Chapter 2 – Echoes Beneath the Earth
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Darkness had never frightened him. Not in his first life. Not in the void between worlds. And not here, where his body had rested in a sleep so deep, the universe could have burned around him and he wouldn't have stirred.
Until now.
A hiss broke the silence, deep underground, where ancient roots clung to stone like sleeping veins. The cryo-stasis pod came to life. Lights blinked weakly through the dust and sediment that had accumulated over six years.
Inside, Raiku's eyes opened.
Cold air rushed in as the pod's chamber cracked and drained, releasing him into a world utterly different from the one he was born in. He tumbled to the cavern floor, muscles tight, lungs aching from disuse, breath escaping in short gasps.
He coughed hard and rolled to his side.
This wasn't Planet Vegeta.
It was too quiet. The gravity was too light. The air tasted green.
"…Earth," he whispered, and the word seemed to stir the cavern itself.
A glowing interface flickered before his eyes—calm, blue, mechanical.
> 🟦 [SYSTEM ONLINE]
Name: Raiku
Race: Saiyan (Royal Bloodline)
Power Level: 6,370
Age: 9 (Biological)
Status: Stable
Trait: Mythic Saiyan Core (Locked)
[Skills]
– Flow-Step (Lv. 2)
– Ki Pulse (Lv. 1)
– Calm Mind (Passive)
[Ki Control: 42%]
[Suppression: Unlocked]
[Quest Available – Reattune to Earth's Energy]
Objective: Meditate for 3 hours. Match internal Ki flow to Earth's rhythm.
Reward: +Ki Control, +Suppression Efficiency
The cave pressed in around him, silent except for his own breathing. Above him, dozens of meters of dirt and stone. Outside, a planet that had no idea who—or what—had just awoken.
He stood shakily. His limbs ached, but power still flowed beneath the stiffness. His tail uncurled slowly behind him, flicking once like a serpent waking from slumber.
He knelt and placed his hands flat on the cave floor, exhaling slowly. No noise. No movement. Just the steady beat of Earth's natural rhythm, buried deep beneath rock and soil.
He closed his eyes.
Time passed unnoticed as his aura settled. The flow of energy around him began to sync, not just with the Ki in the air, but with the quiet pulse of the planet's life force. A faint smile tugged at his lips.
He could feel it—this world was alive, and it was letting him in.
Far away, across forest and ocean, Master Roshi sat on the front porch of a simple wooden house, sipping from a coconut.
"Ahhh… now this is the life. No explosions. No bandits. Just peace and—"
He stopped mid-sip.
"Hm?"
He stood slowly, adjusting his sunglasses, his feet sinking slightly into the sand as he turned toward the horizon.
"Strange…" he murmured. "That's no storm."
He focused. His old martial senses stirred like smoke rising from slumber. Something was shifting. Not loud. Not chaotic. Just… powerful. Subtle. Deep.
And it was coming from somewhere underground.
"Well," he muttered, grabbing his staff, "looks like ol' Roshi's day off is about to get real interesting."
The cave ceiling cracked moments before a beam of artificial light cut through the darkness.
Raiku opened his eyes.
A boulder shifted above the pod chamber, and a metal panel clanked down onto the stone. A figure dropped through it, landing in a crouch, cane first.
He was short, old, bald, bearded—and wore a turtle shell on his back.
Raiku didn't move.
"Well now," the old man muttered, slowly straightening, "this sure ain't where I parked my hovercraft."
He looked around, sunglasses catching the dim glow of the cryo-pod. Then his eyes fell on Raiku—dirt-covered, armored, a tail slowly swaying behind him.
"…You're a strange one, kid," Roshi said. "You alright?"
"I'm fine," Raiku answered quietly.
Roshi tilted his head. "Did you… uh… dig your way in here? Or did you crawl outta some old space coffin?"
Raiku didn't answer. He stood, cautious but calm.
Roshi's eyes narrowed beneath his glasses. "And is that—hold up, is that a tail?"
Raiku nodded once.
"Wait a minute…" Roshi stepped back. "You ain't—what, some kinda monkey-boy? You a forest spirit? A lost experiment? Don't tell me you're from… the moon or somethin'."
"I'm from another planet," Raiku said simply.
Silence.
Roshi blinked. "Huh?"
"I'm not from Earth. I'm a Saiyan."
Roshi stared, mouth open slightly. "A Say… what?"
"From Planet Vegeta," Raiku continued. "It was destroyed six years ago. I was sent away before it happened."
The old man stared at him for a long moment. Then he sighed and lowered his staff.
"Well... you sure don't look like a liar."
He scratched his beard.
"Guess I can't exactly complain. I once met a talking crane who claimed to teach people how to fly by breathing through their knees."
Raiku blinked.
"…I don't think that's real."
"No, but he did." Roshi grinned. "Now come on. Can't have you sulkin' in a hole like a badger. You got a name, space kid?"
"…Raiku."
"Well, Raiku, you just got invited to the strangest beach party this side of the planet."
The journey to the surface was quiet. Roshi guided Raiku up through the narrow passage and back to a shaded campsite in the forest near his hovercraft. A small fire was going, and a pot of rice steamed gently over the coals.
Roshi handed him a bowl.
Raiku sat across the fire, quietly eating. The taste hit him like a surprise—simple, clean, warm.
"I never thought I'd eat food that wasn't rationed," he said.
"Oh, you'll get plenty of that here," Roshi chuckled. "So, you gonna vaporize me in my sleep or you just passin' through?"
Raiku looked up. "I want to learn."
Roshi's smile faded into something quieter. "Learn what?"
Raiku looked at the fire.
"How to live here. How to understand what peace means."
Roshi rubbed his beard again, watching him. "You're too serious for your age."
"I've seen a planet die."
"…Yeah. That'll do it."
They sat in silence for a while longer, until the fire died down and the stars rose overhead.
The system flickered to life again in Raiku's vision.
> [New Home Registered: Roshi's Forest Camp (Temporary)]
[New Quest Unlocked – Earthbound Training Begins]
Objectives:
– Learn Roshi's 3 Core Stances (0/3)
– Master Basic Ki Suppression
– Perform 1000 Slow Precision Strikes
Rewards:
– +5 Strength
– +2 Wisdom
– New Skill: Spirit Stability
Roshi yawned and leaned back on a log.
"You're a weird kid, Raiku. But… I think I can teach you a thing or two."
Raiku looked at him—not with pride or suspicion, but quiet gratitude.
"Then I'll learn," he said.
And for the first time since his mother whispered goodbye on that dying world, Raiku closed his eyes under an alien sky…
…and felt at peace.
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🌀 To Be Continued in Chapter 3 – Martial Roots and Mortal Lessons
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