NshedRana

In his first life, Damien Sterling was nothing but a fool. Naïve, trusting, and constantly manipulated by those around him, he lived his life as a tool—used, discarded, and ultimately forgotten. His kindness was repaid with betrayal, his trust exploited, and his life ended in the most humiliating way: alone, broken, and filled with regret.

But fate had a cruel twist in store.

One evening, as Damien wandered the cold streets in a daze, he saw an old woman trying to cross the road. She had always been kind to him—the only person who showed him any genuine warmth. When a truck came speeding toward him, she shoved him aside and took the hit herself.

She died.

Yet, the moment her body hit the pavement, something impossible happened. Time rewound.

Damien woke up years earlier, in his younger body—but with all the knowledge, pain, and betrayal of his past life intact. And that day, everything changed.

The Devil..

A cold rain poured onto the dark streets of the city. Damien Sterling lay on the pavement, his vision fading, blood pooling beneath him. The taste of iron filled his mouth. His hands trembled as he reached out—towards nothing.

Above him, the faces of those he once called friends, family, and allies looked down at him with amusement, indifference, or satisfaction.

His best friend, Richard Vaughn, the man he trusted the most, leaned down and whispered, "You were always just a pawn, Damien. A useful fool."

His lover, Evelyn Laurent, the woman he sacrificed everything for, stood beside Richard, her arms crossed. She smiled cruelly. "I never loved you. You were just convenient."

His business partners, his so-called allies, turned away, already dividing his empire amongst themselves.

Damien's mind screamed. How had he been so blind? How had he let this happen?

As the last of his strength faded, his vision blurred, and his consciousness drifted into darkness.

When Damien next opened his eyes, he expected to see nothing—just endless oblivion. Instead, he found himself standing on a crowded street.

His heart was pounding, his breath sharp. He was alive.

But something was wrong. The towering digital billboards flashed advertisements from years ago. The people walking past him wore fashion styles that hadn't been in trend for a decade. He looked at his reflection in a shop window—he was young again.

A surge of memories flooded his mind.

The pain of realizing he had been nothing but a pawn.

The rage of knowing he had wasted his existence trusting people who never deserved it.

He had seen her at the moment of his death. A frail, wrinkled woman who had stepped onto the street and been struck by a truck—dying in his place.

But there was no time for confusion.

If this was real—if he had truly returned to the past—then this was a second chance.

Final Scene – The First Move of the Devil

Damien straightened his posture, his expression turning cold. His mind was already working at a terrifying speed.

Step One: Eliminate all weaknesses.

Step Two: Gain power before they could betray him again.

Step Three: Crush them before they even realized what was happening.

As he walked down the familiar streets, his gaze fell upon Richard Vaughn, still his so-called "best friend" in this timeline—still clueless about what would come.

A slow, chilling smile formed on Damien's lips.

"You betrayed me once, Richard. Let's see what happens… when the Devil plays first."

The Death of a Fool