Chapter 1

How long have I been dead? A month? A year? Maybe more. It was all too confusing for her. I knew that I had died, but it didn't feel any different than when I'd been alive before besides growing a few inches and a foot.

I stood up and walked across the top of the building. I stopped at the edge, staring out over the vast city beneath me. Underneath my feet, the clouds curled around the tall buildings, enveloping them in gray, their color mixing with the sky's deep purple. I soaked in the view, basking in the sight of it for just a moment. A cold breeze flew past me, making the pink kimono I wore blow in the wind. Thankfully, my cap didn't blow away. I touched my bandaged face to make sure that it was still in place.

Those bandages were like a second face to me. To shield over half.

"Just like home." I mused.

But deep down, I knew that it wasn't the case.

If it was "home" then where are all the villages and townspeople? Instead, there are these huge towers or "buildings" that these people call them. There are also these weird things with 4 wheels that can go really fast which are called "cars."

"Where am I?" I questioned out loud. I felt like a stranger in a strange land.

I walked away from the ledge to gather my sense of self. If I can get that together. I hopped off the building with ease and walked through the dark alleyway, deep in my thoughts.

I took a single step into the darkness and felt a sharp pain in my head. I winced as memories flashed through my mind. Some of them were easy to recognize while others were a bit fuzzy.

"Good luck Minji." A young man wished in a memory.

"Thanks, Satoshi." A seemingly younger version of me replied.

That memory was swapped out with another one.

"You want revenge? Then you can have it! In turn for your soul!" The man laughed in the memory.

It's him! My eyes widened. I know that voice from anywhere.

I reached out to the memory before it disintegrated in front of my very eyes. I let out a scream as I was pulled back into reality.

My vision was blurry and I felt like throwing up. I quickly pressed a hand over my mouth to stop that from happening.

Calm down. You're fine. You're going to be fine.

I growled at my lie, kicking a nearby trash can as hard as I could.

No! Everything is not fine! I'm not back in the life I was supposed to be! I have weird powers for one!

And my memories…that's a whole other story.

Those things…they became foreign. It's all in disarray. Like having broken pieces of glass scattered all over the ground and being left to pick them up and put them back together again.

All I remember was that there was someone. Someone to love. Someone to hate. I was way more than I am now. Then something horrific happened which resulted in my death. Then I remembered being in a place covered with fire and brimstone. A man came to me and gave me a deal which I accepted. Afterward, I ended up here.

Damn! Why do I have to be the one to experience this?! Resurrection should be a smooth process! According to the stories that I was told, resurrection was when a person gets brought back to life after being dead and gets to keep their memories from their previous life.

Or was that reincarnation?

Well, whatever it was, having intacted memories was promised and I didn't receive that. Looks like someone got cheated out of the deal.

What was I thinking when I offered my soul? Blinded by rage and probably revenge must've been coursing through my veins.

Too bad I didn't read the fine print…

I want to die and float in nothingness rather than being alive at this moment.

My body became numb, as if it wasn't my own anymore. All the pain that I have experienced came roaring in my mind.

Why can't I just die? I don't wanna be alive right now.

After lying on the floor for what felt like an eternity, I decided to lift myself off the ground and onto my feet. My legs wobbled and I almost fell to the ground.

It's never going to end…

I continued my walk into the alleyway and took a turn which ended up at a dead end. It was like I was walking in circles. Physically and mentally.

From behind, a couple of thugs walked into the dead end too but I was too lost in my world of misery. I didn't even hear them coming.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here." One of the thugs chuckled. He took out a switchblade and threw it back and forth in his hands.

"Leave me alone." I told the thug in a monotone voice.

"Now you know we can't do that baby~" The other thug purred. "Why don't you come with us? We'll make it worth your time."

I looked at the two men in utter disgust. Those piss tanks picked the wrong time to mess with me.

I extended my hand and a white bandage came out, hitting one thug in the head. The other thug charged at me, swinging his switchblade. I grabbed his hand and gave a forceful blow to the gut. Glad my martial arts didn't get rusty.

He fell over to his side while I examined my hand. That move. It felt weird, not painful or hot. Just weird.

"What the hell am I becoming?" I asked out loud. And just like before, no one came to answer.

I grabbed the white bandage and tore it off.

The two thugs were getting up from the ground. It looks like they're still intact…for now…

I grabbed a few bricks from the ground and threw them at the thugs. I used the momentum to send them flying into a wall. The other one ran away and I chased after him. I shot out another bandage to catch the guy and it did. It wrapped around his neck and I gave a quick yet forceful yank. He let out a scream that was suddenly cut short by a loud snapping noise. His neck contorted unnaturally, and his body went limp in my grasp.

"What the hell?" The thug choked and fell to the ground.

I put my foot on the guy's chest and gave it a few good pushes. He was dead. Not that it mattered. If anything, they were asking for it.

I turned my attention back to the first guy that I had punched into the wall. His face had become severely deformed. He resembled a monster more than a human. Sometimes I don't know the source of my own strength.

I grabbed his head and snapped his neck in a single motion. The head and body were separated from each other.

I could still feel my body becoming numb. It looked like I was going through some sort of withdrawal from being alive.

Maybe this is Hell. I thought. This must be Hell.

I looked at the night sky solemnly. Wasn't looking for an answer this time. But looking for something else…

My eyes drew down to the puddle in front of me. I took off my bandages to get some fresh air. What lies behind those wraps would strike the hearts of others but was pretty normal to me. Over half of my face was nothing but a skeleton. I used the white bandages to make a crude mask to cover it up.

I traced the skeletal part with a finger, each movement making me more pissed off and confused.

"I'm a monster," I sighed. "I'm a monster and no one can save me."

I put on my bandages and walked into the darkness.

I passed by the two corpses again, not giving a care. A strange man is on one knee, checking the bodies. Of course, I paid him no mind.

"You did a very good job, darling." The man spoke.

I looked behind my shoulder. "What did you say?"

The man stood upright. He dusted his hands off and smiled. "I said, you did a very good job. Those punks didn't stand a chance. The way you took them down…it was magnificent!"

"What the hell do you want?! Who are you?!" I shouted, getting defensive.

He stepped into the street light, making it a whole lot better to see him. But his appearance…confused me.

His whole body was pitch black and covered in stars, must've been a suit or something.

He looked like a clown.

"My name is Nightfall," The idiot bowed in front of me. "A pleasure to meet you."

I looked unamused. Why do I always attract unwanted attention?

"Get the hell away from me!" I shouted, raising my fist back.

Nightfall quickly backed away. I could've probably finished him off if I wanted but I had other things on my mind.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I was trying to compliment you on your work."

"You call this work?! It's nothing but corpses!"

That idiot seemed unfazed by my outburst. He seemed to be enjoying my anger

"Why are you angry? I was simply telling the truth."

"Leave me alone." I walked away.

I could feel his eyes on my back. I didn't stop walking until I could no longer feel his gaze.

"We cut from the same cloth me and you. I can show you some of my work if you want." He called out.

I didn't respond. I had no idea what he was talking about.

"I'll be waiting for you," He said. "I'll always be waiting."

I spun around and he was gone. I looked for any sign of him. I didn't see anything.

"What a weirdo." I mumbled. Something tells me to steer away from a man like him.

After looking around for one more time, I walked into the darkness, wondering what I should do.