1 Death... and a new Life!

-This is my first try to write a novel so please tell me if something doesn't work or should be changed!

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"mhmm... what happened? where am I?"

Ben awoke in the darkness laying on something that feels like forest ground.

'weren't we on our way home from that birthday party? WAIT! shit!!! we had an accident! we crashed into a tree! right? Damn it, little sister! I hope you survived!'

He massaged his temples while he got up trying to find out where he is he looked around. But he could barely see what was in front of him he just walked in a random direction with his hands in front of him to not bump into a tree. He walked for what feels like hours till finally...

'huh? Concrete?'

"A road? YES HAHAHA! Now i can just follow the road and maybe i get out of this damn forest!"

He yelled out happily wanting to jump around in joy! He walked on happily humming a song he heard on the radio not too long ago. Ben was astonished he still couldn't see much.

"Wouldn't my eyes get used to the darkness?" He questioned himself quietly afraid that he could miss the sound of someone or something.

What also wondered him was that there was absolutely no sound. No animals no wind nothing just complete silence.

First, he wanted to use his smartphone to call for help or use it as a flashlight but there was just a coin in his pockets but he had the same clothes on as before he died. Black pants his usual white shoes and a black sweatshirt but his wallet and phone were nowhere to be seen.

'Now that i think about it, i am so calm! Wouldn't i normally freak out i situations like that? I mean i even freaked out that time i couldn't find my phone? Well, i don't care let's just find someone to ask!'

As he walked down the road for something around 20 - 30 minutes he heard a sound but he couldn't really figure out what it was but it came closer and closer. After a while, the sound was close enough that he recognized it so he turned around and looked for the sound of it and what he saw surprised him!

"Lights? this can't be, right? First nothing and now a car?"

He wasn't sure what he should do now should he hide or try to stop the car? Call out for it? This was too suspicious so Ben decided to get off the street and hide behind some trees in this darkness no one should be able to see him! he hid behind a quiet thick tree around 20m from the road and waited. As the car came closer his heart started to beat louder and louder. As it was just 200 meters away from him it slowed down. It wasn't a car but a Pickup truck. Ben nearly freaked out in his hideout sweat formed on his forehead and he didn't know what to do! Finally, the car stopped right in front of him!

The door swung open and a person came out. As the figure stepped into the light of the car Ben got a clear view. It was a tall and overweight man with black pants and a white shirt but ben couldn't see the face well.

The man made a gesture for Ben to get into the Truck. Ben hesitated for a while this strange man clearly knows he was there Ben does not know what would happen if he gets into the car.

'that's how horror movies start! No way i go with him! But do i really want to walk around in this dark forest? And actually, i was looking for someone to ask!'

So Ben took a deep breath and stood up.

"Hey! Who are you? And where is this? And where are you going?"

Ben asked with an unsure-sounding voice.

"You died right? And I'm here to pick you up! So get in first there is plenty of time to chat!"

The man answered in a familiar voice as he walked to the side of the truck and climbed in again.

Ben just shrugged his shoulders and slowly walked to the car. He took a deep breath before he pulled the door handle and sat down next to the man.

"Got my money?" the man asked in a friendly tone.

"In your right pocket!" he added before Ben could ask what he meant.

Ben took out the Coin and hold it in front of him as the man snatched it away from him and put it in an old wooden box between the two seats.

As Ben looked over at the man, he was so surprised that his eyes nearly popped out!

"DAD?!"

"So, that's how i look for you? I'm what the humans call the ferryman! But just call me Charon, please! Every human sees me in another appearance mostly a familiar person or just the skeleton out of the mythology and yes this Road that you see it is the River Styx that also looks different for each person."

"What happens now? where do you bring me?" Ben couldn't help but ask.

"I bring you to the court there you will be judged!" The man answered with a serious voice now.

'Oh shit oh shit! they will throw me into hell for sure!' ben thought.

"Don't worry! I saw your file you did a lot of good things! Remember that time your little sister cried because someone stole her doll and you just stole it back from them? All those tiny deeds count! Oh, we are here!"

Ben was a little relieved now because he did a lot of such things for his sister and his brothers. It is the task NO the duty of a big brother to make their younger siblings smile! But Ben was a little surprised he didn't even notice that they even started!

On his right was a huge building that just looked like a first-class Hotel it even has those Greek-style columns and was well lit.

Before Ben could look more the door got opened by a huge handsome man with black wings on his back. He is wearing black pants and only a Chest plate that gives a perfect view of his well-trained sixpack. But what stood out the most were his shoulder-long golden hair and the burning Sword on his waist.

"It is time to go now! Goodbye!" said Charon plainly.

"Goodbye!" Ben nodded and got out of the Truck.

Following the black-winged Angel, Ben was getting nervous. But then a thought hit him that made him smile and become sad at the same time.

'ugh... when my little Sister also died she must be here too right? But i hope not! I hope she survived somehow! YES! she must have survived!'

Wordless he just followed the Angel into a huge lobby to a Reception desk. Behind the desk sat a gray-haired old lady dressed in a white shirt with a name Sign that Ben could not read. She looked up shortly and typed something in something like a computer. After a few seconds, she looked up to the Angel.

"Room 2582!"

Ben was looking at a beautiful dark-haired Woman that got led in by an Angel who exactly looked like the Angel in front of him.

'If this is the Place where souls are judged should there not be thousands of People?' Ben was confused.

"hey! Why isn't this Place full of people?" Ben couldn't help but ask.

"There are thousands of Courthouses like this each with thousands of Rooms and time also flown different here! let's go! You can ask while we're walking it is not just a short way to walk!" The Angel answered with a calming voice that would make every Singer on Earth jealous. Ben just followed him while thinking how rich he would be if he had such a voice he surely would have become a Singer!

Just like the Angel said, this was just a short walk and he didn't even notice that they were already standing in front of 3 meter high double Doors with a Plate on it! [Room 2582]

The Angel pushed open one of the Doors and gestured for Ben to get inside. The Room was empty there was nothing but a Marker on the ground! Ben was stupified. He hoped for a real Court with a Judge and a Jury and maybe some Guards at the Doors but this was disappointing.

"So get on the Scale so that we can start!" he pointed on the Marker.

"Oh but before..."

"SINNER!" An artificial voice resounded in the room.

Before the angel could tell Ben that he has to delete his memories Ben got on the marker and got automatically judged and the floor under him vanished.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!" after that only Ben's screams could be heard.

As Ben woke up he found himself in something like an egg well that was just Ben's guess because of the form there was light shimmering through the shell so Ben turned inside to look for a weak spot or so.

'What the fuck is this again? Is this hell my prison or so? And what was that shit about sinner?' Ben thought as he banged his arms and legs against the shell. After a few minutes, he could finally hear a cracking sound and a crack appeared on his egg prison. He hammered even harder now and soon a little hole appeared and he could finally grab the shell around the hole and break parts of it off. As he got finally out he could see he was inside a cave, and more eggs hundreds of eggs.

'where am i?' He asked himself and while he was munching on the eggshell. Ben didn't know why but something tells him he has to eat them. After he ate nearly everything of his eggshell he suddenly had headaches. He finally got to look at himself as the headaches subside he was a small red humanoid creature like a red-colored goblin.

"Gwaaaaaahh" He screams angrily and kicked the egg that was next to him and cracked open.

'OH shit! sorry, brother or sister?!'

Between the shards was a creature that looked like a hairless dog with bigger and extremely sharp fangs just a little bigger than a cat but it could still reach Ben's shoulders when it would stand on all four legs. Ben gulped audibly.

'If that beast is now angry i will have a problem!' Ben looked around him for something heavy or sharp in the memories he gained from the eggshell he learned that he is a low-rank demon and this is the abyss first it shocked him but there is no time for that the eggs around him will hatch soon. He has to kill. Kill or be killed that's the way demons live. Kill and snatch the soul to get stronger!

Ben couldn't find anything like a rock or so so he grabbed another egg.

"gaaaahhh!" From his memories, he knew that demons even low-Rank like him were much stronger than humans but still this egg that he grabbed from beside him was damn heavy! He slowly but surely walked over to the still not awoken creature and raised the egg over his head with all his might.

'Now it's all or nothing! If i miss this thing will be pissed as fuck!' Ben smashed the egg down on his victim and with a crunching and splashing sound the egg exploded.

By the sight of this mess, Ben nearly vomited there were egg shards strange smelling yellow goo, and purple blood everywhere. Soon two yellowish-orange balls of light floated over the dead body.

'Yes! One stone two birds! HAHAHA!' Ben celebrated.

He quickly grabbed the two tennis-ball-sized souls and ate them.

'OH MY GO.... i mean OH MY SATAN!!! that's how souls taste? That's just WOW YUMMY!!!' Ben said wanting more as a warm and tickling feeling rushed through his whole body that made him feel stronger.

Ben eyed the other remaining eggs with a greedy expression on his face.

'As long as i am not disturbed i can eat as many souls as i want right? HAHA, now the only thing missing is a system right? is there?hmmm, STATUS! haha!'

As Benn thought it a translucent screen appeared in front of him.

[Status]

Name: Ar'ath... Saarog

Race: Low-Rank Demon

Power: 50

Magic: 0

[Craft]

'okay... that's a damn long name! Hmmm so Power must be physical strength and magic is mana? or magical power? and what is craft?'

[YES! IT IS MAGICAL POWER! IN [CRAFT] YOU CAN SPEND SOULS TO CRAFT ITEMS!]

'oh nice, it answeres in notifications so no annoying voice in my head!'

Ben jumped right back into his soul-harvesting spree!