Piccolo:

The plan was not easy, but in all likelihood it was their only chance.

Piccolo and the others knew exactly which city Malaha and Aitor were in. They immediately initiated Gohan, Goten, Trunks, Tienshinhan, Yamcha, Krillin and 18 into the plan and headed to the southern capital just a few days later.

They all suppressed their auras and landed on the skyscraper where Malaha and Aitor had chosen a flat.

"All right, we'll get started. The two dark mages are only a few floors below us. I can make contact with Kera's spirit from here. The distance is short enough. Are there any questions?"

Piccolo looked at each in turn. Nine determined faces looked at him and nodded. Each of them knew his or her task and they all knew who they had to fight. They could not allow themselves to be distracted by the outer shells.

In the last few days they had prepared intensively for this fight. They had all recalled Vegeta's fighting technique, practised attacks together and discussed every possible aspect of the attack. No one said it, but they all knew it: they only had this one chance.

Piccolo took a deep breath and settled down on the ground with his legs crossed. Menka took a seat opposite him and they joined hands. He could still see the others rising into the air ready to fight, then he closed his eyes.

He had tried several times from Dende's palace, but he had not been able to connect with Kera. Dende was right in his theory that physical proximity to Kera mattered. So he had to be as close to her as possible.

Menka squeezed his hands tightly once: the sign that she was ready. He concentrated on the connection to Kera, on the golden thread that led directly to her.

Menka's small hands in his large ones eased the pressure. Her soul had left her body and she was waiting for him in the spirit plane. He himself was now leaving his body as well, as he had done when he had released Kera from her bonds with the help of Nail.

Years had passed since that incident and so much had happened. When he thought about it like that, that alone had been an indication that Kera had been threatened by an evil spirit. Why hadn't they questioned what this black threat was all about? Maybe they could have prevented all this.

'Dad, concentrate!'

Menka floated beside him in the infinite blackness, in the transition between the different worlds. Her outline could only be glimpsed as delicate white lines.

He had discussed the question with Dende several times, and Dende had always been of the opinion that there was probably nothing they could have done. The prophecy was clear.

'Sorry. Let's go.'

Piccolo sighed and followed Menka, floating slowly along the golden thread of their connection.

'So this is your connection to Mama. It's beautiful!' she exclaimed excitedly.

'Have you never seen her before, despite your many trips to the spirit plane?'

Menka looked down, caught. She knew Piccolo was suspicious of these excursions. 'I honestly never paid attention. Is it always this thin?'

Piccolo shook his head. 'No. Usually it's so wide we can walk on it. And it shimmers much brighter.'

'What happens when you touch it?'

He shrugged his shoulders. 'I haven't tried it since your mother disappeared. We used to be able to send energy to each other.'

Menka stopped for a moment and tapped his index finger against her lower lip. Piccolo had to smile involuntarily. Kera made a similar gesture when she thought.

'We will follow the connection until we find Mama and then send energy to her.'

'Then let's not waste time.'

Without any spatial or temporal reference points, the path along the narrow golden thread seemed like an eternity to Piccolo and he was already threatening to slip back into his thoughts when Menka suddenly called for her mother.

Piccolo looked ahead. He recognised a faint glow only a few yards ahead of him. He accelerated his flight. It was Kera. He would finally see her again.

He overtook Menka, stayed close to the golden thread and finally saw Kera's outline, faint against the darkness. The glow that seemed to emanate from her could also only be guessed at. Had it become fainter in the time it had taken them to get closer?

Kera spotted them. She stretched out her arms and smiled. Piccolo registered that she had been crying, for narrow streaks adorned her face, but Piccolo didn't stop to think about it, instead he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

She pressed herself tightly against him and sobbed out loud once. Then Menka was with them and pressed himself against her as well. Here, in this black endless space where there seemed to be no time, they were finally reunited.

Even though it was only their souls nestling together, Piccolo felt Kera's presence almost physically. He felt whole again. The missing part of his soul had finally returned.

Looking down at Kera, he knew she felt the same. Her outline grew stronger, standing out more clearly against the surrounding blackness.

'Mum, at last we've found you!' cried Menka, breaking the silence between them. She smiled happily at her mother from below.

'My little one. How did you manage to do that?' She looked from Piccolo to Menka and back again in disbelief.

'Long story. Now it's important that we get you out of here,' Piccolo replied.

'And how?'

'Dende and I have thought of something. The two Dark Ones ...'

'The Dark Ones?', Kera interrupted her daughter.

'That's what we call Aitor and Malaha when we talk about them.'

'I see. Sorry, go on, please.' She looked at Menka in an encouraging way.

'Does the Evil Containment Wave mean anything to you?' Kera shook her head. 'It's a technique for locking souls in a sealed container. For that, though, the two Dark Ones would have to leave their bodies.'

'And therein lies the problem,' Piccolo took over the narrative. 'They certainly won't give up your bodies willingly. We would have to ...'

'... bring us to the brink of death.' Kera nodded in understanding. 'And that will be difficult because Vegeta and I know how to defend ourselves.'

'We fear that by now Aitor and Malaha have also had enough time to familiarise themselves with your bodies to put them to good use. They also have magic, which gives them another advantage.'

'What's the plan?'

Menka took the floor again. 'Papa and I will give you as much energy as we can. Then we hope you'll be able to push Malaha back far enough that she'll leave your body more or less willingly, and then we can trap her soul.'

'What about Vegeta?'

Evasively, Menka looked up at Piccolo. 'Kera wouldn't like that part of the plan.

'The others are fighting him. 'We trained for days after we learned that you and Vegeta were trapped in your bodies,' Piccolo replied.

'To then kill him?' cried Kera angrily.

'We just need to ... damage his body enough for Aitor to come out. Menka and I can catch the two souls. We have provided vessels.'

Kera closed her eyes for a moment and took one deep breath.

'Good. Loosen my ropes.' She gestured downwards.

There was a thick rope looped around her feet, making it impossible for her to move from the spot. Piccolo hadn't noticed it before.

'Why ...?

'Why didn't I untie it myself?' She bent down and touched the thick rope, which was wrapped several times around her ankles. Immediately, bluish flashes came out of it and she jerked her hands away, her face distorted with pain. 'That's why.' She shook out her hands.

'I see. Menka, you help me. Once the restraints are off, we need to send your mother the energy and get out of here as quickly as possible.'

Menka nodded and got into position. Piccolo looked Kera firmly in the eye once more.

'I'll see you later. Come to the roof.' He let his lips melt into hers once more. A brief but passionate kiss. Then he bent down and reached for the shackles with Menka.

Kera:

It hurt to loosen the chains. Menka and Piccolo groaned and moaned. Kera helped as best she could and stretched her legs again and again until she could finally get her feet out of the rope.

Gratefully, she smiled at her daughter and her mate, who looked at her with confidence. She would escape from this prison and finally embrace her family again.

Suddenly the golden thread trembled. The whole environment seemed to shake, as if the space around her contracted for a moment.

'Malaha knows I am free. Quick!'

Piccolo and Menka reached for the link at the same time. Immediately Kera felt energy rising within her. Piccolo and she had not used this link to exchange energy for years because it had not been necessary. She had almost forgotten what it felt like. Like a rush. Every nerve cell seemed to be addressed simultaneously. The tips of her hair tingled all the way down to her toes. She looked at her hands and smiled.

Her outlines were clear again. Since she had been locked in her own body, the lines had faded more and more, no longer had a sharp outline. That must mean that her soul was slowly dissolving, as Aitor had threatened. But now she was strong again.

'Thank you. Take care of yourselves.'

There was no time for long goodbyes. Again everything around them shook.

Piccolo and Menka turned around and disappeared into the darkness. The golden thread, that wonderful connection to Piccolo, became brighter again, stronger, wider.

Kera didn't know exactly how, but she would regain control of her body and get Malaha to finally disappear from her.

"Malaha!" she called the mage's name.

"You won't be able to do anything!", Kera heard her own voice strangely distorted from all sides at once. "You're not strong enough to drive me away!"

"We'll see about that," Kera muttered to herself. She concentrated, reached out to the miraculous energy within her and held out her hand. She smiled as a ball of energy formed on her palm.

As there was no up and down, no right and left, no single boundary in this space, she simply let the ball fall. She watched the light of the energy dim and eventually disappear. She counted.

Nothing happened for three seconds, then she heard a scream and a bright flash of light came from the direction the orb had disappeared. It had hit Malaha. Somehow or somewhat.

"Give it up, Malaha! That's my body!"

Now she immediately let two balls of energy form in her hands. One she dropped, the other she threw over her. Again they disappeared from her field of vision, it went dark around her again until it flashed from both directions. And again she heard Malaha scream.

Was she imagining it or was it getting brighter? The room was no longer the all-dominant black, more of a washed-out grey. Kera spun on her own axis and looked up. Yes, there was a light shining above her. Determined, she moved towards it. It wasn't like flying or running, but as if she simply formed the wish in her head that she should move towards this light and she did.

The light grew brighter, bigger, until Kera realised what it was. It was not just a light. She could see through Malaha's - through her own - eyes.

Fascinated, she looked at the surroundings for a moment. It seemed like an eternity that she had seen the real world. When Malaha had taken control of her body, she had seen almost everything Malaha had seen. Over time, the intervals at which she witnessed what was happening became shorter. She wondered if this too was a sign that her soul was weakening? And Malaha was getting stronger at the same time?

Kera forced herself to refocus her action on her goal. She would have plenty of time to think about it later, or not. It was important that she got out of here now.

Malaha knelt on the ground of the penthouse. In front of her were countless shards of glass. Kera concentrated. She wanted to see more. Where had the shards of glass come from?

"No! You're not going to take this away from me!" shouted Malaha. Her head jerked to the side, but Kera wanted Malaha to lift her head and look outside.

Slowly, wincing, Malaha lifted her head and looked outside. The pane of the long window front had been blown inwards. Kera ran a hand through Malaha's face and looked at it. She was covered in blood. Malaha had been hit by the flying splinters.

Kera did not know whether to feel satisfaction or pity. Satisfaction she decided then. Everyone had a right to life, but not in her body.

Again Kera let balls of energy form in her hands and let them fall downwards. Malaha screamed and curled up on the floor.

A movement caught Kera's attention and she forced Malaha to look outside again and she startled. She saw Krillin falling. He had been hit and was sinking down. He seemed to be unconscious. If he hit the ground from that height, he would die.

A flash of blond lightning whizzed over and caught him. 18! Relieved, Kera breathed a sigh of relief. Then she saw Vegeta - Aitor. His black cloak was torn and only vaguely resembled the noble garment he had worn. Blood ran down his arm and face and he was visibly out of breath.

"Aitor!"

Kera cursed. She had allowed herself to become too distracted. Malaha had been able to call her companion for help. The latter had heard her and was moving towards her. But someone stood in his way. Gohan, Kera quickly realised.

"Now go, to the roof!" she ordered Malaha and dropped two energy balls again. Malaha groaned in pain. She screamed and reared back. She closed her eyes so Kera couldn't see, but Kera forced her to open them again.

She made Malaha get up and run to the door of the flat. Malaha swayed, bumping into objects, door frames or tables again and again. She struggled against Kera. A silent battle of two souls fought in one body.

It was too risky for Kera to fly onto the roof. Malaha might gain the upper hand for a moment after all and make her crash. She had to take the stairs. Agonisingly slowly she worked her way forward. She hoped that, in the meantime, the others would be able to batter Vegeta enough to weaken him and Piccolo and Menka would be able to lock the dark mage in the vessel.

Every step was a struggle. Kera felt her energy slowly running low. She didn't want to - she couldn't give up now. She was so close to escaping from this prison - her own consciousness. Not much longer and she would be able to hold Piccolo and the children in her arms again. No, she would go on.

After what felt like an eternity, she reached the steel door to the roof. Malaha tried to turn around and take the stairs back down, but Kera mobilised the last of her strength and let her open the door. She stumbled onto the roof, held herself up for two more steps, then fell forward and hit the ground hard.

Small pebbles dug into her cheek. Kera inhaled sharply. She could feel her body again! Was it over? With difficulty, she turned her head.

About three steps away, Vegeta lay on his back. His eyes were closed. His chest was not moving. Was he dead?

Right next to him crouched Piccolo. He seemed out of breath and even looked a little pale around the nose. Menka stood to his right, Reyak to his left. Reyak was ready to fight, Menka had her hands stretched out in front of her. Was she going to make that mysterious attack?

Kera wanted to shout that surely it was too dangerous, but before she could open her mouth, a green swirl shot down on her and she closed her eyes. She would keep this body at any price!