Goku landed in front of his house on Mount Paozu with a dull thud that kicked up dust around him. Night had fully fallen, and the silence of the forest wrapped around him like a heavy blanket.
Normally, that silence felt comforting to him, but now it only made him feel more empty.
He walked toward the front door and opened it slowly, expecting to find Milk inside preparing dinner or cleaning as she always did. But when he stepped in, the house was completely dark and empty.
"Milk?" He called as he turned on the lights.
No one answered.
He walked through the house looking for her in the kitchen, in the living room, in their bedroom, but there was no trace of her anywhere. Even Goten was gone, which was strange considering his youngest son almost always came home after gatherings.
'She must still be at Capsule Corporation.' He thought, trying not to give it too much importance.
He dropped onto the living room couch with a long sigh while staring at the ceiling. Gohan's words kept echoing in his head like an annoying echo he couldn't silence.
"You put the entire universe at risk just because you wanted to fight strong people."
"You always do whatever you want without thinking about the consequences."
"You didn't think about anyone but yourself."
He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block those thoughts, but it was useless. Every word dug deeper into his mind like sharp thorns.
'Am I really that selfish?'
He had never seen himself that way. He had always thought that everything he did was to protect his friends and his family. Every fight, every training session, every risk he took was because he wanted to be strong enough to keep them safe.
But now everyone looked at him as if he were a danger instead of a protector.
'What am I supposed to do?'
The sound of the door opening pulled him out of his thoughts. He sat up quickly, expecting to see Milk coming in with that scolding expression she always wore when he came home late.
But when he looked toward the entrance, his heart stopped for a second.
It was Milk, but she wasn't alone. Gohan was behind her with a serious expression, and Goten followed with his head lowered, avoiding eye contact with him.
"Milk." Goku said as he stood up from the couch. "Where were you? I was looking for you."
Milk didn't respond right away. She simply walked to the center of the room and set a small suitcase down on the floor before looking him straight in the eyes.
And in that moment, Goku knew something was very wrong.
"Milk, what's going on?" He asked in a more serious tone.
She took a deep breath as if preparing herself for what she was about to say. Then she spoke with a firm voice, loaded with restrained emotion.
"Goku, I need time away from you."
The words fell on him like a bucket of cold water.
"What?"
"I need time to think." She repeated without looking away. "About us, about this family, about everything."
Goku felt his throat tighten as he tried to process what he had just heard.
"Milk, I don't understand. Why—?"
"Because I'm tired, Goku." She interrupted, her voice cracking slightly. "I'm tired of worrying every day about whether you'll come back or not. I'm tired of you putting your desire to fight above your family. I'm tired of feeling like we're never enough for you."
Each word was like a direct blow to his chest.
"That's not true." Goku said, taking a step toward her. "You're the most important thing in the world to me."
"Really?" Milk asked as tears began to form in her eyes. "Because it doesn't seem that way, Goku. It never has."
Goku opened his mouth to respond, but he couldn't find the right words. Because a part of him knew she was right, in a certain sense.
He had always prioritized training and fighting over almost everything else. Even when he knew he should stay home with his family, he ended up leaving to train or seeking new challenges.
But he did it because he wanted to protect them. Why did no one understand that?
"Milk, please." He murmured softly. "Don't do this."
She shook her head as the tears finally rolled down her cheeks.
"It's already decided, Goku. I'm going to stay at Capsule Corporation for a while, along with Goten."
Goku turned his gaze toward his youngest son, who still refused to look at him directly.
"Goten?" He called, hoping for some reaction.
But Goten only pressed his lips together and looked even further down at the floor.
'He's against me too.'
That realization hurt more than he had expected.
Then he looked at Gohan, who remained silent near the door with his arms crossed and that same serious expression he had worn all night.
"Gohan." Goku said in an almost pleading tone. "Tell me you don't think the same."
Gohan stared at him for a few seconds before responding with a calm but firm voice.
"I think Mom is doing the right thing."
Those words were the final blow.
Goku felt his legs weaken slightly as a sensation of absolute emptiness invaded him from within.
Milk picked up the suitcase from the floor and walked toward the door without looking back. Goten followed her in silence, keeping his head down the entire time.
Gohan was the last to move. Before leaving, he stopped at the doorway and slightly turned his head back.
"I hope you use this time to reflect on your actions, Dad." He said without any emotion in his voice before closing the door behind him.
And just like that, Goku was left alone in the middle of his empty house, surrounded by a deafening silence that seemed to swallow him whole.
He collapsed back onto the couch, resting his elbows on his knees and burying his face in his hands.
'What did I do wrong?'
That question kept circling in his mind without finding any answer.
Hours passed, or maybe minutes—he wasn't sure—when he finally lifted his gaze toward the window and saw the first lights of dawn beginning to paint the sky.
He hadn't slept at all through the night.
He stood up slowly, feeling every muscle heavy as if he were carrying tons of weight, and walked outside the house in search of fresh air to clear his mind.
But when he stepped into the backyard and looked toward the horizon where the sun was slowly beginning to rise, he felt that presence again.
That same familiar yet different presence he had felt the night before after leaving Capsule Corporation.
He abruptly looked up, and this time it didn't disappear.
Floating in the air several meters above him were two figures wrapped in a brilliant aura that made it difficult to distinguish their features clearly under the light of dawn.
But Goku recognized them instantly.
"Saevia-sama? Seraphiel?" He murmured in surprise.
The two figures slowly descended until they were floating a few meters in front of him, and it was then that Goku could see them clearly for the first time since the tournament ended.
Saevia was small, even smaller than before if that was possible, but there was something different about her now. Her face was no longer childish as he remembered it, but delicate and feminine, with soft yet imposing features at the same time. Her large, shining eyes watched him with a curious mix of amusement and interest, while a small smile played on her lips.
Beside her was Seraphiel, tall and elegant, with that serene bearing she always maintained regardless of the situation. Her silver hair fell like a cascade over her shoulders, and her light blue eyes looked at him with an absolute calm that completely contrasted with the emotional chaos Goku felt inside.
"Goku." Seraphiel said with that soft yet authoritative voice she always used when speaking to him.
"What are you doing here?" He asked, still surprised by their sudden appearance.
Saevia tilted her head slightly as her smile widened just a bit more.
"We've come to make you a proposal."