Day One (Open)

“Aaah, so you’re the freshly departed? Gan…dogan, was it? A shame you couldn’t kill that fiend Lottus. You were so close, too…”

Vale stood besides Gandigan, both of his feet dipping in their blood red sea. Since when was he here? Had he been there all along? Who knew! His presence worked in strange ways and he seemingly never triggered a person’s instincts whenever he appeared out of the blue. As if…he had always been there or rather, as if he always belonged there. The fact that his aura exuded no animosity also worked in his favor when bypassing a person’s spatial awareness. It added to the mysticism of the Shinjin, much to his delight.

“That Saiyan has been a problem for a while, I’m sure you’re aware of it. Sadly, us Shinjins are no good when it comes to fighting, so we have to rely on you mortals, as bad as it sounds. We’re also told not to interfere too much with mortal realms…but hey! This ain’t no mortal realm.”

He had watched the fight, from afar, and played it back a couple times, too. That guy really did come close to beating the savage Saiyan, all by his lonesome. He placed a hand in front of him, the blood sea swirling in its center. From the swirl, two watery constructs rose, one of Lottus and the other of Gandigan, reenacting the highlights of their fight.

“If you want my personal opinion, you have what it takes to beat him. The problem…is your mindset. Why did you give up? Because you lost faith in yourself? Or perhaps…because reaching for more would mean going against the persona you’ve created for yourself? Benevolent king of the Mazoku…Hmm, never mind that, I’m just rambling.”

He lowered his hands and the constructs dissolved, falling back into the water.

“I suppose it is bad of me to offer unsolicited advice like that. Rather, I should ask you…What do you plan to do from here on out?”

“There are all kinds of people in Hell. Some clearly took his side, but those individuals weren’t affected by his presence in Hell before…He’s made quite a mess, even killed a powerful influential Lord of Hell. Majin Sha was his name. Now the poor sod has been captured by the Ogres and has been put away to be recycled properly. You can guess that a lot of people were very displeased by that and would rather stick with you.”

It was true, too. Lottus had left quite an impression back when he was dead. Now, to say that Vale didn’t have a hand to play in some of what happened would be a lie, but the fault rested mostly on the Saiyan.

“I’m not going to say you were wrong to do what you did. Maybe hasty, but not wrong. Maybe it was a gambit you took in the heat of the moment, but now you should realize that he is going to come for Namek now, more than ever. If anything, you’ve fanned the flames of his pettiness. And you’re stuck here, unable to hold true to your vow to save your people.”

When Gandigan claimed he was going to get out of there, Vale’s eyes lit up with a brief moment of excitement. Of course! Lottus had done it, why couldn’t he! But was it the wisest choice? He just had to ask.

“I’m not supposed to agree with you -me being a Shinjin who respects the rules and all-, but sure, let’s say you do that. Then what? You throw yourself back at him? Perhaps to die again. If you do that, then Yemma might not be so nice with you for a second time. Or… you go to the Saiyan you’ve crowned as your leader to save you again from the other Saiyan. Sorry, their name eludes me. It would help your people, as you’ve said so yourself… but that’d be kind of boring.”

Every choice of word was deliberate, a maybe vain attempt to stir something within the Namekian. Just prodding. If it didn’t bite, he wouldn’t bait any further. Vale is testing the waters, with a comprehensive smile and doublespeak. Just enough to elicit a particular kind of reaction, but not enough to appear to be scheming or have a hidden meaning behind his words. If anything, he’s just counseling a dead soul.

“Especially when you’re so close to take upon that mantle yourself. If you wish to warn your people, I can help you do that, but what I’m getting at is…you should take the opportunity to train here. Unlike the mortal realms, there is vast experience you can acquire. About yourself and the inner strength you’ve yet to tap in. I’ve met a few namekians in my time, perhaps I could get you in touch. That’s up to you. Regardless, I’m willing to help you get a message across, if you want.”

““You look like you’ve got your bases covered, huh. A moment of clarity before death? Or maybe you had a good idea in the middle of all the bad ones.” Which ultimately led to his death. The shinjin got up and tried to lower the tension.

“All right, all right, I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be an ass to you. You probably know it better than everyone else. Let’s just hope your friends can push him back. He might be strong, but he is only one man.”

A small consolation to be had, unless the Saiyan tyrant had any associates. Not that Vale knew off, but it had been a while since he got a moment to talk with Lottus. Now, Gandigan appeared to be of a righteous heart, so swaying him or getting him to doubt his stance on the world and his actions might be out of question, but intel gathering was always something Vale could do.

“Do you believe your people to be up to the task? Or maybe they would need, for example, some divine guidance?”

The prospect of training a world in preparation of an incoming invasion had a nice ring to it. Would Vale actually do any of this? Probably not. Hmm, The Namekian really was the hasty type.

“You’ve sent the Saiyan in a state of near death. He will need time to recover before he can set his plan in motion. Maybe you don’t want to stand idle and watch him destroy the universe. But unless you’re willing to calm down a think for a second, you’re bound to repeat your mistakes.”

Maybe that was the first good bit of advice he had given him thus far. Not that Vale would dislike it if it happened, though.

“Meeting with Saiyans? Sure, I could arrange that. Now, there’s no guarantee they would be willing to help you out. A fellow Saiyan turning the world upside down is sure to get them overjoyed. Even more so when it’s the Legendary Super Saiyan. That’s two strikes for you from the get-go.”

Maybe that was that same hastiness speaking for the Namekian. Vale had to ask.

“Wise old sages often say that to conquer oneself is to conquer all. Meaning, before trying to understand Lottus, why not try and understand yourself first? What is it that you seek, really seek, aside from the same old make-believes of protecting everyone you hold dear? Especially from a member of the Mazoku clan, who had their history buried away from current knowledge and who were exiled by virtue of existing.”

Vale knew a little about Namekians and unless things had recently changed, Gandigan had far more to gain by understanding the root of his own power.

So the defenders of Namek were good, but none other than Gandigan compared to Lottus, huh? At the very least, they had numbers on their side, which would amount to something, surely. Vale would need to see it for himself before advising the Saiyan, on the off chance that the Super Saiyan would bother listening to him and not throw himself in the maw of righteousness.

“As I’ve told you, I cannot fight even if my life depended on it, but if you have a keen eye, you will notice the lack of halo above my head. I can move freely between realms, at will…almost! I can make sure they know what they will be up against in terms of power. I can offer guidance and spiritual training, but that’s about it.”

It won’t hurt to pay a visit for sure, gauge the level of the people there. That was something for another time, though. Right now, having Gandigan open a bit more of his heart to him was what was interesting to him. As of late, the Namekians were a peaceful, isolated race with the occasional travelers doing some spacefaring and pursuing their own ambitions. Those Namekians, however, were very few. The planet had opened to outsiders who eventually settled on the planet Namek, offering much needed multiculturalism. Was this always the case, however?

“ How do you feel about that? Personally, I think it is a fine desire to wish for their people to thrive. Everyone does it, after all…Everyone but Namekians. They are often seen as a secluded, pacifist race, after all. With a strong, deep culture that somewhat softened over the years. That’s why we see many more diverse ethnicities on the planet. I think that’s a good thing. It does feel like Namekians are somewhat confined to their home planet, hmm, now that I think about it.”

Vale started thinking, walking around a little as he pondered what Gandigan had told him.

“Namekians are very gentle and welcoming, but that kindness, while a strength, is also perceived as a weakness… Morality, good and evil are very mortal concepts. At the end of the day, everyone wants to thrive and survive. For years and years, Namek was rather safe thanks to the asteroid belt. The need to survive was minimal, at least on the universal scale. That might be why Namekians had that laissez-faire attitude about them. Strong ethics and morals are good…so long as everyone are willing to play by their rules. The Mazoku pursued something different and were very ostracized for it. Once the planet opened up, it was the theater of many invasions, with one brewing as we speak…”

Ah, he was rambling once more.

“Pardon me. What I want to say is: I think it is time for your people to realize that sooner than looter, that “kindness” of your people will lead them to be taken advantage of. By friends and foe alike. That’s why I’m glad you harbor such desires. Being wary of that, putting your foot down and having your own ambitions is the way to go. But it is not your burden alone to carry. It is for the entire Namekian population to pursue.”

It was up to him to choose the path to walk.

“Unregulated kindness and overwhelming morals lead to fanaticism and blindness. You've experienced both already, whether you realize it or not…That being said, if memory serves right, the current status quo wasn’t always the case for the people of Namek…Where did I read about that again…”

A past that was lost to memory, a time where Namekians faced the most dangerous threats ever.

“Maybe you would know about that? Or I could search that information for you, if you’re interested.”

Ah yes, onis being able to travel across planes was a thing, too. Well, that kind of traffic was always good, it made it easier to cover his own coming and going from the Mortal Realms to the Otherworld.

Now, had Vale been wrong this entire time? He had gotten into a pretty long-winded story, too. Thankfully, the Shinjin was unable to feel any kind of shame and so, he wasn’t too bothered by the rectification from the Namekian. Quite the opposite, in fact, since it helped Vale understand the current situation of the Namek castes. He had wrongfully thought they all served under the current Guru for some reason.

“Oh! You should’ve stopped me sooner, I wouldn’t have kept babbling on. My apologies! It is nice to see that the societal structure of Namek is not as monolithic as it appears and that the Mazoku retain some form of independence while coexisting with the others, yes yes.”

Vale nodded as he walked around doing back and forth steps. From the corner of his eye, he noticed the last part of his previous speech had piqued the interest of the Namekian. Now, this could potentially be very interesting. Sadly, Vale only had very limited knowledge on that particular topic since it predated his own escape from containment.

“I think the first question to ask is ‘How far back does the History of the Namekian people go?’ Or…perhaps, ‘What part of History has not been buried away for a reason or another?’ Don’t worry, I’m not implying anything of the sort, but I’ve seen it happen far too often in several cultures that I can’t help but bring it up. I’m no specialist on Namekian lore, as you’ve seen…but…”

Being wrong on the current situation of Namek may have been the favorable outcome, in this case. It added credibility to his presumed lack of knowledge and the healthy need to question whether or not religious leaders of Namek are hiding information or not. He continued.

“I have read about a time, tens of thousands of years ago, where Namekians stood at the forefront of the universe’s safekeeping. Harnessing powers far greater than anything that’s been seen up to this day. Powers that, while used for the greater good, were also condemned by their kind…” Vale stopped for a moment thinking, he scratched his chin, before saying. “It may or may not have been out of fear, for political or religious control, I couldn’t tell you. From what I’ve read, the irony is that this power was very much related to the mysticism within their soul as well as their faith in the Dragon Porunga! Are you sure you’ve never heard such a tale? Even as a legend or folklore? I’m sorry I don’t remember the accounts in their entirety…”

But of course, Vale had an idea.

“Not all is lost, however. If you wish to know more, and to satisfy my own curiosity, I can assist you. We could find someone from that past around here, with some chance. Though there’s a good possibility that their soul has already been recycled. Certainly records of this time exist somewhere in our great libraries, but that might prove difficult, even for someone as me to gain access to them. From my own experience, I know that History is never totally lost to the ages. I’m sure accounts from that time still exist on Namek. I can bring you there with me after I’ve found a clue, maybe enlist the help of your clansmen to do so. That would be within my power, though you should know that I can only bring you over to the mortal realm for a limited amount of time.”

Vale's mouth was starting to feel dry from talking so much. He conjured himself a flask of water and drank from it.

“So there was a reason, a catalyst, to this mutation of your people? I’ve seen the words ‘dark magic’ thrown around a lot to designate the Mazoku. It’s unfortunate to realize you were ostracized by the fear of the unknown.”

That being said, the truth behind that split of the Namekian people is something he would’ve liked to research. That he could research, too. After all, History was never totally lost, no matter the civilization.

“Old, abandoned temples must still exist, buried away under the planet’s surface. I’m sure the religious elite keep some records of it too, though it would be in their best interest to deny such truth. They have too much to lose for being too transparent and I doubt that your Guru, no matter how benevolent he might be, is privy to all of these little details.”

No amount of moral righteousness would ever keep a people from attaining power. That said, Vale could always be proven otherwise.

“Oh, I’m quite sure they were Namekians. It looks like you don’t know much about your own race. Not just any race can have your level of spiritual attunement, much less the ability to create artifacts of power…but it would seem that even this knowledge has been lost to this generation.”

Vale shrugged. He did not know any of those people that could help Gandigan directly. He could search for them, but that is all.

“Don’t get me wrong. I didn’t come here with a prepared script and I’m now ready to present to you such people. I can look for them, but that is the extent of my ability at this time. It was so long ago that their soul might have already gone through the cycle of reincarnation. Maybe you’re one of them, even!”

As fun as it was to chase dead ends with gullible fools, in the end he would hope for something in return, even just brief, momentary amusement. Unless he was sure to find that kind of satisfaction…then he’d simply tease the deceased into believing there is more.

“At the very least, I want you to realize that there’s much more to your potential than you realize. Under your very nose, too! But you can’t expect me to do all the work, right?”

He made a pause, before resuming.

“Instead of me handing you everything on a silver platter, why don’t you tell me what you desire right at this moment? That way I can focus on how to better help you. The rest will fall into place individually.”

Ah, Vale was such a nice person, always willing to help.

“Oh no, please, don’t think I want something out of you. I am a Shinjin, a caretaker of the universe. I am merely executing my duties and as such, it would not be faire to ask something of you in return.”

Vale joined his hands behind his back, thinking about the main topic at hand. Let’s forget about the Namekian situation for a while. Right now, Gandigan wished to defy death by coming back to life. Would the Shinjin of Death oppose that goal? Of course not! It was a fantastic occasion to die once more, perhaps this time with a more grandiose bang than his clash against the Saiyan. What’s more, it was a good way to throw a wrench in the side of Yemma and that was always a good thing.

“Now, with that being said, it would be ill-advised for someone in my position to teach you the way to defy the circle of life and death, I’m afraid…”

He sighed, but continued. “Still, the universe currently is in a peculiar condition. Evil is exponentially on the rise and I believe that more people like Lottus will rise, sooner than later. Coincidentally, while there are many great warriors still alive to fight the good fight, few are of your quality…which would represent the minimum level required for the fights ahead.”

He shrugged, but suddenly, his eyes lit up.

“We find ourselves in a bit of a predicament. I can’t tell you how to revive. That being said, I am able to show you where the recycling of souls happens. With that, if you’re able to piece things up together, it wouldn’t fall on me and I certainly cannot stop you from doing so. All I am doing is showing and explaining to you, got it?”

Vale placed a hand on Gandigan’s shoulder and they both teleported in front of a strange machine, unmanned for the time being.

“This is what is known as a soul cleansing machine. Ogres operate these to purify evil from the souls and once they are cleansed, the souls can then be reincarnated for their next lives.”

Vale pointed to the opening of the machine.

“As you can see, it is large enough to fit an entire person inside of it. Now, you must have noticed that the large minority of individuals you have encountered thus far were souls of the deceased. Unlike them, you have retained your body from your previous life. Say that you were to enter this machine yourself and have an ogre operate it on you, what little evil is residing inside of you would be cleansed. The particular thing is that Souls tend to latch onto the first empty vessel they can, which is a process usually initiated by the ogres themselves. Let’s not get into these details.”

He paused for a moment, taking a short breather before continuing.

“In your case, since your soul already inhabits a vessel -that is to say, your body-, the reincarnation process would be forcefully initiated, returning your body to life while also allowing you to retain your experiences and memories from your past lives. That being said, to the “eyes” of the universe and the Shinjin bureaucracy, you would count as a “newborn”. And trust me, they have too much going on to double check each new life being born.”

A simple process, really.

“I hope this was enlightening for you. That being said, without someone manning the machine, you won’t be able to do it and only Ogres have the means to do so. Now, let’s go back to where we were.”

After all, they shouldn’t be there, much less discussing such matters.