章 1: Chapter 1

I never thought I'd die like this, killed in a huge exchange of gunfire between two criminal factions who decided to do it on my farm.

My parents died in a car accident when I was 6 years old, and then I moved to live with my paternal grandfather and grandmother on their farm, which I later inherited after their passing.

And now, in my death, I am 29 years old, with no girlfriend, children, or accomplishments... simply alone with the farm animals and my dog. Damian Blackwood was my name.

And now? What am I going to do? Stay in this black space forever? Is this the afterlife, to remain alone for eternity? Or is it just me who is doomed to this fate?

"Negative, my dear young man," a voice echoes.

Damian looks around in shock, searching for the source of the voice, and asks, "Who?"

And then, in front of me, a portal made of fire appears, something I will never forget: a demon with an intimidating appearance, sharp horns on its head, red skin, and glowing red eyes.

The demon speaks to me, "I am Mephisto, one of the Kings of Hell," with a sinister smile on his face.

After calming down a bit, I respond, "And what the hell does the devil himself want with me?" I ask with doubt... am I not afraid of him? I guess after my death, I am no longer afraid of anything, as I have nothing left.

Mephisto's eyes gleam and a hint of appreciation appears on his face as he says, "I came to you in search of a faithful follower or even a friend."

I raise an imaginary eyebrow and say, "And why should I be your friend? Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror? Tsk, if you were a woman, I might even consider it, but being friends with such an ugly guy? I've seen pictures of some female versions of you, they looked pretty hot..."

Mephisto bursts into laughter and says, "That's why I like you. You speak your mind and never hold back, which drove many of your friends away." He pauses for a moment and continues, "But I won't be too pleased if you keep imagining how I would be if I were a woman!... Although that photo was indeed enticing. Perhaps I'll create a new follower with that appearance and finally have a queen by my side," he says thoughtfully, rubbing his chin.

I give him a blank stare and say, "So, Lord Mephisto, what do you want? I don't know if you noticed, but I'm a busy guy," pointing to nothing as if there were a waiting line to talk to me.

Mephisto chuckles and replies, "I have an offer for you. If you accept, I can give you what you've always desired, and you'll be quite powerful. How does that sound?"

Since I don't have a physical body, I tilt my imaginary head and say, "And what the hell would that be? I don't even know what I've always wanted. You know I had alexithymia, right?"

After my parents' death, I developed this condition. I was present during the accident, and after realizing that those responsible for it didn't receive proper punishment... it got worse. My grandparents helped me a lot with it, but they were the only ones I could feel emotions for because they were the only ones I loved and had an attachment to, besides my parents before the accident.

Mephisto nods, "You always loved your family before developing this condition. I cannot give that back to you, not even in your new life. But I can grant you the chance to have your own family. I want you to become the Ghost Rider, my greatest and most powerful general."

I shake my head negatively, "I don't want to be possessed by some crazy spirit, so no."

Mephisto replies, "Don't refuse so quickly, my young man. You won't be possessed by anything. You will be the spirit itself, and above all, you will have your physical form too." He opens his arms with a wide smile and concludes, "Isn't that splendid?"

I respond cautiously, "And why on earth would you do that? It would give me a lot of power... power to grow and be stronger than you."

He responds to me dramatically, "I was betrayed by my last Riders!! And now I need a new one. A war is raging for the throne of Hell and the positions of the Lords. Due to these betrayals, I lost a lot, and now I need significant help. That's why I'm willing to make you the greatest and strongest Spirit of Vengeance! To seek revenge on all who betrayed me! And if you wish to become a King in the future, I can even assist you, but I want us to sign a contract of loyalty between us. Not just that, I will take you to a world where you can grow well, create a family, and develop immense strength for the upcoming war."

After hearing this, I fall into deep thoughts, interrupted by Mephisto saying, "And I can give you your vengeance," with a fierce smile on his face.

I look at him with burning intensity and ask, "What do you mean by that?"

He speaks knowingly, with his hands behind his back while dramatically turning away from me, "I will send you to a world of an alternate reality, and I will also send you back to 2008, four months after the accident. The main change is that you will be 17 years old at that moment, and you will have an uncle and a cousin, which is a good start... right? And... those guys will be there too. I also brought them to this world, but they have no memory of the future."

This makes me reconsider my choice of refusing, as the guys he mentioned are the murderers of my family, a gang transporting drugs and weapons who crashed their truck into our car. And they still managed to escape even after being arrested.

In the accident, after they rammed their truck into our car, intending to divert the police's attention, they never expected that my father's car was customized.

It was like an urban tank.

My father loved customizing his cars, and that one was no exception. It was a car built to withstand a strong impact without much damage. It disabled the front of the truck.

Unfortunately, it still caused the death of my parents, who were not wearing their seatbelts at that moment. We were almost at our destination, just about 400 meters away from the camping spot we were heading to.

The guys, who were three men and two women, managed to escape during their transportation to prison and were never found.

I raise my head and look at Mephisto, saying, "I accept."

Mephisto bursts into laughter and says, "Good, then how about we negotiate?"