This story is written for entertainment purposes only. All copyrights belong to their respective owners.
Keep in mind that English is not my first language and so I do not claim to have written an error free story. If there are any inconsistencies in this story, let me know and I will correct them.
To all new reviewers, followers and favoriters: thanks for your support. It is good to know that you like this story. This helps to motivate me to keep writing.
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This chapter is part one of three parts. I will aim to release the next chapter in two weeks.
Chapter 21: Spirits of the past: part I
The sun of planet Ytmium had disappeared below the horizon just now. The purple sky had turned dark and many stars were already visible. Dark blue dust, which covered most of the planet's surface, was being blown around by a steady gust of wind. The fortress which had once housed the Stone of Ytmium was a grim and lifeless ruin. None of the lizard-like inhabitants of the planet had made any attempt to retake or rebuild the structure after the attack by Aripa and Tidane. Thus the ruin and the surrounding desert were a no-man's-land.
On the ground, in front of the ruin, a large pyre had been constructed. It had the shape of a trapezoid, and was built from various materials taken from the ruin. Tidane's body had been placed on top of the pyre. She was lying on her back, arms folded over her chest, with her eyes closed. A blanket had been placed over the lower part of her chest and her legs. There was no grime or blood visible on her body. Also, the armor she was wearing appeared to have been polished with care.
Suddenly, a bright white sphere of energy appeared from seemingly nowhere. It remained stationary for a moment, before slowly floating upward. The light of the sphere revealed Aripa to have been its creator. The palm of her right hand, from which the sphere had come, was still turned upward. She looked dutiful and determined. As usual, she was wearing her white and purple colored armor, with her family crest on the left side of her chest. Aripa then slowly walked a short distance away from the first sphere, and generated a second, identical one. It too began to slowly float upwards. She continued repeating these actions until there were eight spheres. Together, these formed a circle around the pyre.
After having generated the spheres, Aripa herself slowly levitated upwards, towards the top of the pyre. She stopped when her waist was level with Tidane, and gently put her hand on Tidane's shoulder. Aripa was not in tears, but seemed to be struggling nonetheless. She was shivering, and was trying to find some words to say. Eventually, she whispered to Tidane that she was going to try and become a Super Saiyan for her, and for everyone else she had lost. Then she would destroy all of their enemies.
Somehow, saying only this did not seem sufficient. Aripa remembered Tidane's final words. She had wanted Aripa to maintain contact with the other group. But perhaps most notably, she had wanted Aripa to procreate. Several years ago, Aripa would have considered this an absurd last request for a dying Saiyan. However, she could see her point now. She whispered to Tidane that she would seek out the strongest and mightiest male Saiyan she could find. If she herself would be unable to reach the level of Super Saiyan, then perhaps this child could instead.
Aripa then kissed Tidane gently on the forehead. After pulling back, she looked at Tidane a final time, before hovering herself away from the pyre. Finally, when she was far enough away, she manipulated the eight spheres of energy to float into the structure of the pyre. The energy was then converted into a searing heat, which instantly ignited the material of the pyre without disintegrating it. Soon, high flames engulfed the trapezoid structure and the body of the person who had been her only friend.
Aripa thought about the fact she had nothing left of Tidane, other than memories. She wished they had talked more and done more together when they had had the chance. Suddenly, Aripa remembered their large and misshapen Saibaman, which Tidane had given a name. She had named him Rutaba, after her grandfather, due to their allegedly similar appearances. Aripa wished she knew more about Tidane and her background. Now, these things would be beyond her reach forever.
While her mind was completely focused on remembering Tidane, something unusual happened. Aripa did not realize this herself, but her aura had started to become visible. Though it was very faint, irregular and only momentary, her aura briefly took on a golden glow.
Three space pods and a small two-seater spaceship were currently in deep space on their way to the planet Obnevi. It would still be many days before they would arrive at their destination. All Saiyans were currently in hibernation sleep induced by the ships' systems. Usually such a sleep was without dreams. However, Ullicu was unfortunate enough to be experiencing dreams in which he relived very lucidly the memories of a past long gone.
It was thirty years before the destruction of planet Vegeta. The Saiyans still shared their planet with the Tuffles, the species of small, tail-less and technologically advanced humanoids. None of them had ever heard the name Frieza before. The clan to which Ullicu belonged was living in a rocky area in one of the planet's greatest deserts. Generations ago, their clan had chopped and blasted paths into the rocks to create homes from within them. These same homes were still in use today, many years later.
From the homes that were highest up, the nearest Tuffle city could be seen at the horizon. It was a grand city, with tall and shiny buildings with creative shapes. The Saiyans never ventured there, however. They mostly kept to themselves instead. They didn't like the Tuffles, and the feeling was mutual. Both groups had essentially been ignoring each other for generations.
Ullicu was a young adult with a broad-shouldered physique and a full head of hair. He was dressed in a brown colored sleeveless tunic and boots made out of animal hides, just like the rest of his people. He had no blood-relatives left, but he was well respected by his clan. The elders had given him the honor of being one of their clan enforcers. This meant he was often called upon to break up fights, which threatened to cause collateral damage. He was also responsible for overseeing that the disrupted fights would be continued in honorable fashion in a more appropriate location. Aside from this, it was also his duty to investigate other cases of dishonesty, cowardice, and miscellaneous suspicious behaviors.
One morning, when Ullicu was eating in the entrance hall, he was approached by one of the elders. It was Rutaba, a hunchbacked and gnarled old man with only one eye and no teeth left. Ullicu had no idea how old this man was. Nobody really knew. All which was known about his age was that no one of their clan had any memories of his birth or youth. To most of them, he seemed to have always been there. He had already been an adult when they were born; an older man when they grew up, and still and old man when they had started their own families.
Rutaba put his hand firmly on Ullicu's shoulder, making the latter look up while he was still chewing on his food. The old man spoke to him in a hoarse voice, telling him there was something absolutely dire taking place right now as they were speaking. Witchcraft was taking place under their roof. Ullicu promptly stopped chewing, but otherwise his expression remained blank. Rutaba continued by explaining that very reliable sources had informed him of this. There was a young woman up in the highest room, who was performing dark rituals to call upon the spirits of the dead. She had been a drifter up until a short while ago. He could see now that it had been a mistake to have allowed her to join their clan. Thus it was urgent she was killed quickly and quietly. Otherwise he expected it would be inevitable she would be lynched publicly by whoever caught her first.
Ullicu then swallowed his chewed food, and got up. He assured Rutaba he would take care of it immediately. If she was guilty of witchcraft, he would kill her. It was the law, after all. However, if he found her to be not guilty, he would take her down here and protect her while she would explain what was going on. Ullicu could see that Rutaba's face twitched slightly when he mentioned he wouldn't kill her unconditionally. Nevertheless, the old man admitted he respected the fact that Ullicu didn't let himself be ordered around like a slave.
A moment later, Ullicu was making his way up the stairs towards the highest room of their rocky home. The room functioned as a look-out post to oversee the Tuffle city in the distance. Normally it went unused, so it would naturally be a good location for someone who wanted to do something no one was allowed to see. It still wouldn't be without risk, though, as right now she had been found out already. Ullicu wondered whether this alleged witch was currently still there, or if she had escaped after having been discovered.
When he was almost at the top, he found a pair of discarded boots. One boot was lying on the second to last step, the other on the last step. Without giving this find much attention, he moved along towards the room. It was small and circular, with a large hole in the wall, which gave him a view of the Tuffle city. On the floor was a slender and lithe young woman half-sitting, half-lying on the ground in a strange posture, while facing away from him. She had medium long hair with a dark blueish hue and with almost no large spikes. She was wearing the typical brown sleeveless tunic everybody else wore, though she was barefoot. This did at least explain the pair of boots he had found just now. Around her was a circle, made of what appeared to be small twigs. She was using both her hands, both her feet and even her tail to manipulate the twigs surrounding her. Ullicu frowned for a moment at this peculiar sight, and promptly raised his voice to ask what the meaning of all of this was.
The young woman was not at all alarmed by his presence. She calmly tilted her head backwards and arched her back until she had an upside down view of who had come to visit her. After staring at him for a second, she dryly greeted him. Ullicu quickly concluded to himself that there was something off about her. However, rather than think of it as something threatening, as the elders did, he welcomed the vibe of otherness from her.
Ullicu had almost forgotten why he was there, and quickly forced himself to say something. He tried to keep a neutral tone of voice as he informed her bluntly that witchcraft was not allowed. In short, the elders wanted her dead for performing dark rituals and he was here to enforce their decision. Again, the woman remained unfazed. She swiftly turned herself around and faced him directly, while assuming a sitting position with her legs crossed. Ullicu noticed she had taken some of the twigs from the circle as she had moved. She was keeping them gripped between the toes of her right foot. Once she had assumed this new position, she started staring at him with a blank expression, and kept on staring for some time, before finally responding with words. The woman shrugged, and told him that if this was true, then he just had to go ahead and kill her.
Despite the fact that she had essentially challenged him to do what Rutaba had asked him to do, Ullicu did not feel like going through with it. There was just something about her; something special. Or perhaps he just found her cute. Whatever it was, he didn't want to think too much about it. Something told him to just go with his gut feeling, and this was precisely what he did. He sat down in front of her and imitated her posture. Next, he told her that if she went downstairs with him, and explained that what she had done wasn't witchcraft, regardless if this was actually the truth, then he would back her up. He would even defend her if needed. She didn't have to die.
The woman's expression then changed into one of confusion. She asked him why he would help her. Ullicu countered by asking her why she would risk death by doing a strange ritual. Both questions went unanswered in silence. Ullicu couldn't help but smile, and the woman actually giggled a little. She then told him her name, and he did so likewise. Ullicu then reached out his hand. He told Radesha to come. If she would come, she would live. When Radesha took it, he stood up gently, and in the process he pulled her up to her feet.
After she had retrieved her boots, Ullicu escorted her down, until they reached the entrance hall. Quite a crowd had gathered there in the meantime. Everyone seemed to be talking to one another; no doubt they were spreading rumors and gossip. When they laid eyes on Radesha and him, it didn't take long for everyone to turn silent. Soon, a young male shouted that they had been expecting him to bring down a corpse. This person was quickly silenced by some others, who in turn gave the word to the elder Rutaba.
Rutaba hoarsely remarked he had not expected this move from Ullicu. The latter replied loudly and clearly that it was his duty to keep the peace; not to dishonorably kill members of their clan, based on rumors alone. An old woman then shrieked that she had seen it with her own eyes. She had seen this young witch perform a dark spell to contact the spirits of the dead. She kept her finger pointed at Radesha the entire time she spoke. Ullicu then gave Radesha a little nudge, to get her to speak up for herself.
She stepped forward and started speaking. However, it wasn't very loud, and she stammered and stared at the ground almost the entire time. Her explanation was that she had been performing a ritual to bring good fortune to this clan. It was a ritual quite often performed in the clan from which she originated. In fact, her mother had taught it to her. She swore she hadn't tried to do anything bad.
Ullicu, who up until now had been standing with his arms crossed, suddenly assumed a stable fighting stance. He could tell by the mumbling and the angry looks that most were not convinced. He had to admit to himself that it didn't sound very convincing. It didn't matter now, though. Perhaps the crowd could be convinced by his fists instead.
The first person who jumped out of the crowd to attack Radesha was met with a punch to the jaw from Ullicu. This man went down immediately. The next person to try received a kick in the gut, causing him to bend forward in pain. Ullicu then slammed both his fists simultaneously onto the man's upper back and repeated this move several times like an angry gorilla, until the man went down as well. Just when the second man hit the ground, Ullicu received a kick to the face from an older woman. It hadn't been enough to disorient him, though. Ullicu proceeded to dodge the next few roundhouse kicks from the woman. With each dodge, she seemed to grow angrier. However, her attacks became sloppier as well, and once Ullicu saw the right opening, he made his move. He moved in and grabbed her by her ankle and her hair, and tossed her straight out of one of the window holes.
When it appeared no-one else dared to attack, Ullicu made use of the attention he currently had. He bellowed several questions at the crowd. Had any of them actually seen a spirit today? Had this spirit caused them any harm? Did anyone even know what they were talking about, or was this all superstition?
It turned out no-one had an answer to these questions. The group remained silent until Rutaba finally responded. He commended Ullicu on his sound judgment. Also, he negated Radesha's death sentence. However, he added that if she was ever caught doing something like that again, he would exile them both from this clan. And with this final word, he gestured for the clan to move on and continue with their daily business.
To Ullicu, it sounded like an acceptable deal. Radesha was less satisfied, though. She turned to face him, and demanded to know why he would want to help her. Why would he sacrifice his reputation for her? She had to know why. Ullicu then took her hand in his, and led her through the hall, and out the main entrance. Once they were outside and alone, he told her that he had no rational explanation for it. There was no logic to it. He had done it for her, because she had told him that she was worth it, without actually saying it in words.
Ullicu then turned away from her, and started walking back to the entrance hall. Radesha softly asked if he didn't want to know what the real purpose was of the ritual she had been performing. Ullicu shook his head, waved his hand, and told her over his shoulder that he didn't need to know. He just wanted to kindly ask her to never do it again. Radesha stood there for a moment, trying to make sense of his actions. When he was almost at the entrance, she suddenly became scared. Back there, in the highest room, she had been willing to die for what she believed. Now Ullicu had made her feel so strange. It was as if she had become scared of wasting all his effort and his sacrifices for her, if she would get killed by anyone who wanted to defy Rutaba. Why did she even care about a stranger like this? She could make no sense of it. Nevertheless, Radesha sprinted after him, and she was just in time to grab hold of his hand before he went back inside.