JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Thin Air

Chapter Forty-Two: Apocalypse Dreams (Part IIII)

CW: POSSIBLE HINTING TO SA AND/OR ABUSE

"Whose voice is that... who are you?" Monica asked mentally.

"You've never met me before, and you never will. Not in this world, at least. But you know who I am." the voice said back.

Monica thought back to the similarity the voice had to her father's. Its youth ruled out it belonging to her grandfather, so that could only mean one answer.

"You're my ammo... my uncle. It's you, Ammo Muhammad, isn't it?"

"You cannot meet me now. It's not your time. You have a purpose to fulfill, and an entire lifetime of achievements to complete. If you die now, the person you'll disappoint the greatest is your future self." the voice of the great Joestar ally Avdol said.

"W-What does that mean, Ammo? Future self? I won't have a future... not like this. I'm going to die. My body's broken. Even if I wanted to move, I couldn't. I'll break even more. I won't even get to poke my head out of this mountain."

"Your future self is one of an infinite amount of possibilities awaiting you. What you do next will be what your future self will reflect on. It doesn't matter what your physical condition is. What matters is your mind. Whatever you put your mind to is what you will either look back on with gratitude or look down on with regret. You can either die here alone in the dark or you can push forward and see the light of day again. Choose the better choice. Choose the one that will let you see the light again."

"Ammo, please... I know what you're saying is for my own benefit, but I'm telling you, it's not possible! Please... I've done what I could. I'm sorry..." Monica said, the energy-draining become more apparent.

Avdol's voice sighed before he continued with his discourse.

"Listen. What do you see right now? What are you thinking of? What images are flashing through your mind right now?"

"N-Nothing," Monica confirmed. "It's just darkness."

"Good. That's good! You're not going to die. Do you know what dying people see? The faces of their loved ones. They hear their voices. They aren't real. It's a result of their brain trying to make the experience of death less stressful for them."

"But... I hear your voice, Ammo."

"I'm not trying to comfort you. I'm trying to help you survive. People who aren't going to die don't need comforting words, they need words of ambition."

Monica's train of thought paused briefly, before she decided on her next words.

"What do I do? What do I need to do to survive?" Monica asked.

"Try feeling it. It's thin, it's light, but it's there. It's coating your blood vessels. It feels warm, doesn't it?"

"W-What is it?"

"It's residual Hamon your body automatically stored up inside you. It's like a skeleton crew, trying to sustain you to the absolute bare minimum while your other bodily functions are breaking down, but even this is going to disappear if you do not act right now. Harness it. Relax your body and let the Hamon collect in your arms."

"Okay, okay," Monica said, following through with her uncle's request. "What next?"

"Push. Push away the books over your head. Squeeze your arms through the tiny gaps and push the books away."

Monica pulled her arms with tremendous effort and brought them to the level of her eyes. After roughly approximating where 'up' was, she pushed the books covering her body. Even with the extreme pressure she exerted, it seemed that they had barely budged.