A/N: Hey guys, this is a whole new fic I'll be starting on that stars our lovable little Doppio. Just a little warning, Doppio will be a little bit OOC, but there's a reason for that. Trust me, you'll find out soon enough. Also another heads up, the plot of this story will be drastically changed from the original Akame Ga Kill as it goes on. So without further adieu, Open the Game.
[ ] used for Stand Names: [King Crimson]
Italicized inverted single commas for using abstract concepts in a sentence, to emphasize something or thoughts: "Down here in 'Hell'...", "This is the end Giorno.", 'You're dead the moment I see you'
Inverted single commas for mocking something/one: "…'Pervert'…"
"... [ ]..." is used when [King Crimson's] ability is activated and Doppio talks: "…[I've accepted this test]…"
Bold is for A/N, powerful/evil person speaking in a menacing tone, and P.O.V.
-Third Person P.O.V.-
The forest here wouldn't be the first pick for any sane individual. Bandits lurked hung near the roadside, waiting to prey on anyone they could get their hands on, not to mention the Danger Beasts that would surely kill you if the bandits don't. However, the worst monsters can only be found in The Capital, a place where monsters walk in the skin of humans. This was a place where only the strong could survive. So it was quite bizarre to find a person sleeping in a small clearing in this forest, next to a stream.
This person appears as a fairly slim yet fit young man who can be described as having the physique of a boy in his late teens. He has freckles, contributing to his boyish looks, and light-colored brown irises. His hair is tied into a neck-length ponytail by a weave-like braid; the front hair is left loose and sweeps over to one side lock. His clothing consists of a light-colored sweater with gash-like openings on it that leave the midriff exposed and a loose pair of jeans with studs covering the thighs and sides of the ankles. This boy also wears a black mesh shirt underneath the sweater, even if he is unaware of it.
This is Vinegar Doppio, the former Consigliere of the Italian Mafia gang known as "Passione", and his Boss' right-hand man. Though how he came to this place is quite a mystery, one thing is clear, he was starting to awaken. Now, we can only hope and pray for his safety. Even if he's the Devil's Double.
-Doppio's P.O.V.-
I awoke in the middle of nowhere. I quickly got on my feet to check my surroundings, "Huh, how come I'm in the middle of some forest. I'm supposed to be in Rome, aren't I?" I ask, not expecting an answer and I quickly understood that there was something off about this whole place. I was about to give up on understanding my situation before I got an idea, "…I know! Maybe the Boss… knows what's… going…" Before I could finish my sentence, the worst mother of all headaches began to torture me… Mio Dio, this is far worse than even my battle with Risotto when he started forming razors in my head. I let out a whimper of pain, and my vision became blurry… "Shit… I think I'm gonna throw up…" But nothing came out, only dry heaves. It was absolute torture with no end in sight.
That was when images start to form in my mind… These images soon became more solid, and coming together in some sort of chronological order. That was when I came to realize that these were memories. My memories. Memories that were both familiar and foreign to me at the same time were being seen from a third-person perspective if that was even possible. My hometown in Sardinia, my childhood spent there. Then, in my early teenage years, a woman walks up to me… claiming to be my real mother. Then the colors shift as if it was to signify something. But what could that be? Then I saw something that shocked me to the core. I had knocked her out and sewed her mouth shut, before dragging her home and burying her under the floor in my room. But why would I do such a thing?!
After I had fixed the floors to make it so that it looked untouched, the colors shift back to normal… wait… I know this memory, but that's not how I remembered this! I only remembered the woman… my mother coming up to me before I appeared back in my room. I chalked that up as being a simple daydream or wishful thinking before I was called by the priest, who acted as my father for years and ordered to do some chores. I had quickly answered him by saying, "I'm coming." before running out of the room. What the hell is going on!? A few years start to pass, and I soon found myself seeing another memory. This time it was after I nearly got hit by a van, and got done talking to a frog, that I had a chance meeting with a pretty girl who was vacationing in Sardinia.
"Do you like frogs?" She asked as I looked up to see that she was very pretty. Breathtakingly so, but… I've never met her… have I? This memory suggested so, but I definitely would've remembered meeting a beautiful girl like that.
Despite the almost unbearable pain that still felt like it was splitting my head, I managed to mumble the name of the girl, "… Donatella…" but how did I even know that name? The memory continues to play, the colors start to shift once again, and I was afraid of what would happen to the girl. I don't want her to meet the same fate as my mother, or worse!
"I like frogs too, I hate bugs, though, I also don't like guys who smell," She said, turning around to face the ocean, unaware of my growing anxiety for her, "I hate everything that's not beautiful." she finishes before turning around to face me again and asked, "Are you from around here?"
"Y-Yeah…" My memory self answered before asking, "Say, it's a bit hot out. Want to get something to drink?"
"Well…" She hesitates, and in my memory, I swallow in fright, worried that I'd be rejected, but… why would I be nervous? I've come to expect the worst when the colors shift. So why is it different now? "That's not a bad idea." She finally said, before offering her hand and tells me what she wants, "Then I want sparkling water. Hard water from France. I hope you're treating." I took her hand but before we went, she asked a question, "By the way, can you tell me your name?"
I saw my memory self visibly tense before relaxing and said a name that shocked me to my very soul, "… Solido. Solido Naso." That name… that was one of the false names that the Boss went by. Slowly a horrifying revelation began to dawn on me. "… There's no way I could be The Boss… could I?"
The memory then moves on, and I saw that I was having a discussion with my adoptive father. From the looks of it, it had not been too far ahead before it started, "You want to become a sailor?" He asked looking a little disheartened, but I didn't understand why.
"Yeah…" My memory self said. But, if I wanted to be a sailor… How did I end up becoming the Consigliere in Passione? This makes no sense!
"Well… You're a simple man," He said with a smile, closing his eyes in brief contemplation before opening them and giving me his approval, "That's probably best for you." I remember giving a smile at that and continuing to drink my coffee. But as I looked closer, I noticed a small detail. I didn't have any freckles on my face, but I still had them when I was talking to Donatella. As if it was a subtle clue as to tell me that my revelation was correct… That my name was not Vinegar Doppio. Now that I think about it, every time my real name is uttered in the memories, there was always an ever so slight color shift, but the name itself refused to be heard as if even now, my memories are trying to forget it.
More time passes and I saw that I was walking on the beach with Donatella, taking a picture of her. Once the picture came out, I gave it to her as a parting gift. Promising to her that I would meet her again… Though somehow… I got the feeling that was an empty promise. Another lie that kept piling on top, one after another.
The next thing I see is me, at the age of 19… holding a pickaxe and giving my adoptive father a grin after I saw that he had uncovered my buried mother, the color shift was now more emphasized. I looked away, not wanting to see what happened next, not wanting to believe that I could do such horrendous things. Unfortunately, I couldn't drown out the screams, and those screams confirmed to me everything that I didn't want to know. When I looked up again, I saw an inferno consuming my hometown, I felt the heat from the fire bombarding my body, threatening to consume me as well even though I was far away from the flame.
Memories started to fly by faster and faster and I realize that they were starting to answer questions I had never bothered to ask. Like why the days would go by so fast when I had barely done anything, or why I 'woke up', in places I don't even remember going to. I had come to realize that the gaps in my memories were caused by these color shifts. I saw 'myself' participating in an excavation in Egypt. My… the Boss' discovery of the Stand Arrows. Then it showed him selling all but one of the Stand Arrows to an old woman with two right hands. The creation of our shared Stand through the use of the Stand Arrow we kept… [King Crimson] and [Epitaph]. The establishment of Passione and it's accelerated rise to dominate all of Italy.
His engagement against a French guy with a Stand of his own called Jean Pierre Polnareff. In that memory, I had finally gotten a glimpse of our true nature, our true relationship… I was his little invisibility cloak. His little 'Doppio', and suddenly, the name started to become more and more like an insult to me than a term of endearment that the Boss had taken to using when speaking to me. Before his fight with Polnareff, I saw how the Boss had changed our physical appearance once he was in full control. I had kept the physical appearance of a 17-year-old, while The Boss continued to age like a normal human being.
I saw myself walking down the streets, ignorant of it all, happy to serve my Boss as Italy and its people began to suffer at the hands of Passione through the selling of drugs even though we had promised to put an end to the drug trade. Another damn lie… by that bastard that I had once called "Boss". I witnessed the Boss's discovery of Trish's existence after Donatella's passing, the Boss' daughter… my daughter. The pain… the pain from my headache was nothing compared to the pain of what I could have had. The heartache over what I truly lost. However, that pain soon gave way to blinding rage. A wave of boiling anger that was threatening to consume my very being. However, before I could lose myself to the rage, I took a few calming breaths to settle myself down.
The next memory was of the Boss' fight with Bruno Bucciarati after he had taken Trish, even going so far as to cut off her hand to get her from the elevator without Bucciarati finding out. This was what truly enraged me, "HOW COULD YOU DO THAT YOU DAMN MONSTER!" I screamed, but I knew that my cries of outrage would go unanswered. Burning hatred… a feeling I was never truly acquainted with. But now, all of it was being directed towards the Boss and, in a twisted way that was all too genuine… towards myself. For serving him, even though he had stripped me of a possible life full of happiness and laughter like a loyal dog would serve his master. All while I was unaware of it all.
The memory continued to play despite my anger. I wanted to escape these memories, to make them go away… to make them disappear, but I knew that turning back and looking away was never an option. So, I continued to look… to see everything, whether I liked it or not. Events continue to play out and I see that despite the fatal injuries that Bruno received from the Boss and our [King Crimson], he still fought to keep Trish safe from the Boss' filthy hands. I looked at Bruno and I felt both gratitude and respect for the former Capo of Passione.
Not long after, I found that I was back in Sardinia as myself, and not as the Boss. Though now that I was aware of our true nature, I knew that the Boss was never far behind. I saw my interaction with the Fortune Teller after I had nearly got run over by a truck for trying to warn a kid who already knew about the truck got out of the way. It was only after all that I've learned from my memories that I see that the Fortune Teller was right, and I was utterly ignorant of his words.
Unfortunately, the Boss refused to allow anyone that uncovers even a fragment of our past and his identity to live. So the Fortune Teller was brutally killed off. Even though he did spook me a bit by spouting out what I thought at the time was utter nonsense, he didn't deserve to die like that. The kid from earlier had watched the whole thing, but thankfully he wasn't harmed. Just scared out of his mind, and possibly traumatized. It wasn't ideal… however, it was better than being dead.
I saw my fight with the leader of La Squadra Esecuzioni, Risotto Nero and his terrifyingly powerful Stand, [Metallica]. It was a hard-fought battle for the two of us that required both of us to utilize our Stands to the absolute peak of what they can do and to use well thought out plans and strategies to achieve victory. However, I never knew how he died. Now I finally witness the ultimate fate of Risotto Nero for myself.
He was shot by [Aerosmith], while the Boss went unnoticed, thanks to our extremely low iron, which made it impossible to get enough oxygen. Because of that, we couldn't give off carbon dioxide either, making it so that it appeared that we weren't breathing to [Aerosmith]. I then saw how Risotto had used his blood that had been splattered on [Aerosmith] to infect and take control of it with [Metallica]. Then grabbed ahold of the Boss in order for him to get shot by [Aerosmith] as well, taking us both out along with Risotto as well. However, [King Crimson's] ability saved the Boss that day, but I took some comfort knowing that Risotto not only died with pride but also hindered the Boss by denying him the return of our shared iron. I may not have liked Risotto, I might have even hated him, but a man like him deserved a better ending than what he got. I saw the Boss make use of my appearance to kill Abbacchio in an attempt to stop Abbachio's Stand, [Moody Blues] from revealing his identity.
Thankfully, it appeared not to have worked, since Bucciarati's team immediately headed for Rome, where I was asked by the Boss to send both Cioccolata and Secco to eliminate them, using an ice cream cone as a phone to communicate with me… Honestly, I chose to ignore the fact that the Boss had made me believe that the various telephones I had used were, in fact, small objects and even animals. On the topic of those two individuals, those two monsters who were so depraved, sadistic, and evil that even the Boss, as amoral as he is, had called Cioccolata, "…the worst piece of shit on the face of the Earth." The only thing that both of us can wholeheartedly agree upon. Even going so far as to order me to catch up to them before they make too much of a mess in Rome.
After Secco's attempt to use me as a hostage failed thanks to Bucciarati, I had helped him get to the Colosseum after the Boss had masked my soul with his own so that Bucciarati believed that I was Trish, since at this point he was basically a walking corpse who couldn't see and hear things that weren't alive. All while working to avoid the rest of his team. After finally reaching the Colosseum, Bucciarati and I encountered the person who had the means of defeating the Boss. A Stand Arrow with a beetle design on it. Back then I couldn't see who it was but now, in this third-person perspective, I saw that it was, in fact, Polnareff. Who had miraculously survived his fight with the Boss, albeit in a severely crippling condition, with a blind eye and confined to a wheelchair, but it's better than being dead.
That's when the Boss used [King Crimson's] ability to both ditch Bucciarati and get up the stairs without Polnareff noticing it until everything had returned to normal. Slowly the Boss walked up the stairs and began a monologue.
"This is a test…" he said, still using my voice before using [King Crimson] again. Almost all of the background broke away as to be replaced by a beautiful starry background. That's when the Boss grabbed the bottom of my sweater before slowly removing it, all while continuing to talk and traverse the stairs, "…[I've accepted this test to stand victorious against my past." Once the Boss disappeared behind the pillar, his voice became much deeper and far more menacing, "A person grows once they are able to defeat their weaker self]…" once he had fully taken off the sweater and his true appearance was revealed, time returned to its natural progression, "…Wouldn't you agree, Jean Pierre Polnareff?"
The Boss' appearance was now fully revealed to me. He is a veritably tall man in his 30's with a lean and semi-muscular build. Before this, he was always covered in shadow in all but his glaring eyes, or he would take on my appearance.
The Boss has long pink hair, leopard-patterned with various dark green spots, parted in a zig-zagging manner; the bangs of which are propped and parted slightly to the side. The rest of his hair is cut straight across at his shoulders. His shirt, hidden under my sweater, appears to be made of complex mesh-wiring: it covers his shoulders and torso but down his back and abdomen are linked circles that are tucked under a green belt, which in the back end in two long "coattails". On his arms are elegantly designed floral sleeve tattoos leading down to a pair of green wristbands. He also shares a pair of studded pants and sockless loafers, the same ones I always wear. He also has a slightly hunched posture when standing.
His eyes are unique since his irises are "fragmented", forming as spots and shards of whole irides with a triangular-shaped highlight to them. His appearance differs greatly while operating using me as his little 'invisibility cloak'. Since I am a completely separate soul sharing a body with him, we even have different muscular builds.
Polnareff had a look of utter shock at the sudden appearance of the Boss, "You're…" before turning into a facade of pure rage, but I could tell it was to hide his fear of the 'man' that stood in front of him, "Diavolo!" He exclaimed, finally revealing the bastard's name. Soon after, Diavolo charged towards Polnareff before activating his ability to stop Polnareff from making use of that weird arrow. However, Polnareff had managed to find a way to know when Diavolo used [King Crimson's] ability to defend against Diavolo's attack using his Stand, [Silver Chariot] and landing a cut on that bastard's arm. However, he knew that he was no match for Diavolo, so he had [Silver Chariot] lift both him and his wheelchair, and toss it in the air in a last-ditch effort to escape Diavolo with the Beetle Arrow.
However, Diavolo simply used [King Crimson's] ability to predict where he would land and make Polnareff unable to react to what was happening. Diavolo even uses his own blood from the wound he had received to blind Polnareff. However, before Diavolo could resume time, the Beetle Arrow had pierced [Silver Chariot] through its right eye. A brilliant light soon consumed Polnareff's Stand, as its body started to liquify. Diavolo had a look of shock before he used [King Crimson] to attack the Stand. However, in this new liquid-like state, [Silver Chariot] climbed a wall and vanished. Polnareff, exhausted, blinded, and now without his Stand started to breathe heavily before Diavolo finished him off with a fatal hole in his chest using his Stand before using it again to destroy a chunk of the same wall Polnareff's Stand crawled up to retrieve the Beetle Stand Arrow that had found its way buried in the stone.
He started to go off on a tangent about something. Most likely a monologue about how great he is or how fate favored him or something like that that I chose to ignore. He then notices Bucciarati's group as well as Trish, and as he started to formulate a plan to take them out. However, a new presence has made itself known in the form of a stranger clad in black, walking away and looking like Death itself. Diavolo demanded the stranger to identify himself I could vaguely make out an Arrow-shaped marking on its neck.
Wait… that couldn't be… [Silver Chariot]… Could it? Either way, Diavolo began to pursue the figure, unintentionally dropping the Arrow and falling asleep against his will as I'm sure everyone in the city has as well. In this perspective, I could see the souls of those who had been affected by this evolved form of [Silver Chariot] with its new ability start to leave their bodies only to be swapped with the bodies of different people and even animals that were nearby when the ability activated, including both mine and Diavolo's souls. He now resides in the body of Guido Mista, which also housed Trish's soul. While Bucciarati and I switched bodies.
Several hours pass before everyone started to wake up from their forced slumber. Excluding me, since Bucciarati's body sustained so much damage as well as the fact that the energy that kept his corpse going had all but run out, I knew that my memory self wouldn't be able to even wake until a while longer, much less move. This somewhat confused me since these were supposed to be memories, that's when I concluded that this must be Diavolo's memories filling the gaps. I saw Bucciarati's Gang awake and become massively confused by these bizarre circumstances. They summoned forth their Stands and both they and I were surprised that they were powered up to some degree. However, Trish began to worry, and rightfully I might add, because she could no longer feel Diavolo's presence.
Suddenly, a turtle began to speak, and I was shocked to find out that it was Jean Pierre Polnareff's voice that was coming out of the turtle, while I saw many souls switch places, I had failed to notice Polnareff's soul. He began to explain the current situation and declared that the body swap was indeed caused by the new ability gained by [Silver Chariot] when the Beetle Arrow pierced it, now bearing the name [Chariot Requiem]. Narancia, who is now in Giorno's body, suddenly notices someone coming from an entrance and sees that it is Diavolo himself. Positioning himself into an ambush position, the group sees "Diavolo" confronting [Chariot Requiem], but to their surprise and not my own, "Diavolo" summons [Sticky Fingers] to attack [Chariot Requiem], cutting off the arm that was holding the Arrow. After all, Bucciarati and I were the ones who switched places.
The team was impressed by their leader's resolve, but now they start to watch Bucciarati's body, watching me carefully. When Bucciarati made to grab the Arrow, [Sticky Fingers] suddenly turned on its own Stand User. Mista tried to intervene, but one of his [Sex Pistols], the one with the #1 on its head suddenly went crazy and tries to kill him with one of the bullets Mista fired. Thankfully, Trish prevented this by actually having her Stand, whom she calls [Spice Girl], soften the bullet. However, this gave [Chariot Requiem] enough time to reattach his severed arm before resuming it continues its aimless walk. The situation was much more dire than anyone could anticipate, they now know that if they grab the Arrow, then their Stands will turn against them, making their goal of getting it that much more difficult.
That's when I realized that this was when I start to wake up, and one of the [Sex Pistols], notices this as well. So Bucciarati orders Mista to shoot me. Mista hesitates for a brief moment before shooting me, incapacitating me, and had unknowingly sealed my fate. Even though I understood why it was done, it didn't stop me from holding a little bit of a grudge on Mista. Narancia starts to daydream while Mista asks Trish for more bullets by taking some out of his boot.
However, that's when everything started to resemble [King Crimson's] world. I looked and saw [King Crimson] with its grip on Narancia. Now during the timeframe of the ability, [King Crimson] and Diavolo are unable to interact with anything or anyone. However, Diavolo managed to find a loophole that I figured out after observing it. If he or [King Crimson] were touching something or someone, and then activated time erasure, then they are free to interact with it as much as they like. So Diavolo, taking [King Crimson's] form, quickly impales Narancia on broken and splintered bars. He then goes back to Mista's body, continueing to hide, and then… time resumes.
Mista tells Trish to hurry up and give him the bullets when Trish points out that she already gave them to him. Seeing that the bullets fell to the floor without anyone noticing, Polnareff realizes that time had just been erased. Nervous, the group tries to seek out how Diavolo could have approached the group undetected and suddenly realize, after seeing sudden droplets of blood, that Narancia has been impaled into metal bars that were right above the gang, one bar in particular fatally impaled through Giorno's head. The team desperately hurries to save their teammate, but it is too late to intervene- despite healing his body, Giorno's soul can only return to it as Narancia was already dead, his soul has already passed on. The group mourns Narancia and even though we were technically enemies, I couldn't help but mourn with them.
That's when Polnareff pieces the clues together and realizes the exact link between Diavolo and me. Despite their grief, he warns the group that Diavolo and I are split personalities - two souls sharing one body. While [Chariot Requiem's] ability has switched one soul with Bucciarati, Diavolo's soul must be lurking somewhere close inside someone. Narancia was the first victim because his radar could have easily detected Diavolo. That's when Giorno made an admirable vow to Narancia that he will bring him home and surrounds his corpse in flowers using [Gold Experience]. I saw Trish catch a glimpse of [King Crimson] in the shadows, but for one reason or another doesn't notify the others. As the group walks out into the streets of Rome, they see the chaos and confusion caused by [Chariot Requiem's] ability.
Finally, the last memory I have to see as myself, the floor of the Colosseum appears in my mind, along with me lying on the ground… dying in Bucciarati's body as it bleeds out. My wishes and pleads for Diavolo to call me going unanswered, and my confidence in his assured victory as I stare at the phone for one last time. A real phone… the irony isn't lost on me. Even though I was his formerly loyal Consigliere, his little Doppio… the other half of his very soul. He still abandoned me, left me to die all alone as some kind of sacrifice. Then, anger, sorrow and finally hatred consumed my very being. The visions stopped as well as the headache and I checked my surroundings again.
To my brief shock, there were several fairly big cracks and craters in the ground near me. Before I realized what might have caused this. I began to speak in a quiet voice that could even be interpreted as menacing, "…[King Crimson]." I say, and sure enough, the very same Stand appeared by my side. Hence why they are called "Stands".
[King Crimson] is a humanoid Stand of a height and build similar to Diavolo's, but tends to look much bigger and taller. Its body is covered by a raised diagonal grid; save for its face, neck, shoulder guards, elbows, hands, abdomen, crotch, knees and feet/footwear. All of the aforementioned being covered by armor or as part of its "skin". Its eyes comprise sharp orifices of a steep inward slant that was connected to the "skin" of its head; from which emerge small, round eyes without sclera, with pronounced eye sockets that have the same fragmented pupils that Diavolo himself had, albeit with black eye color. Its crown is flat and from its forehead emerges a raised level that bears a smaller, oval face of the same expression. Which constantly bares its teeth through a small mouth.
The aforementioned second face on [King Crimson's] forehead is [Epitaph], and when I only want to use it, it usually manifests in the same position on my forehead. [Epitaph] presents itself as a bump on [King Crimson's] forehead surrounded by a dark metal ring, featuring eyes and a mouth constantly grinding its teeth, often mimicking [King Crimson's] own mood and expression. Befitting its name, [King Crimson] is primarily red, with the shade of red being deep and rich. It has lime green eyes, and its primary face and the grid on its body is white, and its metallic body parts and armor are a silvery-white. [King Crimson's] knuckles, ankle decorations, and the soles of its feet are emerald, just like its eyes.
(A/N: Basically what [King Crimson] and [Epitaph] look like in the anime.)
All of this, along with its formidable strength, speed and abilities, made the Stand intimidating, powerful, but most of all, terrifying. I soon got up and notice I was near a running river, so I decided to slowly walk towards it. I knelt and used my hand to get as much water as I could before taking a drink. The water was fairly clean and very refreshing. I took more and more until I felt satisfied. As soon as I did, I looked at my reflection and it showed that nothing had changed… It's funny… I should be 33 years old, but I still look like I'm a teenager. Diavolo managed to change our physique whenever he was in control or keep my appearance while still being in control, so I began to wonder, "Is it possible for me to change my physique to that of Diavolo's?" I asked myself. I don't know, and I won't know… if I don't try.
I began to try and forcibly contort my muscles, and at first, I thought I was just being stupid for even trying to attempt this. I looked in the river and see that maybe this wasn't as hopeless as I thought. My hair had grown longer and my face looks a little more mature. The freckles on the right side of my face have vanished. So I began to try harder, continually pushing myself and it starts to hurt. The sound of muscles stretching, possibly growing, and bones cracking fills the air. Until the pain became too much and I take long, deep breaths in an effort to alleviate it, and I looked at my reflection once again. I nearly cried out in shock at the reflection I see, because for one split second… I thought I was looking at Diavolo.
The pink hair had grown in length once more and was now free of my braid, and that wasn't even mentioning the green spots that were now in my hair. My face is now freckle-free and very mature, though I couldn't explain where the lipstick came from. My sweater was now a tight fit over my torso. Luckily, my pants and shoes still fit, albeit with a bit more of a snug-fit. The only thing that hadn't changed, and the only thing confirmed that it wasn't Diavolo, was my irises, since they were still light-brown instead of Diavolo's fragmented green ones.
The body itself was muscular and I could feel the stark contrast between my strength, my speed, and even my stamina when compared to this body. Though it felt… off, like I was wearing clothes that were too big for me, except that feeling was located in my very skin and muscles and was even stronger. Or maybe, I felt hollow… yeah, that's a better description for it. It was like there was too much space in this body as if my very soul couldn't fill in the gaps of space without leaving behind other gaps. That's when I try to change back to my regular appearance and found that this is much easier to do, especially when compared to changing into this body.
I look into the stream and found that I have turned back to my normal appearance. Although this body is considerably weaker, it just felt more… Uhm… "natural"…? Yeah, "natural" would be the best way to describe it. With all of that out of the way, I got up, look to where the flow of the stream is going and decided to follow it. After all, it's reasonable to believe I'll find something at the very least if I follow the stream. So without any destination set in mind and no idea where I'm going. I began to walk at a steady pace.
-Time Skip-
All this walking was starting to hurt my feet like hell. I've been walking for who knows how long with nothing but my thoughts to occupy me, though following the river had eventually led me to a dirt road, these thoughts didn't exactly put me in the best of moods. Off in the distance, I heard the sound of wheels and hooves. I turned around and found that it was a horse-drawn carriage with two men on it.
One of them spots me and shouts, "Hey, kid! Isn't it a bit dangerous to be out here by yourself?" and I'm surprised that I could understand him.
"I'm fine, thanks for the concern anyway!" I shouted back. Hoping that the reverse was also true. That's when I start to feel… rumbling? 'Alright, this is probably just an earthquake. So there's no reason for me to panic.' I speculate to myself, writing it off as perfectly normal. But… I think I should check, better safe than sorry. I summon [Epitaph] to forecast about two seconds into the future. What I saw was… a monster!?
The prediction appears in the bangs of my hair and I see some… giant bug thing! It will appear before me with one of its giant arms raised, likely to smash me into the ground. I look back to the ground and see that it's starting to emerge. I look behind me and see that the carriage drivers had spotted the incoming danger once they notice their horse freaking out. The creature has now fully emerged and its shadow now engulfs us as one of them shouted the name of the monster, "I-It's an Earth Dragon!"
The bug roars as it spots me and tries to bring its arm down to smash me. However, I quickly made to dodge the strike, I felt the impact it made behind me and I quickly summon forth the arms of [King Crimson]. I run towards the arm that was still buried in the ground before I jump and [King Crimson] quickly punches a shallow hole into the Earth Dragon's arm in order to grab ahold of the monster. I quickly scramble up the arm with [King Crimson] rapidly punching holes in the beast's arm before I make it to the Earth Dragon's upper arm, which was slightly thinner than its forearm. Now that I made it, I have [King Crimson] slice off its arm from there, which took a lot less force than I had anticipated. I then grab onto the Earth Dragon's new stub while it made to smash me with its remaining arm. That's when I got the idea to use [King Crimson's] strength to hurl me towards the Earth Dragon's head, simultaneously dodging its attack. The giant bug takes this as a chance to try and bite me in half, but [King Crimson] held its jaw wide open. I call forth a leg to hold it wide open while also freeing an arm. With its free arm, I use [King Crimson] to smash a hole through the Earth Dragon's head. I keep striking, making more and more holes.
After taking so much damage, the Earth Dragon begins to fall to the ground, and I take this as my signal to get off. I jump and use [King Crimson's] left arm to pierce the dead bug's torso and drag it down to slow and eventually break my fall. I land safely while the carriage drivers get off and run towards me.
"Holy crap kid! You took out an Earth Dragon all by yourself! And it didn't even look like you touched it?!" One of them proclaims, and I became briefly confused before remembering that only Stand Users can see Stands. So to them, it looked like I had killed it without even touching it.
"Well, I couldn't very much watch you guys die now could I?" I rhetorically ask. I was going to walk away before I realized something, "By the way, can one of you point me to the closest city, or somewhere where there is even a hint of civilization? I kinda lost my way out here." I finish, partially lying since I never had a destination set in mind, to begin with.
They both look at each other; as if they were debating something with their eyes alone, before turning back to face me. The one who congratulated me for killing the Earth Dragon decides to speak, "Well… the closest place would be the Imperial Capital, but I gotta warn you kid… the Imperial Capital is filled to the brim with monsters. However, these monsters are humans with the hearts and souls of monsters." he says.
"Alright, thanks for the heads up, and you can be sure that I'll be careful." I say with understanding, I knew the type of people he was referring too. Especially since a few of those types of people were in Passione.
"Well, let's take you there. It was our destination anyway, and it's the least we can do for you," he offers, pointing towards the carriage before continuing, "However I still wouldn't recommend staying there for too long." He warns before he and his companion hop back in, making room for me as well. I get on, and we started to move along, I continued to ponder his warning. I may not have a plan, but I do know one thing.
I'll find a way to make up for all the atrocities and blood on Diavolo's hands. One way or another.
-Music starts to play as the end credits roll-
(Verse One)
The wall on which the prophets wrote
Is cracking at the seams
Upon the instruments of death
The sunlight brightly gleams
When every man is torn apart
With nightmares and with dreams
Will no one lay the laurel wreath
When silence drowns the screams?
(Chorus)
Confusion will be my epitaph
As I crawl a cracked and broken path
If we make it we can all sit back and laugh
But I fear tomorrow I'll be crying
Yes, I fear tomorrow I'll be crying
Yes, I fear tomorrow I'll be crying
(Verse 2)
Between the iron gates of fate
The seeds of time were sown
And watered by the deeds of those
Who know and who are known;
Knowledge is a deadly friend
If no one sets the rules
The fate of all mankind I see
Is in the hands of fools
(Instrumental: "March for No Reason")
(Verse 1)
The wall on which the prophets wrote
Is cracking at the seams
Upon the instruments of death
The sunlight brightly gleams
When every man is torn apart
With nightmares and with dreams
Will no one lay the laurel wreath
When silence drowns the screams?
(Chorus)
Confusion will be my epitaph
As I crawl a cracked and broken path
If we make it we can all sit back and laugh
But I fear tomorrow I'll be crying
Yes I fear tomorrow I'll be crying
Yes I fear tomorrow I'll be crying
Crying...
Crying...
Yes I fear tomorrow I'll be crying
Yes I fear tomorrow I'll be crying
Yes I fear tomorrow I'll be crying
Crying...
-Instrumental Outro: "Tomorrow and Tomorrow"-
A/N: Hey guys, sorry for not updating in quite a while, I've been preoccupied as of late (I hate school work, it is my mortal enemy). The good news is that the next chapter for "Remnant of The World" is almost done. Funny thing is that this was the result of an idea that popped into my head after finishing Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind (Vento Aureo), and I'm excited to see how this develops, anyway thank you for reading and don't be afraid to follow, fav, leave a review to ask any questions or to constructively criticize. I hope you all have a nice day.