Planet Homeward. Approximately two and a half million years ago.
Contrary to what one might think, the purging of the 'parasite' was a long and arduous task. It had taken the four peacekeepers almost two hundred and fifty thousand years to track down every last infected God and Goddess and put them down. And even with the help of the Elders' sight, it wasn't easy for them to accomplish their mission. The Elders' rarely used their sight outside of situations where their inactivity would result in the end of the deities reign because each use of their sight chipped away at their lifeforce.
In addition to having to actively yet reluctantly hunt down their brethren, they also had to avoid other non-infected deities looking to stop them. There were actually those who believed that the infected could still be saved as long as they were given time to heal. Sadly, this mindset wasn't a luxury the deities could afford to entertain; it was just the wishful thinking of those in denial.
And finally after endless years of searching they found the last of the infected. They had done it. They were hopeful. They were even thankful. This meant it was over. No more killing. No more crying themselves to sleep. No more anything. In fact some of them even considered killing themselves after all was said and done. Because the reality of the situation was really was just too much to bear. Even for a God. Especially for a God.
It was almost time. The last of the infected were just inside of the cave, like the report said. All they needed to do was get it over with. Just a little while longer until permanent relief. Until the sweet embrace of death grabbed hold of them. Yet even through all of their suffering, it seemed like the Universe wanted to squeeze in one last 'Fuck You' before they went.
Children. The three they were supposed to kill were actually children. It looked like they hadn't been infected for long either. Or judging by the two bodies, possibly their parents, sitting in the corner, the kids were infected but managed to last longer than they would've. At a price, of course.
The peacekeepers stopped dead in their tracks. Once. Just once. Was a break really so much to ask for? All of them had gone through so much shit and now this?
The four of them couldn't do it....didn't do it.....and never would again.
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While Anya's clone was working on Belv, the original focused on the unconcious man. She first checked the progression of the infection. This could be done simpy by looking at how much of the body was covered in the dark markings. The man's body was almost completely covered; save for his face and chest area. The crystal had done its job and more or less perserved his state of being.
Anya made some complicated hand gestures that began to emit a pale green light. The faster she moved her hands the stronger the light became. Eventually the light started to generate small wisps of energy that quickly vaporized the markings. As Anya checked his body for any remaining signs of the 'parasite', she failed to find any. This was an unexpected result. The technique she used worked better than she anticipated and not only eradicated the 'parasite' but even healed his body.
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His muscles had atrophied severly during the long stasis period. The only reason the damage wasn't as extensive as it would be was because as a God his body was built to last.
Now although the crystal was designed to halt the progression of the 'parasite', its flaw was that the infection was the only thing that was preserved. The actual body still required nutrients to sustain itself as well as movement to keep it in shape. Even if one was a deity, he/she still had a body and a body needs maintenance.
Luckily Anya had the wit to anticipate this happening and the intelligence needed to prepare for the possibility. Which is why the roots were holding onto the crystal in the first place. The roots provided the nutrients, which were then absorbed into the crystal and through the crystal into the man. Not that complicated to explain but a bitch to set up.
The cave was inside of an astroid that was located in the ring surrounding a planet next to Homeward. On the outside of the asteroid was a tree like no other. As a matter of fact, this was Anya's favorite kind of tree. What made it her favorite was its lack of a name.
This particular species of tree was her discovery on a dying planet she just so happened to be on a couple thousand years ago. She decided not to give it a name for its existence was to be defined by its beauty and not by its name. She even planned to selectively introduce it to Homeward's various ecosystems.
It was a dark blue tree with shimmering silver leaves that just didn't seem real; almost like something out of a dream. The tree's roots were what lined the cave walls and essentially held the astroid together. (a/n Btw: The astroid is about the size of our moon. It's because the size of everything in this Universe is bigger than what's in ours.)
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"AH! *huff* *huff*" 'Where am I? Where is this place?!'
Stas woke up in a panic. He didn't recognize the place he was in nor did he recognize the woman before him. He felt weak and unfocused. His memory was hazy and his movements clumsy. He hated this. Not only was he weak and defenseless, he had no idea who any of these people were or if they were friendly.
His first instinct was to make sure none of them were infected. Then something within him clicks and a face of fear and panic surfaces. He hesitantly looks down but is surprised when he finds nothing.
'That's... not possible. How did...'
He doesn't have time to finish that thought before he feels himself being overtaken by the woman.
'Is this how it ends? Being crushed to death? This can't happen. I can't die like this. I need to see them one last time. I need to see-'
"Brother. It is wonderful to see you once more. I'm sorry for being so late. Please forgive me."
'What?' "What did you say? Brother? Who..."
It then dawns upon Stas that he isn't being crushed to death. He being hugged tightly. And by the sound of the woman's words, she knows him. But what he doesn't understand is why she called him 'brother'. The only one who he ever allowed to refer to him as brother was
"O-Ortig?"
"Yeah man. Actually it's Anya now. But that doesn't matter. All that matters is that I did it. I came back and I cured you, just like I said I would. Just like I promised."