A Reflection of the Past! New Goals Found

The inside of the ship is silent, minus Zamasu giving some news to the group riding along. "The trip to Vampa will be a long one. I suggest doing some training in the meantime. Goku, you'll have to train on your own. I have something I need to get done."

Receiving nods from everyone, although Goku is disappointed, Zamasu leaves the room. He travels through the ship, eventually ending up in the bedroom he has begun to call home. Zamasu sits down on his bed, staring out into space. He closes his eyes, and his mind drifts to the thoughts he has been pondering.

Ever since the battles in this timeline have begun, Zamasu has had very little time to ponder his past. There was one time in the hospital, but that was short-lived as Namek came right after. He never had the opportunity to reflect until the sorceress.

That sorceress showed Zamasu things he had forgotten, things he wished to keep buried with his new knowledge of life at hand. Mortal lives are so fleeting, so insignificant. He saw them as a pest, something that tarnished the creation of the gods. Only now does he realize how much mortals help creation.

Mortals are a bit of an enigma in their creation. Why create lesser creatures when the gods already exist? Why must there be fallible beings on the planets that Kais strive to perfect? Zamasu never knew the answer to those questions.

While he still believes he doesn't know, Zamasu is sure he's reaching an answer. Every time he has seen mortals since his punishment, he has seen wonders of technology and beauty that never would have existed without their influence. He is still in disbelief at the prospect, but mortals seem to cultivate creation even more than the gods themselves have. Zamasu highly doubts that the ever stoic Kais, or even the almighty angles, could find the same discoveries mortals have. If they could, no god would ever be surprised, given their ages to find said discoveries. And yet, the kais and angles alike are still surprised. Even Zeno-sama, on occasion.

Something exists in these mortals that makes them a fundamental part of a functioning universe. Considering the mortal level system that Zeno-sama has in play, it would make sense that something important exists in these mortals for the Omni-king to rank them so.

"It seems my little minion is finally realizing something important!"

Zamasu smiles slightly, despite himself. "Oh? And what is that?"

Chronoa-sama has been a constant companion for Zamasu, someone he can rely on completely throughout his journey. Despite his attitude initially, Zamasu has grown quite fond of the Supreme Kai. She is the only person he feels truly connected to, even with his growing relationship with Goku, and by extension, the Son Family.

"Oh, how flattering! I can't believe you think so highly of me Zammy!"

"Don't flatter yourself, Chronoa-sama. You simply give me the company is all."

"Aw, I'm not special?"

"No. You are very special."

Zamasu smirks as he can mentally feel Chronoa's embarrassment through their telepathic link. For all of her knowledge and power, Chronoa is a teenage girl at heart, and most likely will continue being so until her reign ends.

"A-Anyways, you were really getting on something with the mortal level system Zeno created!"

This causes Zamasu to arc an eyebrow in interest. "Oh really? And what was I getting at?"

"Well, you see, you were right in thinking that mortals are a fundamental part of any universe's functions. Gods are not almighty, no matter how powerful we may be. Even Zeno himself, despite his omnipotence, can't truly do everything. There are some things that gods simply can't comprehend. We are too far above the natural order to ever be influenced by it. We see the big picture, and I mean the BIG picture."

"Gods are fundamentally flawed in that we can't ever have the mentality needed to truly understand nature. We have no way to without removing our power and living on planets suited for life. So, despite creating the universes, we have no knowledge of how to truly live in it. We can keep it functioning, yes, but we can never truly appreciate our own creation due to its immense complexity."

"This is where mortals come in. Due to a mortal's short life-span and limited abilities, they can truly understand the meaning behind nature. They can find value in even the simplest of items and create wonders out of them, something the gods could never do in the same situation."

"In short, gods are the ones keeping the natural order of things, but mortals are the ones cultivating and improving the universes through their progress. Bad mortals can reverse that, so Zeno created the mortal level system. With it, we can keep tabs on the universes that are doing well mortal-wise, and those that are not."

Zamasu's eyes, wide in surprise by this point, close slowly once more. "I never realized how important mortals can be. And, I must say, I can agree with you on our limited viewpoints. I never would have realized what can be done with nature if not for this punishment."

Chronoa giggles inside of his head. "Yep! You really are starting to understand the importance of mortals! You are even making some good friends too!"

Zamasu smiles and nods. Goku and his family, his friends that call themselves the Z-Fighters, all of them are good people. Cheelai, Toga, Saigo, all kind and determined mortals that fight for what they believe in. Vegeta… well, he has passion.

The kai-saiyan frowns slightly as he suddenly gets a thought. "Oh, Chronoa-sama, I have a question."

"Yeah, what is it?"

"What is the mortal level of Universe 7 and Universe 10, if I might ask? I've never asked Gowasu, and I am curious about Universe 7, since I reside in it currently."

Silence. If there was ever a bigger sign of trouble, Zamasu doesn't know any. Zamasu frowns deeply, instantly growing worried with Chrono-sama and her potential response. "Chronoa-sama? What is it?"

"Well… Universe 10 is in 8th place of the 12 universes."

Zamasu blinks. "Well, that isn't very good. I thought that would be better with Gowasu and Kusu there. Although, Rumsshi is quite overly cautious and can have a temper, a bad combination."

"Yeah, that can be it. And for Universe 7… it's second to last."

This surprises Zamasu. "Really? Second to last, even with mortals like the humans and Heras? Was it the saiyans that dropped it so much?"

"No, no! The saiyans weren't that bad! They actually were quite beneficial in keeping the mortal level higher! No, you should blame Frieza and Majin Buu for reducing the mortal level. Only 28 advanced civilizations exist in Universe 7 now."

One particular name interests the kai. "Majin Buu? A demon of pure evil. Interesting. I can see how that would cause issues. But… did Beerus-sama really not try to take care of him?"

"Hmph. Beerus thought it would be too much of a hassle to take care of Majin Buu! Look where that got his universe! I don't understand how he can be so lazy sometimes!"

Zamasu nods in agreement. "I will admit, for all of Beerus-sama's strength, he can be incredibly inadequate at his job. Anyway, despite the less than ideal mortal levels, why were you silent? These don't seem like something to worry about too much."

"...Zeno plans on erasing all universes below a mortal level of 7 in 18 years, during age 780. Only the top four universes exceed an average of 7 on the mortal level scale."

This makes Zamasu pause. He takes a moment to process Chronoa's words. Very suddenly, a deep, powerful dread descends on Zamasu. "T-That means…"

"Universe 7 and Universe 10 will be erased in 18 years' time if they are not brought above an average of 7."

Zamasu gulps, sweat trailing down his face. "A-And what are their mortal levels currently?"

"Universe 10 is at 4.96, while Universe 7 is at 3.18. It'll take years of effort to increase them to 7."

Zamasu shakes his head, his mind swimming with this information. "I… I see. I'm sorry Chronoa-sama, I think I need a moment."

"...Yeah, that might be for the best. I'll leave you alone. Take care, ok Zamasu?"

Zamasu nods, and he feels Chronoa recede from his mind. The kai sits down, the information he just learned spinning round and round inside his mind. Zamasu looks out of the window that is in his room, staring at the stars beyond, the beauty of space in Universe 7.

"It seems I have another goal now. I cannot let this universe or my universe be erased. I need to find a way to increase their mortal levels."

A pause of silence.

"...The saiyans might be just the way to do it."

The book shuts quietly as Chronoa looks at you. "Let's keep this short, I still feel upset for telling Zamasu that stuff."

"This chapter was shorter due to the magnitude of the information Zamasu just learned. Adding what comes next would ruin the mood, so expect another short chapter very soon. The author hopes you all enjoyed, and that you can leave a review of your feedback! It'd be well appreciated! Thanks for reading!"