# đ **Saiyan of the Red Dawn**
## **Chapter 2 â First Test**
*(Part 1)*
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The years passed in silence.
Inside the Royal Nursery's isolation wing, Kael grew in fits and starts, like a supernova flickering toward stability. His crimson fur thickened along his shoulders and spine. His mane lengthened, black with threads of deep red. Though still a child in size, his ki dwarfed even the king's elite guard.
And as his power grew, so did the stories whispered about him.
âThe Child Who Broke the Restraints.
âThe One Born Beyond the Great Ape.
âThe Red Dawn Saiyan.
But no one dared speak these names aloud when King Vegeta walked the halls. The king's pride and fear warred in every council meeting, in every glance he cast toward the containment records.
The official policy was clear: Kael was to remain under constant observation, with minimal stimulation. No training. No education. No exposure to other Saiyans, lest he form attachments or ambitions beyond the king's design.
But isolation did not dull the boy's hunger.
By his fifth year, Kael could already speak in full sentences, though he rarely bothered. He listened. He studied. And when the guards brought him nutrient rations, he studied *them* most of allâtheir stances, their scouters, the subtle flex of power that passed between comrades.
He longed to test himself against something that would not break the moment he touched it.
One dawn, that wish finally came true.
---
The main gate of the nursery boomed open, shattering Kael's usual routine of sterile quiet. Boots pounded the corridor. Doors hissed and slammed.
From his place cross-legged on the polished steel floor, Kael tilted his head, golden eyes narrowing. He could *feel* the difference in this squad: a disciplined, purposeful focus absent from the usual shift rotations.
The locks disengaged.
The door retracted with a hiss.
And General Nappa stepped inside, armored shoulders filling the doorway. Two elites flanked him, their power levels higher than any Kael had yet encountered.
Kael rose to his feet without a word.
Nappa surveyed him as if he were inspecting a new warship. His gaze traveled from the boy's massive tailâidly flicking behind himâto the thick fur coating his arms and chest.
"So," Nappa rumbled, "this is the little monster."
Kael didn't blink.
Nappa grinned, showing a row of blunt teeth. "I'm under orders to assess your potential. Orders from the king himself."
He raised one meaty hand, extending two fingers. A spark of ki danced between them.
Kael's heartbeat accelerated, not from fear but anticipation. Finallyâ*finally*âsomething to test himself against.
"Don't hold back," he said softly.
The elites exchanged startled glances. No one had ever heard the boy speak first.
Nappa's grin widened. "Oh, I won't."
---
They led him out into the high-walled training arena, a colossal chamber buried beneath the palace itself. It was here that young elite-class warriors proved their worthâor died trying.
Dozens of cameras tracked their every step. Somewhere high above, King Vegeta observed in person.
Kael inhaled, savoring the taste of the airâthick with the memory of countless battles.
"Containment field active," droned a voice over the intercom. A shimmering barrier sprang up around the chamber's perimeter. "Begin assessment."
Nappa cracked his knuckles. "Let's start simple. Show me your base power."
Kael closed his eyes. His ki unfolded in a slow, steady pulse. Scouter alarms wailed from the observation deck.
**Fifty millionâŠsixtyâŠeightyâŠ**
Cracks spread beneath his bare feet. The two elite guards staggered, forced to brace against the shockwave.
"Enough," Nappa barked.
Kael let his aura fade. The floor steamed.
Nappa tilted his head. "Satisfied?"
"No," Kael replied.
Nappa's grin flickered.
"Then let's see how you handle pain."
He blurred forward, fist cocked for a killing blowâno testing feints, no practice strikes. Nappa had no intention of holding back. He'd seen too many fools underestimating this creature.
The punch struck Kael square in the chest.
For one surreal instant, the world went still.
Then Kael skidded backward across the arena, dust geysering around his heels. The impact stungâbut not nearly enough to satisfy the gnawing ache in his chest.
He smiled.
The first genuine smile of his new life.
"My turn," he murmured.
---