"Zion!" A young and very beautiful lady called from the kitchen.
A little boy with black hair dashed into the kitchen, looking happy. "Ma, you called me," he said while smiling from ear to ear.
"Yes, son," the lady replied and cleaned her hands. "I wanted you to taste this baked potato for me."
The boy took the baked potato from his mother and had a bite of it.
"How does it taste?" She asked him, her eyes sparkling.
"It... It's delicious, mother!" The boy cried and his mother laughed at her son's behavior.
"I just learned how to do," she said. "I hope your father will love it when he comes back home."
"He's going to like it because it is delicious."
That scene closed and another one opened.
"Zion, come here. There is something I want to tell you," the lady said to her son as they were about to go to bed.
The young boy came and sad next to her, his eyes on her.
"What is it, mother?" He asked her.
"You have a special kind of power inside you and that power will help you in the future but..." She trailed off. A worried look stretched on her face.
"But what, mother? I don't understand," the boy mumbled.
"Nevermind, son. Forget I said anything about it," she sighed and then brought out a necklace from her bag. "Here, put this necklace on when you turn seventeen, okay?"
"Why seventeen? Can't I wear it now?" The boy asked but his mother shook her head.
"It's for a reason."
-----------
Zion's eyes fluttered open, and he was met with the familiar sight of his home's entrance. But something felt off. The air was thick with an eerie silence, and the trees surrounding the house seemed to loom over him like skeletal fingers.
As he struggled to sit up, memories of the previous night's events came flooding back. He remembered the destroyed house, the blood everywhere, and the monster eating his father's heart.
Zion's face contorted in agony as he felt the pain of his loss wash over him once more. He doubled over, his head in his hands, and let out a mournful wail.
The sound echoed through the night, a haunting cry that seemed to shake the very foundations of the house. Zion's body shook with sobs, and he felt like he was going to collapse under the weight of his grief.
Just as he thought he couldn't take it anymore, Zion heard a faint rustling in the bushes nearby. He looked up, his eyes red-rimmed from crying, and saw a pair of glowing eyes staring back at him.
The eyes drew closer, and Zion saw that they belonged to a massive beast. Its fur was a deep, burnished gold, and its muscles rippled beneath its skin like living stone.
The beast's eyes seemed to bore into Zion's very soul, and he felt a shiver run down his spine. He tried to scramble to his feet, but his legs felt like lead.
The beast took a step closer, its eyes never leaving Zion's face. Zion could feel its hot breath washing over him, and he knew that he was staring death in the face.
Zion's heart was racing as the beast took another step closer. He could feel its eyes on him, and he knew that he was staring death in the face.
But as he looked into the beast's eyes, Zion saw something unexpected. He saw a deep sadness, a sense of loss and loneliness that seemed to echo his own.
Without thinking, Zion reached out a hand and touched the beast's fur. It was surprisingly soft, and the beast seemed to lean into his touch.
"It's okay," Zion whispered, his voice barely audible. "I'm not going to hurt you."
The beast looked at him, its eyes seeming to search for something. And then, to Zion's amazement, it nodded its great head.
Zion got up and examined it more closely. It was huge, easily three times his size, and its fur was a deep, burnished gold. Its eyes seemed to gleam with an inner light, and Zion felt a sense of wonder as he looked at it.
"What are you doing here?" He asked it while stroking its fur. "Did you loss your way?" He found it hard communicating with the creature. He sighed and turned to his home, the memories of what happened would never leave him, they were going to hunt him until his very last breath. Sighing again, he walked slowly into the house, his eyes scanning the room for any sign of his father's remains. The monster followed closely behind him, its eyes fixed on Zion's back.
As Zion moved through the house, he was met with the gruesome sight of his father's body, torn apart by the monster that had attacked them. His eyes welled up with tears as he fell to his knees, overcome with grief.
The monster approached him, its eyes filled with a deep sadness. It nuzzled Zion gently, as if trying to comfort him.
Zion wrapped his arms around the monster's neck, holding on tightly as he sobbed. "Why did this have to happen?" he cried, his voice shaking with emotion. "He was everything I had, why did this have to happen?" He continued crying so hard, he remembered how he had wasted time in the market and but his lips in regret. "I shouldn't have wasted time, this was my fucking faut. If I had known that something like this would happen, I would not have stayed to sell everything."
The monster didn't respond, but it continued to nuzzle Zion, offering what comfort it could.
After a few moments, Zion composed himself enough to begin gathering his father's remains. The monster helped him, using its powerful claws to gently lift and move the pieces of his father's body.
As they worked, Zion couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude towards the monster. Despite being a monster, it had shown him kindness and compassion in his time of need. It was not like the one that had devoured his father.
Once they had gathered all of the remains, Zion and the monster took them outside and buried them in a small grave. Zion said a few words, mourning the loss of his father and thanking him for everything he had done for him.
As the sun began to rise, Zion stood up, brushing the dirt from his knees. He looked at the monster, and for a moment, they just stared at each other.
"What now?" Zion asked, his voice low and rough from all the crying and screaming.
The monster didn't respond, but it nodded its great head, as if to say that it would stand by Zion, no matter what.
Zion smiled faintly and then went into the house to pick up a few things; one of them was a necklace his mother gave to him, it has always been hidden inside a small box. He didn't know why he suddenly thought about it today. The necklace was an old one with a cross pendant on it — he took it and wore on his neck before they set out, down the hill.