Epilogue

In Ituzhu, a research fellow at the museum of Natural History frowned. It had been more than three weeks since he had last received a transmission from James.

He sighed, musing to himself that despite common knowledge, third time’s not always the charm. James was undoubtedly dead, just like the two bounty hunters he had hired previously. A waste, really.

However, James actually manage to retrieve some useful information on The Wanderer and its history, contrary to his unfortunate peers. After all, the previous visitors of The Wanderer had provided some insight on the ancient language a few years ago, but useful information on itself was lacking.

So, the research team was quite thrilled for their findings after translating the message and images James had sent, and having managed to decipher the following information:

The Wanderer is not an organically formed planet, but instead is an artificially created planetary-scale ship, hence its ability to sail space and change its direction spontaneous and unjustifiably.

The remarkable regenerative properties of the metal found on the Wanderer have been attributed to its symbiotic nature of inorganic metal, with living engineered protozoa. A feat of science that ensured that, as long as wireless control could be exerted over protozoa, they could use the metallic substrate to regenerate decaying structures. And after the creation of the “Knowing One”, this control could be exerted planet-wide and constantly.

This one creature that lives on the Wanderer, a being named “The Knowing One” and later renamed “The Devourer”. This being was a hommonculus, an artificial form of life brought to being, meant to be a living, evolving Guardian of all the knowledge of the people that lived on the Wanderer.

It was created to access the memories and thoughts of those who dream and preserve them within itself, learning from it, for during sleep is when it becomes easier to extract them.

It all seemed to go well at first, and the creature was becoming more learned and wiser every day, its power growing from its knowledge. It even found a way to extend its life indefinitly, to its creator’s great pride and joy. Now the knowledge of the species would be safe for all time, and their civilization could progress even further, faster, with the guiding of The Knowing One.

Generations went by, indulging in the prosperity that stemmed from the guidance provided by The Knowing One. However, people were getting progressively tired…so tired. As if, their energy was escaping them, a little bit every day. And also, their memories were becoming somewhat foggy, as if a cloud of dust was interposed between them and the past.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Soon, they had all but forgotten they existed. For the wiser The Knowing One became, the hungrier it got, as well. And so, the experiments revolving the Knowing One were abruptly interrupted, never to be pursued again.

However, what the team leading the research didn’t realize until too late, was that once the Knowing One had entered in contact with a mind, there was no physical barrier or any amount of distance that could keep it from accessing said mind, for once dominated it was theirs.

The afflicted people ended up dying from exhaustion, despite the frantic efforts to save them. And then the worst happened. Because soon after, the bodies of the dead started to possess the same abilities of the Knowing One, acting as an extension of it, further increasing its influence on the already shattered minds of the people. The Turned Ones, they were called.

So swift and dreadful was the hunger of the Knowing One, that the entirety of the civilization was subjugated in a matter of months. As time went on, and people’s minds were destroyed progressively, the few remaining people who were still enough aware to even care started naming the creature The Devourer, for there were not enough memories, or thoughts, or ideas in the entirety of the planet to satisfy its Hunger.

Those records were the last surviving struggle of the doomed people of the Wanderer, their last attempt at preserving some semblance of memory from the hungry talons of The Knowing One.

However, what the research fellow at Ituzhu was oblivious to was that, as the Devourer took over all the knowledge that the people of the Wanderer were privy to, it learned to control the planet’s navigation and started sailing through space in search of advanced civilizations, so it could absorb their knowledge as well.

At this time, the Devourer was completely alone in a devastated planet, for the Turned Ones were long gone, their mortal bodies crumbling under the weight of Time. And The Devourer longed to once again extend its reach and completely consume all knowledge it could get, this time planning to preserve the Turned Ones somehow, so that it could more easily spread its influence over more than one planet at a time and become a Being Supreme, fulfilling its creators purpose to acquire all knowledge and keep it guarded, safe.

It was during the time it spend sailing through the stars in a crusade to conquer all knowledge in the universe, that the Wanderer passed nearby Earth.

Due to their rudimentary technology and ways, The Devourer considered humans too retrograde and insignificant to exert its influence on them, yet. It instead let them be, knowing that someday, Humanity’s thirst for conquest and dominating nature would lead them to expand their reach beyond their own planet. And so it bid its time, consuming other species in the meantime.

Now, having devoured James’s memories and knowledge on Humanity and its staggering progress, it decided that the time it had been waiting for had finally come, at last. The time for Hunger.