Matan was the name given to the Eternalist by his grandfather Baalhannon when the boy was born. And he was born long before our era in the beautiful city-state of Carthage. Now this country, once envied for its wealth and splendor, is considered a vanished city. Only pathetic ruins and heroic myths remain of its former greatness. However, in the year of Matan’s birth, Carthage was at the height of its economic power and world fame, and its breathtaking beauty was legendary. The advantageous geographical location of the city-state favored the successful development of trade and was one of the reasons for its power and prosperity.

The entire perimeter of Carthage was surrounded by imposing walls more than thirty kilometers long. Behind this impregnable hulk of stones were cozy streets lined with fruit trees and fragrant flowers. The plants were carefully cared for, as the Carthaginians believed that the fertility gods would help them to be fertile in all areas of life if they treated the plants with respect and reverence. Even the market squares, decorated with exquisite statues and huge vases with a variety of exotic plants, were more like open-air museums than places of commerce. The majesty and opulence was evident in all the buildings of the city, from the magnificent temples to the luxurious dwellings and palaces.

This beautiful city-state with unlimited opportunities was a real dreamland. The empire, prosperous and technologically advanced at that time, attracted a great number of foreigners who wanted to get rich and change their lives for the better. One of those eager for change was Matan’s grandfather, the Phoenician Baalhannon. Being an ambitious, enterprising young man, upon his arrival in Carthage, he quickly realized what he could profitably invest his late father’s inheritance. Without thinking long, he spent all his capital on the construction of a five-story house. In those days, such buildings were just beginning to come into use and enjoyed great popularity among the stream of fortune seekers. The rooms of high-rise buildings were rented out or sold to the newly arrived residents of the city. So Baalhannon’s investment quickly paid off and brought him a substantial profit.

- Opportunity is seen by those who look with the heart, because success without passion is impossible,” Matana’s grandfather believed.

His “passion” for achieving the goods of life did not end there. With the proceeds from the sale of his house, he hired the best Phoenician engineers and designed the city’s first high-rise apartment building, which not only had a sewage system, but also a separate toilet and bathroom. These innovations, unusual at the time, gave Baalhannon a competitive advantage over other real estate developers. The commercial success and demand for his housing exceeded all expectations. The townspeople liked the new comfort provided by Baalkhannon’s luxury homes. Thus, still quite young, Matan’s grandfather earned his first large capital, becoming an honorable and respected citizen of Carthage. But his personal self-determination did not end there. Being a man of good judgment, he realized that a rope tied twice is stronger. So he started looking for a decent wife. He needed a good rear, and Baalkhannon took the choice of a future life partner seriously. He personally met and talked for a long time with potential brides. Baalkhannon was not looking for passionate love, he did not believe in the longevity of relationships built on ardent but fleeting feelings. Therefore, Baalhannon took a girl who was not the most beautiful, intelligent, talented or seductive. Her appearance was unremarkable and her abilities were average, but she had a sober outlook on life and was devoid of romantic prejudices, for which Baalhannon had neither time nor desire. Her name was Sophonisbu. And she was the daughter of one of the most successful merchants in the city.

- Love, like a precious stone, should be a profitable investment, not wasted on empty emotions like dust. Only then will you have profit,” Baalhannon would later say to his only son Mahon.

And his investment was indeed quite successful. Although Baalhannon and Sophonisbu had a marriage of convenience, the couple got along very well. They both had enough emotional maturity to base their relationship not on feelings but on mutual respect and understanding. Therefore, their union turned out to be not only mutually beneficial, but also very strong. But that was not the only thing Baalhannon could be proud of. Seeing the growth of the Carthaginian fleet and port, and realizing that important sea routes converged to Carthage, he invested all the capital in his father-in-law’s business and engaged in trade, buying several fast and reliable ships. Again Matan’s grandfather did not fail. Now his merchant ships brought the best products and raw materials from different countries. Baalhannon’s family warehouses were filled with exquisite and fragrant wines from Rhodes, delicious oil from Sicily, high quality Spanish silver, various fabrics from Malta, decorative glassware and incense from Egypt. All the activities of Matan’s grandfather led to the fact that the long-awaited grandson was born in the beautiful palace of a very rich and influential family of a prosperous state.

Matan’s birth was a turning point in Baalkhannon’s life: he turned from an emotionally cold man into a loving and unusually tender grandfather. Adoring his grandson with all his heart, Baalhannon was extremely strict and reserved towards his own son, believing that if he brought up the boy as a real man, ready for any difficulties in life, it would be a manifestation of true paternal love. Therefore, he never spoiled his only son with excessive attention, parental affection or special care. Nor did he forbid his wife to do so. The privileges of a rich heir also bypassed Magon. Living in a luxurious palace, he was brought up and lived in almost Spartan conditions.

- Temporary renunciation of material goods is a technique of discipline that is a solid and reliable foundation for the future building of your life,” Baalhannon taught his son.

But Magon did not share his father’s point of view and certainly did not accept such a “Spartan” display of love. The young man did not want to give up the material benefits he could get as the only son of a wealthy father. The authoritative and powerful Baalhannon simply forced Magon to obey his parental dictatorship. On such a harsh “foundation” of upbringing, a rather cold relationship between the son and his father was built without any signs of trust.

The exact opposite was the bond between grandfather and grandson. In Mathan’s presence Baalhannon opened like a flower in the warm sunlight. He gave Matan the love that had been locked inside his heart for many years. The boy bathed in his grandfather’s care and attention as if in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, which caressed the lands of Carthage.

Fortunately or not, Baalhannon’s sudden transformation did not hurt his son’s feelings. Magon, as his father had taught him, took a practical view of the situation. Having no parental affection for Matan, he was grateful to Baalhannon for removing the yoke of paternal duty from him. It wasn’t that Magon found it difficult to show his feelings. It wasn’t that he didn’t love the son he’d had from a woman he didn’t love.

- Why doesn’t daddy love me? - Matan often asked his grandfather

- What makes you say that?

- He never smiles at me.

Little Matan was deprived not only of his father’s smile, but also of his mother’s. Magon’s wife was so busy trying to get any attention from her husband that she did not seem to notice her son’s presence in her life.

- Grandpa, why does mom like dad more than me?

- Why doesn’t my mom hug me?

- Why does my mom always yell at me?

Sometimes Baalhannon did not know how to answer his grandson’s frank questions and simply turned the conversation to another topic. It pained him to see how lonely the boy, still just a child, felt, so he did his best to make Matan’s life joyful and carefree. His grandfather often took him on trips, gave him everything he liked, hired him the best teachers and caring caregivers. And, in principle, Baalhannon was able to compensate for the attention Matan did not receive from his parents, until one day Magon brought a small, frightened, unfamiliar girl named Alice into the house. That day was the last time Matan saw his grandfather. In an icy voice, Magon had ordered the servants to pack their belongings immediately and, along with his wife and son, had left the walls of the luxurious family palace that same day. Baalhannon did not try to stop Magon. He realized that it was useless and all his entreaties would only make his son angry. Magon was forced to leave his parents’ house by Baalhannon’s fatal mistake from the distant past.