Ken opened his eyes very slowly, carefully taking in his surroundings. It was pitch black; so dark, he could hardly see his hands when he put them in front of his face. But the distant light so heavenly, so pure, situated there at the end of the tunnel provided enough vision to keep him from going mentally insane.

He put his hands to his chest, feeling his body. Ken felt light, as if he were floating in air. It was as if the weight and density of his body was suspended in midair. He heard of this many times - The light at the end of the tunnel. Does this mean I'm dead? Was I killed in that explosion?

His thoughts shifted when he saw it. Floating there, in the middle of this vast, dark tunnel, was a body. A body of what - Ken didn't know. A rock perhaps? But as he got progressively closer, the light at the end became increasingly brighter and he was at last able to see that the body that lay before him was that of a person. He could see he was male, somewhere around his age. His dark, rusted armor, coated with years of bloodstains covered his whole torso and legs. A giant, magnificent cape shrouded his body. His large, almost innocent looking eyes were peacefully closed.

"I know you," Ken almost whispered aloud. He kicked himself mentally for thinking talking out loud. The aura this guy is giving off feels familiar. It was that familiar feeling again, the one Ken often got in his dreams, as if he experienced something from a past life. Past life? Is this what the dreams have been trying to tell me about?

As if the unconscious body had been reading and agreeing with Ken's thoughts, he opened his eyes, and looked him straight in the eye. He spoke with a half dead, raspy voice. "Who are you?" he asked. There was no tone of aggression, only a plea for an explanation.

"The light," Ken began, "at the end of the tunnel … you see it too right?"

The other boy nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I can see it. Oh god, does this mean we're …"

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"I…" he paused for a moment, unable to remember his last moments. "There was a fight. He… Gohan was mistaken." His face twisted painfully upon recalling the events. "I didn't want to fight him." Tears were beginning to form.

Ken didn't know what this guy was talking about. Whatever it was, it was tearing him apart, and Ken didn't want to hear anymore. But for the sake of interest, he kept his thoughts to himself and tried to console the stranger. "What … did he do to you?"

The stranger didn't say anything. But Ken was beginning to understand what happened, which would explain why they were both here. This boy must've fought in some battle and had gotten killed. That explained this mysterious light at the end of the tunnel, and it also explained Ken's current predicament.

The stranger regained his composure without warning, and looked at Ken with a cold, emotionless gaze. "You…"

He's noticed it too. We've met before. "What's your name?" Ken asked.

"Doale," the stranger replied, "Emperor Doale."

"Such a unique name," Ken said, "I've never heard of such a name before. But yet, I can't help feeling that sometime, somewhere…"

"We've met," he finished off Ken's sentence. "It was a long time ago, fourteen years to be exact."

This was it. This was when Ken would find out what his mysterious dreams have been trying to tell him. But as soon as Doale opened his mouth to continue, his body became strangely translucent. It was as if someone was trying to pull him away from this plane of existence.

"They're trying to save my life," Doale said in realization. "They want to bring me back."

No, not right now! Not when I'm about to find out what's going on! "Bring you back to where? Please Doale, you're the only one who can tell me what's going on around me. I've been having these strange experiences lately and the only thing I can think of is some ridiculous idea of a past life and…"

"We need your help," Doale said, as his body began to slowly vanish. "Come with me." Doale extended his hand for Ken to take.

He hesitated. "I can't, I don't even know what's going on!" Ken said, throwing his arms in the air.

"We are the only hope left to save our world," Doale said. "When our souls combine, we gain the power of the Devotee; Earth's last defense against destruction."

"Devotee?"

"Yes, the Devotee. There's not much time left, we need to get back before Buu decides to unleash his powers. He will destroy the Z Soldiers for sure."

Ken couldn't budge. He couldn't absorb all this crazy illogical information being thrown at him. "I…"

"It is your duty as the Devotee," Doale continued. "You know much more than I do, that this is your fate. Do it for the world, do it to save your family."

Ken couldn't quite figure out what Doale was talking about, but he could sense no evil in the Emperor's heart. What the hell, you've saved the earth many times with Marshall and the others. Even if Doale's a bad guy, you can get yourself out of this situation right? Ken half-heartedly reached out towards Doale, and instead of touching the Emperor's fingertips, he seemed to be being merging with him. It was as if the molecules that made up their fingers welded onto each other, making Ken and Doale, two separate identities, one.

Ken could hear Doale's voice echoing inside his head. "Just like old times, huh? Once again, we have merged into one being, only this time it's for the benefit of the world. Welcome back, Son Goken."