Chapter Twenty-six - Unfolding the Truth

"I never dreamed any mortals would have that kind of power again." Mikomi said as Bardock left the ring. "Dead or not."

"Goku's still likely the stronger of the two." the Grand Kai informed. "Though the gap in their powers has never been that great since they arrived seven years ago. At least the finals will be..." He trailed off as a sudden feeling swept through him. He quickly raised an arm and waved it through the air. The mirror hanging above where he and the other Kais sat shimmered and a view of the world outside his mansion appeared.

"What is...?" the South Kai started. The golden clouds between Otherworld and the H.F.I.L. were turning red in a few places. Then a red light washed up through the clouds and toward the view point on the mirror. And then the image went blank for a moment and when it returned all was as it had been.

"What was that?" asked King Kai.

"An ill omen, I fear." said Mikomi softly. "Come Kibito, we need to have a look around. Zenryou."

The Grand Kai bowed his head slightly and then the two powerful Kais were gone. After they had departed he turned to the lower Kais. "I think it best we not speak of this to those here until we know what it was we saw." he said. "But perhaps it wise you return to your worlds and make sure nothing is amiss in the Mortal Plane."

"Yes, yes, that would be a good idea." said the East Kai.

H.F.I.L.

Nefaria gazed about at the infinite expanse of the H.F.I.L. in frustration. Ever since the Kais had caused her to lose her target she'd been unable to make further progress. She had found no trace of the Blood Crystal on her own and none of the rogues had surfaced. She stood now atop a tall mountain of stone hoping, in desperation, to see something with her eyes that her senses had missed.

But that hope vanished as she felt something that she didn't like. A presence that was growing. And then she saw the wave of red light racing up through the plane from the ground. It reached her a moment later and passed over her without issue as it proceeded toward the clouds above. But unlike the Kais she knew what had just occurred. "Damn it." she muttered, closing her eyes. -I wasn't able to stop it.-

-The Blood Crystal is destroyed?-

-Yes. And the energy... it came from below the H.F.I.L. which means...-

-It was in Hell.- the other responded. -But how is that possible? The Kais and I did not fight him there.-

-Perhaps the rogues moved it? Or their allies here in this realm did it.- Nefaria replied. -I should have looked into that possibility.-

-There's nothing we can do for now. Meet me in Hell, if he is truly free we must begin preparing to defeat him, somehow.-

-What about the Kais?-

-Those weaklings?- the voice scoffed. -There is only one Supreme Kai left. Trapping him is not an option now, the balance is already off enough. Besides, with the crystal in Hell he is already beyond their reach. Let the Kais deal with the mess on their end, we have our own problems.-

-Understood.-

Planet Vegeta, Sai-jin Palace, Conference Room 14

It had taken a little time to get the kids to head off. They'd had Akemi go over what she'd seen until they thought they had it all and then had sent them off so they could discuss matters in greater detail. Sakura had been persistent about being told what Hotaru had meant by 'The Oracles' but had eventually given up after a glare from her mother following the tenth time being told to forget about it.

Now both Vegetas, Bulma, Piccolo, Raditz, Tien, Vadora, Yamcha, Hotaru, Krillin, Mijima, Gainin, Sango, Gohan, Videl, and Nova were gathered in one of the conference rooms. "So," Piccolo began as the last of them took their seat. "What had you meant by 'The Oracles' earlier?"

Hotaru was silent for a while before she answered. "There is a legend on Tanaria." she began. "A legend that was ancient even before our weakening. An alien ship crashed on our world, only three of those on the ship survived. At the time... my people were still very primitive, they couldn't grasp that these people were from another world, let alone another galaxy."

"Wait, another galaxy?" Krillin asked.

Hotaru nodded. "Yes, that is where we believe that they came from now, based on what we still have of where they said they were from. It's been at least seventy-five thousand years, though. Anyway, the three who survived came to be known as The Oracles and, for decades, guided my people. They avoided giving us too much too fast but they taught us much. Better methods of building, how to forge iron, the means to harness electricity, and so on.

"They also talked often of the Kais. More than just of their existence but of their nature as the protectors of the universe. They told us that the Kais haven't always existed, they were created by a higher power to watch over the universe." Hotaru bit her lip as she thought about the rest of what The Oracles had said. Now that she was talking about it she was beginning to doubt her earlier thoughts that it was possible.

Sango watched her friend for a while and after several moments of silence decided to continue the story herself. "The Oracles," she began. "They believed in a greater power than the Kais. A being that had single handedly created everything there is, the Kais included, and of which all life is a part of. They said that the creation of a Kai begins within this being and is then carried out through the living world."

"What's that mean?" asked Videl.

"It means they believed that all Kais were born, first, as living mortals." Hotaru explained. "That their life as a mortal was a means of training them to be their protectors later. They said that they had only ever experienced this event once, it had occurred in their own peoples thousands of years before. The Oracles said that because of this experience they knew how to tell who was destined to become a Kai."

Sango was watching her friend again as she thought about what had lead the Queen to connect Akemi's powers to the teachings of The Oracles. And then something Sakura had said clicked in Sango's mind. "No way..." she breathed softly.

"What is it? I'm completely lost..." Krillin asked, confused.

Hotaru glanced over to Sango and the two met each other's gaze. It was Sango that spoke, remembering Sakura's earlier words. "She can even leave her body..."

The Queen nodded. "'Spirit Walking' is what they called it."

"Spirit Walking?" asked Bulma.

Hotaru nodded again. "Yes. The ability for a person's spirit to leave their body and move about the world freely. It is said to be a..."

"Divine power." Piccolo finished for her. "It is. I know of it from Kami's memories. Only those with some connection to Otherworld have such an ability."

The Queen let out a deep breath. "So then... if Akemi truly can do that..."

"Hey, Piccolo." Gohan started. "Is it true? That people become Kais?"

The Namek furrowed his brow in thought. "I don't know." he said at last. "My knowledge, Kami's knowledge, of the other planes, and of the way the afterlife works, is limited. Guardians are only granted the knowledge and powers needed to do their own duties."

"It's not that far fetched, I guess." Tien added. "I mean, we already know that Guardians are chosen from the living."

"But... Akemi's just a kid." said Vadora. "I think it's kind of early to be making such big assumptions as this."

They all stayed silent for a while after that, considering the possibilities and the implications to it. Many of them realizing they'd never really considered it before. Never gave a thought to a question that seemed... so obvious to them now. Where, exactly, do the Kais come from?

"I can probably make a few inquires." Piccolo said. "Someone in Otherworld should be able to tell us one way or the other."

He didn't get an answer for a while. Hotaru just stared at her hands not moving for several moments. Then she turned and looked toward Yamcha for a second before giving a single slow nod. "If you could, Piccolo..."

The Namek nodded. "I'll go speak with Dende and see if we can contact King Kai." he said moving toward the door. "I'll let you know what I find out. In the mean time you should organize a plan in case things go as badly as Akemi and Vegeta have seen."

H.F.I.L.

Mikomi gazed about the H.F.I.L. as she and Kibito descended into the plane through the clouds. Nothing seemed particularly off at first glance. "It troubles me, that the disturbance came from down here." Mikomi said softly.

"It would seem that Zenryou was right." Kibito said as they landed. "It was not Majin Buu's return that we had been feeling."

"No, apparently not." she replied. "But there was some cause. Perhaps the imbalance has lead to more problems than we first believed." Mikomi sighed a little, her eyes turned toward the ground.

Kibito knew then that her mind had gone back to her friends and allies of old. All of them now gone. He was about to say something to comfort her when he sensed something behind him and turned to look. "What!" he cried in shock. His voice got her attention and she turned as well catching only a quick glimpse of what he'd seen.

"Was that... a Demon!" Mikomi wondered in surprise. "But... what would a Demon be doing outside of Makai?"

"Perhaps they are the cause of what happened?" Kibito suggested. "Could it be... would he go that far?"

Mikomi looked at her tall companion for a minute as she considered the same thoughts as him. "Dabura knows that balance is needed to maintain the realms." she said after a moment. "Surely he wouldn't consider..." She stopped as she remembered her last encounter with the Mazoku King.

"Previous Mazoku Kings have attempted invasions of the realm before." Kibito said.

Mikomi nodded. "Yes, intending to trap the Kais so as to preserve the balance while still taking control of the realm." she said. "But why would Dabura do this now? I have been the last Supreme Kai for nearly two thousand years and he has always been stronger than I. I believe that Neikan and Aku are both close to my power, if not stronger, as well. And he has aided us before..."

Kibito shook his head. "I do not know." he said. "What should we do?"

Mikomi stood in thought for a moment. "Kibito, return to Zenryou and inform him of this possibility. I will search the H.F.I.L. for any Demons that may have come through already and see if I can obtain some answers."

"At once." Kibito said before vanishing.

Earth, The Lookout

Dende was standing on the northern edge of the Lookout, with Popo, gazing down at the Earth and off into the distance toward North City. Or rather, what was left of North City. Dende had felt an energy, a presence of some kind, something evil, and had moved to investigate. When he had reached where he now he stood he saw a flare of red light from North City and then an incredible explosion came from the plant there.

He could tell that whatever had happened had not been a simple mechanical failure as the people of Earth currently believed. But he was uncertain as to the cause. Now that the light had gone he could no longer sense the evil he had earlier. He had spent the last several minutes searching the surface of planet, along with Popo, in the hopes of locating some answers but... none were forthcoming.

He was so lost in his efforts that, at first, he missed the telepathic nudge of someone trying to contact him. It wasn't until the other Namek got a bit more forceful in his attempts to gain attention that Dende finally felt it. -Piccolo?- he wondered, recognizing the 'voice' of the thoughts in his mind.

-About time, I've been trying to reach you for the last ten minutes.- Piccolo said.

The young Guardian could tell the other was irritated. -Sorry Piccolo. There was an... explosion in North City.-

-I know. Mijima got a call about it about a half hour ago. But why are you looking into it?-

Dende sighed. -Because it wasn't natural. It wasn't a mechanical failure like they think. There was a red light and... a presence. An evil.- Dende went quiet for a moment before continuing. -And that feeling I've had the last few months, it intensified for a moment, just before the explosion. It's gone now, but...-

-Right.- Piccolo replied. -Then you have something else to ask King Kai about.-

-Something else?-

-Yes. How much do you know about Kais?-

Dende blinked as he turned from the edge of the Lookout. "Know about the Kais?" he asked aloud, gaining Popo's attention. "What do you mean Piccolo?"

-I mean about their creation. Where they come from.-

-I... never really considered it before.- he responded, returning to telepathic communication. -I mean...-

-Neither had I, but... something has come up here that has raised the question. There is a... remote possibility that... Kais begin as mortals. And that Akemi is a future Kai.-

-Akemi? Hotaru and Yamcha's second daughter?-

-Yes.- Even through the mental link Dende could hear the other Namek sigh. -Right now it's just a consideration based ancient legends and some rather... unusual abilities possessed by the girl. Possibly including Spirit Walking.-

Dende's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Spirit Walking! Are you certain?" he cried, forgetting once again, in his shock, that he didn't need to speak.

-Not entirely. Sakura claims that Akemi can do it but I have yet to witness it. She also apparently has the ability to see the future, something she seems to have in common with Vegeta. She also displayed telekinetic abilities more advanced than Hotaru's ever seen.-

"I see..." Dende said softly. "I will attempt to contact King Kai and ask about Akemi, as well as what occurred here. But I believe he has gone to the Grand Kai's world for a tournament occurring in conjunction with the Galactic Games."

-All the better. If King Kai doesn't have answers maybe the Grand Kai will.-

Otherworld, King Kai's Planet

King Kai was still checking his galaxy for anything unusual, as he had been for nearly forty minutes, when he felt Dende's 'call'. At first he didn't know what it was, because of his focus, but as he cleared his mind curiosity overcame him. He'd scanned over the Earth just a few minutes ago and hadn't noticed anything... "Dende?" he asked, turning to face the Earth's direction.

-Ah, King Kai. I thought you were on the Grand Kai's world?-

"I had been, but I needed to check on some things." the Kai replied, clasping his hands behind his back. "What can I do for you?"

-A few matters.- the young Guardian replied. He was uncertain as to which to bring up first. Finally deciding he continued. -The first of which involves an explosion that occurred here on Earth a little over a half hour ago.-

"Explosion?"

Dende sighed. -I had been sensing something was off for some time.- he said. -Then, just a little more than a half hour ago, the sensation intensified greatly. I looked to investigate the source and saw a red light come from North City only seconds before whatever energy it was caused the reactor of a plant there to explode.-

"A... red light, you said?"

-Yes.-

"Hmmm." King Kai's antennae twitched as he zeroed in on the Earth and took a much closer look at the planet and North City. The time frame matched up and the light... it definitely warranted investigation. It only took a moment to locate the damage done by the blast. Buildings still burned, thick black smoke was rising into the air, and... something felt off.

He focused more on the location and the sensation until what he was feeling came into focus. "So, it is related." King Kai said softly.

-What's related?- asked Dende.

"Not long ago, shortly after the recent matches ended on the Grand Kai's world, we saw a red light washing up from the H.F.I.L. and through Otherworld." the small Kai explained. "Apparently there is a small tear between Otherworld and the Mortal Plane in North City. So the light we saw was likely the light you saw. The explosion, though... I will bring this matter up with the Grand Kai when I return to his world and let you know what I find."

-Thank-you, King Kai.-

"You said you had a few matters you wished to discuss?"

-Ah, yes. There is one other thing. Piccolo contacted me just a few moments ago to ask an... interesting question...-