57- A Vision of Darkness

Early Spring

"Takehiko and Kalamity, get down from that fence!" Pan huffed as she placed her hands on her hips.

"But Mama!" Her six-year-old son climbed down with an adorable pout. His dark blue hair was a mess on the top of his head. "Kalamity started it-" he pointed to the dragon who had just shimmed down the fence.

Kalamity made a noise in the back of his throat as he straightened up and cocked his head to the side. It was like he was saying, 'who, me'? He let out a whine and pawed at Takehiko's shoulder.

"I don't care who started it," Pan told them with a shake of her head. "You two know not to climb on the fences. It could be dangerous. If you're going to climb, go up the trees, please."

Takehiko smiled at her, and Pan's heart melted. "Okay, Mama."

Pan watched as Takehiko and Kalamity ran over to Taoro, Yamcha and Tarble's five-year-old son. He was there to play while Yamcha and Tarble were on earth. The boys weren't too far away from where Takara and Ichika sat, playing with dolls as Cresent, Whirlwind, and Tremor slept next to them.

"You sure are paying for Trunks' raising," Endou teased Pan as she walked back over to where the rest of the grownups were.

"What?" Trunks muttered as Pan sat down next to him. "I was a good kid."

"I think I'm paying for more than just that," Pan said. "Bulma didn't have a dragon that stirred up trouble as well."

"Panna," Trunks wrapped an arm around her shoulders and brought her to his side. "I was a good kid."

"Trunks," she looked up at him in amusement. "I've been with you for nearly ten years. I know better," she kissed his cheek. "But it's cute that you still try to convince me otherwise."

"Shut up, Endou," Trunks huffed at the laughing man. "You're time is coming too."

Kimi was currently visiting her parents, so she wasn't there. But she due to have her and Endou's first child in the next few weeks.

"No one can beat you, Oppa," Bulla snickered.

"Yeah, weren't you the one who got drunk and passed out on the dragon statue in the town square?" Marron teased with a grin.

Gohan, who was holding his and Marron's two-year-old son, Kril, let out a snort. "No way! You did that?"

"I remember that!" Goten started laughing. "I hadn't been on Vegeta-Sei long at that time. I thought, what a weird Prince," he snickered.

"You guys do know that I'm the king of this planet, right? I can have you all banished," Trunks huffed.

Endou waved his hand. "You've been threatening me with banishment since I was ten."

"One of these days, I'm going to do it," Trunks said.

Pan smiled and shook her head. She knew Trunks wasn't serious- he loved Endou, though he'd never admit it.

Pan rested her head against Trunks' shoulder as she listened to the conversation change to the upcoming summit in a few weeks. Fifteen planets were now apart of the alliance. Their worlds were peaceful and thriving. Slowly, Pan's eyes started to drift close.

The world was dark. Pan glanced up and saw that the suns looked as if they were about to burn out. They were putting off little to no light and no heat at all. The air was frightfully chilly.

Pan sniffed as she rubbed her arms to warm herself up. She glanced around, seeing nothing familiar. Everything was flattened, and the ground was nothing but dirt and rubble that stretched out for miles with nothing in sight.

Where was everyone? Pan opened her mouth to call out, but nothing but a strangled breath escaped her.

The air was growing colder and thicker. Pan's feet dragged for a few more paces before she fell to the ground.

A tall man appeared before Pan suddenly. His skin was an icy blue with deep crevasses of unknown markings. His eyes were blood red. He had an evil smile across his face. He was familiar to Pan in a way she couldn't explain.

Pan gasped as she opened her mouth to scream, but like earlier, nothing came out. She couldn't breathe at all. The air was becoming suffocating. An overwhelming sense of darkness was consuming Pan-

She gasped as her eyes flew open. Cold beads of sweat were gathered at her hairline and rolling down her back. Trunks was kneeled in front of her, his hands holding her shoulders as his blue eyes looked at her worriedly. Kalamity was at her feet, whining. Standing behind was everyone else and Takehiko and Takara, who looked worried.

"I'm okay," Pan said gently. She smiled at her children to ease their worried faces. "Mama just had a bad dream."

They walked up to her as Trunks let go of her shoulders. Takara grabbed her hands and pouted.

"Was it a really scary dream, Mama?" She asked.

"Kalamity had a bad dream, too," Takehiko leaned down to pet the dragon.

Pan let out a small breath. She doubted Kalamity had dreamed what she did, but she wondered if he had felt it. She could still feel the overwhelming sense of fear and darkness that overcame her. She fought back her shudder.

"Yes," Pan nodded to Takara. "It was of giant, hairy spiders-" she held up her hands and wiggled her fingers.

Takara let out a loud gasp. "Appa will kill them!" She wrapped her arms around Trunks' neck quickly.

"That's right," Trunks nodded. "I'll kill any spiders that mess with Mama," he promised as he met Pan's eyes.

"I'll kill them too!" Takehiko said seriously.

"Thank you," Pan smiled at him. She glanced up and saw a maid that Endou had run off to get. "Look, Annette is here-" she motioned to the maid, who smiled warmly. "Why don't you guys go follow her? I'm sure she has some goodies waiting for you in the kitchen."

"Will you be okay, Mama?" Takara frowned slightly.

"I will," Pan nodded. She reached out and patted both of her children's head lovingly. "It was just a bad dream. When I see you both before supper, I'll already have forgotten it."

Takara and Takehiko smiled, content with her reply before they ran over to Annette. Pan watched as they disappeared into the path, going towards the castle.

"Panna," Trunks spoke gently. He still kneeled in front of her. "What did you dream about?" He asked softly.

Pan let out a breath and wrapped her arms around herself. She still felt too cold. Trunks got up and sat beside her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Did any of you hear what Freiza told me before he died?" Pan whispered.

"Freiza?" Bulla's eyes widened in surprise. She and Goten shared a worried look.

Trunks tightened his grip on Pan. "He called you Dragon, didn't he?" He asked softly.

"He knew of the other Super Saiyan," Gohan added.

"He did," Pan agreed. "But right before I killed him, he said something else. I can't believe I forgot it, but so much happened. I found out I was pregnant with Takehiko as well, and we were finally free-" she let out a sigh and held her head. "Even Ta'lah mentioned it, and I didn't think twice of it!"

"Panna, what is it?" Trunks asked. His voice was calm, but she could tell that he was worried.

"Frieza told me that the one that the super Saiyan thought she had killed all those years ago still lives. Freiza said he would be back. Then at the first Summit, Ta'lah showed me glimpses of the first Super Saiyan. I saw who she was fighting all those centuries ago. I asked Ta'lah who it was, and he said evil-" Pan's voice shook. She took a deep breath. "I saw him again just now in my dream. He was here, on Vegeta-Sei, and it was dying-" she could feel her tears rolling down her cheeks. "I felt it. Despair and fear," she whispered. "He's the personification of nothing, and he's coming to destroy the planet."

Mid-Spring

Out of all of the alliances Vegeta-Sei had, Thueria was right behind earth on closeness. So when Trunks sent a letter to Ta'lah, asking if he would visit because of Pan, the Chief accepted.

It took Ta'lah a few weeks to arrive, but he brought his usual guard and his youngest daughter, Zahari. She was just a little older than the twins, and they got along well, having met years ago at a summit.

They welcomed Ta'lah and everyone from Thueria with happy greetings and a giant fest. It wasn't until the children were safely tucked into bed that Ta'lah had been invited to listen to Pan's dream. They sat in a spacious study with Trunks on a couch beside Pan. Kalamity was sitting on the other side, his head resting in Pan's lap. He had grown even more over-protective over her ever since that dream, and it made Trunks nervous. Was Kalamity sensing something?

"-and then he appeared," Pan's voice was a quiet tremble. "I tried to scream, but the air around me was suffocating. I could feel the evil radiating off of him. He had demolished the planet."

Ta'lah nodded slowly. He had been quiet during the dream as he listened intently. He let out a small sigh as he stood up from his seat across from Trunks and Pan.

"I knew this day would come as soon as I met you," his gentle voice told Pan. "I know I showed you a bit of the Super Saiyan's life that was before you, but maybe I should show you all more."

Ta'lah held up the walking stick he always carried with him and swirled it. Fog admitted from it, felling the top of the room with what looked like miniature storm clouds.

"A long time ago," Ta'lah began, "Vegeta-Sei was known as Planet Plant."

In the clouds above formed the image of Vegeta-Sei, but it looked different than his Trunks knew it. It looked more like the earth with green and blue splattered across it.

"It was a planet full of thriving plants. It had deep oceans, just like the earth," Ta'lah continued. The Vegeta-Sei floating above changed shape to that of wild plants and deep oceans. "The original inhabitants of this planet were the dragons-" dragons now took shape in the clouds.

Crescent chirped at the images from Trunks' side.

"They lived on Planet Plant alone for centuries until two different races appeared. The Saiyans and the Tuffles. They got along well at first-" dark shadows in the shape of man formed in the clouds- "but everything changed when a power source was located in the mountains of the planet."

In the clouds, a sparkling gem appeared between the shadow figures.

"It's called the heart of the mountains," Ta'lah explained. "Four mighty dragons forged it, and the power it could grant its weirder was unmatched. The Tuffles would stop at nothing to obtain it, and soon, the natural resources of the planet- the plants and the ocean began dying to the misuse of the stone."

Trunks could feel Pan shiver next to him. He squeezed the hand of hers he was holding. He had always heard that Vegeta-Sei used to be beautiful. He wondered if there was a chance to restore it once this mess was over.

Up above them in the clouds, images of war played out. Plants withered, and the oceans dried up.

"The Tuffles minds were consumed with greed, power, and hate. Because of that, the stone turned them wicked. Only someone with a genuinely pure and unselfish heart can wield the stone.

"As power corrupted the Tuffles, their appearances began to change as well. Their skin became unnatural colors. Markings of darkness appeared on them, and they changed their name from Tuffles to Mirans."

"Why did they change their name?" Gohan asked. "Because of the stone?"

Ta'lah nodded. "The thought Tuffle sounded weak. It was also during this time that Dragons became sparse. The Mirans hunted them for sport, which caused the planet to grow even more fragile. This is when Shenron found the first Super Saiyan and tested her. He pretended to be injured to see what she would do. Would she try to help him, or would she kill him?

"She helped Shenron that day, and it was because of that that he I trusted her with the full power of the stone," Ta'lah said.

"What does that mean? Didn't the Tuffles have the stone?" Goku asked.

"They did," Ta'lah nodded. "But Shenron was one of the original four that forged it. He called it to him, and it came. He then placed it inside of the Super Saiyan, and it's now been passed down to you," he told Pan.

"Is that when she fought him?" Pan whispered.

"Yes," Ta'lah nodded. In the clouds, a fierce battle played out. "The Mirans leader, Nahum, wanted nothing more than to obtain the full power of the stone. That day, the Super Saiyan took out all of the Mirans. Well, almost all of them."

"Why?" Pan asked. "Why didn't she kill Nahum then?"

"I'm not exactly sure," Ta'lah admitted. "But I do know that the power inside of you is yours and yours alone, Pan. I know that if you look deep within yourself, you'll find out why she failed and how you can succeed. Then when the time comes, you'll be ready."

Trunks swallowed a lump in his throat. He didn't like the thought of Pan fighting a monster her ancestor couldn't kill. She was already in tune with her powers and was a force to be reckoned with. How much more did she need to get in touch with them?

"And when will that time come?" Trunks asked Ta'lah.

He sighed as his troubled eyes looked up at the clouds that were disappearing. "Soon," he whispered.

"So what exactly are we going up against?" Goten asked. "Is he like us or-?"

"He can control properties of the elements," Ta'lah said. "I can almost guarantee that his army will be made out of rocks. Don't let it fool you, though; they will be powerful opponents. Only Nahum and one other Mirai survived the attack all those years ago. Poe is even more dangerous than Nahum to a degree. She was subjected to the stone for a very long time, and because of that, she can steal souls."

"What?" Trunks' eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"Souls, or a life force of a person," Ta'lah said. "Luckily, you Saiyans are more stubborn than other races. It might take her a while to get one of your souls, but don't let your guard down. She's tricky and extremely loyal to Nahum. His target, as I'm sure you guessed will be you," he looked at Pan. "He wants that stone, and he can only get it from you."

Pan swallowed thickly. Her free hand stroked Kalamity as she looked up at Ta'lah. "Let him try. I'll finish what my ancestor couldn't," she promised.

"When darkness branches into your soul, light still finds a way to rise."

-Angie Weiland-Crosby