Rintaro opened his eyes, finding himself engulfed in complete darkness. His body felt weightless as if it were floating in a void. The silence was deafening, but his breathing was loud in his ears. Slowly, he stood up, his legs trembling beneath him.
"Where... am I?" he muttered, his voice echoing in the empty expanse.
As he adjusted to the darkness, a faint light appeared in the distance, illuminating a strange scene. Two figures sat at a table, playing chess. One of them exuded a dark, ominous aura. Its body was skeletal, and its face was nothing but a grinning skull. The other figure radiated an ethereal light. It had angelic wings that shimmered with a soft, white glow, and its face was partially obscured by the light surrounding it.
"Hey," the angelic figure said, its voice calm but curious. "Is someone here?"
The skeletal figure, the God of Death, turned its head sharply toward Rintaro. "Huh? A human?" it rasped, its hollow voice resonating. "Why is there a human here?"
Rintaro's knees nearly buckled. "W-what? What's going on? Where the hell am I?"
The God of Death tilted its head, books suddenly tumbling down from the table and scattering on the ground. One of the books caught its attention. It reached down with bony fingers, picking up a dusty tome. The cover read: The Life of Rintaro Kazaraki.
"Hm... Rintaro Kazaraki," the God of Death mused, flipping through the pages. "So you're him. Interesting."
Rintaro blinked, trying to steady his breathing. "What do you mean, 'him'? What's going on?!"
The God of Death looked at him, its empty eye sockets somehow piercing. "According to this book, you're not supposed to be dead yet. Your story doesn't end until you're 85. You're meant to go to college, get married, and have two kids. And yet, here you are. Strange."
"What?" Rintaro's voice cracked. "That can't be right. I remember... my head wasn't connected to my body." He touched his neck instinctively.
The God of Death leaned forward, intrigued. "So you were decapitated, huh? That's... unusual. Tell me, human, what do you remember before you ended up here?"
Rintaro hesitated, his mind flashing back to the moment before his death. "I remember... something disgusting. Something so revolting, I had to look back. Then... it was over."
The God of Death leaned back, a faint chuckle escaping. "Disgusting, huh? Well, it doesn't matter. The fact remains: you're here, and you're not supposed to be."
The God of Life, who had been quietly observing, stood up suddenly. Her wings shimmered as she gestured to her brother. "I think I know the problem," she said, her voice melodic but tinged with concern.
"Oh?" The God of Death turned to her.
"The seal is starting to crack," she said simply, her gaze shifting back to Rintaro. "You know who I mean."
The God of Death sighed, rubbing the temples of his skeletal head. "That damned celestial god. Its seal has been weakening for centuries. So it's started to mess with history again, huh?"
The God of Life nodded. "Yes. And it looks like this boy got caught in the crossfire."
"Hey!" Rintaro interrupted, waving his arms. "Can someone please explain what you're talking about?"
The God of Death turned back to him, his hollow sockets narrowing. "Fine. Listen closely, human. Long ago, there was a celestial god so powerful it had to be sealed away. But its seal has started to crack, and its influence is leaking into the world. It's messing with fate and history... and for some reason, it chose to mess with you. That's why you're here."
Rintaro stared, his mind racing. "Okay, so... I'm dead because some ancient god screwed up? Great. So what now? Am I stuck here forever?"
The God of Death grinned, his teeth glinting in the dim light. "Not necessarily. You could just... accept your death."
Rintaro's expression hardened. "Death? Nah. That's boring. What if I get isekai'd instead?"
Both gods froze. The God of Death's jaw literally dropped, and the God of Life burst out laughing.
"This boy..." the God of Death muttered, shaking his head. "He doesn't fear death at all. He treats it like a joke."
"Why should I fear it?" Rintaro said, crossing his arms. "Death's just another part of the story. Besides, I'm not staying here. I know I'm meant for something more."
The God of Life chuckled. "I like this one. He's bold, isn't he?"
The God of Death groaned, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Fine. If you want something more, I'll give you a choice. How would you like to go to another world?"
Rintaro's eyes lit up. "Seriously? You can do that?"
"Of course," the God of Death said, smirking. "But there's a catch. If I send you to this world, you'll start from scratch. You'll have no mana. None."
"What?!" Rintaro shouted. "No mana? That's like... sending me in with nothing!"
"Precisely," the God of Death said. "But I can give you something to make up for it. A little gift."
He waved his hand, slicing through the darkness to reveal a swirling portal. From within, he pulled out a strange device. It looked like a sleek wristband with glowing symbols etched into it. "Rintaro, this morpher is no ordinary device. It lacks the intelligence and advanced capabilities of modern morphers, but it is infused with potential—potential that comes with risks."
God of Death: (smirking) "Risks you'll have to deal with, boy. You want power, don't you? This is your chance. But everything comes with a price."
Rintaro frowned, folding his arms. "Alright, spill it. What's the catch? I'm not signing up for some random curse without knowing the details."
Death laughed, a deep, menacing sound that echoed in the void.
God of Death: "You're bold, I'll give you that. Here's the deal. This morpher has no soul partner. That means you need a companion to unlock its true power. Lucky for you, I have just the thing—a soul, lost to time, one I've been keeping for the past 500 years."
He gestured, and a faint, glowing orb appeared in his hand, flickering with dark energy.
God of Death: "This soul will bond with the morpher and with you. From this day forward, it will guide you. But only you can see it when it wishes to be seen. And remember—if this soul ever causes trouble, that's your burden to bear."
Rintaro raised an eyebrow. "Trouble? What kind of trouble are we talking about?"
God of Death: (grinning) "Oh, you'll find out soon enough."
The God of Life intervened, his voice calm but firm.
God of Life: "There's more, Rintaro. If you die in the world we're sending you to, you won't touch the afterlife. Instead, your soul will join the Ranger Realm—a place where all fallen rangers reside. You must also never reveal where you got this morpher or that you're not from their world. If you do, the consequences will be... severe."
Rintaro shrugged. "Fine by me. Overpowered protagonists don't die, anyway. Where do I sign?"
Death snapped his fingers, conjuring a glowing contract that floated before Rintaro. The terms shimmered in the air, written in an ancient language.
God of Death: "Sign here. And remember, once you accept this deal, there's no turning back."
Without hesitation, Rintaro scrawled his name across the contract. "Done! Now, give me the morpher and let's get this show on the road."
The Gods exchanged glances—Life looked uneasy, while Death grinned wickedly.
God of Death: "Oh, you're going to be fun. Now, take this morpher and prepare yourself. The world you're heading to won't be kind to someone like you."
With a wave of his hand, Death infused the soul into the morpher. A surge of energy enveloped Rintaro, and the next thing he knew, a glowing portal opened behind him.
God of Death: "One last thing before you go—there's another version of you out there. A doppelganger. If you ever meet them, tread carefully."
Rintaro barely had time to process the warning before the portal's pull yanked him in. As the world around him spun into chaos, Death's voice echoed in his ears.
God of Death: "Oh, and by the way... you don't have mana in this world. Good luck surviving!"
Rintaro's screams faded into the void as he hurtled toward his new reality, armed with only a mysterious morpher and an uncertain destiny.
The chapter ends with Rintaro landing in the middle of a bustling, medieval-style town, staring up at the twin suns of a strange and foreign world.