(Author: This story got approved. This will be short as it is just a prologue. Enjoy.)

Prologue: Death by Gun Fire

"Ah yeah," a teen boy laughed as he played a video game. "Lu Bu is just so awesome. He's even super powerful in video games. Every Three Kingdoms games makes Lu Bu and his skill with his halberd, Sky Piercer, the greatest enemy to fight."

Several drawings of Lu Bu performing his moves in the game were spread through the teen's walls in sequence. The drawings were so detailed, on a close look, a person could see shadows and curvatures on Lu Bu's armor as if it was three dimensional.

The teenager put away his video game and took out a home made halberd out of his closet. The halberd's pole was made of oak wood that had an steel axe with a crescent shaped blade mounted on top with a spike above the spear and a thorn of steel on the back of the axe the size of a dagger's blade.

The teenager would copy the moves he had seen in the video games he played  every day for hours. He was addicted to martial arts and even had his father give him permission to join a martial arts gym when he was seven.

Naturally, his grades were average as he focused on training his body. He dreamed of being like Lu Bu and wanted to be a strong fighter. He might even become famous by winning martial arts tournaments and be a movie star. He had barely started practicing for ten minutes when he heard his father's voice.

"Gabriel," his father called from the house. "I'm going off to work. Be sure to stop by the grocery store and get yourself some frozen meals for lunch and dinner. Also, the check from your scholarship arrived in the mail. Be sure to deposit it in the bank before you head home."

"Okay dad," Gabriel said and put away his halberd, disappointed he wasn't able to practice as much as he usually did.

He grabbed a water bottle, put on his backpack, put the check in his backpack, and ran out the door. His father honked at him in farewell and Gabriel waved his father goodbye.

He walked for twenty minutes before standing in front of the city bank. He walked inside and the security guard, Drew,  smiled at him. Gabriel had none Drew since he was ten when his father opened a savings account for him.

He went over to one of the tables and filled out a deposit slip for five hundred dollars. He signed the back of his check and stood in line, eleven people in front of him.

"Last time I bought a frozen meal of spaghetti and meatballs. Today, I'll get two frozen mini pizzas, deluxe with everything on it," Gabriel thought, growing hungry as he imagined eating the pizza. Pepperoni pizza was overrated. He was a teenager now. He needed the mushrooms, bell peppers, and other ingredients to satisfy his changing taste buds.

People screamed as a black Jeep with no license plates broke through the door. Two guys, a woman, and even a kid got out of the Jeep with shot guns.

"Now everybody get down on the ground," one of the men wearing a hockey mask shouted. "You obey our orders and act obediently and no on gets blasted to kingdom come!"

The woman aimed her shot gun at Drew and Gabriel froze in shock as his gaze met Drew's eyes before the woman pulled the trigger. The recoil forced the woman flail her arm up in the sky as Drew's white uniform displayed numerous crimson spots before they converged. Drew's body flew and crashed into the wall behind him before sliding down.

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"DREW!" Gabriel screamed and did a low kick at the woman's ankles. She cried in pain as her she released her shot gun into the air.

"You shouldn't have done that," one of the men said as Gabriel grabbed the shot gun. Before Gabriel could turn around and aim it at them, the man shot him at the back. Gabriel felt an instance of agony before he felt nothing at all and crashed onto the floor.

Gabriel could only see darkness and he could feel nothing. He wondered if this was death and hated it. He couldn't see anything as if he could not open his eyes. He had a weird feeling in his belly button, as if some tube was doing something to his body.

Time passed by and he couldn't tell how many days had passed as he constantly fell asleep. Slowly, he began being able to move his arms and legs as if he had lost all feeling before. He felt warm and wet. Very wet. It was as if he was drowning underwater in a pool. No matter what he did, he couldn't move.

Finally he felt some off the liquid flow out somewhere. Did he finally arrive in the afterlife? No one knew if heaven or hell existed, but he did believe in it as he was raised a Catholic. He felt rubber gloves grasp his head and he began squirming.

"Get me out of here!" Gabriel kept screaming, but no words came out.

After a while, enough of the liquid left and he began hearing screams.

"Push harder my lady," he heard an old woman's voice cry.

"It will be over soon," he heard a younger man's voice say.

"Why don't you deliver our baby! You can feel how much it hurts!" a young woman's voice screamed back.

"Oh crap," Gabriel thought. "Oh, this is not happening. This is definitely not happening!"

"It's a boy!" the old man cried and he heard the young man shout with joy.

"Ugh the light is hurting my eyes," Gabriel said but all that came out his mouth was a baby's wailing.

He tried opening his eyes, but was blinded by the light and decided to keep them closed.

"Light brown hair, blue eyes, and five pounds and eight ounces," the old woman recorded. "What will be his name?"

"Arthur, after my great grandfather," his new mother said. "His name is Arthur Raid."

"The Raid House has an heir to continue the lineage and family name at last," his father said in joy. "I, Gaius Raid, finally have a son after three daughters. He will become the next head of the Raid House and take charge of my trading caravans Who knows, he might even be gifted and become an immortal."

"What is he saying?" Gabriel, now Arthur, thought. "Now I am definitely dreaming. An immortal? I was going to be a great warrior! If I become a merchant, I will be able to go on a grand adventure but not as a warrior. This can't be happening!"

MAIN PAGE Chapter 1: Child of a Merchant