(A/N):
Thanks for the support!!!
Drop a meme here that you find funny. Or reflects your mood.
-------------------------------------------------
Jojo's Mansion...
Jojo sat up slowly, sheets sliding down to his waist, the room still faintly warm from the residual aura of his dream.
For a moment he didn't speak.
The stars. The endless dark water. The colossal turtle whose eyes were galaxies.
'Maurtin… Big old cosmic grandpa turtle…'
He exhaled in relief seeing he is back to his bedroom.
-Sigh
"Multiversal babysitting," he muttered under his breath.
"Great. Just what I needed."
The bedroom door opened with a soft click.
-Creak
Inadu stepped in, her expression composed but sharp, eyes scanning him carefully.
She paused near the bed, studying his face like she was reading a spellbook written in subtle muscle tension.
"You're awake," she said calmly.
Jojo nodded once.
-Nod
"Yeah."
She moved closer, placing her palm lightly against his chest, checking.
Not for pulse. For power fluctuation.
"You were deeply asleep," she said. "Too deeply. Biffer sensed something first."
Jojo raised a brow.
"Hell hound mode?"
Inadu nodded hearing his question.
-Nod
"Full transformation. Flames, horns, the works. He ran out before we could question him. Sara opened the door."
Jojo gave a faint smirk.
-Smirk
"Good dog."
"He wasn't playful," Inadu added quietly.
"It was deliberate. Predatory."
Jojo swung his legs over the edge of the bed.
"Rosalie and Alice?" he asked.
"They followed him," Inadu replied. "Caroline as well."
Jojo paused at that.
"...."
Then he nodded slowly.
-Nod
"They'll be fine."
Inadu watched him carefully.
"You are not worried," she observed.
Jojo's gaze drifted slightly past her, unfocused for a second.
'Maurtin said it would begin soon. Different timelines. Different echoes. Pennywise trying to rewrite his own failure.'
His jaw tightened subtly.
"...."
"I'm not worried about Biffer," he said. "Or the girls."
He looked up at her properly now.
"I'm thinking about something else."
Inadu tilted her head slightly.
"Is it a dream?"
Jojo gave a half-smile.
"You can tell?"
"You were radiating something unusual," she said simply.
"Not danger. But… scale."
He chuckled softly.
-Chuckle
"Scale is one word for it."
He stood, walking toward the window, pushing the curtain aside slightly.
The forest outside was calm again. Too calm.
"I met someone," he said casually.
Inadu's eyes narrowed just a fraction.
-Frown
"In your dream."
"Yeah."
He glanced at her over his shoulder.
""
"A turtle."
Silence.
Inadu blinked once.
"…A turtle."
Jojo grinned faintly still remembering the dream.
-Grin
"The kind that floats in cosmic voids and snacks on universes."
Her expression didn't change.
But the air in the room subtly shifted.
"That kind of turtle," she said.
He nodded hearing her question she was really interested.
-Nod
"Maurtin."
Recognition flickered faintly in her eyes.
"Primordial entity," she said quietly. "Opposed to the Deadlights."
Jojo whistled softly.
-Whistle
"You know your cosmic gossip."
"I know enough."
He leaned against the window frame.
"He warned me. Pennywise felt his own death echo from this timeline. Now it's trying to alter outcomes in others."
Inadu's gaze sharpened. "Temporal predation."
"Yeah."
He ran a hand through his hair.
-Sigh
"Apparently, I'm getting a visitor soon. One of the Losers Club members. Will show him the right moment to connect to the another parallel world."
Inadu studied him carefully.
"And you?"
He smiled, slow and crooked.
"I'm getting an upgrade."
She stepped closer this time she was serious she knew such beings won't give any thing for free.
"And the price?"
Jojo met her gaze.
"...."
"For now?"He shrugged lightly."Be his champion."
Silence lingered between them.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Inadu's expression didn't soften, but it grew thoughtful.
"You attract very large problems," she said dryly.
Jojo chuckled hearing her teasing tone.
-Chuckle
"They follow me around like lost puppies."
Jojo's eyes flickered slightly toward the sound. Then he relaxed.
"They're back."
Jojo rolled his shoulders once and stepped out of the bedroom, Inadu following silently behind him.
"...."
They descended the stairs together.
In the common room...
Debbie, Gayathri, and Cecellia were seated on the couch like a trio of anxious sentries.
The air still carried the faint scent of burned leaves drifting in from the forest.
Debbie stood up first when she saw him.
"You're awake," she said, relief visible on her face.
Jojo gave a small nod.
-Nod
"Yeah. What did I miss?"
Before anyone could answer, the front door opened.
-Thud.
Rosalie walked in first, posture straight, expression cool but eyes still sharp from adrenaline.
Alice followed, practically gliding in with restless energy.
Caroline closed the door behind them.
No blood. No injuries.
Jojo leaned casually against the railing.
"So," he said lightly, "midnight jog?"
Rosalie folded her arms.
"Five masked men," she replied. "Military-grade gear. Ritual markings."
Alice added, "They were trying to complete some kind of tracking spell at the forest border."
Caroline sighed hearing it.
-Sigh
"Specifically to mark Forks."
Jojo's eyes sharpened slightly.
"For who?"
Rosalie answered, voice colder now.
"Edward. And Bella."
Silence settled briefly in the room.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Gayathri exchanged a look with Debbie.
Jojo straightened.
"They said anything?"
Caroline nodded hearing his question.
-Nod
"They were targeting them specifically. Something about 'ruining plans' and 'unfinished debt.'"
Alice moved closer to Jojo.
"They invested money tracking Cullen family movements," she added. "Millions, apparently."
Jojo exhaled slowly.
"So not random."
"No," Rosalie said. "Personal."
He rubbed the back of his neck thoughtfully.
"And now?"
Alice grinned slightly.
-Grin
"They're at DMC headquarters."
Caroline smirked.
-Smirk
"Courtesy of the Quileute wolves."
Jojo chuckled softly hearing his response.
-Chuckle
"Nice."
Inadu stepped forward slightly.
"They were human?" she asked.
"Yes," Caroline replied. "Fully human."
Jojo's expression darkened just a fraction.
"Fanatics are always more dangerous than monsters," he murmured.
Debbie frowned. "Do you think they're connected to the Volturi group which Alice mentioned to be before?"
Jojo shook his head.
"No. Volturi don't hire mercenaries with ritual kits."
He paused.
"Someone else."
Cecellia hugged her arms lightly.
"And they were doing… magic?"
"Ritual magic," Alice said. "Old symbols. Binding circles. Something to tag territory."
Jojo's gaze drifted for a moment.
'Marking Forks. Claiming hunting ground.'
His jaw tightened slightly. He looked at Rosalie.
"...."
"Did Biffer enjoy himself?"
Rosalie's lips twitched faintly.
-Twitch
"He removed a hand."
Jojo nodded approvingly.
-Nod
"Good dog."
Gayathri blinked. "Removed a—"
Inadu calmly interrupted.
"He means it literally."
Debbie swallowed hearing this conversation.
-Gulp
Jojo pushed off the railing and walked toward the couch, sitting down casually.
"So," he said, stretching slightly, "we've got mercenaries with ritual knowledge, hunting Edward and Bella."
He looked around the room.
"And somewhere out there, a cosmic turtle just told me a clown is messing with timelines."
Silence.
Caroline blinked slowly. "I'm sorry. A what?"
Jojo waved it off.
"Later."
Rosalie narrowed her eyes. "You had some weird dream, didn't you?"
He gave her a lazy smile.
"Define weird."
Alice leaned in closer, studying him carefully.
"You're different," she said softly.
Jojo met her gaze.
"Upgrade pending."
Inadu crossed her arms.
"We should interrogate them immediately," she said. "Before they attempt suicide."
Caroline nodded at her.
-Nod
"One already tried."
Jojo stood again.
"Alright then."
He stretched his neck once, a faint crack echoing in the quiet room.
"Let's go have a chat with our midnight ritual club."
He paused at the doorway and looked back at the group.
"And someone make sure Biffer gets a steak."
Rosalie smirked faintly.
Alice clapped once, excited.
Caroline rolled her eyes affectionately.
Next Day...
Morning light poured over the forest like liquid gold when Jojo's motorcycle rolled into the Cullen driveway.
Rosalie stepped out of Emmett's car with quiet tension in her shoulders.
Alice was already halfway to the door before anyone rang the bell.
It opened.
Esme's warm smile faltered the moment she saw their expressions.
"Something's wrong,"
She said immediately.
Carlisle appeared behind her, composed but alert.
-SWISH!!!
"...."
Inside, they gathered in the wide living room.
Sunlight refracted through the glass walls, scattering prisms across pale faces that suddenly didn't feel so serene.
Jojo leaned against the piano casually, but his tone carried weight.
"Five armed men entered Forks last night," he began. "Ritual markings. Specialized gear. Not random."
Rosalie continued, voice sharp.
"They were tracking Edward and Bella."
The room stilled.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Emmett's playful energy evaporated.
Jasper straightened slightly, sensing the shift in emotion.
Edythe's eyes narrowed.
Carlisle spoke first.
"Tracking… how?"
Alice answered, her voice uncharacteristically serious.
"They were completing a marking ritual. Once activated, it would signal their entire network. Forks would've been flagged."
Esme's hand tightened slightly against the couch.
"They have a network?"
Jojo nodded once.
-Nod
"Money-backed. Organized. And angry. According to the wolfs investigation."
Rosalie added quietly,
"It's personal. They weren't hunting vampires in general. They were hunting them."
Emmett muttered, "Who the hell has that kind of grudge?"
Jasper's voice was calm but edged.
"Humans don't mobilize like that unless something was taken from them."
Carlisle's expression grew thoughtful.
"Or exposed."
Jojo glanced at him.
"Exactly."
Silence settled around.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Edythe spoke next. "Did they say where Edward and Bella are?"
"No," Alice replied. "But they believed they were in Alaska."
Esme looked to Carlisle immediately.
"We need to go."
Carlisle nodded without hesitation.
-Nod
"Yes. If they're in Denali territory, they're vulnerable. Especially if humans are using ritual tracking."
Rosalie crossed her arms.
"We should bring them back here."
Emmett raised a brow. "Forks is already hot."
Jojo shook his head slightly.
"Not anymore."
All eyes shifted to him.
"They tried to mark the land," he said calmly. "They failed. Whoever sent them will assume the team disappeared."
Jasper tilted his head. "That buys us time."
"Exactly," Jojo replied.
Esme exhaled softly. "Bella… she's close to her due date."
Alice nodded. "Very."
Rosalie's jaw tightened faintly, protective instinct flaring.
"We're not letting anything touch her."
Emmett smirked slightly.
-Smirk
"Especially not some ritual cosplayers."
Carlisle straightened.
"I'll contact the Denali coven. If Edward receives word, we'll escort them back."
Jasper added, "We should assume more will come."
Jojo's lips curved faintly.
"They can."
Rosalie glanced at him. "You're enjoying this."
He shrugged lightly.
"I prefer when enemies announce themselves."
Alice stepped closer to him, fingers brushing his arm.
"You're staying, right?"
"For the birth?" he said. "Yeah."
Esme's expression softened.
"Thank you."
Jojo gave a relaxed smile. "Family emergency policy."
Emmett grinned. "You're not family."
Rosalie shot him a look.
"He practically is."
Alice beamed proudly.
Jasper allowed himself the faintest smile.
Carlisle's tone turned strategic again.
"Emmett, Jasper, you'll accompany me to Alaska. Rosalie and Alice remain here. Jojo…"
He met Jojo's eyes.
"…we appreciate your assistance."
Jojo gave a lazy salute. "I'll keep Forks warm."
Edythe glanced toward the forest.
"If they invested millions tracking us," she murmured, "they won't stop."
Jojo's eyes darkened slightly.
"Good," he said quietly.
Outside, the wind shifted through the trees.
Somewhere far from Forks, men with money and hatred were adjusting their plans.
But here, inside a house of glass and light, alliances had already formed.
And this time…
They were waiting.
**********************************************************************************************************************************************************
(Author's POV)
(A/N):
[New Fan fic: Star Entertainment: Building An Empire. Check it out.
There will be two chapters a week(Monday and Tuesday)
If delayed I would post it on Wednesday or Thursday.]
Thanks for reading the chapter!
Please give a review and power stone!!!