"Did you know Dio always wins conversations with George?"
"Yeah. Because he treats him like a client. And George, in the end, just wants to feel respected."
Leo closed the journal he'd begun writing. Not to remember—
but to calculate.
He had titled it: "Notes to Correct the Canon."
It was the fourth week since Dio's arrival.
And though he still pretended to be the noble, naive JoJo,
every step he took was premeditated.
At breakfast, George Joestar spoke proudly about Dio's fencing performance.
"That boy has discipline. And such poise!"
Leo smiled, letting his fork slip clumsily from his hand.
"Yeah… though I have to admit, sometimes it's hard to keep up. He's a bit intimidating."
George looked at him warmly.
"JoJo, don't feel lesser. You're a Joestar. You're my son. There's no comparison."
Seed planted.
George, unknowingly, had begun to compare—
in the opposite direction.
[System: Social strategy activated. Emotional influence increased.]
[Current narrative: "The Forgotten Son."]
That same afternoon, Leo approached Erina Pendleton in the garden.
Not because he loved her like in the canon…
But because he knew Dio would ruin everything soon.
And he wanted to see if he could stop it in time.
"Do you like reading, Erina?"
She nodded, shyly.
Leo pulled a small Greek mythology book from his jacket—one he'd brought from the library.
"Then… want to invent a story with me?"
She smiled.
And for the first time, Leo felt something real.
And he hated it.
[Emotional warning: Emotional interference detected. System on alert.]
He ignored the message. This wasn't the time to lose focus.
That night, Dio couldn't take it anymore.
"What are you up to, JoJo? You're not as… stupid as you used to be."
Leo smiled at him in the dim corridor.
"Up to something? Not really. I'm just… waking up."
Dio grabbed him by the collar. On instinct, Leo shoved him.
A solid hit. Dio staggered back.
Leo stared him down. Not a blink. Not a flinch.
For a second… he looked taller than Dio.
[Condition unlocked: "First Clash of Dominance"]
[Requirements met. Initiating passive Stand manifestation.]
"STAND IDENTIFIED: The Archive Over Void – Status: Dormant"
Leo felt a tremor in his chest.
As if something wrapped around him from behind.
Shadows. Whispers. Floating fragments of invisible pages in his peripheral vision.
Dio frowned.
"What the hell are you…?"
Leo lowered his voice—like a threat written in hidden ink.
"What you would've been… if you weren't born into a script."
That night, in his room, he looked into the mirror.
And saw his reflection smiling.
But it wasn't him.
It was a dark figure, with many eyes, and a body made of drifting paper.
His Stand.
His story.
His rewrite.
[The Archive Over Void recognized. Passive ability unlocked: "Scene Instance."]
[You may alter a minor canonical event without structural consequences.]
Leo touched the mirror.
And the reflection whispered:
"The ink isn't black anymore. It's blood."