Peace, as always, was a temporary condition.
Earth had been enjoying one of those suspiciously quiet afternoons—the kind where the wind behaved, the clouds minded their business, and nothing exploded for at least six consecutive hours. Somewhere in West City, Capsule Corp employees relaxed just a little too much, which was their first mistake.
High above the planet, Goku froze mid-air.
He was supposed to be training. He was always supposed to be training. That was the schedule. That was the lifestyle. That was the problem.
"…Huh?"
The sound escaped his mouth before the thought fully formed. His body stopped moving, Ultra Instinct disengaging on instinct—not because of danger, but confusion. The universe had just coughed, and Goku felt it in his bones.
It wasn't strong.
It wasn't weak.
It was wrong.
Goku tilted his head, eyes narrowing the way they only did when something made absolutely no sense to him.
"That's not god ki…" he muttered. "But it's not normal either."
The sensation wasn't distant, like most powerful auras. It wasn't loud. It didn't announce itself. It simply existed, heavy and undeniable, like a conclusion that had already been reached without him.
Goku grinned.
"Well! Guess I'll check it out!"
And just like that—because restraint was never invited to this universe—Instant Transmission activated.
The forest outside West City died quietly.
Trees didn't explode. They didn't burn. They didn't even fall dramatically. They simply… ceased, shaved away by a perfectly linear trench that stretched for kilometers, as though something had dragged reality itself across the ground and cut too deep.
At the center of the impact crater stood two figures.
The first—tall, broad-shouldered, black hair threaded with faint silver fractures—was already on his feet. His tail lashed once behind him, irritated but controlled. His expression was calm in the way storms were calm before deciding to erase coastlines.
Kael Arashi surveyed the sky, the ground, the air itself.
"…This planet," he said slowly, voice low, "follows rules."
The second figure laughed.
"Oh come on," she said, brushing ash off her jacket. "You say that like it's a bad thing."
Eris Arashi straightened, stretching like someone who'd just woken from a nap instead of surviving planetary annihilation.
Her grin was sharp, delighted, and deeply concerning.
"At least here," she added, "things break the same way twice."
Kael didn't answer. His eyes had narrowed—not at the environment, but at something approaching very, very fast.
The air folded.
Goku appeared between them in a soft pop of displaced space, hands already raised in greeting, smile bright and effortless.
"Hey! Sorry to just pop in like this, but—"
Kael moved.
No warning. No flare. No transformation.
Just decision.
His fist crossed the distance instantly, wrapped in a colorless pressure that didn't explode outward but asserted itself forward. The universe seemed to lean into the punch, agreeing with it in advance.
Goku blocked.
The shockwave erased the crater.
Mountains kilometers away shuddered, then subtly shifted to safer positions, like nervous witnesses trying not to get involved.
Goku skidded backward through the air, boots carving invisible lines through nothing. His eyes went wide—not in pain, not in fear, but shock.
"…Whoa."
Eris clapped.
"Oh, he caught it! Brother, I like this planet already."
Goku laughed, rubbing his forearm.
"Man, that felt weird! You're really strong—what kind of ki was that?"
Kael didn't answer.
Because answering meant thinking.
And thinking meant allowing room for outcomes he did not accept.
He stepped forward again.
This time, Goku dodged—Ultra Instinct flickering reflexively, silver light dancing for half a heartbeat. But the movement felt… off.
Not wrong. Just inefficient.
Like he'd picked the correct response and still lost something in translation.
Eris zipped in from the side, her movement playful, skipping between angles that didn't quite exist. She spun, heel arcing toward Goku's head.
Goku ducked, laughing.
"Hey, hey! Let's talk first—!"
Her kick missed.
It shouldn't have.
Instead, the ground behind him shattered, not from impact, but from agreement, as if reality had assumed something was supposed to be hit and chose the nearest substitute.
Goku froze mid-air.
"…Okay," he said slowly. "That's new."
Kael's eyes sharpened.
The battlefield felt smaller.
Sounds dulled. Wind slowed. Possibilities narrowed—not through force, but inevitability. Every movement Goku made felt like it had already been accounted for.
Not predicted.
Accepted.
Kael's Axiom Ki didn't roar.
It settled.
And for the first time in a very long while, Goku felt something unfamiliar during a fight.
Uncertainty—not about losing, but about choice.
"So cool…" Goku murmured, smiling anyway. "It's like the universe is helping you fight!"
Kael's fist stopped inches from Goku's face.
"…It isn't helping," Kael said. "It's complying."
Silence stretched.
Then—
"OF COURSE."
A new voice cut through the air, sharp with irritation and pride.
Vegeta landed nearby, arms crossed, eyes already blazing as he took in the scene—the crater, the siblings, and Goku standing far too happily in the middle of something catastrophic.
"I leave you alone for five minutes," Vegeta growled, "and you find another anomaly."
Goku waved. "Hey, Vegeta! These guys just fell out of the sky!"
Eris beamed. "Technically, the universe rejected us."
Vegeta ignored her, eyes locked on Kael.
"…That ki," he muttered. "It doesn't belong anywhere."
Kael turned, measuring him.
"Neither do Saiyans," Kael replied calmly.
Vegeta bristled.
Goku laughed again. "So! I'm Goku. What's your name?"
"…Kael Arashi."
"I'm Eris!" she added cheerfully. "He's the serious one. I'm the fun one."
Vegeta scoffed. "I hate this already."
High above, somewhere far more dangerous than Earth, Beerus jolted awake.
"…Whis."
"Yes, Lord Beerus?"
"I feel something I do not like."
Whis stared into his staff, smile fading just a fraction.
"…Ah," he said softly. "That's unfortunate."
Back on Earth, Goku cracked his knuckles, eyes sparkling with excitement.
"So," he said, grinning at Kael, "wanna keep going?"
Kael considered him for a long moment.
Then—
"…Yes."
And somewhere deep in the universe, a law that had been buried long ago quietly reactivated.