Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ.

Shadows of the Night

Prologue

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Lightning and thunder cackled and boomed in the surrounding area of the forest, every few seconds spreading light among the trees. A downpour started to come and all the living things ran for cover. That is, everything except a lone figure.

He stood in a little clearing in the forest, away from any shelter as his skin was already soaked to the bone and his clothes were in no better shape. But he wasn't looking at himself. He was staring at a little orange, glowing ball in his hand. It kept glowing despite the conditions of the weather around it. The man smiled.

On the ground, six other orange balls were scattered about in a circle of imperfect shape. The man's smile widened. It had taken him decades to find the Dragon balls and he had found them at last. A huge lightning bolt flashed and in a few seconds struck a tree in the forest, setting a forest fire blazing instantly. The man paid no heed. Another lightning bolt flashed as the shadows of trees were seen in the clearing, as also tiny shadows of the balls.

A squirrel, intelligent enough to pick up on small details, peeked out from the branches of the closest tree. A raindrop splattered onto its nose and it wrinkled it, shaking its head to get it clean. Then something on the ground caught the squirrel's attention. A man with seven weird-looking round objects was there, and when another lightning bolt flashed, the squirrel saw the shadows of the trees, but not any of the like from the man. It seemed the man didn't have a shadow. The squirrel scurried away in fear.

Back on the solid earth, the man continued to stare deeply at the ball. It had taken him so long to find this... this object of salvation and destruction. If he was an ordinary man, he'd be long ago dead. But since he wasn't, it really didn't bother him. A little half a mile away, the forest fire continued to blaze and grow in length, and the man could feel the heat from it already. Deciding it best to hurry up, he tossed the last Dragon ball into the middle of the six already waiting.

Calling out in a big, rather dark voice, the man yelled, "Shenron, come out and grant me my two wishes of power!"

The orange balls glowed yellow for a split second, then an enormous shadow of yellow energy burst forth from them, twirling and circling around in the sky, a huge and massive sight to behold. That is, if any one could see it. The man knew the thunderstorm was the perfect cover for the summoning.

The yellow energy faded and in its place was a large green dragon, its look alone able to bring fear into a man's heart if he weren't ready for it. But the man was.

"Speak! Speak your wish," demanded the Eternal Dragon, Shenron, his red eyes glaring down at the man who had summoned him. He had no time for waiting, only time to grant wishes and disappear back into his lair far, far away.

"My first wish, oh mighty Shenron," the man said in a sarcastic tone, getting a deeper glare from the dragon, "... is my palace be constructed in a place I've previously chosen. Search my mind and find it for I know you are able to grant that."

Shenron's eyes glowed a dark red as he floated in the sky in complete silence. A few seconds later, his eyes turned to a normal red and he said in a booming voice, "Your first wish is granted. What is your second wish?"

The man smiled, showing a pair of sharp, pointy teeth at the edges of his mouth. He seemed to be taking his lovely time. "My second wish is for my strength to match that of my life – immortal and never-ending."

Shenron seemed to size the man up, and his eyes glowed once more. "Your wish is granted and I now bid you farewell." He disappeared as the Dragon balls glowed orange again and flew up into the sky, ready to disperse across the planet. But before they could, the man flew up in a split second and grabbed one of them, the others trailing out a second later across the globe.

The man landed smoothly on the ground and gave another smirk. "They can't stop me now. How can they summon the Eternal Dragon with only six Dragon balls?" He laughed into the night.

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Any questions might be answered, depending on what it is. If you're intrigued, please, hit the 'review' button and let me know and I shall continue on with this story. I only need 3 to know this story is wanted, so don't be shy. I won't bite... much.