Chapter 1: The Soul Reaper?

"P-p-p-please! Spare my life!"

A bare-naked man pleaded on his knees in the snow. Pleading to the man standing before him.

"Did you spare any of the innocent women and children who begged you to spare their lives in a similar way?"

The man standing before the pleading man wore a black cowboy hat, large boots that crunched the snow beneath his feet, and many layers of insulating fur clothing. He had a neatly-rolled tobacco blunt between his lips, and aimed his six-shooter at the beggar's head.

"I-I'm sorry!"

"God will judge you for your sins."

*BANG*

The man who just executed another man in the snow was the best bounty hunter of the 19th century. His moniker was 'Samuel the Soul Reaper', and he was feared by each and every bandit, plunderer, and marauder from Oregon to Massachusetts.

As Samuel turned around after looting his target's items of identification, intending to leave his body to be consumed by the winter's cold, he felt an intense chill down his spine.

*SLAM*

Samuel quickly dodged out of the way, just in time for whatever was rushing towards him to miss him and slam into the ground.

Samuel got up on both feet and turned around to see what had attacked him, but he saw nothing.

All of a sudden, the corpse of his bounty was lifted into the air by an invisible hand. As the invisible monster bit off the corpse's head, the blood from the body splattered onto its face - making its silhouette visible to Samuel.

The Monster had a face that looked like it was wearing a mask.

Samuel felt sweat run down his back and the breath leave his lungs, like some sort of invisible force was pressing down on him.

He rushed to draw his pistol, but before he could reach its hoster the monster had reached out with its free hand and clamped down onto Samuel's head.

"Shit!"

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"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah Waaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh"

'What the hell! Where am I? What happened? Why can't I speak?'

"Congratulations Mrs. Misana, he is a healthy baby boy!"

A robust midwife held a small baby in her arms as she congratulated an animated-looking woman lying on a bed before her.

"Thank goodness."

The woman on the bed sighed in relief before the midwife handed her the crying infant. The woman looked down on her new son and smiled in joy.

'Who is this? Where am I?'

Samuel was panicking in his mind, unable to adapt to his alien surroundings and new infant body.

'Is this house made out of paper? And these people… the clothes they wear are similar to those of the Issei people!'

"Mrs. Misana, did you and Mr. Kioshi determine a name for your second son before his passing?"

The midwife asked the ornately-dressed woman who had just given birth.

"Yes…"

"His name will be Kizuru… Kizuru Shiba!"