Chapter 1 – The Power of Angels
737 A.D.
Universe 7, Planet Vegeta
In the late summer twilight, the Saiyan homeworld's twin moons bathed the rocky terrain in silver light. The night sky stretched like an endless void, dotted with distant stars some faint, some blazing like the promise of distant battles.
Luo Tian stood on a craggy cliff, gazing upward in quiet thought. The low hum of spaceports and the distant roar of training grounds filled the air, but here, above it all, the cosmos seemed to whisper only to him.
"Oi, Luo Tian! You've got time to stand around stargazing?"
The sharp, commanding voice behind him needed no introduction. Luo Tian didn't turn, he already knew it was Vegeta, Prince of all Saiyans.
At only five years old, Vegeta already carried himself like a ruler. His spiked jet-black hair defied gravity, his brown furry tail swayed with measured precision, and his elite battle armor gleamed faintly under the moonlight.
"You'd better be keeping your battle power sharp," Vegeta declared, his tiny gloved hand pressing the button on the green lens of his scouter.
Beep!
The device emitted a high-pitched tone as it scanned Luo Tian's ki. Three seconds later, Vegeta's brows furrowed in disbelief.
"Two hundred?!" he blurted, voice dripping with outrage. "That's impossible! Three days ago your power level was one thousand last year it spiked over twenty thousand during that training accident with the shock-gravity chamber! How does it drop the more you 'train'?"
Luo Tian sighed softly, stepping closer until he stood beside the young prince. Though the same age, Luo Tian was a shade taller, his calm demeanor a sharp contrast to Vegeta's restless energy.
"Hmph. And mind your tongue. It's Your Highness the Prince," Vegeta snapped, tail flicking irritably.
Luo Tian gave a faint smirk and, without warning, reached out and plucked the scouter from Vegeta's face.
"What?! My scouter give it back!" Vegeta barked, his voice cracking with youthful fury. But his eyes widened for a split second. How did he move that fast? I didn't even see it!
"Vegeta," Luo Tian said evenly, holding the device loosely, "never trust this thing too much. It can't read everything that matters."
With a gentle squeeze of his fingers
Crack!
The scouter shattered into several pieces, its lens fracturing into glowing shards as tiny components clattered to the rocky ground.
"You, you destroyed my scouter?!" Vegeta's cheeks flushed red with rage.
"Let's see if I can put it back together," Luo Tian said in a measured tone, ignoring the prince's glare.
Vegeta blinked. "What?"
Luo Tian's expression shifted, growing uncharacteristically solemn. He inhaled deeply, raising one hand. A small, blindingly bright sphere of energy ignited in his palm—not the wild, crackling ki of a Saiyan, but a refined light with a silver-white hue, like a star compressed into flame. Unlike normal ki, it radiated a calm, otherworldly pressure.
The shards of the scouter rose from the dirt as if pulled by invisible strings. Vegeta's eyes widened as every piece drifted back toward the main body, clicking into place one by one until, in less than half a minute, the device was whole again pristine, without a single scratch.
Even the screws that had rolled away zipped back into place on their own.
"You… you… what technique was that?!" Vegeta demanded, voice shaky despite his effort to sound in control.
"The Power of Angels," Luo Tian replied calmly.
"Angel power? What's that supposed to mean?" Vegeta pressed.
"You're still too young. You'll understand someday," Luo Tian said, placing a hand briefly on the boy's armored shoulder.
"Tch! Don't talk like you're older than me, we're the same age!" Vegeta shot back, baring his teeth.
"Not important," Luo Tian replied simply, turning to leave.
Vegeta scowled. He shows off some strange ability, destroys my scouter, then acts like it's nothing?
"Give it back!" the prince snapped.
Without looking back, Luo Tian tossed the scouter lightly over his shoulder. Vegeta snatched it midair and fitted it over his left eye, pressing the side button.
Beep!
A sharp beep-beep-beep came from Vegeta's scouter, the green lens flashing as it processed Luo Tian's energy reading.
"Combat power… one hundred?" Vegeta's brows knitted in confusion. "Why has it dropped again? I heard you've been training using some strange method from a weird book. Is that why your battle power's gone down?"
Luo Tian slowed to a stop, reached into his armor's chest compartment, and pulled out a worn, leather-bound book. Without a word, he tossed it to Vegeta.
Snatch!
Vegeta caught it and quickly read the cover aloud under his breath. "A Guide to the Cultivation of… 'Ziziyi Yi'?" His young face twisted in puzzlement.
"That's right," Luo Tian said with a faint smile. "It's because of this training that I've gained the abilities I have now. Not bad, right?"
Vegeta blinked, still baffled. "Where in the galaxy did you even get this?"
"Remember last year," Luo Tian replied, "when a hairless purple cat and a blue-skinned man came to Planet Vegeta?"
Vegeta's eyes widened instantly. "You mean… the God of Destruction, Beerus, and his attendant?!" His voice shook slightly despite himself—Saiyans feared very few beings, but Beerus was one of them.
Luo Tian nodded. "Exactly. I traded… let's call it a culinary masterpiece, with the attendant Whis in exchange for this book."
Vegeta's jaw tightened. "So, you trained in this 'technique' and your combat power went from twenty thousand to… one hundred?!"
"Yep," Luo Tian confirmed without a shred of shame.
Vegeta stared at him as if looking at the galaxy's biggest fool. This guy's insane.
At age four, he had a power level of 20,000… far above any child in Saiyan history. Father even considered grooming him as my personal bodyguard. And now this!
For as long as Vegeta could remember, Luo Tian's shadow loomed over him, always stronger, faster, and seemingly untouchable. But in the past year, that shadow had faded, replaced by a comforting warmth. With Luo Tian's battle power plummeting, the young prince could wake each morning without feeling crushed by constant comparison.
Luo Tian still respected Vegeta. After all, even in the original Dragon Ball manga, Vegeta's growth from a ruthless, prideful warrior to a protective father and fierce rival to Son Goku was one of the series' most powerful arcs. In contrast, by Dragon Ball Super's events, Goku seemed increasingly obsessed with fighting above all else.
"Hmph," Vegeta said at last, "you've sacrificed all your fighting strength to learn some useless trick?"
"That's one way to put it," Luo Tian replied calmly. "I've already mastered the basics. The book's yours now. If you train seriously, you might surpass me in ways you never imagined."
"Tch, keep it," Vegeta scoffed, tossing the book up and catching it again, though curiosity flickered in his eyes.
He flipped it open and read aloud:
> [Freedom's Ultimate Meaning: Without the interference of conscious thought, every part of the body senses and responds to danger beyond instinct, enabling instantaneous movement and reaction at the fastest possible speed.]
[Condition: Maintain a calm, distraction-free heart, optimistic and positive.]
Vegeta snorted. "So… no thinking? Letting your body move on its own to avoid danger? Even at five years old, I can tell that's just fancy dodging!"
"You can think of it that way," Luo Tian said with a small nod.
"Luo Tian, we're Saiyans a warrior race! You can't win a fight by just dodging!" Vegeta crossed his arms, his voice full of contempt.
Luo Tian didn't respond, letting the silence stretch.
"And what's this about needing a 'calm heart'? Don't make me laugh!" Vegeta smirked. "Ever heard of the Super Saiyan? Strongest warrior in the universe! Violent by nature! If they were calm all the time, they'd never transform!"
"That's… one way to see it," Luo Tian replied evenly. "Maybe it's better we don't talk about it further."
Vegeta: "…"
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