Stardust Crusaders PLUS1

Prologue

A Wrinkle in Fate

"Yes, that's him all right." A tall old man said. His eyes were fixed on a picture. "And again, we can't tell where he is!"

The man threw the photo on the table in frustration, in it a figure was engulfed in darkness, his long golden hair seemed to float, his pale torso gleamed eerily with the little light there was, and on the back of the neck, just below what appeared to be puncture marks, a reddish star-shaped birthmark was visible.

"I would never forget that terrifying beauty!" Another man said, sitting next to the first. "But once again, even with this photo, we are unable to locate him."

"That DIO, always in the shadows, it pisses me off!" The old man shouted; his voice agitated with anger. "Not even breaking the camera helps me blow off some steam."

"Mr. Joestar, I believe I can be of assistance in this situation." The other man stood up, clutching his long golden necklace. "If machines are of no help, perhaps something more in the realm of the esoteric would be of aid."

The old man, Mr. Joestar, lifted his fedora to see his friend's face. "What do you propose, Avdol?"

Avdol took a deck of tarot cards from his long sleeves, and swiftly and flawlessly started to shuffle them, before slamming them down loudly on the table.

"As you already know, I am a fortune teller, dwelling within the whims of fate is my bread and butter." He said as he arranged the cards. "Since DIO and the Joestar bloodline have acquired a bizarre bond, perhaps I can catch a glimpse of DIO's future when I see yours."

The old Joestar started scratching his beard.

"Hmm, a fortune telling session..."

Avdol chuckled slightly. "Don't worry, it's on the house."

"Is that so? Well, let's see what fate has in store for the great Joseph Joestar."

He started to pick the cards, Avdol was looking at them intently, everything was going like any other session Avdol had done, until…

"Ah, sorry Avdol, it seems I've bent this card." Joseph said.

The card he had just picked, the corner where he had grabbed it, was slightly bent. It was nothing serious, just a little mark on the card, but when Joseph looked at Avdol, his face was covered in sweat.

"What's wrong? Was this your favorite deck and I just ruined it?" Joseph said, surprised by the expression in his friend's face.

"No, Mr. Joestar, that's not the problem." He pointed at the corner of the card. "The problem is that bent corner itself!"

Joseph looked at the card, a bit perplexed, was such a small thing that big of a deal?

"What's wrong with this little accident? I bet a lot of tarot cards wear down after being used for a while, bends and all." Joseph said. "So, what's the problem with this one?"

Avdol didn't take his eyes off the card, yes, how could he, not after what he had seen.

"The problem is who made it." Avdol said, his eyes leaving the card for the first time. "You see, Mr. Joestar, you didn't bend it and neither did I."

Joseph could only look at Avdol in confusion, no words came to him.

"The whole time, I was watching the cards that you were picking, and…" His eyes returned to see the card. "When you were about to pick this one… It bent by itself!"

"But how can it be? If I didn't even touch it, then what did?" Joseph blurted out.

Both men looked at the card that manifested such a strange phenomenon.

"What accursed card was it anyway?" Joseph suddenly grabbed the card and flipped it.

"W-WHAT!?" Joseph shouted. Yes, the shock from seeing that card was too great for him to keep it to himself.

The flipped Death Arcana card was on full display on the table.

"What is this? Is it a death omen?" Joseph had a look of fear in his eyes.

"Not necessarily." Avdol intervened. "The Death Arcana doesn't mean an actual death in most cases; it symbolizes the metaphorical "death" of the old to bring forth a new beginning."

"I see, but why did this card have to be the one that was damaged?" Joseph said, his nerves a little bit calmer.

"I don't know, I'm not even sure that I was reading your future, Mr. Joestar." Avdol said.

"Could it be DIO's then?" Joseph looked at Avdol, waiting for a reply.

Avdol just stood silently, in all his years as a fortune teller, this was the first time something like this had happened to him.

"Could it have been an intervention from DIO?" Avdol thought, he knew that through the connection that Jonathan's body made with Joseph, perhaps DIO might know what he was attempting to do, but to sabotage it? Impossible.

He glanced at the cards; an uneasy feeling suddenly invaded him.

"This reading is neither yours nor DIO's." Avdol finally said.

"What? Then whose is it Avdol?" Joseph had risen to his feet, his hand gripping the corner of the table intensely. "Then whose fortune is it?"

"Someone who will cross paths with us." Avdol replied. "It seems that fate has decided to reveal this mysterious stranger to us, or maybe, we've just united our destinies with theirs."

"What's that supposed to mean Avdol?" Joseph could not understand what his friend was trying to tell him.

"To be honest Mr. Joestar, I'm not sure myself." Avdol said, puzzled by the events that had transpired.

Joseph sighted and composed himself "Well then, if it's an ally or an enemy, will take care of it when the time comes, for the time being, we have a flight to catch."

Joseph started to prepare his luggage, while Avdol started to gather the cards.

He stopped again when he saw the Death card. Maybe it was like Joseph had said, when the time came, they could deal with it.

"Did fate choose to show me this or did I manifest it?" Avdol thought. "And when I meet them, will I recognize them as such?"

TO BE CONTINUED