About the Kids' Futures (A Tiny Sneak Peek):
Sarafiel:
Aside from Clark, who's basically online 24/7, Sarafiel is hands-down the hardest worker in the future.
You can probably tell from the setup already.
The DC world's magic is the wildest out there—chaos, order, Atlantis magic, Shazam magic, dark magic, soul magic, demon magic, elemental magic, you name it. Sarafiel's future as a master of all these is gonna be terrifying.
Plus, he's got that "fire" and "dragon" vibe going on.
The elemental councils—like the Green of All Things, the Red of All Life, the Black of Decay—have been eyeing him like he's the ultimate prize…
Hecate, the Hanged Man, those world-destroying types? Only Sarafiel, whose magic truly comes from himself, might be able to stop them.
But that's all far off.
Right now, Sarafiel hasn't even fully awakened his twelve divine powers, and the yin and yang in him are still finding their balance.
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Dio:
This is the character you all care about most.
When I first created him, I wrestled with one question:
What kind of person should Dio be?
This is, after all, a legendary villain who even his fans kinda "hope bites the dust."
Turn him "good"?
That'd be such a waste.
His charm lies in that pure, unapologetic "evil."
The kind of vibe that makes you wanna see him get wrecked in the next chapter.
Making him embrace the Golden Spirit? That'd be a shame.
The first time Lock guided Dio, he listened. He went and saved that young guy tied to a cross.
But what did he get? Lock's apology and his family's tears.
Dio was stunned.
For the first time, he realized even his reliable, confident dad could say "sorry."
Lock could be wrong.
That kind of courage could make his family cry.
So later, when Lock tried to teach him to learn from the wheat—that falling doesn't mean losing, that storms don't mean death—Dio's mind went to wild wheat, wondering if fallen stalks were stronger than those still standing.
But from that moment on, Lock noticed Dio had started thinking for himself.
After that relieved smile in the wheat field, Lock chose to let go, laying out his one hard line after sharing his heart:
No matter what, don't turn to evil.
After that, you probably noticed, right?
Lock's interactions with the kids shifted from lectures to lighthearted teasing and play.
In the birthday arc that followed, when Clark lifted a school bus out of the water, an angry Dio blurted out, "You've got your Golden Spirit, but mine's a Pitch-Black Will."
From that moment, Dio's character in this story was set.
If we're comparing to JoJo characters, he's closest to Kars.
Survival, courage, peace of mind, protecting family.
Beyond that, Dio doesn't give a damn about anything else.
For the future Dio, achieving his goals is everything.
Minimize effort, reduce risks, avoid reckless moves.
As Lock put it—
"That's the kind of courage that puts your dad at ease."
That's this story's Dio.
A Dio who's found his own version of a Pitch-Black Will, much like Kars.
And in the chapters to come, after a string of events, Dio will start working toward that peace of mind.
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Clark:
Clark is Jonathan Joestar, but he's not just Jonathan.
He's Jonathan because they share that same kindness and humility.
He's not Jonathan because he's way stronger.
So strong that even though Dio knows his Stand can weaken Clark, he doesn't dare get into a shouting match with him.
That's why Dio's attitude toward Clark leans cold most of the time.
(Human translation: He's scared of getting whooped.)
But when Dio saw Clark lift that school bus, saw him smile and talk about his Golden Spirit, Dio got mad for the first time. Furious, even.
He couldn't wrap his head around why Clark would risk his life for a bunch of strangers, making his family—making him—upset!
At the same time, Clark couldn't understand why Dio didn't get his Golden Spirit.
Sure, his family might cry, but…
Those kids in the bus had families too.
Some might say, "See, that's the difference between Superman and a vampire—self vs. the greater good."
But I don't think one's better than the other.
It's just Clark and Dio making different choices.
Ahem, maybe I got a bit off-topic.
Anyway, Clark's future is tied to Kryptonite, to aliens, to slowly uncovering his destiny, until he eventually heads to the Antarctic to… raise penguins?
No, to become the Son of Tomorrow.
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Lex:
The little bald guy counts as a kid too, right?
Not much to say, just two lines of dialogue:
"I came back from hell, Clark, Dio." —Lex Luthor
"Father, this is what you owe me. Go there and repent slowly." —Lex Luthor
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Oh, and Jotaro:
Almost forgot about him.
Ahem, anyway.
The future timeline has two major threads where Lock will need to step in and save the day.
These will be his main missions after wrapping up the next big arc.
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