A selfless sacrifice to an ancient god gives a bitter slave a reason to live and a baby to raise. The blood awakening of an ancient god strikes a cruel bargain with a slave named Julian: an innocent life in exchange for extraordinary powers—ones he must use to protect a helpless baby in a cruel and violent world! Sold into slavery, Julian has known nothing but pain. All that changes when he experiences kindness for the first time.

But fate has plans for Julian when an ancient god bestows extraordinary powers upon him that he uses to protect his charge, the baby Diana. For a brief time, Julian and Diana know peace when they settle in the home of a towering knight named Angvall. But then rumors of a foul monster murdering villagers prompt Angvall to track it down with the aid of an old hunter whose son has been snatched by it. But there’s more to this monster than it seems, as Julian finds out the hard way when he joins the battle.