Two children sat on a sandy beach under a sky of endless stars.
"Ryu, you really need to work on your temper," Tora sighed.
"It's not my fault, Tora!" the bandaged boy snapped back. "They keep insulting Slifer! Calling him a lesser lizard, of all things!"
Tora blinked slowly. "…Ryu. He does kind of look like one, though?"
"SLIFER IS A MAJESTIC DRAGON!" Ryu roared, standing up like a general delivering a speech. "He's long-lived! Powerful! Fierce! His bloodline is supreme, much like his majesty the Emperor and—"
"—and he'll supposedly become some ancient mythical terror if he keeps eating things. A being with unlimited potential. Yes, yes, I remember." Tora rolled her eyes, glancing at the tiny red creature squeaking in Ryu's palms. "He's still smaller than my tiger cub. Really cute, too, you must admit."
"That's because he's still a hatchling!" Ryu puffed out his chest. "Just wait. After a few molts, he'll be bigger than three adult tigers."
He continued rambling about Slifer's potential until the night suddenly burned bright. A blazing streak tore across the heavens. Tora's mouth fell open. She grabbed Ryu's face with frantic excitement.
"Ryu! Look! A fallen star! Quickly! Make a wish!"
"Hey, watch it!" Ryu scoffed. "And you know that doesn't actually—"
But she was already clasping her hands, eyes shut in desperate sincerity. Ryu watched her, then sighed.
"…Fine."
He closed his eyes. I wish Slifer would grow faster… so I can prove everyone wrong. He could already imagine it: His majesty the Black Dragon Emperor looking at him and his partner, saying in a proud tone, "What a powerful red dragon. Fitting for my clansman. You will become my right-hand man."
Mid-delusion, he peeked at Tora and mumbled, "I also wish idiot Tora would stop pestering me."
His lips softened. He felt a pink sensation swirling in his chest. …And I wish to protect the people I love. For that, I wish… to become one of the strongest pathwalkers out there.
As the two kids prayed, the "fallen star" kept descending toward the vast Nam Ocean.
———
The pod's alarms finally screamed.
Okay, that settles it.
I'm not landing, I'm crashing!
Surely they added a failsafe landing system or something... right? I know Saiyan tech is durable, and I have faith in it… but I'm not Saiyan-durable... wait, shouldn't I be Saiyan-durable now? My main worry is that the skull might survive, but my brain? That's another story.
Think of it as dropping your PC on the ground. The case might live, but the expensive stuff inside gets fucked.
Is this seriously part of their 'trial by fire'?! If the baby doesn't survive the crash, it just doesn't deserve to live?! Is that how this works?!
Suddenly, the world warped. The horizon twisted and the air rippled. My stomach felt like it was being turned inside out. For a second, it felt like dozens of unseen eyes were boring straight into me, staring into my soul and looking at every molecule of my body—as if searching for my purpose. As if asking who I was.
My head felt like it was about to burst. Then, the discomfort disappeared. The gazes stopped, vanishing like hallucinations. The sinking feeling was gone.
What the hell was—
Land. I could see mountains. No time to think. The ground rushed up to meet me. I looked around: no seat belt, no handles, no anything.
Fucking Saiyan tech, don't you guys have any safety standards??
I did the only thing I could. I curled up, tiny arms guarding my head. Heart pounding. Every Saiyan's first challenge…
"BWAAAAH!!!!!" (BRING IT ON!)
BOOOOOOOM!
The mountain roared. Rock shattered and trees were torn from the earth. The hillside collapsed as shockwaves tore the terrain apart. The pod plowed deep into the stone before vanishing beneath an avalanche of soil and boulders. Dust swallowed the night.
Slowly, silence returned. Pebbles rolled and smoke drifted. One side of the mountain lay ruined. Amidst the rubble, a tiny hand emerged, followed by a muffled voice from beneath the earth.
"bwahaha!" (I win!)
———
"What was that thing that just landed… a child?"
The hooded figure watched as the infant climbed out of the rubble, laughing at the sky.
"A tail? Some sort of Symbiote art?… interesting. Doesn't seem like a threat," he muttered. "I have more pressing matters to attend to."
He turned to leave—but froze. An overwhelming surge of power erupted behind him. The infant was in a trance, staring at the full moon. He was transforming.
"…It seems I was mistaken."
———
A FUCKING FULL MOON. YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME.
His consciousness began slipping. He couldn't stop looking at it.
I MUSN'T turn... into... ₘₒₙₖₑᵧ...
He was swallowed by a boiling, rising wrath. Rage flooded his veins. His body broke and rebuilt itself. Bones thickened. Muscles swelled with monstrous vitality. Black fur spread across his skin. His face stretched forward into a muzzle, four jagged fangs gleaming in the moonlight.
The Great Ape stood.
ROOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAR!
The night trembled. But as quickly as the terror came, blood followed.
SLICE.
The world itself seemed to split. The wind screamed. The trees, the skies, the clouds—all severed. Pain exploded across the ape's body as a huge gash opened along its side.
It howled in agony.
ROOOOAAAAR!
Yet it didn't fall. Blood poured, but the Great Ape endured.
"Impressive vitality," the hooded man mused, now standing behind the ape. The tips of his fingers emitted a heavy peril, giving the illusion of a glowing sword as he drew his hand across the air.
He sliced again. Another diagonal tear split the beast's back like an invisible blade.
The Great Ape staggered. It swung wildly, fists slamming down with earth-shattering force, but the hooded figure didn't flinch. Each strike was deflected or carved away by the man's two fingers. Dust and shockwaves filled the forest, craters appeared where the hits were redirected, but the cloaked warrior hadn't moved from his original position.
"Hm… no combat techniques. Pure instinct," he muttered. "I've never heard of Symbiotic Martial Arts transforming the whole body into a beast. Is it truly just an infant?"
The ape bellowed, furious at being unable to land a single blow. It inhaled. Energy swelled inside its jaws, building into a burning sphere of destruction.
The hooded man's eyes widened. "That… is quite dangerous."
He took his first step and vanished. In the next heartbeat, he appeared directly beneath the ape's chin. His fingers curled into a tight fist. Blue light surged toward the heavens.
CRACK!
The uppercut exploded upward like a cannon. The Great Ape's head snapped back. The beam sputtered out. Its massive frame wavered, knees buckling as its consciousness shattered.
The beast collapsed. The earth shook one last time. Finally, the night was quiet.
"…Tch. Found me already?"
Five powerful presences snapped into place around him in a perfect formation. Five Masters.
"I wasn't aware the higher-ups sent a beast for support?" one said, looking at the massive form nearby.
"Forget it," another barked. "It doesn't seem particularly powerful. Probably wasn't ours. If it was, he would have needed his Martial Mind."
Their attention snapped back to the hooded man.
"It came at a very convenient time," one Master sneered. "Our hero can't stand seeing innocents harmed. Looks like our little prince finally crawled out of his palace."
The hooded man exhaled slowly. "Persistent idiots."
Something changed. Heat surged through his body. His skin fissured with fine cracks as his Martial Heart awakened, veins igniting with a deep orange glow. The pressure hit like a physical blow—air compressing, shadows thickening, the forest itself bowing under the weight of his intent.
His killing intent was focused. It made the Masters' instincts scream. The glow sharpened to a bright yellow as his Martial Heart climbed higher. Leaves flattened. The ground trembled. One Master took a half-step back before he even realized it.
He was going to attack.
He laughed. "Only brought five with you? Terrible mistake."
The Masters ignited their own Martial Hearts, auras flaring as they prepared to meet him head-on. Then—he vanished.
"He disappeared!"
"Form a circle! Don't break formation!"
"Where is he?? I can't feel his killing intent!"
"Shut up! Focus! Defend the men beside you!"
It was a good tactic, as if done properly, everyone would have two people supporting them.
They quickly formed a defensive circle, maximizing their safety as they felt the heavy killing intent in the air.
He's too fast to sense... how are they supposed to fight such a monster? They couldn't see him, but the surrounding area smelled like death. Felt like death. He was nearby. He was hunting.
A few minutes went by as the feeling of grave peril slowly disappeared.
They slowly put down their guard after minutes of being on high alert.
"..."
"...Did he run away?"
The dumbfounded Masters stared at each other for a few seconds.
"..."
They all stared at their leader.
"Ehem… find him!"
All five Masters launched forward, tearing through the trees in pursuit. Their auras pulled farther and farther away. The clearing fell silent.
Only the ruined mountainside remained. Only the fallen giant. Only the slow, weak breathing of a dying warrior.
The Great Ape's body shrank. The fur faded, the jaw retracted, and the muscles dissolved until all that was left was a battered, bleeding infant. A baby with a tail.
———
Minutes later, a group of children cautiously approached. They stared in disbelief at the ruined slope, tremors still echoing in their bones.
"W-what happened here…?"
"That's… a baby??"
The oldest girl took a step forward. Despite the fear in her throat, she forced herself to move. She was the eldest, after all. And there she saw him: tiny, covered in cuts, barely holding onto life. And he had a tail.
"W-what is he…?"
"Should… should we leave him?"
The girl bit her lip. "No," she said firmly. "We're taking him back."
She lifted the wounded child into her arms. "He'll die if we leave him here."
The others hesitated, then nodded. Under the silent moon, the invader of Gaia, wrapped in a blanket, was carried away.