The first thing he noticed was the silence.
Not the kind of silence you get in a quiet room, but a deep, weighty silence of nature—where the air itself felt still, the trees whispered softly to one another, and the only sound was the distant rush of a river.
Aster… or rather, the boy who now was Aster… opened his eyes slowly.
"Where… am I?"
His voice sounded strange in his own ears—lower, smoother, and carrying a faint edge he didn't remember having. The last thing he could recall clearly was sitting in his bedroom back on Earth. It had been a normal day—sunlight streaming through the blinds, the faint hum of his PS5 as he booted up the newly released Dragon Ball game.
And then—
Nothing.
Or rather… this.
"I remember going to get the new Dragon Ball game on my PS5 and now I just—ARGHH!"
Pain struck without warning. A sharp, almost slicing agony tore through his skull, forcing him to drop to one knee, clutching the side of his head. Images flashed behind his eyes in rapid bursts—two sets of memories colliding, fusing, rewriting themselves into something whole.
One belonged to the Aster of this world: a boy born on Planet Shikkirik, the hidden child of Sarah and Kallen Azrieth. The other belonged to him—a young man from another Earth entirely, with nothing special but a love for the Dragon Ball universe.
Now, both were one.
When the pain subsided, his breathing slowed. He sat there for a long moment, staring at his reflection in the river nearby. There was no way he could possibly be classed as ugly with such tender and smooth dark skin with contrasting red eyes and black smooth hair with crimson colour at the edge of the hair bangs.
'Not now' Aster immediately reminded himself.
"It seems… for unknown reasons, I transmigrated into this Dragon Ball world as a new, unknown character," he muttered, his tone low, thoughtful. "Plus… I wonder what timeline this is right now."
The forest around him felt unreal—so vivid. The trees stretched high overhead, their leaves catching sunlight in shimmering waves. The air smelled clean, fresh, alive. But it was too peaceful.
Dangerously peaceful.
And that was when he felt them.
Two power signatures.
High.
Approaching fast.
His crimson eyes narrowed. These energies… they felt familiar. Not to his Shikkirik memories, but to his own knowledge of this universe. Warm, overwhelming… and friendly?
WHOOSH—!!
A sharp gust of wind tore through the clearing. Leaves scattered in spirals as two figures appeared overhead.
The first was a tall man in an orange gi, black hair spiking upward like a flame frozen in motion. His smile was open, almost childlike.
The second was a boy—smaller, with softer features, bright eyes, and a curious expression that made him look like he'd never met a stranger in his life.
Goku. And Goten.
"Hey there, kid!" The bigger figure, whom Aster immediately recognized from his memories from Blue Star as Son Goku, spoke out as cheerful as ever. "You alright? That was a huge landing!"
Aster's muscles tensed. Without meaning to, he shifted into a defensive stance.
"Who… who are you?" Aster asked, confused yet guarded—or at least, that's how he looked to be.
"Name's Goku. This is my son, Goten. You crashed right into our mountain! We felt your ki from miles away," Goku replied with his usual sunny smile.
Aster hesitated before answering, still deciding how much to reveal.
"My name's… Aster Azrieth." He let the name slip naturally, though it was tied to his new self. "I came from a planet called Shikkirik. It was destroyed. My parents…"
His voice faltered. He didn't need to fake the lump in his throat.
Goku's smile faded just slightly, his eyes softening.
"You're a Saiyan, huh?"
Aster nodded slowly.
"My father said I was a Legendary one… but I never trained. I begged him, but… he said he wasn't strong enough to teach me."
Aster shook his head faintly, then looked down at his hands.
"One day, when I was a kid, I got into a fight with some playmates. I… lost control. My aura exploded. My eyes turned darker. And I… hurt someone. I didn't mean to. I just… lost it."
Goten looked at him with wide-eyed fascination, whispering to his father,
"That sounds awesome—"
"—It's not awesome, Goten," Goku said gently, shooting his son a look before turning back to Aster. His voice was still warm, but there was a thread of seriousness now.
"Come with us. We'll figure it out together."
"Are you sure?" Aster asked.
"Yes, Aster. So, are you gonna come?" Goku replied.
"Ok then. Thanks, Goku." Aster answered respectfully with a slight bow.
With Goku carrying Aster in his arms, they flew back to Mount Paozu, the wind rushing past as they crossed rivers and forests. From above, Aster took in the scenery—rolling green hills, winding dirt paths, and the little dome-shaped house that sat near the riverbank.
Chi-Chi met them at the door, hands on her hips.
"Goku, what is this? You've brought home another stray, haven't you?"
Goku laughed sheepishly.
"Not a stray—he's a Saiyan kid from another planet! His home got destroyed, so I figured—"
"—You figured you'd bring him here for me to feed?" she interrupted sharply, but her eyes softened when Aster stepped forward and bowed politely.
"Thank you for letting me stay here," he said with genuine respect. "I'll help with anything you need. Cooking, cleaning, farming—I'm used to working."
That caught her off guard.
"…Well," she muttered, glancing away. "At least he's polite."
Goten grinned at Aster.
"Come on! I'll show you my room!"
Over the next hour, Aster was shown the house, introduced to the quirks of life at Mount Paozu, and even given a change of clothes. But his mind wasn't on making friends.
He wanted power.
He needed it.
At the dinner table, Chi-Chi had just prepared pork chops, miso soup, grilled fish, and rice balls.
"Itadakimasu!" Aster announced as he clasped his chopsticks and began eating with the family.
"Anyway, Goku," Aster began between bites, "earlier when I met you and Goten, I could sense your strength. Not only that, but I felt different auras of power roughly in this area. And… I have a request I need from you—"
Aster's tone grew solemn. He clenched his fists, then stood and bowed deeply.
"PLEASE BE MY FIGHTING TEACHER AND TRAINER!"
"Hmmm?" Goku swallowed his last mouthful of food. "Well, Aster, I'd love that… but Chi-Chi made it a house rule—no more fighting." He paused, then shot Chi-Chi a pleading look. "Buuut, if you can get her to lift that rule, then I'll accept you as a student."
'So this confirms my fears… This must be just before the start of the Dragon Ball Super era, during Goku's farming days. I'll really need to get stronger before the coming dangers… and the gods.'
Immediately, Aster turned to Chi-Chi with pleading eyes.
Twenty minutes later…
After multiple rounds of persuasion and some surprisingly skilled sweet-talking, Chi-Chi agreed. Goku had their first training session planned for the next morning.
The evening passed quickly, and after Aster was given a futon to share Goten's room, he lay down—already eager to face tomorrow.
The first day of training begins!!!
To Be Continued