Chapter 1: Awake
Akira Fudo wakes up and sees the darkness around him. He looked around in a floating matter and all nude. He just remembered that his best friend Ryo Asuka. No, Satan decapitated half of his body during some battle and indirectly killed his friends and family. "Why," Fudo said to himself. Foolish was he to trust and become this devil he becomes a while ago. "How could this happen?" he bawled into tears. Before he was weak, average, and sensitive; after that, he was stronger, taller, and sturdier. Now he was back to his original self, mixed with the split personality of his former and latter self, creating into one magnificent mess, Akira Fudo. His Kafkaesque nightmare was forming around him and below he saw a whirlpool of darkness mixed with screams and debris. He tried to swim away alas it swallowed him. He was still crying like before, never finding and hiding away from his transformation and his morals. "Fudo-san," a voice spoke, "do you know why you are here?"
"I don't know," Fudo still crying.
"Pardon?"
"I really don't know! All I remembered was that Satan sliced my head off!"
"Is that-"
"Yes! God or whatever being you are, I blame myself for becoming something monstrous." Again crying.
"I see. Well, let me tell you and it has been 2 years since your death."
"It can't be. Impossible!"
"Do you want to know what happened to Ryo Asuka before you parted ways?"
Fudo felt betrayed and distrustful of that brat 12 years ago, after killing his newly found pet in the rain. His senses overwhelmed him to the point of breaking down. "Where is he?" he screamed, "Where is Asura?"
A bright screen formed in front of him. What he saw was horrendous; the surroundings around Asuka were tarnished. Fudo thought Asuka was wealthy, but in fact, he was not. From a broken family, and nothing to live for, watery teardrops formed around the screen, showing Asuka's crying. Like Fudo, he was alone and nothing to live for. The only difference was that Fudo had something that kept him alive, Miki Makimura. Although dead, she was the light that kept Fudo moving. He, on the other hand, did not have someone. Few minutes in, a cliff was overhanging the backdrop. The waves heavily pounded the rocks below and turning the other side was industrial columns and dilapidated buildings that cornered him. The invisible bullet that struck Asuka was being alone and he took the first leap before the screen faded to black.
"Are you satisfied?"
"No." Again crying.
"I have seen your battles against Satan and unfortunately both of you and Satan lost the battle. You died and he wept. Never have I ever seen my fallen angel weep. Divine comedy, isn't it?
"What is wrong with you? Are you a sick god or something?"
"I'm not God, rather your consciousness. All those pent up feelings, thoughts, secrets, and et cetera of stuff are your thoughts from the past, present, and future. You should not blame yourself or me. Events happen so let it happen."
Disturbed by his calm demeanor, Akira contemplated with his words. What does this mean? Why is he nice to me? Does he know how I feel? How is he me?
The voice spoke again, "Well then. Since you are here, I want to make it up to you. There is this female being that needs to be taken care of. Unfortunately, she escaped and I need your help. Given that you undoubtedly surprised me and Satan and the universes, you are worthy of redemption. And you are, or were, the one that can do this. I need you to be my reaper."
"Reaper?" He stopped crying.
"Yes, my reaper. While watching my creations, I stumbled upon this place called the New World. Fast-forward five hundred years, I discovered something similar to devilmen, like you. The people who are hired to be reapers are called in Spanish, sicarios. Humans even made a film about them. Anyway, they take care of the world's problems around one's society and are fully integrated into others while striking fear into their enemies. Alas, they only stabilize for evil purposes. I thought that if you were part of them, it would be a nice humanistic contribution for a change."
"So you want me to be your reaper or sicario?"
"Yes. And your task will start now."
Akira Fudo opened his eyes and realized he was inside an airplane. In front of him was a screen, and on his right was the window. Two people in the row were sleeping on his left. He was fully dressed in some suit with the same hairstyle and body complexion after his transformation in the past. He felt something in his pants; from his right pocket, he pulled out a smartphone and his passport. He turned it on and it was 9:22 AM and he just unlocked his phone unknowingly. Akira then checked his other pocket and it was his wallet. He opened it and it was full of US dollars, cards, and a Japanese license. Akira looked at his license and it said his name: Akira Fudo. He did not know what the hell is going on and suddenly got a splitting headache. A headache of a lifetime: a migraine-like feeling of euphoria, sadness, and pain. It was memories of his past life, or clips from special moments: the ones with mom, dad, Taro, Makimura, Kuroda, Wamu, Gabi, and others. His palms palpated, his heart pounded heavily, his head sweating, and his whole body in total shock and then he passed out.
Waking up 12 hours later and he was the only passenger on the plane. He quickly exited the plane before two police officers approached him. "Passport, please," one of the officers said. He gave his passport to them and the officers looked carefully at it as if they were looking through a magnifying glass. Again, the same officer asked, "Are you Akira Fudo?"
"Yes," Fudo said confidently, not trying to provoke them.
"I'm terribly sorry but you have to come with us. There are others like you waiting."
