1 New Life

Ivan was born with very severe disease. The doctors predicted that he wouldn't live past eighteen. He was a permanent residence in the biggest hospital in his city. He never went to school nor did he ever went outside the hospital.

Luckily for him, he was born in the wealthiest family in the country. He was provided with everything that he wants, from the most expensive digital devices to the most comfortable room that the hospital has. His family even had the room renovated to make it feel "homely".

Unfortunately, due to the side effects of his illness, he was not able to process information well. It made him hard to focus on anything, and in turn, made him dumb. It took him at the age of five to speak, and it was even at the level of mumblings and incoherent sentences.

Despite all of his flaws, his family loved him very much. They doted on him like there was no tomorrow, and they will always show him with smiles and laughter. This, in turn, made him into a good person, unlike other people who were raised in a similar environment.

However, as he was never allowed to leave his hospital room, it made him want to go outside and explore the world. Whenever he sleeps at night, he dreamt that he was outside his room, rolling along the grassy park accompanied by many dogs and cats while his parents look at him with happiness.

This dream of his, in turn, made him madly obsess with animals. He spends most of his time in the hospital researching animals. He watches animal documentaries in the morning, reads animal articles in the afternoon, and in the evening he listens to podcasts discussing animals until he falls asleep.

However as he is living inside a hospital, he was never able to interact with an animal face-to-face. His family would have loved to do it for him, but his doctors strictly prohibited animals near him. He can only watch as the birds fly near his window, or stray dogs and cats passed by the road below his room.

While this did make him sad, he did understand that it was all for him. Besides, the prohibition did not make him stop thinking about animals. On the contrary, it made him love animals more.

This everyday life of his continued for more than nineteen years. Maybe the gods had noticed the love that his family gave him, or maybe it was the thoughtfulness of his caretakers, but he lived for more than what was predicted.

Sadly, for both him and his loved ones, things weren't just going to continue happily. On the evening of his twentieth birthday, he began coughing hard until blood was coming out of his mouth.

After a series of intense coughing, he died. The last thing that he saw was the worried faces of his parents and loved ones. While he died at the arms of his loved ones, there was one regret that he had.

"Until the end, I wasn't able to pet a dog…"

This was his last thought, and then darkness began to seep through his consciousness.

No parents would ever want to have their children die before them. His prompt death made the couple wept for a week. Every time they remember him, tears will unwillingly drop from their eyes.

They buried him on top of a mountain said to house a local god. It was a mountain filled will animals and had a gorgeous overlooking view to the nearby sea. They specifically chose this location to somewhat grant him of his eternal wish.

As his coffin slowly descends on his burial hole, a bright rainbow began to appear in the sky. It was as if guiding his soul to another place, to a better place. His parents wept again as they took the rainbow as a sign of his happiness to wherever he is right now.

…

Meanwhile, inside the huge mansion owned by the Mistras family, everyone is in a frantic pace. A middle-aged man was standing right in front of a double-sided door, impatience, and worry displayed on his face. Right next to him is an old couple, with the old man hugging the old woman with his right hand. Worry is also painted on their face.

The people behind them are also tense and alert. A single sound from a falling leaf is enough to disturb their solemn atmosphere. All of a sudden, a loud wailing can be heard inside the room behind the door where the middle-aged man was standing near.

Unable to contain himself no longer, he sprinted inside the room. Upon entering, he saw a beautiful middle-aged woman laying on a bed. She was sweating profusely, with her loose clothes drench in water. Surrounding her were several midwives. In her hand was a newly born baby. Noticing the arrival of the middle-aged man, a smile bloomed on her face as she lovingly looks at him.

"Elisa, do you feel any discomfort?"

"I'm fine Martin. I only feel tired. Here, I know you just want to hold him."

Martin scratched his right cheek as his thoughts were figured out by his wife Elisa. With great care, he began to lift the baby from her hands. Upon seeing his newborn child, he felt great joy and happiness.

"Well well! Finally, my grandson has been born!"

"Son, let me see the face of my grandson!"

While Martin was busy observing his newborn child, the old couple that was right next to him earlier entered the room. They were Martin's parents and in turn Elisa's in-laws. The old man is named Kris, while the old woman is named Mary. Both of them showed up behind Martin and also began observing the baby in his arms.

"Bright black eyes and some small amount of black hair! He looks exactly like Martin while he was still a baby!"

"My wife, everyone looks similar while they are still a baby."

"No! I believe he is the most handsome baby in the entire kingdom!"

"That what you also said when you gave birth to Martin…"

"Madam, I also have to agree with your statement."

"See? Even Elisa knows the truth!"

"Mom…" Elisa…"

While the young and old couple continued bickering with each other, the baby's eyes shone with glint but it disappeared immediately.