The streets were empty, it was night, only yellow lights of lamp poles cleared the road here and there, other than that, it was a mostly obscure night, only hardly illuminated by a moon hidden behind a curtain of clouds.

Helena was walking alone, heading to a certain 13th street, where she's supposed to accomplish one of the tasks given by her brother.

For her age, she was quite collected and brave, calm and far from being impulsive, her everyday experiences made her character worth of praise.

As every time, she headed straight to reach her destination, only holding a small blackpack filled with whatever S-items and departing talismans Gill recommanded taking in case anything sudden happened like that last time at the Northern shrine.

She was supposed to deal with the ghost of a homeless old guy that died alone some time ago on 13th street, a nameless guy that lived the last years of his life only roaming the streets, getting any mercy bucks passengers would give him, he wasn't a beggar, but his appearance and dirty old clothes were quite miserable and aroused pity, his black hair and beard were long and unkempt, and his skin was timeworn and full of wrinkles.

At last, she reached the street, but she didn't expect that someone would reach there before her.

She felt something sinister.

She had a bad feeling.

She decided to hide behind a lamp pole to peek and listen to whatever happening.

Near another lamp post in the middle of the street, She saw the ghost in question, sitting on the roadside edge, beside him, a black hooded figure stood, a person who gave an intense dangerous aura, Helena focused and strained her eyes to see his or her face but didn't succeed.

"How can you see me?" Asked the homeless guy in a hoarce voice.

"I just can, don't worry about it." Replied the hooded figure in a soothing voice.

"Being noticed by you is kind of weird, even on my last living days i was ignored and lived my life like an extra,they called me the homeless guy of 13th street, i was known by the locals, and at the same time felt like a ghost,it's funny that i am really one now, i'm not complaining though, i have nearly no regrets."

"Nearly? Tell me about your small regrets then, your will is so strong that you didn't depart yet, your regrets aren't as small as you think."

Helena couldn't help question herself if he's a foreign soul facilitator , she know the ones affiliated with her house by heart, but Gill never screw up and send the same mission to different people by fault, and even if he did, she was sure that she didn't know him.

Was he even a soul facilitator? Or he just had the ability to see ghosts, she couldnt know.

"What do you know about regrets? And what can you do about it anyway? There's nothing you can do."

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"I may not know about your regrets, but i know that your presence as a ghost means you still want to settle stuff before you go?"

"Look, i was a respectable man, i had a job and a nice house too, kids and a young pretty wife that would make you break your neck if she passes before you, and all that was gone in a day, i was scammed into signing an unfair large debt, wasn't able to pay it, and you know drill, i'm not the first or last to have his life ruined cause of loan sharks, i lost it all, my wife divorced me and took the kids , i had nothing left to pay for them in any case, lost my house, my life, and accepted my new homeless existence , my story may not seem unique or special, dumbs falling for debt scams are always there, that's it, you have nothing to change lad."

Lad? Helena got the hint that the hooded guy was a male, but still couldn't know anything more that that.

"It's fine, it's fine, i understand your suffering, you're a tragic soul, i can heal you, fix you, numb your pain and make your regrets vanish."

"How? Just how? You don't even know what i want to do."

"You want to take revenge on the loan sharks, that made their mission to spill every last buck of you, you want to ruin them as they ruined you, you're a simple pure soul, you have every right to do so, i want to help you do it too, and you'll have the privilege to do it by your own hands if you trust me."

The hooded figure voice was soothing and hypnotising, brainwashing, controlling and convincing.

Helena was scared, she was sweating, doing her best at staying silent and not making a noise, that man meant danger, it was not worth risking, interfering there was not wise at all.

"What i have to lose anyway, i'll trust you with this then, help me in taking revenge."

"As you wish."

From his black robe pockets, the hooded guy brought a paper like red thing.

'A talisman! A red one??' Helena thought.

He sticked the talisman on the old ghost forehead and took some steps away.

"Let the demon transformation ritual begin."

A familiar scene started taking place before Helena, and red and black current was summoned and whirled around the ghost, the old guy kneeled and cried out of pain.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!!!"

his skin started turning from a lucid silver ghost skin to a materialistic red scaled one, his hair turned white, muscles and veins started popping, fangs and claws appearing, a red tail with a black end and black horns appeared on his forehead, that was the demon transformation , the only weird thing, the guy didn't feel like someone who lost consciousness, he kept his humanoid form, and got close to the hooded guy.

"My lord, i owe it all to you, i'll serve you faithfully after i take my revenge, i'll come back fast , thank you." The demon kneeled on one knee, and stood up and vanished from the street, running to who know where.

"Take your time my servant, i'll wait for you."

Helena couldn't believe her eyes, the guy turned the ghost into a demon using a red talisman, a demon who kept his consciousness and seemed still aware of his surroundings, she needed to report to Gill, and she needed to get away and escape from the scene fast.

"You there, don't think i didn't notice your presence."

Hearing those words, Helena was shocked , she sweated more, she felt fear, true fear.

The guy turned to see her way, and removed the hood on his head.

He had white hair ,lifeless black eyes and a face full of scars , he smiled widely, showing a mouth full of sharp teeth like a shark, scarred from the right end of the lips through his cheek.

His figure instilled fear and a dark intense feeling in Helena's heart.

"You can go away, i won't follow you, just tell Gill that his fun will end sooner than he believe."

The lamp post above the hooded guy turned suddenly off, and he disappeared in the left darkness.

Helena ran back to her mansion, and took her phone out to call Gill, things will only change to worse from now on.

********************************

'Dove Radio Emergency Broadcast, Dove city Police force announced now the discovery of five mutilated disfigured corpses in a room of a building of social activists, further investigations cleared that the building was only a facade of a group of loan sharks, Police are still investigating the matter, led by Detective Leo Strongheart, more information will be cleared with time. End of Dove Radio Emergency Broadcast.'