Chapter 1 Familiar Omens

One year has passed since the multiversal Tournament of Power. In said competition, the z fighters had faced many never before seen opponents with equally impressive strength and abilities. Our heroes, the seventh universe team came out of the tournament victorious and they returned to their normal peaceful albeit strange lives. Little did any of them know that since the competition, two of the oldest and most heinous foes the earth had ever known and their armies had risen from the grave and they were brewing a scheme to make humanity and its heroes bow before them.

At Capsule Corp

Bulma was in the living room sitting on a couch taking a break from her various company tasks and inventing to watch some TV. Just then a now eighteen year old Trunks walked into the room setting his backpack down onto the floor. "Hey mom! Where's Dad?" Trunks asked peering over the back of the couch looking at his mother. "He and Goku left with Whis again" Bulma replied immediately not even looking away from the TV in a causal tone. "Aw man! I really wanted to go with him this time!" Trunks whined at the truth that he was left behind his father yet again, both from any father/son bonding and in power. "You'll get your chance one day kiddo, just be patient, your father can't ignore you forever" Bulma reassured her son turning around giving him a reassuring smile which he reciprocated. Both Brief family member's attention turned back to the screen when they heard a static sound and an emergency alarm blip interrupted Bulma's program. "Breaking news! Mere hours ago this remote village was a beautiful quaint thriving farmer town! Now the land has been scorched and soaked with the blood and cluttered with the bodies of its former inhabitants!" A very horrified sounding reporter informed on the screen talking into a microphone. The news then started showing image of the village's destruction, showing half the house wreaked and/or on fire, bodies littered the ground in various states of disembodiment and disfigurement with burns and entire organs and bones showing both in and outside them. "Oh my god..." Bulma and Trunks muttered in horror and disbelief at the devastation of the village, the former covering her mouth and tears beginning to show in her eyes. "It truly is something out of a nightmare here folks! I've never seen such horrific acts done to anyone ever! All of the village is dead so there is no definitive answer as to the cause of this tragedy, investigation is underway as we speak! However the hiker that discovered and reported this disaster has stated that he found a woman in her late forties clinging to life. She identified herself as Chao and she reportedly described monstrous creatures that were half machine and half demon! We'll keep you posted as this story continues to unfold!" The reporter concluded the story and the tv switched back to the program Bulma was watching before. The world's best scientist and her half alien son looked at each other silently asking themselves, who did it and why?

In a remote area of wilderness with a lush forest pot marked with tall rock pillar

Piccolo sat cross legged on top of the tallest of the area's pillars of rocks. The Namekian was attempting to meditate to increase his mental strength and endurance. However based on his slightly sweaty forehead, his mouth making a small frown and letting out a light growling, it was clear he was having difficulty. "Ugh...damn it! What is wrong with me? Ever since I got that weird feeling during the tournament I can't meditate properly anymore" Piccolo asked to himself frustrated at his wits end. If he couldn't find a solution soon he felt like he was gonna go ballistic. "Ughhh what a disappointment you turned out to be" a voice suddenly said in Piccolo's head in a disgusted tone startling the Namekian. "The hell?! Who said that?!" Piccolo asked aggressively turning around frantically trying to determine where the voice came from. "You know me...or at least, you used to, once upon a time, you even were me" the voice spoke again cryptically. "What are you babbling about?! Show yourself! Who are you?!" Piccolo screamed out to the mysterious voice determined to get to spill the beans on its identity and origin. "Ha! Ha ha ha!" The voice just laughed in Piccolo's head gradually dying down and disappearing as suddenly as it came. "The hell was that? I've never heard that person before, and yet it sounded so familiar to me somehow?" Piccolo contemplated looking down on the ground once again feeling an instinctual call in his soul that urged him to come towards its source. Piccolo robotically turned to the opposite side of the pillar and almost took flight to where the sensation was pulling him towards when Gohan appeared on the scene. "Hey Piccolo! I've got a few hours before my next conference so I thought we could sneak in some tra...hey Piccolo you alright?" The eldest son of Goku asked concerned after noticing his life long friend and mentor was looking a little disheveled and looking out into the horizon blankly. Thankfully Gohan's voice did snap Piccolo out of his trance like state and he turned to look at his pupil attempting to appear normal. "Ohh! Uhhh yes! That is a good idea, Gohan. Glad to see your sticking to your promise to train more consistently" Piccolo agreed at first stuttering nervously then gradually steading his speech until it sounded almost like it usually did. Despite the course correction Gohan still picked up that something wasn't quite right. "Piccolo I'm not oblivious like my dad, I haven't said anything about it up until now but this past year I've noticed that your not yourself" Gohan lamented walking closer to Piccolo. "I'm not? Uhhh...how so?" Piccolo inquired even though deep down he already knew Gohan's answer. "Your constantly spacing out, you seem tired all the time and you're senses and skills in our training sessions have been on a steady decline, it's pretty obvious even my dad picked up on it, and you know how oblivious he can be, so what's going on?" Gohan explained his observations before asking his own question. Piccolo stared at his pupil uncertainly before sighing and closing his eyes as he began to put his predicament into words. "Starting around the tournament of power, I've had this strange feeling lingering within me Gohan. It's been practically hanging over my shoulder all year, sometimes it intensifies and pulls me towards somewhere or someone but I don't know who" Piccolo confessed his troubles to his best friend in a worn out voice communicating how much the phenomenon was disturbing him. "Hmm? That is bizarre, even by our standards. Well maybe the next time you feel that pull Piccolo maybe you should following it and seeing where it leads" Gohan suggested. "Maybe but a part of me is warning me not to, that the sensation will lead me to my death or something, I really don't know what to do Gohan" Piccolo argued back conflicted over Gohan's suggestion and the back of his brain telling him no. "Well Piccolo it's your decision at the end of the day, whichever one you choose I'll support it and I'll help you through this, that's what best friends are for right?" Gohan comforted his struggling Namekian companion. Piccolo smiled slightly, hiding how touched he was by Gohan's unwavering love and respect for him, he never felt like he truly deserved Gohan as a friend but was glad he was nevertheless.

At the Satan City school district a few hours later mid afternoon

Little three year old Pan stood idly near the school entrance waiting for her mother to come pick her up. "Hmm seems your mom's running late Pan, I'll stay out here with you until she comes ok?" A teacher standing next to Pan said to comfort the toddler. "Aw you don't have to Miss Janet, I can watch mysel-ahhh!" Pan was cut off when the cars and the street itself ahead of the school facilities suddenly exploded nearly toppling her and Miss Janet to the ground from the shockwave of the explosions. The commotion led to many students, their parents and teachers to panic and flee school grounds. "Pan! Are you alr-ugh!" Miss Janet couldn't finish as a purple narrow beam of ki shot of the smoking street piercing her heart and killing her instantly. Pan was left traumatized and frightened more than she ever had been in her short life. This would only get worse as a chilling voice rang out amongst the screams of panicked residents and fire's sizzling. "So this is Gohan's little girl heh? Aren't you just adorable" the voice said in an almost predatory manner. Pan looked out the firewall of burning cars having heard the voice coming in that direction. Seconds later pink irised eyes popped out of the flames. Gradually more of the figure revealed itself, turning out to be insect like in appearance, its skin being half crimson red and the other half being green with black dots except for its evilly smiling face and hands which was a ghostly white. It was then that Pan noticed that this creature was holding her mother by her shirt collar unconscious. "Momma!" Pan cried out for her mother but she didn't respond, leaving the granddaughter of Goku at the mercy of this thing that now stared down into her soul.

Meanwhile in Krillin and Android Eighteen's house in another part of Satan City

Android Eighteen was helping her thirteen year old daughter Marron with what looked to be a cowgirl outfit with a brown leather shirt, jeans and a classic basket straw hat. "He he! You know Marron you don't have to dress up like a cowgirl just because you're attending agricultural classes" Android Eighteen giggled making light on her daughter's weird fashion choices as she finished buttoning up her jeans. "I know that mom but it feels right to wear this kinda outfit when I am basically learning to be a cowgirl! Te he!" Marron squealed justifying her attire. "Agricultural class only teaches you how to grow crops Marron, not how to raise cattle or any other farm animal silly!" Android Eighteen corrected Marron rubbing her hair affectionately with one hand while her other held her boots open to allow Marron to put her foot into it. "Welp! That's next on my agenda after I finish a few courses! I'm gonna ask uncle Seventeen and Goten to give me lessons about handling animals!" Marron happily shared her mother her plan for education. "My smart little girl, thinking ahead!" Android Eighteen praised her daughter hugging her warmly, ending only one they heard the front door open. "Hey! I'm home! Where are my two lovely ladies today?!" Krillin shouted throughout the house while taking off his police hat. "Here we are!" Marron replied happily running over towards her father her mother following closely behind both giving the man of the house a combined family hug. "I see your ready for your classes my little cowgirl!" Krillin joked at his daughter's expense. "Dad! I'm thirteen don't call me "little" it's embarrassing!" Marron told her father off indignantly yet was still giggling. "Sorry but to me you're still my little Marron!" Krillin apologized not apologizing giving her a nookie. After that the doorbell rang. "That must be Goten!" Marron guessed excitedly. "You and Goten have been getting pretty close lately Marron, is there something between you two we should know?" Android Eighteen teased giving two winks with one of her eyes. "What?! No! Of course not!" Marron denied the accusation flustered. "Heh heh ooook Marron, whatever you say...he he he!" Krillin desperately tried and failed to hold his laughter back being sarcastic about accepting Marron's denial. Eighteen opened the door to let Goten in but when she did, it wasn't the young late teen Demi saiyan. Instead it was some kind of weird looking man, with half of its skin being dark green freckled , claws on its skin and a kinda fish looking face. Unnoticed by everyone else in the room, his dark blue pants had a red ribbon army symbol imprinted. What made these thing even more freaky was that half its body was mechanical, the other half of its skin being a chrome metal and while one of its eyes was an organic white with a black irise, the other was a plain yet menacing optical sensor that glowed red illuminating the room with its glow. Marron and Krillin peeked their heads over noticing their wife/mother's change in demeanor and the elder of the two's eyes shrunk with fear instantly recognizing who this creature resembled, his first killer, Tambourine. "Well if it isn't Goku's little bald pal...bet you never thought you'd see again did you now? Heh heh heh...