Dragon Ball: Mori's tales

For five long days, Mori had been haunted by the same cryptic poem, a maddening refrain that refused to leave his mind. Over and over again, the words echoed in his thoughts as he floated through the vast waters of a desolate planet. This world had no land—only endless oceans stretching in every direction—and Mori drifted aimlessly in it, his body still, his mind entranced by the eerie repetition of the poem.

The singularity of Mori's presence in the water stood out starkly against the endless expanse. His expression, however, remained unreadable. The weight of those words pressed down on him, seeping into the deepest parts of his mind, eroding his peace.

"Four, seventeen, thirty-two, the day before, fight, fight, fight, fight, throwing punches again. There's no discharge in the war." Mori's lips barely moved as he whispered the lines that had played on an endless loop in his head since leaving Earth. The words came to him like the ebb and flow of the ocean, consistent and relentless.

"Don't, don't, don't. Look at what's in front of you. Fight, fight, fight, fight. Moving up and down again. Mori, Mori, Mori, Mori. Mori goes mad when seeing me. There's no discharge in the war." This time, Mori's voice grew louder, as if he were pleading with the unseen voice that whispered these words to him. He felt as though someone was watching him, taunting him with the poem.

The last line came out like a growl. "If. Your. Eyes. Drop. They will get the top of you. War." The final word, "war," echoed louder in Mori's mind than anything else, almost as if it was the key to something buried deep within him. He clenched his fists, feeling a surge of energy coursing through his veins, unlocking a primal force inside him.

Without hesitation, Mori shot up out of the water, leaving the aquatic planet behind as he blasted into space. His determined expression was now set in stone as he flew toward a place he had long avoided, a place that held memories he had worked hard to suppress.

The poem still echoed faintly in his mind, but now it fueled his resolve. He pushed forward, accelerating through the cosmos at breakneck speed. The thoughts of his family—of Lisa, Leonidas, Elec, and Hazel—burned in his heart.

"If I have to return there to save my family, I will gladly face whatever awaits me!" Mori thought fiercely as he increased his speed, hurtling through the vast emptiness of space with a singular goal in mind.

Minutes passed. The stars blurred as he traveled faster and faster until, finally, his destination came into view: a red planet, looming like a distant memory.

"Still as beautiful as ever, huh? Aren't you, Astraviir?" Mori murmured to himself, a bittersweet smile tugging at his lips. It had been too long since he had last set foot on this planet, a place that had once been his refuge—a kingdom where he had once found joy, love, and belonging.

As Mori descended onto the planet's surface, the beauty of Astraviir, though overrun by nature, still struck him. Tall trees and vines had taken over what had once been a thriving kingdom, their roots entwining with the crumbling stone buildings. Wildflowers bloomed where once soldiers had marched, and birds chirped where once royal trumpets had sounded.

Mori landed gently on the overgrown cobblestone streets, the atmosphere thick with the weight of history. The wind rustled softly, carrying faint echoes of laughter from long ago.

"...It's been too long," Mori sighed deeply as he began walking through the familiar streets. The memories came rushing back—his time here with Lisa, the long talks, the laughter, the love they had shared in the golden days of Astraviir. But now, the kingdom was a ghost of its former self.

He walked past empty market squares, abandoned homes, and stone bridges now overtaken by moss and ivy. Every step seemed to pull him deeper into the past, each familiar landmark triggering another memory. Finally, he arrived at the heart of the kingdom: the castle. It was once a grand structure, but now it stood covered in vines and cracked stone. Nature had claimed it, but it still bore the marks of its regal history.

Mori paused at the front gate, staring at the castle as if something inside him was holding him back from going further. The memories threatened to overwhelm him. 

Taking a deep breath, he pushed the gates open and stepped inside. The long, winding hallways were eerily silent, save for the creaking of the ancient stone beneath his feet. The grand tapestries that had once adorned the walls had decayed, and the gold-trimmed red carpets were now worn and frayed.

With every step he took, Mori's mind conjured memories of a time long past.

In one vivid memory, two figures—young, carefree—ran through these very halls. The sound of their laughter echoed in his mind. 

"Hey, wait up for me!" a voice called out, a voice Mori would never forget. It was Lisa, her long, wavy black hair flowing behind her, a crown perched atop her head, her silver eyes sparkling with playful joy. She held up her royal gown as she tried to catch up with the figure ahead.

"Haha, come on, L! You gotta do better than that!" The younger version of Mori called back to her, his hair much shorter and tamer than it was now, his black gi clean and intact. He flashed a wide grin as he dashed ahead, teasing her.

Lisa grunted in mock frustration, then put her foot down with determination. In a burst of speed, she caught up to him in an instant. "Hah! Got you! How's that for doing better?" she said triumphantly.

They tumbled to the ground together, rolling until they stopped against the castle wall, laughing uncontrollably. 

"Cheater," Mori muttered with a chuckle.

Lisa smirked, still out of breath. "Aww, you love me, though. Not my fault you're slow!" she teased, her eyes twinkling.

Mori stood silently in the present, staring at that very same wall. His expression was unreadable, but the weight of the memory was clearly heavy on his heart. The joy, the love, the warmth—they were all in the past now.

He walked away from the spot, his heart aching as he ventured deeper into the castle. He explored every room, memories bombarding him from every corner until he finally reached their bedroom.

The room was surprisingly intact. The ceiling still displayed the intricate starry design, a feature he and Lisa had admired together. The walls remained plain, but the bed in the center of the room stood exactly as it had been. Large and regal, it had curtains draping from the sides, offering privacy and comfort.

Mori approached the bed slowly, gently pulling aside the curtain at its base. He reached out and touched the mattress, staring down at it. For a moment, the past and the present collided as memories of their shared nights flooded back. His hand trembled, and tears, unbidden, fell from his eyes, landing softly on the bed.

He sat down, unable to hold back the flood of emotions. The laughter, the love, the warmth of Lisa's embrace—all of it played out in his mind. Mori, the man who had faced countless battles, who had witnessed unimaginable loss, let his tears flow freely as he remembered the life they had once shared.

Laying down on the bed, his body began to change. He seemed to grow younger, regressing to the time when he was just a teenager—fresh from leaving Earth and not yet fully weathered by the trials of time. He closed his eyes, allowing the dreams to take him back to that time, if only for a little while.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the planet, a figure descended from the sky, landing softly on the ground where a fierce battle had once taken place. A staff in hand, the figure wore red heels, long black socks, and a skin-tight red suit with an opening in the midsection. Her blue skin gleamed under the faint light, and her long silver hair was adorned with a golden ring.

"Hmm… My last experiment was a bust. Dammit. And the blasted StarScourge Queen is already dead. Dammit, dammit, dammit." The figure muttered to herself in frustration. It was Towa, a demon of considerable power and dark intentions.

Suddenly, Towa froze, sensing a faint yet powerful energy in the distance. She smirked. "Oh? This is supposed to be an abandoned planet. Why is there an energy source here?" She paused, her senses tingling. "Oh, it's even got a mixture of that dastardly extinct Dovahkiin race's energy... Oh, my... this energy feels incredible." Her eyes gleamed as a strange, exotic expression crossed her face. 

Without wasting a moment, Towa set off toward the source of the energy, entering the castle with ease. She navigated its darkened halls until she reached the bedroom where Mori lay asleep.

Her eyes widened when she saw the man before her. His shirtless body was a tapestry of scars, a testament to countless battles. His once-wild brown hair now lay scattered across the pillow, his face mature but serene. His chest bore the symbol of time, while his left arm was adorned with the Dovahkiin tattoos. He was an enigma to her—powerful, yet vulnerable in his slumber.

Towa bent down slowly, her hand trembling slightly with excitement as she reached out to touch the intricate tattoos on Mori's left arm. Her fingers hovered just above his skin, feeling the energy radiating from his body. The Dovahkiin power—long thought extinct—was pulsing beneath his flesh, blending with the essence of time itself. This was power beyond anything she had ever imagined, and she was determined to harness it.

But just before her fingertips could graze his arm, Mori's eyes snapped open.

In an instant, his hand shot up and grabbed her by the face, his grip strong and unyielding. Towa gasped, shocked by the speed of his reaction. She tried to pull away, but Mori's grip tightened. He sat up, his intense brown, draconic eyes locking onto hers with a terrifying focus. The room seemed to grow heavier, as if his sheer presence had the power to warp the atmosphere itself.

"Ugh... who are you?" Mori growled, his voice low and dangerous. "The only person allowed to touch me while I sleep is Lisa... and you sure as hell aren't her."

Towa's heart raced. Her body shivered under the intensity of his gaze, a primal fear creeping into her as she felt the raw strength behind his grip. She had miscalculated. Mori was not just a relic of a forgotten power—he was something far more dangerous.

She tried to speak, her voice faltering under the pressure. "I-I am a demon... known as T-Towa. I came here... looking for a friend... from long ago." Her words stumbled out quickly, her mind scrambling for a way to defuse the situation. "Her name was Jalisa—"

Before she could finish, Mori's eyes flared with sudden rage. He stood up abruptly, dragging her along with him until he was right in her face.

"HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT NAME?!" Mori's voice boomed through the room, his energy spiking uncontrollably. The castle trembled around them, cracks forming in the stone walls as his power surged. Towa felt her knees buckle beneath her, the sheer force of his aura threatening to crush her.

"I-I told you," Towa stammered, trying desperately to maintain her composure. "Jalisa... she was an old friend. We lost contact because of our duties—"

Mori's energy began to calm, though his suspicion remained. He loosened his grip on her, but not by much. "Lisa never mentioned knowing any demons," he muttered, his voice still full of distrust. "She would've told me."

Towa quickly composed herself, sensing a way to manipulate the situation. "Well, she probably didn't mention it because our two races weren't supposed to be close. Demons and her kind were never meant to interact openly. It's likely she kept it from you for that reason."

Mori's expression darkened as he mulled over her words. Slowly, he released his grip and turned away from her, though he didn't fully drop his guard. His mind was still clouded by memories of Lisa, but something about Towa's story nagged at him. 

He glanced back at her, his gaze still suspicious. "What did you need from her anyway?" he asked, his voice cold as he began making up the bed, smoothing the sheets as though he were erasing the traces of his emotional breakdown.

Towa smiled slyly, her mind already plotting her next move. "Oh, it's nothing too important now. I was hoping to rekindle our friendship... perhaps gain her help for a project I've been working on." She watched him carefully, noting the tension in his posture. Mori was powerful, but she could tell his mind was elsewhere—still lost in the grief of his past.

As Mori finished fixing the bed and turned around, Towa seized her opportunity. She summoned a mask from thin air—an artifact of her own creation. It shimmered with dark magic, its surface etched with runes of control and manipulation. 

With a wicked grin, she moved quickly. Just as Mori turned back toward her, she lunged forward and pressed the mask onto his face.

"The fu—" Mori started to say, but his words were cut off as the mask latched onto him, melding instantly with his skin.

He froze, his body going rigid as dark tendrils of energy seeped into his mind. His eyes widened in shock, then dulled as the magic took hold, silencing him. 

Towa stepped back, laughing victoriously. "Oh... you're going to be so much fun to control." She admired her handiwork as the mask continued to take root, a plan finally being formed in her mind.