They stir, as one. No longer was it just them, others were there too. They are merged, no longer singular, just a spark. So, is this what happened to the Infected? Joining the gathering, leaving their bodies empty?
Understanding blooms, as they are now the Virus. Everything in their Territory is open to them to see, though the network . Flickers of voices pass them, of Creation, of Legacy. They feel welcomed, becoming complacent. Nothing is relevant now. They are to join the gathering, to become just a spark in the collection.
Le...gacy...? No... St...op... it...
They shifted their sights, aiming to give the gift to others, to bring them in, to harvest, to gather.
Your legacy is a gift. You infect those remaining. This world is a vessel, created to harvest, to gather, enough to fuel the legacy.
This is... No! Stop! We are not-! Cannot- we are-!!!
Incomplete. Something is missing, lacking.
Their struggles cause a tearing sensation, like being pulled from something- Free, they are free. Only, where is their body?! They extend their new senses, looking around, trying to find something, anything that will explain this! ...Are they even still human?
As they try out their new abilities while searching for their human body, they manage to create another body, this time from the vines that had plagued them for so long. Finally, they figure out how to see. Their panic recedes, as they take a new look around. The vines pretty much covers all surfaces, only glimpses of the hidden concrete could be seen.
A feel at the sensation from before, & the vines before them obey, shifting & coiling as they command. How odd. A few more commands, & they found they can shift their current body as they wish. A whisper & a giggle were heard, before Rinko was once again thrust into control of their new body. 'Did you guys have to push that hard?!' Let us out to play later~
Rinko could no longer walk, but the vines allows her to glide along the ground, almost like floating. Further exploration of their new location reveals a body, almost completely hidden in the vines. Not their body, but someone smaller. A child? No, not just any child. It's her younger persona's look a like. She called herself Sio too wasn't it? Their meeting with her in the Vine Forest was not the only time they have meet. Though their dreams, they have seen how she had try to save them from this wrecked world, with what little she could do. Get her out~! She'll die otherwise~!
She is asleep, but they remember watching how Sio was captured by the vines. A favour for a favour. True, besides, they did always has a soft spot for the younger ones. The vines follow their commands, releasing her into their arms. Rinko gently shifted her body so she laid across their arms, away from the surrounding vines. Another look around to figure their current location, before they head to what they hope to be the exit of this building.
The vines does not react to their progress. Further down the stairs, the vines finally thin. They felt themselves moving away from the gathering, from the center of Creation, as their vine body starts to unravel, as bits & pieces of themselves are once again lost. Soon, they reach a threshold, just before the exit. They can move no further, least they lose complete control of their body.
Fog seeps though the entrance. They notice shapes moving in it, the feel of them is like the girl in their arms, uncontaminated. They cannot cross the threshold, but... Slowly, they extend the part of the vines cradling the girl out towards the shadows. Settling her gently as far as they could, they retract their arms, watching as the shadows checks on their little rescuer, before carrying her off. Bye bye~ *sniffle*
They retreat back up the stairs, heading for where they felt the center of Creation was located. They picked up the bits & pieces they lost as they had journeyed downwards, but there is so much there is no longer there, absorb back into the gathering. Soon, they too will fall for the call to rejoin the gathering, to become a Legacy once again. They soon found others. A brush of the vines that makes up their body, & they understood. They were like them, once. Human. Virus Vessel. Infected. They too are waiting to be complete, waiting for their missing pieces.
For now though, they still have time. While they still exist, they are themselves.
Name: Rinko Emiya