Chapter 8: Spooky Scary Mansion (And a forest)
Standing in front of the mansion, Giorno felt an eerie sense of discomfort. The mansion had lived up to its reputation of being creepy, at least. What the children back in San Illia had failed to mention, was that the mansion had a massive grave site on the plot.
Coupled with the fact that it was night, this set the perfect conditions to absolutely terrify the monster in the group.
"A dilapidated mansion… right next to a graveyard. What kind of parents let their children play here?" Giorno said, looking at their surroundings.
"It's bigger than I thought… Creepy atmosphere too. Is something wrong, Alice?" Luka suddenly asked.
Alice remained silent, shivering as she caught sight of the graveyard.
"Stereotypical place for a ghost to haunt, don't you think?" Giorno mentioned, alarming her further.
"Don't point out such obvious things! Don't you understand a woman's heart?!" Alice shrieked.
"Hey! Did you see that?! A small girl's silhouette!" Luka pointed at an upstairs window.
"Aiee!" Alice shrieked, hiding behind his back.
True to his word, the figure of a small child could be seen for a split second before running out of sight.
Giorno put a hand on the building, using his stand's life sense to try and feel for any foreign presence.
…
"One faint life signature… I don't feel a thing besides that, but something feels wrong." Giorno said.
Alice gulped, her fears getting the best of her.
"Alice… Are you perhaps scared of ghosts?" Luka asked, suddenly putting together something that was obvious from the start.
"As if! I only fear hunger!" She tried to deny it.
"… If you want to do this, we have to do it now. Before it becomes impossible to see." Giorno advised.
"Right… Let's head inside." Luka nodded, much to Alice's displeasure.
"Absolutely not… Why are we even here? Is this really the role of a Hero?! Wasting time in some run-down mansion…" Alice trailed off.
"Well… We can let you stay out here alone in the dark then. Gold Experience can't protect you out here if you do stay…" Giorno argued, making her change her mind in a heartbeat.
"Aaaa…" Alice weakly moaned, walking between the two of them for safety as they entered the barren household.
Giorno focused hard as they slowly moved from room to room, trying his best to strain Gold Experience.
Just then, a signature of something completely unnatural could be felt nearby. Whereas a normal human or monster was full of vitality. This signature had a stunning lack of it, it was something he wasn't used to tracking. But at short range, he could at least feel the hunger this entity had for energy.
"Something strange is here… Corner of the room." He warned, turning to see a shadow approaching them.
"Aie! A ghost! Help me, Gold Experience!" Alice shrieked, holding onto Luka for dear life.
The shadowy figure came out into the light, revealing herself to be a black-haired girl floating through the air. Her pale skin and black dress certainly drove home the idea that she was undead, as well as the many disembodied hands levitating around her.
"Oh…Never mind. It's just a Ghost Girl, not a ghost." Alice sighed in relief.
"There's a difference?" Giorno questioned, getting ready to fight.
"A ghost girl is born from a collection of souls infused with magical power. Much different to your unscientific evil spirit." She haughtily explained, before disappearing.
"…So, because it's magic, she can deal with it?" Giorno surmised, still not understanding her strange viewpoint.
"Human energy… I'll suck it all up." The Ghost Girl moaned.
"Even when they're dead… Monster Girls still have a one-track mind." Giorno scoffed, summoning Gold Experience.
Strangely enough, she did not react to his stand.
Luka rushed at her, weaving through the hands that tried to grab onto him. Once close enough he slashed her neck, before rolling back a few feet.
"Good… My attacks can hit." He commented, smiling down at Angel Halo.
The hands immediately swarmed Luka, pushing him down to the ground as he struggled against their collective might.
"Gold Experience! Take care of those hands!" Giorno ordered, letting his stand pummel each and every one of the floating appendages.
"Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda!" His stand roared, plowing straight through the mass of hands and closing up for a kick right into the gut of their enemy.
The attack sent the ghost girl flying upwards, perfectly in time for Luka to coordinate with a Demon Skull Beheading as he climbed up some furniture and leaped down onto the falling enemy.
The crushing blow slammed her into a table, reducing it to bits and ending the fight.
"My power…" She lamented, fading into light and disappearing from this plane.
"…Alice?" Giorno called out, noticing that their ally was nowhere to be seen.
"We should find that girl in the window… Maybe she's behind this." Luka suggested as they moved on.
Moving deeper into the mansion, they decided to go up a level via the stairs. Coming across a hallway with a suspiciously placed doll lying on the floor.
Giorno stopped his ally from moving forward, already suspecting some trickery from whatever undead inhabited this mansion.
"You've bound yourself to that doll, haven't you?" He called out, and like clockwork, the doll arose from her state of rest.
"Big Bro… Come play with me…" The doll smiled creepily, floating through the air.
She immediately let her hair run amok, attacking both men with restraining attacks.
Luka found himself bound by her hair, as more strands began tugging on his clothing.
"Are you having fun yet…? Big…Bro" The doll gloated before a cluster of knives cleaved their way through her hair.
"Oof!" Luka grunted as he hit the floor and started untangling himself.
"Big Bro?" The doll confusedly spoke, looking at Giorno who pulled another handful of knives out from his satchel.
"How useless… Since you're already dead, I won't need to hold back." He coldly stated, before throwing the knives straight at the doll.
The force and speed of his throws were simply too much for the Cursed Doll to handle. As hard as she tried to dodge, all it took was one blade to impale her through her chest and throw her to the wall, where she was now stuck.
"This isn't nice… Bro…" She complained, desperately trying to remove the blade from her porcelain body.
"It's over…" Giorno declared, as her head got smashed open like melon due to the power of an unseen force.
The doll started spasming out wildly before a strange essence leaked out from her body. Once that essence had completely left the doll, she fell limp while still impaled.
"Binding themselves to a physical object too…" Giorno huffed as he pulled the knife out of the body of their fallen enemy.
"Bleh…" Luka pulled some hair out of his mouth.
Surprisingly, Giorno had found Alice's life signature hidden away in some random room.
Upon opening the door, Giorno had nearly taken a punch to his temple. Luckily for him, Alice's aim was severely hampered by her state of fear.
That didn't help him feel better, considering her punch had blown a hole clean through the door itself.
"What are you doing?! Oh… Alice, did something happen?" Luka asked her out of concern.
"Alice… get a hold of yourself." Giorno scolded, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her body.
"Ahhh…." A feminine voice moaned behind them, reigniting her panic.
"Hyaaaaaa!" Alice screeched, pushing him back violently.
Her sheer strength sent him flying into the wall behind, directly crashing into a cupboard which fell apart upon impact.
"Gah!" He cried out, holding his back as he writhed on the floor.
The destruction of the cupboard led to a small picture falling on the ground, right by Luka's feet.
"…Hyaaa! …That girl! That girl!" Her eyes widened once Luka picked up the picture, revealing it to be of a young woman.
"Do you know this girl?" Luka asked her.
"Ah…" Alice weakly moaned in response, sweating bullets.
"There's…something coming." Giorno huffed through his pain, getting up on his knees.
The foul stench of death invaded the nostrils of Giorno, vaguely reminiscent of what Illuso had smelled like after Purple Haze had killed him.
"Uooohh…" A walking corpse entered the room, walking right up to Alice.
"Oh… Just a zombie…" Alice stopped panicking, looking a bit annoyed if anything.
She punched the zombie square in the face, taking its head clean off.
'That could have been me…' Giorno thought to himself, thanking his lucky stars he hadn't taken that earlier hit.
"Ugh… It smells…" Luka covered his nose, watching the zombie's body drop in a heap.
"Finally calmed down? You hit hard…" Giorno caught his breath, standing up straight.
"For the record, I was not scared-" Alice spoke before the floor beneath her collapsed.
"Uwaaa!" She screamed, disappearing into darkness below.
"She'll be fine… I think." Luka peered down the hole.
"I'm getting tired of this ghost phobia… She needs to deal with this before she lops one of our heads off next…" The blonde complained, suddenly feeling something hug him from behind.
"Giorno! There's a zombie!" Luka yelled, drawing his blade.
Giorno threw the zombie over his shoulder, before summoning Gold Experience to punch her right in the chest.
The zombie crashed straight into a bookshelf with a loud thud, a brand-new hole in her abdomen from the force of the punch.
"Ah…" The zombie moaned, getting right back up like nothing happened.
"Right… A zombie doesn't feel pain. Aim for the head." Giorno remembered, drawing the Goddess blade from his back.
"You got it!" Luka shouted, quickly utilizing a Thunder Thrust straight to the zombie's head.
"Aaa…" The zombie moaned, before falling over dead as light engulfed her body.
"More… Three more corpses." Giorno sensed three more moving bodies with a lack of life approaching.
"Why are there so many zombies around here?!" Luka questioned, turning to the new arrivals.
Giorno plunged the Goddess sword straight into the first zombie's head, using Gold Experience's repeated punches to hammer it in through her skull.
Luka followed up with a Demon Skull beheading on the second zombie, the impact of his strike caving in her skull and blowing her through the floorboard.
The third zombie caught two knives in her knees, dropping her to the floor and unable to move.
"Gold Experience!" Giorno called out, allowing his stand to wind up a devastating uppercut that took the zombie's head clean off her shoulders.
The head of his victim fell into the hole beside her, with her body falling over limp once more.
"That was kind of brutal… I think you're rubbing off on me." Luka noted, watching his friend pull the gaudy blade from the head of the zombie.
"It doesn't matter… These people are already dead. They can't feel or even think." Giorno argued, wiping his sword clean on the body of his enemy.
"My experiments! They're in pieces!" A little girl yelled, looking at the bodies.
"Hmm… You're the necromancer?" Giorno questioned, turning to the latest guest.
"Wawawa!?" The girl yelped, before booking it towards the main hall.
"Get back here!" Luka shouted as they pursued the little girl in the nurse outfit.
Upon entering the main hall, they were greeted by that little girl smiling smugly at them, accompanied by a large zombie woman.
"What's with you? Why are you going all crazy in my laboratory?" The girl questioned, looking rather annoyed.
"First you called those zombies your experiments… Now you call this place your laboratory. How distasteful…" Giorno scolded.
"Don't lecture me, I am Chrome! I am a necromancer, and this old execution ground is perfect for my research…" She explained.
"You created all these zombies?" Luka asked as Giorno recognized the large zombie woman before them.
"Absolutely… Well, except for that Ghost Girl… And the Cursed Doll. But I see you took care of them for me…" She stated.
"Is that the girl in that picture?" He asked, looking at the grotesque zombie. A mix of parts from various people grafted onto her slimy and pale body.
"…" The zombie remained silent, but there was an undisputable look of sorrow in her eyes. It was as if she was trapped in her own body.
"Oh-Hoh? Noticed my masterpiece? This is Frederika, once an elegant wealthy daughter of the Lord of this mansion. Her body was simply perfect… so I put it to good use as materials for my experiment." Chrome proudly bragged, smiling as she gazed up at her creation.
"Do you have no shame? Defiling the dead is truly disgusting…" Giorno chastised, before noticing something about her that made him pause. "You… you're a succubus. You feel so similar to her."
Obviously, he was referring to Alma Elma. A necromancer succubus was a strange combination.
"Guh… How did you…?" She startled, surprised by his observation.
"No matter… You will be stopped." Giorno declared, drawing his stolen sword.
"Frederica… Make these guys insane." Chrome ordered, stepping back as her creation took the forefront.
"Understood… Master." Frederika mindlessly answered, walking forward.
"Now!" Luka yelled, as Giorno picked him up and threw him towards the enemy.
"Thunderstruck!" He called out, flying towards her at dangerous speeds.
Chrome was far too slow to order her creation to avoid the attack, watching as she received a large gash of light along her neck and abdomen.
The concussive effect of their attack pushed Frederica back a few meters, but rather frustratingly had no real effect on her.
"How did you do that?! Grab the blonde one! He's hiding something! Restrain them both!" Chrome ordered, pointing at him.
Frederika dove towards Giorno and grabbed him by the hair.
"No!" Luka yelled, rushing in to slash at her legs in an effort to destabilize her.
"Ah…" Frederica moaned, before trapping Luka between her thighs.
"Wryyyy! Gold Experience!" Giorno hastily brought out his stand, which began rapidly punching at his attacker's face and chest.
Chrome panicked as her most prized creation got beaten up by an unseen force. In the chaos, Luka managed to escape her bind.
"Muda!" Gold Experience cried, slamming his fist especially hard into Frederica's jaw.
The large zombie was simultaneously struck at her Achilles heel courtesy of Luka, sending her crashing onto the floor.
The floor below them all cracked, splitting open due to the impact of their battle.
"The floor!" Luka shouted as everyone fell into the darkness below.
"No! My laboratory!" Chrome wailed, falling too.
Luka awoke after being briefly knocked out, looking around the dark catacombs he found himself in.
Adjusting his eyes to the light, he caught sight of Giorno lying on the floor with a hefty piece of wood lodged into his chest.
"Giorno! No, no, no…" He scrambled to his feet and crouched over his comrade, trying to shake him awake.
Thankfully, he was still breathing.
"Uooh…" A feminine grunt could be heard inches away from him as Frederika emerged from some rubble.
"No! Not this now…" Luka drew Angel Halo, pointing it at his enemy.
Frederika started coughing, much to his surprise. The coughs faded into labored breathing, with her touching her face.
"I… can think." She spoke in amazement, tears falling from her eyes.
"Frederika? Your skin…" Luka watched on in awe as her pale skin started changing to a healthier pigment.
"…I feel warm. After I got hit, I felt… free." She explained, looking down at the blonde.
Giorno suddenly sat up, coughing up blood as he used Gold Experience to turn the piece of debris into organic parts of his damaged body.
The golden glow illuminated the room, before fading once the process was finished.
"What did you do?!" Chrome screamed, making Luka take a step back.
"You ruined it all! First my zombies and then my lab. Frederika! Get them! Don't just stand there!" Chrome yelled, her face now red hot with anger.
"…I refuse." Frederika spoke up, turning around to face her creator.
Chrome went pale at the sight of her zombie looking more alive than ever.
"Frederika?! How…" Chrome started suffering from a mental breakdown, her best creation having just been restored to life in front of her eyes.
"I can't believe this! This isn't scientific! You're just a bunch of science deniers!" Chrome went into a fit of rage, stomping her feet like a petulant child.
"What a brat…" Giorno said, standing back up.
"Brat?! You… you stupid virgin! I'll have you know I'm over 100 years old!" She yelled, about to take off running before Frederika picked her up and held onto her tight.
"Traitor! I made you!" She whined, squirming in the woman's grasp.
"I didn't ask for this. It's about time you stopped your cruel experiments." Frederika lectured, finally able to say her true thoughts for once.
"It's better to let old ghosts rest…" Giorno added, noticing a distinct life signature in the corner of the room.
Hiding behind a coffin was the shivering form of Alice. She had fallen into this dark underpassage and fallen victim to her despair.
"I'm so sorry… So sorry… Please… The first Monster Lord, anyone save me. I won't do bad things anymore. I'll even stop bullying Kitsunes. I won't pull on their ears or tail, I'll stop stealing their tofu too!" She shrieked, before Luka managed to put a hand on her shoulder and soothe her.
"…We managed to get the girl responsible for this." Luka said, trying to comfort her.
"You did?" Alice turned around, her pupilless eyes burning holes into Chrome.
"She turned this execution ground into a laboratory. For her necromancy research." Giorno confirmed.
"Yes… She caused all this." Frederika agreed.
"YOUR FAULT!" Alice roared, launching herself to Chrome whose life flashed before her very eyes.
"Fugya!" She screamed as Alice began assaulting her with her tail.
"It's your fault!" Alice continued her barrage of slaps.
"Ahh! Stop! Wawaa! I'm sorry!" Chrome cried, her face going red from the repeated strikes she was unable to defend herself from.
"Isn't this a bit much?" Luka asked in concern.
"No… If anything, she's getting off lightly." Giorno disagreed, enjoying the humorous sight.
"Please have mercy! I'll stop experimenting with necromancy!" Chrome pleaded.
"…Alice. You can stop now. I think she understands your point now." Luka winced.
"I'm so sorry… I'll be good." Chrome weakly cried, her face stinging after her punishment.
"If you understand, then get the hell out of here!" Alice yelled, prompting Frederika to release her former master.
"Wawawa! I will!" Chrome yelped, running off into the darkness.
"Frederika, correct…? You've suddenly become alive again." Alice hummed, looking at the large woman.
"… Gold Experience imbued her with life energy. Back when she grabbed me, the punches were filled with the very energy compatible with life. That must mean your soul was trapped inside of your body, that energy broke you free." Giorno explained, walking up to her.
"So, what exactly can't this ghost of yours do? First, it can create animals, then it can heal people… And now you can revive the dead. It's a frankly ridiculous power for a human to wield." Alice scoffed.
"Can you revive anyone? Because…" Luka started, mind already focused on one person he'd want back in a heartbeat.
"Actually… You can do that, right?" Alice asked, a sudden look of hope in her eyes. The implications of an ability like this were monumental.
"Stop… I can't bring back a person once their soul has left or if their body has given up. If it's for someone who left this world years ago, I can't do much. Life energy can only do so much after all." Giorno dissuaded, not wanting to raise anyone's hopes.
"So, you're saying what Frederika has won't be permanent…" Alice guessed, slightly disappointed at his answer.
"Yes, her body is alive right now. But it will gradually eat away at the life energy I gave her, once that runs out…" Giorno explained.
"I'll be undead once more…" Frederika finished, not looking too sad about her circumstances.
"How long does she have?" Luka asked.
"A few punches from Gold Experience… Minutes at best." The blonde mused.
"…That's all I need. I already accepted my death years ago, so please end this." Frederika said, as her body slowly started to revert to her undead state.
"Please… Kill me." She struggled to speak, her body's higher processes shutting down.
"…I understand." Luka solemnly spoke, performing a Demon Decapitation on Frederika.
She leaned into the strike, letting her guard down fully and ensuring that the final strike sapped away at her last strength.
Frederika collapsed on the ground, a bright light escaping her unmoving corpse.
"I can't believe that girl… Causing all this crap in the mansion. The townspeople saw the Zombies and must have thought they were ghosts. How stupid! Ghosts don't exist." Alice complained.
"Is that really what you believe…?" Luka muttered.
"Stubborn if anything…" Giorno shook his head before a silhouette appeared before the group.
"Frederika…" Giorno greeted.
"Thank you, Heroes… Now my… No, our souls have been saved." Frederika spoke, gratefully as more souls gathered around the group.
"With our bodies turned into zombies, our souls were bound here… But now, we're finally free." Another shape said.
"Even if I'm just a soul, I can finally return… The homeland I missed so much… San Illia…" A female-sounding voice said as the souls drifted off above.
"Thank you, Heroes… Thanks to you, we're finally free…" They all thanked, ascending into the sky and disappearing from this plane.
"…Wow. That was certainly something." Luka said, a little proud to have helped so many ghosts move on peacefully.
"Now they can rest…" Giorno concluded, before remembering the third member of their group. "Alice?"
Turning their heads to face her, they were greeted by Alice who had passed out while remaining upright.
"Help me carry her out?" Luka asked.
"Let Gold Experience do it." Giorno dismissed, summoning his stand to lift the woman and carry her with them as they left the premises.
"It's already morning… Sheesh." Luka complained as they left the house, making their way back to San Ilia for some supplies and to help Alice recover from her fright.
"…Nani?" Giorno turned towards the nearby forestry, bringing attention to the red-haired woman who approached the mansion.
"Excuse me… Do you have some business here? I don't think there are any ghosts left…" Luka politely inquired to the woman wearing a lab coat.
"I see. So, you've dealt with Chrome." The woman guessed, looking right at Giorno.
"Eh?!" Luka exclaimed, alarmed as to how this woman knew Chrome.
"… Are you an enemy?" Giorno asked, grasping a knife from his utility belt.
"Tch… I came all this way to deliver her some new tech…. Well, whatever. That stupid necromancer still pulled off something. Putting the Monster Lord into such a state…" The strange woman said, eyes trained on Alice who looked to be carried by thin air.
"How do you know that?! Only a handful of people on this planet know who she is!" Giorno raised his voice, now directly threatening to chuck a few knives at the intruder.
"Such an interesting person you are… Giorno Giovanna. Or should I say Haruno Shiobani?" The woman smiled faintly, before leaving. The entire time she showed zero reaction to his threats, believing no harm would come to her.
Now Giorno broke a sweat, glaring daggers at her. No one should have ever known about that, much less someone from another world.
"Gold Experience!" He shouted, imbuing the knife in his hands with life energy and transforming it into a bird.
The bird flew up into the air, surveying the area for the woman. Yet it found no trace of her, which made him feel extreme paranoia.
"We need to leave… This woman isn't someone to be trifled with." He suggested, keeping an eye on their backs as they left.
"Haruno Shiobani?" Luka asked, looking at Giorno.
"My real name… The one my mother gave me." He explained. "We can talk about this later…"
Some time later
It would appear that by allowing those ghosts to move on, they had allowed them to go wherever they wanted. Luka had all but insisted on checking out every area to make sure nothing was going wrong with their new residents.
The city itself, where they intermingled with citizens. Even the castle of San Ilia, where they spread mayhem. Going so far as to haunt the very King of San Ilia as well.
Giorno made very sure to transform Goddess Blade into as small of an insect as possible, also playing dumb to the talk of the scholars about the number of missing books still unaccounted for after the fire.
At the very least, seeing the children play with the ghosts as if they were alive was still an endearing sight.
"So that's how it is… There are ghosts everywhere now." Luka concluded.
Alice calmly opened her white pupilless eyes.
"We're leaving here. That's an order." She finally declared.
"…I get it. Stop looking at me with those creepy eyes." Luka acquiesced.
Finally going to the first of the spirits, Giorno continued thinking about that red-haired woman.
"Alice… How many people know who you are?" He asked.
"…Hmm. If it's about that woman the two of you met, then I don't know her. At least based on your description. But I would say… The Heavenly Knights, some monsters in my castle and maybe a few of the Queen Class monsters of my kind. Perhaps that other one…" Alice explained, some disdain present for whoever that other one was.
"…Other one?" Giorno asked, curious as to who could attract her ire so much.
"Nereneid…" She muttered, a scowl present on her face.
"Giorno, since we're talking about that woman… Why did you change your name?" Luka asked, wanting to know some more about his soft-spoken ally.
"Tch… I had no further need for it. And I truly wanted nothing to do with her or my stepfather." He answered.
"Did something happen?" Alice curiously inquired, noting the slight bitterness in his voice.
"I was nothing more than a burden to my mother… She was more concerned with parties than anything else. Sometimes I'd wake up in the middle of the night alone… I figured it was useless trying to cry since no one ever helped anyway." Giorno continued.
"Oh… That's just awful." Luka solemnly spoke, feeling a bit guilty for making him relive these memories.
"And my stepfather hated my habit of reading people… Enough that he beat me whenever I so much as looked at him the wrong way. I didn't want to be Haruno Shiobani… I wanted to be someone else, free from that past." He concluded, maintaining his neutrality.
"I see… What awful parents." Alice hummed, as they moved.
"I didn't mean to make you relive that…" Luka apologized.
"There's no need… I don't hold anything against them anymore. I haven't seen them in over two years at this point, not that I plan on seeing them ever again." Giorno dismissed.
That night, they camped out in the wilderness near the Forest of Spirits. Luka decided to elevate the tense mood by telling the story of how the first Monster Lord came to be.
"So… That's how the fallen angel who rebelled against Ilias came to be known as the Monster Lord." He concluded as Alice continued shoving heaps of his cooking into her mouth.
"… Are you sure about that? As far as I can tell, Alice doesn't look like a descendant of a fallen angel." Giorno noted, looking over at the lamia who just finished satisfying her hunger.
"Are you an idiot? Why are you explaining the origin of the Monster Lords to the current Monster Lord?!" She indignantly complained.
"Oh, yeah… That's right." Luka trailed off, not thinking of his audience.
"Besides, monsters hate that legend. The founding Lord was never a subordinate of Ilias. The founder was an equal to her. Humans went ahead and changed the truth to fit their view." Alice continued.
"The first Monster Lord was an equal to Ilias?!" Luka asked in disbelief.
"Hmph. It looks like you're doubting me. Alright, listen. Originally, this world was just darkness and light. The light and dark mixed together, and Ilias and the founder were born. In other words, they were like yin and yang. Two sides of the same coin." Alice started.
"If they were both gods… Why did one become the Monster Lord? Instead of staying in the heavens, why would they come to the ground?" Luka questioned.
"That… I don't know. The founder must have had a reason." Alice said uncertainly.
"Where is the founder now? Surely, she would be immortal much like Ilias then…" Giorno asked.
"The founder entrusted the throne to the second generation of my family, and then returned to the Heavens." Alice declared.
"That's not very convincing…" Luka pointed out.
"You're still doubting me!? The first Monster Lord was equal to Ilias!" Alice shouted.
"I don't doubt that… But something about that story seems…off. Who told you that?" Giorno intervened.
"Well… That damn fox…" Alice pouted.
"Tamamo, then…" Giorno concluded.
"Anyways… I'm going to teach you two something new." Alice smiled, happy to take her frustrations out on them.
One grueling training session later...
"Good work… A barrage of attacks that don't give the opponent a chance to defend themselves. That's the Death Sword Chaos Star technique. It is said that the mute swordsman Galla turned an entire legion of knights into lumps of flesh using that technique." Alice recounted.
"Another horrible story attached to that skill…" Luka lamented.
"Usually, these skills can't be learned so quickly… But since it's you two, I thought it would work." Alice pondered.
"Hehehehehe… so Alice is finally starting to acknowledge my ability? Hehehehe…" Luka chuckled rather creepily.
"No! You idiot. Stop that creepy laughing. It's because when you fell asleep, that skill you used looked a little similar… You're such a strange person… Sheesh." Alice sighed.
"And because Gold Experience seems to do well at pelting their enemies in quick bursts, I thought it would be a natural at this sort of thing anyways." Alice quickly added, not wanting to look at the floating sword performing the new skill meters away.
"I don't want the Monster Lord calling me strange…" Luka grumbled.
"Gold Experience and Giorno I can understand… But you, I don't." Alice thought aloud.
"You… Don't think I'm a monster, do you?" Luka asked.
"If you had monster blood in you, I would be the first to notice… I also don't sense anything from that ring… You're strange." Alice repeated.
"You don't have to say that over and over again…" Luka protested as they all retired to their beds.
Elsewhere…
The more Ilias found out about Giorno Giovanna, the more she came to hate him.
Reading more about this boy made her skin crawl, he was nothing more than a common criminal. In fact, he was the head of a brutal mafia family called Passione.
She had to admit, this Speedwagon Foundation was quite professional. They had gathered quite the dossier on her otherworldly guest.
Frustratingly enough, all that she could learn about his stand were some anecdotes from some Koichi Hirose. He'd only described his ability as injecting the very energy of life into whatever he came into contact with.
Almost like that Dark Goddess then, with an astounding potential to manipulate physical beings. If only she were able to use her Light to achieve such feats… maybe the Great Monster Wars would have gone differently.
She flipped the papers in her hand, moving on to the final portion of the printout Promestein had given her.
"Parentage…" Ilias mumbled to herself.
A mother who was unremarkable in every way, not even named in this report. And a father named Dio Brando… birth year of… 1867?!
Giorno Giovanna's father would have been over 100 years old by the time of his conception. No human could possibly live that long and still procreate.
Reading along further, her eyes kept reading over one specific phrase.
'Stone-Mask Vampire'
"That boy… he is the son of a vampire. He is nothing more than a half-blooded mutant." Ilias muttered to herself, biting the tip of her finger in frustration. "Eden! Bring me Promestein! I want to know more about this Dio Brando!"
"So, this is the Forest of Spirits?" Luka asked, looking into the dense forest before the group.
"Along with Sylph, there are lots of fairies and elves that live here. But they usually don't mean harm to humans…. But the fairies can be a bit mischievous." Alice warned.
"In other words, there shouldn't be any fighting. Alright! Let's go!" Luka sighed in relief, stepping into the forest.
"I wouldn't count on that… We both know firsthand how disagreeable monsters can be." Giorno commented as he followed behind.
"Aren't you going to join us?" He asked, turning his head to Alice who hadn't moved at all.
"If the Monster Lord paraded through their Forest, the fairies would be shocked. I'll wait outside this time." She insisted.
"I see… We'll try to return as quickly as possible." Luka assured as he and Giorno made their way deeper into the forest.
After around ten minutes of walking, the pair came across a small clearing in the monotony of trees and dense plant life.
"Can't you sense Sylph or something?" Luka complained as he wiped the sweat from his brow.
"No… I can't use my life sense to cover an entire forest. And birds wouldn't be able to spot anything with this tree cover." Giorno answered.
"Wait… There's something here." The blonde warned as a small flying creature sang in front of them.
"Flower! Flowers love the water!" She sang as she watered the fields in front of them with a plant.
She instantly spotted the pair of humans and flew right towards them with a grin.
"Humans!" She happily said with a look of pure innocence.
"Yes… That's us." Luka uncomfortably said.
"…Can we play? I want to play a prank on big bro's peni-" She began, before being interrupted.
"I'm afraid that we don't have time for that… We're looking for Sylph…" Giorno sternly spoke, looking irritated to have been proven right by the assumption earlier.
"But I want to use this Succubus Flower to get all the special white stuff from you! Don't men like having their penises played with?!" The fairy whined.
"You can't do that! Please just go back to watering your flowers!" Luka yelled, beet red in the face after her outburst.
"I don't want to! I want to play with your penis!" She continued.
"…Hmm. But what about all those thirsty flowers?" Giorno motioned to the field which had suddenly exploded with a variety of beautiful flowers.
"Huh?! Where did… All these pretty flowers? The fairy asked in amazement, losing all interest in the pair of men.
"It would be a shame if those flowers died… No?" Giorno asked, hoping that the Fairy would take the bait.
"Ooh… Pretty…" The Fairy flew off to the rainbow fields, too captivated by the rows and rows of plant life to care about pranking them anymore.
"Thank Goodness I had you here. What the hell was that encounter?" Luka shook his head before something else made their way over to them.
"…An elf." Giorno crossed his arms over his chest, eyeing up their new guest.
"Humans… I saw what happened. I apologize for my friend's behavior. The Elf bowed slightly.
"Oh… It's no problem, I'm just glad we sorted this out before things went too far." Luka smiled.
"If I may ask… Why did you come to this Forest?" She questioned, taking a look at their weapons.
"We came for Sylph's power…" Giorno answered flatly.
"I see, no humans have come to meet Sylph for hundreds of years." She nodded. "I'm sorry if this feels like an interrogation. Ever since that monster came into this forest, we've all been on edge."
"Explain… Why would a monster elicit that kind of reaction?" Giorno asked, narrowing his eyes.
"We have no idea… It's unlike anything I've ever seen. All we know is that she's a plant type." She answered, looking a bit paranoid of their surroundings.
"…Has it targeted any of your kind?" He continued to ask questions.
"Yes… It kills monsters and humans alike. It's terrifying, seeing what happened to the Fairies it caught. Completely dried out…" She shook a bit as she spoke.
"If we see it, we'll take care of it… I won't let this forest live in fear." Luka declared.
"Don't be foolish… I doubt any human could handle this creature. I even plan on contacting the Monster Lord to deal with it. Just…run if you see it, if you even can." She warned before she was joined by two fairies.
"Humans!" They both yelled at the same time, grinning at the men.
"Hey…You idiots! I told you not to come out! Go back home!" The Elf yelled as she chased them down.
"Waaah!" They playfully yelled, flying off towards the field of flowers to play with the Elf.
"I don't understand this place…" Luka deadpanned.
"Me neither." Giorno agreed as they moved on.
Another few minutes passed when the pair reached yet another clearing in the path.
A collection of flowers sat in their way, though Luka didn't seem to care about them.
He was moments away from squishing one of them when Giorno held him back, looking down inquisitively at the flower.
"Why are you hiding?" He called out.
The flower petals shifted around before a fairy timidly peered out from beneath it.
"Don't you know? Fairies hide under flowers when they're scared…" She shyly answered.
"Because of the monster that Elf talked about?" Luka asked, taking a step back in surprise.
"Yes… All of us have been on edge lately. We can't play anymore… And some of our friends… They got caught…" She solemnly added.
"We'll stop her… Then you all won't be scared anymore. I promise. And I'll watch my feet from now on." Luka declared.
"…Then I'll give you this." The little fairy said, giving Luka a small acorn.
"What is this?" Luka asked, taking a closer look at the acorn.
A bright light radiated from the acorn at that moment, covering the two men and doing something strange to them. By some strange happenstance, they both felt slightly stronger than moments ago.
"How odd…" Giorno muttered, reveling in the sensation.
"Thank you… I'll treasure this." Luka waved goodbye, making sure to avoid stepping on any flowers as they walked along.
"Bye!" A chorus of voices yelled out at the same time, hidden under a multitude of flowers.
Sometime later, the pair managed to enter the deepest part of the forest. Giorno felt a small yet turbulent life signature not too far away. He felt this particular life signature all around them like a breeze.
"Oh? What business do humans have here?" A voice rang out in the nearby bushes.
"Eh?" Luka stuttered, caught off guard.
Appearing in front of them was none other than the very spirit they sought out. A small fairy-like creature with a green dress and wavy hair.
"You must be Sylph, then. On account of your unique aura." Giorno surmised.
"Yes… I am Sylph. Do you two require something from me?" She confirmed, looking quite amused by the strange combination of the Shota and oddly dressed man accompanying him.
"Ah… I'm a Hero on a quest to defeat the Monster Lord. Err, no. I don't want to defeat Alice. Rather, I heard from Alice…" Luka continued to stutter over his words.
"What are you talking about? I don't understand…" Sylph confusedly asked.
"If I may interject, my friend here was going to tell you that we wish to contract with you." Giorno clarified.
"Hmm, how about I ask the wind?" She playfully teased, summoning a gust of wind that engulfed the pair.
Rather than an attack, the wind blew harmlessly past them. Giorno couldn't help but feel as if they were being judged down to their very souls.
"Yes. I see… Hrm…" Sylph opened her eyes once the wind stopped. "You're a human who wishes for coexistence between man and monster."
She turned her head to Giorno next, eyeing him strangely.
"And you… You don't bear any ill will to monsters. You like being left alone." She said, closing her eyes once more. "And now… You both came here wanting the power to defeat the Four Heavenly Knights."
"You know that much?" Luka asked in awe of her ability to read their intentions.
"Yes… You two wouldn't use my power for evil. But the Four Spirits cannot lend their power to weak men. Or rather, a weak man cannot master their powers." She began.
"…You're going to give us a trial. To prove our worthiness." Giorno concluded, much to her pleasure.
"Indeed, I shall test you in a fight. If you can land even a single blow on me, I shall lend you my assistance." She offered.
"Only one blow?" Luka incredulously asked, gaining confidence in what was assumed to be an easy task.
"Hehehe… It might be impossible for you. Now… Here we go!" Sylph declared, her expression changing into a more aggressive smile.
Luka immediately took the initiative and sprang into action. He rushed her down and attacked her with a simple slash, hoping to catch her off guard.
His hopes were dashed when Angel Halo clashed not with her body, but with a wall of wind itself.
"What?!" Luka exclaimed, genuine shock in his expression.
"My wind won't allow any of your attacks to reach me! In addition, it leaves you open for a counterattack!" Sylph laughed, summoning a gust of wind that raced towards her target.
"I disagree, he's not open." Giorno stated, closing his eyes as a strange golden glow enveloped him.
"Eh?!" Sylph's concentration broke as a golden entity emerged from the blonde man just a few meters away from her.
"Gold Experience!" Giorno exclaimed, sending his stand out at blistering speeds to grab a hold of Luka and pull him to his side long before the wind ever reached him.
"Wawa! What is that!? Who are you?!" Sylph pointed at the strange golden man floating at the Shota's side.
"…" The golden man remained silent, instead opting to put a hand on his hip.
"Is she talking to Gold Experience?" Luka asked Giorno, who internally felt a surge of unease.
"You…can see him?" He asked, contemplating withdrawing him.
"Of course I can! And Gold Experience? That's his name?!" She got right up to his face, staring into the eyes of the mostly naked golden spirit. "Oh my gosh! You already got a spirit friend?! Why didn't you tell me?"
"…" Luka noticed that Sylph had long since lost her wind wall, and hesitantly tapped her with his blade.
"…Oof! What was that for?" She complained.
"You lost." Giorno pointed out.
The gears in her head spun round and round until she finally remembered her trial.
"You cheated! You distracted me!" She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest and pouting.
"Uwah… I'm sorry?" Luka apologized, hoping to placate the childish spirit.
"Truthfully… I can't fight. This was the first time I tried fighting with my wind." She confessed, looking ashamed of herself.
"We gathered that quickly enough." Giorno muttered under his breath.
"Hey… chiseled gold spirit. Do you think that they can properly use my power?" She asked, sitting on the golden spirit's shoulder.
"…" Once more, she received no answer. But that didn't stop her from smiling brightly, almost with a nostalgic expression on her face.
"Ooh… Just like Gnomey. We'll get along well." She giggled.
"Um… Sylph? What about us? We'll try our best to master your power." Luka spoke up, watching the spirit of the wind speaking to thin air.
"Oh, Ok! Then we'll be together forever from now on! When you're attacked, I promise to lend you my power." She declared, shining brightly.
"Eh?! What's happening?!" Luka exclaimed as power surged through his body.
Giorno felt a similar effect, feeling overwhelmed by an explosion of life signatures far beyond what his normal range should have been. He could feel countless birds, animals and even insects beneath the ground around himself. The wind around him enhanced his ability to sense life, to a degree far above even Gold Experience Requiem even.
"Sylph… She's inside of us. Even if it's just the wind now, it's still incredible." Luka commented in awe.
"Hehe… That's right. I'm the best, isn't that right Goldie?" She nudged Gold Experience's neck, receiving dead silence.
"He doesn't really speak much. So, I doubt you'd be having any meaningful conversation with him." Giorno advised.
"Oh? That's perfect! I love speaking anyways… I can pick up the slack." She smirked, already chatting up a storm to her newest friend.
"Please look, Ilias! With this, I'll be able to make a peaceful world!" Luka declared as they turned to head back to the entrance to the forest.
"Say… Goldie. Do you happen to punch things? I asked the wind, and you apparently love punching things." Sylph asked, engrossed in her one-sided conversation.
They returned to Alice, who sat still with a bored expression on her face. She raised an inquisitive eyebrow upon seeing Sylph sitting on thin air speaking to someone named 'Goldie'.
"Hmph… It looks like you got Sylph's power safely. I can see you carrying yourself differently with your new power." Alice remarked.
"You can tell? I knew you would be able to tell. Wahaha! Hahaha!" Luka laughed rather loudly, concerning Giorno.
"…Sh…Shut up!" Alice commanded in embarrassment.
"Thank you, Alice. For telling us about such a wonderful thing." Luka gratefully spoke.
"…Hmph. It annoyed me to hear someone so weak introducing themselves as a Hero." She said, closing her eyes in slight embarrassment. "So… Have you mastered the power yet?"
"No? We did just get it around ten minutes ago…" Giorno answered.
"For now, we can hear the voice of the wind… But I don't know how to use it in a fight." Luka added, thinking of all the ways to utilize his new power. "Hehe… If I can do that, I'll need a catchphrase. [Blow Hard, My Wind of Justice!]"
"…" Both Alice and Giorno didn't bother trying to respond to that, that fruit was too low-hanging.
"Wow… That's certainly something." Sylph smirked, giggling to herself while on her golden chariot.
"Is… Sylph speaking to Gold Experience?" Alice asked, looking quite frightened as she realized she was within a few steps of the entity.
"Oh, yeah. Turns out she can see and touch him. Pretty cool, huh?" Luka answered.
"No, it's not… Now she'll just be a reminder that he actually exists." Alice shook, having relied on her method of pretending the ghost bound to Giorno never existed.
"Hmm?" Giorno turned his head around, sensing a mass of living creatures running away from something.
"Is that a monster?" Luka squinted his eyes, feeling a dreadful wind approaching their position.
"I sense a monster… But not quite. Nothing besides Elves, Fairies, and that Alraune should live in this forest…" Alice trailed off.
"What is it…?" Luka questioned.
"Plant-based. But it feels… artificial, in a way." Giorno observed. "Almost like… Babyface." He muttered under his breath.
"What is this ominous feeling?" Alice thought aloud as the creature in question appeared before them.
The monster herself had turned out to be a mix of parasitic plants crudely attached to a female's body. The woman herself looked catatonic, conscious yet barely aware of her surroundings. More akin to a wild animal than what most Monsters were like.
"Oi… What the hell kind of monster is this?" Luka panicked.
"I don't know…" Alice coldly replied, deep in thought as she looked the newcomer up and down.
"That can't be… You're the Monster Lord after all. Call her off." Giorno insisted, preparing to get into a serious fight if this creature proved unreasonable.
"Seriously… I've never seen this type of monster before. A monster unknown to the Monster Lord shouldn't exist in this world." Alice confirmed, looking very serious.
The Chimera Dryad before them immediately attacked the three of them, firing a mass of flowers and ivy.
Luka dodged it outright, while Giorno called on his stand to blow the plant life away with the concussive force of his punches.
Alice in turn redirected the attack with the smack of her tail, sending it into the forest.
"What is the meaning of this?! Attacking me?! Do you know what it means to attack the Monster Lord?!" Alice shouted in outrage, before pointing a palm at her attacker and firing a wave of flames in her direction.
The flames engulfed the Chimera and a good few meters around her, burning the surroundings to ash. However, the Chimera stood firm even during her own body being set alight.
"Impossible! It didn't even flinch?!" Alice yelled in disbelief.
"Is it even capable of feeling pain?" Giorno thought aloud as he strategized a way to put this creature down.
"Alice…You're the Monster Lord. Leave the fights with monsters to us!" Luka declared.
Giorno didn't necessarily agree with his plea, the extra assistance from the Monster Lord would have been a boon if nothing else.
But still, as Luka persuaded Alice to withdraw from the battle he continued his reconnaissance on the unknown enemy. The flames while not inflicting pain on her, certainly dealt some damage.
The only reason she did not attack was because her body fought against the attrition of Alice's attack. It wasn't too much of a stretch to assume this creature possessed high vitality and regeneration of some kind.
Standard blows wouldn't work, and thus he would need Luka to deal most of the damage for this fight. Angel Halo and the Goddess Sword would be their best chance to beat her. Failing that he still had Gold Experience to get them away if they couldn't defeat this foe.
Looking towards his silent companion, Sylph had already taken her leave. Likely having withdrawn to within his body once more.
'Hehe… You're super serious. You're kind of like Undine in that way.' Sylph's voice echoed in his head.
It dawned on Giorno that Sylph was now a part of his being, which meant she could hear his thoughts.
'Yep! That's right. I'll always be listening…' Sylph's voice giggled before it faded away into the recesses of his mind.
"This thing doesn't appear to be very intelligent. Make use of that." Giorno advised, drawing his stolen sword.
The flames on the monster died out, leaving the creature open to assault.
"Thunder Thrust!" Luka screamed, lunging forward with his preferred opening attack. His attack landed right in the Chimera's chest, yet the creature showed no reaction.
The dead eyes of their foe drifted down towards Luka, followed by an attempt to attack him.
Waves of mucus-covered ivy swarmed his lower section before they were mowed down by a quick barrage of knives thrown at incredible speed.
"Thank you, Giorno!" Luka acknowledged, going right back in to strike at the monster repeatedly.
Luka wailed at his target, hitting her several times before withdrawing once his stamina faltered.
Yet again, the monster did not react in any way, shape, or form.
"Did it work…?" Luka asked, panting in exhaustion from the flurry of hits.
"Hmm… Just because it cannot feel pain doesn't mean it isn't being hurt." Giorno hypothesized.
"You think so?" Luka inquired, feeling optimistic once more.
A bright red rose opened up on the Chimera's body, attracting both of their attention.
"What is that?!" Luka wondered aloud.
The rose shot towards them far faster than they had expected, wrapping itself around Giorno's neck and dragging him towards her.
"Giorno!" Luka ran after his ally, preparing to intervene.
'Use my power! Did you already forget? I said we'd be together! Help him!' Sylph pointed out.
"I understand! Sylph, please lend me your power!" Luka called out, summoning a small wall of wind around him.
Giorno's body was pulled into a mass of vines, running all over his abdomen and pelvic region.
"No! Don't worry Giorno! I'll stop her!" He yelled out in a rage.
"No, Luka. This is perfect. I was hoping for a situation like this." Giorno uncharacteristically smiled.
"What?!" Luka confusedly screamed. Had Giorno given in to the pleasure of this monster already?
'Wait… He's got a plan…' Sylph analyzed.
"You've already lost…" He continued, looking on as a burning butterfly sat on the Chimera's shoulder.
The flame started spreading violently, only further aggravated by the raging winds being let off by Luka's body.
The intense heat killed off most of the Chimera's appendages, forcing her to drop her prey on the ground. Though this time, her attempts to fight the flames by striking her own body repeatedly with her mucus-covered ivy had only brought failure.
"Gold Experience! Sylph!" Giorno yelled, crawling away from the monster who was engulfed in flames once more.
Another raging gale washed over the monster before she was pelted by a barrage of strikes into her head, chest, and any other surface Gold Experience could reach.
"She can't fight back like this! Use your strongest attack!" Giorno confidently assured as the constant assault on the flaming monster kept her preoccupied and vulnerable.
"Death Sword Chaos Star!" Luka proclaimed, unleashing a flurry of devastating attacks.
The combination of his stand, the flames, and Luka's most powerful skill was too much for the Chimera, whose body gave out right then and there.
The familiar light engulfed her body, leaving nothing but a wave of flower petals in the wake of her sealing.
"She was sealed?" Luka asked, unsure of why his foe had turned into such a thing.
"Indeed… We won." Giorno stood up, not too concerned that he was covered in severe burns and acidic mucus.
"What the hell was that thing?" Alice questioned, coming out from hiding and inspecting the flower petals.
"I have a theory… Although I'm sure you wouldn't like it." Giorno said, taking some time to fix up his wounds.
"Go ahead… What do you think this thing was?" Luka encouraged, still catching his breath after the excitement of their battle.
"I felt a not-too-dissimilar lack of life energy from her human portions as to that of the zombies back at that mansion. Whatever she was, the human part was surgically attached to that plant portion." Giorno explained.
"She was human?!" Luka stammered in horror.
"I concur, but you shouldn't be worried. If anything, you freed her from that parasitic plant. I just wonder how such a thing was made in the first place." Alice elaborated.
"Wait, why was that butterfly on fire anyways?" Luka inquired.
"Oh, that? I aimed one of the knives I threw towards an open flame in the clearing. Since I had made direct physical contact with it, the knife turned into a living object." The blonde pointed out.
"And it turned into a flaming butterfly? Wouldn't it just die?" Alice argued back.
"Not necessarily, the lifeforms I create will adapt to most environments I put them in. The only limiting factor is if I'm in an environment where life is not possible." Giorno explained.
His allies looked very confused, likely because an open flame wouldn't be very compatible with life.
"In any case, Sylph's power is a boon to our cause. It would appear that her wind can cut up smaller plants and dispel concentrations of gasses. Undoubtedly useful for the likes of plant monsters." Giorno commented.
"Hehe… That's right, keep praising me!" Sylph giggled, appearing on his stand's shoulder once more. "Good job, Goldie! You really know how to punch don't you?"
"It may be powerful, but you need to master it. If you're too weak, you will be controlled by that power." Alice proclaimed.
"Then... Since I just used it so amazingly, does that mean I'm amazing!?" Luka gloated.
"More foolishness from the idiot." Alice scoffed.
"But it's still too early to be conceited. The more you get used to Sylph's power, the more powerful it will become. You were able to use it, but that's only a fraction of what the power of Wind can do." Alice explained.
"Ahh... I see!" Luka said in realization.
Suddenly several small presences approached the trio from the forest, the rustling of leaves announcing their arrival.
"Did you beat that scary thing?" a lone Fairy asked, as she timidly poked her head from behind a bush.
"That flower monster is scaaary. When it finds you, it eats you..." another Fairy said in a fearful tone.
"But they beat it!" another declared, as they all exited the vegetation, coming up to the group.
"Thank you, big bro! Thank you too, scary-looking snake lady! And also you, with the weird chest window!" They gratefully declared.
"S... Scary looking snake lady...?" Alice stammered in disbelief.
After thanking us, the Fairies formed a small circle and started whispering to each other.
"Hey hey, let's go play right away!" one said.
"There's a big castle nearby!" another pointed out.
"Yaay! Let's go play pranks on them!" a last one proposed, before they all flew off into the distance, headed in the direction of the closest city.
"Nearby castle... That's San Ilia right?" Luka asked.
"I think so..." Alice agreed.
"First the spirits from that mansion and now Fairies?" Giorno contemplated.
"Uh oh... I'm worried now." Luka said in a concerned tone, leading the way back to San Ilia.
Their worst fears had been confirmed when they reached the city, now spirits and fairies alike interacted with the locals.
At the very least, they weren't being malicious. Some of the townspeople had said some strange things.
"Faith can determine whether or not someone can see ghosts and fairies?" Giorno asked.
"I would guess those most loyal to Ilias cannot see them. For some strange reason." Alice reasoned.
Then perhaps Luka wasn't as devout as he thought, or maybe something else was afoot.
"So now the Fairies are doing whatever they want..." Luka commented.
"Those little things can be pretty annoying." Alice said, as a small group of children, with both a ghost and a Fairy among them passed by the tro yelling excitedly.
"I wonder what will happen here now... Will the humans get along with the Fairies...?" Luka pondered.
"Will they get along? Or will they reject them? Since this place loves Ilias so much, I don't know if it will go well." Alice said neutrally.
"In the end, it's up to the people of the town..." Luka concluded.
"Anyway, let's get the hell out of here. We can't waste any more time here." Alice declared, desperately trying to ignore the ghosts around her.
"Ah... Yeah, I guess you're right. Shall we get going?" Luka conceded, turning his back on San Ilia and venturing forward.
"Hmm... The other Spirits... Alright... Next is Gnome. Shall we go to Sabasa castle to the west first?" Luka proposed, looking at his map.
"A desert this time? It looks like I'll be able to try some new delicacies. I'm getting excited!" Alice said happily
"Hmm, what's this Gnome like?" Giorno asked, looking over to Sylph who rested on his shoulder.
"Just like Goldie honestly, she likes punching too!" Sylph happily recalled.
"She'll punch monsters?" The blonde inquired.
"No, just me! I'm her special friend!" Sylph beamed in response.
"Oh…" He awkwardly went silent.
AN:
Happy Halloween!
And Part 3 is probably out by now!
I already have the next 2 chapters in the works, expect the beginning of the Sabasa adventure by this weekend.
I want to cook up the Witch Hunt Village section some more in the 2nd chapter, it really has some spicy moments for both Luka and Giorno, who share similarities with the Lord of the village who shall not be named as of yet.