Chapter 8 - ch 3 part 2

🌌 Saiyan of the Red Dawn

Chapter 3 – Awakening of Purpose

(Part 2)

Kael met King Vegeta's stare without blinking.

"A contingency," he repeated quietly.

The king straightened, folding his hands behind his back. "Yes. One that will be trained, tempered, and—if necessary—unleashed on Frieza himself."

Kael thought of the hollow, cloying darkness he had sensed in Frieza's name—a presence that felt like death itself.

He didn't feel fear.

He felt curiosity.

Could I defeat him?

Would I have to?

King Vegeta continued:

"In time, your strength will surpass even the elites. But raw power is nothing without control. Which is why I am assigning you to a special training regime."

He turned, gesturing to a small console built into the dais.

A hologram flared to life—three massive Saiyan warriors stood at attention, their scouters chiming with power readings that made the chamber lights flicker.

"The Royal Vanguard," the king said. "My most trusted fighters. They will test you, instruct you…and if you cannot master yourself, they will end you."

Kael studied the projections. Each figure radiated confidence and cruelty in equal measure.

He felt something in his chest uncoil—a hunger he hadn't realized he'd been holding back.

More opponents. Stronger challenges.

A path forward.

"I accept," he said.

The king gave a single nod.

"Good," he replied. "Your training begins tomorrow."

He turned to leave—then paused, glancing back over his shoulder.

"Tell me, boy…why do you fight?"

Kael tilted his head. "Because I'm alive."

King Vegeta regarded him for a long moment, expression unreadable.

Then he laughed—low and bitter.

"Perhaps that's the only honest answer any of us has," he murmured.

Later, when Kael was escorted back to the gravity chamber, Nappa fell into step beside him.

"You understand what the Royal Vanguard is?" the general asked.

Kael nodded. "Your strongest warriors."

"Not just that," Nappa grunted. "They're assassins when the king requires it. Enforcers. Even among our kind, they have no rivals."

Kael said nothing.

"They'll try to break you," Nappa warned. "Physically, mentally. You're a threat to their pride—and to the throne if you ever step out of line."

He stopped at the chamber door, turning to face Kael fully.

"Remember what I taught you," Nappa said, voice low. "You don't stop. You don't yield."

Kael met his gaze evenly. "I won't."

The door hissed open, and he stepped inside.

Hours later, as Kael lay in the dark, sleep came in ragged fragments.

He dreamed again—of the woman's gentle voice, her hands brushing his face.

But this time, the dream shifted.

He saw a child in her arms—small, with wild red hair and a tail that lashed with restless energy.

A sense of recognition pierced him.

He didn't know who the child was, not yet.

But he knew what she meant.

A future he hadn't dared imagine.

A family.

When he woke, he felt something different in his chest—like a second heartbeat.

Purpose.

The next morning, he was taken from the palace under heavy guard, transported in a sealed troop carrier across the arid plains.

The Royal Vanguard's compound was built into the cliffs—a labyrinth of arenas, barracks, and simulation chambers.

When the carrier doors unsealed, Kael stepped out into blinding sunlight.

Three figures waited for him in the courtyard.

They wore no insignia, no emblems—only armor as black as a starless void.

Their leader stepped forward, lowering his hood to reveal close-cropped silver hair and eyes like polished obsidian.

"So this is the whelp they call the Red Dawn," he said, voice soft and lethal.

Kael met his gaze without fear.

The man's lips curved in a humorless smile.

"My name is Varis. For the next year, I am your master."

He turned and gestured to the other two—one a towering brute of a Saiyan with ritual scars across his face, the other a lithe woman whose presence made the air itself seem colder.

"You will address us as Master Varis, Master Caldas, and Mistress Seris," Varis continued.

He raised one gloved hand.

"And you will learn that strength without discipline is nothing."

Kael's tail flicked once behind him.

Let them try, he thought.