Laments of a Heaven-Bringer - (Original Otome Scenario, Dio!MC)
Warning! This is not a SI/OC-I story where the MC 'looks like' Dio. this is Dio Brando from JJBA Part 1 (Before the Stone Mask and before planning to poison George Joestar). Yes, Lil' Dio is isekai'd before he gets to the Joestar Manor.
Promises, that's what motivated the boy that was aimlessly glaring out of the chariot's tiny window.
The blond youth that bore his orange eyes over the masses of poor people in the slums of London before the ride took him to the path of the land owned by his 'benefactor'. Poverty hardens people, especially when greed and criminality are so common in those spots where the police would never dare to patrol.
Dio Brando knew a thing or two about the unfairness of life, his gaze geared towards the countryside. So much land could be used to build more houses and lessen the burden on the slums. Of course the politicians could care very little for their voters. No matter how many steps to highen the relevance of the common folks, the rich bastards would find a way to make their lives miserable every day.
In a world where the most direct tie to his pain - his father - was dead like the wretched thing that he lived up to be, Dio could only lash out to the cause behind the overall disgusting aspect of life that had condemned him to a horrible childhood.
Even this 'charity' provided by Lord George Joestar felt like a slap due to how deaf it was to the overall situation. The man just decided to pick some orphaned kid as a ward out of 'kindness'. Of course this move was going to win him some good boy points with the other nobles that looked at the Joestar family as some sort of 'paragons of virtue'.
Dio was far from foolish. He had seen that kindness was just a method to achieve greater favors from those that still believed that life could not be that bad. Of course, he knew better. And he knew that this opportunity that his father had unwittingly left on his lap was now going to be the very goal in his life - a chance to be a mockinbird, steal from the family, become the sole inheritor of George Joestar's will and...
And be rich.
Dio's ambitions may sound limited, but the boy cared not for others. His first priority was 'self-betterment'. And in a time where money was kingmaker, then it was money that he would try to obtain. A lot of money at that.
At least, that was his original plan before something or someone decided to truly derail it.
Dio didn't remember why he felt so tired as the ride went on through the woods, but the boy ruled it as an effect of the overall stress of the last few weeks. His father's passing, albeit a good event, yielded its own issues within the housing situation Dio had to handle.
As much as Dario Brando had been a monster, he was still an adult and a professional haggler when it came to lower their home's rent just so that Dio's own pathetic income born from tricking people at the nearby pub could keep up with it. And with Dario's death, not only would the loan shark finally 'make a move', but the government would refuse a 'child' to own a property outright.
Backed in a corner, Dio's current plan was his only salvation.
So, he was halfway through the worst bit, anyone knowing of him or his father unaware he was now to depart under the safety blanket that was the Joestar's wardship and finally relaxing at the notion of no longer having to fear any external trouble.
Dio closed his eyes, wondering about the final results of his grand plan, and his musings over his mother's own desires for her son: she would want him happy and rich, so it made sense that he would follow through with this goal with twice the interest and efforts.
...
That's when things went bad.
One moment Dio was asleep, relieved of this first hard-earned victory, and the next one he was snapped awake as the chariot suddenly derailed and slammed onto a nearby tree. Panic swelled within his heart as the sudden development left him to stare in shock outside the chariot's windows - First the one by his side, then the one on the opposite section.
Trees, bushes, and broken blisters of wood from the chariot.
With utmost care and attention, grasping his luggage close to his chest, Dio opened one of the doors and slipped out of the vehicle. The sight was surreal from the very first impression: there was no sign of the horses or the charioteer.
In fact, it looked like none of those had been around in a while. Which was absurd considering that the chariot had suddenly derailed. There should have been some traces confirming that they had been present during the crash. If not the charioteer, at least the horses.
Actually, Dio remarked to his mind on how he didn't hear the beasts making any noises during the crash. This was... odd. No, it was truly bizarre.
No blood, no hoofprints. This 'crime scene' was outright baffling. Still, not enough to stop him.
Dio was close - so close - to the Joestar Manor.
He could feel it in the bones. So, rather than further check on the scene and warrant a visit from some wild creatures to attack him, Dio started to pick up the pace and walk to the general direction the chariot had been taking before derailing.
The road was quite close, and the overall scenery didn't appear too different from the one he saw before falling asleep. With renewed confidence, the blond boy was soon back to his previous thoughts, his mind disregarding the chances he was going to be surprised anymore for today.
Maybe he could exploit this accident to acquire more 'poor boy' points with Lord Joestar. That would be quite a good way to capitalize on this curious accident.
-d-d-d-d-
Dio's wandering stopped as soon as he reached back into civilization. Except he had not wandered into a lord's fief - he had found an actual town.
To make things worse, the teen was soon glancing around with different grades of 'wide eyes' with the few shocking sights he found while trying to grasp his mind on the situation. He could see normal humans... but also elves. And some people with animal ears atop their heads. Then some dragon-like fellows standing on two feet, and then there was a group of dwarves stumbling out of the nearest pub before he entered it.
The smell of booze and blood (a sign of frequent drunken brawls) filled his nostrils, reminding the boy of his many times spent at the pub near home to make a living. Still, Dio Brando was utterly lost as he glanced at other individuals bearing non-human traits that further worried him to some extent.
And it wasn't even a sense of 'lost' tied to his baffling mental thoughts on what had occurred, but also on a locational level. The bartender had looked puzzled when the blond inquired on the town's name, but he grumpily relayed the singular name of 'Seneda'.
Albeit Dio was not an educated youth, he knew enough about the Greater London Area to know this was not a town within that reach. But rather than appear like a gullible fool by inquiring for more info from a man that looked ready to gut him of any good penny he may have, Dio decided to ask for something else.
"Do you have any job around?"
Simple, direct, and enough to steal a grin from the pub's owner. As much as Dio had planned to give up on having to work to survive, he knew better than ignoring the growing reality he was stuck with - he was no longer in London, he was no longer anywhere near the Joestar's manor, and he was... he was genuinely clueless on where 'Seneda' was.
Maybe it was some lowly village - but then there was the presence of mythical entities living among the locals and none of them appearing so concerned by this. And the overall medieval appearance of Seneda and its locals was a stark contrast to his Victorian middle-class outfit.
Something that was regarded by those ogling at his 'expensive clothes' as a sign of money. Which was troubling. Hence why he needed a job, get enough money, and find the nearest inn to recollect his thoughts in peace.
The job he got was supposedly meant to be intimidating: rats in the basement - Dio was to exterminate them all.
Such a task would have been the bane for many 'silly boys' back home, but Dio had dabbled in worse activities. As he closed the door to the basement to not allow any of the critters out, Dio folded his blue jacket, settled his luggage down so that he could lie it on it and not get it too dusted, and then he was off to stomp on rats.
Less than a hour later, the blond emerged from the basement and replied to the bartender's question of having completed the task with a nod. He was given '5 Silver pieces', and the old man gave him directions to the nearest inn.
The price to stay at a room varied on the duration. He decided to pick the highest he could with the money he made on the first day, which was close to nine days of having food served for lunch and dinner, and a roof to live under.
He skipped on lunch, walking up to his room and closing it shut before moving some furniture to block anyone from breaking in by lockpicking their way inside. The gut feeling of this being a possibility, something he was familiar from hearing accounts of people being robbed in places of the kind, made him quite paranoid in his search for a safe place where to contemplate... this. Everything.
Dio felt like his world had been hurled into a sea of uncertainty. He was no longer in London, he was nowhere in Britain. Hell, was he even in Europe? The boy had absolutely no clue. All he could think of was that he was stuck in this absurd place and...
He couldn't be pushed in a corner by this.
Forcing himself to calm down, Dio fished out his journal and started to scribble by the creaking desk he found beside the only window in the room. He prepared his ink and pen, leaving a few blots on the upper section of the page to confirm it wasn't tampered with, and he soon started to write.
Seneda, new place. Where? England? Tasks, money, Inn, other ventures.
Simple things, somewhat disconnected but enough for him to connect dots with ease. He then shifted his focus to the greater issues of this new predicament.
Creatures, half-humans. Religion...s? Gods? Power. New paths.
Nodding to himself, Dio finally started to simplify a few interesting elements. If there were individuals bearing unusual appearances such as elves and half-humans, then there was a chance that the religion (or religions) may have a good reason to be beyond being exploited by corrupt priests to collect money from the poor and needy.
And if there were Gods... then Magic could be a thing. And if Magic was a thing, then money was no longer the 'ultimate' tool to achieve happiness.
He was currently brainstorming, his mind succumbing to the allure and temptation of the various ventures this sort of development introduced. Yet, he was unwilling to stray further and allow his thinking to go beyond what the reality was all about.
Closing his journal and hiding his luggage behind a piece of furniture as he left to explore Seneda, Dio felt a bit at ease knowing his only earthly possessions were no longer a concern for now and he could explore see what this town had to offer. As he got a first taste of the place, he also found confirmation on one of his guesses:
A shop that sold alchemical and magical book right a few steps away from the inn.
AN
So I want to use this tiny space to make a few points clear:
1) This Dio is not DIO. This Dio is a bitter teen that has yet to grow too resentful of an adult to become a monster. That doesn't mean he is going to be a 'Good MC'. Rather, he is going to walk a middle road with hints of Evil here and there;
2) There's not going to be Stands or Hamon or Spin. This is not a world where either of those things can be produced within the same ways as JJBA and they are not as useful to Dio since he can learn magic;
3) It's going to take a while before Dio reaches the Academy where the Otome game begins (roughly three to four chapters), mostly because Dio is A) 14, and B) not able to sustain the tuition fee as he is right now. So, once he gets his plans for a business started, then he will get into the Academy and... play politics and sharpen his charisma early on.