Johan gulped hard. His Adam's apple shifted like a stone forced down his throat. His eyes were wide open, pupils trembling, and his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles whitened. His body wasn't shaking because of cold or exhaustion—
it was something far worse.
That thing… his mind screamed, replaying the sight of the grotesque critter on the girl's back. Eight mismatched eyes glowed like colored lanterns. Its insectoid legs shifted with unnatural rhythm. And that half-stitched human mouth twitching across its stomach… it whispered of something wrong, something profane.
Johan's breath grew heavy, ragged. Even the air pressure in the alley seemed to warp. His aura swelled and recoiled at once, as though his very body wanted to fight and flee simultaneously.
His jaw locked, teeth gritting.
Thatthing… is not a mutant… nor an abomination…
His nails dug into his palms, a bead of blood dripping down.
It'san…
He couldn't even finish the thought. His heart thundered. He tasted metal on his tongue.
His instinct screamed to unleash Dead Star. To summon that towering four-armed titan and tear the critter apart until it was nothing but broken pieces and dust. His lips parted, almost uttering the command—
But before he could, Rosaria spoke.
---
The little girl dusted her torn dress, stood up slowly, and smiled with eerie calm. Despite the dirt caked on her cheeks, the fatigue of her tiny body, and the tremble of her voice, her eyes carried an unnerving clarity.
"Mister…" Her voice echoed softly, like a child speaking from the bottom of a well. "You thought there were only two kinds of monsters hiding among citizens, right?"
Johan's chest tightened. His eyes flickered to her.
She raised her hand, her small palm resting tenderly on the abomination crawling onto her shoulder—Lying Eyes. The critter's legs folded with a sharp, insectile crack-crack-crack, its eight eyes rolling in different directions. The stitched mouth twitched, muttering noises that weren't human.
Rosaria's tone hardened.
"Mutants are those who were once normal Stand users, but their Stands twisted, warped, and lost control. Abominations are the opposite… those who had no Stand at all, but their bodies broke when the power tried to manifest. They rot. They scream. They die."
Her eyes sharpened, voice cutting like a blade.
"But…" She paused, her lip curling into a subtle, almost sinister smile.
"There is one more kind of people. The rarest of us all… Stand users."
Johan's breath caught. His fist trembled at his side.
Rosaria's hair, matted and pink, fluttered in the faint wind as she leaned closer. Her voice grew sharp, deliberate, each word echoing inside Johan's skull.
"That one kind of Stand user… is called an Anomaly."
Her hand stroked Lying Eyes' mottled carapace. The critter shuddered, then tilted its monstrous head, chittering like a cicada from hell. Its stitched mouth spread into something resembling a grin.
"We… can control mutated Stands. Bend them. Shape them. Command them at will."
---
Johan froze. His mind screamed.
Anomalies?
Mutants… abominations… and now something beyond? People who can manipulate corrupted Stands like puppets?!
He inhaled sharply, his chest expanding. Then exhaled, his shoulders dropping slightly, his voice emerging like iron dragged across stone.
"Mutants… abominations… and now… anomalies?"
His tone was flat, but the air chilled. His red-blue eyes gleamed with an edge that promised violence. He clenched his jaw, teeth grinding as he spat the words with terrifying resolve:
"If anyone tries to stop me…" His lips curled into a sharp snarl.
"…I'll kill them. Without hesitation."
---
Rosaria flinched. She staggered back, clutching her tiny hand to her chest. For a brief second, fear flashed across her young face. Tears brimmed in her eyes, but then—something hardened.
She clenched her little fists. She forced herself forward. Her voice cracked with desperation, but her gaze did not waver.
"You may kill me…" she whispered, shaking. "But please—please, Mister—you need to help my sister right now."
Her knees trembled, but she shouted through the tears:
"She's vomiting blood!"
The alley fell silent. Johan's eyes narrowed. He studied her—this trembling, dirt-stained child who had spoken of monsters and anomalies as if she'd lived a hundred lives.
Finally, he reached for his bag, slinging it over his shoulder with deliberate calm. His voice was low, grave.
"…You'd better know the direction of your house."
---
Rosaria nodded frantically, wiping her tears. "Y-yes. I'll guide you."
Before she could say more, Johan bent down, scooping her small frame effortlessly onto his back. She gasped, arms wrapping tight around his neck.
Then the world shook.
DEAD STAR.
The Stand erupted behind Johan in a blaze of black-and-white stripes. Its four colossal arms flexed, muscles bulging, its golden crown gleaming with needles glinting like blades. The ground cracked under its weightless aura.
Johan bent his knees. The air pressure shifted, rattling windows.
"Hold tight," he muttered.
Then—
BOOOOM!!!
They launched skyward.
---
Rosaria shrieked, clutching Johan's shoulders as they soared. He leapt from rooftop to rooftop, each landing shaking shingles loose, each push sending them hurtling across gaps like cannon fire.
Her mind spun. This speed… this power… how can a stand?
She dared to peek over his shoulder. Dead Star mirrored every leap, colossal arms pushing against the air itself, its aura crackling like black lightning.
The city blurred beneath them—chimneys, alleys, broken windows flashing like fleeting memories. Johan's eyes stayed locked ahead, sharp, focused, but inside—his mind raced.
---
This girl… Johan thought, his inner voice heavy. She speaks like an adult, burdened by knowledge no child should carry. She wears tragedy like a cloak. But no matter what she's been through… she's still just a kid. Fragile. Desperate. Brave in ways that shame grown men.
His fists clenched tighter as he vaulted another rooftop.
And yet…
He glanced at the critter clinging to her back. Its glowing eyes watched him with alien hunger.
Something bizarre will happen the moment I step into her home. I can feel it. That creature… her sister… her family… it's all leading somewhere twisted. Somewhere only a Joestar could survive.
He grit his teeth, landing with another thunderous impact. Tiles exploded under his boots.
But despite the dread, a smirk curled on his lips.
---
Rosaria's voice cut through the wind. "This way! Left!"
Johan veered, Dead Star's massive form mirroring the motion, carving a crater into the next rooftop as they propelled forward.
She shouted again, "Straight! Just a few more blocks!"
The night sky loomed above, clouds swirling unnaturally. The streets below flickered with faint candlelight from terrified citizens locking themselves indoors. Johan's crimson-blue eyes gleamed against the darkness.
---
His thoughts burned, sharp and resolute.
This girl… this Stand… this chaos… It's no coincidence. The Joestar bloodline was never meant for peace. Every step forward is war. Every breath is another fight waiting to erupt.
The city roared past them, wind howling, tiles shattering, Dead Star's aura slicing the night open.
Johan smirked wider, his teeth glinting.
This isn't just another fight. This…
He crouched, knees bending, preparing for one final, massive leap.
"…is going to be a Bizarre Adventure."
To be Continued →