Haniel TGV – Prologue

“Clang! Clang! Clang!”

As the bell chimes three times in a row, I woke up from my sleep.

My heart beat fast, the day has come. It means that my foster father has only a little time left to live.

I got up in my bed quickly and didn’t bother to change my clothes.

Even though he told me long ago that this will happen to him, I still feel sad.

I live in a small house next to my father’s mansion as he wished to seclude himself from everyone including me.

So I ran to his place feeling heavy.

As I arrived there are people outside his room.

Some of them were sweating while some are frowning.

They bow when they saw me but I didn’t bother with them.

I rush straight into my foster father’s room without knocking, knowing that he has a little time left.

“Son…”

As I enter the room I saw my foster father calling me.

He was lying in an inclined bed.

Beside him were an alchemist and a divine healer whom I already know, they were great masters at their own field.

While a dozen women were standing at the side most of them were crying and feeling sad.

When they saw me entering they bow and left outside the room giving me and my foster father privacy.

“Father, I’m sorry I made you wait.”

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Half kneeling, I hold my foster father’s cold hand with my two hands and look at him.

“Son, my time has come. I already taught you all the things I know. But don’t follow my footstep and live a better life.”

“This is my last wish son.”

As my father said that, he paused and look away from me.

He was a strong man but tears fell down from his aged face.

I can feel that he still has many worries and maybe some regrets in his long life.

Ever since when I was young my foster father is the only family that I have. At first I thought he was my real father but after I grow old enough to understand things he told me that I was not his son.

He picked me up in a tribe that was pillaged in war between Lords. Unfortunately, I’m the only survivor.

My foster father taught me that war is a common thing everywhere. Strong preys on the weak and if I don’t have strength then my fate is to be a pawn of the strong.

In this world that have thousands of different races, most have inferior bloodlines and some have superior bloodlines.

For me, if I want to live my life the way that I wanted to be the only way is to overcome my limit.

My master is immortal, he told me that in order to become immortal, I need to surpass my mortal body and challenge my limitation from mortals to Kings who can live few hundred years to emperor who got twice as much lifespan of a king and a Saint that is one step away to immortality.

If I become immortal I wont die of old age. At that time the only thing I need to worry about is the greed and hatred of other people and races.

Maybe, when the time comes and I become immortal we don’t know who should be worried for whom. Should I be worried or they should be worried about me?

As my foster father reminisce his life I stand up and wipe his tears in his face and said,

“Father, don’t worry about us. I promise I will respect and follow your wishes”

My father’s dull eyes brighten up hearing this. Because this is the only time that I didn’t argue with him.

Since young we always talk about philosophy and my goal in life. I always told him that I want to live like him but he always want me to have ambition.

He said that he is living an ordinary life and I should not follow him. He wants me to have ambition.

And he said that without ambition I wouldn’t even know how I would die someday.

He's a good father. Ever since he adopted me he always worry about me and treat me like his own kid.

He believe that my thinking was wrong and he has mislead me already in my path.

My master taught me all the things he learned during his prime years until now.

He was an immortal but he’s dying now because he got afflicted by Mortal’s Fang. It is not known what it is; whether it is a sickness, curse, virus or poison.

This is one of the few things that can cause natural death to immortals.

“Good, good, good kid.”

After saying this he stares at me and I know this time, this will be the last time that we will look in each other’s eyes.

“I can die in peace now.”

I hold his hands firmly with my both hands. No words came out of my mouth as I feel that his life was slowly fading away. I look at him and smile. Even though it hurts I need to make him assured that I’m fine that he can leave in peace without worry.