Mon. Oct 20th, 2025

As the first glimmers of morning light painted the horizon, Jolene stepped carefully down the large, spiraling staircase of Dio’s mansion, cradling Dio’s now fragile form in her arms. Yuki darted ahead, her silvery cloak shimmering like a beacon of hope as she rushed to open the front doors. Their path was marked by echoes of betrayal and murky memories, but today was different—a threshold of possibilities lay before them.

As they exited into the crisp morning air, Yuki spoke up, eyes focused on the rise of the sun. ‘If we reach the hospital in time, the healers might be able to stabilize him. We can’t let our past decisions choose our fate.’
Jolene nodded slowly, stealing glances at Dio, whose breaths were assisted only by the weight of their resolve. ‘You know, he could always snap back to old ways, Yuki. This might not really change anything.’

‘But we have to try, Jolene! Even he deserves a chance to redefine his purpose.’ Yuki’s courage sparkled in her stance.
Dio chuckled weakly, his eyes closed. ‘Ah, how interesting it is,’ he whispered, ‘to be pitied by the very souls I coveted to destroy.’

‘Pity?’ Jolene rasped, clenching her fists, ‘No, it’s empathy, Dio. There’s a difference. You’re not just an image of what you’ve made of yourself. You are capable of choice.’
Dio grinned, the laughter strained and wet from his agony. He recalled battles lost, friendships severed by his hands. ‘Is there really value in the possibility of my existence? Or am I just an unwilling marionette?’

Their conversation unspooled as they moved through the quiet streets, each dialogue another layer bonding what had once been a chasm between them. With every passing minute, thick clouds of deception melted into openness, and Jolene sensed Dio’s hardened exterior starting to loosen.
‘We’ve all made mistakes,’ Yuki chimed in, her voice steady. ‘I was not always a healer. I wrestled with mortality and made decisions that haunted me long after I learned to mend. My own mistakes taught me the value of life.’

Suddenly, a stunning revelation flashed in Dio’s heart. ‘What if, just what if…’ he murmured, voice trailing off. His comrades paused in curiosity.
‘What if what?’ Jolene prodded, her head tilting inquisitively.
‘What if… I live, but never fully change? Ensnared in the orbit of my own misdeeds?’ Dio’s tone carried resignation mixed with a faint pulse of apprehension.

Yuki placed her hand on his shoulder. ‘You begin to mold your essence anew moment by moment. It’s not a switch to flip. It’s gradual akin to the dawn pushing back the night.’
Jolene grabbed Dio’s other arm. ‘We become who we are, or who we choose to fully be. Remember our journey; fear cannot impede it.’

At that moment, a sudden flare of energy surged within Dio, empowering him to speak again. ‘If I choose to fall, how many more lives might I wreck on the way? No… not again.’
‘What’s it going to be, Dio?’ Jolene prompted, urgency building. ‘Will you be a force against destruction or will you choose to protect and inspire? You’ve played puppet master long enough—now let fate unveil its plot.’

His thoughts flickered back to faces lost. There lay Dawkins, his long-lost accomplice and friend; moments carved with joy turned to bitter regret. ‘Could I really seek vengeance or could I at least break that chain?’ he muttered.

They reached the hospital; stress buzzed in the air as they dashed through the glass doors. Jolene rushed to catch the attention of a nearby nurse. ‘Help us! He needs immediate medical attention!’
Seeing the commotion, a doctor hastily appeared, taking in the scene. His expression softened as he began issuing commands. The sterile room buzzed with medicines and machines, bringing Dio closer to the cusp of unraveling stitches binding hatred and forgiveness in human form.

With each second spent under their care, Dio cherished the overwhelming love pulsating like a heartbeat around him—a feeling he’d long slammed shut. Yuki squeezed Jolene’s hand tightly, her nervousness transforming into resolve as the monitor began its reassuring rhythm.
As the beeping of the machine melded with their breaths, Dio’s eyes struggled to hold open, the white glows above twinkling like stars amid darkness.

In a moment of clarity, as he hovered between consciousness and dreams, Dio whispered, ‘Even in the darkest tide, hope floats. But can it carry my burden?’
Their shared energy filled the room, merging three individual paths into one luminous direction—the intersection of their fates.
All at once, Yuki promised, ‘It’s not what we’ve done, but what we choose next that defines us.’
They stood at the threshold of change, both daunting yet beautiful, edges still jagged but a journey begun anew—all destined under a canopy of a purpose. Beneath it, threads they would weave collectively, each stitch illuminated by rising light; just as the sun continued to rise, insisting on great tomorrows.
In the battle for supremacy over fate, perhaps the act of surrender would breed the finest victories.