Snow arrived back at the rustic dining table carrying a steaming tray with a freshly brewed teapot and three ceramic cups. The aroma of roasted tea filled the quiet cottage, but as soon as she sat down, the air turned dense with an unspoken gravity.
Snow: "When you were three years old—" *Snow began, her voice unusually subdued.*
Melody: "Mom, please," *Melody cut her off with a small grunt, leaning back in her chair.* "Now really isn't the time for embarrassing childhood memories."
Snow: "Please, Mel... just bear with me for a moment." *Snow physically pleaded, her hands clasping tightly over the wooden table.*
Melody's protest subsided into reluctant silence. She nodded slowly, darting a glance at Goten. He was watching the exchange without a word, his dark eyes caught between mild confusion and deep curiosity.
Melody: "Fine. Go on."
Snow: "When you were born, you had jet-black hair," *Snow took a slow, deep intake of freezing air from the draft near the window.* "You were a happy, energetic little girl."
Melody tensed slightly, her instincts warning her that this was far from a casual story from the family album. Beside her, Goten straightened up, his posture locking into intent focus.
Snow: *She exhaled slowly, gripping her ceramic teacup like a lifeline.* "And then… one afternoon when you were three, I heard the villagers screaming outside. I dropped everything and rushed out the door... and there you were, lying completely motionless in the middle of the snowy road." *Her voice shivered, the tremor making it painfully obvious that this was a deeply buried, unwanted memory.*
A suffocating silence fell over the small room. Melody's breath hitched in her throat. She had no memory of this—none at all. Goten's grip on her hand tightened beneath the table.
Melody: "...What?" *she breathed.*
Snow: *She closed her eyes briefly, as if shielding herself from the visual memory.* "You weren't breathing, Mel. Your skin was ice-cold. And your hair..." *She hesitated, her throat working hard as she swallowed.* "Your hair had turned stark white."
Melody stiffened, her free hand unconsciously reaching up to touch the soft white locks resting against her shoulder—the same striking shade they had always been for as long as she could remember.
Melody: "What… what happened to me?" *she whispered, her voice barely carrying across the table.*
Snow: *Snow opened her eyes, her gaze heavy with decades of hidden grief.* "I don't know. Whatever hit you that day… it altered you completely."
A sharp, cold shiver ran down Goten's spine. This wasn't just an old village tale—this was an origin mystery with terrifying weight.
Goten: "Do you think—" *Goten started, then paused, looking over at Melody.* "Could that incident be tied to the energy powers she has now?"
Snow didn't answer directly, her eyes staring into the steam rising from her tea.
Snow: "To continue the story... Eighter and I set out on a desperate mission across the snowfields to gather the Dragon Balls."
Neither Melody nor Goten dared to draw a breath, silently hanging on every word. The atmosphere in the cottage had shifted into total stillness.
Snow: "It led us to summon the legendary dragon, Shenron himself... and we wished you back to life. But the moment you opened your eyes that day, they had turned a bright, deep violet."
Snow paused, letting the weight of her words settle into the room before concluding softly.
Snow: "Over the years, I tried dyeing your hair back to black, but eventually I stopped because no dye would hold. That's why the older villagers in Jingle Village always called you 'The Miracle Child'."
Melody sat completely frozen, taking in the revelation. Her mind was racing—she had spent her entire life assuming her white hair and violet eyes were simply a unique quirk, never imagining that her very life was the result of a wish granted by the Dragon Balls.
Melody: "But..." *She looked up, her violet eyes searching her mother's pained expression.* "You knew about this the entire time?" *A sharp tinge of accusation slipped into her tone.* "How could you keep something like this from me?!"