Chapter 8: Insidious revelations

~Planet Shenlong, the Unknown Sectors~

"You can open your eyes now, Trunks! Welcome to planet Shenlong!" Shouted the light-hearted voice of Goku as he landed a few meters behind the edge of a jagged cliff. "And, what do you think? Pretty amazing, right?"

In front of him, Vegeta's son from the future landed on the edge with a rather loud thud, his face changing from utter bewilderment to sheer joy as his eyes transfixed themselves on the panorama in front of him.

"This place… it's so beautiful…"

Goku beamed as he watched the swordsman scrutinizing the valley in front of him which was full of verdant, grassy meadows, pristine blue lakes and creeks and surrounded by a snow-capped mountain range in the distance that reached far up into the purple sky. Goku remembered feeling the same kind of joy when he first basked in the warm rays of light which were reflected from the stars beyond by many bright moons. It reminded him of a world in his own universe. One where he and Vegeta fought their hearts out to protect the people and planet they loved from total extinction. Not that it mattered in the end, however.

Goku sighed as he momentarily distracted himself by looking at the beautiful scenery in front of him as well. This was no time for dreary thoughts. Goku's very soul felt reinvigorated to see Mirai Trunks again, even though it was due to horrible circumstance.

"I told you about Darkseid's brother back on Earth, right? Well, he's the one who showed us this place. It immediately reminded us of a planet in our universe."

"The Sacred World of the Supreme Kai…" Trunks immediately answered as he turned to Goku with a pensive look on his face.

"Huh, so you've met him too?" Goku asked as he walked over to the young man.

"He came to me in desperation. Said that an ancient wizard named Babidi sought to revive a malevolent demon by the name of Majin Buu, who laid waste to the universe eons ago." Trunks stated as Goku stood next to him.

"Yeah, he was really, really strong. Gave me a far harder time than Cell ever managed to, despite his superior fighting skills." Goku smiled as a rush of memories flooded his mind.

"Wait, Majin Buu got revived in your time?! But how? The Supreme Kai told me that Majin Buu was far more powerful than even the likes of Babidi's henchman Dabura, who I couldn't even manage to hold my own against! It was only until I managed to ascend during my fight with that Demon King that I could destroy him and the wizard for good." Trunks answered with a shocked look on his face as Goku gave him a cheeky grin in return.

"And how are you even alive in the first place? Didn't you want to remain at Otherworld?"

That question caused Goku to pause for a moment. He needed a bit of time to recall it, because it was already so long ago.

"Yeah, thought that it would be more peaceful on Earth. And I guess I wanted to train there too." Goku sighed as he turned to Trunks. He wasn't someone who dwelled on the events that transpired around him, but even he felt guilt upon knowing that he could've spend more time with his family had he decided to be wished back. He wondered though, would things have changed if he was revived as well?

"Man, everything feels like a blur. Can't believe it has already been five years since I last saw my Earth." Goku finally said as he started to levitate. "Look, I know you are itching to get some answers, but why don't we discuss all this with a bit of food? There's a lake close by from here that is full of gigantic fish, and I am starving!"

Goku saw Trunks nodding in understanding before the kind-hearted Saiyan took off. He needed some peace of mind in order to recollect all those memories, and the thought of food was perfect for his mood. He was sure he was able to monologue for a bit when his stomach wasn't rumbling so much.

~Planet Oa, Sector Zero~

Hal grimaced when he slipped out of transluminal travel and into Oan airspace. Normally, streaks of green were common throughout the atmosphere just above the capital, but right now the entire planet was devoid of traffic. Besides the gigantic Central Power Battery, there was only a single bright emerald light visible, which came from around the Central Meeting Hall where lanterns receive their missions and assignments from the 'Corps Administrator'.

"Seems like Salaak heeded our warning and called so many of the corps back. Feels like everyone's abandoned their sector just for this." The brown-haired lantern observed as his friend John flew over to him with a small spaceship in tow.

"You cannot be too prepared, Hal. Not with him. He was holding his own against practically the entire League, yet did so without so much as lifting a finger." John stated grimly as they slowly descended towards surface. Hal sighed in return as he momentarily turned to the spaceship behind him. He gave the person in the cockpit a scrutinizing look, but Vegeta had no eyes for him. Instead, he was looking at his monitor with an unreadable expression, his hands clasped into each other. To think that a small man like him could wield power capable of going toe to toe with all-powerful gods such as Darkseid would've been the joke of the century to Hal, had he not first experienced it first-hand.

"But I do wonder why Salaak decided to call back thousands of us just for this occasion. How does he know that they're that much of a threat? Our ring's database only has stories and tales of their actions and whereabouts, with the only recorded evidence being-"

"Mongul. Either Salaak is basing this encounter on that single moment, or he's been tasked by the Guardians to filter all the information we have about the Saiyans out of our database. They've hidden Darkseid's files from us as well, and you know just as well as I that the Guardians know about his existence. As a Guardian of the Universe, you do not simply overlook someone of that calibre." John stated through gritted teeth. "Lots of things aren't adding up, but maybe this confrontation could spark some answers from the Guardians themselves."

"Oh it will. I'm going to make sure of that." Hal growled. And not only about Darkseid. He will know the truth about Vegeta.

It took a small moment, but eventually Hal and John landed on a large, open bridge that led to the Central Meeting Hall directly. Vegeta's spaceship landed behind them, the roar of its engines going quiet as Vegeta opened the latch and casually levitated out of it.

When the lithe Saiyan landed, Hal turned to him with a professional, yet threatening gaze.

"I've stated this before, but for your sake I'm saying it again. This is Green Lantern territory, so you'll behave in accordance to our laws. If you ever decide to push your luck, there's a cosy little sciencell waiting for you."

"Hmph, I would like to see you try. I want my answers, and whether you Green Lanterns stand in my way or not is irrelevant. It will be you who decide after all when you find it necessary to contain me. Knowing our previous encounter, however… I don't think that's such a wise choice on your part."

Although Hal wanted to wring the hobbit when a smirk started to protrude from his lips, he kept his composure.

"Well, can't say we didn't warn you, but suit yourself." Hal finally remarked as he turned to John and started to levitate.

"I'll go ahead and brief the others."

As John nodded in affirmation and started his advance, while keeping an eye on Vegeta walking close to him, Hal rushed towards the Central Meeting Hall to make sure everything with his peers and colleagues developed smoothly. After all, some of them were rather impulsive, even more so than 'The Hal 'Highball' Jordan himself.

"Wow, all this ruckus is about some midget, Salaak? Can't believe I had to skip my holiday for this."

Hal smiled as he landed in front of a human with a mop of ginger hair, a broad posture and a wide grin on his face. Next to him stood an individual with four arms, a pinkish and insectoid-like head and stern eyes.

"Lantern Gardner, for the good of the Corps, it is necessary to keep-" Lantern Salaak of Sector 1418 reprimanded, but was quickly interrupted.

"your jokes and general bullshit to a minimum, Guy. Vegeta may not look like much, but he's one of the most dangerous beings I've ever encountered. Beat Superman into a pulp without even trying back on Earth." Hal answered while he momentarily eyed Salaak with a scrutinizing look, but Salaak simply shook his head. This quickly answered the question about Salaak's involvement with Vegeta but in order to know the full story he had to wait it out himself.

Although Hal saw Guy Gardner initially scoffed at that, The first human Green Lantern knew that he could rely on his friend when push came to shove.

"Kyle's not with you, Guy?" Hal then asked as he felt the ground under him starting to rumble ever so slightly.

"Nope, haven't seen him in a while either. Said he had important shit to do a few weeks back with the blues." Guy answered as the two lanterns suddenly heard a low voice speak.

"That the alien who humbled Mongul, right?" A towering behemoth who ever so slightly looked like a bipedal hippopotamus walked over to the trio and eyed the approaching alien carefully.

"Humbled isn't what I would call it, Kilowog, but yes. Trust me on this one guys, do not provoke him, much less engage him in any way." Hal ordered as many of the veteran corpsmen and women turned to him.

"Must be some being if he could smoulder the flame that is otherwise apparent inside you, Jordan." Another large humanoid with skin that looked close to stone replied above him. Hal knew that Lantern Hannu wasn't fond of him, but for some reason he couldn't place why.

"Now's not the time for squabbles or inciting remarks, guys. The 'Saiyan' is approaching." An attractive young woman with short blonde hair, light orange skin and wearing a uniform with a green skirt that was generally different from the usual spandex the corps usually wore.

Hal smiled at Arisia, who gave a wink in return. His relationship with her was a rather strange one so to speak. He remembered his time with her fondly, but preferred not to speak about it.

"He looks… surprisingly at ease for someone who's being surrounded by at least a thousand Green Lanterns at once. It makes me want to remind him who he's dealing with." Kilowog grumbled with a hint of anger in his deep voice as Hal momentarily eyed the Corps' 'Drill Instructor' and trusted friend.

"He's from a different universe, remember? We don't know shit about him and what kind of man he was back there, but from my experience I can tell that he's dangerous, and has no qualms about killing people who stand in his way." Hal ended as he watched John and Vegeta finally approach the Central Meeting Hall. While Vegeta continued walking, John moved behind the man rather subtly, to make sure that the onyx-haired warrior was completely surrounded in case he was going to lash out.

For a small moment, it felt like everyone was holding their breaths as Vegeta came to a stop and sized everyone up. Although he had been smirking initially, his face started to turn into a scowl as his gaze set on Salaak, who decided to step forward.

"The Guardians will arrive here shortly, Saiyan. In the meantime, it is imperative that-" Salaak began, but he was quickly interrupted for the second time today.

"You're not in a position to state demands or requests after your superiors violated the agreement we had, Salaak. I want an audience with them right now, or I'll drag every single one of them out of their citadel myself." Vegeta growled menacingly, while taking a few steps forward. Immediately, countless green dots of light started to brighten around him as many of the green lanterns forced themselves to be noticed, including Salaak.

"POOZERS! STAND DOWN, NOW!"

Hal had to cover his ears when Kilowog's voice bellowed throughout the surrounding area, which forced many of the Green Lanterns to reconsider their threatening display. Of course, many veterans ignored the demand just in case, but refrained from immediately engaging. Even Vegeta, who was normally so arrogant and proud, momentarily turned to Kilowog with a glint in his eyes. Hal almost felt like there was some hint of respect towards one of his old teachers.

As many of the Corps brought their ring down for a moment, Salaak took the opportunity to voice himself again as he lowered the arm where he held his ring as well.

"Know on which grounds you protrude, Vegeta. The Guardians respect your power, but even someone as capable as you will behave in accordance to Oan law. That means that you will have to wait before they are finished with their 'business'."

"What kind of business is more important than him right now?" Hal quietly asked with a hint of frustration in his voice as he turned to Kilowog. His old Drill Instructor was about to respond when the door of the Central Meeting Hall was blown open, revealing an escort of five members who were known as the 'Alpha Lantern Corps'. They were Green Lanterns who willingly subjected themselves to a procedure called cosmic surgery, which made them nothing more than glorified robots in Hal's eyes. What shocked him however, was the shackled individual they kept with them.

"Prince Vegeta, an absolute pleasure."

Gasps of shock and anger were heard by most of the Green Lanterns, but that was nothing compared to the explosion of anger that came from Hal.

"Sinestro!"

Seeing the smirk on the reddish-magenta colored individual as he brushed his black moustache set Hal over the edge, but Kilowog grabbed his shoulder and forced him to stand down.

"We feel you, Jordan. We all share your sentiments, but the Guardians have-"

"decided that Sinestro is more useful to us as a member of the Corps whilst he wields a green Power Ring than when he's accommodating himself in a sciencell." Spoke an emotionless voice that radiated with authority. Hal grimaced as he saw six blue-skinned individuals with large heads and small bodies floating behind a smirking Sinestro. One of the individuals had his gaze on Hal, one the human knew all too well.

Since when did Ganthet sound so… cold as the rest of his kin? He was always the one who showed that not all Guardians distanced themselves from feeling emotions, yet now his entire demeanor had shifted so suddenly that he allowed a bastard like Sinestro back into the Corps.

"So you will stand down, Hal Jordan of Earth, Green Lantern in exile."

Hal felt more and more frustrated as Ganthet's words rung through his head. His behaviour was not only unsettling, but Hal had been so focused on dealing with the bullshit regarding the Saiyans that he forgot about Sinestro acquiring a Green Lantern Ring in the first place. And while that heartless bastard was allowed free reign, Hal could only patrol Earth due to the fact that he was accused of committing some sort of crime that he did not remember. How did everything go downhill so suddenly?

His thoughts, however, came to a sudden stop when he heard Vegeta's voice speak.

"Hmph, for someone who was so convinced in the power of fear, you've surely changed your mind rather quickly. It seems all that talk was nothing more than pitiful bravado." The Saiyan taunted as he strode forward, his eyes shifting momentarily to Sinestro whilst he headed towards the Guardians.

"The change, although inconvenient, is only temporary. My offer still stands, of course." Sinestro answered back. Hal and John quickly locked eyes as another mystery was forced upon them. When did Sinestro meet with Vegeta, and when was he offered a yellow ring of his own? This however, did answer whether Vegeta knew more than he let on, and it made Hal furious inside.

"Tch, and subject myself to your 'fearsome' authority? Don't make me laugh! Anyone who relies on flawed tools to make himself stronger will always be a weakling at heart."

"And yet you've failed to acquire the necessary power to avenge what you have lost, while you could've finished it so long ago if you had the 'tools' you so easily disregard."

It wasn't much, but Hal felt momentary relief upon knowing that Vegeta didn't see eye to eye to Sinestro. It could've spelt doom to the entire universe if they had. He watched the two size each other up, with Sinestro being surprisingly calm, despite being inferior in power to the shorter Vegeta by quite some margin.

"But, I digress," Sinestro eventually said with a shrug, while he started to walk away from the Saiyan. "It seems you have something to 'discuss' with our blue friends, while I have some business of my own I need to take care of. Alpha Lanterns, would you be so kind to relieve me of my shackles?"

"Fucking prick." Hal heard Guy say as the Guardians ordered Sinestro to be freed. Boos and angry shouts of disapproval could be heard through the rows upon rows of Green Lanterns, but they were paid no mind.

"You will enforce justice on our terms, Sinestro. You'd best remember that." Ganthet stated as Sinestro was about to take off.

"I do what I must, Guardian. Whether that's under your approval or not is of no concern to me. Besides, I believe it is wise to start paying attention to our mutual 'friend' over here. He's not one for patience, as we know all too well."

With that, the Korugarian blasted off into space, probably heading back to Sector 1417, which had been his very sector before he was banished into the Antimatter Universe all those years ago.

As Sinestro's departure finally settled in, everyone's eyes turned back to Vegeta, who had been seething silently after his dispute with Hal's nemesis. His onyx eyes were plastered onto the Guardians, who were just as displeased at the sight of the Saiyan.

"Vegeta of the Unknown Sectors, Prince of an extinct race, your appearance here has breached the contract we have faithfully upheld-"

Before one of the Guardians could even finish his sentence, a gust of wind started to erupt from Vegeta as a white aura started to become visible.

"Mock me at your own peril, Guardian, and playing the victim will not help your case. I have upheld my end of the bargain the moment we agreed upon the contract, unlike you disgusting lot."

Hal unconsciously scratched his head as he felt a certain hint of déjà vu when Vegeta was leaking his power as his temperament rose. Although many Green Lanterns wanted to react, in the presence of the Guardians themselves many felt obligated to at least wait for their orders.

"State your words more carefully the next time you open your mouth, Saiyan. We have fought and overcome foes who were far stronger and far more dangerous than you'll ever be. We will not tolerate such vulgarity a second time." Answered another Guardian. While Vegeta merely scoffed at that, another Guardian continued the conversation.

"You have made a rather audacious claim, which begs the question…"

Hal watched Vegeta closing his eyes as the six Guardians started to float towards Vegeta, but remained a few meters away from him, not willing to get too close.

"What have we done that incited your… primitive mind of treason? You came here, with a heart full of rage and grief, determined to wage a war that you could never win, expecting our help. A broken man, ready to gamble on all life in this universe for his own egotistical desires. A mere, petty feeling of vengeance."

Although he thought the Guardians were right in this case, Hal couldn't help the gnawing feeling bubbling inside him upon hearing his superiors' callous dismissal of Vegeta's emotions. From what he had been told, he watched his entire world die out, including his family. The Green Lantern Corps was formed to combat such events of tragedy, yet the Guardians merely gave him the stink eye. Even Ganthet looked to be in full agreement, which was completely out of character.

"Petty, huh?" The Emerald Knight could hear from Vegeta, who's head sank as his arms slackened. Meanwhile, the Guardians simply continued.

"And if you think we would change our views on the matter after such a small amount of time, we will have to disappoint you again, especially upon knowing what kind of person you are."

"Guys, prepare yourselves." Hal whispered towards the Lanterns around him. He could feel it in his spine, that horrid tingle he used to feel during a climax of a perilous encounter.

"You're a monster, Vegeta. A murderer who reeks of the blood of innocents. Men, women, even children, they were all the same to you. Despite what you force yourself to believe, you are no better than the cosmic being who slaughtered your wi-"

Hal generated as much willpower he could muster to generate a shield for himself, because he knew what had been coming. His friends however, did not react as quickly despite his warning.

"PETTY, HUH?!" Echoed the infuriated voice of Vegeta as a huge explosion of golden energy erupted around him. Green Lanterns, even experienced ones, were blasted away like mere ragdolls, and the bridge that lead to the Central Meeting Hall started to crack.

Hal quickly recovered from his daze and immediately rushed back towards the scene, only to see a transformed Vegeta, clad in a golden aura, holding Ganthet by the throat.

"My wife and son died in my arms at the hands of a god of your world, and you call my grief, my pain, petty?!"

Hal immediately generated a construct in order to pry Ganthet from Vegeta's grip, but was quickly swatted away by an energy blast generated from Vegeta's free hand.

"Hal!"

Hal felt a soft, green blanket being wrapped around him as he was saved from falling into the city below by Arisia.

"What is he? My ring can't sense any weapons or cybernetics on him, so how can he be so powerful?" She asked through gritted teeth as the two watched one of the Alpha Lanterns taking the initiative and engaging the Saiyan head on with a group of Green Lanterns beside him.

"His power comes from his soul, or something like that. And unfortunately, this is only the tip of the iceberg." Hal replied as Vegeta blocked a willpower-infused punch from Varix, while keeping a vice-like grip on a struggling Ganthet.

"Every insult you direct at me… I don't care about that. In truth, I probably deserve it…" Vegeta began with a growl as his teal gaze turned to Hal for a moment, while he brutally kicked a few Green Lanterns away from him as he endured a bombardment of constructs.

"But don't you dare disregard the deaths of my family and my world so casually, Guardian! Their deaths, their blood is on your hands! Your negligence is what cost me everything!"

Both Hal and Arisia joined in the fray as Varix finally managed to pry Ganthet from him with a construct that looked like a massive plier, but at the cost of at least a dozen Green Lanterns who all were forced to subject themselves to brutal punches and kicks from the martial artist. Using the opportunity now that Ganthet was freed, Hal and many others quickly forced Vegeta down by creating shackles made of willpower.

With a kick to the popliteal, Vegeta was brought on his knees by Kilowog and Guy as the Guardians sluggishly started to float around the outraged, but momentarily restrained Saiyan.

"You have exhibited crimes of the highest order, Vegeta. There is only one appropriate sentence for that." One of the Guardians growled while clutching his arm as the Alpha Lanterns started to collar him as well, while each holding a rein. Vegeta wasn't focused on them however, but had his teal eyes on Hal. He wasn't done yet with his monologue it seems.

"You of all people should know how it feels to lose everything you love, Jordan."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Hal demanded, surprised at being called by his last name by Vegeta as he walked over him and stared the bound man down.

"Did you know that the pretentious bastards you subject yourself to could have avoided the tragedy you had to endure when Mongul the first and this… Cyborg Superman destroyed your hometown?"

Hal momentarily turned to the Guardians, who remained emotionless at the accusation, before turning his head back.

"Coast City was never destroyed, Vegeta." He answered while shaking his head.

"You grieved, felt rage upon knowing that you could never hold your loved ones close to you ever again. You recreated the city with your power ring, but the Guardians accused you of acting selfish, and wanted to discipline you."

"Alpha Lantern Boodikka, you are authorized to execute this criminal right away." One of the Guardians suddenly spoke up, shocking the Green Lanterns around him.

"Guardians, with all due respect," Salaak began, but he was immediately shushed quiet by his superiors, who looked incredibly agitated. Although the Green Lanterns started to hush amongst themselves, some even expressing their feelings regarding this, Vegeta simply shook his head in disappointment.

"You and the rest of the Corps may not remember, but the Guardians most definitely do. Don't you want to know what they kept from you? Allow me to 'freshen up' your memory a bit further."

The Emerald Knight wanted to bash Vegeta's skull in as he continued to use his silver tongue to patronize him, but for some reason he couldn't. Slowly but surely, his head started to pound, with images of events that never happened as far as he knew flashing through his mind.

"Boodikka, do it now!" Another Guardian roared, which resulted in Boodikka creating a green sword of willpower.

"No, you have no right to execute someone without a trial!" Arisia argued as she stood in front of the mechanized Bellatrixian, but she was forced back by the other Alpha Lanterns.

"Oh no, I'm someone who likes bending the rules to suit me, but this is going too far." Guy Gardner growled as he helped Arisia by standing in their way. Many of the other Lanterns agreed, but there were others who restrained their kind upon acting against the Guardians' orders.

"What is he talking about, Hal?" John walked up to his friend, while Hal kept clutching his head as Boodikka continued her advance towards Vegeta, who continued his monologue.

"Just like what they told me moments ago, the Guardians found your pain, your anguish, 'petty', unfitting of a member of their they did not realize however was that their cold disregard weakened your will, which in turn could be exploited by a being trapped in your Central Power Battery. A being 'they' trapped inside themselves! A failsafe to make sure they could take on any of their corps members had any of you realized how little they cared about their universe and its inhabitants, but more about their need to be the center of all things, the most important individuals throughout the cosmos!"

Images of Hal murdering his way through his fellow comrades started to surface, and he felt himself grow nauseous.

"Boodikka, silence him!" Was what Hal heard as Boodikka pushed him and John away and readied her blade.

"Their heartlessness is what made you lose everything you love, which created a monster, who called himself-"

The moment Vegeta wanted to utter out a name, Boodikka sliced her blade right through his neck. Her blade of willpower shattered on impact, but Vegeta's golden aura disappeared as his head fell lifelessly down. The entire Corps grew silent immediately afterwards.

"W-What? Ganthet, what was he talking about?" Hal asked as he felt anger coursing through his veins for some reason. Ganthet and the other Guardians wanted to speak, but their voices grew silent when Vegeta's head suddenly jerked up, his eyes having never lost the teal.

"Parallax."

Hal Jordan's head felt like bursting as a flash of yellow light burst through him. This distracted enough members of the corps for Vegeta to ignite himself into a devastating explosion. This one was far stronger than the first, and obliterated every single construct that held him down in the blink of an eye. Every single being was blown away, and Hal felt a construct being wrapped around him as John and he landed painfully on the ground.

As they helped each other back up, the two watched Vegeta walking over to them calmly. His golden hair was even more rigid than before, and blue lightning cackled around his golden aura.

"And just like how their arrogance and vanity screwed you over, they inadvertedly did that to me as well."

In the blink of an eye, not unlike how the Flash tends to disappear, Vegeta suddenly held a Guardian, this one being nameless, by the throat. Soon thereafter, the other Guardians started floating around the Saiyan, trapped in golden rings made of ki that pulsed as if they were ready to explode.

"W-We did no such thing…" The Guardian choked, but Vegeta merely shook his head with disdain.

"Oh, but I have to disagree. You see, Darkseid wasn't always this strong and mighty. No, he was once young, and a weakling as well." Vegeta began again as numerous Green Lanterns started to surround him again.

"Let them go, Saiyan! Or-" One of the rookie lanterns demanded through clattering teeth. His ring was leaking out unnecessary amounts of willpower, which usually occurs when a Green Lantern is overcome by fear. Vegeta knew this, and decided to exploit it.

"Or what, you ring-slinging wimp?!" The Saiyan inquired in a bemused tone.

"W-we'll kill you!" The rookie answered, his eyes unable to look at Vegeta's burning teal orbs.

"Eventually, yes. I am no match for all of you, but I wonder-"

The lightning around Vegeta's aura started to cackle more intensely than before, while he watched numerous Corps members surrounding him with their rings ready.

"How many of you will fall first? A few dozen, or a hundred? Maybe you lose half of your corps even, because I most certainly won't go down without at least demonstrating what happens to scum who betray my trust! I can assure you, my power will not be so easily forgotten in the aftermath."

It turned deathly quiet as Vegeta stared everyone down, nobody daring to even move a muscle. If they did, they knew what would happen after all.

"Vegeta, you don't want to do this." Hal eventually growled, almost pleading as he forced himself to ignore his headache.

"Are you really certain of that? Just like how they allowed Mongul to destroy your world, they made a pact with Darkseid billions of years ago to give him free reign over the multiverse, as long as he did not interfere in matters concerning the Guardians directly. Had they acted as they should have, being the benevolent sages of justice they claim to be, my family would still live."

Vegeta looked ready to let the rings constricting the Guardians explode, but stopped at the last minute as he shook his head.

"But I am not here to educate you on matters concerning your masters, Jordan. I merely seek compensation from them because of their breach of contract. After they refused to help my cause in seeking justice for my family, despite their indirect involvement, we would part ways. No Green Lantern or anyone else under the Guardians' authority would interfere with my business, which they have not kept."

"How did they breach the contract then, because no Green Lantern has encountered you after you and Hal fought Darkseid back on Earth." John asked as Hal watched the many Lanterns whispering amongst themselves.

"Allow me to show you then." Vegeta simply answered as a small capsule appeared out of one of his gloves. He clicked on a small button and threw it to the ground. In a fraction of a second, the capsule exploded and a wave of scrap metal erupted from it, forcing many of the Green Lanterns back.

"Manhunters?!" Hal exclaimed in astonishment as waves upon waves of broken Manhunters were laying motionlessly on the ground. He saw the Guardians' expression turning grim as Vegeta grabbed one of robots, pried its head open and grabbed a small part of the circuit.

"I was on the planet Kakarot and I called home, minding our own business, when waves upon waves of these pieces of scrap metal descended upon the skies. They kept shouting the same infuriating sentence, and were programmed to destroy us. We decided to track them down, and found an entire planet used as a factory to build these tin cans. Before we decided to annihilate it until it was nothing more than a cloud of dust, we investigated its surface. We found and dismantled their 'leader', and found this message encrypted inside his skull."

The entire Green Lantern Corps on Oa watched as a holographic image of the six Guardians appeared.

"Manhunter, we have activated you for one purpose only. Use whatever you can salvage on the planet Ryut and use it as a base to wage war against the Saiyans. They are an insidious and mysterious variable, detrimental to our cause and plans for this universe. Thus, we want them destroyed. Do it discreetly, as we have programmed you to do."

"Very discreet were they, advancing with thousands of individuals at once, thinking that they could wipe out us of meagre flesh and blood. It seems you lot haven't done your homework as thoroughly as I did." Vegeta mocked as he threw the piece away as he watched an uproar taking place between the various lanterns.

"W-What do you want, Vegeta?" The Guardian that was still in Vegeta's grasp asked desperately.

"Two things. I want every file you have on Darkseid, his brother, and the rest of the New Gods. You can transmit those files to my spaceship. Secondly, I want our contract to be recommenced, which also means that you will allow me safe passage out of this damnable planet."

Hal gritted his teeth as watched the Guardians looking at each other, before they nodded at Vegeta.

"Agreed. Now please, release us." Each of them consented as they all turned to their Corps.

"Green Lanterns, you will stand down. Go against our authority, and you will be subjected to disciplinary actions by the Alpha Lanterns."

As Hal and the rest of the Green Lanterns begrudgingly lowered their rings, Vegeta let go of the Guardians as well and dissolved the energy rings around their necks. The Saiyan did remain powered up, however, which was a smart thing to do considering the demeanour of some of the Lanterns.

"Now then, I shall take my leave. Cross me again, and I will not be so lenient the next time."

As Vegeta slowly made his leave, many of the Lanterns turned to the Guardians for an explanation, but they merely retreated with the protection of the Alpha Lanterns around them.

"Hmm, this is an unsurprising development." Kilowog grumbled as he walked over to Hal. "You alright, chump?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Hal answered with a sigh, while he watched John and Guy interrogate Salaak on his involvement, while keeping members such as Hannu away from the four-armed Corps' Administrator. The aftermath of this encounter was going to be felt for a long time, knowing that the Guardians kept them out of the loop yet again.

"But something doesn't sit well with me." The brown-haired human ended as he walked away from Kilowog to pursue Vegeta. Some of the Green Lanterns actively tried to follow him, but refrained from acting when Kilowog held them all back.

"Vegeta!" Hal called when he was close enough, and subsequently grabbed the man by the shoulder rather impulsively.

"What do you want?" He asked as he turned around agitatedly.

"What do you know that we don't? Coast City was never destroyed, yet when you claimed it to be, the Guardians shuddered at the mention. And why the hell did you call me Parallax, the Emotional Entity of Fear?" At that question, Vegeta merely smirked.

"I have no obligation to tell you anything." The Saiyan replied dismissively as he turned away, but Jordan held strong, despite feeling Vegeta's lightning crackling around his hand. It was a foolish thing to force his will upon this man, knowing how strong and dangerous he is, but Hal needed answers.

"Yes you do! You lied to us back at the Watchtower, and you expect us to help you find those 'Dragon Balls' after all that hypocritical bullcrap you pulled?"

Hal felt a crushing grip on his wrist as Vegeta slowly started to float as their heads came only inches from clashing against each other. Despite Hal's indomitable will, he felt himself starting sweat at Vegeta's overwhelming power.

"I never asked for your help, Lightbulb. It was Kakarot's idea. Besides, I never lied to you." The small alien answered as he let go of Hal and landed back on the ground.

"But you left practically every detail out about your life, so just between you and me," Hal growled as he crossed his arms.

"What the Guardians said about you, was it true?"

"I have killed a few people here and there, yes."

"But were you a murderer, damn it?! The Guardians called you a monster, a slayer of innocent men, women and even children! Do you have that kind of blood on your hands?!" Hal shouted as his ring started to pulse brightly. Vegeta gave him the death stare, but the impulsive lantern held his ground.

"What I may or may not have done in the past is of no concern to you, Lightbulb."

"As one of the Justice League members who agreed to help your cause, it definitely is, Vegeta. I want to trust you, but then I want to know who the fuck I'm sticking my neck out for. Some people aren't as naïve as the princess back home."

Hal noticed Vegeta's body tensing up at the mention of the Amazon, which he found surprisingly odd. An agitated snarl not directed at him appeared on his face, but quickly vanished into an apathetic scoff.

"You're a fool for wasting your time in trying to figure me out, because in the end it doesn't matter. The only thing you should concern yourself with is finding the Dragon Balls." Vegeta simply answered as his usual, arrogant demeanour returned.

"And why is that?" Hal asked through gritted teeth.

"Because when that happens, you'll never hear from me again. I will be back home, far away from this disgusting universe. Far away from an annoying insect like you." Vegeta ended as he started to walk away.

"And what if that doesn't work?"

"It will."

"Oh, really?" Hal answered as he levitated back in front of the small alien with a bemused smirk on his face. "You called my ring a 'flawed tool', yet you have full confidence in something ridiculous like a wish-granting dragon."

At that remark, Vegeta momentarily stopped walking and clenched his fist. His aura started to rise, pushing Hal slowly away from him.

"It'd better work." The Saiyan growled as he started to walk again.

"Or what?" Hal finally asked as Vegeta went into his spaceship.

"Or your universe's going to pay the price."

With that ill omen, Vegeta blasted off into the cold, dark regions of space, leaving Hal with an alarmed expression on his face.

"Damn it princess, do you even realize what you have gotten yourself into?" Hal muttered as he shook his head in disbelief. Vegeta never stated it directly, but Hal received enough clues regarding the Saiyan warrior that he was far from the noble warrior of justice Diana made him out to be. In truth, Vegeta might belong to the worst of the worst. The question that immediately went through his mind afterwards was whether his son and his friend Goku were of the same stock, but investigating that detail wasn't currently his top priority.

"I don't like him." Hal suddenly heard as Kilowog landed next to him.

"That makes two of us." He answered back as he felt Kilowog's large hand grabbing his shoulder gently.

"But at least we don't have to worry about him anytime soon. We have more important matters that need to be settled right now. Our Corps is falling apart."

The pink behemoth pointed at the Central Meeting Hall, where numerous lanterns were either arguing, treating the wounded, or even coming to blows with each other.

"You can deal with it, right?" Hal asked as he let his ring flash for a moment.

"You think that poozer shit the alien sprouted holds any truth? Come on Hal, if you were once possessed by Parallax, we would have known. The Book of Oa would have recorded it as well." Kilowog interjected, but Hal shook his head.

"When he called me Parallax… I felt memories pounding through my head. Memories that didn't make sense, yet felt disturbingly real. I need to find out what he knows."

"Hmm, and who's supposed to know that who's willing to tell you?" The pink behemoth asked, only to shake his head in bemusement upon noticing the glint in his friend's eyes.

"You can't be serious."

"He knows, Kilowog. And he's the only one I can get information out of, even if it's going to cost me heavily. Trust me, okay?"

"Hmph, if the Guardians find out,"

"I'm already 'exiled', so what's the worst that can happen?"

Although Kilowog looked visibly irritated at Hal's decision, he eventually conceded and gave his friend a silent nod of approval. Hal simply watched as the Corps' Drill Instructor left him alone, to which the emerald knight immediately used the communication device in his ring. What Vegeta told him regarding Parallax, this was not something he could simply overlook, and there was only one man who would be willing to tell him, for a price.

"Well well, I did not expect such a fast call, knowing of your dim-witted stubbornness. Consider me surprised."

"Shut up, Sinestro. I know you listened in on this conversation, and considering that you were the first Fear Lantern, only you know all there is to know about Parallax."

"And you expect me to tell you that out of the 'goodness' of my heart?"

"As if there is anything good left in that rotten core of yours. Let's deal, and tell me what you want."

"Come to Korugar, and your primitive brain might find out."

Hal sighed as he blocked his transmission with Sinestro, whom he heard laughing from his end just moments before he ended the call. A sinister feeling of dread flashed through his spine for a moment upon recalling the words Vegeta ended with before he left off.

"After I know what you were talking about, I'll find out who you truly are, Vegeta." And depending on the results, he will decide whether he would offer his help or let him rot in a sciencell for his potential crimes.

~Planet Shenlong, the Unknown Sectors~

A crushing feeling of disbelief coursed through Trunks as he and Goku were sitting around a campfire, inside one of the caves of a large mountain. He was visibly upset from the things Goku had told him that happened in the past, especially about one thing.

"I can't believe father would even think of sacrificing his free will for a power boost, especially under someone as horrible as Babidi." The swordsman sighed as his appetite disappeared entirely. He saw Goku stuffing his face with half-burned pieces of fish, while his onyx eyes were still plastered on the swordsman intently. Trunks used that opportunity to get everything off his chest.

"I mean, it doesn't make any sense. In the rare moments we did speak in the Room of Spirit and Time, he told me that he was never going to yield to someone ever again. He hated serving under Frieza and thought he deserved to rise to the top. He would be his own master, never to be shackled again. To hear you saying that he willingly subjected himself to Babidi just because he thought he was inferior to you feels like nothing has changed." Trunks ended dejectedly, but his head perked back up as Goku shook his head.

"Come on, Trunks. Vegeta deserves a lot of credit, you know. Trying to change the way you have lived and becoming a good guy after everything he went through is a lot more difficult than people think. And in the end, he even became one! Yeah, he was under Babidi's 'Majin' spell, but he was never really under his control. He even sacrificed himself to save the Earth!" The messy-haired Saiyan answered as he expectantly looked at Trunks' food.

"Majin Buu really made him test his resolve and priorities, and I wouldn't be here were it not for him. He made some crazy decisions, but in the end he chose his family. He chose you." Goku pointed out, his voice radiating with surprising maturity. Despite hints of his usual joyful, happy-go-lucky nature coming out, Trunks noticed that Goku was far more reserved and serious than he remembered. Even for an unbridled optimist like him, the loss of his family and world could change the way you look at life. At what Goku said regarding his father, Trunks couldn't help but smile.

"Heh, I guess you're right." He answered as he threw his food gently, which Goku easily caught. Vegeta was many things, and people easily labelled him as cold, callous and even a monster. But Goku was right, his father was a good man in the end, and that was something to be proud of.

For a small moment, the two Saiyans remained quiet, simply enjoying the atmosphere in the warmly-lit cave. It almost felt like he was back home again, drinking coffee with his mom without a care. A haunting thought pulled him out of that serene state of mind, however. There was something bothering him, and maybe Goku had an answer.

"Hey Goku," Trunks began as he noticed his friend absent-mindedly engulfing the last of his food.

"How did you guys arrive in this universe in the first place?"

At that question, Goku turned eerily quiet. He even stopped chewing, and instead opted to immediately swallow his food. Trunks continued his train of thought as Goku got his bearings.

"When that monster appeared on my Earth, I was still recuperating from my fight with Babidi and Dabura. A huge army of flying 'demons' appeared, and I tried to intercept them, to no avail. When Darkseid found me, I was beaten senseless. Couldn't remember anything other than being chained and teleported to his homeworld which was named Apokolips. I lost conscious when I could only see hellfire."

Goku had a pensive look on his face as Trunks continued to speak, but otherwise didn't really say anything.

"But something happened. Before I even realized what was wrong, I landed on this Earth instead of Apokolips. My mind was broken, and I was unable to think straight. Then I was just tired, and sometimes I felt pain. Turns out I was captured by humans, but you and dad saved me." And of course those others. Rachel, Nightwing, Red Hood and Robin… Even the orange woman, Kori.

"It was like, someone managed to free me and send me to this Earth, but other than that I have no idea."

"I feel you, Trunks. It was the same way for us. Everything's kind of a mess." Goku stated solemnly as his gaze darkened slightly. Trunks leaned forward to eye Goku with more intensity.

"Something similar happened?" Now that he thought of it, Goku hadn't told him what happened on his earth at all, so Trunks was extra alert to hear every single detail.

"Vegeta didn't want me to tell you until he came back, but he's taking a bit long so..." Goku began as he suddenly stood up.

"Goku, what are you doing?" Trunks asked as Goku placed his hand on the youth's forehead.

"Remember that King Kai thought me how to read minds? Well, I've been practicing to connect my mind to other people, because Vegeta thought it would be a good idea in case someone was eavesdropping on us. I think my thoughts speak more than what I could possibly tell you." The messy-haired Saiyan said as he looked at Trunks expectantly.

"Goku… If you knew how to do this, why didn't you tell me sooner? It would have saved us a lot of time." Trunks asked, to which Goku merely laughed sheepishly.

"Aha, I kind of forgot about it! I'm not very good with it yet either, and it has a few drawbacks when sharing lots and lots of information, but I guess it can't be helped. If you want me to stop, just say it, okay?" Goku ended as he started to focus.

"Now, close your eyes."

Trunks did what he was told and before he knew it, he felt a fierce migraine rocking his brain. He wanted to push Goku's hand away, but the images coursing through his head were too intense, too emotional…

He didn't have a sense of the amount of time that had transpired, but eventually the migraine stopped. A trickle of blood leaked from his nose, and he suddenly heard a thud.

"Goku!" Trunks yelled as he kneed in front of his friend. The full-blooded Saiyan was in a daze, his eyes were bloodshot and he was clutching his head in pain.

"That's the drawback… C-can't do this too much, so t-talking is usually better…"

As Trunks pulled his friend up, he couldn't help but pull him into a fierce hug.

"I'm so sorry…" Was all the lavender-haired Saiyan could say as Goku meekly returned it.

"Yeah, me too."

And Goku was right. Words couldn't really describe what happened. So many things were occurring all at once, so many cruelties were taking place, so much power was rocking the planet… And in the end, they just lost.

"Even fusion didn't work…" Trunks murmured dejectedly. Despite the huge amount of power Goku and his father possessed, it was still not enough. From what he saw however, there was no wonder why they lost.

"And after all that, we woke up in a floating city called New Genesis, which was Highfather's world. He told us that Darkseid was attacking Earth, which is the reason why those superheroes know of us. From there, you know the rest. Well, most of it." Goku ended as he returned to a seating position.

"Did this Highfather 'gift' you this planet? You called it Shenlong when we first arrived, and how were you able to teleport here in the first place?" Trunks asked, still clutching his head.

"Well, there is this vague energy signature that is constantly leaking from this world. Like it's, well, alive I guess? Highfather couldn't sense it because he never heard of ki in the first place, but Vegeta and I did. As for the name… Your dad came up with it when we found one of these golden Dragon Balls in a temple right under the largest mountain on this world. You should see it for yourself when you have some time. Really crazy stuff."

Trunks' mind was racing at the reminder that there were Dragon Balls scattered throughout this universe. The fact that no one, not even a god knew about the power these orbs held was utterly strange, something that needs to be investigated. Not only that, but when Goku mentioned that this planet felt alive, he couldn't help but notice it as well. It was faint, but he could feel it from literally everything that was around him. It didn't matter whether the material was organic or not, it felt all the same.

Trunks wanted to suggest heading there, but a powerful energy signature suddenly alerted him. A smile appeared as he and Goku immediately stood up, but he also couldn't help but notice just how much stronger he felt than he remembered.

"I sense father, but his ki feels… angry."

"Yeah, wonder what happened over there." Goku mentioned as his eyes darkened slightly. As the two headed out to greet Vegeta, who had just landed with his spaceship nearby, they noticed that he was seething with rage. He wasn't even transformed yet, but Trunks already found it difficult to fully gauge his father's power.

"Yo, Vegeta! How'd it go?" Goku asked, but Vegeta looked less than pleased by the inquiry, and promptly ignored it even.

"Trunks, follow me." The Prince of all Saiyans ordered as he was already turning around, only to be stopped by Goku.

"Whoa, Vegeta, take it easy. What happened over there?" The messy-haired Saiyan asked again, to which Vegeta just sighed as his hair lost his golden sheen.

"I don't want to talk about it." Was all he said, but Trunks was surprised at the fact that Goku held on. From what he remembered, his dad would've tried to punch Goku in the face immediately if he was being stopped in his tracks like this. But after all they went through together, he shouldn't really be that surprised that Vegeta was considerably more amicable towards his taller compatriot.

Not. Now. Kakarot." Vegeta merely growled as he pulled himself free and rapidly gained speed. Goku had a worried expression plastered on his face as he turned to Trunks momentarily, but eventually shrugged as the two decided to follow him.

It took a bit of time, but the trio eventually went beyond the beautiful green valley and into a brown, barren landscape that was full of artificially-made craters. Trunks quickly realized that this looked like the old-school training grounds from when he sparred with Gohan.

"What have you already told him, Kakarot?" Vegeta asked as he stood ten meters or so away from them.

"Well, practically everything, I think." Goku mused as he placed his hands on his hips. This seemed to satisfy Vegeta, who immediately turned his gaze towards his son.

"Good, then we already have that out of the way. As for you my son, we're not here to fight, or spar even, as you may have initially thought. I wish we could have done that, but that clown over there deemed it more necessary for me to train some blasted human than to help you ascend to greater heights!"

Trunks inwardly smiled as Goku walked backwards with an awkward chuckle, while his father looked less than amused.

"Instead, I want you to demonstrate your maximum might. Show me how strong you've become, and I'll know how far you still need to go." Vegeta ended as crossed his arms in expectation.

Of course, there would come a point where Trunks had to show off how strong he'd become. He was curious how powerful Goku and his dad were as well. As of now, he had only felt glimpses. Although he was rather sure that he was getting a disapproving look from his dad, he couldn't help but feel excited at the feeling of familiarity of the situation.

"All right, I'll show you!" Trunks growled as he widened his stance and clenched his fists. It took a few seconds, but eventually the very earth started to rumble as a white aura that shifted to a dull yellow appeared around him. A few moments later, Trunks started to yell as his Super Saiyan transformation flared to life. He didn't stop at that, and large cracks started to form into the ground as Trunks' yell turned into a fierce roar. Pebbles and even boulders started to levitate around the swordsman as he forced himself to unleash everything he had got.

A crack of lightning thundered into the ground next to Trunks as his muscles bulged, ripping the red T-shirt he had been wearing, and his teal eyes turned even more fierce than before. With a deep huff, he relaxed as he showed off his Super Saiyan Two transformation.

"This is all I've got." The (normally) lavender-haired warrior said as his spiky hair waved calmly from the wind his golden aura was generating. He saw Goku looking visibly impressed, while Vegeta only gave a solemn gaze.

"Wow, Trunks! You were even stronger than us in our Ascended Super Saiyan forms back when we fought Majin Buu! I think you might have been able to defeat him with just this transformation!" Goku complimented gleefully.

"The fat one, yes, but the tall one and even the child would still win." Vegeta then mentioned, to which Goku nodded with a shrug.

"Still, it's pretty strong." Goku argued as he turned to his friend.

"But not strong enough. Not against him." The Prince growled back as he walked away from Goku and readied himself.

"Watch this, son. Feel my power, and prepare yourself for what's to come. This is what I want you to achieve as soon as possible."

Trunks didn't really know what to expect, but when Vegeta casually turned into a Super Saiyan at first, he couldn't believe what he was feeling.

"No way… A mere Super Saiyan… and already so strong?" Trunks muttered bewilderedly. Vegeta felt just as strong as him when he was in his Super Saiyan Two form, and he hadn't even transformed beyond that yet!

"Already impressed? You shouldn't be, because this is only a glimpse, the tip of the iceberg. There's a whole lot more yet to come…" Vegeta smirked as his muscles bulged, and bluish lightning started to cackle around him. What surprised Trunks even more was the fact that barely anything around his father was collapsing under the huge amount of power he was generating.

"Trunks, I think you should stay a bit closer to me." Goku suddenly said as he landed next to the young man. "Because Vegeta isn't as good with the form as he wants to admit."

Trunks had no expectations on what was going to happen next, but even then his mind was blown away when a blood-curling scream erupted from Vegeta. The purple skies darkened in color considerably as clouds started to swirl around the Prince. Lightning struck the ground across the landscape and the Earth started to shake heavily. Cracks that formed in the ground turned larger and larger, and Trunks felt the wind generated by his father forcing him back. He was still transformed himself, but Goku had to grab his arm and transform as well in order to keep the two standing.

"RAAAAGGGHHH!" Was all Trunks could hear as a final explosion erupted from Vegeta. After that, the skies turned clear again rather abruptly as the scream's epicentre settled down.

"W-wow…" Trunks gasped as Vegeta revealed himself in all his glory. His hair, which was once a flame, was now far longer than normally and arched backwards towards the grounds. The prince's muscles had bulged even more, and for some reason his eyebrows had disappeared. What impressed him the most though was the power he felt. There was simply know limit he could sense!

"So this is Super Saiyan Three… With that kind of power… I feel like you could blow away half the universe if you wanted to…" Trunks whispered, to which Goku shook his head with an amused smile on his face.

"We wish we were that strong. I'd say… around a quarter, more or less? Anyways, this is what I used to fight Majin Buu, but it was far less powerful back then. Let's just say that we have trained a lot ever since we came here."

"And we are going to learn you this as well, but I can assure you that achieving this kind of power is far more difficult than being pushed into a measly Super Saiyan Two." Vegeta continued as he levitated over to the two as his aura settled down.

"Why is that?" Trunks asked curiously, but a glare from Vegeta forced him to think. It took a considerable amount of power to awaken the form, and when he gave his father a closer look, he looked rather strained.

"Ah, so you've noticed, huh?" Goku chimed in as he studied Trunks' face. "Super Saiyan Three is really strong, but you lose your stamina insanely fast!"

"Which means that it is a flawed transformation." Vegeta quickly interjected as he abruptly turned back into his base state. "It can severely impair you when not achieved the proper way. You get much stronger yes, but sometimes it is better to fight with attrition. Always remember that when you finally achieve it and think of relying on it." The flame-haired Saiyan ended.

Trunks turned to the ground, still rather bewildered at the amount of ki he just sensed. He was nowhere near that powerful yet, and just how long did Goku and his dad need to even learn to transform into it? He wanted to ask all this, but insidiously familiar 'boom' sound alerted him of a portal appearing behind him.

"What the?" Trunks began, wanting to power up immediately. Both Goku and his father stopped him, however, and although he obliged, he still felt tension throughout his body.

"Tch, what do you want? You're not welcome here."

Trunks gave a confused glance as a tall man with a golden rod in his hand appeared before them. He wore a strange armor coloured an obsidian black with red outlines, while his breastplate shone with a beautiful gold. Short black hair and a beard that showed tints of grey gave him the impression of a mature and wise visage. He didn't know who he was, but his elders looked at him rather familiarly.

"Pardon my undeclared intrusion of your home, but I had no choice in the matter, Prince Vegeta." The man stated in a confident matter as he stood in front of Trunks, while reaching his free hand towards the swordsman.

"You must be Vegeta's son Trunks. I am Izaya, or 'Highfather' as many have opted to call me. I am a New God, and the ruler of the world known to you as New Genesis, inside the Sphere of the Gods." Highfather introduced as Trunks proceeded to shake the man's hand.

"You're Darkseid's brother?" Trunks asked with a gasp, to which the old man nodded with a sigh.

"Bound by blood, intertwined in a conflict for aeons. Words cannot express how much sorrow I hold for his actions that devastated your lives. I wish I could have prevented it, but it was not to be."

Despite the genuine sorrow and empathy he could feel, Trunks could not deter himself from letting his guard down. He wasn't the only one either, because Vegeta didn't look very pleased either at the intrusion. Goku merely looked on with a lopsided smile though, which was at least a positive.

After the introductions were over, the man quickly turned to Goku and his father, the former lazily placing his hands behind his head while the latter turned his head away from them agitatedly.

"As for your question, there are two things. First of all, the Council of Eight and I haven't heard from you two for some time, so we believed it necessary to check on you and see if anything has happened that I should know of. Maybe evidence of certain activity instigated by that scourge I call 'brother'."

"Ugh, seriously?! Damnable New Gods…" Vegeta seethed as he walked over to the man.

"With all due 'respect', Highfather, but didn't we mutually agree that whenever something of importance has garnered our attention, we would be the ones to initiate contact?" Vegeta asked as he crossed his arms in dismay.

"That is correct, Prince Vegeta. However, I believe that the sudden appearance of your son should have been part of that supposedly 'vital information' I have been asking for."

At that statement, Vegeta irritably looked away as Highfather turned to Goku and Trunks.

"In order to even begin to grasp how Darkseid managed to go beyond the Source Wall to arrive to your universe, I need clues, samples of the energies involved in the process. Fortunately, one of my own people is currently residing on Earth and researching that very subject."

Source Wall? Energies involved? Trunks' mind worked into overdrive to figure it all out, but it only resulted in him shaking his head in frustration.

"Well congratulations, you have found out the world my son from the future came from was destroyed without needing to consult with us first. Anything else you want to talk about which you already know? No, then I will take my leave." Vegeta said mockingly as he turned around, ready to walk away. Before he could talk off, he was stopped by Goku.

"Vegeta, we promised." The messy-haired Saiyan said gently, but Vegeta had no desire to listen.

"Good for you, clown, but I have no desire to participate in this foolishness. Now that I think of it, I don't have the time either, because I need to train some brat because you couldn't keep your mouth shut as always. And considering that I do not possess the technique to travel great distances in an instant, I need time and a spaceship to travel from one place to another."

After Vegeta ended his tirade, Trunks could do nothing but watch as his father already took his leave. Goku merely shook his head, before turning to Highfather.

"Sorry about that. He's even grumpier than usual… But what he said was true though. There isn't really a lot to tell right now. Don't have anything else to say about the Dragon Balls either… But the Justice League of Earth wants to help us."

"The Justice League?" Highfather mused as Trunks noticed his eye twitch. "That's…"

"Uh, weren't we supposed to tell them? We thought it would be a good idea to speed things up…"

"No, that is fine, Goku, but I would have preferred to know of it beforehand. Orion's mission is now moot, but that is a predicament you should not need to worry about."

Trunks watched as Highfather did something with the rod he was holding, as if he was communicating with it, but his eyes eventually turned back to the two.

"Ah, but I am digressing. There is another thing I opted to tell you. A warning, this time, and a potential mission."

"Is it about… you know?" Goku trailed off, but Highfather shook his head and closed his eyes momentarily.

"No, but I am not certain yet. My scientists have found traces of Omega activity across the many worlds that float around the Orrery of Worlds. Normally, I would assume Darkseid to be the culprit, but the traces are… less powerful, less potent. We are still not certain what this means, so I wished to warn you about it for the moment. I might have some more information soon." Izaya ended obscurely as he used his rod to create another 'boomtube'.

"I advise you to be on the lookout for that, Goku, and I will contact you soon regarding this matter when my scientists have come to a conclusion. Until then, I bid you farewell."

Trunks immediately turned to Goku as Highfather disappeared throughout the portal and left no trace of his appearance.

"So that was Highfather…" The swordsman simply mused, uncertain on what to think of him.

"He's a strange one, and your dad doesn't like him at all, but I think he just wants to help. From what he said to us when we first met, he had been fighting his brother for so long, he just wants it to end." Goku shrugged as he started to float. "Anyways, what are you going to do now?"

"Uh, I'm not sure yet…" Trunks stated truthfully. He was going to train his heart out, that was for certain. But other than that, he felt at a loss right now. He could go back to Earth and try to contact Rachel to tell her that he was alright. Then again, how are you going to find a girl whose ki signature was at around the same level as the rest of the population? Nobody other than him, Goku and of course his father relied on ki, so finding her would prove practically impossible.

"I was thinking of getting a bit more food and then take a nap before heading back to Earth to train Superman myself, but you don't have to go with me. You know," Goku began as he tilted his head. "why don't you take a ship from one of the capsules back at the cave and explore this universe a bit? It'll relax your mind before you start training intensively."

"You know, that doesn't sound like a bad idea at all. Thanks Goku, I'll think about it. How do we stay in contact though?" Trunks finally asked as he watched Goku speed off into the direction of the valley. He wanted to chase after him, but when he somehow heard a jovial voice laughing inside his head, he couldn't help but smile brightly as well.

~The Kent Farm, Smallville, the state of Kansas~

The Earth's full moon shone brightly as its reflected light illuminated the vast fields of agricultural land, that surrounded an abandoned, but not forsaken farmhouse with a barn next to it. Two people were lazily resting on the roof, its gentle slope making sure they wouldn't glide off of it, while watching the stars dancing across the night-sky. Rest they certainly deserved, because even beings as strong as they needed to recuperate from the events that had transpired today.

"Kal, we should've invited Bruce to go with us. It's beautiful out here, and he needs some peacefulness for once in a while. Besides, Gotham City reeks of unsavoury odours, don't know how he manages to tolerate it." A soft, feminine voice spoke as her blue eyes glanced at her companion, which face was fully visible due to the limelight that cascaded down.

"Crime never sleeps, Diana. Especially in Gotham City. Even if we did ask, he wouldn't have come anyway. Now that I think of it, he would even find a way if I literally flew him over here by myself."

Two heavy sighs disturbed the peaceful chirps of crickets for a moment as both Diana and Kal-El forced themselves in a seating position.

"It seems it cannot be helped indeed, although I cannot help but worry about the inevitable breaking point he will encounter if he continues to push himself so much. I feel like my breaking point is already near after all that dribble Luthor spouted at the Congress."

"Don't remind me, he hates my guts. He thinks my very actions, existence even, is what keeps humanity from achieving greatness, a better tomorrow."

"And? Do you believe it?" Diana asked curiously as she played with her shining black hair.

"Well, it certainly kept me awake during certain nights, yes. Had I been without any friends or a loving family, I might have believed it." Clark answered as he turned his gaze towards the stars. "Now, I just wish the world saw through his lies and his manipulations."

Diana could empathize greatly with her friend. The only thing she wanted was for the world to flourish with kindness, compassion and love for each other instead of the greed, hate and indifference that lingered now. Her actions proved that, in her eyes at least. Most of the people at power however, looked at her with envy and hostility. They see her as a threat, an outcast, a foolish child who didn't understand the ways of the world. It didn't matter how many lives she saved, how many supervillains she took down… It only served as fuel for a one-sided hatred, because they feared her power and potential for disaster. It felt like a lost cause at times, especially when the people of Congress make irrational decisions such as paroling Luthor for his supposedly 'good behaviour' and support of humanity as a whole. As John Constantine would have said, it was all utterly poppycock. One thing they did get out of it was that they allowed the Justice League full authority to deal with their alien 'allies'.

"At least we don't have to worry about them going after our new friends." Diana eventually answered as she turned her gaze towards the stars as well. A childish excitement grew inside her at the reminder of what's to come. She loved to fight and spar; it was her people's way of passing the time, staying fit and healthy and to strengthen the bonds with her kin. It was a hobby that was passed down by the earliest of Amazon generations by the guidance of her patron goddesses from the Grecian Pantheon. To her it was the best way of understanding and developing a bond of trust and friendship with the warriors that saved her and her world from devastation.

"Friends? I don't want to sound like a pessimist, but as far as I know being beaten to an inch of your life by someone is not what I would call a 'friend'." Superman chuckled as Diana shook her head.

"Fair enough, but I know they are good people. They simply need some kinship, to remind them that their future is not as bleak as they think it will be. They will find their way back home, I am sure of it. Furthermore, Vegeta beating you up is a good reminder that you are not as almighty as many believed you to be. Your physiology makes you very powerful, but you are a sloppy fighter. Just like everyone else, you need to train to become better."

A cheeky smile appeared on Wonder Woman's face as Kal's expression turned from sheer bewilderment, to sly amusement.

"If I didn't know you better, I would've thought that you just insinuated that you could actually beat me in a fair fight."

"I am not insinuating, oh all-powerful Kryptonian. I know I can beat you." Diana answered back challengingly. She almost exploded in utter excitement when she saw the glint in her dear friend's eyes.

"You didn't just ask me to 'hang out' for the sake of relaxation, huh? Have it your way, Amazon. I wasn't intending to focus entirely on improving myself under Goku's tutelage, but I got to set an example as the strongest man on Earth." Clark smirked as he stood up and started to levitate. Diana did the same and eyed her friend with a challenging smirk as well. Tension between the two looked to be rising, but deflated in an instant as the both of them started to laugh heartily. A warm embrace followed as they simply enjoyed the moment.

"Thank you for inviting me to your old home, Kal. It was wonderful." Diana spoke softly, to which the Kryptonian nodded with a bright smile as the two let go of each other.

"It was my pleasure, Diana. We both needed a bit of serenity after all this. I'm heading back to Metropolis, so I'll see you at the next League meeting. Good luck with your training, you're going to need it!"

In a flash, Clark was gone from the scene, leaving only behind a small breeze. Diana stayed her for a small moment as her thoughts turned to the elusive Saiyans, especially the one who was soon going to train her.

"I don't need Tyche's blessing, for Nike is already smiling down on me."

With a skip in her step, Diana blasted off into the skies, leaving behind a warm linger of exuberance around the uninhabited Kent farmhouse…

Dear readers,

Man, did I take my sweet time. Have to admit, this chapter was (once again) difficult to write. I wanted to cramp in so many details, but I eventually had to leave out a few things. Anyways, before I sign out, I wanted to talk about a few things.

First of all, the idea that Goku could transfer his memories over to another person was purely used as a convenient plot device. I am intending to post Darkseid's invasion as a special chapter, which is already half-way done (lost a huge chunk of the second part, so I still need to re-write that unfortunately). My apologies if that part felt rushed, but writing Goku from Trunks' perspective would've been a lot more bothersome than it already was (so many emotion-tugging lines I needed to write XD), so this was the only solution I could come up with. Also, making a special chapter out of it gives me the ability to give it a sort of better overview (don't know if that makes any sense to you, but I have no idea how to word it otherwise). Lots of stuff going on.

Second of all, I am going to ask you dear readers yet again on whether you felt like the personalities of the various characters were OOC (Out Of Character). I think I did fine, but it's still kind of difficult to gauge it all. Also, do you agree with the power levels? I kind of want to stay as true to the different source materials as possible, but gauging how strong a Green Lantern is compared to a Post-Buu Saga Super Saiyan (plus another five years of rigorous training) is far more difficult than I initially realized. Still, that part was super fun to write.

Third of all, I wanted to clarify that this universe is heavily based on the New 52 line of comics that went from 2011 to 2016 (between Flashpoint and DC Rebirth), which means that a certain someone stole ten years from the DC timeline. What's weird though, was the fact that both the Batman and Green Lantern comic runs simply ignored that part mostly, and just kept continuing with their story. It was an element that I really enjoyed implementing into this story. Gives an aura of mystery, right?

Lastly, I'm writing this all while it's in the middle of the night, so my proofreading skills are probably a lot more sloppy than they already normally are, so I apologize if there are any annoying mistakes (there probably are, considering that punctuation and the overall forming of a sentence isn't really that well-developed).

Anyways, next chapter (and I mean, the one that resumes the story), Goku and Vegeta are going to train Superman and Wonder Woman respectively, Hal Jordan will probably do his thing, and I don't know if you guys read my 'Battle for Odym' story, but that's kind of the path I want to send Trunks on. In any case, the upcoming chapters are going to be a lot less doom and gloom, and probably a lot more action-packed as well!

Thank you for reading all my gibberish, and of course for reading my story. I love to hear from you all. Peace out!

Oh, and one more thing. I have decided to skip the 'Arc' system I wanted to implement altogether, because it was going to cause a lot of problems (particularly with my brain). So basically each chapter will just have a chapter title. Sorry!