Chapter 4: A Hidden Secret Revealed
Goku's heart was pounding in his ears. He could feel the death and evil in the air all around them. The sky was darker, and the shadows of the dead trees became larger and seemed to move along the ground.
He soon realized that he was holding his breath. He exhaled deeply and stared hard at Vegeta who had placed one hand on the frame of the doorway. Goku had no idea what could possibly cause this terrible fear in his friend, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to find out.
"Vegeta," Goku attempted yet again, "what is going on?"
Vegeta turned his gaze towards Goku, but seemed to stare through him. The prince seemed to be in a trance. His eyes were fearful, but otherwise unemotional.
Suddenly, feeling a sense of frustration, Goku grabbed Vegeta firmly by his shoulders, bringing him back to reality. Vegeta's eyes appeared to focus on Goku, but they held a look of slight confusion and the terror Goku saw there before.
"Vegeta! Please answer me! What is this all about?" Goku demanded, his voice becoming louder. "I think it's about time you explain what is going on. You have barely said anything. What are you so afraid of?"
Vegeta only blinked, then replied slowly, trying to keep his voice steady, "Do you really want to know?"
Goku was taken back by this answer, and he slowly pulled away his hands. He let them fall to his sides, then tightened them into fists to keep them from shaking. He swallowed hard, then slowly nodded.
Vegeta took several deep breaths attempting to calm himself. He had to tell someone, and it was clear that it wasn't going to be kept secret for much longer. The memories surfaced quickly, still as vivid as if it happened yesterday.
Vegeta leaned his back against the doorway and peered into the darkness that the opening led to. Clenching his fists, he began to speak softly. "You have no idea what has been released. Something evil..."
He turned his gaze to the sky. "I discovered this place completely by accident."
Vegeta had no idea where he was. He had never remembered coming to this place in the past. The forest around him was thick and green. It seemed normal, except he soon noticed one thing - the usual noises of nature were missing. There were no birds singing or wind rustling the leaves.
He had been flying overhead in a different direction when he suddenly sensed a strange energy nearby. Vegeta found himself becoming curious as to what it was. He altered his course, wanting to find out what was causing it.
Vegeta slowly moved forward, cautiously picking his way through the dense trees. The only sound heard in the stillness was the crunching of dead leaves under his feet. He sensed no other life present, but the energy he felt earlier was growing stronger.
The prince found himself suddenly blocked by a tall stone wall hidden beneath dangling, green vines. Following the wall to the right, he quickly came upon a wooden door. It had intricate carvings along the side. In the center was a circular design that stood out from the rest of the door. He laid his hand on the door and was surprised to find that it opened quite easily.
Peering into the darkness behind the door, he saw cracked stairs leading underground. Vegeta suddenly had an urge to enter as if invisible arms had grabbed him and were pulling him inside.
He didn't resist and stepped through the door. Placing one hand on the dirty wall, he carefully made his way down the stairs. It quickly became too dark to see, the light entering through the doorway only a speck now.
Gathering a small amount of his energy, Vegeta formed a ball in his hand that gave off a soft glow. He could see the bottom of the stairway along with the entrance to another room.
Stepping off the last stair, the prince found himself in a larger chamber. There were three separate passageways leading from the room. He glanced at each one for several seconds, trying to decide which one to take.
Before he could decide, he felt something brush past him. He whirled around, his eyes darting all over the room. He saw nothing but shadows dancing on the grimy walls.
Vegeta took a deep breath and turned back towards the passages. Choosing which one to enter, he headed towards the center one. He followed it for a while, the darkness thick around him. Every few moments, his feet would kick up the dust and dirt that was thick on the floor.
Just as he was beginning to think the passage would never come to an end, a soft green glow appeared a short distance ahead. Vegeta picked up his pace a bit, hurrying to get out of the dark corridor.
He hesitated when he reached the entrance to the next room. His eyes scanned the chamber, the only light coming from four dim, green flames. The torches were set in each corner of the room away from the walls a few feet. In the center of the room, there was a small, stone platform. The rest of the room was featureless.
Vegeta stood still at the entrance, not completely trusting what he was seeing. There was something else here, too. He could feel it stronger than ever.
Chills ran down his spine. The evil here was so thick he could almost taste it. The shadows surrounded him and seemed to taunt him. A terrible anger and hatred filled the damp air. Vegeta was sure he felt eyes watching him. He saw no life at all, but what he sensed told him that he was not alone.
Vegeta found himself walking slowly into the room against his will. Unseen hands pulled him forward, further into the chamber. He saw the energy ball in his hand fade and disappear.
Abruptly, Vegeta was able to stop himself from going any farther. He still felt the tug of invisible arms, but he was able to resist them. He noticed the ground under his feet was soft and damp. An awful odor filled the room and quickly reached his nose. He immediately recognized it as the smell of rot and decay.
The hair on the back of his neck stood on end when he felt the air move softly around him. The flames of the torches flickered slightly and moved with the air. An unusual, gentle breeze picked up, lifting dust off the floor.
Vegeta swore he could now hear voices whispering around him. At first he thought that his ears were playing tricks on him. His doubt faded as the whispers grew louder and clearer.
The chilling voices filled the air. They were unintelligible at first, but then seemed to join together in a single murmur. His heart began pounding faster when he finally understood what they were saying.
"Die...you will...you...die..."
The last word was repeated several times before the voices began speaking in what sounded like a chant in a language he could not understand.
Vegeta narrowed his eyes when a blue glow appeared over the small, stone platform. The glow became larger, then suddenly materialized into a dark form. It floated above the ground, not moving.
The prince clenched his hands into tight fists to stop them from quavering. The form appeared slightly transparent, as if it was a spirit or a ghost. Its black cloak hid any body it might have and a hood covered an unseen face. Vegeta saw no eyes, but felt its hateful glare pierce him.
All at once, the airy voices ceased and the chamber became deathly silent. Vegeta attempted to swallow but found his mouth to be dry. He was frozen in place by its stare and was unable to back away.
Suddenly, the spirit spoke, its form still hovering above the ground. Its voice rasped, full of hatred and evil. Vegeta's blood froze upon hearing this, and sweat trickled down the sides of his face.
It spoke slowly and clearly. "I see you have found my prison. For your intrusion, you will become part of my army that will serve me when I escape and destroy this world."
Vegeta opened his mouth to speak, but his voice came out in dry whisper, "No..."
He was interrupted suddenly when the ground beneath his feet started rumbling. He covered his ears when blood-curdling shrieks began echoing throughout the room.
The shrieks died down suddenly, and the room was silent for a few more moments. Vegeta watched in horror as hands began shooting up from beneath the damp ground. They were bony, and some still had rotting flesh on them.
Vegeta could barely force himself to move, turning to run as if in slow motion. He seemed to be held back from escaping.
He was finally able to get moving after several seconds, the shieks still ringing in his ears. He didn't get very far, though, when he felt something wrap around his ankle. He craned his neck around to see one of the hands gripping his leg. The hand was connected to a still decaying arm and body. The face of the creature that held him was full of hate and only half covered in flesh. Its body was still half in the ground, but it was slowly pulling itself out.
Vegeta let out a cry and tried to pull free of its grasp. It responded by yanking hard and pulling the prince to the ground. He landed on his stomach, a grunt escaping him. He was shocked at its apparent strength.
He turned his head back around to see the creature that held him completely pull itself out of the ground. The other decaying corpses were climbing out of the ground and limping towards him, their limbs twitching. The strange ghost was still hovering silently over the stone platform, watching its servants do its bidding.
Feeling a sudden intense fear, Vegeta spun back around, desperately trying to pull his ankle free of the creature's tight grip. It was now using both hands, pulling him backwards. Its grip was so tight that he had to grit his teeth to keep from crying out.
Vegeta clawed at the damp ground, struggling to find something to hold onto. The dirt was so soft, though, that it just slipped through his fingers.
He looked behind him again when he felt another hand wrap around his other ankle. The creatures surrounded him now and were closing in. They were all emitting pained moans and squeals that made his nerves shake. He narrowed his eyes and let a small growl escape his lips.
He clenched his fists, preparing to gather energy to blast those rotting corpses into a million pieces. But before he could do anything, another hand shot up and grabbed his wrist. The hand belonged to yet another creature that slowly emerged directly in front of the prince. The putrid stench from its body stung his nostrils.
Vegeta, not ready to give up, brought up his free hand, tightened it into a fist, and swung it down viciously onto the decaying arm. Its bone snapped with the impact, causing the creature to let out a nerve-racking howl. The hand's grip loosened, and it fell to the dirt.
The prince pushed himself up onto his elbows, then hastily gathered energy in both of his hands. Twisting his body around, he swung over onto his back. He let loose the energy in a blast at the two monsters that held him. They both let out shrieks and let go, collapsing to the ground in several pieces.
Finally free, Vegeta scrambled to his feet. His ankles throbbed painfully, both beginning to bleed from being held so tightly by the creatures' rough, bony hands.
His eyes widened when he saw the pieces of the creature he just blew apart still moving. One was missing an arm and the bottom half of its body. It was slowly pulling itself forward, its low pitched squeals joining in with those of the others.
Vegeta quickly realized that he could fight all he wanted to, but he could never win. The monsters were weaker than him, but they would keep fighting. Even in pieces they would keep fighting. They would soon wear him down and overcome him.
His thoughts were interrupted when the creatures suddenly stopped coming towards him. They had turned to face the hovering, black-cloaked form, their moans dying down to soft murmurs.
Vegeta watched as the spirit began stirring, its cloak moving as if it was raising an arm. The cloak suddenly swept through the air, an unseen arm swinging at the Saiyan.
Vegeta felt something slam into his side...hard. It knocked him into the air, sending him across the room. He landed roughly, skidding to a halt on the damp ground only inches before the wall.
He laid there for a few seconds, his head spinning. Trembling, he started to push himself to his knees, but then immediately collapsed again after a stabbing pain tore through his side. He pressed his hand against the area that hurt, hoping the pain would lessen.
Vegeta gasped and pulled back his hand after feeling something warm and wet. He stared at his fingers to see them covered in red blood.
Vegeta forced himself to his knees, letting out several pained groans. Shifting his gaze downward to his side, he saw a deep, long gash that was bleeding heavily. He pressed his hand once again on the wound, then shakily climbed to his feet.
He stood breathing heavily, bent over slightly. His gaze went to the floating form as it began to speak once more.
"Your spirit is quite strong, unlike any I've seen before. I will be happy to take it from you..."
Vegeta felt chills of fear and panic ran through him. Shivers went down his spine as the sudden realization of what he found down here entered his mind.
Before he could turn to run, he was suddenly lifted into the air. He flailed his arms and legs around uselessly, trying to hit whatever was holding him. He became still when he heard low growling.
His blood froze when he felt something almost like searching hands run over his entire body. Abruptly, the feeling stopped as if they had found what they were looking for. They were taking something from him...something very precious.
His energy slowly seeped out of him, drained bit by bit. In a last, desperate attempt for his life, he gathered what energy he still had and fired it at the dark spirit. The energy hit the ground just in front of it and flared up in a brilliant flash of light that filled the entire room.
The prince suddenly was released by whatever had been holding him and hit the ground. He heard pained shrieks and screeches from both the spirit and rotting monsters. The awful sound made his ears ring.
Realizing that this was his only chance to escape, Vegeta scrambled to his feet and took off towards the exit. His ankles throbbed with every step, and pain shot up and down his side. The deep gash was bleeding badly now, and he felt himself growing dizzy, his head whirling.
He could feel invisible fingers clawing at him, trying to hold him back. Vegeta resisted with every ounce of strength left and made his legs keep moving. The shrieks of the evil creatures still echoed throughout the corridors. He was running blindly now, the glow from the torches quickly disappearing.
He continued forward, finding the wall with his hand and following it. It wasn't too long, and the wall ended, but he kept racing forward, remembering that the stairs leading out were directly ahead.
Vegeta reached them sooner than expected and caught his foot on the first stair, causing him to stumble. He caught himself with both hands and hurridly pushed himself back to his feet. His legs were throbbing painfully, and the gash was still oozing blood. But he couldn't stop if he hoped to escape.
Seeing the entrance ahead, he forced his feet to climb the stairs even though his legs protested and threatened to give out. The dim light was nearing, and he recoginzed the door with the circular design on it just as he had left it.
A few seconds later, Vegeta burst outside, the door slamming shut behind him. He kept going, wanting to get as far away as possible. He felt lighter as if he had been freed from a strong hold. His legs seemed to no longer be under his control as he continued to flee.
Vegeta's lungs burned as he tore through the dense forest. Leaves whipped in his face, but he merely brushed them out of the way. He didn't notice his hand covered completely in warm, red blood from still being held against his wound.
Vegeta suddenly caught his foot on an upraised root hidden beneath the dead leaves. He tumbled to the ground, letting himself fall. He landed hard on his shoulder, a sharp pain shooting through his midsection.
His agonized cry, caused by both fear and anguish rang through the still air. The pain and terror that filled him was so intense, unlike anything else he had ever felt in his life. He trembled violently, his breaths in unnatural, short gasps.
The prince laid there for what seemed an eternity, moaning softly. His mind was in total chaos, his many thoughts were wild and unfocused. He fought to gain control, to not let panic take over.
After a while his breathing slowed, and he felt much calmer. It finally became clear to him as to what had caused all of his suffering. The evil spirit that he discovered had been able to reach into his mind. It induced a fierce, powerful terror and intensified his pain until it became almost unbearable. If he had remained there any longer, he would have been overwhelmed by that darkness.
Vegeta rolled onto his back and stared up at the overcast sky. The terror that had nearly overcome him had faded, but it left behind an underlying fear. The pain from his wound had gradually lessened to a dull throb. It still bled, though, so he kept his hand pressed against it.
He quickly became aware of his surroundings. He must have been underground longer than he thought because the sun was beginning to set behind the mountains. A warm breeze began blowing, causing the leaves to rustle.
Vegeta didn't feel like he had the strength to even stand up. His mind was strangely at ease now. Laying there, his thoughts wandered, and he slowly drifted off.
"I don't even remember how long I was unconscious. I awoke the next morning with enough strength to at least walk. "Vegeta paused and let out a soft sigh. "Whatever I found down there was able to enter my mind and paralyze me with fear, and cause the pain from my wound to intensify greatly."
Vegeta then became quiet. Goku stared hard at him, but couldn't find any words to say. The circular design Vegeta had described now lay in splintered pieces. That must have been the seal that kept the evil imprisoned here. But now the seal had been destroyed, and the evil was no longer confined.
Goku's memory flashed back to about six months ago. He remembered receiving a call from Bulma late in the evening asking if he knew where Vegeta was. He remembered them finishing sparring earlier that day and Vegeta had taken off as he always did. Only this time he hadn't returned.
Several days later, becoming more worried, Goku had gone out to try to find his friend. He happened to spot Vegeta flying slowly and low to the ground. He had hurried over to see if he could help. Vegeta kept pushing him away, resisting him, insisting he leave him alone. Goku remembered the prince's bloodshot eyes and his anguished expression. He was so pale, and his energy level was extremely low.
Goku recalled placing his hand on Vegeta's shoulder trying to aid him. Vegeta had turned and grabbed his wrist, demanding that he go away. Suddenly his grip had tightened and he let out a hiss of pain through his teeth. Goku then had noticed the long, deep gash that Vegeta was holding tightly, both it and his hand caked in dark blood.
Goku, ignoring his friend's wishes, had taken the prince's other hand and placed it around the back of his neck, supporting him. He took Vegeta home to his worrying family and left him under the care of Bulma. The next day, Goku saw Vegeta back to almost full strength. But the prince refused to spar or even talk to him or anyone else for that matter. For nearly two weeks, Vegeta barely said anything, and he kept going off by himself. This behavior passed though, and Vegeta returned to his normal self. This turn of events seemed to have caused an old fear to resurface, and Goku saw Vegeta acting the way he had been six months earlier.
His attention focused again on Vegeta as he began to speak once more. "That evil grows stronger by stealing spirits of the living, and whoever is caught will become its servant. It must have grown strong enough to escape." His eyes moved to stare into the underground darkness. "I don't know how powerful it is now or what it is capable of. I am sure that it destroyed the city and sent the creature that we fought earlier."
Goku drew in a shaky breath and spoke up, struggling to keep his voice steady. "What can we do? We don't know where it is now."
Vegeta answered him after several moments. "I don't know how to find it, but we will probably fight many more creatures like the first one." He narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice. "Besides, it will probably find us first."
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