Felix's question was directed at an unfiltered version of who Dio currently was. Her theory was that for an individual with such a strong ego, it would only be possible or make sense if they had multiple layers of facades and delusions covering those core characteristics. She refused to believe that he had no fears; after all, fear was the most natural of feelings.
"If you have no fear. You have no survival instinct."
"I disagree. I could want to live while not being afraid to die," These words shouldn't belong to someone his age, but what could he do? Growing up wasn't really a choice.
"You're right. You "could" but will you? Reality differs from your ideals, boy. Your delusions may keep you afloat, but it will not save you from drowning in them. Facing your fears and grabbing them by the collar is the only answer. No matter how painful,"
There were layers to analyze here. First, the body's natural defense mechanism toward frightening or traumatic events is to repress and forget. However, Dio couldn't do that; it wasn't even a choice. He was simply forced to remember everything. This brings us to the next point: If he remembered everything distinctively, then moving past these adversities could prove to be difficult or even impossible.
However, Felix had no clue about his recall ability. All her guesses and statements have been based on his strong ego. Coincidentally, her theory could explain certain aspects of his life. Considering he could never forget, the only way to move on would be to delude. Or, of course, to face them and overcome them.
"....I don't know what I'm afraid of…?"
"That's what I expected, to be honest. You're like an onion right now." She snapped her fingers, and the veil slowly disappeared. "You're still a child, so please act like one," She ruffled his hair again and walked away.
"Oh! If I were you, I'd absorb that dense energy quickly," she pointed towards his chest, "looks quite pure and raw. Get to it quickly before you lose it, and try not to cause any trouble; the faculty have a meeting. It's quite rare, but important nonetheless,"
'Dense energy?' What was she even talking about? Dio had no clue, but the only explanation he could think of was what had happened. Was it after the vision? What about it caused a ball of mana to be available within him?
"Thank you," he nodded his head and sat down exactly where he was. Without wasting any more time, he imagined a line running vertically down his body. There were two circles, one symbolizing the mind and the other the mana core. Exactly under his mana core, another sphere half the core's size was there. It seemed to be waiting to be absorbed.
"Alright then," he visualized breaking off a tiny fragment and combining it with his core. The next second, a gush of energy and pure mana shot upward. His hair and eyes were forcibly opened as the very sand and dust around him were pushed back.
'Hot hot hot hot what the fuck,' he bit his lip causing it to bleed a little. It was only a tiny fragment, and yet this was the backlash? The burning felt like hot liquid metal circulating through his very veins, and with every second, a new wave of agony overcame him.
"Slowly.." His insides felt like they were burning up. Fragment after fragment, the backlash continued to increase until his consciousness began to drift away. The world he knew twisted and swirled into a kaleidoscope of suffering. He was now in this dream-like world.
Every single memory and cherished moment of his were available to view; they played like videos, and clouds acted as walls for these videos to be played upon. The more he floated, the deeper and wider the world got. There was no physical feeling in this world, or that was what he thought. Until he crashed into an invisible wall. Behind the wall was nothing; the dream world seemed to expand and continue even past the barrier, but for some reason, he couldn't get past it.
It was frustrating; he was so close, yet so far. But this wasn't the end. The fact that a barrier existed meant there was something there. Or that he was never meant to go there; nevertheless, he placed his palm on the barrier in an attempt to understand what it was.
Contradicting his earlier feelings of heat, the barrier was icy cold, it felt like tiny ants were eating away the skin on his palm. Every moment his hand remained connected to this barrier, he felt less attached to his own body. Eventually, a large jolt of energy pulsated and blasted him away.
He was completely unharmed by the explosion, but Dio was sent flying, and as he continued to float in this space, everything began to crumble down. It felt like this dream world was now forcibly returning back to normal. Reality split into many fractals, eventually feeling like he was falling down an eternally spiraling staircase.
At the same time, right before his eyes opened, and he realized the changes in his body. There was a huge commotion outside the training grounds that had swept up the entire institution. He wasn't sure, but he could see every senior student armed and running towards something, while the new comers all took cover. The Professors were nowhere to be seen, which made sense considering they were likely to rush out immediately.
As soon as he stepped out, random students crashed into his shoulders without even turning back, they were all heading towards the fields. The place Dio cherished so much. Even at this moment, he couldn't understand what was going on.
"We're under attack! All first years, head back to your dorms and report to your leaders! Second years, you're in charge of reinforcement and protection. Finally, third years, slaughter these bastards so they understand who they're messing with!!!!!" A loud, roaring voice accompanied the ringing of a giant bell.
"Wait…..where are the professors….?" Dio knew very well where they were, but he asked anyway almost in a manner to deny that reality. "The meeting…."
Without wasting any more time, he rushed back to his own room to find John nervously sitting near the bedside window. As soon as Dio spotted John, he grabbed him by the shoulders and asked, "Are you okay??? What's going on? What about the others?"
"I'm okay….the others are in their rooms right now…but Dio…" there was a dark look on his face, the lump in his throat got harder to swallow as he almost choked on his words, "Hina…..nobody knows where she is…."