Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Burning Heart ❯ Can you trust a dark mage? ( Chapter 2 )

 

Burning Heart

 

Chapter 2

 

 

 

It seemed like it must have been an eternity that he had been with the dragon and he didn't exactly know how much longer he was still going to be here. Shenron was interesting company, at times, lately though it seemed like all the huge beast wanted to do was sleep, and if Goku weren't so tired all the time, he would have liked to spend more time on his physical training, rather than just meditating or sleeping. Still, the dreams Goku had been having were absolutely fascinating...

 

He had glimpsed hundreds- perhaps even thousands of different worlds. There were even a few worlds where he had grown up on Vegetasai, surrounded by not only Saiyans, but his actual birth family. His favorite of those was one where his father and his two brothers worked and trained together, fighting against all challengers. There was no Frieza in this dimension and many of the Saiyans hired themselves out as intergalactic gladiators where they fought in honorable combat in front of huge crowds on hundreds of different planets. All of the travel was exciting and the arena battles were incredible, even though he knew it was just a dream, Goku actually felt as if he had learned much from the images of those they fought against. Watching his father and his brothers' fighting had been inspiring too, there was much about Saiyan warfare that Goku realized he hadn't fully understood yet.

 

In this dimension, the Arena battles were so popular and widespread that disputes between planets were actually handled by formal challenges in the Arena. As the ruler of Vegetasai was determined by physical strength and fighting ability, it was no surprise that Vegeta took on all Challenges to Vegetasai's internal and external affairs personally. The regal Saiyan lord was a brilliant strategist and tactician, systematically dismantling the unfortunate challenging party's champion and thus proving his policy should be allowed to stand- even if it was only because he was personally strong enough to enforce his ideas. Vegeta's battles were in the very prestigious solo division, so they where always broadcasted galaxy wide. Vegeta was not allowed to leave Vegetasai now that he was King, so when a challenge was issued, the challenger's champion had to fight Vegeta on their home turf. Goku and his family had been chosen to be in several of the preliminary matches, and that was a great honor. As they were considered some of the best warriors among their people, Bardock took these matches which preceded Vegeta's appearance very seriously, making sure that they always had their opponents well scouted so that they would not disgrace their undefeated King by loosing on their home ground.

 

In that world, it had been interesting to watch Vegeta's progress as the Prince and later as King of their race. Best of all to Goku though, was that even though the two of them had never met, Vegeta continued to train for battle everyday. Even as the ruling force of their people, nothing distracted Vegeta from his quest to find greater strength, skill and endurance. To Goku this meant that his assessment of the Vegeta he knew from Earth was right. Even in a world so different from his, Vegeta was simply meant to be stubborn, arrogant and incredibly determined, but he wasn't evil there either.

 

As for his curiosity about Saiyan females, because he and his family were all quite famous gladiators who won most of their matches there was never a shortage of interested females to kill time with between their fights. At first the very idea of having sex with a woman he didn't love had startled and confused him, but it was only a dream. Besides, it was their idea; it wasn't easy to resist them either- he had tried! Cauli had been the first to entice him into sleeping with her and though she hadn't been the last, she was by far his favorite. He wasn't exactly able to figure out why, but Cauli had been intoxicating, her animal grace and sexuality... It turned out that what Vegeta had told him about Saiyan women was quite true. The female members of this race were aggressive, temperamental and a few- like Cauli had been every bit as stubborn as Chichi, but they were physically much stronger than his wife had been too. Since he had had that dream, of that world, there were times that he wondered if he should be ashamed of himself when it occurred to him that now that he had been with a female Saiyan that he really wasn't interested in having a fragile, breakable earthling for his only love anymore…

 

If there had been a drawback to that dimension, it was that Earth was not one of the planets where these vast tournaments were held, so he never got to meet any of his friends on Earth, and in this world, he had not been able to actually meet Vegeta in person either.

 

 

 

But there were literally hundreds of other scenarios that he had seen in these dreams and all of them had a number of aspects that he liked, and yet none of them really met with his full approval either. It was getting frustrating that he hadn't seen even one world that he was interested in being reborn into. Visiting them in a dream like this was one thing, but the idea of being stuck living in a dimension where he was evil or where he had to watch as he and his friends and family were killed by villains that had never visited his Earth was another matter entirely.

 

Equally distressing was the knowledge that if he didn't marry Chichi in these other worlds, he wouldn't have his two beloved sons. And yet, Chichi's fiercely independent declaration that if she could do things over she wouldn't marry him again was still like a shard of ice had pierced his heart. He thought he had done everything that he could to try and make everyone happy and instead hurt the person he had once loved the most…

 

Coming out of his meditation he sighed heavily, he hated to dwell on such thoughts, and yet there was nothing to do here but dream, and think. He stretched lazily as he looked around Shenron's cave in the other worldly dimension where the dragon lived and wished that he could get hungry, just to have something to do to break the monotony…

 

“Hello, Goku.” The female voice which offered the unexpected greeting was musical and soft, almost childish; the accent was one that he had never heard before.

 

Goku whirled around, jumping instinctively into a fighting stance as he did, but the speaker turned out to be sitting casually on the Shenron's massive shoulder, and the dragon was still snoring softly, completely oblivious to the fact that they weren't alone. The first thing he noticed was that she was beautiful, though for some reason her beauty made him uneasy. He sensed immediately that there was more to her than her outwardly attractive appearance. She had huge, luminous golden eyes that had a sultry, very exotic slant to them, and her long, straight hair was shimmering silver, though her most striking feature was her nearly black skin- which turned out to be an extremely dark purplish, blue where strong light touched it from the braziers burning within the cave. She had sharply pointed ears, and much of her strange dark skin was quite visible because she wasn't wearing much, just a short gown of silvery silk, and some amber jewelry, he couldn't help noticing her slim, willowy figure as well as admiring her exotic coloration.

 

“W-Who are you?” Goku asked finally, she smiled at him; her golden eyes seemed to glow with some inner light, and in spite of her beauty, the effect sent shivers down his spine. Again, instinct warned him that she was someone not to be taken lightly.

 

She rolled the long walking staff along her thighs where it lay across her lap, making the large ice blue crystal at the top flicker in the light of the huge braziers. “I am Omegius, and I know what it is that has been weighing so heavily upon your heart.”

 

“How did you get here? Where did you come from?”

 

“I am only here to help you; there is no need to get defensive.” She purred, the way that she was looking at him suggested that she was toying with him, clearly her eyes held a sparkle of great amusement, like a child with a big secret that she wasn't quite ready to share yet. “Don't worry, I've waited centuries and crossed the borders of a thousand different dimensions to find you here, at this moment, Goku. After everything that you have done to save this dimension, I know that you can help me to save the darkest of all the realities that I have seen too… The happiness you seek rests with what I have come to tell you, Goku. You are a man of unequaled purity and light and yet your heart and the Saiyan spirit within you are restless- so in a way, your wife was quite right- you just didn't know it at the time but that is partly why you left Chichi and your family all of those times. All your life you have been searching for something that you were never fully aware of because when you lost the programming to destroy the Earth it also scrambled you instincts. Now that your family and friends are gone in this dimension, you are searching for it much harder; your quest has even invaded your dreams. Do you know what you are searching for yet, Goku?”

 

Goku scowled and tried to change the subject, feeling very uncomfortable with total stranger that could read him that thoroughly and easily while he couldn't use his telepathy to look into her thoughts or ever her emotions to see who she really was and what her intentions were. “Why do I feel like you shouldn't be here?”

 

She grinned, her eyes flashed mischievously, again reminding him of a child who wasn't ready to share her secrets yet. “In about an hour, your century long exile with the dragon will be over. I know that you have trained and meditated on the possibility- carefully weighing each of the pros and the cons of making a special request of the Kais. With all that you have done for them, the world, and even the whole damn universe you know that they should happily grant your request to allow you to make the first wish with the newly purified dragonballs, but the problem, is that you haven't found the right dimension to visit yet, isn't it?”

By this time, all sorts of little warning bells were going off in the back of Goku's mind. She knew far too much and yet she hadn't told him anything about herself except for her name and who in their right mind would name their child Omegius- so was even that much of what she was saying actually true?… And yet, much to Goku's chagrin, this woman was as eerily charming as she was clever and beautiful and he was strangely willing to let her keep talking. “How do you know all of this, things that I would've never told anybody?”

 

“In life, I was the great Oracle of this age- in other words, Goku, I was the one who spread the word that Lord Frieza was going to be defeated and even killed by a Super Saiyan.”

 

“Hey- weren't you wrong about that, and don't you think it was kind of unfair to put that kind of pressure on Vegeta, I mean, he was just a kid…”

 

Omegius laughed, a sweet, musical sound, clearly amused, and for once her golden eyes looked warm and soft. “I only personally delivered a prophecy that I kept intentionally vague, I never mentioned any names. I foresaw that you would defeat Frieza, and I also knew that it was Vegeta's son from the alternate future of your world that would ultimately kill him. I knew that my words would be misinterpreted, Goku, but I had no choice but to allow that to happen, because by sharing only part of what I knew about the future of your world, I gave the Empire hope that it desperately needed. Hope that someday Frieza would fall and the Empire he was building would collapse. When others began to attach Vegeta's name to my words, it became a gift, he never saw it as a curse the way most people would have, if they knew they were being raised to make a one shot at attempting to save the universe from such a powerful evil. I knew in my heart that the only thing Frieza could never take from Vegeta was his dark need for revenge, raised among some of the most brutal and bloodthirsty killers imaginable, he suffered much worse than someone like you could ever know or understand. In a way I admit, it seems tragic to me that he was not Frieza's killer in this dimension, but there are other futures where he does that and more, so I suppose it all evens out in the end, since your world is one of the few that I have glimpsed where Vegeta is truly content.”

 

 

The woman slid off of the dragon's shoulder without disturbing the great beast's rest and looked at Goku quietly for a moment as if she were deciding what to tell him. “But none of that tells you what you really want to know, does it? You want to know why I have come here, why I know so much about you and why all of your warrior instincts are telling you to be wary of me.” She smiled again, once more looking a little too mischievous, he got the feeling she was toying with him again.

 

“Well, yeah.” Goku nodded. “I've never met anyone who can talk as much as you do and not really tell me anything.”

 

“I am a Darkling, Goku, as you are the last Saiyan, I am now- at least in this dimension, the very last of my kind too. I am here because I am a mage- that's another word for a spell caster, a wizard. I was found orphaned and suffering from amnesia by one of Frieza's ancestors, and sort of adopted by him. When he discovered that I had the gift of future sight as well as my magic, he was pleased at first, I gave him my insights and my magic willingly. Then he attacked someone he shouldn't have against my warning. His death was blamed on me by his vengeful son that had never accepted me as one of their family- who also made the fatal mistake of not heeding a warning that I gave him. The Ice-Jinn are a vengeful people and I was branded a traitor to my adopted family and imprisoned. I spent at least 6 centuries at the hands of many skilled torturers, some say I lost my mind during those long years, but I do know that I will never forgive the Ice-Jinn for what they did to me. Not only did they disfigure and rape me repeatedly, their scientists also harnessed my innate powers artificially and used them to hunt down and destroy the rest of my race during the reign of King Kold's father. When King Kold murdered his father to assume his throne rather unexpectedly he didn't know about my history or my powers, so I was moved to a holding cell where I was able to regain some of my strength and there I continued to wait. It was Lord Frieza who let me out, but unlike his father, he had looked into my past, and was so arrogant that he believed he could control me and force me to prophecy for him even when he knew what I had endured at the hands of his family. The way that he looked at me that day still makes my skin crawl as I remember it, Goku… I have dedicated my entire existence to wiping out the Ice Jin royal family. Thanks to you and Vegeta I have succeeded in this dimension, so I have allowed myself to die so that I can rejoin the rest of my people in another time and place as is the Elfish custom. Before I go, however I wanted to thank you personally, Goku for all that you and your allies have done that has aided my quest- even though it was indirectly your help was indispensable. So I have come to offer you a chance to save a whole new world, and with it, an entirely new dimension- one that doesn't have a chance to find the peace and freedom that you have given to this world and this dimension if you don't accept this gift and the challenge it will offer you.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“In this other realm, I was killed rather than imprisoned and tortured by the bastards after my adopted father and brother died, so I wasn't around to share my knowledge of the future, and assure Vegeta and the rest of the universe that in any of his possible incarnations in any dimension, he is eventually going to be capable of becoming a Super Saiyan. And, unfortunately you died on Earth at the hands of Radditz and Napa because you didn't know then that Vegeta isn't evil. You refused their not so polite request to help the two big stupid monkeys with their rescue attempt. In fact, your father, Napa and Radditz all die in that failed venture and Vegeta, left with only three female Saiyan allies, and no real hope of there ever being a Super Saiyan, simply decides to attack a few of the bastard's henchmen give them no choice but to kill all of Frieza's pet monkeys once and for all... Unfortunately for the whole of Frieza's empire, Vegeta's plan will work. The Saiyans of that universe are all destroyed. So, left unrivaled and unchallenged, by a force of light, Frieza eventually surpasses his father and even his brother, and worse he still discovers the dragonballs on Namek. So of course he manages to wish for immortality, which as Vegeta once warned you in this lifetime that it would be, the results were catastrophic- even Babadi's unchallenged awakening of Majin Buu far away on Earth will not be enough to stop the immortal Frieza… It is the darkest future for yourself, Vegeta and the entire planet you know and love as Earth that I have ever seen with my magic and it could all be saved if you can just figure out a way to control Napa and Radditz as you help your father lead them in rescuing Vegeta.”

 

“Who would we be rescuing Vegeta from?”

 

Omegius looked at him as if she thought he had totally lost his mind for a moment, but she sighed quietly. “Lord Frieza has enslaved your whole race in that realm- or what was left of them at least. I can send you to the day where in this other world you made the decision to refuse to help Napa and Radditz, if you want me to. Just think, there would be a chance for you to have a female Saiyan for a mate, you would also have a chance to get to know your brother before he was so corrupted by Frieza that he was willing to try to kill you and your child… and I can even allow you to keep your memories of this lifetime in tact so that not only will you know that Frieza is truly evil, you will know that Vegeta isn't. For that matter, at least so far in that dimension, neither Napa nor Radditz are evil yet and with you around, Frieza wouldn't be able to completely corrupt them, so you wouldn't have to be the last of your kind. Even your father might be able to survive given the right circumstances… but I must warn you, like yourself, it is in Bardock's nature to be willing to sacrifice himself to save others so it could be tricky keeping him alive and he doesn't like to take orders either- he's been a leader for too long and that'll occasionally put him at odds with Vegeta if you know what I mean. Like most Saiyans if Bardock sees a problem he confronts it head on- even when it goes against the warning of his precognitive powers he got while he and his team were following Frieza's orders to purge planet Conassa. Help your father learn to master that talent for seeing the future and there will be no limit to the amount of good that you and the other Saiyans of that dimension can accomplish.”

 

“You said I'd be able to keep my memories of this lifetime in tact, what about all of my powers and becoming a Super Saiyan and stuff?”

 

Omegius smiled, rather impishly. “I know that you would never abuse your powers, Goku. Everything that you have done in this lifetime- all the friends that you have made and all of the adventures you have had here will always remain in your heart. I can assure you that these memories will stay also with you in this other reality, but once you get there, these things will feel as if they happened in a dream. There is great power in dreams, and your dreams will show you what you need to remember from this lifetime to save the future of this other realm if you let them. I am almost certain that you will need to keep the ability to turn into a Super Saiyan, or the two brainless ninnies your father will send to collect you for the rescue mission won't take you seriously because you will only be a teenager when they arrive on earth. I will also tell you that instant transmission will work because your memories of learning it on Yardratt will remain vividly in tact. You will need instant transmission and in that dimension Yardratt has already been destroyed. I would feel perfectly safe leaving you capable of even transforming into a Super Saiyan four, but since your power level will directly affect the power levels of those already in the dimension where I am sending you; I'm going to have to let you grow into the ability to further transform. You will actually know that you have done all of your current transformations, but they will appear as a fog shrouded dream until the time is right that you will truly need to use each of those powers again.”

 

“Well, of course all of this sounds really great, but I still don't quite get it- why would you do this for me?”

 

“I've already told you.” She smiled again, her eyes looked soft and warm again, and again he noticed it was quite a contrast to her usual Cheshire cat expression… “I am more grateful to you for stopping Frieza than I can ever put into words, Goku. My time and my part to play in this dimension are over, and yours is nearly over too. I am offering you this chance to save this future because no one else will ever be capable of it, and I simply refuse to allow Frieza to do to another reality what he would have done to this one if Vegeta hadn't indirectly drawn you into stopping the tyrant. In every dimension I have ever visited with my future sight or literally with my teleportation magic, Vegeta is the catalyst that by his actions, manages to save or doom them all, like you he is one of what my people have always called the Warriors of Destiny. As a student of the history of many realms and planets I can assure you it is very rare for two Warriors of Destiny to be born on the side of light in the same lifetime, but it is even rarer that one of those warriors of light could ever be forced to get so close to becoming truly evil. In your Earth, you must have sensed that Vegeta needed the presence of your light to help balance the darkness within him; to accept the things he once had to do just to survive the life he was given. In this alternate dimension, Vegeta is also been forced to wage that same two sided war. Of course one battlefront is Frieza himself; the other is a very painful past, and the knowledge that the future they are facing looks even darker. Without hope, even someone as brilliant as Vegeta will eventually run out of plans. Without meeting you, the Vegeta of the new reality is going to loose the internal war, just as it happened when I saw it. You are the only one that can alter the course of this reality's future.”

 

“Couldn't you do something, I mean since you know about it and all can't you just…”

 

“There are limits to my powers, Goku. What you see before you isn't my physical body at all. This is how I remember looking, but it is an illusion only meant to give you an idea of whom you are talking to. I am in this cave in spirit, but my body is actually dead and gone. My kind of magic is rather frowned upon by the Kai's because I was not only technically evil in life, but I am currently quite dead and yet I am obviously not confined to HFIL. The last of my will is what manages to hold my spirit here with you in this space that sits between dimensions on your Earth. My race and even my home world are innately more magical than anything you have ever seen or imagined making me subject to slightly different rules of reality after my passing.”

 

He was very quiet, watching her closely as she wandered around the dragon's cave for a few moments. She turned back toward him, slowly; her golden eyes seemed strangely saddened as she spoke again. “In the moment that I decided to give up my life to join my fellow Darklings, I witnessed through my magic as my life force began to leave me, the death of Vegeta in this strange new future and I was intrigued. As I released more of my life force, these visions grew stronger and more vivid, and I was not only able to see how and why Vegeta died but I also sensed there was at least one way to stop it before it could actually happen. If I could stop it before it ever occurred in the first place, I would not have to use chronomancy- this is a legendary form of magic that affects time itself. I knew that chronomancy is indeed a powerful thing- especially in my hands but if I used it, it would still save only an Alternate timeline- in other words the events that I could use my magic to stop would still have happened in the original future that I foresaw, it is the same thing that happened when Trunks came to your world to warn you about the Androids. This means that in at least one future Frieza would still be able to not only kill Vegeta before the dark Saiyan could do anything to seriously oppose him but Frieza would also still gain his immortality.”

 

Goku nodded quietly, allowing her to continue.

 

“All knowledge equals power. Unfortunately, power alone is not terribly useful without a physical body that can wield it, Goku, don't ever forget that. Unfortunately, I quickly found out that I had released too much of my power. I was no longer strong enough to directly affect that timeline on my own without a physical body. So, since I had that vision, my spirit has been looking for you here in this cave. I know that you can help me save them, if you choose to.”

 

“Why me though? I've never even met you before, how do I know I can trust you?”

 

“Truthfully you don't have to believe me; as you say, you have no tangible reason to trust me. But because of my magic I know a great deal about you. I have even grown quite fond of you and Vegeta over the years that I have spent watching your intertwined destinies take shape as my magic predicted they would. I have searched you heart and your memories many times during your life and I know that you are my only hope. That is why I am here now. I still have enough strength and magic to send you into that reality because you still have a physical body, which I lack.”

 

“I don't know, I've never been the mercenary type… but you said that Vegeta's in trouble there?”

“Yes. Vegeta's in much more danger than I can tell you in what little time that we have left here, actually, Goku. As you can probably imagine, in all of his various incarnations Vegeta is as arrogant and generally stubborn as he was in your dimension, but the Frieza of this new reality is not as fond of his pet monkeys as he was in the life you are familiar with. Frieza was angry with Vegeta's father, and killed King Vegeta just as he did in this timeline. But even after the Saiyan king was dead, Frieza was still so angry that he had his warriors lay waste to Vegetasai but not destroy it completely. The few Saiyans who survived were enslaved- put into Ki restraints and tracking collars while they were too injured to resist. As it happened though, your father, your brother and Napa were all away from Vegetasai when this occurs. Bardock was on planet Conassa, gaining the ability to see the future. His new powers would tell him that Vegeta is still alive, and that your friend would rather die than live with being publicly enslaved. Your father's new powers also told him that he wasn't the only Saiyan that wasn't yet in Ki restraints, and so he daringly persuades Napa to go with Radditz to Earth to find you.”

 

“What are Ki restraints?”

 

“They are devices that actually steal the Ki of their wearer so that the slave wearing them can not try to fight their master with their full strength, Goku. They are clamped on to the unfortunate person's wrists and extend almost to the elbows of their wearers. These bracers literally shape themselves to fit the skin of their wearer in a spectacular display of agony that manifest's itself in the form of what looks and feels like they have been struck repeatedly by lightning. The new slave is usually rendered unconscious by the sheer volume of energy that the bracers steal from them in order to accomplish the fitting and when the slave awakens they can no longer feel their bracers against their skin, only that their arm's are heavier and that no matter how hard they pull or what they do to try to destroy them, the bracers remain solid and impossibly tight. Each pair of bracers is protected and powered by the Ki energy that they steal from their wearer and they have the capability to steal all of the life essence from their wearer if the slave's master ever decides to tell the bracers to do it. Ki restraints are vile creations that were the symbol of slavery all over Frieza's empire before he was stopped. No one that has ever been put in them would willingly do such a thing to another living creature; I wish I had enough time to show them to you but if you accept my offer you will see them for yourself when you find Vegeta and the others.”

 

“What do you mean we don't have enough time?” Goku asked, looking around, Shenron was still asleep, snoring quietly, and the rest of the cave was the same as before.

 

Omegius gave him a thoroughly disgusted look, but then she sighed and shook her head quietly. “Surely you know that there is nothing left for you in this reality but death. You really are too innocent for your own good at times, Goku…”

 

He bristled defensively. “What do you mean?”

 

“I mean that even after all that you have done for this world and this reality the Kai's would still let you slip quietly away into history. To me that would seem to be a selfish and very cold way to repay your undying loyalty and bravery to just let you die like this.”

 

“Like this? You mean I'm dying- now?” Goku's mind told him that it wasn't even possible- he felt fine… but she knew things about him that he just couldn't explain unless what she was telling him was actually true- that she really had the power to see the future and she was really trying to help him. Still she had admitted that she was evil, so what did that mean she wanted to do this for? What would she hope to gain out of this exactly?

 

“Yes. The Kais apparently thought you knew this would happen when your exile with the dragon was over, if they didn't tell you. Your dreams were trying to lead your heart to adventures far beyond this world, surely your friends the Kai's would not object to you having one more little adventure after everything you have done for them and this world, would they?”

 

“I don't know… I think we should talk to them about this.” Goku still didn't believe that he was dying- but if she was telling the truth he wasn't ready to die yet, he had been bored in the cave for way too long to go be bored in other world again!

 

Her reaction surprised him- she laughed and nodded agreeably. “Indeed we should. I was afraid you would never ask.”

 

Before he could ask how they were going to get out of the cave, an aura of light appeared around her figure and his. The white light was gentle and welcoming so he didn't use his Ki to try to resist. When the light faded, they were standing on the beautiful planet that the Supreme Kai called home. The venerable Elder Kai, and Khibito Shin were both deeply absorbed in watching a crystal ball with their backs to the pair of new arrivals.

 

“Do you think she'll really do it?” The young Kai asked his companion worriedly.

 

“I wouldn't put anything past her, but… W-where did they go??”

 

Goku leaned over them curiously and grinned. “Hi guys! What cha' doin'?”

 

The two Kais jumped up and turned around startled. “Goku!” They cried at the same time.

 

“You two wouldn't be unhappy to see your old friend, would you?” Omegius asked. She was sitting on the tower of rock that Gohan had pulled the Z sword out of many years earlier, looking beautiful and distinctly mischievous as usual.

 

“Goku knows he is always welcome here.” Elder Kai said quickly. “You, on the other hand, are supposed to be in HFIL with the other evil beings that have passed on.”

 

“That's not true and you know it.” Omegius snorted, and arched one perfectly manicured silver brow, her golden eyes glittered defiantly. “I willingly gave up my life to peacefully join my fellow Darklings, meaning you are powerless to send my spirit to HFIL. If I had ever wanted to take a shot at ruling the universe or using my powers to wreck havoc across the universe like those nitwits Bibidi and Babidi did, I would have done it long ago. I may have been evil but I, at least, was truly honorable and you both know it. Since you were watching us in the ball, I suppose you are going to try and forbid me to send him to this new reality… Personally, I think the choice ought to be Goku's, since it is his life that you almost ended, after all.”

 

“Was I really dying?” He asked he didn't want to listen patiently while the two Kai's argued with her when that question was what had really drawn him here.

 

“You are still going to die when the Dragon awakens unless you let me take you to the alternate universe that we talked about, Goku. I have simply enchanted the cave so that he will stay asleep until you and I have finished our little talk. I think the two of you owe him a bit of an explanation right now, don't you?”

 

“Omegius you just stop it.” Khibito Shin snapped. “Goku, she's intentionally twisting things a bit. You were just supposed to awaken already in other world when Shenron wakes up, all of your family and friends are all there waiting for you and…”

 

“But I don't want to die yet- why didn't you guys tell me?” Goku frowned.

 

Elder Kai sighed heavily and sat back down in the grass. “I told you we should have told him what was going to happen. Goku's a rare one, but he's still a Saiyan and they never want to die quietly.”

 

“But I- I just thought it would be a nice surprise that…”

 

“Oh, it worked. He was surprised all right!” Omegius interrupted, giggling impishly.

 

“This isn't funny to me.” Goku growled. “You mean I just spent the last century meditating so I can go back to other world and be bored until the next tournament there?”

 

“I'm sorry that we didn't tell you, but we thought that you would want to see your family and friends' right after you woke up so rather than…”

 

“Of course I'd love to see them, but I can't believe you weren't going to tell me that I was just going to die if I did this… I was hoping that I was going to wake up and then I'd get to decide what happened next…”

 

“Well, since you're here now anyway, what were you thinking about doing after you and the dragon woke up, Goku?” Elder Kai asked patiently.

 

“I don't know anymore… I can't believe you would do this to me… It hurts that you would decide something like that without even telling me.”

 

“The word you are looking for is, betrayed, Goku.” Omegius said smugly. “You feel like they used you and then discarded you...”

 

Goku nodded slowly. That did sum it up perfectly, even though he sensed that was not their intention, it still didn't dull the pain he felt when he thought about how trusting he had been to walk into the situation so blindly he really must have been a bigger idiot than he had ever realized. He didn't like to admit it, but it made him angry now to even consider asking what he thought were his friends for what should have been one small favor now that he knew that if Omegius hadn't shown up when she did, he would have already been too late… Death was a gigantic bureaucracy- he knew that because he had been around that block a few times already and he didn't want to do it again- not now!

 

“Now hold on, Omegius, you need to stop putting words into his head.” Elder Kai protested.

 

“How do you two know who she is anyway?”

 

“I'm an extremely rare specimen of an Elf, Goku. Darklings are no longer native to this dimension and when the Kais realized I was here they have kept watch over me, ever since because they were afraid I was going to use my magic for evil. I want revenge on all Ice-Jinn for what they did to me that is my only motivation for staying here now that I am dead. They are afraid that if I send you to another dimension that it would upset the space/time continuum. Frieza gaining immortality will do more to upset the cosmic balance than sending a pure and noble being like Goku to stop him possibly could. In that universe Frieza will become so powerful that he will eventually be able to open rifts in the fabric of time and space if he manages to make that wish, and we all know that he has never been afraid to use his powers for his own amusement. You fools should know that to do nothing to stop Frieza could eventually endanger even this realm and yet you would let the only being in the universe that is capable of stopping him die and be confined to the otherworld?”

 

“Don't be so dramatic, Omegius, you know Frieza isn't the strongest being in the universe. Even with the Dragonballs he…”

 

She made a disgusted sound and the beautiful but dark woman rose to her feet, and glared at the Kais, now truly angry. For the first time since he'd met her, Goku sensed within her a dark and fearsome power. She lifted her hands skyward. “Then let me show you a mere glimpse of what I have seen of this reality since I died. Frieza will never grow tired of amassing still greater power and left unchecked he will grow into this…”

 

Omegius closed her eyes and her staff and her whole body began to glow it was a bright golden light that pulsated with power and seemed to stretch across an unfathomable distance before the light began to take the shape of a huge sphere hovering above her hands. In the bright center, a scene began to take shape. Goku saw a strange alien landscape on a beautiful moonlit night. There was a large coastal city, whose bright lights glittered majestically off of the purple water as it lapped peacefully over a pink sand beach. Tall palm trees that swayed gently in the breeze were nestled amid broad walkways and fountains whose park like beauty was enhanced by a carpet of exotic flower beds and the dazzling stars over head with several ringed moons in bright colors hanging low upon the planet's vast horizon.

 

A tiny figure was standing in midair in the vision and Goku recognized the silhouette immediately. From his pasty white skin to his built in armor, he sensed it was Frieza. As the scene drew closer, highlighting Frieza Goku could feel the evil rolling off of him like an aura of physical decay. Frieza had transformed into a bigger size, actually it was the same intimidating looking shape that Kooler had taken for their battle when he had come to Earth many years ago, but Goku still recognized him, even from behind. Even after all the years that had passed since he had last encountered Frieza in HFIL, Goku knew it was really him.

 

For a long moment, Frieza was very still, as if he were deciding what to do with the beautiful city below him. Goku growled low in his throat as Frieza raised one arm and created a thin very delicate looking beam of red ki extending from one of his fingers. For a moment, nothing happened, as the Ice-Jinn didn't move again. Then as if he had suddenly decided he was tired of the view, the fingertip attack extended like a lance. With a light, graceful wave of his hand, Frieza sliced his attack through the city and deep into the ground like a sword with an impossible and terrible swiftness.

 

Goku couldn't believe the ease with which he saw Frieza destroy not only the city but the planet itself. The blade of Frieza's ki literally split the whole planet cleanly in half and the city's lights flickered briefly then they went dark and people began to scream, they ran blindly looking for shelter that they would never find before the core of the planet itself would burst. Frieza only laughed, remaining perfectly still as he watched the doomed planet crack and splinter and began to boil all around him as millions of gallons of water from the planet's massive ocean fell in a magnificent waterfall into the super intense heat of the planet's core.

 

Massive earthquakes leveled the city, and the screams of the dying echoed in Goku's mind even after the entire scene burst into a shower of asteroids and flame… Goku watched helplessly as Frieza remained inside of what was supposed to be the planet's atmosphere and continued laughing as the planet disintegrated all around him. Even from outside the sphere that Omegus had conjured, Goku frowned. He felt like he could actually feel the heat and the agony of those caught in the planet's death throes. Yet the evil creature that was in the center of it didn't even seem to notice the searing lava's heat or the tons of rock that exploded into him, he seemed utterly immune to what he had unleashed.

 

When the new asteroid field was done forming and the huge explosions and their shockwaves rippling through it finally stopped Frieza began to concentrate, red ki focused around his body which he gathered into his hands, until it exploded into a huge pool energy that floated in space before him. Frieza's eyes narrowed as he reached into the energy he had focused and ripped it in half like it was made of simple parchment- leaving a gaping black hole which he stepped through and disappeared for an instant before he reappeared in front of another unsuspecting planet…

 

“How did you do that- was that real?” Goku asked her, feeling almost physically sick at the thought of Frieza ever getting that kind of power. She had told him that in this other reality that Frieza had overcome Buu and after watching that he believed her. When Frieza had opened the rift it had felt like there was something familiar about it. He must have learned how to do it from Buu…

 

“I told you, I am an oracle, now that I am dead, my magical sight is stronger than my powers ever were when I was alive. But now that I am dead, I can not affect what I have foreseen. This has not happened yet. But it will, because my magic does not lie.”

 

“What do you think, Elder?” Khibito Kai asked anxiously looking at his ancestor.

 

“I think that it isn't our dimension so we have no business interfering. And besides, we can't ask any more of Goku. If he goes to this other dimension he will be completely on his own there because you and I will be powerless to watch over him… That reality will have its own Kais. Besides- what about the Goku that already exists in that reality? We can't have two of him running around.”

 

Omegius laughed. “I have already solved that problem, gentlemen. I intend to place our Goku in the instant after Napa kills the Goku from this other dimension which is why this alternate future is doomed to be ruled and eventually destroyed by Frieza- all because Napa managed to kill the Goku from that universe. Not only will Napa believe that he missed his target, but Goku is strong enough to beat the two silly monkeys up so that he can take his place as their leader to control them. As our Goku is already a Super Saiyan several times over, that ought to be rather easy.”

 

It sounded easy alright, too easy actually, but at the same time, Goku didn't care, he wanted to do it. Frieza had claimed enough lives in his own dimension, he didn't want to go to the Otherworld and face his family and friends if he didn't do something to try to help stop what Omegius had just shown him. The idea of letting Vegeta spend his life in those terrible Ki restraints she had told him about was a fate that no one deserved. He had to do something -especially if in that other universe Babidi was going to awaken Buu which was going to destroy the earth! If there was one thing he didn't want to have on his conscience, it was Frieza learning to walk between dimensions from Buu.

 

“Let me do it! Someone has to stop him.” Goku said before the Kais could say anything.

 

“Goku, I don't know about this…” Elder Kai frowned. “There could be all kinds of differences between that world and the one you came from. You don't really know what you are getting into letting this brazen little hussy talk you into doing her bidding...”

 

“But ancestor- you saw what Frieza just did- we can't let that happen -it is our sacred duty to protect the universe and letting Frieza bounce all over it like a golf ball that some wise guy teed off in a tile bathroom is…”

 

“I know, I don't like the thought of Frieza getting that strong either, you young whippersnapper! But I also happen to think that there is something that Omegius knows that she's purposely not telling us.”

 

“What more do you want to know?” She asked looking far too innocent suddenly. “Ask me anything you wish to know.”

 

“How old will Goku be there? What about his family from this world- will they all be there?”

 

“Goku will return to life at the age of 18. As for his family, he will be engaged to Chichi, but their wedding date is still several months away there.”

 

The elder Kai was clearly not done asking questions yet, but Goku sighed and started pacing.

 

“I really want to do this. I don't want to let Frieza enslave the Saiyans and kill them all. I feel like I owe it to my people to try to save them if there is any chance of it. If I hadn't been born a Saiyan I would never have been able to do all of the things I did to save this reality. I want to see for myself where my strength and power came from. Besides, you were both watching, you know if it hadn't been for Vegeta's quick thinking I never would have spirit bombed Buu and I don't want to let him down by letting Frieza kill our people in still another dimension. She told me that in this other dimension Vegeta and the others are all going to die even though they aren't evil if I don't do something.”

 

Omegius nodded. “That is true. We all know that Saiyans are always creatures of tremendous fighting spirit and pride and they would rather die than accept the kind of treatment and restraint that they will be subjected to by Frieza and his henchmen- but this is especially true of Vegeta. I don't think there is another being in the universe more stubborn and defiant than Vegeta in any of his incarnations that I have witnessed- for instance even I must admit I was impressed when he shredded Babidi's control over him in this world. In this alternate reality Vegeta has that same indomitable will and intelligence, but it is a deadly combination one that will lead the Saiyan monarch to self destruct unless some help arrives there quite soon. Bardock is strong, tough and really clever, but he can't save the Saiyans alone, he will be too easily separated from Napa and Radditz because he is so much stronger than the other two. He needs someone that is closer to his own strength to watch his back. Of course, our Goku is stronger than Bardock, but no one really needs to know that but the four of us- at least until it's time to nail Frieza…”

 

The more he listened to her talk the more Goku wanted to go to this other universe. He didn't know it but he was starting to hop up and down as she continued to try and convince the Kais that he should be allowed to try and help.

 

“Well… Alright, Goku.” Elder Kai sighed, watching the Saiyan's excited antics. “It looks to me like your mind is already made up, but I certainly hope that you know what you are getting yourself into. I would advise you to be cautious there. This Frieza might be stronger to start with than the one you faced in our Dimension and the Earth could be very different from the one you knew… But Omegius was right, if you really want to do this, then Khibito Shin and I really do owe you the chance to save that world, that reality, if that is truly what you want.”

 

“Thanks, guys!” Goku crowed happily. “You guys are the best!! You won't regret this, I won't let you down. I'll stop Frieza before he gets strong enough to endanger the whole universe like what we just saw.”

 

“I know that, Goku.” Elder Kai said softly. “I know better than to underestimate a Saiyan like you. I just hope that you realize what you are jumping into… I believe that Omegius really wants the Ice-Jinn to suffer for what they did to her, but I still don't quite trust her, Khibito Shin. Her kind once wielded godlike magic, what she showed us was only a sliver of her true power still, whatever her motivations were, it already out of our hands now. Goku is really gone I hope she knows what she is doing taking him from his family and friends in other world like this…”

 

Goku and the figure of Omegius's spirit disappeared before the elder had finished speaking though, leaving only Khibito Shin to hear his words. “What do you mean, Ancestor?”

 

“I mean that unless Goku learns how to walk between worlds, even after he dies our Goku will never see his friends and family from our reality again- and I doubt that Omegius has mentioned it to Goku.”

 

“What? Why didn't you…”

 

“Because I agree with Omegius that Frieza must be stopped and that Goku is our best hope, I just hope that she isn't over estimating the strength of our Goku. She said he will only be eighteen years old…”

 

“Don't be silly, our Goku was…”

 

“No! This isn't the same thing as Goku being turned into a child by a wish from the dragonballs. She means to completely reincarnate him! He will have certain of his memories completely in tact while others are a bit foggy… That kind of power is why the other Elder Gods and I didn't want the rest of her race to survive in this dimension.”

 

“She can seriously do that?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“But mortals aren't supposed to be able to command that kind of power.”

 

“She's never been fully mortal- she's what she told Goku, she's an extremely rare species of elf born on a planet that still has incredible magic. She has had all the time she needed to amass that kind of power, thanks to being locked away for those 8 centuries by Frieza's family.”

 

“But if she was really that powerful, why did she stay where they put her?”

 

“I don't know. Why would she hate the Ice-Jinn so much that she would approach Goku about saving a whole other reality from Frieza? Insanity perhaps or maybe she was simply content with knowing that her revenge would be more fun if they thought she was incapable of seeking it. And, of course, that line of reasoning leads me to hope that she does not consider you and I to be her enemies…”

 

**

 

Omegius and Goku stood on a hill overlooking Grandpa Gohan's cabin, admiring the sunrise. “Are you ready for this, Goku?”

 

“Yes.” He said, looking out at the view of his beloved Earth.

 

“Then I must wish you luck and as my people say, a good journey.”

 

“Omegius…. I wanted to ask you something…”

 

“Go ahead, you may ask whatever you wish of me. I have a feeling I know what your question will be though.”

 

“You said that you will bring me back to life with only certain of my memories from this lifetime in tact… And you also told me that there is a chance for me to have a mate that is a Saiyan… Well- I was wondering…”

 

She laughed softly, and turned to look at him, her golden eyes made him feel childlike and embarrassed because her gaze was so intent and adoring at that moment. She was looking at him as if she were a proud parent- something he had known very little of in his lifetime and yet he deeply craved… “Goku, you want me to tell you that you will still be a good person inside if you don't make that promise to marry Chichi. Of course you are free to choose your own destiny here. That is why I brought you here. I wanted to see how you would do things differently if you could choose to. You will always hold in your heart the memories that you made in the lifetime you are about to leave. All you need to do is allow yourself to dream and you can see them again. Your sons may not be born here- if you choose to do things differently with Chichi in this lifetime, but you can still have children with your Saiyan bride. The choices you make here will not affect your previous life, Goku. You need to stop thinking of this life as being directly connected to the previous one, your destiny here depends on it. When you awaken as a part of this Earth, you will remember your life in this world and believe that speaking with me was a dream, your previous life will also seem to have been a dream, yet you will sense that they are all connected. You are a good man and I have faith that you will be able to do for this timeline the same things that you did in the other one. Thank you for believing in me, Goku. If you should ever again need my help or advice, seek my spirit in your dreams, I owe you that in return for the trust you have placed in me.”

 

“Well, if you didn't have your powers I would be dead already. Maybe we're kind of even.”

 

Omegius smiled wistfully. “You are the first person in more than 1000 years to place trust in me unconditionally Goku, I will never forget you. Even the Kai's believed I had an ulterior motive for appearing to you. I wanted only to thank you, and Vegeta, actually. You have allowed me to do that. Finally you will have the power to choose your own destiny and win the mate that you truly deserve as the strongest warrior in the history of two different dimensions. I must tell you, that in the instant that you run into your future bride you will sense it- you will also recognize instinctively the various incarnations of everyone whom you knew from this lifetime- like your brother, Frieza and Cell.”

 

“What do you mean I'll know them instinctively? Won't they all look the same?”

 

“Some of them will, others will look different but you will still know who is who... just trust your instincts. Pay attention please, Napa and Radditz are about to land, Goku.”

 

“Really? I can hardly feel them at all...”

 

“That's because you and I at this moment are not actually a part of this dimension yet… think of this moment as being like looking at yourself in a mirror… you can see it but you can't actually feel your reflection, it is only the glass that you can touch, right.”

 

“You mean whatever happens here you and I can't affect it yet?”

 

“Very good, you are learning. We must be very careful how we do this or we run the risk of upsetting the natural order of the universe. I have only one shot at placing you in this dimension without creating a total paradox or a minor alternate universe that will have some interesting side effects down the road. I'm serious, Goku, if it isn't done right we don't get to try this again so you must let me focus.”