Chapter 9 — The First Tear in Reality
Mount Paozu no longer felt like Earth.
Not entirely.
Not anymore.
There were mornings where the sky flickered for a fraction of a second, as if reality forgot how to render itself properly. Birds would pause mid-flight, confused, before continuing like nothing happened. Rivers occasionally flowed upward for a moment before correcting themselves in embarrassment.
Grandpa Gohan had stopped asking questions.
It was easier that way.
Inside the house, Goku and Azer were sitting across from each other, unusually quiet.
That alone was suspicious.
Paula noticed immediately.
"…That's never good."
Mints, leaning against the wall, sipped tea.
"It means they're thinking."
"That's worse."
Azer suddenly spoke.
"I want to test something."
Goku nodded quickly.
"Yes."
Grandpa Gohan dropped his chopsticks.
"NO."
Too late.
—
## **The Experiment Begins**
They stood in an open field.
Mints watched from a distance.
Paula stood beside him.
Grandpa Gohan stood behind them like a hostage.
Azer cracked his knuckles.
"Goku. Full power."
Goku smiled brightly.
"Okay!"
A calm breeze passed.
Then—
BOOOOOOOM!!!
A wave of energy exploded outward.
The ground beneath them didn't just crack.
It *forgot it was supposed to exist as ground*.
Trees vanished.
Gravity bent slightly.
Even space seemed unsure about its job.
Grandpa Gohan screamed.
"STOP THAT!"
Paula raised a hand casually, stabilizing the surroundings so Earth didn't collapse.
"…They're getting worse."
Mints nodded.
"Yes."
Azer's aura burned silver-black.
Goku's aura shimmered in pure instinctive gold-white.
The two stared at each other.
Then moved.
WHOOSH!
They vanished.
—
## **The Fight Beyond Speed**
It wasn't a fight anymore.
Not in the normal sense.
It was two forces rewriting motion itself.
Every punch collided before it was thrown.
Every kick landed in multiple places at once.
The air fractured in overlapping echoes of impact.
Azer appeared behind Goku.
Goku blocked without looking.
Azer frowned.
"…You're predicting me."
Goku tilted his head.
"No. Just feeling."
Azer clicked his tongue.
"That's cheating."
Goku smiled.
"Your turn!"
BOOM!
A shockwave erupted that split clouds across half the continent.
Mints observed quietly.
"…It's happening faster than expected."
Paula glanced at him.
"The growth?"
Mints nodded.
"Yes. They are breaking into higher state mechanics already."
Grandpa Gohan was shaking.
"I don't understand ANY of this!"
Mints patted his shoulder.
"That's healthier."
—
## **The First Crack**
Azer suddenly stopped mid-air.
Goku stopped too.
Both felt it.
Something… wrong.
The sky above them darkened.
Not night.
Not weather.
Something deeper.
A *fracture*.
Paula narrowed her eyes.
"…Mints."
"I see it."
A thin crack appeared in reality itself.
Like glass being scratched.
Goku pointed at it.
"Sky broken?"
Azer's eyes widened.
"…That's not sky."
Mints exhaled slowly.
"That is a boundary layer."
Grandpa Gohan whispered.
"Between what and what?!"
Mints answered calmly.
"Between constructed reality and higher dimensional overflow."
Silence.
Then—
The crack widened.
A faint glow seeped through.
Something on the other side moved.
—
## **The Thing Beyond the Crack**
A presence pressed against reality.
Not fully entering.
Just observing.
Even that was enough to make the air scream silently.
Azer stepped back.
"…That's Angel-level pressure."
Paula tightened her stance.
"No."
Her eyes narrowed.
"…It's above that."
Goku tilted his head.
"Friend?"
Azer snapped.
"NO."
Mints stared at the crack.
For the first time…
His expression wasn't bored.
It was focused.
"…Interesting."
The crack expanded slightly.
A shape was visible.
Not fully formed.
But vast.
Infinite layers of existence reflected within it like mirrors facing mirrors.
Grandpa Gohan fainted instantly.
—
## **Mints Explains the Breach**
Mints spoke calmly.
"When I explained Omegaverses…"
He raised a hand.
"I omitted one detail."
Azer turned slowly.
"…Of course you did."
Mints continued.
"The boundaries between Omegaverses are normally absolute."
He looked at the crack.
"But when two beings approach Angel-tier evolution inside a single isolated reality…"
Goku blinked.
"Us?"
"Yes."
Mints nodded.
"…their energy begins to resonate with higher structures."
Paula whispered.
"And that opens gaps."
Mints finished.
"Correct."
Azer frowned.
"So we're breaking reality just by existing?"
Mints paused.
"…Yes."
Silence.
Goku smiled nervously.
"Sorry?"
Mints shrugged.
"Don't apologize. It's expected."
Azer clenched his fists.
"…Good."
Mints looked at him.
"Why is that good?"
Azer smirked.
"Because it means we're real enough to matter."
Paula looked at him softly.
"That's a dangerous mindset."
Azer replied immediately.
"I learned it from him."
He pointed at Mints.
Mints nodded.
"Accurate."
—
## **The Entity Responds**
The crack pulsed.
The presence on the other side reacted.
A pressure wave pushed outward.
Earth trembled violently.
Entire mountains shifted slightly.
Mints raised one hand.
The pressure stopped instantly.
Silence returned.
Even the crack stabilized.
Azer looked at him.
"…You can suppress it that easily?"
Mints nodded.
"Yes."
Goku blinked.
"So you stronger than crack?"
Mints answered casually.
"I am stronger than what is trying to enter through it."
Paula sighed.
"That's not reassuring."
Mints added:
"But I'm not stronger than everything connected to it."
Azer went still.
"…Explain."
Mints looked at the crack calmly.
"That is only one layer of something far larger."
He paused.
"…A System Observer."
Silence.
Even Goku stopped smiling.
—
## **The Warning**
The crack slowly closed on its own.
As if deciding Earth was not yet worth entering.
The pressure vanished.
The sky repaired itself.
Everything returned to normal.
Too normal.
Grandpa Gohan slowly woke up.
"…Is it over?"
Paula nodded gently.
"Yes."
Azer looked at Mints.
"That wasn't from our Omniverse, was it?"
Mints shook his head.
"No."
Goku tilted his head.
"Then what was it?"
Mints stared at the sky.
"…Something that watches Omegaverses."
Silence.
Then he added quietly:
"And sometimes… interferes."
Azer's eyes narrowed.
"So there are beings above even that scale."
Mints nodded.
"Yes."
Paula whispered.
"…How many layers are there, really?"
Mints answered honestly.
"I stopped counting."
—
## **Ending — The First True Warning**
That night, Goku slept unusually quietly.
Azer stayed awake.
Paula watched over them.
Grandpa Gohan refused to go outside anymore.
Mints stood alone in the yard.
Looking upward.
For the first time in countless ages…
He felt something unfamiliar.
Not fear.
Not concern.
But interest sharpened into seriousness.
He whispered softly to himself.
"…So there are things even I haven't touched yet."
Behind him, Azer spoke quietly.
"You're going to fight it, aren't you?"
Mints didn't turn.
"…Eventually."
Azer smirked.
"Good."
Mints finally smiled faintly.
"…This might be fun again."
And far above everything—
The crack had left a trace.
A faint mark in reality.
Like an eye that blinked once…
And remembered Earth existed.