Dio was a man of impossible ambition. Cruel, cunning, yet charismatic. Time and time again, fate would give him chance after chance. His luck was dangerous.

Power was his only pursuit: the sun, the world, immortality itself. He wanted to possess everything worth having, heaven on Earth. Gold, control, fear, awe—all his for the taking. But love? Love was a weakness. A distraction. A laughable notion for those too feeble to grasp greatness. To him, it was pointless.

There was no need, it was a waste of time to bond with another person. To share pointless affections until he became soft and pliable. He didn't need it.

Or so he thought.

Immortality bred reflection, and as the years stretched long, a new thought surfaced in the stillness: If he were to be truly complete, should he not also possess the one thing even mortals treasure above all? Love.

Not for warmth, not for connection, but as the ultimate indulgence. A final gem in his crown of supremacy. And thus, Dio decided he would find it—not to be loved, but to own love itself.

That decision led, inevitably, to you.

A traveler in Cairo, hearing whispers of a strange mansion that everyone appeared to avoid. Your curiosity outweighed caution, and slipped past the iron gate and through the towering front doors, strangely unguarded. Except the falcon perched above that kept its eyes on you, though it didn't strike. It let you pass.

The interior was grand, almost otherworldly, draped in velvet and shadows. It made you even question if you were trespassing, wandering around in such a place like this. It was quiet, too quiet.

You found a chamber, appearing to be unused and safe, so you laid down to rest.

You did not wake up where you slept.

Your wrists and ankles were bound together, your body forced to kneel on the cold stone. A deep voice hummed nearby, smooth as silk and sharp as a dagger.

"Yes... yes, you will suffice."

From the darkness, he stepped forward. He was tall, regal, his golden hair aglow in the candlelight. His earthy, slitted eyes gleamed with amusement and calculation.

Dio.

And your fate had just begun.