"MWA HA HA HA, FINALLY IT'S FINISHED! I'M GENIUS! HA HA HA HA HA... ARZ!"

*SLAM!*

"HEY ARZ! WHERE ARE YOU, BOY?! COME HERE!"

I let out a sigh when I heard father's shouting.

(What is it this time?)

"COMING," I yelled back.

Leaving the unfinished laundry, I entered the house through the back door and went straight to his study in second floor. There I saw the door was wide opened and my father, the big bearded man, was examining a crystal-like thing under the sunlight next to the only window in the room.

Upon a closer look, the door were full of small cracks. I think it was only a matter of time before it broke, again. I couldn't help but to make a bitter smile.

(You should restrain yourself from slamming the door each time, you know. As I will be the one who will have to repair it while enduring your endless complaint later.)

"I'm here, father," I said, letting him knew that I have arrived while making a courtesy bow in front of the door.

"Hmph! What took you so long, boy? Nevermind. Come over here," he said without looking at me. His eyes were still fixated to the crystal.

"Excuse me," I said and entered the room. It was the study of my in-famous father, the place where I always had an uneasy feeling no matter how many times I had been inside. As countless diagrams and notes were scattered on the floor, I had to watch my every step.

He finally turned his gaze when I was close enough. Wide grin was all over his face.

(Uh, stop it. You'll make babies cry with that creepy smile.)

But of course my thought didn't show on my face. I'm somewhat well-trained in making a facade smile since my previous life.

"Look, Arz! I finally able to make it," he said, pushing the rainbow-color crystal of a baby-fist size before my eyes, it was so pretty.

"Behold! This is the legendary artefact, a ! Praise me, for I'm the true genius who can recreate the legendary artefact! Mwa Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha..." he exclaimed and laughed to his heart's content.

"I see. Congratulation, father," I complimented.

"However, may I inquire what is so special about the artefact?" I followed with a question.

Father immediately stopped laughing and gave me a piercing glare. (Uh-)

*Smack!*

"Auch!"

He hit my head, it hurt.

"Stupid boy! How could you, son of the great me, the best soul-mage master in the whole continent, don't even know what a is? Blasphemy!" he complaint with an unhappy face.

(That's, uh, because I prefer to learn than ? Since it has more practical usages... But I can't tell him that, it will only hurt his pride.)

I scratched my head. "My apologies, father. Please enlighten this stupid son of yours," I said with a wry smile.

"Hmph! Of course. Listen, is the key to every man's dream," he explained. His eyes were then sparkling and the stupid grin returned to his face. "Do you know what is it?" he asked.

"Uh... to become an adventurer?"

*Smack!*

"Auch!"

"Stupid boy! Why would the great me want a trivia dream like becoming an adventurer?"

(Hey! Don't insult other people's dream just because you don't want to!)

"Then... to have a harem full of beautiful girls?"

*Smack!*

"Auch!"

"I'm satisfied with your mother alone, and I won't remarry any other woman no matter how long she will have passed away," he claimed and crossed his arms, still dissatisfied with my answer.

(Uh, if it's about you then say so from the start. But, hmm, what could it be? Every man's dream... Something that father wants and other men want as well...)

I examined his face, trying to find a clue.

(...! Ah, if I remember correctly, he told me once his dream, didn't he? But, that dream, is that even possible? Well, it's within his area of expertise, so...

(...

(... But still, seriously?)

"Oh, it seems you have figured out something," father concluded from the change of my expression.

"... Could it be, immortality?" I tried answering.

"Mwa Ha Ha Ha Ha...  that's my boy," he laughed and messed my hair with his hand.

"Seriously, father? Immortality?" I asked, still found it hard to believe.

"Yeah. But it's too late for me, so I'm giving it to you," he replied. "Come over here," he said while pulling my arm to a chair.

I followed his lead and sat down. "What do you mean by too late, father? Why?" I asked again.

"Hmph! Can't you think anything by yourself, boy? I no longer wish to live forever, not in a world without your mother. Is that clear enough for you?"

"Y- yes!"

(Father... to think you love mother so much...)

"Sit still. This may take a while so bear with me. Now, hold this!" he commanded, passing the into my hand.

Father took a thick book from the table and stood in front of me, opening its pages until he found what he was looking for.

"Ready?" he asked.

I took a deep breath before answering. "Yes."

Then he started to chant in an unfamiliar language.

As I have nothing else to do, I took a better look at the big man standing before me. I then realized how times had flown.

(Father, you have grown old in these years, haven't you? I still vividly remember when we first met.

(... Annoying as you are, I still owe you this second chance you have given to me. Thank you, I'm very grateful to you. Although you probably never know, but I originally wasn’t from this world. I died in a young age due to a chronic disease in my previous life. Not long after I died, a vortex appeared in the sky and my soul was being pulled in. The next moment I realized, I had been reincarnated in a baby’s body. This body.

(People said you had performed a miracle back then, reviving your already dead son using . I understood, it was my soul that entered your son's body instead. I don't know the original soul who is supposed to be your son, but I wish him the best place in afterlife. For me, I plan to use this second chance to the fullest and life a long live this time.

(And today, you suddenly said you’re going to give me immortality. To me, who yearn for a long live, it was the ultimate gift I can never hope for. I promise I'll try to pay you back in this lifetime somehow. I promise, even though dealing with you can be such a pain at times.

(Or rather, most of times.

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(No, almost all the times.)

*Sigh*

(Being unreasonable is a part of your traits after all, isn't it?

(... Wait, come to think of it, I've never heard the details of what we’re doing, did I? How exactly the is related to immortality? Also, didn’t it just complete a moment ago, then doesn't it mean it has never been tested before? Uwaah, don’t tell me, he is using me as a guinea pig? Seriously?

(Not good. He is the type who act first and regret it later. Even mother's death was indirectly caused by one of his experiment, wasn't it? Definitely not good. I have to stop him now!)

As my uneasiness increased, I tried to find an excuse to quit. “Father, I’m not feeling well. I think we should stop now- Father...?”

He didn’t respond, his eyes were focused to the book while his mouth kept on chanting. He probably didn't even hear me.

(What a concentration. He is seriously trying to turn me into an immortal, isn't he? May be... I should try to believe him, just this once.)

All of a sudden, the gem I was holding began sucking my mana at fast rate.

"Uwaah-."

I tried to let it go in my surprise but couldn't. It sticked on my hand. Fortunately the suction didn't last too long and stopped after draining more than half of my mana. Nevertheless, I was drenching in sweat and panting heavily.

Before I could take any break, however, the gem was now started to glow. It got brighter and brighter each second I had to close my eyes.

When the blinding light was gone, so was the . I looked around to see if it fell from my hand somehow, but it was nowhere to be seen. It vanished without trace just like that.

"Mwa Ha Ha Ha Ha," father suddenly laughed, made me jumped from the chair. "That light, it has been a big success!" he exclaimed, showing his not-so-white teeth with his wide grin.

"What has?" I asked to confirm.

He raised one of his brows. "What, you ask? The spell of course. Now that your soul is bound to the , you will no longer age and even if you're killed, the bound shall bring you back to life. In short, you're immortal now, boy. Say, do you feel any difference?"

I looked at my body, checked both my hands and tried to circulate my mana flow. "Nothing as far as I can tell," I finally replied.

"Hmm. Is that so?"

(But still, won't age, huh? It means I'll be stuck within this teenager body forever? Uh, if only I know it before, I want to postpone the soul binding ritual for several years until my body is fully grown as an adult. Oh well, it has been done now.)

Looking up, I found father was silently observing me while caressing his beard. An uneasiness returned to me at once, creeping out from the stomach to the other body parts. "Uh, father...?" I asked in low voice.

"Hmm."

After deciding something, he turned and walked to one corner of the room. From the cabinet there, he took out a... knife?

"Wait, father, what are you planning to do with that knife?"

"Hmph! Isn't it obvious? I'm going to give it a test to your immortality."

"You, what!? No, father, stop it, we don't need to go that far, right? Stop!" I said, taking a step back against my approaching father.

"Mwa Ha Ha Ha Ha, what are you afraid of, boy? I told you the spell was a success, didn't I? Don't worry, you will return to life before you know."

"No thanks!"

I turned and run to the exit. Only to feel disorientated after my first step and fell to four.

(Uh, father, to think you even use a mind attack. Are you that determined to kill me?)

I tried to resist and fought it back. However, it was several times stronger than his usual mind attack in my training session. My head became a bit clearer but the rest of my body were still beyond me to control. I could neither lift a finger nor sound a word no matter how much I tried.

"Mwa Ha Ha Ha Ha, what a strong resistance. As expected from my boy," he said. Squatting down beside me, he continued, "It's alright, the great me guarantee. There's a possibility the soul bound effect will wear off after you died once. But don't worry, I can now make as many as I want since I have figured the materials and method."

He grabbed my shoulders and rested my back to a table's foot. Then without further delay he stabbed my chest, piercing through my heart.

(UWAAAAHHHH!)

I screamed in my mind as my voice wouldn't come out. The stupid father forgot to lift his mind attack on me.

(Uh, not again. To think I will experience the painful dying moment again at even a younger age than before... I curse you, father. I know I should never believe in you in the first place. Uh. Now it has come to this, I just hope your theory is right...)

Father pulled out the knife and blood gushed out from the opened wound. He then dragged a chair before me, sat down and looked at me expectantly.

I didn't know how events should unfold in father's mind, but I could feel warmth was leaving me as moments passed, starting from the feet. This was a familiar process to me. When the warmth finally left my cantel later, I would die. My soul would leave the body and I would be able to see it from above, before I had to go eventually. At least that was how it went before.

I thought the feeling of powerlessness in my last moment was the worst until now, but then I found the fact that my father's loud snore annoyed me even more. Yup, the stupid father dozed off while waiting my supposed to be revival, which never happened. I really wanted to kick his head hard.

I was never revived, as I was never dead in the first place. The warmth had left me completely hours ago yet I didn't lose my consciousness. My five senses were still working, although I no longer had control over them. This is the true effect of a soul bound, I think. I wondered how father would fix this mistake, if he could.

"Yaaaaw~n..."

(Oh, wake up at last, sleepy head.)

Rubbing his eyes, he said, "It's so refreshing, how long did I sleep?"

"ARZ, WHERE ARE YOU, BOY?" he looked around and stood up. "Hmph! Leaving the door and window opened when it's already dark outside, what is that brat doing!?"

"HEY ARZ!" he called again before started walking towards the door. It was then when he stumbled over my leg and caused my body to slip from the table's foot.

*Thump*

Now laying on the floor with a side, I could only see the floor line. In the corner of my eyes, father was looking at me with widened eyes and a hung jaw.