Between the cold, almost impersonal white walls, illuminated by the early morning sunlight, creating shadows that seemed to dance slowly across the clean floor, the room was marked by an antiseptic smell that emphasized the solitude of the room. The thin, slightly translucent curtains swayed in a gentle breeze that came through the half-open window, bringing with it a breath of life from outside. Amidst this atmosphere of such remoteness, an old man showed signs of awakening.
His movements were slow and weary, as if age had created an unparalleled weight on his fragile, weather-beaten body, which rested on the narrow bed, covered by a pale blue blanket faded with use. The sheets, though clean, had creases that seemed to echo the starkness of the place. The morning light fell softly on his face, revealing the deep marks of a long, storied life. His eyes, now open, though tired, still held a faint glow, as if there, in that stillness, he relived memories that kept him connected to something greater than that hospital room.
Lifting himself with some difficulty, the elderly man sat up in bed. Turning his head, he glanced at the familiar nightstand beside the bed, which held a small photo frame displaying a faded photograph of a younger man next to a smiling boy, both holding Dragon Ball action figures. It was an image that seemed to defy time, capturing a moment of pure joy and connection. The old man reached out a trembling hand, touching the frame with a delicacy that only affection can teach. His fingers glided over the glass, as if trying to reach back to that distant time, when afternoons were filled with laughter and the excitement of watching the next episode of the anime with his son.
The sunlight, now illuminating the room with a soft glow, seemed to bring with it fragments of those days. He closed his eyes for a moment, and the distant sound of the hospital machines became the echo of a musical overture he knew by heart, the chill of the room giving way to the warmth of the living room sofa, where he and his son cheered for Goku together, as if they were part of those epic battles.
The breeze coming through the window seemed to whisper stories of a past that refused to be forgotten. And at that moment, the hospital room ceased to be merely a clinical and impersonal space. It became a place where time bent, where the old man could reconnect with the boy he once was, and with the son who had grown up but would always remain there, in that photo, in those memories, and in the heart that still beat strong, even with his age.
This brief, fleeting moment of nostalgia marked the end of this old man's life, as he passed away with a look of satisfaction on his face as he recalled the fun times with his son while sitting on his own bed. His eyes, which had just recently still shone with the reflection of memories, now rested closed, as if they had finally found peace. His face, previously marked by the wrinkles of time and fatigue, was serene, almost smiling, as if the last image his mind had ever recorded was that of his young son, laughing beside him, his eyes filled with wonder as Goku launched a Kamehameha at the TV screen.
With a smile on his face, this was the end of this old man, in this ordinary world, but full of happy memories.
The spirit of this same man sailed aimlessly, unaware of what was about to happen in that dark and monotonous space where the soul of that old man floated, suddenly something began to pull him, a force that slowly brought him to a new path.
As he was pulled, the surrounding darkness began to dissipate, giving way to a soft, golden light. It was warm, welcoming, like the embrace of an old friend. Gradually, shapes began to emerge from the gloom. He couldn't quite make out what they were, but he felt a presence all around him, as if he were being welcomed by something greater than himself.
Soon the previously dark and silent space gave way to a well-lit white space, his memory soon made a quick comparison of the internal environment with that of the time room used in the Cell saga of Dragon Ball, he stopped for a while observing that new environment, until he noticed a figure standing there observing him, a figure that could be described as ethereal, his face was not so well-defined, but it was still possible to distinguish certain features.
"It's a very interesting space, isn't it?" said the unknown figure.
Not knowing how to respond, the soul remained in momentary silence until it opted for a brief "yes" as an answer, an answer that seemed to evoke a slight smile on the figure's face.
"You must have already realized, but, you died!" The figure said slowly with a professional attitude, marked by experience, she paused for a moment before continuing.
"Welcome to the 'waiting room,' you're here because we have a proposal. Normally, we send the souls of those who have passed away directly into the normal reincarnation cycle of the same world where they passed away," the figure said again, pausing briefly. "But from time to time, we have to send some souls to other worlds to generate a renewal in the cycle!"
"Over the last century, we have sent countless souls to other places in need of a change!" The figure finished saying.
Having heard the stranger's brief explanation, the old soul pondered for a few seconds before asking, "If this is a practice that's been in place for a century, then you'll reincarnate me in a different world, right?"
"Yes," the figure replied. "It's kind of obvious, but if that were the only reason, we would have sent you directly without bringing you here. You will be the last soul to be reincarnated in another world for now, so we are offering you some wishes limited by your own karma."
This made the old soul stop momentarily, he had the right to make three wishes, this reminded him slightly of a movie he had watched with his son about a lamp granting the same amount of wishes, just like Dragon Ball from a certain point on, however the limitation by his karma was something that helped him keep his "feet" on the ground.
After a few minutes, he decided to ask, "What are the limits of requests according to my karma?"
The question made the ethereal figure in front of him move for a few seconds, to the old man it seemed like he was stunned, but the truth is that he was checking the limits to the wishes that could be granted, a few seconds later the figure responded.
"Although you have good karma, we cannot give you abilities that make you omnipotent, immortal, control over time or reality itself, much less grant you the body of a god or a system." The figure said.
The old man didn't seem so disappointed by these limitations, he was old, and hadn't even considered becoming a god, much less someone who could be omnipotent, he would like something that could fulfill the wishes he had when watching Dragon Ball with his son, with his decision made he decided to follow through with the wishes he had in mind.
"My first wish is to have the ability to use Ki," the old man said. To his surprise, the figure found his wish amusing, but that didn't stop him from continuing. "My second wish is to have the knowledge of how to train with maximum efficiency in both the use of Ki and my own body," he said. "My third wish is to be able to remember my life clearly." The man finished, his last wish not seeming to surprise the unknown figure before him all that much.
After a few seconds of silence, the figure decided to speak.
"Your first wish is kind of redundant," the figure said, but before the old man could ask anything, the figure continued speaking. "You're already going to a world where anyone can use Ki; you'd already have that ability, for sure."
This seemed to surprise the old man; he thought he would have been born into a completely normal world, but with it arose a concern that he decided to voice. "Will I lose my first wish, then?"
"No, you can replace it with anything as long as it's within the limits." The figure replied.
The man pondered for a few moments, he already had the guarantee of being able to use Ki, what more could he ask for?
Minutes later, the figure was extremely patient, giving the recently deceased old man time to decide what to ask for, and then the man finally made his decision!
"I wish my son had perfect health," the old man proclaimed.
The figure saw no problem with this wish, which made the old man happy. His son had some health problems that weren't serious, just a herniated disc and a slight vision problem. He had considered asking for this before, but didn't know if it was allowed, so he decided to take the risk after learning that it could replace his first wish.
"Well, now good luck in your new life," said the figure. "Follow me for a moment."
The figure took him to an establishment that was in a place a little further away in that "waiting room", the place had a very similar aesthetic to the small establishment that was inside the time room, this only reinforced the old man's idea that this place was made by a Dragon Ball fan.
The figure then decided to break the silence that had settled during the walk to a door inside that small establishment.
"This door will take you to your next life, but first I must warn you," the figure said. "Your karma wasn't enough to create a body, so we will merge you with an existing soul!"
"Another thing you might want to know is that there will be no problems with higher entities in that universe; they are fully aware of this cycle renewal service." The figure continued, "If there are no questions, go through the door."
The figure finished his speech by opening the door.
"Who will I merge with?" asked the old man.
The figure walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, and in a moment of seriousness he said, "Son Gohan."
This left the old man stunned, his mind had stopped working, the figure seeing the man's state decided to push him out the door.
"Good luck with your new life," said the figure with a big smile.
Waking up with the sudden act, the old man didn't even have time to question more about the person he was going to merge with, his time only allowed him to scream. "WHAT????"
But whether this was a cry about his doubt or surprise at the push, no one would know, because when he passed through the door, the "waiting room" lit up and transformed into a completely dark and empty space.
"Another job well done!" said the figure in satisfaction.
Only fate would know what awaited the new Son Gohan.