Chapter 13 : Tiredness and the Choice of Mortality
Sam had not realized when the fatigue began to show.
It wasn't weakness—
it was exhaustion of the soul.
Meera noticed it first.
He sat at the dining table, coffee untouched, eyes distant. His posture was perfect as always, but something about him felt… absent. As if his body was present, yet his thoughts were wandering somewhere far darker.
Meera placed her hand on his arm.
"Sam…" she said softly, concern slipping into her voice.
"What's going on inside your head? You don't sleep anymore. And these past few days… you barely come home."
Sam didn't answer.
For a moment, the silence stretched uncomfortably.
Then Ruhi walked in.
She looked at her father closely, tilting her head.
"Papa…" she asked innocently,
"Why do you look so serious all the time? Are you hiding something from us?"
That question hit deeper than any blade ever could.
Sam exhaled slowly.
"It's nothing, princess," he replied, forcing a small smile.
"Work was heavy at the office. That's all."
Ruhi narrowed her eyes, clearly unconvinced.
Sam hesitated—then gestured for both of them to sit beside him.
He lowered his voice.
"Listen carefully," he said.
"Your papa isn't going anywhere."
Ruhi blinked.
"Really?"
Sam nodded and smiled a little wider.
"So… is papa's princess angry with him?"
Ruhi shook her head eagerly.
"No."
Sam leaned closer, playing along.
"Then what does the princess want so she can be happy?"
Ruhi grinned mischievously.
"One chocolate," she said.
"Okay—fine. One chocolate is enough for today. But remember… next time one won't be enough."
Sam immediately pressed his palms together dramatically.
"Yes, yes. Forgive me, my mother."
Ruhi burst out laughing.
Even Meera smiled.
For a brief while, Sam stayed present.
He spent time with them.
Talked. Listened. Laughed.
Then he stood up.
"I'll be back soon," he said calmly.
"Just some work."
Meera watched him leave, her smile slowly fading.
She knew.
This wasn't just work.
The Next Step
Deep beneath the city, in a place that no map recorded—
Sam stood alone inside his private laboratory.
Ancient runes glowed faintly along the walls. A holographic DNA spiral rotated in the air before him, layered with symbols far beyond modern science.
Sam stared at it.
At his own blood.
He finally made the decision.
I will unlock my sealed bloodline.
Only that power—
the power of his God Slayer lineage—
could complete the Blessing of Everlight ritual.
Only that path could grant his family immortality… without corruption.
Just as he raised his hand to begin the incantation—
A shadow peeled itself away from the wall.
A figure materialized instantly.
One of his Shadow Army soldiers knelt.
"Master," the figure said urgently.
"Stop."
Sam's eyes snapped open.
"Explain."
"There is an entity observing you," the shadow reported.
"Someone watching your preparations. Someone who intends to interfere with the ritual."
For a second—
That cold fire returned to Sam's eyes.
"Whoever stands in my way," Sam said quietly,
"will die."
"I don't care who they are."
"For my family… I will not stop."
The shadow bowed and vanished.
Project: Curse of Immortality
Sam turned back toward the central console.
A glowing tablet activated.
On its surface appeared the words:
PROJECT – CURSE OF IMMORTALITY
Sam's expression hardened.
"This…" he whispered,
"was my masterpiece back when I was still human."
A hyper-genetic creation.
An artificial path to true immortality.
"It can grant eternal life to any being," Sam continued,
"but the burden… is impossible."
He clenched his fists.
"Even Meera's elven body… even Ruhi's spirit core… cannot endure it."
If he tried now—
He would kill them with his own hands.
Sam shut his eyes.
I don't even remember how I invented this…
How much pain I endured…
How many years I suffered just to survive the process.
He remembered screaming.
Bones breaking.
Soul tearing.
Centuries of agony.
"And today," he whispered bitterly,
"that immortality has become my curse."
His voice cracked.
"What kind of husband… what kind of father…
pushes his family toward a curse?"
Everyone deserved the right to choose.
Everyone deserved a natural end.
I don't want them to suffer what I suffered.
I don't want to steal their choice.
Sam inhaled deeply.
Then—
For the first time in centuries—
He made peace with mortality.
"No," he said firmly.
"I will not walk the path of immortality."
"Even if I have only a hundred years… or two hundred…"
"I will live them with them."
"As a family."
"And when the time comes…"
"I will say goodbye."
A strange warmth settled in his chest.
Peace.
Sam raised his hand.
The laboratory ignited.
Flames swallowed the console.
Scrolls turned to ash.
Every document related to immortality burned away.
Project: Curse of Immortality — Destroyed.
Sam stood still as the fire died.
For the first time—
He felt truly alive.
The next morning, Sam behaved like a normal husband.
Truly normal.
Something Meera had almost forgotten was possible.
He stood in the kitchen beside her, sleeves rolled up, completely serious as he tried to make rotis.
Unfortunately, the rotis had… personalities of their own.
One came out oval.
One looked like a broken shield.
One resembled something that should never exist in nature.
Sam stared at the pan, unimpressed.
"This is acceptable," he muttered.
Meera burst out laughing.
"What kind of geometry is that supposed to be?" she teased.
"You're fighting gods, but a roti defeated you?"
Sam turned the stove to full heat, determined to redeem himself.
Bad idea.
The pan overheated instantly.
Sam's hand brushed against it.
Sizzle.
He didn't react.
Didn't flinch.
Didn't even hiss.
Meera, however, screamed.
"SAM! Are you insane?!"
She grabbed his hand immediately, blowing on it while still laughing in disbelief.
"You burn yourself and don't even care?!"
Sam looked genuinely confused.
"It didn't hurt that much."
Meera smacked his arm.
"You're not immortal in my kitchen. Be careful!"
For some reason…
Sam smiled.
Later that day, he trained with Ruhi in the garden.
But this time, something was different.
He let her punches land.
Again and again.
Not because he couldn't dodge—
But because he wanted to see her happy.
"Papa!" Ruhi said excitedly.
"I actually hit you!"
Sam nodded solemnly.
"You're getting stronger."
She beamed with pride.
At dinner, Sam was relaxed.
Present.
Laughing.
Listening.
Meera watched him quietly.
There's still a weight inside him, she thought.
But instead of hiding it… he's choosing to live the present with us.
Maybe this is his way of healing.
Ruhi looked at Sam suddenly and said, completely serious:
"Papa… you're smiling a lot today."
"I like you like this."
Sam didn't reply.
He simply pulled both of them into a hug.
"You two are my world," he said softly.
"Don't worry about your papa. I'll stay like this."
Foreshadowing
That night, while the house slept—
Sam stood alone on the balcony, staring at the sky.
"The Curse of Immortality is gone," he whispered.
"I burned it myself."
"But someone found me… even here."
"Someone who can see inside my secret laboratory."
"This isn't a normal threat."
"And all of them…"
"They're chasing immortality."
His voice dropped.
"I don't know who you are."
"But one day… I'll find you."
"And when I do—"
"I'll end you."
A shadow stirred behind him.
Something unnatural.
Something wrong.
A presence that didn't belong.
A whisper brushed against the air—
"Sam…"
"No matter how far you run…"
"Your past will always reach your family before it reaches you."
For a split second—
Sam's eyes flared blood-red.
A cold smile touched his lips.
"Let them come."
The shadow vanished.
The night returned to silence.
But the storm had already begun.