Welcome, monster hunter! If you hold this book, then you seek knowledge few dare to face. For ages uncounted, I - Bai Ze, wanderer and keeper of beast-lore - have studied the monsters that haunt our myths. I have watched the fiery Boitata coil through burning forests, glimpsed the vast Kraken thrashing beneath stormy seas and traced the roots of creatures long spoken of in whispers. Their bodies tell stories; their bones carry truths.

Within these pages, you will find careful drawings that reveal how each creature is shaped, how it survives and why it lingers in the tales of humankind. My anatomical findings will show you what lies beneath fang, scale and shadow, capturing the spirit, power and mystery of every beast.

This book is not merely a collection of monsters - it is a field guide for the bold and the curious. Study it well and you will see how these beings live, breathe, hunt and endure. You will understand their origins, their strengths and the secrets that bind them to our world.

Open this book with caution. Read it with wonder. For once you know the truth of monsters, you will never see the shadows the same way again...