They went from one zone to the next with relaxed footsteps, fully observing what the zoo had to offer.
Morpho had a great time flying around in nature, greeting various people and animals. She was happy.
Looking at his older sister having so much fun, Tigris eventually decided to do something himself.
He pawed at Cyril's face a few times to get his attention, asking to put him down.
"He is so brave!"
At first Tigris cautiously moved close to the group, not straying further than a few meters.
But with time, his curiosity conquered his fear, and Tigris began running around the place freely, mostly trying to follow Morpho.
"Look after him, Morpho!" Rhanm told them worriedly.
Many people mistook both of them for the animals from the zoo and tried to approach them.
Morpho was barely holding herself back from hitting these people away. She really didn't like this attention.
Tigris, of course, enjoyed being petted by these people, and Morpho often had to literally drag him away.
The sight of which confused and scared a few people. How could such a tiny creature hide this much power?
Of course the two siblings didn't dare to venture too far from Cyril, not that Rhamn would let them do that even if they did.
Cyril himself proceeded to enjoy the zoo with the group.
They've discovered many animals, some they've only read about, and some they haven't heard about at all.
When going through the mountain, they've discovered a tiger majestically walking by.
Almost immediately Cyril switched his attention to a particular kitten he knew.
Tigris also noticed the animal and froze in confusion.
He occasionally would get scared like this when facing a larger animal.
"Come on, try greeting it," Rhamn encouraged with a smile.
With newfound strength, Tigris slowly approached the tiger with cautious steps.
Eventually the beast itself has noticed the cub in front.
It stared at it with its wide eyes for a few seconds before lowering its head and sniffing Tigris.
While the two were busy, Cyril approached the beast and scanned it as usual. This has become a habit by now.
Whenever a particular animal interested Rhamn enough, she would ask him to scan it.
Her intentions were obvious to Cyril, but he didn't mind for now.
The tiger didn't even react to the spell; it was busy with observing the small cub before it.
Confusion appeared in its tranquil eyes as it looked at this unusual tiger.
I guess it can tell Tigris is different.
Eventually the tiger's face returned to its previous tranquility, and it moved away.
Cyril had this weird feeling again. With each animal he saw, it was only getting stronger, but he couldn't quite say what it was.
This didn't prevent the group from having fun.
When everyone got hungry, they went to the local cafe and quickly ate some fast food before returning to exploring.
They had seen many magic creatures by now as well; there were storm eagles, crystal sharks, lightning goats, and many others.
So far it has been a very worthwhile trip.
However, after walking for half the day, they got tired and decided to rest at the bench near a fountain.
That was when a familiar voice greeted the tired group.
"Cyril, Myra! You are here too? What a pleasant surprise!" said Cedric with a friendly tone.
Right, Edmund mentioned he would also be here.
"He is not going to join us, is he?"
Cedric approached holding a balloon with wolf art on it.
Following not far behind him was Anna, wearing a cap depicting a seal.
"Have you heard there is going to be a show soon?" said Cedric, after everyone lukewarmly greeted him.
"There is no information about that on the pamphlet..." said Rose with a frown.
"They haven't opened it to the public. Only a select few are allowed in," Cedric replied with a smug expression.
"And I invite you guys. What do you think?" He continued with a sunny smile.
Cyril and others shared a look, and all saw the same emotion.
They were reluctant to join a group with someone they didn't really know, but their curiosity was too strong.
"Sure, lead the way." In the end Rose couldn't contain it and agreed on everyone's behalf.
Hearing this, Cedric's smile widened and he motioned everyone to follow him.
After a short walk they've arrived before an inconspicuous building in the corner of the park.
At the entrance stood two people in suits.
Cedric approached them and said something while pointing at Cyril and others.
After a short dialogue, the men stood aside, leaving the way open.
Cedric turned around and showed a thumbs-up.
Everyone cautiously walked in through the doors and into the hallway.
Eventually they've reached a closed-air arena, surrounded by tiered seating and a few private booths.
There were already a good number of people here, eagerly spectating what was happening on stage.
A man in a colorful costume was walking in the middle of a circular platform, describing the abilities of the magic creatures.
"Looks like a demonstration show, it should be good..."
The group easily found seats and started watching the show as well.
Soon a magic creature was led on stage; it was a tiger of a massive size.
"It must weigh around 8000kg..." Rhamn made an educated guess.
The hulking beast was walking with the same clear and tranquil expression Cyril saw on the animals before.
At the sight of such a creature, Tigris lowered himself, trying to appear as unnoticeable as possible. He would hide in the shadow if he could, no doubt.
Cyril petted the kitten sitting on his lap to calm him down.
After the man in a colorful costume clapped his hands, the beast roared.
There was a barrier on stage lowering the sound significantly, but some spectators still closed their ears on reflex.
At the same time, in the air around the tiger appeared spheres of fire, pulsating with heat.
On another signal from the man, Tiger hurled the spell at the prepared target on stage.
An impressive booming sound was heard, and the target completely disappeared, scorched metal and ashes in its place.
The crowd clapped at this sight in awe. The man on stage bowed as if it was his own effort that destroyed the target.
Rose was scribbling excitedly in her notebook as usual, Edmund was completely absorbed in the spectacle, and Myra didn't have any particular emotion on her face.
For Cyril, the same uncomfortable feeling from before prevented him from enjoying the show. There was a slight frown on his face.
"Do you dislike it too...?" Suddenly a quiet voice called out to Cyril.
Cyril turned to its source and noticed Anna staring at him with an uncertain gaze.
"It's a bit boring," Cyril casually replied with a nod.
"I feel like these animals lead a sad life, locked up by magic for entertainment." Anna's voice was a bit heavy. "This makes me sad too."
"No one asked for her opinion. But there is some truth to her words, maybe..."
When she was finished, Anna turned her face away from him.
Cyril still noticed her face becoming a bit red and a whispering voice coming from Cedric.
"Good job; it's small steps. You can do it." His voice was encouraging.
"And what are they planning?" Rhamn said in disgust.
Cyril thought about Anna's words. Do I also feel sad for these creatures?
It would be a good explanation for his uncertain dislike of this trip.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt this was the case.
Throughout the zoo he saw many beasts with sharp fangs and limbs hiding great power.
There were also animals who used stealth, speed, unique abilities, and even tactics, but they all carried the same tranquil expression.
The shadow wolf from the forest should've stared at him with hatred for daring to touch it; the beast should've tried to defend itself, to hunt down the cocky human.
Cyril felt it would be a lot more beautiful then.
"It would be great if these magic creatures were set free..." Rhamn, he said with a longing voice.
In the meantime, the show continued.
The tiger was jumping around through obstacles and showcased its strength by destroying steel plates.
All kinds of tricks were shown on stage for the sake of entertainment.
And when the crowd was bored of the tiger, another magic creature took its place.
The zoo was able to acquire a surprising number of different magic creatures.
From creatures slithering on their bellies to ones walking on four legs and everything in between.
There was even a vampire they showcased.
Its form resembled completely that of a normal woman in her twenties, only with white hair and red eyes.
The vampire walked around the arena showcasing its ability to turn into a cloud of black smoke, supernatural strength and speed, and an ability to manipulate blood.
Seeing a humanoid being displayed like this only worsened the feeling Cyril got from this whole zoo.
At least the rest of the group seemed to enjoy the show.
Even Morpho was liking it. She liked seeing the strength of these beasts in action.
At some point there was a horse with a single horn on its head showcasing its speed and lightning powers.
The man in a colorful suit stood by its side explaining the coming exercise when the walls of the building shook and dust fell from the ceiling.
The show paused as everyone warily looked around. Zoo staff was running somewhere in the background.
Eventually the shaking stopped, and just as the man on stage wanted to say something, suddenly there was a wave of energy passing through.
Cyril didn't feel anything changing when the wave passed through him, but the effects of this event were apparent soon enough.
The horse on stage suddenly neighed, and finally emotion appeared in its previously tranquil eyes. Rage.
Before anyone was able to realize what was happening, the beast's horn shone, and a lightning bolt struck down upon the man in front of it.
His charred body fell on the ground, and the horse finished it off with a hoof stomp.
Only now did screams erupt among the audience, and people started running out of the building in a panic.
It seems the spell that was keeping the beasts subdued was broken somehow.
"I guess I got what I wished for..." Despite the grave atmosphere, Rhamn said, bewildered.