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Fan Fiction Dragon Ball: Chaotic Future CHAPTER 7 Mylember Saga, Part III “Home.” The ship descended into the atmosphere of planet Galdria. After their confrontation on Neth, Miura, Zellis, Hanzo, and Clef had slept for three days straight, even refusing to be awakened when the ship reached a Way Station for supplies and to refuel. After the short pit stop, it had taken them merely nine days to reach Galdria, a trip that usually took eleven or twelve. When the four weary warriors had finally woken up, they seemed to have a new found respect for Iris, for they would most likely all be dead if not for her quick thinking. Now planet Galdria loomed below them, a large orb of green and blue, and Miura and Zellis were relieved to finally be home, though they both knew that something unusual was going on. Miura was still troubled by Elysia’s mysterious absence, and memories of the seemingly cold and distant Galdrian whom they had communicated with continued to disturb the young half-Saiyan. As the ship neared the planet, Iris, Clef, Twilight, and even Hanzo were filled with awe, for they had never seen anything that remotely compared to Galdria’s splendor. The planet was large, nearly twice the size of Applicah, and it seemed to the onlookers that most of the surface was covered in an ocean of deep blue. Galdria’s cities, whose light could be seen clearly from space, were immense, easily the largest that anyone on board Iris’s ship had ever seen. And everywhere they looked, the terrain was lush and green, with enormous, luminescent trees dotting the landscape as far as the eye could see. As the ship approached Valdis, the capital city of the Galdrian Empire, the surroundings changed drastically. Instead of the lush, beautiful landscape that the group had viewed so far, the city seemed to be covered in a grey haze. It was difficult to see from their vantage point, but it seemed to Miura and the others that a large portion of the city was blanketed under a layer of dark smoke. “Well, here we are, guys,” Iris said as the ship settled down at one of Galdria’s larger spaceports, nearest the Imperial Palace, which sprawled out in the distance as if it were a city unto itself. “What do you think?” she asked, turning her attention to Miura and Zellis. “Is everything okay?” “We’ll soon find out,” Miura responded, tilting his head toward the view screen. A large company of Imperial Guards, all similarly attired in black robes and armor, were steadily making their way through the press of people in the spaceport. “Looks like they’re heading this way.” Twilight looked at her two Galdrian companions. “What will happen?” she asked as she moved closer to Clef, her maroon eyes clouded with worry. Miura’s face was unreadable as he made his way to the exit hatch, with Zellis and Hanzo close behind. The black-clad Saiyan smirked to himself as he followed his brother out of the ship. “Well, little brother, looks like I might get to exact my revenge on your whole planet after all. Or at least I can take out some aggression on these idiots.” Miura looked back at his half-brother, his expression clearly showing he didn’t appreciate the offhanded humor. As Twilight and Clef joined their comrades, Miura turned to face them. “Listen, everyone, I don’t want to start a conflict here, got it? Just keep quiet and do as you’re told… for now.” He looked pointedly at Hanzo, who snorted and looked away. The young half-Galdrian glanced at Clef and tilted his head toward his brother. The Namekian nodded, indicating he understood Miura’s silent request: if Hanzo got out of hand, it would be Clef’s job to handle him. The Imperial Guards came to a stop before Miura and his party, and the half-Saiyan nobleman was shocked by the expressions of undisguised hatred on the faces these soldiers. To a man, they all seemed disgusted by the mere presence of Miura and his companions, and when their leader, a pale-faced, green-eyed Galdrian spoke, his voice was filled with false kindness. “Welcome home, my lord,” he said with a low bow. “And to you, lady,” he said as he bowed his head to Zellis. “I am Captain Horace, of the Imperial Household Guard. The emperor has requested the presence of yourselves and your companions in the throne room at once. If you’d allow my company the honor of escorting you to the palace, I would feel most fortunate.” Miura narrowed his eyes slightly as he stared at this mysterious, black-clad warrior. “I remember the way; we’ll not need your assistance, Captain.” He looked at Zellis out of the corner of his eye, seeing his own suspicions echoed in the features of his adopted-sister. “Please send word ahead of us to Emperor Gilliam. Tell him we’ll be arriving shortly.” Horace flashed a sinister smile, and Miura heard Hanzo growl quietly behind him. “You misunderstand me, Lord Arius. We have been instructed to see you safely to His Majesty’s presence. Things are not as they were when you were last among us, my lord, and it may be that your safety is at risk.” Miura looked out toward the smoke enshrouded city. “So I’ve noticed.” ________________________________________________________________________ Miura could barely contain his anger. Valdis, the capital city of the Galdrian Empire, lay in ruins. Buildings that had stood tall and proud before Miura had left the planet were now little more than piles of rubble, and an acrid smoke hung heavy in the air. The few citizens who were seen about looked haggard, their clothing torn and dirty, and they kept their eyes down, as if afraid to look up for any reason. A few of the dejected looking people cast a hurried glance at the party, but they quickly diverted their gazes and went about their business. “What’s happened here?” Miura asked while attempting to keep his voice calm and controlled. “How has the city come to such a state?” The young Galdrian nobleman cast a cold glance at the black-clad captain, who had remained silent throughout most of the journey so far. “As I said, Lord Arius, much has changed during your absence.” Horace looked around at the destruction stoically, as if it were commonplace. “Shortly after Princess Elysia’s disappearance, some of our more zealous soldiers attempted to take the city for themselves, for their commander desired the throne for himself.” Zellis cast a sidelong glance at her adopted-brother, and saw her own questioning look mirrored in his expression. “Captain, I was under the impression that Emperor Gilliam was currently in the process of selecting a new heir,” the young noblewoman commented. “Anyway, that’s what we were told during our last communication with the palace.” Horace nodded in agreement before shrugging. “That is true, but the long process of choosing a new heir seemed inconvenient to many. But fear not, my lady, an heir has been chosen, and with his help we were able to crush the rebellious faction.” As the party turned a corner, they could see the palace before them, looking relatively unharmed compared to the destruction around it. “Soon your questions will be answered Lady Zellis, but for the moment I’m afraid I can say no more.” Miura, Zellis, Twilight, Clef, Hanzo, and Iris were escorted into the palace, and everywhere they looked they saw Imperial Household Guards, all dressed in flowing robes of jet black. Miura and Zellis exchanged questioning looks but neither spoke what was on their minds: something was dreadfully wrong here. With a quick glance over his shoulder, the half-Saiyan noticed that Clef and Hanzo were on edge, obviously ready for anything. Iris and Twilight looked concerned, and the young girl from Applicah stayed close to Clef. Before long, the party stood outside the throne room, prepared to meet with the emperor of one of the most powerful and influential races in the universe. The doors were opened by two black-clad soldiers, who looked upon Miura and his comrades with barely concealed disgust. Captain Horace flashed another one of his unsettling smiles before leading the group into the presence of Galdria’s emperor. The Great Hall, where the emperor conducted his daily business, was dimly lit, which struck Miura as odd since, as long as he had known, the Hall was always kept bright. To the left and right of the room, a series of elevated benches were arrayed, the traditional seating area of the Assembly of Lords, a group of important Galdrian nobles who were permitted to attend the emperor’s court. All of the benches were now empty, though dozens of black-robed soldiers stood arrayed before them. As Miura turned his gaze toward the throne, he felt his blood run cold, for the one sitting before him was not Gilliam, emperor of Galdria. The figure on the throne was much younger than Gilliam, appearing to be only slightly older than Zellis or Miura. His long, dark crimson hair was held back by the golden circlet of his office, and his eyes were a startling shade of yellow. The new emperor wore clothing similar to his Royal Guards: long, flowing black robes and black gauntlets and boots. In contrast, however, this man’s robes were obviously of much more expensive weave, and the edges were trimmed in royal purple. He smirked at the party before him, revealing rows of straight white teeth. “Lord Arius, Lady Zellis,” began Horace. “I have the pleasure of presenting you to His Imperial Majesty, the one-hundred and twenty-second ruler of the Galdrian Empire, Emperor Galian Lestan du Adean.” Miura gasped, and he felt Zellis go rigid beside him. Here before them, sitting on the Imperial Throne, was a person well-known to both of the former bounty hunters. Galian du Adean was the son of a minor noble, the Duke of Adean Province, a small area of land to the south of Valdis. As a child, Miura had constantly been forced to endure insults and, more often than not, physical abuse from Galian, who was four years older than the half-breed nobleman. On several occasions Miura had retaliated, finding that his greater-than-average strength was more than the older boy could handle. “What the hell is this?” Miura asked as he took a step forward. Suddenly Captain Horace lashed out with a powerful backhanded blow, knocking the half-Saiyan warrior to the floor. Zellis was still in shock from seeing Galian on the throne, but Hanzo and Clef reacted instantly, prepared to defend their comrade. Miura stood to his feet and wiped blood from his lip, gesturing for his companions to stand down. Clef immediately put his guard down, but Hanzo had to be restrained by the Namekian warrior. Eventually Miura’s older brother calmed down, but his expression showed that holding back was one of the hardest things he’d ever had to do. Horace moved forward until he stood face to face with Miura. “You piece of half-breed garbage!” he shouted. “Who gave you the right to speak while in his Excellency’s presence?! You will remain silent until you are commanded to speak!” The captain’s face was contorted with rage, and his eyes were wide with contempt. Several other soldiers approached, prepared to give Horace backup if he needed it. Miura glared at the captain but silently returned to his companions. Galian slowly stood from his throne and walked down the eight steps that separated the Royal Dais from the floor of the Great Hall. He calmly waved Captain Horace and his men aside as he came to stand before Miura, Zellis, and the others. “Arius. I’d be lying if I said it was good to see you.” He took a step forward, looking Miura square in the eyes. “You shouldn’t have returned… Everything was going so well here. If you’d have had the decency to die at the hands of Mylember’s assassin, or even Mylember himself, you’d have saved yourself and your unfortunate companions a lot of pain.” He turned away and made his way back to his throne. “Galdria is mine now, as you can see, and I’ll be damned if I let anyone take it away from me.” He grinned maliciously as he sat down. “I went through so much trouble to depose that idiot Gilliam, though things were made much easier when we received that transmission from Dorian. Elysia was bound and determined to go searching for her brother… it was simple to make sure that the pilots of her escort ships were under my sway.” Miura glared up at Galian and clenched his fists in rage. “What did you do to her?” he asked. “I swear, if you’ve hurt her in anyway, it will take a lot more than these soldiers to keep me from you.” “Don’t make me laugh, half-breed. I know you’re strong, but not even you are a match for my new Imperial Guards. But if you must know, yes, I did have a hand in Elysia’s little ‘accident.’ As soon as her ship reached the location that Dorian’s signal had originated from, her escort ships had a ‘weapons malfunction’ and accidentally opened fire upon her. There were no survivors.” Upon seeing Miura’s expression of shock, Galian let loose with a sinister laugh, which echoed throughout the hall. “From there, it got a little more difficult: warfare in the streets, political assassinations, hostages, most of the things you’d expect from a revolution. Luckily, certain members of the High Council of planet Heva were sympathetic to my cause.” Zellis’s eyes widened as she had a sudden realization. “You were in league with Mylember!” she gasped. Horace moved to silence her, but Galian held up his hand, signaling for the captain to halt. Miura moved himself between his sister and the black-robed captain anyway, just in case. Galian smiled. “Yes, as a matter of fact, I was. Lord Mylember had ambitions very similar to my own, and he hoped to see himself as the sole ruler of Heva someday. We decided to assist each other in any ways possible. I must admit, I was very distressed to learn of his demise. He was so confident that he could destroy you all…” His expression changed from one of smug confidence to a look of unconcealed wrath. “Which is why I’ve decided on a punishment for you: for engaging in unauthorized combat with a member of the Hevan race, who we are currently allied to, I declare you both to be traitors to your people.” Twilight gasped in fear as she clung to Clef, and Iris looked questioningly at Miura and Zellis, who stood rooted in place, paralyzed with shock. Hanzo appeared to be on the verge of exploding, but he somehow managed to restrain himself. Miura looked back at his half-brother and shook his head, indicating that now was not the time. He had no doubt that he, Clef, and Hanzo could easily defeat a dozen or so of the black-clad soldiers, but there were at least a hundred of them assembled here. The enraged half-Galdrian nobleman returned his attention to the throne, where Galian stared down upon him coldly. “Horace, strip them of their weapons and escort them to the dungeon. Tomorrow at dawn all six of them, the traitors and their accomplices, are to be executed.” ________________________________________________________________________ The party was marched silently toward the dungeon. There were twelve guards, including Horace, escorting Miura and his companions, and they formed a circle around the group of prisoners. They had only passed one other group of black-clad soldiers, consisting of a half-dozen men, and Miura had decided that Galian wasn’t nearly as secure in his power as he had led the party to first believe. Miura took stock of his surroundings and realized that now was the time for action. Without stopping, Miura made a slight motion with his hand, and instantly the corridor erupted into chaos. Clef and Hanzo immediately lashed out at the two guards closest to them, catching the black-robed Galdrians off guard and sending them crashing into the wall. Zellis leapt forward, throwing a bone-shattering right hook that took Horace in the jaw, causing him to collapse to the ground with a gasp of pain. Iris grabbed Twilight and pulled her to the ground, realizing that the best way for them to help was to stay out of the way. Miura took a moment to power up before launching himself towards two more of the evil Galdrian warriors. Out of the corner of his eye, the half-Saiyan nobleman watched as two of the black-clad guards turned and fled down the corridor, back toward the throne room. “Take them!” he shouted as he dodged an attack by one of the remaining soldiers. “They’re going for reinforcements!” Miura could spare no more time worrying about the two fleeing guards, since the seven remaining Galdrians were pressing their attack, slowly pushing Miura, Clef, Zellis, and Hanzo back. The fighting raged on for what seemed like hours, and then suddenly it was over. Miura found himself standing in absolute calm, with no opponents before him as he panted from exertion. He looked around and saw all of the guards lying motionless on the floor, including the two who had sought to flee. Clef was drenched in perspiration, but he looked unharmed, and Hanzo and Zellis also seemed fine, though they were both gasping for breath. Iris and Twilight walked cautiously over to their companions, obviously alright after the frenzied combat. “It’s about time,” Hanzo said with a grin. “I’d have taken out all of them myself if you’d of given me a chance. I can’t tell you how good it felt to finally break some Galdrian heads.” He cast a wry glance at his brother. “No offense.” “None taken,” Miura replied as he walked over to the wall on the right side of the hallway. “We have to hurry, in case more soldiers come this way.” He placed his hand firmly against a decorative panel on the wall and pressed lightly, until an entire section of the wall slid silently upward. “Come on.” “A secret passage!” Twilight exclaimed. She walked slowly toward the passageway and stuck her head inside, recoiling slightly from the musty smell that emanated from within. “It stinks,” she said with a grimace. “It probably hasn’t been used in years,” Zellis said as she inspected the entrance. “Supposedly the palace is riddled with passages like this,” she said with a glance toward her adopted brother. “If you know where to look.” As Miura entered the passage, Zellis and the others silently followed him in. Once inside, the section of wall slid securely back into place, plunging the entire party into darkness. ________________________________________________________________________ The sounds of battle caused the group to halt. On more than one occasion Miura and the others had heard the sounds of combat filtering through the walls around them. Clef, Miura, Zellis, and Hanzo had taken turns leading the way, using their ki to generate enough light to maneuver by. Clef, who was currently guiding the party through the seemingly endless passage, looked over his shoulder at Miura. “Whatever’s happening out there sounds serious,” he said quietly. Miura was silent for a moment before shaking his head. Clef sighed and looked down. “We’re going to have to leave this passage eventually, Miura. What if some of your people are out there, trying to reclaim the palace?” “Just a little further,” Miura said eventually. “There’s another false wall up ahead, so we’ll come out behind whoever it is that’s fighting out there.” When nobody seemed to protest, Miura moved to the front of the group and led them down the passage for another dozen yards or so, where he halted and opened the hidden entrance that led back to the main corridor. The sounds of battle that they had heard while in the secret passage filled the air around them. Miura and the others turned to the left and were greeted with a scene of chaos: black-clad Galdrian soldiers were fighting a battle, though their opponents remained unseen through the press of guards that literally clogged the spacious corridor. It was impossible to tell which side was winning, but judging from the sheer number of Galian’s guards, it seemed that their unseen opponents were in trouble. If the black-robed Galdrians sensed Miura, Hanzo, Zellis, and Clef behind them, they were too late to react. The four warriors threw themselves into the fray, and each of them lost themselves in the rhythm of combat. It seemed to Miura that he was facing an unending stream of enemies, for every time he defeated one evil Galdrian two more took his place. The battle raged on, and Miura lost sight of his companions as the mob of black-clad soldiers began to fall back, dispirited after having been attacked on both sides. Miura’s arms felt heavy, and his legs threatened to go out from underneath him as he struggled to defend himself from an inexhaustible tide of enemies. Suddenly Miura was struck hard from behind, and he collapsed to his knees as the warrior who had struck him prepared to deal a finishing blow. Miura braced himself, but the strike never came, and he looked up to see his assailant fall to the ground, and a warrior unknown to Miura held his hand out to help him to his feet. The exhausted former hunter took the offered hand and stood up, glancing around to see that the battle was over. Clef, Hanzo, and Zellis stood nearby, all obviously fatigued but otherwise okay. Iris and Twilight peered out cautiously from around the corner at the end of the corridor and, after seeing their companions were safe, came out of hiding. Miura looked around and saw three other strangers standing nearby. The warrior who had helped Miura to his feet pointedly cleared his throat. He was slightly shorter than Miura, and he appeared to be very young, perhaps fifteen or sixteen years old. He had long black hair which hung to his mid-back, and his eyes were a bright shade of blue. He wore dark blue jeans, a white t-shirt, and a black, hooded jacket. In his right hand he held an eight inch long cylinder of wood, carved with intricate designs that Miura recognized instantly: this stranger was armed with a Galdrian energy saber, a very dangerous weapon in the hands of a master swordsman. It was then that Miura realized, to his amazement, that this stranger was literally exuding Galdrian power. Miura’s eyes widened as he looked the stranger over. “What?” he muttered as he staggered backward to rejoin his companions. Hanzo appeared ready for another fight, and Miura was amazed that his half-brother had so much strength left after fighting two chaotic battles in the last hour. Clef stood beside Miura, exhausted but also prepared for anything. Zellis remained behind with Twilight and Iris, who both looked confused. “This may not be the best time to explain,” the stranger said as his three comrades, two young females and one older male, all wearing long cloaks with deep hoods, moved closer to him. “I’d be more than happy to answer your questions, friend, but how about we find somewhere a little more private.” He looked around nervously, as if expecting more soldiers to appear out of nowhere. “It could get very busy around here in a minute.” “I don’t think so,” Hanzo said angrily. “For all we know, this is all some trick to get us back into custody.” He glanced at his brother for a moment before stepping forward. “Miura, let’s waste these losers now!” He clenched his fists and assumed an offensive fighting stance. “Wait,” said one of the cloaked females. “What did you just say?” She stepped forward to stand directly before Hanzo. “Did you just say Miura? As in Arius Miura de Galdri?” she asked nervously. Hanzo nodded and looked questioningly over his shoulder toward his brother. The mysterious girl pulled her hood back, and Miura staggered, nearly falling over, so great was his shock. Princess Elysia ran toward him and jumped into his arms as tears streamed down her face. Her hair was longer, and her clothing was ragged and dirty, but it was definitely the young princess, and Miura felt completely overwhelmed by emotion. He embraced her and clenched his eyes shut as he let the tears fall unashamedly down his face. Hanzo looked confused as he turned his glance toward Zellis, who appeared to be in a state of shock equal to her adopted-brother’s. “We have the entire Imperial Guard after us and he thinks he has time for a reunion,” Hanzo growled as he turned around and headed back toward the secret passageway. “I agree with our young friend over there, we’d better go.” Everyone agreed, and the group followed Hanzo into the hidden entrance. Elysia clung tightly to Miura’s arm, and regardless of the coming conflict, he felt complete for the first time in over a year. ________________________________________________________________________ The party sat in darkness. Miura, Hanzo, Clef, Zellis, Iris, and Twilight, along with Elysia and her three companions, had traveled for over two hours through the hidden passageway. They had decided to continue downward, heading toward the palace dungeon, hoping to avoid detection by Galian’s soldiers. They hoped that by remaining in the palace, even near the dungeon itself, the black-robed guards would be unable to locate them, having focused most of their attention on the palace exits and spaceports. The ten weary fugitives had located a seemingly abandoned storage room several levels above the dungeon, where they decided to take a moment to rest. “I think it’s time for some answers,” Clef said quietly, as if afraid to break the oppressive silence. “Forgive me for my ignorance, princess, but we were under the impression that you were gone.” He stood nearest to the doorway, arms crossed over his chest. Hanzo, who leaned against the opposite wall, nodded in agreement. Before Elysia could respond, one of her companions, the older man, spoke. “Your information was correct, my friend. Elysia was absent from the planet, at least until six days ago.” He pulled his hood back, revealing a surprisingly youthful looking face. His hair was silver, and he wore it in a long pony-tail down his back. If not for the slight wrinkles around his mouth and at the corners of his bright blue eyes, he could have easily passed as the mysterious young Galdrian warrior’s brother. “Allow me to introduce myself and my companions.” He tilted his head toward the young warrior who had saved Miura during the previous battle. “This is Gabriel, my son.” The teenager nodded in greeting to everyone in the room but remained silent as his father continued. “This young woman is Rika,” he said, gesturing toward the cloaked figure who sat beside him. She removed her hood and smiled. She was what Miura thought of as “average” in appearance: long brown hair, green eyes, and a relatively plain face. “She is a companion of my son’s, from a planet called Earth.” “I couldn’t help but notice that your son here was using Galdrian energy,” Clef said. “If Rika is a companion of his, and she’s from Earth, then who are you, and how is it that Gabriel is able to harness this power?” The Namekian glanced momentarily at the young warrior, who flashed a wry grin. “I was under the impression that only Galdrians could wield that type of energy.” “That’s true, Clef,” Miura said as he slowly pulled away from Elysia and walked toward the old man. “But this man is Galdrian.” Miura knelt until he was eye to eye with the mysterious stranger. After a moment, the half-Saiyan nobleman looked over his shoulder toward Elysia, Rika, and Gabriel. “Prince Dorian?” he whispered as he returned his attention to the old man in front of him. Miura silently studied the features of the stranger before him. He possessed signs of age that were impossible, for Dorian was only twenty years older than himself, meaning that the prince was only forty years old. But the silver hair and wrinkles were very unusual, for a Galdrian’s features would have remained unmarred by them for nearly a hundred and twenty years, if not more. “How is this possible?” Miura asked as the old man smiled slightly. “We have a lot to discuss, boy,” Dorian said. “We’ve not met before, but my sister speaks very highly of you, Arius.” The old Prince sighed and looked down, as if ashamed for a moment by his appearance. “Twenty five years ago I left Galdria, on a quest of enlightenment. I believed that by traveling the universe, by learning as much as I could about other worlds and cultures, I would become a better person, a person more able to rule fairly when my father relinquished the throne to me.” He stood up and began pacing slowly around the room. “I had been gone almost five years when my ship malfunctioned above planet Earth…” He shook his head and closed his eyes as he relived past memories. “It’s a miracle that I survived the crash, for my entire ship was demolished, leaving me with no way to communicate with Galdria. I was stranded.” “Surely you could have commandeered an Earthling’s ship,” Hanzo blurted out. “For someone of your heritage, it should have been easy to subdue the people of a planet like Earth.” He gazed long and hard into Dorian’s eyes, seeking out any sign that his story was false. “I’m afraid you don’t understand,” the prince replied. “Earthlings aren’t as advanced as most of the other races that we know of. Besides, they were embroiled in a conflict of their own.” He silent a moment as he looked around at the people in the room. “The human race was being tormented by two beings of incredible power. Androids who felt no remorse for their actions had been systematically destroying cities the world over.” He got a distant look in his eyes for a moment before continuing. “They were so strong…” “Father,” Gabriel said. “Perhaps we should speed this up a bit.” He smiled slightly at Miura and his companions. “I’m sure our friends here aren’t interested in your entire life story.” Dorian narrowed his eyes as he stared at his son, but he eventually nodded agreement. “For the first couple of years I endured. I salvaged everything that I could from the wreckage of my ship, but no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t broadcast a distress signal far enough for anyone to pick up on. I also discovered that I was weakening, and at first I thought it was merely an unfortunate side effect from the crash. After being stranded on Earth for four years, I gave up on ever seeing my home again.” He smiled warmly at Gabriel. “I met a woman, and after a brief courtship we wed. Gabriel was born shortly after.” Gabriel continued where his father left off. “But he soon realized that something was wrong. As he got older, he began to age more like a human than a Galdrian.” Dorian nodded, indicating that his son was correct. “It was the planet itself, you see, drawing my energy away from me.” He shook his head in regret. “It seems that the famous ‘eternal youth’ that Galdrians possess isn’t some inherent trait, but rather a gift from our home planet. My unique energy couldn’t sustain itself on Earth, but I didn’t care. My wife died not long after Gabriel’s birth, and I was tired of living. Aging and dying a natural death seemed like blessings to me, as the years began to pass by.” Dorian looked at his son, who nodded slightly. “That’s when the dreams started,” Gabriel said. “My father and I both began having terrible dreams, dreams that I didn’t understand at first, of places that I didn’t recognize. It was then that he told me his story, and I learned of my heritage.” “I had always sensed Galdrian power in the boy,” Dorian continued. “And for reasons I didn’t understand, it never seemed to fade from him like mine did. It must have something to do with his human side, his connection with the planet Earth, I suppose. But these dreams, they were so real. Images of Galdria, of the palace in flames, and people being slaughtered by a nameless evil. I knew the time had come to return home, or die trying.” He returned to his place next to the girl named Rika and sat down. “I had continued to work on the transmitter from my ship over the years, but with Gabriel and his friend Rika’s help,” he paused and patted the girl on the shoulder, “I was finally able to broadcast one distress signal.” Miura’s eyes widened as he looked at Elysia. “You received the signal,” he said in amazement. The princess nodded as Miura returned to her side. “That’s when you left, isn’t it?” Elysia nodded again as she cleared her throat to speak. “When my ship neared Earth, the two escort ships that were with me opened fire.” Her voice was filled with anger as she continued. “I knew that I’d been betrayed by someone back on Galdria. The ship crashed on the planet, killing everyone on board but me.” Her eyes filled with tears and she said nothing for a while. “People who had served and educated me my entire life were gone, and I was alone on a strange planet.” She slipped her arm through Miura’s and laid her head on his shoulder. “Luckily Dorian came for me.” Gabriel leaned back against the wall next to Hanzo, ignoring the dirty look flashed at him by the Saiyan warrior. “We exchanged stories and decided it was in all of our best interests to get back here as soon as possible.” He glanced at Rika and smiled slightly. “Luckily we had someone who was able to get us a ship.” Rika stood up and stretched. “Well, it took a couple of months, but eventually I managed to steal one from my employer, a technology manufacturing company called Capsule Corporation. We left right after that.” “Arius, you must understand what it is we’re up against,” Dorian said quietly. “Galian du Adean is possibly the most dangerous person on this planet, if not the entire universe. He has agents everywhere, and we’ve come close to being caught several times over the last week. He has mastered an ancient and forbidden power known as ‘Dark Galdrian Energy,’ and it is incredibly destructive.” The old prince looked into the eyes of the other nine people in the room. “He must be stopped… No matter what the cost.”
To be continued…
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