The immortals. They have always been around. Living among everyday humanity. Unnoticed. No one knows how they came to be. They simply are. Immortals are born just like ordinary mortals. They are men and women from every background and every walk of life. They come in all shapes and sizes. Immortals are born just like ordinary human beings but they are not.
At some point, the immortal dies a violent death. That is the First Death. From that moment on, the nascent immortal is forever changed. The nascent immortal person can no longer grow old or get sick. He or she gains the ability to heal rapidly from any injury. The nascent immortal also has the ability to sense when others of his kind are around. Immortals can live forever. The only way that an immortal can die is for his head to be cut off. Once that happens, the immortal's lifeforce, also known as the Quickening, is released. The Second Death is final.
Paris...
Duncan MacLeod was born in 1592 in the highlands of Scotland. He was an immortal. He became aware of his immortality at the age of thirty. He had already lived the life of a Highland chieftain. He was the leader of the Clan MacLeod. His people looked to him as their leader and valued him as the best among them. Duncan MacLeod was also known as the Highlander.
Duncan was not the only member of the Clan MacLeod to join the ranks of the immortals. Long before him, a man named Connor MacLeod, also a Highlander, was an immortal. Connor MacLeod left the Clan long before the birth of Duncan MacLeod. The two of them were related in that Duncan was the great- grandson of Caleb MacLeod, first cousin to Connor MacLeod. The two of them were born to a special destiny. There are many immortals out there but the Highlanders were special. They were stronger and more resilient than the other immortals. Both of them were more than mere immortal passerbys in the grand scheme of things. They were warriors battling for truth and justice. It was Connor MacLeod who defeated the Kurgan, a ferocious immortal warrior from the Russian steppes. The Kurgan had come very close to killing Connor. The Highlanders were fated to become the Guardians of the Prize. The Prize was simply infinite power. Something the last immortal to survive the Game would win. One of them was destined to win it. It was Duncan MacLeod who defeated the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. The Four Horsemen were a quartet of very ancient and powerful immortals led by the mighty Kronos.
The Highlander's longtime best friend, the immortal known as Methos was once one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Methos had once been one of those evil men before he changed his ways and joined the Watchers, a secret society of men and women who observed and recorded the history of the immortals. They had been around for a long time. Methos and Duncan had joined forces with the beautiful immortal Cassandra to fight the Four Horsemen. The Horsemen had planned to destroy the world by unleashing a deadly virus upon humanity. The Highlander stopped them. This was not the first time that a Highlander had fought to save the world.
The Highlanders were noted by history and legend to be the greatest warriors ever to walk the planet and the champions of justice and truth. Millennia before both Connor and Duncan MacLeod, an immortal named Kal founded the MacLeod Clan in ancient Scotland. Kal was the legendary immortal who gave the Clan his name. He was also the protector of the then-small Clan from the hordes of savages that devastated the Scotland countryside in those days. For both humanity and the immortals, the name Highlander had always carried with it a profound meaning. A Highlander was a champion for justice and truth. Something above the ordinary humans and immortals of the world. Kal MacLeod disappeared long before the Highlanders became the dominant tribes of the mountains of Scotland.
Presently, Duncan MacLeod was in Paris. He was in the gym, working out with his protege, Richie Ryan. Richie Ryan was an American youth whom Duncan befriended a long time ago. Richie had been friends with Duncan's former lover Tessa. Richie was an immortal and did not know it. One day, he and Tessa were shot down by a ruthless street gang.
Tessa died. Richie rose from his First Death. He was an immortal. Duncan MacLeod became his Teacher. He taught the young man the ways of the immortals and the skills of a swordfighter. The two of them had grown very close over the years. They had been working out for several hours. When they were done, Duncan headed into the showers.
He stepped under the jet of warm water and began applying soap on his body. He heard a knock on the door and opened it. It was Richie. Richie looked at Duncan, a grin on his handsome, boyish face.
"Got room for one more?" Richie asked.
Duncan grinned. "Sure." he said.
Richie stepped into the shower. He stood there, letting water fall on him while looking at Duncan MacLeod. His teacher had a really fine physique. Duncan worked out a lot and kept himself in great shape. He came closer to Duncan. Duncan looked at him. Duncan had always felt some attraction for his pupil but he was never sure whether or not Richie would reciprocate. Apparently, Richie was into it. They started to kiss. Richie kissed Duncan passionately. Duncan pulled him into his strong arms and Richie let himself go. Teacher and pupil looked at each other, and smiled.
