Vandread Fan Fiction ❯ What do you think? ❯ The time of change ( Chapter 6 )

All right everyone, this is the second to final installment of this fic. I spent a lot of time and effort into these last two chapters, so I hope you guys appreciate it. By the way, I know that I labeled this story as a “humor” (and I think I'm pretty funny if I do say so myself), but there's going to be none of that in this one (except in the disclaimer), so I'm sorry if you're disappointed. (sniffs) Nobody in the reviews even commented on my funniness. Now I know how Bart feels… (sniff)

 

Disclaimer: Once upon a time, there was a boy who had everything he had ever wanted. Money, beautiful women, a huge mansion filled to the brim with pizzas adorned with sapphire and emerald toppings (yum). And, of course, he had the respect and adoration of all of his many, many fans. Vandread was the greatest hit in recent memory, and the world had him to thank for it. Yes, life was good. Sadly, this was just a dream by a fifteen year-old boy who wished with all his heart that it were true.

 

Chapter six: The time of change

 

“Right, right…so, let's continue…” the Overseer prompted.

 

Mr. Bigvoice sighed with an uncertain tinge to his voice. “Sir, this has never happened before… and I'm sorry that I can't give you a better explanation…but… I mean… I know that it doesn't make sense for me to be behaving this way… but I…”

 

“Mr. Bigvoice…” “I know that you know that I know what's going on here.” “And I know that you know that I can't simply tell you what the reasons are for these events that have been transpiring.” “However…”

 

 

Mr. Bigvoice suddenly got hopeful. Maybe, just once, the Overseer was going to make things easy.

 

“However…” he continued. “The annoying one does prove a valid point.” “The crew of the Nirvana is but one of the many lives we have seen go by.” “People live and people… die.” “And yet, through all of the others, all of you have always adhered to never, not ever, becoming involved.”

 

Mr. Bigvoice felt, for the first time, a strange sense of foreboding. He had hoped that he would be understanding, but in the back of his mind, he knew that was a luxury the Overseer could not afford. He knew his time in the great realm of existence was short. Soon, as it was always said, he would simply fade, and his consciousness would just… disappear. He had done the unforgivable. He had done that which could not be undone. He had interacted with humans. “Soon, the almighty Overseer will end me.” “I simply must savor these last few moments…” “I know that I deserve it though…” “Before I go… I'd like to know… why is it that I found myself… unable to resist?” “This is, as I recall, the twelve millionth six hundred ninety-two thousandth four hundred and thirteenth group of minds, but out of all those, only in this one… do I find myself acting in such a way…” “Before this, my current actions would be inconceivable…” “Yet as soon as they entered the plane of existence, everything I believed and held dear… just changed!” “It just changed!” “I don't understand it!” “I was created to NOT be influenced by others!” “And here I find myself doing just that!” “It just cannot be!” “WHY ARE THEY SO DIFFERENT?” “I must know!” He shouted at the Overseer. This was the absolute first time any of them have ever demanding something from the almighty presence, or the first time that anyone had spoken to him in such a manner.

 

“These people…” the Overseer spoke with such a far-off and unconcentrated tone in his voice that Mr. Bigvoice thought he heard wrong. The Overseer never talked like that, and especially not after being yelled at. But then again, what would he know? No one had the stupidity to ever do so. “These people were meant to be so much more than the others” “Tell me, Mr. Bigvoice, what is the meaning of life?”

 

That was easy. The Overseer had taught all of them that since time immemorial.

“To feel” “To feel emotions” “That is the meaning of life”. Mr. Bigvoice began to recite the chant that all of them had been taught.

 

“Humans are as humans please, to all of those concerned

Humans, however, do not agree

And thus cause worlds to burn”

 

“Yes, I can see that I have indeed taught you well.” “Humans do not agree with one another, and it is on that basis that all wars and conflicts arise.” “Some humans believe in equal treatment among genders. Some do not.” “Some humans believe in God, while others don't” “Some humans believe that incest, rape, and murder are perfectly acceptable, yet are punished harshly because of it.” “Is it really their fault? How can their bodies be punished for their minds believing in different things? Just because their beliefs on right and wrong are different than that of the majority, they are jailed, tortured, and often killed.” “I pity those poor creatures. They are forever doomed to living in a society that does not accept their beliefs.” “All of their strife and anguish that they receive, and often cause to others, is merely because their genetic coding is different.” “Merely because their genes are different, does this really merit punishment?” “It is simply not their fault that they think differently.” “Humans don't agree with one another, that much is true.” “But, can you tell me why?” “Wouldn't it make more sense for their kind to be in complete agreement with their ideals and ideas?”

 

Mr. Bigvoice could not deny the logic of the Overseer's words. He could also not deny the fact the he was amazed he was still present. Was it not always said that those who oppose the Overseer were immediately exiled to the realm of the nonexistent? He knew that there might still be a chance for him to come out of this unscathed. “Yes… it would indeed… I wonder… why is it not so?”

 

“I see you know not the answer.” “Don't worry, that is to be expected.” “Even the concepts of good and evil are merely a drastic example of this truth. Good desires good to overcome evil, and evil vice-versa.” “It is that simple, each one wants their side to win so there will be less people that disagree with them.” “Such is the case between the Harvest and the crew of the Nirvana” “Yet neither one can truly be eradicated until people stop disagreeing with each other in totality.” “But even still…” “Human lives are exceptionally short in the overall scheme of things” “As you can see… the Nirvana and its inhabitants are trying very, very hard to stay alive.” “All of them are pushing their bodies and minds to the limit so that good will triumph over evil.” “But what will the effects of their efforts be in a few eons, long after their eyes witness their final dawn?” “There will be just as much pain and suffering as there was before the Nirvana's victory.” “The people of that era will experience loss, death, misfortune, sadness, anger, depression… I could just go on and on.” Mr. Bigvoice felt the air around him begin to rapidly quick-freeze. “But of course… that does not matter to the Nirvana.” “They are only concerned with what is happening to them, in their lifetimes, and sometimes, maybe a few generations after that.” “The task of watching over the countless millennia of human existence and how the interactions between them are executed is entrusted to me.” “Hence my name.”

 

“Even still…” The vast quantities of ice that had erupted from nothing began to crack and shatter with increasing velocity.

 

“It is almost like a game.” Mr. Bigvoice thought to himself. “One must look at what is happening to the environment around him, and then one must analyze what it is in reference to the Overseer's mood” “It is like facial expressions, only more complicated, and indeed, useful.”

 

“Let's see…” “It becomes cold when he is disappointed, and now the ice is breaking apart very suddenly.” “The Overseer must have had a quick change of feeling about a subject, like how some humans tend to look for the good in a tragic event in order to protect them from the pain.” “Like Dita…”

 

“Even still…” the Overseer continued. “They really cannot be blamed.” “It makes sense.” “Why care about others that will exist long after you die?” “If you are dead, then you will not be able to reap the rewards of admiration, happiness, and peace of mind due to your noble actions, because, well… you're dead.” “In essence, you will not be able to FEEL desirable feelings.” “And that… sucks.” “To not be able to feel desirable feelings… that is the ultimate state of unhappiness.” “Yet… they simply cannot be blamed for their actions.” “Why give up certain happiness in your life merely so others, others that you have never met and never determined whether they deserve, in your eyes, such happiness?” “If one human is happy, then there is one that is not.” “That is unacceptable to most humans.” “They desire all to be fulfilled, content and happy; and so do I.” “This, however, is a fleeting dream, so long as humans continue to waste their abilities and lives in fighting the endless battle against one another.”

 

“It truly is amazing.” “Wouldn't you agree, Mr. Bigvoice, that if humankind felt the same way about everything, it would basically be paradise for them?” “No one would argue with one another, they would all pool their talents and abilities to help all others, everyone would be in complete and total agreement with one another.” “And… in time… the vast majority of the misery in the human race would end.” “There would be no more wars, no more wasted lives…” the Overseer stopped himself. “Goodness... wasting lives…” “Such stupidity those humans seem to possess…” He sighed and once again, the liquid in the air froze over. `No more poverty, no more misunderstandings, no more anything save for utter happiness and prosperity.” “Humankind can overcome virtually any obstacle… if only they would stop fighting one another and work together.” “But I just don't see how that is possible as long as they believe in different ideals.” “If I were to ever meet that which created all things, I would love to ask why this is.”

 

“I agree” Mr. Bigvoice, as much as he didn't like to admit it, knew he had a talent for saying just the right thing at just the right time, and that statement was one of those times. It was incredibly useful for getting on peoples good side. He seemed to be able to take the most insignificant amount of info about a human's personality and still say something that would instantly endear him to said human. If what he said was the truth, however, was known only to him and the Overseer. He never got to exactly use said skill on any real human before, of course that was forbidden, but now…

 

“Sir I am still very confused…” Mr. Bigvoice was probably going to the gates of hell for even mentioned the blasphemy he had committed to the Overseer, however, today was certainly different from other days. “Why is it that the crew of the Nirvana is different from all others I have watched?” Mr. Bigvoice knew he shouldn't question the Overseer, he knew he shouldn't have gone to the Nirvana, and he knew that his time was short. What he didn't know was the answer to the question he had just asked, and he would very much like one before he went.

 

“Tell me.” “Why did you go to the Nirvana?” the Overseer's presence began to suddenly become much more soft and silky. That was one thing Mr. Bigvoice liked about him. You could actually, literally, FEEL the Overseer's mood. If he was pleased, it would feel like a massage, if he was disappointed, it would feel like a cold wind was blowing. No one knew what it felt like when he was angry. At least, no one that was still around. Mr. Bigvoice had personally never felt this current sensation from the Overseer, but he had heard stories. It had supposedly only happened once in all of memory. It was said that there was once a voice that had actually CHANGED the Overseer.

 

To Mr. Bigvoice and nearly all others, this was unfathomable. The Overseer simply did not change, leastly not by someone else. The Overseer was just that, an overseer. He knew everything, he saw everything, and he could pretty much do anything as long as it pertained to this particular sect of reality. He was nearly a god. He rarely, if ever, made an appearance, and whenever he did, most never heard about it, for usually those that had been involved had been exiled. The only scrap of a possibility that this story was true was the Overseer's first, last, and only rule. “Anything is possible” In fact, it was Mr. Bigvoice (of course, he had a different name back then) himself that had figured out the odds of it being true. Seven hundred forty-seven thousand six hundred and ninety-one to one against. Strangely though, it was becoming increasingly apparent that the more unlikely something was to happen, the more often it did, if that made sense. For instance, it was nearly as unlikely that Mr. Bigvoice himself would be changed, and yet, he had. Hopefully, the answer why would soon become clear.

 

“Well sir, as you no doubt know, the vast majority of the crew of the Nirvana have completely disappeared.”

 

“Yes, I am very well aware of that.”

 

“In fact, there are only two members left, and one is unconscious for unknown reasons.” “The other one, a girl named Dita Liebely, is presently trying to find a way to assist the boy, named Hibiki Tokai.”

 

“And then you went to help her, which you knew was forbidden.” the Overseer added.

 

Mr. Bigvoice was prepared to finally witness what it felt like when the Overseer was angry, but oddly, nothing changed. “Y-yes I did. I honestly don't know how to explain it, but for the first time in my existence, I felt… well… um… I just don't know how to describe it. I'm sorry sir.” He knew that wouldn't be an acceptable answer

 

“Mr. Bigvoice. You know what the meaning of life is. To feel. However, what is the purpose?

 

Mr. Bigvoice was not expecting that. “Wha… huh?”

 

“What… is… the… purpose… of… life?” The Overseer said each word very slowly, as if talking to a small child.

 

“ I… I don't know sir.” Mr. Bigvoice replied

 

“Hmm… I see.” Mr. Bigvoice noted that the Overseer had a smug tone to his voice, and that the air around him felt as if it were suddenly being vacuumed up. Fortunately for him, he had no physical body, so this was not a problem.

 

“Mr. Bigvoice, I do not believe you are telling me everything.” The Overseer pressed. “I know you know what exactly it is you felt, and that you are just too scared and ashamed to admit it.”

 

“So… you know…” he confessed.

 

“Of course I do.”

 

Mr. Bigvoice began to mentally kick himself. “STUPID, STUPID ME! I completely forgot that as soon as I re-entered this place, all knowledge that I had obtained would instantly be transferred to the Overseer. I was fine as long as I stayed in the physical world, but here… Argh!”

 

“Overseer, I will be frank.” “I don't know how or why it came to be, all I do know is that that is the case.”

“Worry not.” Mr. Bigvoice felt like he was taking a nice, slow, dip into a Jacuzzi. “Now finally, after eons upon eons, is the time of change.” Mr. Bigvoice gasped. “Yes, at last, our very way of life is going to be drastically altered.” “It surprises even me that it was to be so soon.” “Mr. Bigvoice, gather all voices of thought, reason, and their counterparts. Tell them all, that the Grand Day is arriving soon. We will need to be prepared.

 

Mr. Bigvoice could scarcely believe what he was hearing. “P-prepared for what?” He could not believe he was having this conversation. Him, being entrusted with a task such as this! The odds of this occurring were…were… well they were certainly very low!

 

Once again, Mr. Big voice felt a change in the air around him. Now it was circling around him at a high speed. “I'm sure you already know.” “You are different from the others.” “That is why you felt compelled to go to the Nirvana.” “That is why you could not resist helping that young woman” “That is why you found yourself unable to sit idly by while others suffer.” “You… were once human.”

 

Mr. Bigvoice had heard stories of being in the state of surprise. He had heard what it felt like. Of course, words could not accurately describe the level which he now felt.

 

“Yes, my son, it is as I have said.” “Now go.” “Go, and do as I have instructed.”

 

Mr. Bigvoice was speechless. His mind, however, was aflutter with innumerable thoughts. “I… I… I w-was a w-what!” “ H-human?” “M-me?” “H-h-human?” “But…but…” “But… I… I don't understand!”

 

“On the dawn of the Grand Day, you will, my son.” “I know I have told you all that I will never respond to your thoughts, but as I have said, things, for the first time, are changing.” “Oh, and you may do that idea that just crossed your mind before doing my task.” “Farewell, Mr. Bigvoice.”

 

He remained, dumbstruck. The Overseer's words from earlier rang through his head. “And… you did not object to this name?” He now realized why there was that change in the Overseer's voice. “My god, the Overseer truly is a remarkable entity.” “To be able to realize such things so quickly…” “But to think… me… a human!” Mr. Bigvoice sighed with a mixture of frustration, admiration, and excitement. “At least, he allowed me to finish with my self-appointed task.” And with that said, he left.

 

Pretty good if I say so myself. It was shorter than the previous chapter, but it had over 10,000 letters, so that's good. I actually spent some of my time that I should have been writing this, writing the 1,000 word addition to chapter five. Well, till next time. Long live Vandread.

 

If you review it, it will continue. Heh, this is actually a spoof on “If you plant it, it will grow. I'm working on the final chapter as we speak.