“Oh God my head is killing me,” said Vincent as he came out of a fog of incomprehensiveness. Eye boogers matted and crusted his eyelids together, however, all he could see was white light searing thru his eyelids as though he was staring directly at high powered spotlights from a few feet away at some red-carpet soiree. His head was throbbing like some primitive tribe had decided his head was a drum for a call to war throughout a jungle.
“Man, did I have a bender last night or drink too much? What's going on? My head feels like a pair of teenagers hopped up on Viagra have been let loose in my head.” he thinks emphatically. He reached up to clear the gunk from his eyes to facilitate him opening them.
As he attempted to raise his hand to clear his eyes he realized that he couldn't move. For that matter how did he even get here? He couldn't remember past leaving for lunch. Vince recalled that the taco truck that he loved was going to be outside his building today and he had saved up to buy everyone in the office tacos as a thank you for celebrating his birthday last week. You see Vincent had problems with people. Growing up Vincent suffered from a rare form of autism called Aspergers, this caused him to be unable to understand and process emotions very well. His case was not as bad as some peoples, but it was bad enough that he had major problems making any close friends. He had dated before but was never successful with a long-term relationship because he just could not understand women at all or empathize with them. The only reason he wanted to thank the people that he worked with, wasn't the fact that he felt thankful, it was that he was taught it was a social norm to do so by his late parents. As for his parents and other relatives, they were either dead or he was not close to them. His handicap of emotion meant his family thought he was weird and had almost nothing to do with him and it really didn't bother him.
Vincent was 45 years old, a very intelligent man, who had graduated at the top of his class at one of the top technical universities in the country. He held multiple advanced degrees in mechanical and architectural engineering as well as being an avid enthusiast of renaissance fairs. Physically he was a very large rotund man, standing at almost 7 ft tall or 2 meters and approximately 350+ lbs. or 170+ kg. Well, he wasn't in that great of shape but he was very strong and had a decent endurance. His strength came from hours of working his hobby as an amateur blacksmith and tinkerer. He had just finished two years of work, on weekends and holidays, building a very complex watch which he had made from scratch. Countless hours of research into earth sciences on how to recognize tin, copper, and iron in the natural world, how to mine and harvest them, and lastly how to build a smelter, combine, and purify them into usable compounds and alloys. After he had gathered the iron, copper, and tin himself he processed it, created molds for gears, and forged himself an exquisite watch. After multiple failures, with nothing but his own mind and arms strength, his watch lived and kept very accurate time on par with the finest of the old style windup Rolexes.
As for work, Vincent worked at a company called Cloud King. Anytime something was save and "Put it in the cloud", his company had designed, managed, and sold services to do just that. Vincent helped develop much of the design, code, hardware, and additional technology that made this possible. However, he wasn't happy, his life was only one of simple existence. His only passion was to play around with this hobby. Otherwise, it was sleep, eat, defecate, and wait for death. He was never one that helped anyone, nor harmed anyone, because usually when he realized someone needed to be harmed or helped the chance had already passed while he was trying to process what he was seeing or feeling.
Anyway, back to the pain and his apparent paralysis. As a pounding in his head started to subside and the light that that cut through his eyelids seemed to subside in intensity, the gunk that held his eyelids together seemed to fade away. However, any movement was still impossible. He slowly and agonizingly cracked his eyes open to see what was going on around him. Before him, a comical, scene seemed to be happening. The scene that greets him was of a small, approximately 4-foot man, with black-lit glowing wings with vibrant fiery red hair and wearing an outfit reminiscent of some 80s Richard Simmons work out an instructional video, pacing back and forth waving his arms about and saying something that sounds like a teacher from a Charlie Brown cartoon. As the little man saw Vincent's eyes crack open he turned to him in a hurry which in turn resulted from him tripping over his own feet forcing him to go sprawling face-first on what could only be described as a brilliant white floor. This caused him to attempt to jump up only to trip over his own blackened wings causing the little man to invert himself almost like a gymnast trying to do a flip only to land once again face first.
Suddenly Vincent feels himself chuckle. Wait! He chuckled. He had never found anything funny before nor felt anything like this. What a great feeling. Is this what everyone talked about at school, college, and on dates when they talked about humor? He found himself enjoying this feeling as much as when he was blacksmithing and working on learning. The black-winged angel however apparently didn't. The little man jumped up with inhuman speed and stared daggers at Vincent. Waving his perfectly manicured hands Vincent ears instantly healed so that he could hear. All pain was gone, and he could see everything. This was quickly followed by the little man slapping Vincent hard across the face causing him to sail approximately 10 ft across an apparent cube room slamming into a wall.
The little man turned and started screaming at Vincent. “You sorry piece of shit! Do you know what you caused? It's not my fault it's all yours! Asrael better not find out about this! Well, what do you have to say for yourself?”
Vincent confusedly looks at the little man and says, “Excuse me. What are you talking about? What's going on? Who are you? Why did you hit me? Where am I? Why do I feel things now? Are you going to answer anytime soon? Why can't I move my arms? Why am I asking so many questions suddenly? Why can't I stop?”
Suddenly, Vincent felt his mouth lock shut. His mind calmed as all his questions fled from him. The light in the room dropped to a warm golden glow, while at the same time he felt transported, for lack of a better description, into a comfortable chair. He was surrounded by brown hand scrapped wooden log walls that remind him a lot of his grandfather's cabin that he had enjoyed as a child.
The air vibrated with power as he heard a voice with such strength, that it threatened to rip his very existence apart say,” ENOUGH Praethion!” A beautiful woman coalesced into the room. She stood approximately 5 feet 8 inches tall with raven black hair, eyes that seemed to be the color of the sky at twilight and lips the color of the brightest rose. For lack of a better description, she had an otherworldly beauty and grace. As she turned to the little man, whom Vincent assumed was Praethion, she raised her hand causing his wings to be pulled from his back as he screamed in torture. The little man dropped to his knees screaming in pain and with a snap of her finger, he instantly quiet and lays there and torment quietly.
She turned to Vincent and in a voice so beautiful that even stones would worship her she stated flatly,” Vincent Bernard Loasa, you will hearken and pay attention. I would like to first say we are sorry. I have just punished Praethion for his mistake. To answer a few of your questions the reason that you can now feel and experience these emotions is you are dead. In your death, your soul has none of the genetic or psychological damage that your world has inflicted on you. You have full access to the range of human emotions and can feel and experience everything because you are nothing but a soul now.
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I am Morrigan, one of your worlds goddesses of fate, along with my sisters and brothers of the other pantheon's we are charged by the Creator to make sure that this world continues. Yes, I said the Creator. Just like many of your religions, you were all created as were we by the same being. However, unlike you mortals, we, or what you mortals know as gods of mythology were not given free will. We can only influence this world in small and minuscule ways. For example, as a goddess of fate, I can predict future probabilities with a near-perfect percentage. This allows me to sway by the use of minor events, the path of humanity to ensure your continuation. Were it not for your mortal free will this would be perfect, and much easier. The Gods of the natural world have the most influence upon this world but only in maintaining the balance to continue your existence. For example, the gods and goddesses of the air and sky could not cause tornadoes and hurricanes to happen just because he or she wanted to. They would have to be doing this only to balance with the other Elemental aspects of the world. Remember we have no free will we do as we were commanded and made to do and nothing more. I sense your mind working overtime coming up with questions. But before that, I wish to show you how you died and explain why you're seeing me and why you're here.”
A screen appeared before Vincent. He saw himself open the door to his office at Cloud King and begin his trudge to cross the crosswalk to get the tacos for the rest of the office. The taco truck, with its bright attractive colors, sat across three parking spots next to his small compact sedan. The screen suddenly zoomed down a few feet showing him Miss Elizabeth, who headed the Research Department and co-owned the company with her husband, walking down the sidewalk on the other side of the road holding her young daughter's hand. Everyone knew little Sarah because when she was born the company celebrated by the owners taking everyone to Hawaii for a month-long all expenses paid vacation. Both husband and wife had been trying to have children for over 10 years and had given up. Little Sarah was a miracle baby. When Miss E went to the doctor because she had been getting sick she found out she was pregnant, however, the ultrasounds had discovered a tumor in her stomach. Luckily the pregnancy resulted not only in a child but Miss E being able to have the tumor removed with minor surgery and prevent the spread of cancer throughout her system. Sarah was honestly treated like everyone's loved niece. As little Sarah skipped down the road in her pink dress holding her mom’s hand and silver unicorn mylar balloon the world seemed idealist.
The screen shifts to the top of a nearby building. Overlooking the street below, Praethion waved his hands causing the air to distort over the mother and daughter's clasped hands. A fine glistening sheen of sweat appeared over both their hands as the temperature increased slightly. It was just enough to cause perspiration to slick their hands. The dark angel snaps his fingers and suddenly Elizabeth’s phone begins to vibrate. As she fumbled with it one-handed, Praethion flaps his wings which caused the wind to gust resulting in the unicorn balloon bucking wildly thus escaping Sarah’s hand. With another flex of his wings, the balloon is pushed gently into the street and Sarah ripped her hand out of her mother’s as she chased the balloon into the street.
The scene shifts again. Now he saw the inside of a car where a young inexperienced driver was sitting behind the wheel of a muscle car that obviously had too much power for his inexperience. As the young man turns on the street while listening to some mellow and soft music. A phantasmal Dark Angel’s hand popped into existence and reached into the radio penetrating the plastic and leather of the dash. It fiddled with some electrical connections that resulted in suddenly the radio switching to a heavy metal station and crank to full blast. This startled the young teenager who instead of hitting the brakes had slammed his foot on the gas causing the car’s 600 horsepower engine to roar to full RPMs and the car to lurch near instantly to 60+ mph.
The scene re-centers on the happenings at the food truck. Vincent saw himself turn his head toward little Sarah. He recalled now seeing Miss Elizabeth's face as Sarah runs into the street. He can't believe it but for some reason, he started rushing toward little Sarah. He couldn't remember why he did it, and he couldn't remember any feelings associated with it. However, a large uncoordinated clumsy man was probably not the most logical choice to do something athletic and after just three steps Vincent's saw himself stumble over his own feet. As he fell, thanks to his shear skyscraper like build and disproportionately long arms, he barely reached little Sarah, pushing her out of the way. This unluckily put his head in perfect line with the chrome bumper of the muscle car. The car slammed into his body catching and his head shattering on the bumper. Brain matter splatters all over the street and coated both mother and daughter’s dresses with blood and grey matter. The scene ended, and the screen went dim vanishing as Morrigan turned toward Vincent.
The goddess spoke,” I will tell you a few things. I estimate with a high probability that your world and all those mortals that we are charged to assure the continuation of, will end in the next 3 millennia. With advanced science, all the new weapons of war, and your insatiable appetite to consume you, humans, will eventually kill yourselves, deplete all your resources, or make your world uninhabitable unless someone does something.
We, the gods and goddesses of Fate, foresaw and could predict with a near-perfect probability that by injuring or killing that little girl her mother and father would have been so grief-stricken to either cure or find a way that other mothers and fathers would never have to go through that. She would have, with a little push here and there from us, had the drive to discover a way to digitize mankind's existence so that it could spread throughout the Stars. Her husband with his knowledge and biology and the mind would have found out a way to grow new bodies and return the digital mind into flesh and blood again. We estimate with a high probability that humanity would spread its seed throughout this universe thereby guaranteeing its survival. Now, however, we see humanity killing itself before anyone else could do that.
You, unfortunately, at that time chose to exercise your free will and save the little girl. Nothing we could do could have changed that because it was a result of your free will. Us gods expended most of our power we had to setup and cause this event. Without active worshippers we no longer have the power to try something else. You, however, can change this. If you choose, of your own free will, to give the gods your soul as a power source we can erase you from existence. We must inform you if we do this you're condemning yourself to cease to be. You will not go to the afterlife. For eternity you will be nothing, your existence will be in nothingness. No one will even know you existed and you can't influence existence in any way. This will be forever. Will you give us permission to save mankind and be extinguish? You must make this decision for it is your soul and your control. We await your answer.”
Vincent's mind was rocked. He had control of the survival of all of mankind, however, he also had control of letting someone kill or severely injure a little girl. This reminded him so much of his philosophy class in college. The classical philosophical question you're driving a train and there's a switch you must go one way or the other. On one track is someone you know closely and on the other tract are 10 people you have no idea who they are. Which track do you take and who do you save? Vincent wished that he couldn't feel emotion. Guilt rocked him as he tried to make his decision. Could he have condemned all of existence for one girl?
He hung his head as tears began to leak from his eyes, ”I grant you permission. Save mankind.” With those words, Morrigan spoke into the air, ” Kronos he has given your permission. remove his existence eliminate him from the timeline. Make all he has done and all he will ever do cease to exist.” Vincent felt his existence start to fray and drift into the ether. Everything vanished around him. He existed in nothingness and he knew he was nothing and this was going to be forever.
Suddenly light …….