DBZ FF - The Avatar

Hello all, taking a short respite from modelling and turning some attention to writing. That being so, I've written up this fanfic/roleplay. Most of the character's used in this story are of my own creation, but some are not (not including the z fighters we all know and love.) When I make a post that contains a name or material that I didn't come up with it, I'll state it at the head of the post.
Well, that's about it. I hope you find this an enjoyable read. Any crits or comments are welcome.
-----------------------------------------------

1. Discovery of darkness

That morning, I'd never dreamed that I would die. In fact, death was the farthest thing on my mind. I was happy, rested, and for once, I didn't have to wake up with an empty stomach. I guess this is just an example proving that life, and death, can crop up at any time.

- Kerius Jarein
---------------------

There had been a time in my life I when I got the idea into my head that I could do anything. I had been young then, barely 4 years old, and my world had still been colored by what my parents did and did not shelter me from. Looking back know, I suppose that such beliefs were silly, even from a child's standpoint.
But when the time had come for me to let go of my childhood . . . I had still kept those perceptions.

Those same perceptions, that so differed from what every other person saw, had ultimately driven me to take up the martial arts and set my self against those who would bring harm to those I loved and the world I lived on. For years I had carried that knowledge of self within me, knowing in my own heart that I could do anything I tried hard enough to do, and that is what had made me possibly the best fighter on the planet Earth.

After almost twenty years, I was only now beginning to realize that perhaps I had been wrong . . .

I could barely stand now. My face felt flattened and battered, and the coppery taste of blood filled my mouth. My arms hung heavily at my side, weighed down by fatigue and injury. Clutched in one hand was my final defense against the creature I was facing. The sword Nilliu. Its tip lay rested on the ground, a slight gouge in the sand trailing out behind me to show where I had dragged the weapon. The blade seemed to shimmer in the scarlet-orange light of day's dying sun, reflecting momentary shards of light onto into the surrounding area. Such brilliance could not hold off the approach of night. Once the disk of the sun fell beyond the horizon, it would mark the end of my life and the beginning of a darkness that might never end.

My eyes locked back on to the short and muscled body of my opponent. I could barely see him. One of my eyes were swollen shut, and it was all I could do to keep the other open. It didn't help that alien stood silhoutted against the ever darkening skyline.

Kanlei. The name blossomed into my mind with little urging. It was one of the very few things that I could still remember. I couldn't even recall how or why I had come here to face this being who now held my life in his hands, I could barely even remember my own name.

Kerius . . . Kerius something . . . Kerius Jarein? Yes, that was it.

Why was I here?

The words seemed to drag themselves from a long way, slowly coming into existence in the darkness of my mind. I had to stop him, Kanlei. No matter what happened. The why however was something I could not remember, even with all of my mental facilities working towards it. I struggled within my own head to bring forth that which did not wish to come, forcing the memories of pain and shock to once again erupt. I gasped lightly when they finally did, my remaining eye fluttering closed for a moment as the half-remembered blows delivered against me ran played out in my mind's eye.

My recovered knowledge of the past, however, did not give me any insight into the future. Even with what I once again knew, I was no closer to coming upon a way to defeat Kanlei than I had been before.

The past few minutes of intense fighting played in my head as if in slow motion. The countless attacks I'd thrown against my foe, and his almost casual countering of every move I'd had made. Even the weapons formed of pure energy had had no effect on him. And now I had nothing left to give, nothing left to try.
My body was almost completely thrashed. The only reason I was still standing was through sheer force of will. When Kanlei next chose to attack me, and he would, it would certainly be his final time . . . and the end of mine.

No matter which way I looked at it, death was coming for me, and there wasn't anything I could do to forestall its arrival, not any longer.
I supposed that the end of my existence didn't frighten me, didn't even intimidate me. I had been prepared to die for a long time, years even, for the cause of defending my world, had expected that my life would end through fulfilling my service to mankind's protection . . . and here it appeared I would die. But my death would serve no purpose, I would be merely the first in an almost certainly long line of casualties.

I had put forth everything at my command to destroy Kanlei, all my training, all my experiences culminating into a spear head of force that would have destroyed any normal adversary, but then again, Kanlei could hardly be reffered to as normal. He was not even of this world.

Hopelessness flooded through me as Kanlei finally decided that I realized my end was imminent and began walking towards me, slowly, maximizing his intimidation.

I backed up half a step, my body protesting at the movement, but no more. There was no where I could go fast enough to avoid what was coming against me.

I wished with all my might that I was stronger, that I was more powerful, that I had the energy left to defeat this alien freak pitted against me. But my wishes might have been made to the wind, for nothing happened . . .

Forcing my abused muscles into action, I lifted the Nilliu up into guard position, my arms trembling from the strain of holding it in place. Normally weilding the weapon was child's play. The sword had been made by a masterful blacksmith, and was perfectly balanced. When held, it was as light as air and quick as lightning if used correctly. Now though, it took all I had to keep it upright.
And for all the good it did. I could barely keep hold of it, let alone swing it. When Kanlei attacked, I would be able to hold off an attack for maybe a second extra, and then it would be over, and I would be gone.

Slowly, acceptance of my pointless demise filtered through my body, and my mind began to drift. I guess what people said of death was correct. Ones life does flash through before their eyes at the approach of death.
From the earliest moments of my life, to everything leading up to this moment, every single second popped into existence before my eyes in random order. First fight, first kiss, first injury . . .

Then my eyes widened as the moment I'd received the Nilliu appeared, and everything else seemed to fade from existence as I remembered the words that had been given to me from its protector.

Kerius, we give this weapon to you for you have proved yourself beyond doubt that you are pure of heart and soul and wish to make a difference in the fight against evil. But be warned, the powers within the Nilliu are unlike anything ever tapped by a mere mortal, even one as strong as you. This weapon has the power to change the very fabric of space and time around us, to warp it into something other than what it is, and beyond that, it can amplify your own power far beyond what you'd consider possible. Master it, and even the limits of your perceptions could stretch and twist to your bidding. Because of this, weild it with care, for misusing the magic of the sword can destroy not only yourself, but all around you . . .

Those words given to me more than a decade ago hadn't really meant much to me at the time, after all, I had been in my mid-teens at the time. But now their importance was undeniable.
Time seemd to stretch out as the impact of this fully hit me. Over the years, some amazing things had happen to me. During battles, I had been able to perform acts that pushed the limit of possibility, defeated opponents whose strength was greater than my own many times over . . . and it was all due to the Nilliu. Only now did I realize just how limited my understanding of the weapon was. All those acts had been accidental, brought upon by immense stress, anger, and desperation. If I had taken the time to truly master this weapon, the power at my command would have been phenomenal, and perhaps things would be different at this very moment.

I had taken to heart my benefactors warnings of course, and had treated the weapon with a respect and care that would have been well received by any person. In retrospect I now also realized that perhaps it was this unwillingness to risk anything that had contributed to my not learning anything else about the weapon I commanded. But not anymore. There was no time for care, no time for caution any longer.

Time resumed its normal flow, and with what remained of my dying strength assumed a ready stance, my feet shifting to move from a guard position to one of attack. I let my arms fall slightly, and brought the tip of the Nilliu down until it was level with my chin. The small spot of ki that rested at the center of my body began to pulse slightly as I called upon it, letting the warmth flow down my arms, and into the blade of my instrument, something I had never done before, and something that would have vaporized any other sword.

The weapon began to give off a faint glow as my energy mixed with its magic, and a low humming filled the air around me.

I remained totally focused on what I was doing, completely ignoring the powerful figure marching towards me. This required total concentration. If I made an error in my task, then I would truly die for no reason.

The Kai's had said that the Nilliu could amplify my own energy to a point beyond what I was normally capable of. But I had used up all I had to fight with already, and it wouldn't be enough. That being so, the only power left for me to draw on was that force which kept me alive.
A faint sheen of sweat broke out on my forehead as life drained out of my body, and fatigue began to pull at the corners of my mind, urging me to give into the eternal sleep that was death, by I refused it and retained my focus.

Though I couldn't see it, my skin slow drained of its color, and my hair began to lose it's dark brown hue. I was commited to this course of action now, there was no way to turn back. But this was what it would take, so I walked willingly into the embrace of death with a smile on my face, and all the while, the energy within the Nilliu began to build up, crackling up and down the length of the now saffire blade and cooking the air with its intensity.

Kanlei stopped a few feet in front of me, confusion obvious on his face. No doubt he'd never seen anything like what he was witnessing now, which wouldn't have been surprising. After all, how many warriors were willing to sacrifice themselves for their world? How many were willing to use their very life force to destroy an enemy? Not many was the answer.

After a moment however, the alien shrugged off his wordless question and smirked. "I do not know why you are attempting another energy attack," he rumbled deeply, "I was certain I proved to you before that it was futile."

Indeed he had, but instead of answering, I flashed him a grin. Just wait a little longer, and we'll both find out if this is futile.

My body began to pale further and I trembled as I grew weaker with each passing second. My skin, hair, even my eyes, now just a shade above total white, and the hum that had filled the air was now a penetrating whine. I was almost ready.

"Fool, you waste you last moments trying to hurt me when they would be better spent making final peace with your gods. No matter, the choice was yours to make, a pity it was the wrong one. You will die now."

"I agree." My grin faded as I finished my task and the death I had called to me finally arrived to spirit me away.
With the last of strength, I pointed the Nilliu towards the ground and shoved the shining blade down as far as I could.

And then the energy I had amplified was unleashed, and everything in my vision vanished in a flash of white.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Years before . . .

"Push . . . Push!" The nurse shouted. Terriz Zarin pushed as hard as she could, fighting to get her baby, her son into the world.
Just hours ago, (oh, god how it felt like eons!), she had been lying down for a nap when her water broke. At the time, her husband, Kale, hadn't been home, and she'd been forced to call an ambulance for herself.
She could have just flown to the hospital, but for a woman in her condition, the possibility of falling from the sky and harming her baby had been to great to risk it. And besides that, the doctors and nurses might just think it a bit strange to see a flying pregnant woman enter their offices.

She'd begun to fear that she might have to deliver the baby right there in her own living room without any help, but thankfully the ambulance had arrived and whisked her away to Pepper Town Medical Center. She'd entered labor shortly after arriving and had been in it for the past 7 hours.

Child birth was quite possibly the most painful experience she'd ever endured, (and back in the day she'd been through some of the most intense battles in the universe).
The woman let out another scream and pushed harder. Her son was going to be born now!

***

From above the table, a man floated, completely invisible even to the senses of the saiyajin lying beneath him. He watched this woman as she screamed once again, and the battle between mother and son intensified.

The man's name was Kerius, a human who had lived over 4,000 years before. During that period in galatic evolution he had been one of the strongest protectors of all that was good and right in the universe, fighting evil and injustice on many worlds in dozens of galaxies.

But his time as an active protector had long since passed. He had died in a battle against the darkness countless eons ago and had been in other world quietly monitoring the universe, trying to determine just what destiny had in store for it. That had proved impossible, after all, the sentients that brought about change were hardly logical or predictable in their actions. Ultimately it didn't matter. Since the time of the great warriors like Goku and Vegeta the evil in the universe had been strigently repressed, hidden from sight and out of mind. Until recently.

Two years ago he'd come upon a startling revelation. The return of evil was close at hand.

It had been the belief of him, and even some of the higher level gods that Goku had put a hole in evil that would never be sealed after Buu had been defeated. But like him, like goodness, evil was meant to exist forever. And the approaching storm was greater than anything that he previously fought or even imagined, so great even that it required immediate action.

And so, for the past 48 months he had spent every second of time searching for a person, a host that was powerful, someone who was innocent and would be completely free of evil at birth. There had been billions of candidates across the millions of worlds scatter around the universe, but only one of them had proved to be perfect.
This child who was about to be born, right here, right now.

He knew the boy's name by heart. He had long since memorized it, after all, it was written in the Book of Time (an ever continuing story that records the events taking place in the universe now and in the future). This boy was special. Out of all of them, he would be the Avatar, the one who would turn right from wrong, and the one who would bring hope where there was none.

This child, Rael Zarin, would be the greatest of champions for good.

"I can see the head!" A nurse shouted.

Kerius made a smile as Rael's head emerged from his mother's womb. It was almost time for the story to begin.
The rest of his body became visible only a moment after that, soft, dripping fluids. The nurse took the boy up in her arms and wrapped him in a blanket. She turned him over and patted his rear lightly, clearing his lungs and letting him take in the first breath of his life. It only took a second for him to begin wailing like only babies do.

The nurse turned him back over and handed the screaming child over to his mother. The father entered a second later, a broad, proud grin on his face as he stared down at his baby boy.

Then Rael opened his eyes and looked up, stopping his crying as he did so, as if he could sense the presence of something. His eyes didn't rove the room as they searched for the source of this strange feeling, they locked straight onto Kerius as if he were no more transparent than a brick.

Kerius returned the child's gaze and favored him with a smile again. This boy was definitely the one. The ancient spirit floated downwards and entered the body of the baby, and instantly all of the spirit energy that had previously been available to him became nothing. It was to be expected however. He would have to wait until the boy became strong enough to allow for him to communicate subconsciously. Until then, Rael would grow up an ordinary child. But on his sixth birthday, everything would be destined to change . . .

OMG!!
How long did u type that??

about an hour and a half more or less. Is it too long?

Very cool, keep writing.

(Still hoping for a seperate Fan-Fic board on the forum.. )

hmm if we get more i might suggest that to masta and greg

im sure their good....but im just never inclined to read them

[oos (out of story): Thanks for the comments, and I do hope that more people start writing fan fics here so we can get a section of the forum just for that ]

Terriz spent a few more hours in the her room recuperating, the monitors at her bedside beeping normally and the lines running across their screens showing that all was well with the new mother.
With the sleeping Rael in one hand, Terriz reached out and hefted a bag she'd brought with her from the house. She fuddled around inside of it, slender hands searching for the device she knew was there, then smiled as her fingers found the scouter and she pulled it out.
It was a Mark II power reader, it's design dating back a good 20 years. By most standards it was incredibly outdated, but the machine had a sentimental value to her, it reminded her of the life she'd left behind . . . and besides that she really had no need for fighting these days, so keeping up on the leading edge of scouter technology really wasn't necessary.

With skill born of long practice, Terriz fitted the device over the left side of her face and turned it on.

As was the practice at the birth of most saiyajin children, someone, usually one of the mid-wives, checked the power reading of the new born to see how fit they might be to take part in the warrior's side of Vegeta 2's culture, and in the dark days of Freeza's reign, power level readings had been of a dual purpose.

To see how likely it was that the child might one day stand up to the tyrant and defeat him.

But wartimes were long since passed, and the reading of a child was really no more than a tradition, and one that Terriz was set on following.

The saiyajin shifted her head slightly, letting the green hud fall over the form of her sleeping child. The scouter whirred as its circuitry kicked in, ascertaining the fighting level of the small being before it, then it beeped once and Terriz's jaw dropped open in total astonishment.
That can't be right, it's not possible! "KALE! COME IN HERE NOW!"

Her husband, who had been talking to one of the doctors outside of her door looked up from his conversation, a question on his face. He motioned for the man to hold on a second, then went to see just what the problem was.

Not explaining anything, Terriz instructed the scouter to get a reading on Kale. It beeped once again, easily reading the human's lower power level of 15.

"What is it? What's wrong?" He asked.

Terriz looked up at her husband, the shock of what she knew almost like a punch in the face. "Rael's power reading is ninety-five hundred!"
The amount of saiyajin children born with a power level that high could be easily counted on one hand . . .
She looked down at the baby cradled in her arms, and smiled. She'd known this before as only a mother could, but now she had something that would prove it to everyone else as well. Rael was going to so very special.

***

Years passed, and Rael slowly matured from a healthy baby into a wide eyed and curious six year old. During these beginning years of his life, his parents had opted to keep him at home and teach him themselves, afraid that the boy might accidentally release the incredible power within his small frame and bring harm to someone.
No, they would wait until he'd grown up, (they being Terriz) and could be schooled in the way of the martial arts, and therefore gain control of the energy contained within his body. Until then, they raised him as any other Earth child at his age would have been raised, never once letting him know about the saiyajin aspect of his heritage, or the hidden powers at his command.

But even without that knowledge, his ki grew daily, increasing in depth and bredth every second of his waking, and doubly so when he slept. It was an enigma. How could someone become so much stronger, and not even spend an ounce of their time in training? Neither of Rael's parents knew, especially not Kale, who wasn't much of a fighter to begin with, and not Terriz, who had never even heard of such a phenomena . . .

It was on his sixth birthday, a day that marked the start of several rare universal events, that his powers reached a point that allowed Kerius to awaken from his dormancy. It only took him a moment to reassert himself in the realms of the realities, much faster than he had previously anticipated, and he came to the boy in his dreams that very night.

Do u have nothing to do? This is super ultra mega big :shocked:

Keep going SA, it's really good.

P.S: It's just a tiny little crit, nitpicking really but I had to say something to stay on topic. Goku's original power reading was between 1 and 10, he was sent to Earth in order to become stronger. Doesn't matter really, Vegeta and Broli did have that sort of power from birth so you're absolutely right about that. Just thought I'd say.. don't mean to annoy..

Thanks

@Jakut: No actually, I've been permanently fused to the chair in front of my computer, os what else is there to do? j/k
Seriously though, I just have a lot of practice typing fast.

@Engar: Don't worry about nit picking, every little bit helps
I didn't know that Goku's birth power level was around 10, I'd never heard it mention, but I did read a fan fiction sometime back about his reading beings altered by Bardock so he wouldn't draw anyones attention, so that's where that came from. Edited.

Hopefully, this is now of a comfortable read length
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Meeting

A faint glow surrounded Rael's form as Kerius awakened within him. The sheets around his small body warmed, then rose into the air, held there in place by the physic energy in use.

***

Rael found himself standing in the middle of a vast white plain. He slowly spun around, taking in his new surroundings. The bleak eternity seemed to stretch forever, moving from horizon to horizon where it met the clear blue sky, and as far as he could tell, the whiteness continued on far past what he could see.

The boy wondered why it was that he was here. He couldn't remember his parents bringing him here, and if they had, then why? The last thing that he recalled was of his mother tucking him into bed, everything after that was a blank.
He scratched his unruly black hair in confusion, trying to bring answers from his mind that just weren't there.

For awhile he just stood there, gazing off into oblivion, trying to find some flaw in the monotonous landscape, some break, some reference point he could use to find his way home, but failed.
He couldn't very well just keep standing there forever, he would have to find someone. Nodding to himself, the boy started walking off in a random direction in search of civilization.

"There's really no point, this entire realm is empty."

Rael spun around at the sound of the voice, startled, but not afraid. He found himself face to face, (so to speak, as the tiny saiyajin only reached up to the other's knee caps), with a man.
He wasn't scary looking, despite his towering form. Whoever he was, he was dressed in a gi colored all in white's and light gray's, and appeared to be about 25 years old, with black hair and hazel colored eyes. He flashed a smile at the young boy before him, revealing a mouthful of perfect teeth.

"Who are you?" Rael asked politely.

The stranger squatted down to Rael's eye level and extended a hand, his smile growing broader. "My name is Kerius."

Rael shook the man's hand, though his own palm was dwarfed by that of the other man's. "My name is Rael, it's nice to meet you. Where are we?"

Kerius stood up and looked around, stretching a hand to encompass all that could, or perhaps couldn't, be seen. "We are in a place that you have never been before, that few people even consciously visit while they are alive. This, is called the Spirit Plane, a place where those who have passed on to the next dimension can interact and converse with those who have not."

"So I'm dead?" Rael asked curiously, believing that the deceased party was himself. The thought of being dead didn't frighten him in the least, as he'd been raised to believe that if the good someone had done in their life outweighed the evil, death was merely a continuance of one's existence on another plane.

Kerius shook his head. "No, hopefully you will not die for a long, long time. You're just asleep. I have brought you here."

"Why?"

The older male motioned for Rael to follow him as he started walking off in a random direction, careful to keep his pace slow enough so that the boy wouldn't have to struggle to keep up.

"Rael, I brought you here to talk to you, as I am doing now. You see, I am actually a spirit, and a very old one at that. 3,900 I think, but I lost count sometime ago so that's only a rough estimate. You might recognize me from 6 years ago to the day. I was the only one who entered your body."

The young boy stopped and looked up at Kerius for a long moment, then opened his mouth in a small o of realization. "You were the man who was floating in the hospital room," he stated.

The spirit nodded. "Very good. Not mant people can honestly say that they have memories going back that far."

Rael had always thought that memory a bit strange . . . well, just another curiousity to ponder later on.
"So you've been in my body all these years since I was born?"

"Yes, well, not your body exactly, but you're conscious mind. You're a special boy Rael, one who is destined to make a huge difference in the battle of Light and Darkness for this generation, and the size of that difference that you will make is so large and critical that I and some of my . . . 'colleagues' . . . have decided that I should see to your training personally and make sure you stay on the right path."

"How come you never showed yourself before? I dream all the time."

"I was unable to because doing so requires the host I choose to have a certain stability and strength in their ki. If I had tried before now, me, and possibly you, would have been destroyed. But now, your powers have finally advanced far enough on their own for me to present myself to you without risk."

Time passed, and over the next few hours Rael and Kerius talked on the empty spirit plane about the fight of good and evil, and the part Rael might play in this forever ongoing battle. Kerius told him of the information he'd discovered years earlier, and he told him of how it would affect the boy and his family. And with some difficulty, Kerius told him that his mother and father would die.

Rael looked up at him, this time confusion and concern was mirrored in his depthless brown eyes. "Why?"

The spirit looked down at him sadly. "Young one, the same power that has allowed me to appear to you, your power, has attracted the attention of an evil force. In two hours in the real world, this force will destroy your home, and family, and attempt to kill you. You must not be here when he arrives."

The boy shook his head, not quite believing that anything could possibly harm him or his family, even with all that he and the spirit had talked about. "No, Mommy is the strongest fighter in the world. I've seen her, she can protect us."

"No Rael, I'm sorry, but the coming evil is more than capable of overwhelming your mother, and quickly. If you stay here, you will die, and your destiny will be lost."

"Then why don't we run away?"

"That is also . . . beyond my powers. I can only mask the life force of one person, you. To anyone monitoring this house through a ki channeling, it would appear you are still sleeping, so our departure will go undetected. If your parents came with us, then we would be found instantly and destroyed."

Rael opened his mouth to suggest another idea, but stopped again, his eyes beginning to water from what he was hearing. He understood every bit of what was going on, and Kerius had convinced him of his importance in the greater scheme of things. But this knowledge of his destiny did not bring him any consolation, for the decision facing him was not one that anyone could ever expect a child to find an answer for.
After a time, he wiped his eyes and stared straight back at the man he'd only just met. "I don't want to go."

"I know, but you must, or you'll go down a path that was never meant for you."

The two figures stared at each other, one large and one small, trying to find a measure of truth and solidity in the others eyes. It was Rael who spoke first, tears springing to his eyes aknew. "Can you warn them?"

Kerius prepared to tell him that it was impossible for him to do so, but the pitiful look on the child's face was enough to give him halt. He was asking this little boy to leave his family . . . the very least he could do was honor his request.
"I will try," he said instead, and meant it. "But you must wake up and prepare for us to leave . . . now."

Rael nodded reluctantly. Oh, how easy it would be to remain in this dream world forever, at least then he would be able to avoid the decision he'd been pressured into making. But in the short span of time that was his life, not once had Rael ever been encouraged to avoid the few problems that he might be confronted with. And so, he began to rouse himself . . .

sa_gohan you realy crazy!

how much did you write ?!do realy think that someone will read all of this?

*scratches head in confusion*
Well, I thought about that, but I thought people might get annoyed if I posed the story one sentence at a time

Seriously, what is a good length for fan fic posts? Should I measure the length in character count, or amount of paragraphs or something?

If you read some of the Fan-Fics in http://www.fanfiction.net you'll find a lot of the Fan-Fics have longer chapters but that doesn't make them bad.

In fact some (the ones I love) have chapters which can last up to half an hour but that would probably be bigger than a post could take.

Anyway, I'm reading and I'm liking. I assume some people who can read books beyond 'See Spot Run' would be able to read this much as well so keep writing.

[oos: Yeah, wow those are long. The could make a book out of some of those. Thanks for the link Engar ]

The Departure

Rael came awake from the dream world slowly, his mind muddled with confusion as new information struggled into his conscious mind. His journey into the spirit world slowly manifested it self in his mind, growing in strength and clarity with each passing second, and yet he still wasn't entirely sure of what had just happened. On the one hand, the experience he'd just had could have been something created by his mind, a hallucination brought about by too much studying or candy.
And then there was the possibility that this entire thing was in fact real.

That was confirmed when Kerius's sounded in his head. Hurry boy, time is very short. You have to be out of here before your parents receive my warning, or we'll all be lost.

Rael nodded assent. How do I communicate with you, by thinking?

Yes. Now get get a back pack or something to hold clothes in, then go downstairs and find some food. I don't expect that many people will be willing to help you.
The young boy did as was instructed, retrieving an old camping pack in his size from his closet, and efficiently packed away a small store of clothes, then rushed down stairs and filled his backpack pocket with a half dozen granola bars.

Is this enough? He asked silently.

It will have to be. Hurry Rael, you parents are waking up!

Rael nodded and started for the front door. He paused between the threshold, to forces within him battling for surpremacy. He wanted to stay here with his parents forever, to know that he and they would be safe for all the days to come and dismiss the voice in his head as something of his imagination. It was natural, it was what any child wanted, the knowledge that they would be protected.
However, want, need, and what was so were three different things.

He couldn't stay here. He didn't know why, but he just knew he had to leave, regardless of the consequences.
As the boy shut the door behind him, tears gathered in his eyes.
"Bye mom, bye dad . . . stay safe."

[oos: I'm kinda of tired now but the next part will be bit longer]

good job it musta took some thinkin :]

[ooc: sorry for taking so long to reply. Been busy this week]
Kaosu: A demon race of incredible power specializing in flare and fire based attacks. - Race concept and creation by Thanatos

In the shadow of almost complete darkness, Kirin stood up from his chair, his movements appearing indistinct and ethereal because of the low light level. Beside him, one of his many servants, the Seer he was called, countinued his report.

"This is the same ki signature that you have sensed my lord, and it has grown far larger than that of any normal human being on this world. Currently it is not strong enough to challenge our own, but given time, and training, this person could become a danger. My recommendation is to destroy it now before this person, be they man or child, blossoms into their fullest potential."

Kirin stepped away from the shadows, a frown on his face as he thought upon the same thing.
Like Kerius had feared, Kirin was one of many of the evil forces present on Earth who would like nothing better than to destroy any and all goodness on Earth and forever plunge the world into night. And if that goodness was contained in the body of a small child, then they wouldn't be at all reluctant about snuffing out his life.
The man's light grey skin became mottled as he thought over this growing situation.

He had two options concerning this person. One he could outright kill them. That would be the fastest and simplest solution to his problem, and possibly enjoyable as well.
Or two, he could try and convert him. A power like this one, while nothing at the moment, could easily become a great force of influence on the side of evil. With the right training and a few suggestive pushes, whoever this person was could easily become his new servant.

The Kaosu demon known as Kirin pondered this for a moment, then shook his head. No, he had enough servants as it was, and all of them were far stronger than any mortal could ever hope of becoming. In this case it would be best to take the simple solution.

"Master, the power has disappeared once again. He is asleep."

Master nodded to apprentice. He didn't know the identity of this potential he was sensing, but he did recognize the ki signature of a person he or she lived with. It was that of a saiyajin warrior he had encountered many years ago, back in a time when the galaxy was a much more . . . rowdy . . . place. Terriz.
Back then, he would have had reason to fear the power of the woman whose power he recognized, but now it seemed as if her energy was a mere shadow of its former self. That being so, there was no one to stand against him.

The evil one smiled. They would be eliminated.

"I trust you wish to handle this yourself, master?" The Seer asked.

Kirin shook his head after a moment, still amused at the workings of the universe. "No, there is no reason for me to reveal myself to such a . . . peon. Alert Niir, tell him I want this new person destroyed, and make it clear to him I don't care about any 'collateral' damage."

The Seer nodded and went to carry out his instructions.

With orders to eliminate everything, Niir sped towards Pepper City, a purple aura burning around his body as he streaked through the sky the following morning.

His mind was focused towards the completion of his task. It didn't much matter that it was work that he would be conducting, and that "work" and "fun" should never be used in the same sentence with one another. He would revel in the deaths he would cause to his target and those who got in his way, and because he had a Carte Blanc
from his master concerning his actions, he would do anything he wanted after that.

And if that meant a few hundred . . . thousand --humans had to loose their lives for his enjoyment, then tough cookies for them. He'd kill them and have a smile on his face while he was doing it.

***

As the warrior Niir made his way towards Pepper City at the speed of sound, Rael began his journey away from home to a destination he was not yet aware of. The first few hours of that journey were the hardest on the boy. He had never been out on the street alone, his mother and father had always been there to shelter him from such hardships. That being so, he felt very unsure of himself and tried to shy away from other people whenever possible to avoid a confrontation.

Kerius counciled him gently, telling him that he was doing fine and that nothing bad would happen to him. Despite these urgings, curiousity got the better of him after only an hour of walking.

"Kerius, where are we going?"

People who were within hearing distance of Rael's question turned to look at the boy strangely, but said nothing themselves and continued along their way.

The spirit's reply was long in coming. Finally he did, apparently at great cost to his better judgement. Centuries ago, Rael, the primary forces who carry the fight of good against evil made a pact with a warrior family of that age. The house of Tijen-riu it was called. The house, as I said, were a family of warriors comprised of some of the best fighters on Earth, and their students often became some of the finest fighters in the known galaxy.
Now, back in this time, the universe was a much darker place and less trustworthy place, and we needed people like them, who were skilled and of good heart to train the chosen paladin for our cause in each succesive generation. So we . . . I . . . made a deal with them. I would show them the secrets of ki fighting, an art previously unknown to them, and they would agree to train our paladin's. I have long since fulfilled my part of the agreement, which was signed in blood, and they have down their share over the centuries.
You know that you are this generation's paladin, Rael. We're going to the house of Tijen-riu so that you may begin your training."

Rael thought on this for a moment, before nodding seemingly to himself. "Oh, okay, I understand know. Um, what's ki?"

Even though Kerius was invisible, Rael could feel the man's warm smile. You will know in good time, Rael. For now, merely be patient."

***

Hours of travel passed quickly, and Rael soon discovered that he rather enjoyed the freedom of walking without his parent's presence (despite the circumstances this freedom had been brought about). It made him feel older, and soon confidence filled his steps. BUt as evening approached and the sky darkened, confidence was replaced with exhaustion and foot pains. Kerius instructed the boy that now might be a good time to find a place to lie down and rest.

They had long since cleared the outskirts of Pepper City, so finding a secluded but relatively open spot proved easy. He sat down on a hill over looking the city and hugged his knees to his chest.
Kerius was quite impressed with him. The child had made it all this way without complaint and almost no breaks.

The sun began to set, it's huge orange disk setting the horizon afire with bright purples and oranges, and the spirit found he was glad at heart. It had been far too long since he'd had the privilege of watching a sunset.

Even the city seemed bathed in orange, and parts of it flickered with the brilliance of the sun. He smiled, such amazing things could be seen when nature and the constructs of man could be combined.
Within a few seconds though his happiness bled away as he realized that the flickering of the lights came not from the sky, but from within Pepper City itself. Fire light. The city was burning!

wow, this is a great story. keep it going. :laff: