Chapter 3 – The Last Embrace
The air in Planet Vegeta's capital was heavy. A storm seemed to hang over the sprawling city of warriors, though no cloud graced the sky. Soldiers marched with unease, whispers rising between them like the hiss of unseen serpents.
Frieza's name.
The tyrant who commanded the Saiyan race had summoned King Vegeta and his finest to his ship. To most, it was just another audience, another demand. But in the hearts of the few who dared to think deeper, there lingered fear.
And within the royal palace, that fear coiled tightly around Queen Serra's chest.
She stood in a private chamber, her son pressed close against her. The torches flickered against the stone walls, shadows stretching like talons. Raiven's small body radiated warmth, his tail curled snugly around her wrist. His dark eyes, far too alert for an infant, stared upward at her.
The Queen's breath trembled. She knew. She felt it. Frieza had no intention of ruling Saiyans forever. His suspicion, his disdain—it had grown with each passing year. Tonight would not end with negotiation. Tonight would end in fire.
Raiven blinked. His tiny mind buzzed with impressions he could not yet name—dread, sorrow, an ache pressing into his mother's chest.
Why are you afraid? What is coming?
His voice, though infantile, echoed softly in his own thoughts, sharp and restless. The Mystique Core within him pulsed faintly, sensing the turbulence in the Queen's spirit.
Queen Serra kissed his forehead, her whisper breaking the silence. "My son… forgive me. I have so little time."
She moved quickly, pulling back the cloth draped against the wall. Behind it was a chamber hidden from the King, carved in secrecy long ago. In the center lay a small pod—sleek, ancient, its metal dull with age. Unlike the pods the soldiers used, this one had been left dormant, awaiting only her will.
Raiven stirred, sensing the urgency in her movements. His mind voice tightened.
Mother… what are you doing?
She brushed her hand across the pod, and it hummed to life, lights flickering along its edges. With trembling hands, she lowered him toward it.
Tears pooled at the corners of her eyes. "You are not safe here. Frieza will kill us all—your father, your people, even the prince himself. But you… you must live. You must carry the blood of our house beyond this night."
Raiven's fists clenched against the cloth of his swaddle. He could not speak, could not resist, but his heart pounded furiously. His mind voice roared silently.
No! I don't want to leave you! Don't make me go!
For the first time, something stirred inside him. A pulse of light spread from his chest, faint yet undeniable. His mother froze as she felt it—the quiet surge of a hidden power.
The System flickered.
---
[God Level Training System – Synchronization: 25%]
[Directive Unlocked: Survival of Host]
[Pod Integration: Confirmed]
Raiven's eyes widened. The words filled his consciousness, cold and absolute.
Again… this voice. The system. It knows. It's telling me to live…
The Queen did not hear the system, but she felt the warmth radiating from her son. Her tears spilled freely now. She pressed her forehead against his, her voice breaking.
"My precious Raiven… forgive me. Forgive your father, too. He… he will not understand until it is too late." Her grip tightened. "But know this—no matter where you go, you are not alone. My heart, my pride, my love… they are with you."
Outside, the world trembled. The ground quaked with a distant hum. Above the planet, the sky was painted crimson. Frieza's ship loomed, casting its shadow across the capital.
The Queen swallowed her sob, then kissed her son one final time. With a heavy heart, she placed him gently into the pod. His tail flicked in protest, wrapping around her wrist as if begging not to let go. She pried it loose with trembling fingers.
Raiven's mind voice shook.
Don't leave me! Please… I'll fight! I'll survive! I'll prove myself!
The pod's hatch closed with a hiss, sealing him inside. Lights flared along its console, and the system within synced with his presence.
[Launch Sequence Initiated]
The Queen's vision blurred with tears as she slammed her hand on the console. The pod hummed, rising gently, preparing for departure.
"Live, Raiven," she whispered, her voice cracking. "Live, and one day… rise above them all."
The chamber shook violently. A blinding flare tore across the skies outside—the first echo of Frieza's wrath.
The pod blasted free.
Through the small glass, Raiven saw his mother's face one last time, framed by firelight. Her lips moved, though he could no longer hear her voice. And then the stars swallowed her image.
The pod pierced the heavens, shooting into the void. Behind him, Planet Vegeta convulsed as the sky split apart. The power of Frieza's Death Ball descended like the wrath of a god.
The explosion was a sun born in seconds. Fire consumed the palace, the city, the land, and the seas. In moments, the world of Saiyans was gone.
Through the pod's glass, Raiven's infant eyes widened as the only home he had ever known vanished in blinding white. His small fists beat against the pod's side, powerless to stop it. His mind voice screamed, broken and raw.
Mother! Father! I'll remember! I'll carry it all! I swear it!
Inside his chest, the Mystique Core pulsed violently, straining against its dormant seal. The System flickered once more.
---
[God Level Training System Update]
Synchronization: 32%
New Directive: Await Awakening on Destination World
Next Destination: Earth
---
The pod drifted into the endless sea of stars, leaving behind the ashes of his people.
Raiven's eyelids grew heavy, exhaustion stealing over him. But even as he slipped into sleep, his mind voice whispered one last vow.
I'll live. I'll grow stronger. Stronger than Frieza, stronger than the throne, stronger than anyone.
The stars gleamed coldly, stretching endlessly ahead. And in their silence, a new destiny awaited.