Disclaimer: don't own DBZ

Warning: Violence/blood/gore, language as usual

CHAPTER 7: DEATH AWAITS YOU…

"Bardock……… Bardock……………"

'Oh great…it's one of those visions again…'

The warrior groaned. 'No wait…it isn't… every time I had one, I always had a headache and a feeling of sickness overwhelming me…and I don't really see anything either…' But the voice kept calling…

'What the hell's going on?… Is this a dream… or still a vision?' He saw nothing but pure darkness in front of his eyes. 'If this really is a vision…I should be seeing something soon, but no…'

"Bardock……… Death… awaits you………"

'Nani? …' The voice stopped. But his ears picked up a new sound… the faint sound of trampling of hoofs… The sound became more and more louder. A dark figure seemed to slowly break through the thick fog in front of Bardock's eyes.

The trampling hoofs still continued and rang throughout Bardock's skull, as if resonating against every corner of it, amplifying the sound every time. The figure became more distinct against the background of darkness. But the sight wasn't like any Bardock had ever laid eyes upon.

The sound stopped and all was silent. Eerie silent. The creature stood right in front of Bardock, at least, had he been awake. He still didn't know whether he was or not. The creature was a great, ashen horse, with burning crimson eyes. Sharp talons on each paw dug deeply into an invisible ground.

Its rider wasn't any less intimidating. Bardock assumed he was male, he couldn't really see as the horseman was fully clad in hellish black robes and cloak. Across his back, a long scythe was attached. A clawed hand, the only part visible from the actual body, held a strange kind of sword. It had the shape of the blade of a scythe, but emitted a dark blue glow. The aura surrounding the horseman seemed to suck away life itself around him. His face was hidden under his hood, but Bardock felt his piercing eyes staring at him.

The longer he looked at the sight before him, the more a sense of vertigo crept upon him, as if the still invisible 'floor' under him would collapse any second and pull him into oblivion. And the black creature continued to stare at him and look right through his body into his soul.

Bardock knew it had to be a dream… or not? The creature seemed so real… and somehow… so familiar. This nightmare had to end… but it just got worse.

The creature raised his hand and tormenting slowly pulled away the hood. Bardock looked up… into his own face.


Bardock jumped awake. He sat upright in a large four-poster, within blood red, expensive-looking sheets. He blinked a few times before the memories of the last few days dawned on him, and he realised where he was. And that was luckily not near that black-clad creature. "What the hell was that thing…… that 'dream', if it already was one, was so… vivid………" 'Especially the ending… what the hell…'

As if on cue, someone suddenly tapped on the door of his room. The door swayed open to reveal the form of Kira.

"I see that you've at least had some sleep…" She looked to the now (except for a few empty plates) empty table "and ample of food. Come, we shall continue the training." Kira turned around and walked into the corridor.

Bardock got quickly up from the bed and went after her. Once at her side, he noticed she was grinning. 'What the hell's so funny…'

"You look so pale, Saiyan… had a bad dream?" She still grinned.

"… Er… What do you mean?…"

"Ashen horse… dark rider clad in black robes… a scythe and a mysterious sword… sounds familiar?"

"… How… How do you know?…"

"Death…" Kira smirked "It's not a dream…"

"Nani?"

"What do you think you saw at the end of your 'dream'?"

"Er… I don't know…"

"You saw your own soul, warrior…"


He had no idea where he was or why he was running. He looked through his own eyes, but it was as if he had no control of his own body… his mind was thinking passively from his body. While his body ran, he managed to observe the area around him.

He was in some kind of wasteland or desert… all vegetation was dried up, he saw several ruins what must have been houses and buildings once, skeletons of animals or something else and the stench of drought and death hung in the air. The sky was blood red, and the hot sand wore the same colour. There was no cloud, sun, moon or star in the sky… just a vastness of crimson.

Finally, his body stood still. Someone or something was walking towards him in the upsweeping sand and the heat of the desert. Only the contours were visible, and it took a while for he started to see details. A few moments later, he could see the creature clearly at a couple of metres, and it was still coming closer.

He was sure he had never seen it in his entire life… but it seemed so familiar at the same time…

It wore armour that was even of a darker blood hue than the surrounding area. Sharp spikes adorned its shoulder pads, and on the breastplate stood the skull of a horned beast, three shining jade crystals imbedded right above it. Some odd sign was engraved in the skull's forehead, but he couldn't exactly decipher it. It wore black pants and red boots with golden lines that created a dull thud on the dry ground every time they came down and resonated in his skull.

Thick crimson blood dripped from the large blade of the creature's halberd, which it held in one hand while it rested upon its shoulder. At its belt hung a sheathed sword. The creature stopped right in front of him, towering above him as it was a lot taller than him. He gulped almost audibly when he looked up to the evil smirk that formed on the creature's face.

The face was actually humanoid, but looked more evil than he had ever seen before. Burning ebony eyes pierced right through him, into the core of his very being. Spikes of a hellish black colour surrounded the creature's face, and formed a long mane that went down to below his knees.

His eyes traced down, almost not daring to tear his eyes from that burning gaze, and his eyes fell upon a lashing, dark brown tail.

"NANI? THAT MONKEY?"

The creature shifted its arm and caught the halberd in its two hands. The smirk became even darker and an evil glint flashed in those ebony eyes, before it laughed out loud, the most demonic sound he had ever heard.

His eyes went wide when the creature drew the halberd back over its head, ready to slash him right into two pieces. The blade came down, he closed his eyes shut and brought his arms up to block the blow… but none came.

He blinked and lowered his arms… to see that he was somewhere else. He was in another wasteland… but it was totally different from the last one. The sky was almost black, and the sand or ground was somewhere between very dark blue and dark purple. But once again, he was in a nightmare-like area…

More skeletons adorned the ground than the red desert… and these were totally not just animals this time. Some were whole, others were totally torn apart, or just cloven. And others still had rotting flesh clinging to the bones.

'Nothing else around this time… Only death rules here, it seems…' How right was he…

All was silent, he thought … till a hollow sound from behind him reached his ears. "Trampling hoofs?…"

The sound became louder and louder, but he dared not to move. Fear had paralysed his body, so he couldn't either even if he had been able to move his body in the first place. He felt a moist, but icy cold breath in his neck, causing a strong shudder to run up his spine. Somehow, his body finally obeyed as he slowly turned around and staggered a few steps back at the sight before him.

A large, ashen horse looked down at him with eyes of pure fire. The same sign as on the red-armoured creature's breastplate adorned its forehead. Its rider was dressed in long, black robes, which hid even its face from sight. He could see a strange-formed sword attached to its belt under the cloak, but the long scythe on its back pulled his attention more.

The black-clad creature jumped from the horse's back and landed on the ground in front of him. Once again, he gulped.

The creature reached its hand up and pulled the hood away. The face had an equal evil smirk, accompanied by the same burning ebony of its eyes. There were differences from the other creature, because this one had a scar on its left cheek, it wore a scarlet bandana and the spikes of its hair stood in every direction, instead of falling back.

'Another monkey?…'

As if it found this its cue, it drew the scythe from its back. It didn't move its lips from that evil smirk, and still, he could hear a dark voice calling out his name, and… "Death awaits you…"

The creature before him now laughed as well, but it sounder colder and even darker, if even possible. The mere sound of it pierced through every bone and fibre of his body.

He looked up to see it swing the scythe back… and slash it into him in a wide arch. This time… the blow came.

With enormous pain and burning agony, the steel-cold blade cleaved its way into his body, to pull several torn organs, ripped bone-pieces and half his spine (which cracked apart) with on the way out.

His body fell. The sharp rocks of the ground pierced into his flesh, but that was but little pain compared to the rest. He still felt his intestines and the connected organs being pulled out of his open upper body. Even if he couldn't move a muscle, he felt the pain from all of them. His lifeblood slowly seeped away on the ground… but not the pain however, which increased by every beat of his torn heart.

He couldn't scream anymore… he was sure even his windpipe was now torn from its place.

Frieza woke up screaming, bathing in his own sweat.