Chapter 1: Chapter 1
A Deal with the Devil
Nothing is free in life, and that applies even more so in death.
In death, I found Hell in the form of nothingness…
So, human… what do you say, is it a deal?
Chapter 1,
"This is neither a blessing nor a curse. By all rights, you should be dead. Rotting away here in Hell for all eternity to repent for the sins you committed in life. But regardless, I have heard your pleas human Kagami Sato… and simply put, you interest me. What do you say to living life anew in a world very different from your last; one where you can express yourself truly without the need of a mask?"
The demon's words breathed life into him.
Kagami Sato, loving husband, doting father, and successful banker glared into the abyss as echoes of memories regarding the fatal crash that took his life burned into his head. His death was abrupt and untimely for a person of his status-
A man 'blessed' with nothing but highs in life.
Pushing down the painful memories, he blindly waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. They didn't, but within the abyss, he saw it. A shade darker than the surrounding nothingness, hunched over, the demon leered perversely at him despite not having a given set of eyes.
And Kagami scowled, feeling the black plane close in on him. It was suffocating, yet his heart did not beat. There was no mistaking it; he was truly in Hell. His own personal Hell derived from his only fear in life.
Being nothing.
Tense, he tried blinking away the darkness only to be met with the bloodshot eyes of his killer, followed by the large eyes of his dying son, who was coughing and choking on his own blood.
Achieving nothing.
It was a normal Sunday afternoon; they were on their way home from his In-Laws. The gentle wind whistled through the cracked window, and next to him, his beautiful wife hugged his arm while simultaneously shooting their sleeping son a smile.
The mood was peaceful, and momentarily, Kagami felt proud of the perfect life he built from the ground up. His self-satisfaction came to an abrupt halt when, in a downpour of light, the bright headlights of an adjacent car impacted him, hitting his blindside.
Dying as nothing.
Again, the bloodshot eyes of his intoxicated killer peered into his own, accompanied with the violent fury he felt when the drunk cringed and shifted his car in reverse, leaving him to die. Embraced by the darkness of Hell, Kagami's spiteful glare intensified… He wasn't asking much out of the drunk.
Just his rescue, not his wife and son too.
"So human…" the Demon announced. "What do you say, is it a deal?"
"What's the catch?"
He could feel the intensity grow in the abyss as his question left his lips, but just as fast as it appeared, it disappeared. Everything Kagami had earned in life came at a cost, so he seriously doubted that the Demon was doing this out of mere 'interest.'
A long silence hung in the void before the Demon's shadowed silhouette twisted and turned as a clawed hand-stretched into existence, grasping its stomach as laughter pounded into Kagami's eardrums. "I knew you were different from the rest, but that's the first thing you ask?"
Kagami raised an eyebrow, not amused.
Continuing, the demon's voice was icy and low. "Most people would ask, "Did my wife and son die too?" But I suppose their fates do not particularly interest you, do they, human Kagami Sato?"
Kagami's glare did not waver, his face hardened and difficult to read. "No… I'm not particularly interested at all," he said with a hint of annoyance clinging onto his breath.
The Demon hummed in response and groped its talon-like fingers at the nearby nothingness. "Hm, I understand your disregard, but nevertheless, I shall inform you of their happenings. I'm sure it'll help in your decision process."
Despite the Demon's laidback manner of speech, there was an underlying tone of sadistic maliciousness that commanded him to listen. So, despite his lack of curiosity, Kagami listened closely.
"Your wife, who was pregnant might I add…" the Demon immediately paused, watching for a shift in expression. Yet, Kagami's face remained unchanged, and it continued speaking. "…was mostly unharmed, a woman truly blessed by the others. Your son however was not quite so lucky; he had you as a father after all. He suffered a plethora of injuries, many of them being life-changing. Although time runs differently here, as we speak, he is fighting for his life. If he does somehow survive, his life will be hard, much harder than most five-year-olds."
As Kagami stood there in the abyss, the pain that most fathers would feel upon hearing such devastating news was nonexistent for lack of a better word. Rather a dulled sense of monotony throbbed in his chest as he reminisced the demon's comment of his wife being blessed by the 'others.'
"Perhaps if you beg, I'll allow you to meet him," the Demon said. "Who knows maybe that fatherly presence you've managed to fake so well might urge him to continue fighting."
Kagami stood taller and fixed the demon, he concluded, with a cold stare. Even as he was silently begging the drunk to save him; he had not once considered saving his family. And for what it's worth, that selfish thought process carried on with him in death.
They were no longer his responsibility… especially in Hell. So, pretending as though the Demon hadn't just offered him a chance to meet his dying son, Kagami released a dry grunt from his mouth and forced down the damp depression that he was feeling over his untimely death- in its place, a fiery determination to live lit aflame in his soul.
It wasn't like he had many options anyway. He was either going to spend the rest of eternity here in Hell or trust that the demon would uphold its part of the bargain.
"Now that your fun is over demon, I'd like to know what the cost of this new life is?"
He neither flinched nor blinked when the Demon's finger cupped his chin and based off the slight tearing of his skin, the Demon didn't care if it inflicted bodily harm to him. Droplets of blood fell down his neck onto the Demon's ebony claw, then to the ground, where it was promptly swallowed into the endless black void.
"Heh… you called me a Demon." It chortled a laugh as two vengeful crimson eyes brought color to the abyss. The source of malice swirling within them was enough to make Kagami tighten his muscles and clasp his mouth shut.
"The 'cost' of forced reincarnation is a simple one of a man of your status human," The Demon said, continuing. "All you need to do is survive long enough for me to show myself to you. However, when I do present myself to you, I expect you to pay me what's due. Failure to do so will result in death and your return back here to your personal hell."
The demon's hand lowered, clasping the space in front of him for a handshake.
It was silent, eerily so, and Kagami was uncertain if he should go any further. The contents of their deal were entirely unknown to him; what was expected of him when the Demon did present itself to him?
Nevertheless, with the utmost caution, Kagami stuck out his hand and gripped the Demon's hand, shaking it ever-so-slightly.
From the Western Hemisphere to the Eastern Hemisphere there are many small details that connect foreign religions- making a deal with the devil being one of them- but Kagami did not care, he had nothing to lose.
The perfect world he had built was ripped unfairly from him, and for his callous apathy in life, he was sentenced to an afterlife of endless nothingness. Suddenly, he glared into the Demon's crimson orbs, noticing the malicious glint, he ignored it in favor of gripping its leathery hand tighter.
He would live no matter what, always for himself. The veil of depression inside of him was squashed along with whatever fabricated emotions he conjured for his 'family' and tossed it away.
Eyes leveled on the Demon, Kagami wasn't surprised to see a splintering row of razor-sharp teeth stretched across its face.
"Good choice, human. Live long and await my eventual return. Remember, the world I am sending you to is one ruled by the strong, so don't die. The next time you do… not even I will be able to retrieve your soul. From here on out there's no more redo's; until next time human, Kagami Sato, I expect great things from you."
As the Demon's voice grew further and further away, until it was but a whisper, the world exploded into an overwhelming shower of white. It was blinding, yet beautiful; the type of beauty no man, no matter his skill could create let alone imitate.
Several golden gates brimmed over the endless white horizon, and when Kagami drew his first real breath, cool air embraced his parched lungs. Rejuvenated, he then took a single step towards the sea of white only for the pure world to decay into a withering grey.
Darkness clouded his senses once again, but this time it wasn't empty like Hell.
End
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Frog_Tape
Frog_Tape Kagami is meant to be callous, self-centered, uncaring, arrogant, along with a shit ton of other negative personality traits. However, although he is all of these things, fundamentally he is not EVIL.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone