The air felt wrong.
Jovian noticed it the moment he stepped out into the street that afternoon. Marseille was usually alive with sound—vendors shouting, footsteps echoing, distant engines humming—but now, everything felt… muted. Like the world had been wrapped in something invisible.
Vital Mirage appeared beside him without being called. Its golden-silver form flickered slightly, reacting before Jovian even understood why.
"Yeah… I feel it too," Jovian muttered. His eyes narrowed as he walked forward, each step cautious.
Then he saw it.
A man stood in the middle of the street, completely still. People passed around him, but not one acknowledged his presence. Not a glance, not a reaction. It was as if he didn't exist.
Jovian stopped.
"That's not normal."
Vital Mirage stepped forward slightly, its stance tightening. Jovian focused, letting his senses sharpen. That same strange feeling in the air… it was coming from the man.
A Stand user.
Before Jovian could react, the man's head tilted—slowly, unnaturally—until his eyes locked directly onto him.
So he could see him.
"Interesting…" the man whispered. "A child… and already aware."
The moment he spoke, the air shifted violently. The ground beneath Jovian's feet distorted for a split second, like reality itself had flickered.
Jovian jumped back instinctively. "Vital Mirage!"
The Stand reacted instantly, pulling him away as the cobblestone where he had been standing cracked inward, collapsing like it had been crushed by an invisible force.
Jovian's heart started pounding.
"Okay… not normal at all."
The man raised his hand lazily. "You shouldn't have noticed me," he said. "That makes you… inconvenient."
Vital Mirage stepped forward, its fists glowing faintly. Jovian swallowed, forcing himself to stay calm. This wasn't training anymore.
This was real.
The man moved—and suddenly, he was closer. Not fast. Not even a blur. Just… closer, like space itself had bent to let him step forward.
Jovian's eyes widened. "What… was that?"
No answer.
Instead, the attack came.
The air warped again, and a crushing force slammed toward Jovian from the side.
"MOVE!"
Vital Mirage reacted instantly, intercepting the force with a glowing arm. The impact sent a shock through its body, forcing Jovian back several steps.
It wasn't a punch.
There was nothing there.
Just pressure.
Invisible, crushing pressure.
Jovian clenched his teeth. "So your Stand doesn't show itself…"
The man smirked faintly. "Perceptive. But it won't help you."
Another distortion—this time from above.
Jovian rolled forward just as the ground behind him caved in again, cracking under the unseen force. Dust filled the air. People nearby finally started reacting, shouting in confusion, but none of them understood what was happening.
Jovian's breathing got heavier.
He couldn't see the Stand. Couldn't predict its movements properly.
But…
He could feel it.
Every time the attack came, there was that same subtle shift. That same distortion in the air.
"Vital Mirage," he whispered, focusing. "We don't need to see it… just react to it."
The Stand pulsed with light, syncing with his thoughts.
The next attack came faster.
This time, Jovian didn't dodge blindly.
He waited.
At the exact moment the air shifted—
"NOW!"
Vital Mirage struck forward with a precise punch.
For a split second, something connected.
A ripple. A resistance.
The invisible force shattered, dispersing like glass.
The man's expression changed. Not fear. Not panic. Just… interest.
"…So you can touch it," he said quietly.
Jovian exhaled sharply. "Guess I can."
Vital Mirage stepped forward, its glow intensifying. Jovian's confidence rose slightly. He wasn't completely outmatched.
Not yet.
The man lowered his hand.
"This isn't your fight," he said. "Not yet."
Jovian frowned. "What?"
The pressure in the air vanished instantly. The distortions stopped. The street returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.
The man turned away.
"But it will be," he added. "Soon."
"Wait!" Jovian shouted, stepping forward. "Who are you?!"
The man paused briefly, glancing over his shoulder.
"…Tell the name Voss Calder when you're ready to die."
And just like that—
He was gone.
No movement. No sound. Just… gone.
Jovian stood there, breathing heavily, fists clenched. Vital Mirage slowly faded to his side, its glow dimming slightly.
His first real battle.
And he hadn't even won.
"…Voss Calder," he repeated quietly.
The name felt heavy. Dangerous.
Like something that had already ruined lives long before reaching him.
Jovian looked down at his hands, then at Vital Mirage.
"We're not ready," he admitted.
The Stand said nothing. It didn't need to.
He already knew.
But one thing was certain now—
This wasn't just about him anymore.
And whatever Voss Calder was planning…
It had already begun.