Tyranny of Steel



As the years went by, Berengar's health began to fade. Until finally, at the age of eighty, the reaper had kept a constant watch. At the moment Berengar was laying in a bed, within the Royal Palace of Kufstein which he had been transported to, so that the von Kufstein Dynasty's personal doctors and nurses could look after him in his twilight hour. 

Berengar was surrounded by his wives, lovers, children, grandchildren, and even a few great grand children. All of which had forlorn faces, as they said goodbye to the man who had built their house from the ground up. 

Despite the fact that he knew his time was coming to an end, there was no pain on Berengar's face. Rather, there was nothing but bliss. To be surrounded by his loved ones in the hour of his death. After a lifetime of accomplishments, that no man had ever matched before, nor any man would ever compare to in the future. It was truly a fitting end for the Great Kaiser of the German Reich. 

Currently, Berengar's hands were grasped by each of his women. All of which were nearly as old as himself, yet were much livelier. Linde was in tears, as she witnessed the man she had loved more than anything for almost her entire life slowly slip away into the afterlife. This caused Berengar to grip her hand firmly, as he used all his strength to shake his head. 

"Do not cry, my love. I am going to a better place, a realm where I will be eternally young. And soon enough, you all will join me. I have loved you since the night we were first together. And I always will..."

This did not stop the tears that Linde had, or any of his other women, for that matter. The next to hug him desperately was Adela. Who begged her husband to stay with her in this life until the day the reaper finally took her away. 

"Please... Don't leave me here all alone... Berengar, I love you!" 

Berengar mustered all the strength in his body, to stroke the woman's silky hair one last time, before assuring her everything would be alright. 

"I will await for you in the afterlife. Adela, if there is one regret I have in this life, it is how poorly I treated you. You deserved better. But I promise to make it up to you when we reunite." 

This only caused Adela to cry even more, as she hugged Berengar tightly, fearing that if she were to let go, then he would leave her forever. After Adela had said her farewell, Honoria was next. The Byzantine Princess was just as heartbroken as two of her oldest rivals. She kissed Berengar's wrinkly forehead and assured him that she would be joining him soon enough. 

"Berengar, my love, do not fret. I am sure that Linde and I will join you soon enough. Besides, you will have Brynhildr to keep you company until we meet again." 

Berengar simply smiled in response to this and nodded his head in understanding of Honoria's words. Where Yasmin then grasped hold of his head and clung to it to her bosom one last time. All the while saying her personal farewell. 

"Husband... You have always been my one and only love. I promise we will meet again soon enough. Until then, be strong, and know that I love you more than anything." 

Henrietta was next, and her goodbye was perhaps the most heartbreaking of them all. 

"Big brother, please don't leave me here without you! I have always been by your side, and I don't know what I will do once you are gone! Please don't go!" 

Berengar weakly reached out his hand and grasped his little sisters where he commented about their complex relationship, one that never should have happened. 

"Henrietta, my dear, you have always been, and will always be, my beloved little sister. But I am afraid I won't be able to protect you any longer. At least not until we meet again. Do be a good girl, until that day, won't you?" 

Henrietta was crying profusely as she nodded her head, while promising her elder brother and lover that she would remain as he said a "good girl."

"I promise, big brother, I promise you I will behave!"

One by one, Berengar's lovers and children stepped forward to say their farewells. Until finally, only his sons, specifically those who were monarchs, remained. Berengar gazed upon the boys he had raised to rule the world and his stead, and spoke of his pride towards them. 

"My sons, the Kings of this world. I gaze upon you, and all that you have accomplished, and can only voice my pride in what you have become. However, soon I will no longer be in this world to guide you the way I have always strived. So allow me to give you this one final piece of advice. No matter what petty disputes you may have in this life, remember your bond as brothers. Nothing is more important than our family, and you should raise your children to believe this as well.

So long as a von Kufstein sits on the world's major thrones, and you remember that you are of my dynasty, then I truly believe some semblance of peace can be obtained throughout the world. Hans, I am entrusting the Empire which I have built into your capable hands. Remember my final words, always...."

With this said, Berengar closed his eyes and breathed his last breath. Exiting the world of the living once and for all. Though all the women in the room cried their eyes out, the men remained completely stoic, as their father would have wanted them to. 

--- 

Berengar awoke in a grassy meadow, with the sun shining upon his face. It was so bright that he found it to be troublesome. And as he opened his eyes, he gazed upon the massive mammaries which belonged to his wife, Brynhildr. There was a warm and gentle smile on the woman's face as she stroked her lover's golden hair. 

"Good morning sleepy head, how did you sleep?" 

Berengar was immediately confused about where he was, or what had happened, and he instantly rose to his feet. So quickly, I might add, that he felt as if he were fifty years younger than when he had gone asleep. Confused about everything that had happened, he looked around to see a large and peaceful plain, where animals frolicked and trees grew to monumental heights. Not knowing where he was, or how he had gotten here, Berengar was quick to ask the gorgeous valkyrie what had happened. 

"Where am I? Where are the others? What has happened?" 

There was a warm and gentle tone in Brynhildr's voice as she stood up and held her lover's hand. While explaining to him what this world was, and where he had gone to. 

"This is your own personal afterlife. The one that the all fathers promised to you so many years ago. Do not worry about your family. Though they grieve for your loss, your wives and lovers will be joining you shortly. Until then, I suggest we get started. After all, it would be pretty embarrassing if they were to arrive and witness the sorry state of this world. 

Berengar took another glance around him, before asking the question that immediately came to his mind. 

"Get started? On what? There's nothing here!" 

It was only now that Berengar caught his reflection in Brynhildr's ice-blue eyes, and realized that he was a young man again. The way he was when he first was transmigrated into his second life. Bewildered by this state, he was about to ask another question, when his lover answered his previous one. 

"Exactly! There is nothing here! This is exactly what you wanted, isn't it? A place you and your family can call your own, one which you can build to fit your greatest desires? It is a new life, an eternal life. And everything that your eyes gaze upon is yours by right. You are free to do with this world as you wish." 

Upon realizing that this afterlife was completely devoid of any civilization, or structures, and was essentially a sandbox which Berengar could shape to his liking. The man chuckled as he shook his head. He took one look upon the vast and fertile world that was now his own, before expressing his thoughts aloud in a tone that was filled with both bitterness and excitement. 

"And so our story begins...." 

----

PLEASE READ

I wanted to take a moment to thank you all for reading my first real attempt at a novel. It was a long process, and I learned so much from the experience. Currently, I am writing another novel, which is what one might call a spiritual successor to Tyranny of Steel. And if you have not already, I suggest you check out Interstellar Age. 

While this chapter is the official end of Tyranny of Steel, I wanted to let you all know that I will be releasing a monthly side chapter about Berengar's exploits in the afterlife for the foreseeable future. So if you want to see Berengar, reunite with his loved ones, and build a new kingdom from scratch that is populated entirely by his family, then there is still some content for you to look forward you. Thank you all so much for your support over the years. And I hope to write many more stories for you all in the future!