A.N. :Everybody can guess that I own DragonBall Z and other animes in my dreams. Sadly, dreams aren't part of reality. This story takes place after the end of DBGT. Most of the characters in this, as well as the new race created, are my original ideas. Please don't steal them! It took a lot of time imagining something like that. All credit for the rest of the original DB characters and ideas go to their creator. Please R&R. I love to know people's comments may they be good or bad. This is my very first fic on DB so don't be too rough. Forgive any spelling or grammatical mistakes; nobody's perfect! Enjoy!
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Aurum (pronounced O-room) was rudely awaken by the sound of his alarm clock. He cracked an eye open to gaze upon the green digits; it was 5:30 AM.
"Yesterday… today… tomorrow… All those days are like a single one repeating itself over and over. All I ever do is training and fighting my dad! I never asked to wake up today…nor to come to birth! If I passed away, the mental tortures would come to an end and, then, I could finally rest peacefully." Thought Aurum to himself. "Why is my dad this way with me? He's such a heartless being! What choice do I have but to go on? It seems that the only thing keeping me alive is fate… if such a thing exists…"
He reluctantly pulled his bed sheets off himself. Aurum sat down on the edge of his cozy bed and allowed his bare feet to touch the ground. A shiver traveled up his spine when he felt the coldness of his floor; it was awfully cool.
The man stood up and silently walked towards his window. He pulled the curtains away to admire one of his only pleasures in life; the dawning of the sun. He mindlessly stared at the pale sky barred with pink and orange streaks. Aurum enjoyed the way those cheerful colors lit up the sky as a smile on someone's face does.
After a couple of minutes, when the sun finally began to rise, Aurum bowed his head to shield his eyes from the bright light.
He spun around and opened the door of his closet. Aurum inhaled the fresh cedar fragrance escaping from it. He grabbed the first clean training suit that he saw. They all looked alike so it didn't make much of a difference…
The uniform he was holding consisted of large black pants and a midnight-blue sleeveless shirt. Aurum hurriedly got dressed because he knew that, if he kept his dad waiting for too long, he would have to hear his sarcastic comments.
The lad stepped out of his room and silently walked down the dark hallway leading to the bathroom. The corridor was not wholly lugubrious; the ceiling was lit by a diffuse, dim glow, and the light seemed to bleed down reluctantly. There were ancient doors facing each others with regular intervals on both sides of it. He peeped in his parents' bedroom along the way to see if his mother was awakened yet. She was.
The lights automatically came on when he walked in the bathroom. The room was pretty small. There was just enough place for the deep and eccentric bathtub, the toilet, a sink, a few towels and normal accessories that can be found in a normal washroom. The walls were painted in many shades and textures of green arranged with taste and elegance. They perfectly matched the marbled floor. Aurum walked towards the sink and carelessly dragged a comb through his naturally spiked-up hair.
He paused and took a few seconds to stare at his reflection in the mirror in front of him. He was a 6'2" lad, slightly more muscular and broader than his father, Ryck. His facial traits resembled Vegetto's, although he didn't know it. In fact, he didn't even know that legendary fighters such as Vegeta and Goku existed but he would soon find out…
He seemed to be a vampire because of his extremely pale skin. His hair was as black and shiny as an hematite gem. Even though his look was not completely normal, there was something even more exceptional about him than most of his physical traits: his eyes.
Indeed, he had bright and piercing golden eyes. They shone in a feline-like way in dark. They also seemed to have the ability to stun and almost hypnotize anyone who dared to stare in them for a long time. His name was given to him because of that special gaze. "Aurum" meant gold in his parents' original language.
Aurum looked away and let out a low sigh. "Today is my birthday… 24 years old and I still haven't done anything interesting in all of my life. I don't even know much about my origins and myself... I wonder if there is another world similar to the one I live in. I mean, it is pretty empty with only my parents, Lancea and Ryck around. There has to be somewhere else with more people and that is where I'll go. I will find a way to leave his hell!" Thought he to himself.
He began humming the traditional "happy birthday" song. His mother had often sang it to him when he was younger.
"I guess nobody remembers my birthday."
He dropped his comb and went out of the room. Then, he went down the large wooden stairs at the end of the hallway. He entered the dining room which was the largest part of the whole mansion. It had tall French windows overlooking a small river. The furniture were beautifully made out of oak but there were some weird carvings in them that gave them a mysteriously threatening look.
Aurum gazed at his dad who was already sitting at the table. Ryck was absently staring outside. He was slightly taller than his son when he stood. He had a slim yet quite muscular build although it was a bit less impressive than Aurum's. His short and spiky black hair clearly showed his Saiyan's inheritance even though his deep blue eyes and olive-tinted skin hinted that he probably wasn't a pure Saiya-Jin... Ryck usually remained expressionless but, sometimes, his face seemed "painted with anger" as he, himself, used to say. He also usually stayed silent unless it was to criticize or mock someone.
Aurum, then, looked at his mom cooking breakfast. A smile formed on his face. His mom was, in fact, the only person he could actually associate with. Lancea was shorter and had a somewhat more fragile frame than her husband's. She was still quite muscled for a woman. Her dark, long hair fell in shimmering waves over her shoulders. Her eyes were brown with a fiery-red glowing shine, reminding the fury of demons, yet, so angelic-looking. Lancea's skin was a shade darker than her son's.
"Hi, mom." He saluted merrily. "Dad…" His voice changed from joyous to disappointed.
"Good morning, my son!" Replied Lancea
"YOU'RE 2 MINUTES LATE! How do you expect to ever reach high levels if you're not even punctual!"
"Ryck, give the boy a break."
"No, I will not. He must train hard with me if we want to attain OUR goal someday!."
"It's your stupid quest not his…Don't say "our"! " Said Lancea under her breath.
"I'm sorry, dad." Calmly answered Aurum, abruptly cutting off the conversation to make sure the situation wouldn't get worse.
Ryck's goal was still unknown to Aurum. He had often heard his dad talk about it and he had even asked him what it was. To this question, Ryck only replied "You will know when the time comes. It only involves a lot of training, for now. Soon will be the time… be patient…"
As for Lancea, she knew what her husband's dream was and she was sad that it had to deal with death and destruction. She refused to tell her son for his own protection.
Aurum often wondered whether or not he really wanted to know about that quest even though he had planned to ask more about his dad's mysterious project on his birthday, in other words, today. He decided to wait until the end of their training session to make an attempt. It was less risky that way because he did not wish to provoke his father.
Lancea served the two men a delicious and generous breakfast consisting of a lot of eggs, ham, potatoes, toasts, muffins, donuts and even more. Everything was always freshly made because Lancea planted all of her vegetables and she raised some farm animals in order to feed her family. You see, in their world, far, far away from ours, there were no seasons and the temperature varied from really warm to somewhat cold. Plus, you couldn't depend on others to feed you because there were no stores to buy food at or anything… since there were nobody to keep them running. In fact, Ryck, Lancea and Aurum lived isolated from our dimension…
Luckily enough, the location of this family's house left them enough place for the culture of vegetables and fruits. In fact, their mansion was on the top of a small hill, near a river, in the glade of a vast forest. Lancea's large gardens extended into the 200-year-old woods.
After both of the men finished eating, Aurum went out of his house accompanied by his father. Since he had been doing the same thing over and over for years, it was as if his body was mechanically doing it while his mind freely soared elsewhere. Far away from that world… They quietly walked through the gardens towards the forest.
The single path separated in two distinct ones at its border. One way lead directly into the woods and the other lead to a marvelous fountain that spit colorful water. It had been magically enchanted by another being that had walked upon those lands long ago. Who? Aurum did not know the answer to that question and it seemed at even his parents were not exactly certain of its origin. The fountain was surrounded by flowering trees. In those grew apples and other fruits. Further down that road, the fruit trees merged with the rest of the forest. It was a calm place and, sadly enough, not the final destination of Ryck and Aurum.
They continued their way directly into the forest following the cemented path. It eventually shifted to the natural road that had been created throughout the years.
After walking for several minutes, they arrived at a second glade, much bigger than the one in which their mansion was constructed. They stopped in the middle of the vast area and stood still for a few seconds, facing each other. The field had scars of the guys' trainings; trees chopped down, holes in the grounds etc.
Aurum closed his eyes and began to concentrate on levitating. Although it was not difficult for him, he liked the peaceful feeling he got when he felt his energy begin to travel through his whole body. He slowly felt his feet leaving the green grass.
The wind grazing his pale cheeks felt like a cold caress as he rose higher and higher in the sky. Floating gave Aurum a feeling of freedom every time he did it.
When he got high enough, he abruptly stopped and opened his eyes. Anger was now blazing in them for he knew he had to fight his dad once more and there was no place for comprehension and compassion when that occurred.
He got in the stance he usually adopted before fights; knees bended and fists clenched, like a hunter ready to jump on its prey. As for his father, he calmly floated, waiting for the assault. "Well? Are you gonna move or not?" Inquired Ryck.
Aurum's features suddenly darkened even more than before. He drew his eyebrows together and wickedly smiled as he cracked his knuckles. He slowly approached his well-known opponent and began to perform a simple serie of punches and kicks in order to warm up. Ryck easily deviated all of Aurum's blows with his forearms. He, then, reciprocated with similar maneuvers.
Aurum stopped and backed up. He aggressively charged at his training partner with renewed momentum. He threw lightning fast punches left and right forcing his father to move backwards while swiftly blocking the assaults.
Aurum had a plan to send his father down to the ground because he preferred fighting there. Floating in mid-air and combating took much more concentration and it got boring after a short while. Since his dad was busy dodging the attacks with his arms, his lower stomach was momentarily thrown off guard, leaving it open for a low attack.
Aurum smiled at that opportunity and immediately performed a vicious side kick, which violently struck the warrior's pelvis. This assault sent Ryck flying down towards the ground. He used his levitating abilities to slow his fall but he wasn't fast enough to completely stop it so he landed flat on his back.
The oldest man didn't stay down for long; he instantly sprang up to his feet. Ryck motioned for his son to join him.
Aurum began to go down, circling in huge spirals as the greatest birds do in the sea of clouds and mists. He eventually landed a few feet away from his dad. Not wasting any time, he started to gather energy in both of his fists. He released it in the form of a small blast directed to his father who, evidently, absorbed it.
He leapt into the air and performed a flying side kick which hit his dad in the chest. While still in the air, he twisted his body, threw a reverse kick and followed it up with a final frontal attack. Ryck stood still despite the impressive attacks. Aurum frowned.
"Ryubatsu!" (Strike of the dragon) Shouted he.
Shockwaves rapidly came out of both of his hands. All of them hit his target with a deadly precision. Ryck was thrown back and swept off his feet. When he got back up, his eyes were now as dark as a moonless night. He loudly screamed and began to gather energy. After a bit, he directed a tremendous blast towards his son who moved away just in time not to get hit.
CHUPPARA !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Rage) Hurled the angry black-haired man.
The training session went on for the rest of the morning. Both of them were equally matched. As soon as one of them seemed to have a little advantage, the other crushed it to bits.
After that time, both of them took off, and headed back to the mansion. On the way back, Aurum finally decided to ask Ryck.
"Father, what is you plan? The one that I've heard about for years?"
"My son, a long time ago, I went to another world. Someone brought me to an odd planet where dwelt some strange beings. He wished for me to protect it but I found out that those citizens were evil and deserved to be destroyed. I came back from that trip with a new goal; destroy the population of that place. The same person who took me there decided to lock me, you and your mother here but the planet's safety. Ever since that day, I decided to drop all forms of feelings and to concentrate my training and then on yours. If we're strong enough, we will be able to escape this place and to go back there to annihilate the whole race. I know a way to and I'm sure, together, we'll be able to do it! I refused to talk to you about this before because you were not ready but today, I feel you are."
This revelation stunned Aurum for several minutes.
"So I was right! There are lands other than those ones! Other beings! I wonder how they are. Do they really deserve destruction as my father says? I doubt it. I don't want to kill any form of life. If I did, I'd be left alone again. On the other hand what if they truly are as wicked as Ryck says?" Thought Aurum.
"…Then… I guess… I… NO! I don't want to think that way!" It was too late when he realized that he had said that last sentence out loud.
"What, son?"
"Nothing! How can we get there, anyway?"
"I will show you, tonight. We will try to leave in two days. Until then, we must get ready. Don't tell your mom about it."
Aurum nodded silently. He, in fact, had other plans. He did not wish to travel to the other world with his dad. He wanted to be alone. He had an ingenious idea on how to do so. He wondered if it would really work or not…
The rest of the day was pretty normal; Aurum went for a walk in the forest to take time to think. He was anxiously waiting for the night to come but when he came back to his house, the sun was still dancing far up in its kingdom. He spent the rest of the day relaxing in his room until the blackness of the night engulfed the last rays of sunlight. At that moment he heard a strong knock on the door. It was his dad.
"Son, it's time to go."
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To be continued…