Oshi No Ko; You are my World (SEASON 2 BAYBEH)

42: Bites from the past

The city was cloaked in a torrential downpour, and Ai's anguished cry was stifled by the intensity of the rain. The heavens themselves seemed to weep as rivers of blood mingled with the cascading water. Lightning briefly illuminated the dark sky, casting an eerie glow on Hikaru's crazed grin as he savored the sight of Dio, his once-muscular body now brought to its knees, clutching his still-beating heart.

Dio's crimson eyes flickered from Ai's distressed face to the terror-stricken expressions of Meimei and the remaining guards, then to Hikaru's cocky smile, and finally to the man responsible for the backstabbing assault. The glint in his eyes betrayed a feral, bloodthirsty beast as he struggled to remain upright on his weakened knees. The world around him fell silent, a void of sound filled his senses, and his vision blurred as the lifeblood continued to flow from his grievous wounds.

"Hmph, Lord Dio. It appears the man spoke the truth about you becoming human once more." Hol Horse, bearer of the Emperor Arcana, chuckled from behind Anubis' silent stand user, whose lifeless eyes conveyed undeniable glee and pride.

Dio recognized them both and cursed himself for not anticipating this unforeseen turn of events. He hadn't been the sole one to reincarnate, and now he faced a crushing defeat – a complete and utter humiliation.

"Tsk, tsk." Hikaru's voice dripped with sadistic delight as he knelt beside Dio, roughly seizing a fistful of his hair and forcing him to meet his twisted gaze.

"Pathetic. I expected so much more from you, Lord Dio," he taunted before releasing Dio's head, which hung limply with little resistance.

"...Dio?" Ai's voice trembled as her strength waned, and she did her best to shield Dio's wounds with her hands, drenching her body in his blood.

"Oh, right. Dio never revealed his true identity to you, did he?" Hikaru whispered, chuckling darkly. "How pitiful. You fell in love with a man you knew nothing about."

Ai couldn't deny his words, yet they did not define her feelings. It was true that Y/N had also trusted her despite not knowing her true self, so she hadn't given it much thought before.

"..Who is he?"

Still, she yearned to know – to grasp the essence of the man who held her heart. What kind of person was he before they met? What were the burdens etched upon his countenance when he gazed at the night sky with boundless regret and guilt?

"Oh? Does little Missy want to learn about Lord Dio?" Hol Horse chimed in, tipping his cowboy hat toward her.

"Well, Lord Dio is the epitome of evil," he began, smacking Dio's head with a sick grin. "I heard he was so damn vile that he forced a mother to eat her own child. I mean, who does that?"

Furrowing her brows in disbelief and denial, Ai struggled to determine the truth behind the madman's words, yet she continued to listen.

"Moreover, he relinquished his own humanity all because of some abusive deadbeat father." Hol Horse continued, weaving tales of Dio's atrocious past.

The stories were endless, and Ai stared at Dio with wide eyes, unable to fathom the magnitude of the atrocities he was said to have committed in his former life. Reincarnation and otherworldly tales seemed incredulous, but witnessing the carnage before her, she began to consider their plausibility.

Then, like a puzzle falling into place, everything became clear. Dio's personality, his inclinations, his formidable strength – they all coalesced into a grand revelation. His countless rescues, his unwavering presence in her life – it all seemed too good to be true for a man like Y/N. And indeed, it was. For he was a man who should never have existed in the first place, the embodiment of evil itself, given a second chance at life.

"Tsk..." Dio clicked his tongue in annoyance as he glared at the two behind his back.

Even though he couldn't hear a word they said, he could easily make out what they had talked about based on Ai's facial expressions.

His true self, the Dio of the past. A being so powerful that it made the entire world quiver in fear of what he would do.

Dio's mind drifted back to his old life, one where he reveled in his power, basking in the fear he instilled in those around him. He remembered the thrill of controlling others, manipulating their thoughts and emotions like puppets on strings. In his former existence, he had been a force to be reckoned with, a ruler of darkness that commanded both respect and terror.

He had revelled in the chaos he sowed, crushing anyone who dared to defy him with unwavering cruelty. His past self had been merciless, heedless of the pain he inflicted upon others. It was a life where power was everything, and weakness was punished without mercy.

But deep down, beneath that cold, heartless exterior, there had been moments of loneliness. Moments where he yearned for genuine connection, for someone to understand him beyond the fearsome facade he wore. The prospect of true love, real friendships, and the warmth of human emotions had always eluded him, masked by his insatiable thirst for power and dominance.

It was foolish of him to believe that he could change who he was so easily. He was, and would always be, Dio - the avatar of evil.

He shook off the thoughts of a peaceful life, suppressing them with the stern reminder that he was not a man of love and compassion. He was a man of power, dominance, and ruthless ambition. His past was his past, and he had chosen to be reborn into this world as Y/N, leaving his old self behind.

With a determined glint in his eyes, he pushed aside his doubts and focused on the present. He would protect Ai, even if it meant embracing his dark past and tapping into the full extent of his power. There was no room for sentimentality, only the cold, calculated resolve of the man he had become.