The soldiers of Eridu swept through the village.

  (*Eridu: one of the ancient Sumerian cities of Mesopotamia.)

  The villagers, who did not even possess proper weapons, were no match for the soldiers.

  The smell of blood and burning filled the village, and the brief resistance and struggle collapsed amid dying screams.

  Collars were fastened around the necks of the survivors, and all of them were turned into slaves.

  Fourteen-year-old Ella was one of them.

  She was forced to watch her parents being killed before her eyes.

  Only after subjugating one more nearby village did the soldiers prepare to return to their homeland.

  Hundreds of slaves formed a long line and marched toward Eridu.

  Ella’s grandmother, holding her young younger brother in her arms, was also among the procession.

  She held her grandchild tightly and walked forward in silence.

  “Noah, Grandmother…”

  Whips lashed out at the wailing slaves.

  Ella swallowed her sobs and endlessly repeated her resolve inside her heart.

  I’ll come back… Mother, Father… I’ll come back…

  The soldiers crossed the wilderness where the slaves had lived.

  As the desolate land gradually grew thick with greenery, the damp smell of soil and the stench of water filled the air.

  Soon, a massive river appeared.

  On the fertile land around the river, farmers were cultivating countless crops.

  Vast fields of barley and wheat swayed in the wind like golden waves.

  The slaves had never seen such enormous farmlands before.

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  After crossing the fields, an even more astonishing sight awaited them.

  A long wall, seemingly carved and built of reddish-brown bricks, appeared, and above it rose a gigantic tower that seemed to pierce the sky.

  The lower part of the tower was dark, while the upper part shone with a golden glow.

  Countless laborers were carrying bricks and materials up and down the tower.

  When the slaves stared blankly with their mouths open, the soldiers spoke proudly.

  “This is Eridu. The greatest city on earth, and a land of abundance blessed by the protection of the goddess Ishtar—

  the goddess who governs love, sexuality, fertility, and war in ancient Mesopotamia.

  You have come here for the sacred duty of building the goddess’s temple.”

  Led by the soldiers, the slaves entered the city one by one.

  Roads paved with neat granite.

  Magnificent houses that looked as if they had been cut by a knife.

  And above all, what astonished them most was the overwhelming number of people.

  An endless stream of people moving through the streets.

  For those who had known nothing but wandering scattered across the wilderness, it was a completely new world.

  The moment of awe was brief, and they were soon put to harsh labor.

  Young men and women carried heavy bricks and stones under the lash of whips, while children carried drinking water and meals.

  Ella also carried a water jar, ladling water to people as she went.

  Under the blazing sun, the whips, and the unrelenting labor, one woman carrying bricks eventually collapsed from exhaustion.

  The overseer struck her with a whip, but she foamed at the mouth and could not respond.

  She was a woman Ella knew from a neighboring household.

  Ella watched the scene helplessly, tears streaming down her face.

  At that moment, a young man threw himself over the woman, taking the whip in her place.

  “Move aside. Unless you want to die with her.”

  Lying face down, the man replied politely.

  “She is still young. It would be a loss if she died. While she rests for a while, I will work twice as much.”

  The overseer snorted and withdrew the whip.

  The woman was moved into the shade, and the man immediately ran back to the construction site.

  Ella approached the woman and gave her water.

  “Come to your senses… live. Please drink some water.”

  As Sarah drank the water in the shade, she gradually began to recover.

  Ella glanced at the man who had covered Sarah with his body.

  His words about working twice as much were no empty promise.

  He carried loads of bricks twice the usual amount and busily went up and down the temple site.

  He seemed to be a man of remarkable strength.

  ***

  One morning during the long succession of exhausting days, the overseer woke the people and ordered them to eat and bathe.

  The sacred goddess Ishtar herself was said to be visiting the construction site.

  The people, for once, were able to eat a proper meal and wash their bodies.

  The overseer ordered that when the goddess appeared, they were to remain prostrate at all times and not lift their heads.

  Soon after, the goddess Ishtar arrived at the work site.

  As musicians played their instruments, majestic music flowed through the air.

  Lying face down, Ella saw the goddess’s feet passing before her.

  In that instant, she almost let out a gasp.

  They were the feet of a woman three times the size of an ordinary person’s.

  When the musicians finished their performance, the goddess spoke.

  (Lift your heads.)

  Trembling with fear, Ella slowly raised her head.