Part I. Mesopotamia

  A monstrous roar was heard.

  The children were being chased.

  The monster whose head rose above the treetops was a deformed giant.

  Its facial features were twisted, and four arms protruded from its shoulders and sides.

  Gripping a tree torn up by the roots, he ran through the forest.

  The five children were armed, but they could not stand against the monster.

  With a loud crash, a tree came flying.

  A girl who was struck directly by the tree was flung away like a rag doll.

  She lay sprawled on the ground, coughing up blood.

  “Riana!”

  The remaining children seemed unable to abandon the girl.

  They formed a formation and prepared to face the giant.

  A boy holding a shield tried to communicate, staking his last hope.

  “Aren’t you Anzu, once renowned as a sage? Why are you walking the path of corruption? Come to your senses and let us go.”

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Anzu snapped a tree with his four arms and broke it into sharp points.

  He divided the jagged fragments among each of his hands and prepared to attack with a vicious appearance.

  He replied in a grotesquely twisted voice.

  (Hear the call of the Father… traitors. Do not believe that you can escape… having engraved the mark of hypocrisy upon your backs. I shall drink your blood and scatter it beneath the earth to please the Father.)

  As Anzu let out a monstrous roar and charged, the children quickly scattered.

  The boy at the front stood his ground with shield and sword, refusing to retreat.

  Broken trees flew toward him at terrifying speed, but he held firm and blocked them.

  Meanwhile, a girl clasped her hands and focused, and the surrounding tree vines grew wildly, beginning to coil around the giant Anzu’s body.

  When the boy with the bow shouted, the arrowhead ignited into flames.

  He shot it sharply toward Anzu’s eye.

  (Kraaaah!)

  As Anzu writhed while roaring, the vines binding him were instantly torn apart, and the flaming arrow was deflected.

  The boys continued to scatter and attack, but Anzu’s body was enormous, and his monstrous strength was unbearable.

  The shield of the boy blocking the tree attacks was eventually shattered.

  As the boy fell backward, Anzu leapt forward, trying to crush him in a single blow.

  “Elaton!”

  In that split second, something like a flash of lightning entered Anzu’s vision.

  Boom!

  Half of Anzu’s hideous face was blown away in an instant.

  An eye burst out, and his lower jaw was shattered.

  His four arms dropped the broken trees as he flailed, and he collapsed heavily to the ground.

  Standing before the fallen monster was a solidly built man holding a bronze club.

  “Father!”

  The children rushed toward him.

  The man approached Riana, who had been struck by the tree, and examined her.

  She was already dead, blood spilling from her mouth.

  The children began to cry aloud through their tears.

  The boy dropped his shield and buried his face in Riana’s body.

  Anzu, whose breath had not yet ceased, spoke in a growling voice.

  (Do you still believe you can escape… that you can cleanse sin with lies… You cannot flee from the Father forever, Cain.)

  Cain swung his club and ended the monster’s life in a single strike.

  When the writhing stopped, the group prepared to leave.

  Cain lifted Riana’s body in his arms and left the forest with the children.