Hearts of Darkness # 1 - Hearts of Darkness

Ghost Rider, Wolverine, and Blackheart come together to defeat Black Heart in Christ's Crown, where the evil demon was born.

Story is continued in the Dark Design.

Summery:

At Christ's Crown a demonic ritual is taking place.  The blood of a woman is being spilled by the knife which cuts her.  The blood spills on the ground of Christ's Crown.  He blood mixes with blood of other victims of the cult.  The blood starts to bubble.  All of a sudden Blackheart rises from the blood and kills his worshipers due to being sick of being a small deity rather then a feared lord of evil like his father Mephisto.  From there he devises a plan to rage war against his father.

The next day, Dan Ketch arrives in Christ's Crown after getting info from a mysterious contact.  He stops at the town's inn and meets the owner of the inn and her daughter who grows fond with Dan.  As the owner gets a room ready for Dan, Dan notices a figure hiding behind a door wondering if this the stranger contacted him.

Minutes later Dan has dinner with the owner and her daughter Lucy but also with two other residents named Logan and Frank Castle.  Dan feels like he meet them before.

That night Dan reads the note he got:

Mr. Ketch,

The Secrets of the Ghost Rider can be yours.  Come to Christ's Crown and all will be revealed.  trust me and learn the secrets of the Soul Crystal.

Sincerely,

B.H.

The Soul Crystal make Dan wonder.  He knows his brother Johnny Blaze mentioned it to him as well as Nightmare. He thinks Nightmare might be the one behind the note.

Meanwhile in the other room, Frank Castle (aka Punisher)  Polishes him gun and it turns out he got a note saying that someone knows the whereabouts of one of the men who killed him family.  He gets a knock at his door and it is Logan(Wolverine.  He tells Punisher that he got a not too.  They know something is up.  And they think the Ketch has something to do with it.  Logan claims something about Ketch tingles his nose.  As Ketch waits in his room, Blackheart appears in front of him.  He also appears in Wolverine and Punisher's rooms.  He tells him that Ketch, Castle, and Logan represent humanities newest breed of hero.  That there are not afraid to got to the edge and take a life. He tells Ketch he can explain his power and how he can kill Mephisto.  All 3 of them say no.  He fades away but all of a sudden they here Lucy scream.  Lucy's mom is walking away along with other people of Christ's Crown.  Wolverine tells Lucy to go in the house a wait till Wolverine and Punisher come back with her mom and stop Blackheart.  Dan runs to his bike but it is gone.  He then hears Lucy scream.  He then finds Blackheart with his bike and surrounded by the hypnotized villagers of Christ's Crown.  He hold Lucy in the air uninfected by Blackheart because she is the only uncorrupted soul in Christ's Crown.  Punisher shot Blackheart in the face but as no effect.  Blackheart then takes Lucy and Dan's Bike and rides off into Hell.  some of Lucy's blood spills on Dan's face.  Punisher and Wolverine follow in Punisher's jeep.  Dan goes to a bike shot and steals a cycle to catch up.  Has we wipes Lucy's blood off his face, he notices the imprints of the Medallion of Power in his hand and then they start to melt.  A blaze of fire cover's Dan and he turns into Ghost Rider.

Wolverine and Punisher cuts threw a jungle a razor sharp thorn bushes with Ghost Rider taking the lead.  The 3 meet up with Blackheart and Lucy next to a portal to Hell he still offers the chance of all 4 of them to attack Mephisto.  He claims he can bring Frank Castle's family back and give Loan the secret of his adamantium bones and other parts of his lost past. As well as Dan's secrets of the Ghost Rider. The 3 once again refuse and at the same time attack Blackheart who lets out an army of demons.  Some of them capture Lucy and drag her into Hell. As Punisher and Wolverine fight the demons, Ghost Rider follows Lucy.  In hell he saves Lucy from the demons and encounters Blackheart.  Ghost Rider pulls off his gloves revealing his hellfire covered hands and beat Blackheart hand to hand.  He tries to kill Lucy himself but has his hand cut off by Wolverine and blown up by Punishers wave of bullets.  Blackheart as been defeated.  He tries to pull himself back together.  Punisher and wolverine take Lucy back to the real world while Ghost Rider keeps eye on Blackheart.  All of a sudden Mephisto appears and eats Blackheart to teach him a lesson.  He lets Ghost Rider back to Earth a joins up with Wolverine, Punisher, and Lucy.

End.