Stand: Beyond Imagination: Scales of Resolve

"Is fate truly unchangeable?"

Dawn gazed at the ocean he had created, his emotions not soaring.

He was contemplating whether JOJO's fate was truly unalterable.

Abbacchio, who should have died on Sardinia, had lived a little longer because of him, an outsider, and died in Rome.

This indicated that fate, in a sense, could be altered to a small degree.

The price was that everyone had nearly died under Ghiaccio's mold attack.

Anyone who dared to challenge fate needed to be prepared to die.

Dawn took a deep breath. If fate was unchangeable, how could he obtain the Insect Arrow?

Would he, like Diavolo, be rejected by the Insect Arrow and end up in a state where he could neither live nor die?

A strong sense of unwillingness welled up in Dawn's heart. Abbacchio's death had sounded an alarm for him.

This was fate's show of force, a predetermined ending that no one could change!

The bitterness in his heart reached its peak. Dawn lit a cigarette, but it didn't help; even his fingers began to tremble slightly.

"What... what's wrong with me?"

Dawn stood frozen, completely unaware that a string of garbled text was appearing above his head, flashing wildly.

Giorno immediately became serious. Mr. Dawn had said that this should be his Stand ability.

However, why was it so bizarre?

The flashing sensation gave him the illusion that the world was fake, as if a program crash could happen at any moment, making Giorno feel extremely absurd.

"What's wrong with Mr. Dawn?"

Trish said worriedly, "Isn't the enemy already dealt with?"

Bucciarati, setting aside the grief from Abbacchio's death for a moment, spoke, "It seems... his Stand has gone berserk."

"Stand berserk?"

"That's right, but it usually happens when a Stand first awakens. Once it's fully controlled, this situation basically never occurs."

Giorno looked at Dawn again. "Bucciarati, Mr. Dawn doesn't look like someone who just awakened his Stand."

"I know. Regardless, let's get Mr. Dawn into the turtle's secret room to rest. We'll drive on."

Bucciarati approached Dawn and reached out, attempting to communicate.

"Mr. Dawn?"

Zzzzt~

An electric current sound filled the air. The small Cloud Dragon, about ten meters long, stirred its remaining lightning, barring Bucciarati from approaching.

Bucciarati opened his mouth to explain, but then saw the text flashing above Dawn's head suddenly change, drawing everyone's attention.

The text gradually became orderly and normal, shimmering with golden light.

[Stand · Beyond Imagination · Resolve's Scale]

[This ability is a temporary product born from a Stand berserk. It can only be used three times. Exceeding three times will trigger unpredictable and severe consequences. Offer your price, take your wish. This is a transaction no one can shake.]

The Stand's berserk stopped, and Dawn slowly regained his senses.

Just now, he had felt an unbearable splitting headache, and the world before his eyes had begun to flicker, causing him immense pain.

But thankfully, he had gotten through it.

The small Cloud Dragon happily circled Dawn. Dawn stroked its cool little head, making the Cloud Dragon do a somersault in place with delight.

"Mr. Dawn, you were acting very strange just now. Also, what's with the golden text above your head?"

Bucciarati didn't get any closer and instead reminded him.

It was then that Dawn noticed the golden text flashing above his head. His eyes widened, and a surge of ecstasy filled his heart.

It was a golden ability!

The first golden ability in history!

Impatiently, Dawn finished reading the ability description. Although it was a pity it could only be used three times, it was no big deal.

This ability was a temporary one born from a Stand berserk anyway; it was good enough that it didn't occupy a fixed slot.

Dawn wasn't greedy. Besides, Dragon Tamer and Wasting Time were also excellent abilities. Both were purple, which was enough for Dawn to handle most encounters.

[Requesting Transaction]

In his mind, [Stand · Beyond Imagination · Resolve's Scale] trembled violently. It sensed a large amount of obsession present in this location.

[Requesting Transaction]!

[Requesting Transaction]!!

[Requesting Transaction]!!!

"Shut up!"

A surge of anger rose within Dawn, but he decided to see what was going on and why the Scales of Enlightenment were reacting like this.

With a thought, a torrent of obsessions swept over him like a tidal wave, continuously pounding his brain.

Dawn's temples throbbed. He could only rub them while searching for useful information within the sea of obsessions.

Help me, there are so many dead people here...

Why aren't they saying anything? Why did my brothers have to...

If I can just hold on a little longer... Secco will definitely come save me...

I can't breathe!

I'm sorry Bucciarati, I can't hold on anymore...

"Found it!"

Dawn's eyes lit up. He chose this obsession, and moments later, information about its owner flooded his mind.

[Abbacchio, Male, Stand User, born in Italy...]

"Fate cannot be changed? I refuse to believe it!"

Dawn's heart hardened, and with a thought.

[Stand: Beyond Imagination: Scales of Enlightenment]

Activate.

The Unknowable Place.

Unknown Street.

The entire world was cast in a gray hue. There wasn't a single pedestrian on the street, only a red bus parked by the curb.

Abbacchio sat by a table on the side of the street, elegantly eating the food on his plate.

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from beneath the tablecloth as if someone was searching for something.

Abbacchio put down his wine, lifted the tablecloth, and bent over to look.

"Officer, what are you looking for?"

The man's face was unclear. He didn't turn around, continuing to search through the broken wine bottles with tweezers, trying to find something.

"There was a robbery here last night. I'm looking for a murder weapon, fragments of a beer bottle. There might be fingerprints on them."

Upon hearing this, Abbacchio couldn't help but speak, "You likely won't find any fingerprints. No, even if you do, the criminal colluding with lawyers will cause all your efforts to be in vain, and it might even bring disaster upon yourself."

The man still didn't look up, speaking calmly, "Of course, I know that. But what I pursue is the result, not just the truth."

"Blindly pursuing the truth inevitably leads one to seek shortcuts. On the path of shortcuts, people lose themselves and miss the truth."

"What I pursue is the process of pursuing the truth, Abbacchio."

Confusion flickered across Abbacchio's face.

"How do you know my name? Who are you?"

The man looked up and smiled mysteriously.

Abbacchio suddenly clutched his head in pain. He seemed to remember something, his expression changed, and he abruptly stood up, walking towards the bus parked by the street.

"I have to get on that bus, I have to go back. Bucciarati still needs me."

The man watched Abbacchio and said softly, "But, Abbacchio, have you forgotten? You arrived here on that very bus. This is the end of the line..."