What became of the Novel's agenda?

38-4

The tension in the air suddenly surfaced in this small room. The children who were incredibly small in size were confused looking between Claude and I and Mark and Mai. Mark moved Mia's hand and told her, "Go take the children somewhere else. I'll deal with this."

"But..." Mai wanted to express her opinion but Mark shut it off by saying, "You don't want them to get hurt do you? Just go, they won't kill me."

Mai opened and closed her mouth before ultimately biting her lower lip and grabbing the boy next to her and commanded, "Lark, come and help me take the children out to play."

"Huh? Okay..."

The children left and only Mark and the two of us were left inside the room. I didn't know what to do with this silence but I really wanted to leave. Mark finally opened his mouth, speaking first.

"What do you want from us? We have nothing to give you, we're homeless children with no worth."

As Claude was the one who dragged me here, he was in charge of speaking. "Homeless children do indeed have no worth. But I'm sure you must know of this, you turned into monster and must have some recollection of the event."

Mark flinched as his mind seemed to wander. He regained focus and said, "I don't understand what you're talking about..."

He looked away, a guilty sign of lying.

"Do you remember hearing trumpets? Joyful music while surrounded by mist?" Claude continued to list incomprehensible things. "You walked down these streets within the mist, didn't you?"

Flinch!

"What do you want from me?"

"Just tell me who you saw." Claude stated while walking up to him in wide strides. His momentum was powerful and apured with his mask, it made him look terrifying to the child's eyes.

"Well..." His voice trailed off.

"Then I guess the children outside..."

"Actually! I do remember something, please don't hurt them..." He begged in a panic.

"I don't remember much but there was the voice of a woman. She kept whispering things to me... I don't really remember the rest. I felt like I was wrapped in the dark and couldn't move at all. I just thought I needed to get revenge and that was it." His eyes filled in fear and flustered, he raised his voice." I'm really not lying to you! Is that all you wanted? "

Claude didn't say anything for a while which caused tension in his muscles.

"Ye-"

As Claude finally opened his mouth to reply, a scream sounded from outside.

"AHHHH!"

"Let go of her!"

"Let go you big meanie! Let go!"

"Ahhhhhhh! What are you doing to big sis Mia?!"

"Those voices..." Realisation stuck quicker to Mark as he rushed out. "Mia and the children are in trouble, I have to go!"

After watching him run out, I asked Claude, "Shouldn't we check it out?"

But he was stood there without moving and only reacted after a few seconds. "Yes, we should... Why don't you go first?"

I felt something off about Claude's behaviour but shrugged it off. When I came out, the first thing I saw was a large beast around 10 feet tall strangling a child the size of no more than 3 years old.

"YOU'LL ALL PAY!! HOW DARE YOU DO THAT TO MARIELLE! OH, MY DEAR MARIELLE!!!" The beast howled in agony, it threw the child in the air.

"AHHHH!!"