A group of kids was fighting under a tree, playing by throwing punches and kicks while tightly grabbing each other's shoulders.

"I'll be the new champion of Shamonak," said one of the fighting kids.

"No! I'm going to be it!" exclaimed the other kid.

The blows they gave each other were brutal and charged with tremendous force, their faces were flushed from the different impacts they were inflicting, until a third kid separated them.

"Stop, stop already, you've reached your limit!" he said.

"I'm going to knock that damned one unconscious, I swear by my mother," yelled the kid with fewer injuries.

"Try to touch me again and I'll rip your neck out," responded the more injured kid.

The third kid stood looking ahead, he observed a large house that had an opening underneath it, and in that opening two bright red eyes could be seen.

"Look at that, guys, it's a demon!" he said, trembling.

The two boys turned to see the place the third boy was pointing at, the eyes shone more intensely and slowly two large horns began to emerge.

"A demon!" they all screamed, running away terrified.

The creature submerged back into the darkness, now sitting, looking at its hands and trying to understand why they ran from it, until the sound of a door knocking was heard.

"Thamuz? Are you there?" asked a female voice.

"Yes, I'm here," the creature responded.

"Did you try to go outside? I heard some kids screaming 'demon!'" the female voice asked again.

"I just wanted to see how they were fighting," Thamuz replied.

"You know you can't go out, not until the elders accept you."

"I know, but this solitude is boring me. I only had a little Rathmun as a pet, but it died after seven hours," said Thamuz, with a tone of sadness in his voice.

The female voice stopped talking and silence reigned, until she spoke again:

"You know, to cheer you up, I made your favorite food, roasted Mhonktan."

"Really?" Thamuz said joyfully, "I'm coming right away."

"Hurry up, you know when it comes to Mhonktan, your father is a wild beast when it comes to eating," ordered the female voice.

Thamuz got up from where he was and ran quickly to reach the stairs leading to the main room of the house. He opened the door and walked slowly, observing how large plates of food were piled on the dining table.

"Well, it seemed strange not to have seen you all day," said Tawnylon, seated at one of the table chairs.

"I was in the basement, watching the kids pass by," Thamuz replied.

"Well, we just have to wait for the elders' acceptance and you'll be able to go out as much as you want," said Tawnylon, taking out a large piece of meat from a plate and starting to chew it.

"I hope so, it makes me nervous to see Thamuz always alone, with no one to play with or spend time with," commented Aolani, bringing more plates to the table.

Thamuz also grabbed a large piece of meat and began to eat it ferociously, finishing in just a few seconds and taking another piece of meat.

"It seems you haven't had breakfast, son," Tawnylon observed, surprised by Thamuz's gluttony.

"No, I really haven't. I wasn't hungry when I woke up," said Thamuz, setting the piece of meat aside.

"Why? Did you have a nightmare?" Aolani asked worriedly from the kitchen.

"Something like that. It was really a shapeless nightmare," Thamuz replied, with a downcast gaze.

"Come on, tell your mother about it. She surely knows what it could mean," Tawnylon encouraged, not taking his eyes off the table.

Aolani approached with the last plate of food that was in the kitchen and sat next to Thamuz, serving him a little more food on his plate and serving herself.

"So, what is this strange dream you had?" she asked.

Thamuz raised his gaze, meeting his mother's eyes, and began to speak.

"I was in a small boat, in the middle of nowhere. There was only a sea of loneliness, plagued by whispers coming from some unknown place. I was huddled in one of the corners of the boat, protecting myself from the strong tides, until I heard something calling me, calling my name, Thamuz. Out of curiosity I looked outside the boat and found myself with a figure floating in the water. Its skin was a blue-black color and it had three grayish eyes. Its hands were large like claws and its mouth extended with tentacles of different sizes, but it only said one phrase, one phrase that terrified me."

"What was it?" Aolani asked, visibly afraid.

"'You killed me,'" Thamuz said in a grave voice.

Tawnylon stopped eating and stared intently at Thamuz, pushing his food aside and looking him in the eyes.

"Did that figure have any special mark? Especially on the shoulder," Tawnylon asked.

"Yes, it had a circle with a dot in the middle and two horizontal lines," Thamuz replied.

"Apparently, you dreamed of Azhamat, how curious," said Tawnylon, rubbing his chin.

"Azhamat? Who is Azhamat?" Thamuz asked, confused.

"He is the creator god of our world, bringer of goods and prosperity, the last of a special lineage of gods," Aolani explained enthusiastically.

"A god? What is a god?" Thamuz asked again.

"It is one who does nothing," Tawnylon responded, looking at the ceiling.

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Aolani turned her head to look at Tawnylon, furrowing her brows in a gesture of rage, and Tawnylon shrugged looking away.

"Don't pay him any attention. A god is one who helps his creation and closely observes its prosperity, judging the process," Aolani explained, caressing Thamuz's head.

"All that is what a god does? Sounds fun. When I'm older, I want to be a god," Thamuz said joyfully.

"When you're older? You almost reach up to my chest. You've outgrown your mother in height," Tawnylon added sarcastically.

"It's true, even being only six years old, you're bigger than most kids," Aolani added.

"Way bigger," Thamuz added.

"Well, I'm full. Rest for today, son. Tomorrow we'll have to go to the elders to have them give you the test," said Tawnylon, rubbing his belly and getting up from his seat.

"I think I'm done too. The food was delicious, mother," said Thamuz, giving Aolani a kiss on the forehead.

Aolani smiled, caressing Thamuz's hair, and began gathering the plates.

Thamuz returned to the basement where he had been before, went down the stairs and sat in a dark corner. Although he had a room for himself, he preferred cramped and solitary spaces. He raised his hands to his face and contemplated his strangeness: his hands were large and looked like claws, his body was toned and large, his horns were big, as big as an adult's, and his hair was coarse and hard.

"Why do I have this appearance? Can't I be like a normal child?" he asked himself.

Then, an idea crossed his mind.

"I've seen that many people go to a small temple and start singing that god's name. Maybe if I go there, I can ask him to turn me into a normal child."

But his body was failing him. The amount of food he ingested upstairs could put any creature to sleep in seconds, but it only took Thamuz a few minutes to fall into a deep sleep.

What seemed like hours and hours of sleep could have passed, but Thamuz didn't wake up, until a drop of water fell on his head.

The coldness of the water made him jolt, opening his eyes quickly and looking at where the water drops were coming from: from above, right in the bathroom. Two voices could be heard in that bathroom, a female and a male one.

"Don't be so aggressive with me, my pelvis still hurts from that night," said the male voice.

"Don't be a crybaby, it was just a few bounces," said the female voice.

Thamuz listened closely to what they were saying, expressing some disgust and sticking his tongue out.

"They're definitely doing that again. Father always ends up screaming, though this is a good opportunity to go to the temple and ask for that little miracle."

Thamuz walked to the small opening he always frequented and, with his physical build, he was able to easily pass through it. Now outside his house, he was able to see a good view of the sky for the first time, surrounded by stars and different luminous celestial bodies, along with other nearby planets.

"It's beautiful," he said.

But his attention was focused on that small temple that people always frequented on a specific day of the week. He began to walk and looked around at the different houses that formed the settlement.

"That's the Rhaman's house, that's the Huyhot's," he said as he pointed with his fingers at the houses.

He was close to that temple now, observing how a torch illuminated its entrance. He stood in front of it and, with a gentle hand motion, opened the door. Thamuz visualized the interior: it was dark and there was no sign of life. The only thing he could see were chairs made of sturdy material that could support any weight.

He entered the temple, and right at that moment, it started to rain.

"Just what I needed," Thamuz whispered to himself.

But a clap of thunder made him jolt, and what he saw when the thunder struck almost made him die of fright: there was a man kneeling with his hands together, praying in front of a statue.

Thamuz tried to hide behind one of the chairs, but due to his large body, he couldn't do so without making a loud noise.

The man raised his head and turned it slightly, trying to locate the source of the noise, but not finding it, he returned to his position.

"Come out from there, Thamuz. Come here," the man said.

Thamuz was confused. He tried not to breathe to make as little noise as possible, but it didn't work.

"I know you're there. Just come, I won't hurt you," the man spoke again.

Thamuz had no other choice. He could leave the house and run, but that could arouse suspicion in the settlement. So he mustered courage and decided to slowly approach the man.

"How do you know my name?" said Thamuz.

"Don't you remember the voice of someone familiar?" the man asked.

"No, your voice is not familiar to me in any way," Thamuz replied.

"How can that be! I carried you when you were just a baby," the man exclaimed, turning to show his full face.

Thamuz recognized him instantly, a face he had almost forgotten over time.

"Zyten!" Thamuz exclaimed, running towards him with open arms.

"Thamuz!" Zyten exclaimed with equal joy.

Thamuz hugged Zyten, such a strong hug that he almost knocked the wind out of him.

"Boy, you're getting stronger every day," said Zyten, patting Thamuz's back for him to stop hugging.

"Sorry, I still haven't learned to control my strength," said Thamuz, letting go of him.

"It really shows," said Zyten, catching his breath.

Thamuz began to look around, noticing the different decorations and paintings adorning the temple, all seeming to be the work of a great artist. However, he noticed something peculiar: on every object was depicted the image of that god.

"What are you doing at this hour in the temple?" he asked.

"I'm praying to Azhamat, the giver of life and lord of creation. I'm praying for a small miracle," Zyten responded, with a downcast gaze.

"Did you have the same idea?" Thamuz asked.

"The same idea? Did you come to ask for a miracle?" Zyten questioned.

"Yes, I wanted to ask that god for a small thing: to make me a normal child," said Thamuz, kneeling next to Zyten.

"Well, I don't know if he'll listen to us. It's been a long time since he appeared," Zyten informed, looking at the statue.

"He'll surely appear any moment. A god shouldn't take long to respond, from what my mother told me," Thamuz said energetically, also looking at the statue.

"Didn't your mother tell you?" Zyten asked, frowning.

"Tell me what?" Thamuz questioned.

"Azhamat disappeared a long time ago in a war of gods, specifically, against the plagues," Zyten recounted.

"The plagues? Who are they?" Thamuz asked curiously.

"They were primordial gods, the first in creation. They were betrayed and confined to a dimension apart from ours, until they were freed and led a great path of destruction and death. But, thanks to the unreachable efforts of a doctor, they could be killed once and for all," Zyten told.

"They seem like pure nonsense. How could a doctor defeat gods?" Thamuz laughed.

"He was aided by different gods and entities throughout existence. One of those gods was Azhamat, and we're still waiting for his return."

"I think he may have died."

"It's possible, but we do not lose faith in him. Perhaps he's in a corner of the galaxy healing his wounds."

"So, he won't be able to grant me my miracle?" Thamuz asked with a tone of lament.

"All that's left is to pray enough, so that we can see him again, even if it's just a glimpse of his essence," Zyten replied.

"How can we pray to him?" Thamuz asked, looking at Zyten.

"Just watch what I do," he ordered.

Thamuz observed that Zyten crossed his hands, putting them on his face while bowing his head. He repeated the same and closed his eyes.

"Please, Lord Azhamat, I only ask you for something simple: make me a normal child, with short horns, pale skin, normal height and small body. I only ask you for that, please," Thamuz prayed towards the statue in front of him.

He repeated those words over and over, burying his face in his hands to the point of trembling from the continuous repetition of his prayer. Until he heard something, a faint whisper.

"Did you hear that, Zyten?" Thamuz asked, but realized he was alone.

"Zyten?" he repeated several times, without an answer, until he heard that whisper again.

"You killed me..."

"Who said that?" Thamuz questioned, frightened.

The whispers grew louder, repeating the same words, until Thamuz turned his head and saw the source of those whispers: the statue in front of him.

The statue had changed position, with its head down and its arms behind its back, as if it had been hanged. A liquid similar to blood began to pour from its head.

Thamuz observed the event and began to back away, but something stopped him: the statue was opening up, revealing a creature of grotesque proportions.

"Damned plague! You killed me!" the creature screamed.

Thamuz let out a scream of anguish and turned to run towards the exit door, hearing the creature's footsteps pursuing him. Upon reaching the door, he rammed it with all his might.

He could have been left confused by the force he had to exert and the fright the creature gave him, but he quickly got up and observed the temple. In the back, the statue remained normal, with no signs of violence.

"It can't be," Thamuz muttered.

But he had no time to reflect. The noise alerted the entire settlement, turning on the lights and alerting the guards.

"I think that noise came from the temple," said one guard.

"We must go see what that was," the other replied.

Thamuz heard the murmurs and footsteps of the approaching guards, so he ran with all his might, reaching his house and agilely sliding through the small basement opening, hiding in the darkest corner.