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Giorno was awakened by strange and frightening sounds coming from under the bed. He pulled the blanket over his head, but it was surprisingly scarier. He cautiously peeked out from under the blanket. The rustling continued.
Giorno, afraid to check it himself, summoned Gold Experience to inspect the area under the bed. His Stand had awakened just recently, and Giorno was still learning how to use it, but he was confident that Gold Experience was stronger than any monster under the bed.
Maybe it's just a rat. Giorno reassured himself. He loves animals, so he won't be afraid of a rat.
But what he saw through the Gold Experience wasn't a rat. It was something big, with long arms and legs, a terrible mask, a terrible grin, and small red eyes.
Giorno didn't make a sound. He jumped out of bed with lightning speed, hoping that the monster under the bed would not have time to catch up with him.
Gold Experience, following his orders, grew many vines from his belongings to confuse the monster. As soon as Giorno was outside, other giant vines blocked the entrance to the corridor. Now the monster couldn't attack him.
Giorno stood in the hallway, his heart racing. Fear gripped his body, and he couldn't take his eyes off the vines that separated him from the monster under the bed. He also felt tired. He had never used so much power at once before.
He exchanged glances with his Stand. Gold spread his hands guiltily. There was nothing else he could do.
If it's a Stand, no door or wall can stop it , Giorno realized. I do not know what it can do or where its owner is…
A fight was out of the question. Even though Giorno was Dio's son, he was still a child just starting to learn his dhampir abilities and the abilities of the Stand. Right now, his ability to give life to inanimate objects was unlikely to be useful, and his Stand, like him, was still too young for serious combat. They were both just over four years old.
"Papa!" suddenly dawned on Giorno.
Without thinking, he rushed to his father's chamber, hoping that the dreaded Stand would not haunt him. He was sure that his father would find a way to deal with this monster and not judge him for being a coward.
As Giorno paused at the door, he suddenly felt unsure of himself. Perhaps he shouldn't have distracted his father from important matters. Perhaps he should have asked one of the servants for help- Uncle D'Arby, Aunt Midler, or even Grandmother Enya...
However, if he does this, they may not believe him and even laugh at him. How could a young dhampir be afraid of some under-bed monster? Who would dare to enter the young master's chambers without being seen? He must be a worthy son of his father.
No, only Papa will believe me, Giorno thought, shaking his head.
He knocked on the door.
"Come in, Giorno," father said.
Giorno took a deep breath and opened the door. His father was sitting up in bed, reading something. When he saw Giorno, he smiled.
"What's wrong, Giorno? Can't sleep?" he asked.
Giorno took a deep breath.:
"I have a monster under my bed. Perhaps this is a stand!
Father frowned slightly.
"A monster, you say? What did it look like?"
Giorno described the monster to him in detail, and also told him about how it was scratching under the bed.
Father put down his book and got out of bed. He looked completely serious.
"Let's go, Giorno. I can handle any monster that dares to attack you."
They went together to Giorno's room. There was tension in the air, and each step felt like an eternity. When they finally reached their destination, Giorno heard a strange sound like a dog growling.
His father, however, looked at the vines that separated them from the monster and grinned.
"You did a good job, Giorno. Can you get everything back to how it was?
Giorno once again summoned the Gold Experience and used him to turn the vines back into a door.
"All right! Now watch and learn!"
When they entered the room, nobody seemed to be there. Everything was covered in vines, as if Giorno lived in a tropical jungle and not in the heart of Cairo.
But a few moments later, a dark shape leaped out from under the bed, and the monster charged at them with a high-pitched squeal.
Without wasting a second, father instantly summoned The World. His movements were so fast and precise that Giorno didn't even have time to realize what had happened. With one powerful blow, father threw the monster back under the bed.
But it didn't end there. When Giorno blinked, he saw that his bed had been lying on the floor in pieces, with pillows strewn everywhere.
"I didn't see anything again… Dad is so amazing!"
Dio stepped closer and ruffled Giorno's hair with a small grin.
"Problem solved! It really was a Stand. We, Giorno, have many enemies who want to eliminate us. But we can handle all of them!"
Giorno felt both relief and a twinge of guilt. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get any stronger. But he had to! The enemies don't rest!
"Next time, I'll help you, Papa" he said firmly." I will definitely become stronger and be like you!
His father patted his hair again and smiled at him.
"All in good time, son," he said to Giorno. "Now let's go to my chambers. You'll sleep next to me tonight. "
***
Dio watched as Giorno slept soundly. He gently stroked his son's dark hair, which was so different from his own, and carefully got out of bed. With one last look at his son, he left his chambers.
He found Midler in the library, where she was reading in a chair. When she saw him, she stood up and bowed her head in greeting.
"I hope I didn't scare the young master to death?"
"Giorno is my son," Dio replied with a small smile, moving closer to her and gently touching her chin. "A monster under the bed isn't enough to break his spirit. But you did a great job, Midler."
She smiled at him, as if mesmerized by his words. Like many women, she was partial to flattery.
"I hope I didn't hit you too hard." he whispered to her before kissing her.
"You were as gentle as ever, Master Dio," she murmured to him.
All the women were the same. A little affection, a little meaningless words… he though
Giorno's mother was the same. The only reason she lived longer than others was because she became pregnant before he tired of her. As a reminder of this short-lived adventure, he still has a picture of her and son, who Dio had high hopes for.
He left the library, leaving Midler disappointed. But Dio wasn't in the mood to share his bed with her anyway.
Our little performance has paid off, he thought, pleased with his own genius. Giorno's Stand showed that he is much stronger than he seemed at first glance. Plus, Giorno wanted to train. My son can't be weaker than a monkey or a baby. That means that if the Joestars find us, we'll meet them fully armed. They are all so disgustingly good to the point of gnashing teeth, they will not be able to hurt the child. But the child could hurt them.
Dio laughed.
And when we're done with them, nothing will stop us!