The green-blue skies of the divine realm loomed overhead as Rudra stood frozen before Whis. The angel's staff glowed faintly, as if ready to record or unravel every word he spoke.
Whis's serene voice broke the silence.
"Well then, Rudra. You say you will tell me everything. Do not disappoint me. I am patient… but I am not easily fooled."
Rudra drew in a slow breath, his heart steadying.
(I have to give him just enough truth… something so convincing that he won't look further. But if I say too much, I'll expose everything. This is no ordinary opponent—this is Whis!)
He lifted his gaze, forcing a calm tone.
"My story… is unlike anything you've ever heard, Whis. I wasn't born in this reality—not in this universe, not even in this cycle of existence. I grew up in a world… where power didn't exist."
Whis tilted his head, curiosity gleaming in his violet eyes.
"Oh? A world with no Ki? No gods? How dull."
Rudra smiled faintly.
"It was dull. But it was also… peaceful. People lived by rules, by knowledge, not strength. Our battles weren't fought with energy blasts or transformations, but with books, ideas, and faith."
The angel twirled his staff, his tone playful again.
"Faith, you say? And what did you believe in, Rudra of another life?"
Rudra's expression softened. This part, at least, was the truth.
"I believed in knowledge. I studied. I read everything I could find. And among those things… I found the Vedas. Ancient texts from my people. They spoke of seven energies within the body—seven chakras. Centers of spirit, of soul. I was… obsessed with them. Even though in that life, no one had ever truly awakened them."
Whis tapped his chin, clearly intrigued.
"Hmm. Fascinating. And so, your so-called Vedas planted the seeds of your current power."
"Yes." Rudra nodded. "Because one day… I woke up here. In this universe. I don't know how. No warning, no choice. Just… thrown into a reality where warriors could destroy planets with a gesture."
His eyes hardened, recalling the early days.
"I should have died. But I survived. I trained. And I remembered what I had studied in my past life. Meditation, breathing, focus—things people in that world called philosophy. Here… they became weapons."
Whis's staff gleamed brighter, his tone sharpening.
"And you awakened a chakra?"
"Yes." Rudra's voice was steady. "The first one. Muladhara. The root. It let me take energy—not mine, but others'. Absorb it, reshape it, return it. From there… my path began."
Whis's eyes narrowed.
"So. A mortal who crawled from another reality, carrying knowledge no one else possessed, and forged it into true power here. A curious tale indeed."
Rudra gave a small laugh.
"Curious… but true. Every word."
Inside, however, his mind burned.
(Half true. Yes, I studied the Vedas. Yes, I came from another life. Yes, I awakened chakra by meditation. But if I tell him about Zalama, the Dark Dimension, or the deeper stages… I'm finished. He'll never let me leave this realm alive.)
Whis circled him slowly, staff floating at his side. His smile returned, but his tone carried quiet weight.
"And yet, Rudra… something still doesn't fit. A man who lived in peace, suddenly thrown into battle, and in so short a time… destroying Frieza's elite? Even with meditation, even with chakra… that leap is enormous."
Rudra swallowed. He had to play this carefully.
"I never said it was easy. My training was brutal. I nearly died many times. But I had something the others didn't—discipline. Patience. The ability to look inward, not just outward. While warriors like Vegeta and Goku push their bodies past limits, I pushed my soul. That is why my chakra awoke."
Whis paused. His gaze softened slightly, though his eyes still glimmered with suspicion.
"Mmm. The soul. That explains why your energy feels… different. It is not born from flesh, nor refined into divine Ki. It is tethered to something deeper. A rare path indeed."
Rudra's lips curved into a faint smile.
"You see, Whis? My story may sound strange… but it is no deception. I am no god. No chosen one. Just a man who learned to wield what others ignored."
Whis chuckled, amused once more.
"Hohoho. I must admit, Rudra, you tell your tale well. Half the gods I know can't explain their power so convincingly. But still…"
He leaned forward, eyes boring into Rudra's.
"There are pieces missing. You fight too cleanly, too efficiently. You grasp powers even you claim you don't understand. And when I watched you destroy Frieza's base… I felt a flicker of something that was not chakra."
Rudra stiffened. Sweat prickled down his spine.
(He noticed! No, calm down. He suspects, but he doesn't know. I can't crack now.)
He forced a chuckle.
"Even I don't fully understand what I did that day. Perhaps… it was instinct. Or desperation. Sometimes power reveals itself in the moment, doesn't it?"
Whis smiled, but his tone carried warning.
"Perhaps. Or perhaps you are hiding something. But let us assume your words are true. In that case…"
He twirled his staff, tapping it lightly against Rudra's chest. A ripple of energy spread, scanning him from head to toe.
"…You are a unique specimen. A mortal whose power belongs neither to gods nor mortals. Dangerous, yes—but also… entertaining."
Rudra exhaled slowly, his heart still pounding.
(He bought it. Not completely—but enough. Enough to let me walk away… for now.)
Whis straightened, his smile returning to its usual whimsical charm.
"Very well, Rudra. I shall not pry further… for now. But I will continue to watch you. Closely. And if your half-truth ever collapses into a full lie…"
He raised a finger, flicking lightly against Rudra's forehead. The force sent Rudra stumbling back several feet, his skull throbbing like it had been struck by a hammer.
"…I will know."
Rudra steadied himself, rubbing his brow. He gave a respectful bow, masking his relief with humility.
"Understood. Thank you… Whis-sama."
The angel chuckled, tapping his staff once more.
"Good boy. Now, return to your little Earth. Frieza is already on his way. You wouldn't want to miss the party, would you?"
Before Rudra could respond, the staff glowed, and in a blink—he was gone, whisked away from the divine realm.
Left alone, Whis gazed into the shifting sky, his smile faint but his thoughts sharp.
"A mortal from another world… Vedas… chakras… Hmhmhm. How curious indeed. But I sense more in him. Much more. He is a puzzle… one I intend to solve."
And with that, Whis turned, vanishing into the endless branches of the Tree.