Not everything may be foreseen.
Most Gods and mortals have lives that are tied to nothing; they tangle and wend here and there, according to no set plan.
But then there are those who wear their destinies like nooses, whose lives run straight as planks, however they try to twist.
It is these that the prophets and oracles may see, a fate foretold as has been written… or so it is said.
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How long before the noose tightens?
Son Gohan The Destroyer
Chapter Forty-Five
Threads of Fate
Check-in Station. The Otherworld.
Goku landed with a grunt of pain, dropping his unconscious comrades unceremoniously to the ground. A slick mixture of blood and mud splattered across the once pristine tiles as he dragged himself up to full height.
Several startled gasps erupted around him, as he attempted to take in his surroundings. He had locked onto King Yemma's Ki with the idea of getting back to Gohan as soon as possible, but what had greeted him was utter pandemonium.
Oddly, his perception must have been a little off. He hadn't appeared directly in front of the King of Ogres as he'd intended.
The dark, ruinous clouds that had encompassed Hell had reached as far as the Check-in Station. They thundered with an electrical charge that cast violet shadows over the great ancient temple.
Frantic voices, an amalgamation of languages and gruff, panicked shouts assaulted his ears. Throngs of souls drifted in between halo-topped bodies that were packed into the station like sardines.
He wasn't sure just what was going on, but the large crowd were shouting up to the hulking figure of King Yemma in the distance. He easily towered over them all, looking the most stressed that Goku had ever seen him. He was banging an enormous gavel upon his similarly gigantic desk - trying and failing to bring order to the chaos that unfolded around them.
"I-Is that Son Goku?!"
He turned, as a couple of frantic Ogres raced to their aid. One knelt next to a bloodied Makhai; his ginger hair matted with vicious red as it continued to ooze from his ears.
"Oh dear, he's one of the Kai's Guard -!" The shorter one spluttered, recognising the symbol on Makhai's tattered robes, "And that one too, we must inform King Yemma at once -!"
"Look after them, please," Goku instructed them hurriedly, "H-Heal them, if you can. I-I have to get back -."
He stopped short, his heart plummeted.
Gohan's Ki. It was -!
No… NO!
The terror nearly suffocated him, as he tried again, ramming his fingers against his temple to concentrate.
But it was no use.
He could still sense him; he was certain of it. The deep, imposing heat of his energy that battered against his senses, but for some reason, he couldn't reach him - couldn't lock on to it as though there was some sort of block preventing him from doing so.
Was this the damage he had caused himself? By intermingling the Kaio-ken with Super Saiyan Blue?
Unless…
"Dammit!" Goku roared, his Divine energy flickered in and out of existence, and caught the attention of several onlookers. Whispered mutterings broke out amongst the awaiting dead, though they wisely gave him a wide berth.
He shot off in the direction of King Yemma without hesitation. He would know a way back to HFIL, he was certain of it -!
A searing agony suddenly stopped him in his tracks. It erupted in his chest and shot outwards, white-hot daggers penetrating his every nerve as blood rushed into his mouth. He cried out and dropped to his knees, clutching at the gaping wound Black had dealt him and trying to stop more blood from coming forth.
"S-Son Goku, sir! Let us help you -!"
"N-No!" His breathing was sharp and haggard as he batted another attendant away, "I n-need to g-get to G-Gohan -!"
A strong hand - much stronger than the others that had tried to pull him back - clasped him on the shoulder and held him firm. The energy was dark, though not overly strong. He turned quickly, his gaze locking with a familiar looking spectre that loomed over him -
WHAM!
Startled and panicked, the force of Goku's punch was enough to send the figure flying. A rage-filled cry sang across the temple as he barrelled into the crowd of halo-topped souls. He hit the opposite wall with an almighty crash, a calamity of cracks stretching up and over the tall marble pillars that held up the roof.
Goku panted, collapsing back onto his hands and knees as his adrenaline finally faded. His injuries had taken hold - the burning heat from the hole in his chest, his muscle fibres torn and aching from where Zamasu's ropes had nearly crushed him.
His brain was clouded, foggy from blood loss and exhaustion. He wasn't even sure that what he just hit was even real or not.
An exasperated sigh came from behind him. "Father is going to be so pissed at you when he comes to."
"W-Wha -?" He mustered through another spasm of pain, as someone roughly hauled him to his feet.
"Seriously, just how much brain damage do you have, Kakarot?!"
The mention of his Saiyan name was enough to slap him to his senses. He blinked the blood and grit out of his eyes, looking up at the tall man who was undoubtably a fellow Saiyan. He looked… familiar.
"What the -?" The man growled in annoyance when he failed to answer, "Do you not know who I am?!"
He was momentarily stunned, taking in his long unruly hair, hulking stature, and cruel distasteful features. He was someone who he'd thought he would never set eyes on again, even in the afterlife.
"R-Raditz? Is that you?"
Raditz was positively seething, "Of course it's me! Gods above, I would have thought that even you would have been able to recognise your own brother - who you so mercilessly killed by the way!"
"T-That's not -," Goku started, but swallowed his anger, "Look, I haven't got time for this. My son needs me -."
"Idiot!" Raditz snarled and effortlessly pulled him back - much to his frustration, "You're too injured, what use are you to Gohan as you are?"
"H-How do you -?"
"Tch," he spat, still not letting go, "You really are dense - do you really think he would leave the legendary Z-Sword completely unattended?"
"W-Wait, you helped Gohan? B-But why?"
"Let's just say that what happened in the past has been put firmly behind us," Raditz shrugged, "Kid can really hold his ale."
"I-I'm not sure I'm following…"
"My nephew and I settled our differences like true warriors," he said, "We fought, we drank, we sang, we fought again, and he made his ancestors proud. We needn't say any more about it."
"But -!"
"You on the other hand, Kakarot, are still a downright disgrace," he sneered cruelly, "And the only reason I'm even entertaining having a conversation with you is because of your son."
Goku scoffed, "The same son who you kidnapped and threatened to - ?!"
"Oh, for the love of - why is everyone so obsessed with that?! It was ONE time!"
"You kidnapped -!"
"Oh please, it's not like I was the only one," he griped, "And I don't see anyone else getting murdered for it."
"What are you even doing up here anyway?" He was mad now, "Yemma sent you down years ago - like you deserved."
"Hell was evacuated if you must know," Raditz growled back, "We had no choice but to follow that halfwit's orders and seek refuge up here, lest we be annihilated by Perses and his entourage."
That explained why Hell had been deserted when they had arrived, he thought.
"I have to get back," he said again, his throat dry and hoarse, "I need to speak with King Yemma -."
Raditz shook his head, "There's no use in that."
"What do you mean?" He snapped.
"You can't go back there."
"My SON needs me!" Goku snarled, frustrated, "Of course I need to -!"
"Shut your wining trap!" Raditz chastised, holding him firmly by the arm, "You're so goddamn annoying!"
"Let go Raditz, I won't ask you again."
"Damn it, just listen -!"
"If you think that you've got a chance in hell of stopping me-!
"No, you fool! You could go and get yourself obliterated for all I care!" He bellowed, "What I mean to say is that you CAN'T go back, literally! All of Hell has been sealed away, letting nothing in or out! You can't go, Kakarot, because it is physically impossible!"
Raditz fell silent all too suddenly, looking as though he had said something he shouldn't have.
"I-It's sealed?" Goku uttered in disbelief, "But who would – they wouldn't. No, that can't be right! You're wrong!"
"I wish we were," a gruff voice cut through the air. "Turns out the Gods are just as desperate as you are to see an end to Perses – but it ain't gonna happen that easy."
The man, Goku realised, was the very person he had decked across the temple floor moments earlier. Another Saiyan, yet he could barely comprehend the similarities between them. It was like looking into a mirror, albeit a rather distorted one.
He observed him with a serious expression as he rubbed his reddening jaw.
"Speaking of desperate, what the hell was that for?" He growled, "I should have damn well left you to burn up in Frieza's death ball, instead of saving your ungrateful tailless backside!"
"Wishful thinking," Raditz muttered under his breath, earning himself a slap upside the head. "Ow!"
"At least wait until he stops bleeding out before you start tearin' each other apart," he griped "Your damned mother would have my tail."
Goku was beyond confused, "W-What -? Who are you?"
The strange man paused, giving him a long look which made him feel even more uneasy than before.
Raditz scoffed, "Told you, he forgot."
"That so?" The man rolled his shoulders after a moments more staring, "Well, ain't no use cryin' about it. Name's Bardock – I know who you are, Kakarot. I'm your old man."
"Old man – you mean -?"
"Our father," Raditz confirmed, then rolled his eyes, "Who art in Hell – or used to be at least."
"Oh," He mustered weakly, unable to tear his gaze away from this 'Bardock', "Well, you look a lot like me, so I suppose that makes sense – right?"
"Right," Bardock smirked, "Or rather, you look like me."
Goku didn't linger on his words, "You said that the Gods have sealed Gohan and Perses in Hell – but that it wouldn't work, how do you -?"
"We need to find mother," said Raditz, looking about him, "She must have gotten caught up in the crowd when we were evacuated."
"I don't have – Gohan doesn't have time!" He spluttered madly, "Can't you see what's going on?!"
"He can see a hell of a lot more clearly than what you can right now," said Bardock, his tone remained calm but razor sharp, "So you'd do well to put some pressure on that wound whilst we figure this shit out."
"I-I don't -."
"This isn't just about Gohan," Raditz chimed in, "The whole of Otherworld is in a state of chaos. Hellions like us have been displaced with nowhere to go, and freshly dead souls are stuck in limbo."
"Basically, it's a total fuckin' shit storm," agreed Bardock, "And that jolly red jackass is about to lose his mind."
Goku looked over towards King Yemma's desk, where the mob had gotten even larger – and rowdier.
Suddenly the temple shook with an agonising force, a violet shock of rip-roaring lightening clattered across the blackened clouds. He could feel the utter desperation in Gohan's Ki, and he felt sick to his stomach.
"Shit - Raditz, go and find your mother."
"But -!"
"I'm not asking."
Raditz swallowed his annoyance. Looking between them, his eyes lingered on Goku a moment longer before he tore himself away and disappeared into the crowd.
Another quaking roll of thunder escaped the depths of Hell, as Bardock placed a strong hand on his shoulder.
"Listen," he told him, holding his near frantic gaze, "We gotta talk."
"T-Talk? About what-?"
Bardock sighed, the heaviness dropped like a weighted brick in between them, "You might not care what this random old man has to say to you, but I know you'll listen."
He wasn't sure what he was getting at.
"You're a good man, Kakarot. A better man than I ever was," he said, "The way your kid talks about you, you'd think the sun permanently shines out your ass."
"Er, thanks I guess?" He felt the unease creep across his chest, intermingling with the pain from his wounds. "Is that what you wanted to talk about?
He shook his head, both hands on his shoulders now. For some reason, Goku didn't stop him.
"You got it in you to do the right thing, you always have," said Bardock, "You've gotta remember that, no matter what happens. Even when it involves your son."
"I… I don't know what you're getting at-!"
"Not here."
Bardock looked around him carefully, before the weight of his palms left him, and he began to lead him out of the temple.
"Wait -!" He followed blindly, "What about Gohan? What do you know?!"
He didn't answer him, not until they reached the edge of Snake Way. The giant marble open-mouthed snake surveyed them with cold dead eyes.
Whatever he had to say, he didn't want anyone else but them to hear.
"Before we talk, I gotta ask," said Bardock seriously, dark eyes observing the maelstrom of warring clouds hundreds of feet below them, "How much do you know about magical foresighted fish-faced aliens?"
HELL.
"My, my, Gohan - what have you done?"
Venom dripped loathsomely from each syllable as Perses' cold grey eyes burned into Gohan's own. The telling shards of steel glittered over the desecrated ground and clung to his clothes, his hair, drawing several welts of blood from his exposed chest where smaller remnants of the Z-Sword had exploded into him.
"You haven't thought this through, have you?" He goaded, not waiting for him to respond, "How do you think the Gods will react to such a heinous act? Do you think they will find forgiveness for such blasphemy? Consider it carefully now - is that why the lower Kais have been ordered to seal you in this realm alongside me? Albeit a pointless endeavour."
Gohan ground his teeth, "A-All that matters, is that you don't get your filthy hands on it."
"Is it really?" Perses' lip curled as his gaze slid to Pan's mutilated corpse, "My condolences by the way."
He skin crawled. "Y-You won't -."
"Then what is your plan? I am simply bursting at the seams with anticipation!" He laughed, throwing his head back towards the heavens, "Because whatever you do now won't save you from me - and your little gang of friends won't be able to run and hide forever. Your time is up."
The dizzy taste of blood exploded in his mouth as Perses wasted no time in striking him across the jaw. He fell back, grabbed roughly by the hair before he was kicked so hard he found himself skidding along the ground.
Despite his body screaming at him in alarm, Gohan dragged himself back to a shaky stance. He coughed up a mouthful of clotted blood, furiously wiping the sticky residue away from his mouth.
Perses observed him slowly. "And yet, you continue to rise against me - how curious. Tell me, is it your arrogance that fuels you? Or sheer stupidity?"
"I-I won't back down s-so e-easily," he shot back, gritting his teeth through the agony, "N-Not as l-long as I can still s-stand."
"Stupidity it is," Perses sighed, "Your efforts thus far may leave something to be admired, but you were doomed from the start boy. Your brief chapter in this world has reached its end, and now the final arc rests with me."
Gohan's power stuttered and sparked, an odd mixture of violet and gold, as he desperately tried to drag whatever was left of his resolve back to the surface. His hair shifted with the energy that whirled around his shaky form, awash with gold, then fuchsia and then black.
Perses laughed and lunged for him again.
He could barely block the heavy blows that came, each one smashing through whatever flimsy guard he could muster and landing with a gut-wrenching impact.
He couldn't believe that it had come to this, refused to believe it even. That after everything… everything he had done, how far he'd come - what he'd sacrificed - that he had amounted to nothing but Perses' punching bag.
Frustration roared into anger, exploding out of him like a beast clawing for dominance. His power surged in that moment, hair and eyes flickering through the lingering embers of his transformations. His fist collided with Perses' jaw, sending him falling back with a cry of pain.
But it was short lived.
Gohan hit the ground again in a pathetic bloodied heap, barely managing to keep his eyes open when his skull collided with the rock. His head was reeling from the brutality, he was in utter agony, blood pooled in his mouth so quickly he felt as though he was drowning.
Come to me.
A cool whisper lingered at his ear as he came round, and for a second he thought it may have been down to his concussion until he heard it again.
Devour you…
Wait, was that -?
Perses landed before him all too readily, a sneer etched upon his lips as a trickle of blood ran down his chin.
"There is a wildness to you," he told him, looking down his nose, "I can see it all too clearly, the seeds of darkness are already planted, just begging to bloom. The grief and rage in your heart ignites your power, yet it eats away at your soul just as savagely - you can hear it too, can't you? The call?"
Desperate souls… come to me… give in… let me… taste…devour you….
"Ah yes," Perses grinned widely, relishing in the dark symphony of Hell as it continued to echo around them, "I see it clearly now, your soul is damned just as much as mine. The boy who not only pulled sword from stone but destroyed it as well. I wonder, are you truly my destined adversary? Pity you did not amount to much."
Two damned souls bound to one another.
The prophecy, Gohan remembered, he had seen it in the storm of Perses' memories back in Aether's tomb. Yet even if the Oracle's foretelling was meant for him too, it wouldn't change anything here. He was losing, but he wouldn't - couldn't go down without giving absolutely everything he had.
He gritted his teeth, his fingernails raking through the sodden earth as he forced himself back to his feet. His legs were still shaking, but he fought to ignore it, along with the haunted hollers of Hell.
Perses sneered, "You really don't know when to give up, do you?"
"W-Well," Gohan panted, "Y-You're right about one thing at l-least."
His lips twitched, "You are still hopelessly deluded, even as you stand amongst the bodies. Why is it that you keep fighting for the ones who wronged you?"
"I don't -."
"I'll let you in on a little secret," he cut across him, "Much like you, I never liked to fight, yet despite it all duty was thrust upon me. As a child I watched everything I knew and loved burn, and this continued into my young adulthood. No matter how hard I tried, despite the want and need to fulfil my father's wishes, I failed just as you did."
"H-How do you even -?" Gohan started, yet reasoned that bastard Zamasu must have gotten more out of Master Zuno than he had originally anticipated.
One step ahead, he had always been one step ahead.
"I couldn't make sense of it at the time," Perses continued, taking a deadly step towards him, "But the more time passed did I realise that it was inevitable - the rise and fall of empires, and it was time for the end of the Tartarian reign no matter what I did. And so, it repeats again and again and again. You may see me as nothing more than a power-seeking monster, but power is fleeting. What I seek is the beginning, so that I can finally bring this cycle of violence and death to an end. Do not pretend that you don't want it too! You have been wronged by everyone you have ever cared about, don't you see?"
"W-Whatever Zamasu t-told you about m-me was b-bullshit," Gohan spat, rage bubbling up from his chest as his eyes flashed back to green, "I-I may have not l-liked c-conflict, but I fight to h-help p-people - to m-make sure that evil b-bastards like y-you d-don't get their way! A-And t-that's my choice!"
Angry, pain-filled tears rushed to the surface, but he refused to let them fall as he glared daggers back at Perses. "M-My dad… h-he didn't want this for m-me, he never w-wanted me to d-destroy or k-kill a-anything. H-He w-wanted me to b-be strong and b-brave and selfless, t-to stand up f-for what was r-right - and y-your f-father wanted t-that for y-you too. I-It's you that's d-deluded P-Perses! H-he wouldn't h-have wanted this f-for y-you -!"
Pain erupted in the side of his head; his cheekbone obliterated as Perses decked him again. Gohan cried out, kicking out with all his might but found that his leg was caught in a vice grip.
"You know nothing," he snarled, furious.
"I-I know that you loved him, y-you would have done anything to protect him!" He wheezed, "I-I saw it, and Metis, and A-Astrel -!"
SHATTER!
Gohan screamed, unable to stop the blood curdling cry from tearing from his throat. His leg was crushed, the glimmer of white bone sticking out of the flesh was stark and obvious against the crimson ground he was shortly thrown upon.
"I have no need for mortal inconveniences such as love," Perses said lowly, watching him writhe in agony, "My father is dead. The dead exist only in the past and I must attend to the future. But do not despair child, I will take the pieces of your broken world and mould them into something beautiful."
The pain was too much, he couldn't move. He had no choice but to listen to the baneful death march of Perses' boots upon the broken rock, before they came to a halt before him.
Gohan could barely breathe, but managed to rasp out, "E-Even if y-you win, it still… w-won't be… e-enough."
The kick to his ribs devastated what was left of them as he rolled onto his back, sliding a few feet. Spots danced before his vision, his energy no longer jolting around his body.
"You know, something that really irks me about you is knowing that even as you lay bleeding at my feet, teetering on the edge of oblivion - you still don't know your place in this world," Perses belligerent tone drifted towards him, "Mark my words, I am the original - the God of Death - rebirth! You were nothing but a temporary replacement."
He was grabbed roughly by the throat, his body limp and useless as he dangled in the air. He had nothing left. All he could do was watch as Perses conjured a shining silver sickle in his other hand before resting the sharp curved edge just under his chin.
Gohan choked, as Perses unforgiving fingers sank into the horrific burns on his skin.
"When your head rolls to me, the legend that you fast became will just as quickly disappear and add reverence to my own."
The stare he gave him was crucifying.
"Tell me Son Gohan, do you think Whis will mourn for you?"
He didn't respond - couldn't even. His head was pounding, every part of his body trembled with utter agony. The skies above them let out a baneful howl, as tough the heavens themselves were crying out to him.
There would be no Heaven or Hell for him on the other side. Only oblivion.
He squeezed his eyes tightly shut, feeling the cool blade sting as it pushed against his skin. He couldn't bear to look at those cruel grey eyes any longer.
Instead, he imagined his father, his mother, both waiting for him outside of a quaint little cottage in the mountains.
The skies were blue, and the sun beat down on their smiling faces as they welcomed him home.
A lone tear escaped him, running down his bloodied cheek.
His mother stooped to greet him, arms outstretched in an awaiting embrace. His father reached out for him too as the door to the cottage opened, inviting him into its warmth - but Gohan couldn't move.
"It's okay, Gohan," came a voice. It was familiar, soft and gentle.
Beyond the arms of his parents, Bia stood in the doorway. She was dressed in pure white and glowing.
"Take my hand, we can go together."
Two other figures stood either side of her, they were draped by shadows but called to him in hushed whispers.
He reached out but found that he couldn't take another step. His parents smiling faces moulded into frowns, to anger, to desperate cries of grief -!
"I'm scared, too," said Bia.
Heavy chains wrapped around his arms and legs and held him firm. They tied him to something behind him that he couldn't quite see.
It was dark and looming, imposing. The chains burned and dragged him back.
A dazzling light suddenly blinded them. It washed over the battlefield like a tidal wave, consuming everything it touched in a calamitous florescent glare.
"So, you finally show your face," Perses hissed.
Gohan craned his neck, surprised yet relieved when he saw his mentor standing before them. Whis' lips drew into a thin line, his gaze flickered between them and rested on the sickle that lingered at his throat.
"My Lord," Whis greeted him, "Apologies for the delay."
"W-Whis -," he choked, his breath leaving him.
"Perses, your madness has no bounds as I had feared," he said, "Please do let go of Universe Seven's God of Destruction."
Perses laughed coldly, "You wish to spare him, do you? This failure?! I see your sense of humour hasn't wavered after all these years."
"Unhand him, Perses. It is not a request."
"Aren't you getting a little attached?" Perses scoffed, his vice grip unrelenting, "You are making the same mistake as before, Whis."
"Duty has always been a difficult concept for you to grasp," he stated, "However, you are aware that mine is bound to the serving Destroyer."
"Let's test that theory, shall we?"
Gohan gasped as he hit the shattered earth, Perses' crushing fingers leaving him completely. He wheezed, head spinning as he tried to force oxygen into his lungs. Black spots marred the sides of his vision, although he could still make out the blurry form of his mentor standing above him.
"W-Whis -," he struggled, "W-We n-need to s-stop -!"
"Be still, Lord Gohan," he soothed, "You have done enough in this fight."
"Ah yes," Perses observed, "Such a tragedy. You have moulded this child to fight for you on the front line, and it was all for nothing."
"You are mistaken," said Whis, "Without the Z-Sword, you will not achieve your goal and slay the Omni-King."
"Is that so?" He chuckled lowly, "And are you willing to place all your hopes on that reasoning?"
"What I hope for in this world does not matter," he replied cooly, "I am merely stating a fact."
"You have always been so sure of yourself, Master," Perses spat to his feet, "You seem to think you have the upper hand, yet your faith is misguided."
"And you have gone against everything you once stood for," he said, "You could not clearly see the light in the path that lay ahead and allowed darkness to consume you instead. It will be your downfall, Perses."
"The light to cast out the shadows he'll bring," Perses uttered, low and dangerous, "You're an old fool - take a look at your so-called prophecy! You have condemned this boy to his fate as much as you did mine! Mere pawns in the game of Gods!"
Gohan felt Whis' gaze shift to his for a fleeting moment, his grasp tightening around his staff.
"You have him tethered, oh yes, without a doubt," his eyes were wild as he spoke, "But what you fail to realise is that the tether is frayed, weak. And you know as well as I do that once you start to pull the thread, everything unravels."
At once, Perses' catastrophic energy swelled. A vibrant violet aura erupted around his frame, blowing back Whis' ceremonial garb in a storm of Ki. Gohan felt the pressure hit him square in the chest, the violent winds sending him skidding to Whis' side.
The pressure intensified, as a gigantic orb of Destruction manifested, balancing at the tip of Perses' index finger. The ball lifted into the cloud-filled sky, buzzing with electrifying violet and sending bolts of purple lightening clattering overhead.
The ball of death hovered over them both, singing with the promise of oblivion.
"Perses!" Whis called over the howl of the tempest, "If you unleash that here, all you will achieve is sealing your fate!"
"Oh really?!" Perses spouted mockingly, the purple glow reflecting in manic eyes, "And are you going to stop me?!"
Whis said nothing.
"You see, Gohan?!" He hollered, "The Gods will use you, but they will not help you when it truly matters! Look at your great and benevolent Master! See how he stands to the side, watching and unwilling to interfere!"
Gohan shakily looked up towards Whis, who remained still and silent.
"W-Whis, w-we c-can't let h-him -!" He tried, but his words turned into a hacking cough as more blood spewed from his lips.
"It is no use, dear child!" Perses shouted, "If you manage to cling to existence and find the truth then by all means, seek me out! Although I'm sorry to say, your survival is unlikely!"
"W-Wait, don't -!"
The blast released, heat and pressure and rage and sorrow blundered towards them at breakneck speed. The orb of Destruction obliterated the earth, the sky, purple particles exploding into the air as the colossal ball ate up everything in its path.
It consumed, devoured - everything. Divine, ruinous energy shook the realm to its core before it hit the ground.
Gohan braced himself but found that his body was already flying. White light cut through the strobing violet, wrapping around him and catapulting him away from the destruction.
In an instant, he could breathe. His broken bones melded back together as though someone was pouring warm honey into the cracks. Every torn nerve and fibre reconnected as a familiar healing power flooded every part of him.
The fog in his mind cleared, his energy returned to him in a blaze of fire and pressure. He let out a quaking breath, his ears ringing from the aftermath of rampaging explosions, yet now replaced by a low familiar purr.
The Warp.
"W-Whis? W-What the - ?!" He started, his eyes finding the Angel's back as they hurtled through a mass of fluffy purplish clouds.
"Whis," he tried again when he didn't answer, "I don't understand -!"
"It was as I said to Perses," Whis looked over his shoulder, "My duty is to you, my Lord. It would be negligent of me to allow you to get caught up in that attack."
"But you -! I -!" Gohan struggled, "If you had just healed me - back there -! I could of -!"
"You would have done something drastic," he turned to face him fully as his staff remained in place, guiding the Warp, "If you were seen to have a hand in the Destruction of Hell, then -."
"It's really gone?" He asked, although he already knew the answer. The feeling of dread was almost too much to bear.
"I'm afraid so, Lord Gohan."
"B-But my dad - Makhai - the others -!"
"Are quite safe, still in King Yemma's temple I believe," said Whis, "The lower Kai were successful in closing off the realm, separating it from the rest of the Otherworld should something like this should happen. They did rather swimmingly, considering the short notice."
"So what?!" Gohan snapped, anger and frustration exploding out of him, "It just feels like were putting out fires and Perses' has the matches!"
"My Lord -."
"He's just picking us off one by one! Lord Beerus, Bia, Deimos, Eris - Piccolo!" He yelled, "They're either dying or dead and we're still no closer in beating him!"
Whis retained his calm composure, "We still have the last Super Dragonball, we can only -."
"Only hope that he doesn't find it?! You heard him Whis, it means nothing! NONE of it matters if we can't beat him!" He couldn't stop, his purple aura sparked all too readily around his frame, "I couldn't stop him, but maybe - maybe you -!"
He cut across him almost immediately, "Do not let Perses' dangerous notions cloud your judgement, my Lord. You know that it is not my design to interfere."
"I -!" Gohan faltered at the heated look in his eyes, "I-I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I just - I don't know how I'm going to put an end to this."
"Your frustrations are only natural, my Lord," Whis sighed, "The situation is dire, the cosmical balance dreadfully upset. I'm afraid that this will only be further exacerbated by the obliteration of Hell, as the evacuated souls have nowhere to carry out their eternal imprisonment - not to mention the souls stuck in limbo."
His mind drifted to thoughts of his grandparents, Raditz and the other Saiyans. He was glad that they made it out before Perses descended upon the realm. However, he wasn't sure what this meant for their displaced souls.
Then there was Piccolo, was he stuck in limbo too? Or had his soul managed to pass through the Check-in Station before it was sealed off?
Before he could ask, the gem on Whis' sceptre flashed an alarming red.
"Ah, as I thought," he hummed thoughtfully, a heaviness to tone that left an unsettling tension in the air, "We have been summoned."
"Summoned?"
"By the Divine Council. For trial."
He frowned, the unsettling feeling refused to leave, "But I Destroyed Zamasu, we shouldn't need -."
"It is not Zamasu's trial, my Lord."
It was only then, did Gohan realise that Whis' gaze was fixed firmly ahead.
"It is yours."
Snake Way. The Otherworld.
"Kakarot."
Goku looked up from where his gaze was fixated on his torn and battle-scarred boots. He had been absentmindedly watching his feet dangle back and forth off Snake-Ways ledge, waiting for… something to happen.
It was agonising, waiting for Whis to save Gohan when all seemed completely hopeless. He could do nothing but wait, trusting in the man who claimed to be the father he no longer remembered. One who apparently had weird, distorted visions of the future.
"Can I sit?" Bardock asked, his tone as heavy as the weight in Goku's heart.
He merely shrugged in response.
"Remember, there's only one way to save everything," he said, after they had sat side by side for several tense minutes.
"It can't be. It just can't – not after -."
"Trust me, I don't like it one bit."
Goku scoffed, finally looking towards him, "Trust you?"
Bardock's lips twitched at that, "What other choice do you have?"
And then, as if to prove a point, everything below them shone a dazzling purple. The orchestration of warring clouds roared into a marvellous crescendo, violent winds rushed past their ears and stole their breath.
It grew louder and wilder, until it reached the point of total annihilation, leaving nothing behind but an empty white void.
Happy New Year!
I've been hibernating...
I am back with new chapters and promises that this story will not kill me off.
I've had a bit of writers block, along with real life busyness and the usual.
The final arc is so close. This is a fast one. I was so excited for Goku to meet his Saiyan family, but I decided not to drag it out because I wanted to keep the mystery going. As for Gohan... Whis saved the day at the last possible moment - or did he?
I am also SO GLAD we are here. And thank you to those who keep staying with me. I am almost done with the next Chapter. EVERYTHING is happening - I am so SHOOK and I'm the one writing it! It's going to be a doozy.