"The monster of legend in sailor lore. An atrocious creature who no man has ever seen up close and survived to tell the tale. With eight long winding limbs longer than a warship, and a sharp beak at it the base of the limbs capable of crushing a boulder in an instant." The old man paused taking in the scared expressions of the children listening to him with undivided attention.
One child with curly auburn hair was an exception. His aquamarine eyes glitter with curiosity, and he tilts his head in confusion. "But mister, if no one's survived seeing it, how do you know what it looks like?"
The other kids glare at him for interrupting. "Now, now, children. Young Ross asks an excellent question." He smiles gently, and the children refocus on him, instantly calming down. "The answer is distance. Sailors on distant ships witnessed the monstrosity crushing whole ships, although they were too far away to get any detailed information on it. The legend says that these witnesses saw it on the horizon, and immediately changed their boat's direction to get as far away from it as quickly as possible."
Ross nods slowly, processing the answer. "I guess that makes sense." He pursed his lips in thought, clearly pondering another question. "Mister, what is this monster called?"
The elderly storyteller stands up from the tree stub he was sitting on in the middle of a small village. "The Kraken." He says bluntly. "Whether it has a name or not has been lost to time. After all, the last sighting of it was several hundred years ago. But scholars are certain it did have a name, and was as intelligent as humans, if not smarter. After all, rumor has it that the Kraken was the leader of the demon's navy."
A rolling whisper passes through the midst of the children, fear engulfing them again. Demons had been becoming far more active recently, and the children were keen enough to notice how the adults in their quaint little village reacted whenever demons were mentioned. This caused the children to learn through observation to fear demons, even though the adults typically avoided mentioning them to the young ones.
The old man chuckles. "Worry not younglings. This village is in the center of human territory. Demons would have to go through several neighboring kingdoms before they could ever reach here. You are safe." He adds to his words, realizing the children needed more comfort. "As for the Kraken, it is a monster that lives in the vast depths of the ocean. It would be impossible for it to even come here, where the only noticeable sources of water are several shallow streams that even children like you can't swim in."
The kids relax, the fright fading away. The storyteller notices that Ross is seemingly smirking, as though something is amusing. He watches the four-year-old boy waddle off, curiosity filling his mind. What a peculiar child. Nothing seems to scare him.
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Ross skips joyfully through the ankle-deep steam to the east of the village. Tall golden wheat blocks his view of the village, but he is not concerned. He knows he is stronger than any threat that he might encounter while wandering around. Not as strong as in his past life, but strong enough to beat up the bear that is currently charging at him.
Jumping up into the air, he grins at the bear's shocked expression when he sees a short human several feet above its head. The bear attempts to stop in its tracks, but it is too late. Ross's small feet landed squarely between the bear's eyes, the force of it driving the bear's head several inches into the mud at the bottom of the stream in an instant.
Ross giggles as he watches the blood pooling in the stream. "Too bad. I may be human now, but I still have a portion of the strength I had before."
He continues skipping down the stream, hearing a startled scream as a hunter from the village stumbles upon the deceased bear. Ross frowns, he was hoping it would take longer for an adult to find it, since he knows from a previous experience that this sort of discovery causes the adults to panic.
It's not like he can just walk up to them and say, 'Hey, don't worry. There's no monster in the forest killing wild animals. That was me. I was the kraken in my past life, and still have a portion of the strength from then.'
Nope, nope, nope. Definitely can't tell anyone that. He is certain they will panic even more if they ever find out a legendary monster was reincarnated in their tiny village.
Ross breaks into a full-speed sprint, the steam not doing anything to slow him down. He wants to put distance between the dead bear and himself, so no one will question him.
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A small crowd of adults formed in front of the village chief's house a few hours later. They were called here by the chief after he received a report from a hunter. Nervous murmurs are exchanged, as they try to guess what the hunter had found.
A burly man clears his throat, attempting to quickly gain everyone's attention. "Thank you all for coming so promptly. Several hours ago, Howard found a dead bear in the stream to the east of the village. Normally, this wouldn't be cause for worry, but he reports that it looks like it was killed by a single quick blow to the head that partially buried its head in the muddy bottom of the stream. The chief is deciding what to do."
A woman speaks up, her voice tight with worry. "But bears are the strongest wild animal around here. Are you suggesting there may be a monster in the forest?"
Her husband comfortably puts his arm over her shoulders. "Honey, we don't know. But we need to find out quickly."
The chief finally comes out of his house, a determined look on his face. "Everyone, for now, do not let the children leave the village. Men, you will form groups of five to search the forest to the east of the village. If you find any clues, report back at once."
His face is grim. "Do not under any circumstances attempt to face whatever killed the bear in a small group. Anything that can kill a bear with a single blow, is a threat that even a group of trained knights would have a difficult time with. Come back immediately if you find anything."