"King Crimson?? Have you seen a Stand similar to mine??"

Tayden questioned.

"Sticky Fingers!!"

Jeno wasted no time and attacked the boy with his own Stand.

But Tayden's Stand immediately flew in front of him and blocked the attack barrage of attacks from Sticky Fingers.

Everyone else except Renjun brought their Stands out as well, ready to defend and attack, confusing Tayden even more. Renjun didn't know why, but he didn't see the boy as a threat after he blocked Jeno's attack.

"So you were hiding here to ambush us huh?!"

"H-Huh?? What do you mean hyung??? Did I do something wrong??"

"Don't play dumb!! Your Stand gives you away!!"

"Hold on a minute Jeno. I know it may look like it, but I don't think his Stand is King Crimson"

Renjun alerted him, confusing him and his brothers.

"What?!"

"Get away from my son if you know what's good for you"

In the blink of an eye, another man showed up just a few meters away from Jeno, his long Masamune Sword reaching all the way to his throat, ready to slit it at any moment.

The man wore baggy pants with no shirt or shoes, and a unique fox mask to hide his identity. He also had a black aura encased around him, adding on to his menacing nature.

Additionally, there was a Stand behind him and staring him down, which Jaemin recognized as Black Sabbath.

The Stand stayed put behind him, ready to attack at any time.

"Hyung! You're back!"

"I'm sorry that I couldn't be here sooner Tayden. I'm glad that they didn't hurt you"

"Jeno, stand down. Call back Sticky Fingers. Trust me. That's not King Crimson"

Renjun insisted.

Jeno was still afraid that his suspicions about the boy were true, but he inevitably obeyed and called back his Stand.

After seeing Jeno recalled Sticky Fingers, the other brothers put their Stands away as well. The mysterious man called back Black Sabbath and holstered his sword, but he still stayed alert.

"Tayden, what do you call your Stand?"

Renjun asked after approaching the boy, using his calmness to put him at ease.

"..I call it Epitaph"

"I see. Can Epitaph erase time in any way?"

"H-Huh??? No! It's just a regular close range Stand that can see into the future! It's only been able forecast up to ten seconds into the future! That's how I'm always able to catch that ball without seeing it coming myself!"

The boy explained as his Stand stood close to protect him.

"That's strange... King Crimson has always been able to to erase time and foresee ten seconds into the future. And it looks exactly like your Epitaph, except it's shade is purple instead of crimson.. We're sorry for misunderstanding your power Tayden. It just scared us for a second"

Jaemin sincerely apologized.

"Someone else has a Stand that similar to mine??? Have you met them before?"

"Not yet, but we know others who have. We're going to save them as soon as we leave here"

"...Can I come too?"

"What are you saying Tayden?"

The man asked, appalled by his request to join the group.

"I'm sorry hyung, but if someone is out there wreaking havoc with a powerful Stand similar to mine, I can't just stay here and do nothing knowing that... And maybe....this could bring me closer to finding my parents. If they have a Stand similar to me, it can't just be a coincidence. Please let me go hyung..."

Tayden begged him, and eventually the man gave in.

"...If that's what you really want, then I'm in no position to stop you. But just know that you'll always be a son to me, ok..?"

"Of course hyung.. Thank you~"

"You can come meet the rest of us if you're still uneasy about him leaving. We can always reassure you that he's in good hands, but I feel you'd be more at ease if you got to meet everyone hyung"

Renjun offered, to which the man accepted immediately.

"I would love nothing more. I know very well who all of you are already, and I know he'll be in good hands. But it would be nice to meet all of you directly. My name is Doni by the way, Doni Cash"

He shook each of the brothers' hands, and they led the two back to their ship to chat.

But on the way, Renjun couldn't help but notice how his name sounded familiar.

-

10 Minutes Later

-

The nine of them were accompanied by Johnny and Taeyong as they sat together in the ship's lounging area to chat.

As they conversed, they couldn't help but notice how Taeyong and Tayden looked alike, and how their names even sounded a bit similar.

Eventually Doni became cold in the midst of the chat, but Johnny was nice enough to gift him one of his sweatshirts to keep him warm. He had quickly taken a liking to the man, but he couldn't understand why.

"It was really nice meeting all of you. I hope you all have a safe and successful journey. Be sure to save those kids before The Boss hurts them anymore than he already has"

Doni requested.

"We will, don't you worry. And we'll keep Tayden safe as well. He's in good hands with us~"

Taeyong reassured him, having quickly taken a liking to Tayden.

"I really appreciate that. Thank you"

"Wait a second. Before you go, I wanna ask you something Doni"

Johnny stopped him from getting up, anxious to ask his question.

"Fire away"

"Our names sound incredibly similar, and there's just something about you that feels familiar to me. I may be overthinking things, but would you mind taking off your mask?"

"...I should've known this would happen. Looks like being from another universe doesn't change a thing. You were still able to feel our connection and similarities despite me hiding my identity"

"So you are..."

Doni sighed and took off his mask, resting it on the table.

The face that they all saw shocked them to their cores, except for Johnny. Doni was simply Johnny from another universe, and they looked exactly the same.

"What?! You both look the same hyung!"

Tayden exclaimed, alarmed by finally learning his caregiver's complete identity.

"I'm sorry that I hid myself from you all these years Tayden, but let's just say Johnny and his crew attract a lot of danger. I just wanted us to live as safely and peacefully as possible"

"That's fair"

Johnny smiled, happy with Doni's intentions.

"So you hid your identity too.."

"That's right. I assume you hid yours as well to keep the ones you hold dear safe and happy, right Taeyong?"

"That's right. But we're a lot happier now since I revealed my identity. I'm sure that you and Tayden will be too hyung"

"I know we will~"

Tayden brightly smiled, giving Doni the reassurance he needed.

"..I'll be off then. You guys should hurry and save the kids. Remember Tayden. Just call my name and I'll be by your side. Whenever you're in danger I'll be there"

"I will hyung~. Thank you for everything"

They both shared a tender hug with each other, before Doni approached the ship's door.

But before he left, he stopped.

"...Before I go, I want to give you all some advice. As you know, Tayden's main goal in his life has always been to find his real parents. If Tayden's Epitaph is that similar to The Boss' King Crimson, then helping him find his origins might be easier than you think. But...it might also be one of the most perilous missions of your lives. Please...be careful, all of you"

After giving that advice, right after each of them blinked, Doni was gone and six materia were left on the ground where he once stood.

Jeno approached them and picked up each of them.

"Those are five Elemental materia and one Steadfast Block materia. Doni-hyung must've known that I wanted to give some to you and chose the ones that he thought would best help you"

Tayden explained, causing Jeno to smile.

"How come he didn't want to come along for the journey?"

"Hyung doesn't usually like confrontations. He just prefers to help others at the shop. He probably just wants to do his best to make a living for us here, and will come to aid us if he's needed"

"I see. I can understand that"

"Wait. Now it's starting to make sense. The similar Stands can't just be that coincidental"

Renjun mumbled, capturing everyone's attention.

"What are you saying hyung?"

Tayden curiously asked.

"I mean finding your parents might be easier than we thought, especially your father. We might be heading right to him"