of Magibeasts.
He had once believed that he and Gru would spend their entire lives there—wandering the hidden enclaves of the Magibeast Woods, living as scholars of their craft. In the end, he would grow old within the Wizard City, his remains laid to rest in the catacombs beneath the Central Tower.
And if fortune were kind, perhaps the Academy would one day raise statues of him and Gru within its halls.
Until one night—
He realized that some things were never meant to be seen.
Or perhaps… should have been seen much earlier.
Had I truly gone far enough?
Mobius drew his thoughts back and wiped his fingers clean with a handkerchief. The honey left a trace of sweetness, sharpening his focus just a little. He opened his notes again, reviewing the results of today’s dissection.
From the corner of the desk, he drew a fresh sheet of parchment. The quill, heavy with ink, met the page:
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Commission Record: Greypine Village Magibeast Extermination
Target: Grimface Ape
Count: Two
Behavioral Anomaly Analysis
- Habitat Migration: Cause undetermined.
- Non-Predatory Aggression: Cause undetermined; however, target selection demonstrates a pronounced directional bias.
- Disruption of Instinctive Response: Presumed severe impairment of pain-response pathways, resulting in the loss of survival-based threat recognition toward higher-order Magibeasts.
Dissection Specimen: Grimface Ape — Head
Key Dissection Findings
- Severe hyperplasia and dilation of blood vessels and neural tissue along the inner layer of the scalp.
- Marked abnormal growth and deformation of the cranial bone structure.
- Localized necrosis and pathological lesions present within cerebral tissue.
- Clear indications of secondary dental development.
- Pronounced asymmetry between the ocular globes, with extreme vascular dilation observed in the left eye.
Mobius set down the quill, his gaze shifting toward the undulating sea of forest beyond the window.
He concluded that the aberrant behavior of the two Grimface Apes was almost certainly linked to the crystals implanted within their brains. The introduction of a foreign object had compromised their neural systems and judgment, distorting the signals that governed instinctive survival responses.
As a result, the first Grimface Ape had initiated an attack despite the wound having progressed to severe suppuration and tissue necrosis. The second Grimface Ape, even after sustaining a critical injury, had likewise failed to retreat.
The anomalies in both Grimface Apes’ behavior were highly consistent. The second ape’s abnormally enlarged physique was most likely the result of a form of “secondary growth.”
He surmised that this was the side effect introduced by the Mana Crystal itself.
Mobius turned back to the iron box, removed one of the crystals, and held it in his palm, examining it closely.
It was a finished piece, meticulously crafted. Light in weight, with rounded edges and a smooth surface—clearly designed to minimize tissue rejection and damage to the surrounding brain.
Mana Crystals possessed the inherent capacity to absorb and store natural magical elements.
Magibeasts, in turn, were species that had evolved under the influence of those same elements. By nature, they could perceive mana and, according to their racial traits, absorb and utilize it.
Perhaps it was this small crystal—its accumulated magical energy—that had acted as an additional source of nourishment for the Grimface Ape’s body, triggering secondary growth in flesh and bone, and ultimately resulting in its abnormal size and widespread tissue deformation.
Mobius returned the crystal to the iron box and leaned back in his chair, his gaze drifting emptily toward the ceiling.
The sample size was still too small.
For now, these conclusions could exist only as hypotheses.
His eyes fell once more upon the emblem of the Wizard City. His brow tightened, his expression darkening by degrees.
At this point, he could be almost certain—the implantation of the crystals bore the unmistakable mark of the Wizard City.
Beyond the Wizard City, no ordinary individual possessed the surgical precision required to open and reseal a skull so cleanly. Nor could they have captured two Grimface Apes alive.
Especially not when the surgical traces on the ape’s head were nearly identical to what he had seen years ago—in a hidden basement beneath the Wizard City.
…What, exactly, were they—
A gentle tapping came at the door. Chelorra pushed it open, a few letters in her hand.
“Mobius. New mail.”
“Thank you.”
Chelorra noticed that the shadow in his eyes had yet to fade. Her gaze drifted to the iron box on the desk, and she asked quietly. “Those two Magibeasts… are they bothering you?”
“It’s nothing. An occupational habit,” Mobius said as he closed the dissection notes. A smile touched his lips. “I may have thought a little too much.”
Chelorra looked at him with quiet concern.
She had never pressed him for the true reason he left Wizard City. But she knew that “the Wizard City wouldn’t allow him to keep a dog” was nothing more than an absurd excuse offered to outsiders.
Just as when she had left the Desert Shadow—some reasons were never meant to be spoken aloud.
She asked softly, “Will there be trouble?”
Mobius rose from his chair and walked to the window. Beyond the glass, the forest stretched away in rolling layers of shadow. His voice remained even.
“The best way to avoid trouble,” he said, “is to stay far away from it.”
He paused, then added,” And not to indulge too much curiosity.”
He lifted his gaze to the clear sky above, his voice dropping until it was barely audible.
“I hope these quiet days… can last a little longer.”
Follow or Rating—it helps more than you’d think.
— Janus Twelve