Chapter 178: Ghost Rider

"My name is Johnny Blaze. I used to be a motorcycle stunt rider. Maybe you've heard of me, or maybe you know nothing about me. I'm on the run... from one end of the world to the other. But no matter how far I go, some demons can never be escaped..."

"This not-so-glorious story began many years ago. Back then, I had everything good in the world; family, loved ones, a future... I once performed three consecutive backflips on my motorcycle in front of 22 000 people. Yeah, there's probably still footage online if you wanna look it up. People called me 'Johnny Blaze, the Burning Man'..."

"Then my father got sick. And I did something so insane that I still can't believe it. A demon came to me. He called himself Mephisto... a liar, a bastard, a schemer who lures souls into damnation."

"Yeah, you guessed it. I took that stupid deal. Signed a contract with the devil. Turns out, anyone trying to cheat fate never comes out ahead."

"I got bonded with a Spirit of Vengeance. Now, whenever I sense evil, I turn into a monster... hunting down criminals and scum, devouring their filthy, damned souls. But who hasn't messed up at least once? The world isn't just good guys and bad guys, most people are somewhere in between. They might not be killers, but they've lied, pirated movies, tricked their families, or pulled some stupid prank."

"Maybe they deserve punishment, but not death, right? So I fight it. I stay away from people. Ride my bike to the ends of the earth just to keep it locked down... It hasn't come out in a long time."

"But tonight... I feel it. A new Ghost Rider is born. Soon, Mephisto is gonna come knocking. I don't know how much longer I can run."

"My name is Johnny Blaze. The idiot who made a deal with the devil."

"It's screaming. Roaring. Howling... Ghost Rider. Hunt the darkness!"

Johnny jolted awake again, drenched in sweat. The angel driven mad by the world's sins (now a monstrous Spirit of Vengeance) lived inside him.

Nearly every night, he heard its furious cries. It hungered for wicked souls. But Johnny fought it, he stayed isolated and hid in remote places... anything to keep the burning fury at bay.

Splashing cold water on his face, he stared at his gaunt reflection in the mirror. This curse was his to bear... He was forever bound to Mephisto, forced to feed on the souls of the damned.

*Knock* *Knock*

"Anyone home?" A stranger pushed open the rusted metal door, "Sorry to bother you."

A Black man in a leather duster stepped inside, only to get slammed against the wall before he could even steady himself.

"Who are you?" Years of solitude had made the former stunt rider paranoid.

He kept everyone at arm's length because truly sinless saints were rare. The moment he sensed corruption, the Spirit would claw its way out, eager to claim another soul.

"Name's Moreau. I came for you..." The man studied Johnny with an odd look, "...Johnny Blaze."

Watching Johnny pack his meager belongings, Moreau casually grabbed a beer bottle from the table and smashed it through the window. Sunlight flooded in.

Johnny instinctively shrank back. The Spirit hated daylight, that's why it only emerged at night. His life had become a cycle of daytime movement and nighttime isolation.

"Ghost Rider. I know your story." Moreau's voice carried an eerie certainty, "You think you can control it? Bend it to your will? You really think you're stronger than something that hungers like this? It's a curse, Johnny. And it's eating you alive."

Johnny ignored the rambling stranger and pushed past him toward his Yamaha VMAX. If this place had been found, it was time to move on. His life had been nothing but rootless wandering for years now.

"I need your help!" Moreau chased after him, "Let's make a deal, you're familiar with those, right?"

He pulled a crumpled photo from his pocket, and slapped it onto the bike's fuel tank, "This kid. His life, his soul... is in danger. You have to save him."

Johnny smirked bitterly, "I punish sinners. Don't know shit about saving people."

"Then why are you here, Johnny Blaze?" Moreau laughed, his eyes gleaming with dark amusement, "You ran halfway across the damn planet because you're terrified of becoming the Ghost Rider forever. This is divine providence. Your curse, this child... it all traces back to that contract you signed..."

"...He's Mephisto's kid. And Ghost Riders? They're great at sniffing out demons. You're the only one who can find him."

At the demon's name, Johnny's eye twitched. He picked up the photo, "What kind of deal are you offering?"

"My order is ancient. Centuries ago, demons like Mephisto, lesser lords of Hell, ravaged Europe. Witches burned. The occult was condemned as heresy. It wasn't until the Sorcerers of Kamar-Taj established their mystical defenses that these soul-hungry bastards were driven back."

Moreau belonged to that tradition... though he had chosen the path of a knight, not a sorcerer.

"We've studied demonic pacts for generations. We can free you, Johnny. Break the curse. Save your soul. All you have to do is bring us the boy."

Johnny stared at the photo, temptation gnawing at him. He was sick of running. Sick of the isolation. To keep the Spirit caged, he had left behind the woman he loved and rode endlessly down empty highways...

No friends. No family. Just a nightly battle against the thing inside him.

"The Sorcerers are searching too. But as the Ghost Rider? You've got an edge."

Moreau had read the texts. Mephisto's first Rider was a corrupt Texas Ranger named Carter Slade, a man who had traded his soul for freedom. Johnny was the second. And now, according to Kamar-Taj's seers, a third had emerged.

The sorcerers had also detected a surge of demonic energy in New York. It was brief, but unmistakable.

In his desperation to walk the Earth unshackled, Mephisto had chosen a new vessel... A child. A perfect vessel for his rebirth...

Johnny's voice deepened, as if two people spoke at once, "I'll find him."