The accusation hung sharply in the warm air of the cottage. Snow didn't flinch; she simply arched a brow, her maternal composure returning like a shield.
Snow: "It is a mother's utmost duty to protect her child, Melody. Keeping you in the dark was how I chose to protect your peace for as long as I could." *She set her teacup down with a decisive click.* "But since I am putting everything on the table today, there is no turning back."
Goten felt Melody's hand tremble slightly in his clasp. He shifted closer to her side, offering every bit of his presence as a grounding force.
Snow: "Shenron used every ounce of his magic to grant my wish that day. But just before he vanished into the sky, he gave me a stern warning... If anything should happen to you again in the future, you cannot be revived by the Dragon Balls a second time."
The silence that followed was heavy and oppressive.
Melody's head spun as the reality crashed over her. The dragon who could grant any wish had placed a permanent boundary on her soul. A storm of conflicting emotions raged inside her—shock, confusion, a flash of hurt, and a sudden, terrifying realization of her own mortality.
Goten squeezed her hand firmly, his own heart pounding against his ribs. The stakes of the impending battle against Captain Gorge and the cosmic vampires of the DFA had just doubled. For everyone else, death was a temporary setback that could be undone with a set of Dragon Balls. For Melody, there was no safety net.
Melody: *She took a long, trembling breath, trying to force her mind to focus.* "Why?" *Her voice was small, almost lost in the room.* "Why tell me this right now?"
Snow: "Because I need you to understand the absolute stakes of where you are going," *Snow said with brutal, unvarnished honesty.* "Perishing in this coming war will mean your funeral. There will be no second miracle."
Melody flinched at the bluntness of her mother's words, but the harsh truth settled deep into her chest.
Goten stepped into the space between them, his grip on Melody's hand tightening—not in restraint, but in an unshakable promise. He looked Snow directly in the eyes, his black hair casting a sharp shadow over eyes burning with pure Saiyan resolve.
Goten: "I won't let that happen," *he said, his voice ringing clear and steady.* "She isn't fighting alone out there. I'm right beside her."
Snow studied the young Saiyan for a long moment. She saw the absolute certainty in his posture, and slowly, her shoulders eased. She gave him a single, respectful nod, accepting that her daughter was no longer a helpless child in Jingle Village—she was a warrior standing beside someone who would lay down his life for her.
Melody: *She exhaled shakily, squaring her shoulders as a spark of fire returned to her violet eyes.* "Then I guess... I'll just have to win."