Dawn came with the same quiet normalcy as always.
The servants lit the lamps. Horses neighed in the stables.
George Joestar sipped his tea.
And Dio Brando no longer existed.
Leo watched the sky from his window. He breathed deeply, calm.
Not a drop of guilt.
Only one question echoed in his mind:
How do you turn a murder into a forgotten page?
[System Active: Narrative Control – Cover-Up Mode]
[Objective: Conceal critical event via manipulation of environment and secondary characters]
[Edit Permission: Moderate]
That very morning, Leo came downstairs with his sleeves rolled up and a worried look on his face.
"Father… I can't find Dio."
George looked at him, confused.
"You didn't see him last night?"
"No. I thought he was in the library, but his room is empty. The bed was untouched."
George frowned.
"Out sneaking drinks again? That boy…"
Leo glanced at the system and whispered mentally:
"Adjust George's memory. Just a little."
[Edit applied: George will recall erratic behavior from Dio over the past week.]
George sighed.
"Maybe he had too much on his mind. His father… his ambition. Maybe he ran off to London."
"Or maybe… he just wasn't ready to be part of this family," Leo added, with a voice both fair and somber.
George looked at him and saw something else:
Maturity. Responsibility.
He saw his true son.
[Relationship with George Joestar: +10]
[Rank: Absolute Trust]
That same week, Leo arranged for Dio's belongings to be packed up.
He said it hurt—but it was the right thing to do.
He personally ensured that every document Dio had collected on the Stone Mask was burned.
And then he went further.
He won over the servants with noble gestures.
Drew closer to Erina with subtle, gentle details—never forcing the story.
He visited the poor neighborhoods and donated books stamped with his name:
"From Jonathan Joestar."
Not out of kindness.
But so that, when the next act began, there would be no doubt who the protagonist was.
That night, before the mirror, his Stand floated behind him like a glorious shadow—sharper than ever.
Its eyes glowed with golden lines.
In its chest, The World's sphere spun slowly.
"Dio is dead, and the world still turns."
[File "DIO BRANDO" fully assimilated.]
[Sub-file generated: "The World — Personal Root."]
[Time Stop available: 2 seconds.]
Leo raised his hand. And the world froze.
Birds stopped mid-flight.
The candle's flame ceased its flicker.
The reflection in the mirror no longer blinked.
"This… is true power.
Not the power of heroes.
The power of the author."
[New ability unlocked: Narrative Portal Opening]
[Cross-File Travel: Available]
Leo smiled.
This rewritten universe was no longer enough.
The next victim… wasn't in this world.