Chapter 1: Drifter

My first view in waking up was a vast colorful space, stars shining on the horizon, galaxies and bodies of space lay through my vision as I lay still watching the wonder in front of me.

"So you have awoken.... drifter.." I heard a calm female voice behind.

I turned my head I saw a woman leaning and looking at me with her calm and vast purple eyes. Her hair black with its tips turning purple at the ends, a beautiful snow-white skinned woman calmly analyze me as I look at her with bewilderment.

"...who are you?" Somehow my mouth started to talked without me noticing it.

"I'm nobody, to Humans, I do not exist. But, I'm visible to those who are able to see me." She produced a water out of nowhere at the tip of her hands and dripped it below.

"What am I, or we are is the collective consciousness of the Universe. I think that falls into your terminology. We intervene in the Evolution of Universe." Then the vast space starts to turn as galaxies and stars starts to pass by like water passing through a river.

I was momentarily amazed of the surroundings as I watched the world around me. When I came to my senses again I turned my attention back to the woman in front of me.

"I see... So that makes you a goddess i guess, and correct me if I'm wrong... am I now dead?" Trying my best to remain calm I turned my attention in accessing my current situation, which seems pretty bad.

I'm trying my best to remember who am I, how did I end up here, and why don't i remember everything about myself or other people I should know.

The woman tilts her head slightly to the side, "You don't remember then?...I see, it seems like your God of your world made this for a reason. Then I shall give you simple answers to calm you down. You lived a life of struggle, fought your way to freedom, for yourself and the people you care about, you lived a selfless life taking care of your people more than yourself and even till your last breath you chose to save another life in exchange for yourself... you died from a truck saving a young girl being run over without a second thought. You're one of the very few humans are the reason why I haven't given up on Humanity." She smiled at me as she come close and slowly hugged me.

Somehow hearing her talked about how I've lived my life made my heart ache, but at the same time relieved at how things turned out. She continued to comfort me as i cried my self in her shoulder. After some time, after realizing I've been crying my eyes out in a shoulder of a celestial being woke me up and I broke the hug and looking ashamed and embarrassed on how I acted.

"...Sorry I shouldn't have done that." I refused to look at her in the eyes as i tried to focus on looking at my surroundings. When I didn't hear an answer I got worried and looked at her and found her still smiling at me, I waited for her to say something but she just look at me smiling with her beautiful face and not saying anything.

Trying to break this awkward situation I decided to asked the first thing that came to my mind. "So what now? Will it be heaven or hell? or something else?"

That seems to be the trick and made her speak, finally.

"That was supposed to be the plan. But our world needs help, especially it needs help with humans like you, and your God lend his help to our world and with his permission, and hopefully with yours, we have chosen you to be that representative." She waved her hand and our surroundings changes once again to a beautiful blue planet, very much the same to Earth, wait that is Earth!

"...(hiccup)That's ....well .. uhh.. I don't know what to say...Why me? I don't even know about my self, I don't think something that big of a burden is something I can handle." Hearing my round way of saying 'I don't think I'm fit for this job', she still remain calm then walked to me and held my hand.

"As the beginning of all things, your God believes in humanity's potential, we, the Caretaker of Spacetime, will believe as well. As such, we shall place our trust in you and your potential to change our world's future." She grasped my hand gently as she seriously looked at me in the eyes.

"And thus we ask you dear drifter, will lend us your hand?" Her deep and purple eyes didn't beg, they were asking and hoping. Suddenly I saw a glimpse of my memories; children who were abandoned by the world and fate, people who struggled in wars with same eyes longing for hope that is out of their reach. Such things are the reasons why I would never abandon humanity.

"....Hahaha.. soo much trust in me, but I may not be as good as you think I am." Remembering parts of my memories reminded him a little of him as a human.

"We know the price for such future... we have given humanity the freedom to shape their future. And thus we entrust you in helping to shape that future." Her smile widen when she said that and I smiled in return, then she turn around and the surroundings change again. Now we are in some a platform in the sky, with pillars like those from ancient Greece.

"Well then I see that you have come to a decision, do tell us if you ever want some kind of request... Ohh and I forgot to tell you, things from fiction stories are real here, but they're few here, we kind of limit those things here and even now we are deciding if humanity deserves to have those things." Her tone of speaking became a bit livelier and somehow lift my mood up a bit, but when I heard the later part my eyebrow twitched, why would you say that important thing just now?

She's skipping around me while teasing me when I reacted to her last few words."Hehehe! You don't have to be that negative about it. You can request for anything like some kind of power too, as long as it fits this worlds logic. Think about what you humans often like to watch on your TV or the Internet, like fiction movies, books, and even animes...Ohh the one your so fascinated about, like Gundam!"

The world Gundam, sparked another part of the memories inside me, and this one was something more precious that the one before. I saw myself playing with children with a toy Gundam as we run across the field each with their own toy Gundams on hand. I remember I became a fan when one of the many war orphans I have adopted have introduce the Gundam 00 anime to me. As the only anime I have ever watched, and have re-watched many times, it became something memorable to me.

"You got to be kidding me! Does your world have those amazing flying robots?!!!" My enthusiasm got the best of me as I caught her and held her in place and asked her energetically.

She was slightly surprised at my reaction but then again smiled brightly and nodded at me. "(nod) Umm yeah...somewhat similar but not that advanced hehe."

"Then I would like to have VEDA, the GN-0000 00, and be a true innovator PLSS!!! " I held her more tightly and pulled her little too close to me, to be able to have those big babies would be heaven for me!

She blinked several times with her dumbfounded face at me, while I was eagerly waiting for an answer. Then instead of an answer she burst out laughing, and I somehow got out of my frenzy mode I blushed so hard was trying to restore my calm image while she was still laughing out loud.

After several seconds she finally stopped laughing while wiping some tears in her eyes. " Sorry, sorry! Haha I didn't expect you would have that side of you.." I was even more ashamed of being a 27 years old man being laughed at by a god of some universe. I look at her with hurtful eyes pleading her to stop teasing me.

"Ok ok, I'll stop...(sigh) Well then, for your request." My eyes lit up once more but this time I managed to control myself from going some over energetic kid on hyper mode. She paused and waited a bit checking if she'll see more of my outburst from earlier, I noticed so I raised my eyebrow telling her to go on.

"Eyy you don't have to be that serious you know... Ok then, well for your first request having that kind of Super A.I. in our Universe will have some irreversible damage if ever it got on wrong hands so we'll limit some things. We will bound it to you and only you can control it and access it's uses and functions and have full authority at it as well as remove some things, but you'll have to figure out those things yourself, okay?" I nodded at her suggestion as I know how that AI having a near boundless potential and uses.

"But before we go to your other request, are you not asking for something more awesome and like fictional powers? We think those powers are reachable by all humanity after 200 years if you ever succeeded. Besides we also have our own world of powers you know, are you sure you don't want those?" She sat down while playing with the ground we are standing on while pouting and drawing things on the ground.

I laughed a bit at her childish actions and found it funny to be a collective consciousness, but having their own cute personalities. Her head fiercely turned my way and gave me a fierce look...(nervous)Haha it seems like she can really read my mind, I scratch my head and look away acting innocently.

"....Ahhh haha(nervously) I think I don't want to have those powers that will drag me away from my humanity.." I answered her while still not looking at her eyes.

"...Hee? Even if means having the power of kings? The power to be command humans, be above other humans, beyond humans, would you not want that power in your grasp? The power of the gods in your hands." Her tone turned serious and alluring when she said those words, but deep inside me I have some kind of disgust to the way she described that power. I turned to her and looked at her more seriously than ever.

"I have to firmly decline that offer. Power is always dangerous, it attracts the worst, and corrupts the best(A/N:VINKINGS! RAGNAR ma MAN). And if ever this power is needed for me to achieve my mission here, then I shall keep in the corner and never use it. Humans should be the master of his own fate the kings or gods." I stood my grounds even when she held her gaze for a few seconds.

"Very well human, you've proven your point, and we shall respect it." She then stood backup and turned from her serious mood back to her mischievous self earlier. "Sadly though we can't accept your second request, you already have VEDA, go figure it out and build it yourself." And for something I think she got annoyed at me she stick her tongue to me.

"Noo!!! My Gundam!...gundam...my ultimate gundam....(crying fake tears) then what of my third request?" Like losing my most prized possession I hollowly asked her, not caring about my last request.

"Ohh don't be so down. For your last request, you are already bounded to VEDA so it's only appropriate to have a body of a true innovator. Happy now?" I just nodded absentmindedly at her still not accepting the fact that I cannot have my GN0000 00 in a flash. No matter, I have VEDA we'll manage and bring the big baby in this world and let the world wonder of it's magnificence.

"That's more like it human. And as a final gift for being so humble in your requests we will grant you powers to assist you in piloting your 'soon to be built Gundam', Thus we the collective bestow upon you this geass." I tried to getaway from her when I heard her last words but she caught my face and pulls me into a kiss. My eyes widen at the sudden attack, but it was overridden by a rush of power running through me especially my left eye.

"As per your request should you not want it, it will stay dormant and lay silent forever if you don't want it. But if the need arises our power shall be there to help you." When we broke our contact I saw my golden iris with some bird like symbol on my left eye mirrored through her eyes.

I closed my eyes by the sudden jolt of power, as my vision turned to dark along with my consciousness I heard her saying something to me.

"Find your king, you'll know when you found him. Trust in him as we trust in you, but remember to always follow your heart, Aciel."