"[Birdhouse in Your Soul]!" And with those words, Constantine's Stand materialized before them.

Birdhouse in Your Soul was a large, shaggy-looking Stand. Its body was a deep, dark purple, so dark it almost seemed black. On its back appeared to be a large furry cloak. Its face was covered by a black mask with intricate markings scratched into its surface. Two horns - no, they were more akin to antlers - jutted out from the sides of its head. Its hands were thick and meaty, and its fingers were stubs with needle-like claws poking out of them. It was humanoid, but there about something feral about it, making it seem like a wild animal.

Daniel wasted no time once the Stand appeared. Sabaton leapt towards the Stand hunter in a pink blur, screeching at the top of its lungs. Imagine Dragons followed closely behind, arms outstretched and claws gleaming.

From behind its mask, the purple Stand let out a deep, savage roar as Sabaton and Imagine Dragons flew towards it. With one clawed hand, Birdhouse in Your Soul swiped at Sabaton, only for Sabaton to vanish and reappear behind it. With Sabaton primed to attack from behind, and Imagine Dragons still charging from the front, it seemed like Birdhouse in Your Soul was trapped, about to be on the receiving end of two barrages of attacks simultaneously.

And then Birdhouse in Your Soul's claws shot out of its hand.

Five shiny needles, each attached to the ends of the Stand's fingers by a thin cord, flew with surprising speed before embedding themselves between the scales of Imagine Dragons. With a flick of its wrist, Birdhouse in Your Soul swung the dragonic Stand around. Sabaton teleported away, barely avoiding having Imagine Dragons smash into it. Joshua felt the odd sensation of motion while immobile, as if he had just gotten off of a roller coaster. Suddenly, the needles retracted, and with roar of exertion, Birdhouse in Your Soul threw Imagine Dragons at Daniel and Joshua.

With great effort, Imagine Dragons managed to right itself and land before it could crash into Joshua and Daniel. Joshua looked at Daniel and his Stand. Neither had taken much damage beyond a few small puncture wounds in the chest, but they hadn't been able to land a hit on Birdhouse in Your Soul either. It had countered their initial attacks, and to make matters worse, it seemed like it wasn't even particularly trying in the process. Daniel's plan to end this encounter 'quickly and easily' had been a wash.

Stan sighed again, shaking his head. "Rule number one for fighting enemy Stands: don't recklessly attack when you don't even know what your opponent's powers are." The needles retracted into Birdhouse in Your Soul's fingers. "It's a shame. Your files made you seem like powerful users, but I guess you couldn't have that much experience."

"Files?" Daniel asked, still on guard. He gave the slightest tilt of his head toward Joshua, and Joshua understood. Birdhouse in Your Soul was another enemy that would be difficult to get close to. Careful to not draw any attention to itself, Imagine Dragons began to charge up a fireball inside its mouth. "What files?"

"The files my client gave me, of course. I'd be pretty stupid if I didn't follow my own rule about fighting enemy Stands, after all." "You know what our Stands' powers are, then," Daniel said, trying to keep Stan talking for as long as possible. Imagine Dragons continued to charge the fireball; Joshua wanted this fireball to be large and powerful, hopefully enough so that it would take out the Stand hunter and his Stand in one hit.

"It's all there in the file. Two Stand users, one with a Stand that can teleport, the other with a lizard-like Stand-" Stan suddenly looked to Joshua and Imagine Dragons, grinning with a mad gleam in his eyes, "that can breathe fire!"

It happened in an instant. Imagine Dragons opened its mouth, about to launch the fireball. At the same time, Birdhouse in Your Soul pointed at Imagine Dragons, and two of its claws shot out of its hands. With incredible accuracy, the needles flew into Imagine Dragons' mouth. Joshua gagged as he felt the needles lodge themselves in the back of its throat. The unexpected attack had caught him completely off-guard, causing him to have a momentary lapse of concentration, and that was all it took. Imagine Dragons lost control of the fireball, and it exploded in its face. Thankfully, the dragonic Stand seemed flameproof, but the force of the explosion still knocked it (and Joshua) on the ground.

The needles retracted back into Birdhouse in Your Soul's hand. "You actually thought you could get away with that? Nice try, but you'll have to be a little better if you expect me to fall for such basic trick." Stan's voice was cocky as ever, though his expression was pained. He stuck his fingers in his mouth and briefly sucked. "Credit where it's due though. That fire you've got is pretty nasty."

"You okay, Joshua?" Daniel asked. Joshua sat up, shook his head, and spat out a clump of blood. His head was still ringing. "I guess. Do have any ideas on how we can take this guy out?" Daniel shrugged as Imagine Dragons gathered itself next to Sabaton. "Nothing yet. One of us tries to keep him occupied so the other can rush in and land some hits. Just don't let those claws hit you." "Easier said than done," Joshua returned, and the two Stands rushed forward.

And it was easier said than done. The battle may have been two Stands against one, but Birdhouse in Your Soul had ten claws, and it wielded them all with an impressive amount of skill. Wherever Sabaton and Imagine Dragons went, it seemed like a needle was waiting for them, ready to whip them or stab them or poke them in a sensitive area. Even Sabaton, which could easily avoid attacks with its quick teleportation, couldn't dodge the maelstrom of whiplike needles. The attacks weren't very powerful, but they were annoying and painful, and they prevented the Stands from reaching Birdhouse in Your Soul.

The worst part was, it didn't even seem like Stan had to exert himself to keep the Stands away. On the contrary, the Stand hunter seemed to be enjoying himself. He kept taunting Joshua and Daniel, calling out things like, "Ouch! Almost got me with that one," and "Not bad! Move faster next time, and you might be able to hit me!" grinning all the while. "This guy's really starting to get on my nerves," Joshua muttered to Daniel, grimacing as another needle dug into the small bit of flesh between Imagine Dragons' scales. "Yeah," Daniel replied, "I just want to…" Sabaton, which had until that moment been flickering around Birdhouse in Your Soul, suddenly teleported right in front of Stan. "Hah! Got you now!" Daniel exclaimed.

Stan didn't even flinch. Instead, Birdhouse in Your Soul whipped around, and with one hand, shot its claws into Sabaton's back. The needles then retracted, dragging Sabaton with them as its punch whizzed through empty air. The pink Stand was pulled towards Birdhouse in Your Soul, whose other hand clenched into a fist, reared back, and delivered a powerful uppercut which sent Sabaton flying through the air. Then, in a single swift motion, the same hand shot its claws out, whirling them around to slap Imagine Dragons, which had attempted to take advantage of the move to attack Birdhouse in Your Soul. The two Stands landed sprawled in a heap, and their owners reeled from the attacks.

"Can't teleport while something's attached to me," Daniel croaked, "That's something I just learned."

Joshua groaned in pain. "We can't go on like this, Daniel. This guy's gotta have some weak point." "Yeah," Daniel agreed. Then, as their Stands recovered, a sly smile formed on his face. "I've got an idea. Just wait for my signal, okay?" "Okay," Joshua said, a little apprehensive. Birdhouse in Your Soul had to have some weak points, but so far nothing they had tried had worked. "Great," Daniel said, and Sabaton charged forward once more.

Stan, who had been feigning a yawn, regarded the oncoming Stand with a shake of his head. "This again? Honestly, it's getting a little sad how you refuse to learn from your mistakes." Ten claws shot out of Birdhouse in Your Soul's hands, all heading straight for Sabaton. Joshua expected Sabaton to teleport away like it always did.

But Sabaton didn't teleport. Instead, it let the needles plunge into its chest, then grabbed the cords attaching the needles to Birdhouse in Your Soul's fingers, and dug its heels into the ground. "I haven't refused to learn anything!" Daniel shouted. "Joshua! Now!"

Joshua and Stan both instantly realized what Daniel was doing. Stan tried to retract the needles, but Sabaton held tight, and just like that it was too late. Imagine Dragons rushed forward and slashed its claws across the purple Stand's chest. "GRA-DA!"

Stan grunted in pain as Imagine Dragons continued to slash Birdhouse in Your Soul. Finally, Sabaton lost its grip on the cords, and the Stands retreated as the needles once again retracted into its fingers.

Both Stan and Birdhouse in Your Soul were bent over in pain. "How about that!" Daniel said. "The goon finally shows some weakness. Let's keep it up, Joshua!" Joshua nodded, and Sabaton and Imagine Dragons rushed forward once more. "Fools!" Stan shouted. Birdhouse in Your Soul looked up, and suddenly everything stopped.

A chill had come over Joshua, and all of a sudden he couldn't move his body. He couldn't move Imagine Dragons either. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Daniel and Sabaton were frozen as well. For a brief moment, he thought back to the night in the alley - but no, his feet had been stuck in the pavement then, and he wasn't stuck in anything now. It had to be something Stan and his Stand were doing.

Stan panted heavily. He was no longer smiling, and the glint in his eyes was gone. In front of him, Birdhouse in Your Soul stood. Before, there had been nothing but darkness behind the mask that the Stand seemed to wear, but now two bright blue eyes were shining through that darkness. Joshua couldn't stop staring at those eyes. Their gleam seemed to pierce through the depths of his soul.

"Rule number one of fighting enemy Stands: don't rush in to attack it while you don't know what it's capable of. The truth is, the two of you lost the moment you chose to engage me." Stan shook his head. "You weren't half bad opponents either, but I'm done giving you a sporting chance. It's time for me to do my job."

-To Be Continued- What's in Your Soul (Act 3)

Stand User: Constantine Istanbul

Stand Name: [Birdhouse in Your Soul]

Power: B

Speed: A

Range: B

Durability: C

Precision: C

Developmental Potential: C

Harpoon Claws: Birdhouse in Your Soul has sharp, needle-like claws on the ends of its fingers to slash and stab its opponents. It can also launch its claws like harpoons to pierce enemies or objects from afar. These claws do not have to immediately retract, and in fact can stay out to be used like spiked whips.

Fear Gaze: Birdhouse in Your Soul emits an intense aura of fear from its eyes that can paralyze anyone who looks into them. This fear gaze can even affect Stands. This gaze is less effective on people with stronger wills. On the other hand, it can be so effective against weak-willed people that it can cause them to faint from fear.