Chapter 1: The Last Survivor
The first rays of dawn crept across the desolate mountain range, illuminating countless craters that dotted the landscape like festering wounds. Steam rose from the scorched earth, carrying the acrid scent of destruction and dried blood.
At the epicenter of this devastation stood a lone figure.
Sage's jet-black hair hung wild around his face, damp with sweat despite the cool morning air. His animalistic features—sharp canines and predatory eyes—gave him a feral appearance that spoke of his Saiyan heritage. A dark tail wrapped around his waist like a belt, twitching occasionally with his suppressed emotions. His simple training clothes were torn and stained with dirt and crimson. Every muscle in his body trembled with exhaustion, yet he remained perfectly motionless—waiting, listening to something only he could hear.
Screams echoing through burning corridors. Explosions tearing through metal and flesh. A child's voice crying out for his mother—a voice that would never be answered.
His eyes snapped open, revealing depths of pain that seemed far too ancient for his youthful features. He shook his head violently, as if the motion could dislodge the memories that refused to stay buried.
"Stop it," he whispered to the empty wasteland, his voice barely audible above the wind. "They're gone... everyone's gone..."
His hands began to shake—not from exhaustion this time, but from something much deeper. He stared at his trembling fingers before slowly clenching them into fists, knuckles white with determination.
"I have to be stronger."
Without warning, he launched himself skyward. His fists began to glow with pale blue energy as he descended toward a massive boulder, each strike carrying the weight of desperate intensity. His technique was flawless—years of solitary practice evident in every precise movement—but there was something frantic about his assault, as if he were trying to punch through more than just stone.
"For Taro," he gasped between strikes, each name torn from his throat like a physical wound. "For Nasu... for Father..."
The boulder began to crack under his relentless assault. Chunks of rock flew in all directions, but Sage didn't stop. Each name he spoke lifted a weight from his chest, only to be replaced by another crushing burden.
With a final, earth-shaking blow, the massive stone exploded into dust and debris. Sage landed hard among the scattered fragments, stumbling before catching himself on his knees. Dark spots danced at the edges of his vision as exhaustion threatened to claim him.
"Not dead yet," he muttered bitterly, wiping blood from his split knuckles. "Pity."
He pushed himself to his feet, already scanning the wasteland for his next target, when something made him freeze completely. His head snapped up, eyes widening with terror so profound it seemed to steal the warmth from the morning air.
There was a power signature out there—distant but unmistakable. An energy resonance that felt achingly familiar yet wrong in ways that made his skin crawl.
"That power..." he whispered, his voice barely audible. "That energy signature..."
The haunted look in his eyes intensified. He'd felt this before—this particular resonance that sang in his blood like a half-remembered nightmare. But it was impossible. It had to be.
"Saiyan," the word escaped his lips like a curse. "But that's impossible... unless..."
His face went ashen as realization dawned, all color draining from his features like water from a broken dam.
"Frieza's forces," he breathed. "They found me."
For a heartbeat, Sage stood paralyzed by complete terror. Then, as if a switch had been flipped, his expression hardened into something unrecognizable—a mask of desperate resolve.
Without hesitation, he exploded skyward. His aura blazed around him like white fire, and the force of his departure left a crater that dwarfed all the others scattered across the training ground. Within seconds, he was nothing more than a streak of light racing across the sky toward his perceived doom.
Behind him, the mountain training ground lay in ruins—a monument to years of preparation for a day he'd hoped would never come.
The rocky battlefield stretched endlessly under the harsh midday sun. Three figures circled each other like predators, each bearing the wounds of brutal combat that had already lasted far too long.
The largest of the three stood defiant despite his battered appearance. His strange white armor was cracked and smoking from repeated impacts. Long black hair flowed down his back, and his eyes held the cruel arrogance of one born to superiority—though even exhaustion couldn't completely mask the growing concern beneath.
"You insects still don't understand the power of an elite warrior!" Raditz snarled, wiping blood from his mouth with the back of his hand.
Despite his boastful words, he was clearly struggling. His breathing came in labored gasps, and his stance wavered with each passing moment.
Across from him, two unlikely allies prepared for another assault. The first was a man with impossibly spiky black hair that seemed to defy every law of physics. His orange martial arts uniform was torn and stained with dirt and blood, but his dark eyes burned with unwavering determination.
Beside him floated a figure that seemed torn from nightmares. Green skin stretched over a powerfully muscled frame, and a white turban covered his bald head. His cape billowed dramatically as he hovered above the ground, energy crackling around his fingertips.
"Your mouth writes checks your body can't cash, Saiyan!" Piccolo retorted, his voice carrying deadly intent. "You're finished!"
"Give up, Raditz!" Goku added, his voice mixing righteous anger with desperate hope. "Return my son and leave Earth! This doesn't have to end in bloodshed!"
Raditz threw back his head and laughed—a harsh, mocking sound that echoed across the battlefield.
"Kakarot, you pathetic fool! When Vegeta and Nappa arrive in one year's time, they'll—"
His words died abruptly as something made all three fighters suddenly tense. A massive presence was approaching—something filled with barely contained fury and moving at incredible speed.
"What is that power?!" Goku breathed, his eyes scanning the sky with growing alarm.
Piccolo's normally stoic expression flickered with genuine concern. "It's enormous... and getting closer fast!"
The small device attached to Raditz's ear began beeping frantically, its red display scrolling through numbers at an alarming rate. His eyes widened in disbelief as he read the impossible figures.
"That's impossible..." he muttered, tapping the device as if it were malfunctioning. "That power reading... it's almost like a—"
A figure dropped from the sky like a falling star, the impact creating a massive crater that sent debris flying in all directions. Dust and smoke filled the air, obscuring the new arrival in a cloud of destruction.
"Who is that?!" Goku shouted over the rumbling earth and settling debris.
As the dust cleared, a young man emerged from the crater's center. His wild black hair framed a face twisted with a potent mixture of terror and rage. But it was his eyes that told the real story—they were staring directly at Raditz's distinctive armor with the kind of recognition that spoke of old nightmares and sleepless nights.
"Frieza's armor..." Sage's voice shook with barely controlled emotion. "You... you found me..."
Raditz squinted through the settling dust, his scouter still beeping wildly with readings that shouldn't have been possible.
"What?! Who are you?! That power reading... it can't be right!"
Sage's expression underwent a dramatic transformation. The fear remained, carved deep into his features, but it was now mixed with desperate determination. Years of paranoia and carefully suppressed rage began to surface like a dam finally giving way.
"I won't..." his voice grew stronger, the stuttering that normally plagued him fading under the weight of his fury. "I won't be taken alive! Not after what your kind did to my people!"
Goku stepped forward cautiously, his hands raised in a peaceful gesture despite the obviously tense situation.
"Wait! There's something wrong here. I think you're making a mistake—"
But Sage's eyes were wild with panic and rage, his rational mind overwhelmed by years of trauma and fear. Without warning, he launched himself at Raditz with desperate fury.
"This ends today, Frieza's dog!" Sage snarled as he struck.
His fist connected with Raditz's jaw before anyone could react, sending the already weakened Saiyan flying backward. As Raditz stumbled, Goku rushed forward to restrain him—but Sage, lost in his battle frenzy, misinterpreted the movement as another attack.
"Another Saiyan?!" Raditz struggled to his feet, genuine shock replacing his earlier arrogance. "But that's impossible! Everyone died when the meteor destroyed Planet Vegeta!"
"METEOR?!" Sage's voice cracked with renewed fury as he prepared another assault. "There was no meteor, you lying bastard! Your precious Frieza destroyed our home! Murdered our people!"
In his rage, Sage charged again, but this time Goku was directly in his path, still trying to reach Raditz. The collision was unavoidable—Sage's energy-charged fist, meant for Raditz, caught Goku squarely in the chest instead.
The impact sent Goku flying, his body crashing into the rocky ground with devastating force. But it wasn't just the punch—Goku's chest was already damaged from his prolonged battle with Raditz, his ribs cracked and organs strained. Sage's strike, powerful enough to shatter mountains, proved to be the final blow his battered body couldn't withstand.
"Goku!" Piccolo shouted, rushing toward the fallen warrior.
Goku lay gasping, each breath a struggle as blood began to foam at the corners of his mouth. His lung had collapsed from the combined trauma—the accumulated damage from his fight with Raditz, compounded by Sage's devastating punch.
Sage froze in horror, staring at Goku's struggling form. "No... I didn't mean... you were already hurt..."
"Listen to me, you fool!" Raditz gasped, seeing an opportunity in the chaos. "I haven't served Frieza in years! There are others! Other Saiyans still alive!"
But Sage was transfixed by the sight of Goku fighting for each breath, blood trickling from his mouth.
"You don't understand!" Raditz continued desperately. "That's Kakarot! He's Saiyan like us! A low-class warrior sent here as a baby!"
The words hit Sage like a physical blow. His face went white as the truth sank in.
"Kakarot? But he's... he's fighting against you..."
"He lost his memory!" Raditz coughed, his own injuries making speech difficult. "He doesn't know what he is! Doesn't remember his true nature!"
Piccolo took advantage of the distraction, charging his Special Beam Cannon while both Saiyans were focused on the fallen Goku.
"Now!" Piccolo shouted, unleashing his attack.
The beam pierced through Raditz, who collapsed with a final, rattling breath. But his eyes remained fixed on Sage with dawning recognition.
"You..." his voice was barely a whisper. "What's your name, survivor?"
Sage's voice cracked, the stuttering returning in full force as shock set in.
"S-Sage..."
Raditz's eyes widened despite his fading strength.
"Impossible... I knew your family... we were friends before... before everything fell apart..."
His scouter crackled with static as his strength continued to ebb away.
"One year..." he gasped, each word a struggle. "Vegeta and Nappa will come for the Dragon Balls... in one year..."
His gaze fixed on Sage with desperate intensity.
"Tell them... tell them Sage lives... a traitor... survived..."
With those final words, Raditz died. Sage knelt beside Goku's broken form, his hands shaking as he tried to assess the damage he'd caused.
"I killed him..." he whispered, his voice hollow with horror. "Another Saiyan... and I struck him down in my blind rage..."
Goku's eyes fluttered open briefly, focusing on Sage with surprising clarity despite his labored breathing.
"It's... okay..." he managed weakly, each word punctuated by painful gasps. "You were... scared... I understand..."
"No!" Sage's voice cracked as he knelt beside him. "You don't understand! Your chest was already damaged from fighting him, and I... my punch finished what the battle started!"
Goku's breathing became increasingly shallow, the collapsed lung making each breath a monumental effort.
"I've been alone for so long," Sage continued desperately, "and when I finally found another of our kind... I delivered the killing blow with my own hands!"
Piccolo watched the exchange with growing understanding. The pieces were finally falling into place.
"So you're both Saiyans," he said quietly. "Survivors of the same destroyed world."
Sage nodded, tears streaming down his face as Goku's breathing became more labored.
"All these years... training... preparing for this moment... and when it finally came, I... I killed the wrong person... I killed the only other Saiyan who might have understood..."
"Forgive me, Kakarot..." he whispered as Goku's eyes closed for the final time. "I failed you... just like I failed everyone else..."
Thunder rumbled overhead as dark clouds gathered, and the first drops of rain began to fall, mixing with the tears that finally came—tears that had been held back for far too long.