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Info; (In Progress)
Name: N/A
Aliases: Originally referred to by an ancient civilisation as Bahhyu, the word can mean to repeat, return or renew and is commonly translated as 'again.'
Setting:
Within this world, abiogenesis was not relegated to the ancient past but could be replicated through a strange process now scientifically known as Bioiterum, caused by Vitae Sanguis, a fluid that emerges from the Earth in seemingly random pools. Causing organisms to undergo radical transformations and gain bizarre abilities as well as animating inorganic material similarly, known as Vitas. Vitae Sanguis was originally nothing more than a menace to humanity until the emergence of Naturals. Naturals were people that possessed the ability to gain control of the creation process of the lifeforms made by Bioiterum and became, for lack of a better term, monster tamers that placed humanity on the top of the food chain. Although the chances of being a Natural are altered by genetics, it is not entirely heredity and the ability cannot be obtained artificially.
Humanity's population is significantly lower than on the real Earth and with less but larger settlements due to the presence of the wild Vitas making it dangerous to be in unprotected communities.
Things changed when in the modern era artificial devices capable of replicating the powers of Naturals were created. This quickly resulted in modern warfare changing drastically as the various city states scrambled to claim newly available land. Naturals were still highly valued and often drafted into armed forces.
When the war came to an end the remaining nations agreed to pool their resources and form unified organisations to ensure it could not occur again. Artificial Bioiterum equipment remained widely available and most people on the planet have a few Vitas of their own and they are commonly used in competitive sport and combat. Though only a few generations passed, the world largely enjoys peace and prosperity.
Or at least, it appeared so until Again's plans came to fruition.
Personal History:
Again's existence is unique, similar to a Vitas but certainly not one. A one of a kind life form from the start, Again was originally a prehistoric plant that developed a particularly hardy nature and an expansive body. It did not reproduce but instead spread itself out, with individual areas of its biology adapting until it essentially became a one organism ecosystem. Capable of migrating and even developing reactions and senses otherwise only found in animals, it competed with other lifeforms violently. Whenever other lifeforms entered its jungle body, it always successfully devoured them. Surviving endless climate changes, outlasting the dinosaurs and everything that came after it was repeatedly exposed to Vitae Sanguis. Its large body and adaptable biology allowed it to survive this otherwise toxic amount of exposure, which resulted in a mutation never replicated- Again gained the capability to produce Vitae Sanguis.
Following an ecological change that forced it into a stationary life for some time, Again remained in its isolated area of the world inside of a large volcanic crater. Eventually it began to seek sustenance outside of its environment, after most species in the immediate area had an evolutionary fear of its territory. Mingling with the local flora, the area soon began to contain a great number of Vitas due to Again's influence. Again was essentially the first Natural, albeit in a crude way, producing Vitas that followed its 'orders' to bring it further food. With this change Again ceased to spread and operated in this manner for some time.
When the human race developed another stage of its life began. A human civilisation formed around it, as its unique biology allowed for fascinating effects. Ingesting Again's body ensured the development of Naturals and properly prepared it could renew the waning life of the dying, earning it the name Bahhyu- meaning recovery or rebirth, renewal or repetition. Producing a tribe of advanced Naturals that remained hidden in the jungles for millennia, it was fed sacrifices as well as those that no longer wished to live their unnaturally long lives. With each human eaten Again mutated to replicate a fraction of its food. The civilisation, the Nayrun (simply meaning 'the people'), remained for thousands of years as Again became a sentient, guiding force and operated as their home, their guardian and god.
It was when the global war broke out that this changed. Entire armies entered Again's crater and were all devoured in short order, by a combination of the Vitas, the Nayrun, Again's efforts and each other. Absorbing their memories and encountering their artificial Bioiterum technology, Again hated the idea of others possessing a similar degree of control over Vitas creation as itself. It began its plan to undo their advancements and bring the world under its guidance.
First they selected the extremely talented Natural David Samuels Jr, a reluctant solider who had proven to be an excellent survivor. Samuels had only wanted to be a musician but had been drafted into the military due to his status as a Natural. His band had joined him as a sign of solidarity, all of whom had been killed. The injured and AWOL Samuels was taken in by the Nayrun under Again's orders, who taught him secrets of Vitas unknown in the wider world and passed the false idea that the world's spirit was manifest in Again. Convincing Samuels to spread the gospel without revealing their existence, Again also created a proxy to act in the wider world- an artificially created baby, branded as a 'chosen one' of the Earth. By all accounts, Samuels did not buy into the belief that the world itself had a consciousness but all the same saw an opportunity. He returned to civilisation and founded a religion, the Way of Life that preached that only Naturals should have Vitas alongside the secrets taught by the Nayrun. His charisma, musical talent and combat ability with Vitas gathered a large following of Naturals, though his true identity was kept secret and he called himself simply Daddy Earth. He in particular gathered a great deal of support when he easily defeated several Vitas warriors considered to be amongst the world's best in friendly matches.
As planned by Again, Samuels' teachings lead to violence as members who truly believed his preaching began to work against the artificial Vitas factions, something Samuels' controlled behind the scene to garner more publicity for the movement. Although the activism was mostly peaceful, small groups performed more extreme acts. The organisation could not be proven to be responsible, but was still under scrutiny. Whilst Samuels only used the activity to bring attention to the group, his followers truly believed in their goal of eradicating Artificial Bioiterum. In particular, four followers became the heads of extremist activity- Martin Dean, Sinclair Frank, Minnie Liza and Masters Williams. These four were deeply devoted to the cause and possessed exceptional talent as Vitas controllers. Again called for them to be specially trained as Samuels had been and like him, granted them each special pieces of equipment crafted from its own body.
Again's goal was not to directly bring people into worshipping it via the Way of Life, but to cause more conflict amongst humans. Eventually it intended to escalate aggression and encourage hatred between Naturals and other humans to the point that they would war against one another. In the meantime, it sought to develop a complicated multi-part Vitas that would possess phenomenal power. Using it to win the war and destroy all humans that were not Naturals, it would bring the new human race under its wing and spread out to replicate its success with the Nayrun, becoming a global presence.
Fortunately its plans hit many snags. A special task force was put together to deal with anti-artificial terrorism, but it was not until incidental interference by a young man named Lock Chamber that they began to experience serious troubles. Lock was travelling the world to train themselves in Vitas handling but by happenstance was constantly brought into conflict with the Way of Life's operations, defeating them repeatedly. Due to this interference, Lock was made a part of the task force shortly after he became a Vitas League Championship finals qualifier, unknowingly defeating Again's proxy- the psuedo-human named New. New was also recruited into the task force, acting as a double agent.
With New's assistance, the Way of Life's operations became radically more successful and none were the wiser. The finals of the Vitas League Championship were in fact a part of their plans, to obtain the many high class Vitas there and their owners to operate as a portion of the super Vitas. This ultimately failed, but New went ahead with it anyway by instead using the four heads of the Will of Life extremism. Now in possession of an insurmountably powerful Vitas, New revealed they had no interest in the Way of Life's goals and instead had their own plans. These plans began with destroying the entire island the finals took place on.
Now fully aware that the Way of Life was behind it all, the remaining task force attacked their headquarters to capture Samuels and hopefully get all the information they required. An avatar of Again with a number of Nayrun arrived shortly after them, sent to try and discover what had gone wrong with New and how to salvage the plan. They turned up just in time to see the defeated Samuels reveal the truth behind the religion and in a fit of rage Again killed him, but too late. Due to the gruelling battle they had been through the task force could not stop Again from leaving, passing the task of ending their interference to the Nayrun, who were narrowly defeated.
The task force now armed with the knowledge to create their own super Vitas set out to do just that. One of the items they required was a control device created from Again's core. Mounting an assault on Again's crater, Again attempted to convert the members as they progressed through its jungle, facing off against the various obstacles it placed in their way. Lock in particular conversed with Again, but the two could not convince the other to stop and in the end it was he that faced the core. Unable to defeat Lock, Again lost a segment of its core but enacted one last plan. Separating itself from the rest of the jungle, it revealed the enormously powerful volcano it had settled on was still active and merely suppressed by it. Inducing a gigantic eruption, Again vowed to return as the task force escaped.
This would be one of the factors that resulted in the world changing forever. The battle between the two super Vitas caused many electromagnetic pulses that disrupted technology as well as the sheer destructive might demolishing many locations world wide. Mankind could easily have recovered from this in a few years. However the eruption spread fragments of Again across the globe. In microscopic portions it induced an unprecedented amount of Bioiterum across the world, as well as causing new and stranger mutations especially in humans. Humanity was overrun and forced from its position as the dominant species.
Larger pieces of Again retained the memories and personality of the original, but unaware of others each began their own efforts to recover and continue their goals. Due to the apparent loss of Again's core, they were all relatively unimpressive entities that lacked the core's vast DNA library or the ability to create Vitae Sanguis. Each individual was however as crafty as the original and as skilled at Vitas creation once they had a source of Vitae Sanguis. Too weak to establish themselves in the rapidly evolving world, most Again fragments either went into hiding or attached themselves to developing groups, of humans or the newly emerging intelligent species.
During the fifty years that followed, Again was forgotten due to the loss of communication. The only people aware of Again were the surviving invaders of its home and the Nayrun themselves, who had split into three groups. The Bahrun (meaning Bahhyu's People or the Return People) believed Again's goals fell to them to achieve and roamed the world violently attempted to convert others to Again's teachings. The Yehrun (meaning Free People) saw Again's apparent demise as a positive thing and believed humanity should flourish without them, spreading out to help the newly weakened human race. Finally retaining the name Nayrun were those that believed Again was impossible to truly destroy and awaited their return at the site of their god's traditional home. However, Again remained wary of revealing itself to even them- as Lock Chamber was still alive and still in possession of the the Super Vitas. If made aware of Again's presence, they would surely be hunted down and destroyed.
A number of Again fragments went to unusual places and over the centuries developed into strange, specialised versions. Two pieces were taken in as samples to underground scientific research stations, that would be nicknamed Techno-Palaces in the future. The weaker fragment hid its sentience and allowed itself to be researched in depth, with the goal of improving itself. This fragment is known as Bio-Again. The other, stronger fragment did the opposite and took control of the station to use the humans for experimentation, with the goal of producing a trump card to retake the Earth. This one is called Techno-Again. Another piece contracted a disease that limited its strength for some time, forcing it to rely on a small tribe of humans for survival as nothing more than a talking head. This one is Sage-Again. Although several pieces fell into the ocean, one in particular became attached in an emerging undersea civilisation caused by the developing sentience of various life- it essentially recreated its success with the Nayrun with a race of undersea creatures called Rogons. Called Sea-Again. When several small pieces were blasted out of orbit to be drawn to the moon, they combined into one and partially terraformed the satellite, eventually establishing long range contact with the remaining Again fragments to act as a relay to unite them. This one is Lunar-Again. When one fell into the especially dangerous Vitas filled area known as the Cauldron of Death, it was unable to rely on underlings and instead became an especially dangerous direct combatant itself, crawling to the top of the food chain and becoming the most powerful combat incarnation of Again- War-Again.
(in progress)
Personality:
Again is, except under the most exceptional circumstances, patience itself. It is nearly impossible to rile up and retains a calm, even approach to everything it deals with. Largely detached from anyone it talks to, Again is extremely aware and accepting of its uniqueness and alien nature to other lifeforms. It chooses no name because it has no need to differentiate itself from others of its kind, is perfectly comfortable with being called an it or a monster. As the oldest living being on Earth by tens of millions of years, it assigns very little value to individuals (aside from itself of course) but essentially thinks of a species as a benchmark for importance. Not surprising, perhaps, as it is both its entire species and an individual.
Again speaks in a slow, deliberate manner represented by never using commas, instead always splitting what could easily be one sentence into two and rarely using contractions. This is purposeful as Again has absorbed the knowledge and skills of a huge number of modern language speaking humans- occasionally, it drops the method of speech and is much more direct. In particular, whenever defeated it says 'I'll be back. I'll always be back.'
Despite mostly being a very collected individual, Again has a gigantic amount of pride that if wounded induces intense, explosive anger. Although this is nearly impossible to do with words alone, somehow belittling Again through action can result in sudden rages that burn brightly for a short period before subsiding.
Again's focus is always on 'the greater good' and has absolutely no qualms about any method used to achieve it. As a being utterly alien to the human perspective it's unfair to apply such concepts as good or evil to it, but by most human standards it is evil as they come with no problem performing horrific acts and if not enjoying them, finding satisfaction in a job well done. That said depending on ones perspective Again could be considered either humanity's greatest ally or worst enemy. It will stop at nothing to protect the species from extinction and keep them in good health, but the cost is oppression and the loss of individuals for the greater whole.
Most of all, as befits the names given to it, Again is persistence personified and weathers every storm with an iron determination. Always ready to lose everything and start from scratch even if such a thing rarely occurs. Again is a survivor that has faced up against everything the world has thrown at it since before the dinosaurs.
In that regard its desire to be the gardener of mankind, to guide them and control their development (and prune what is undesirable) comes from many aspects of itself. Its pride refuses to be allow others to usurp its place as the master of Vitae Sanguis, but at the same time this is because it also believes it is the only one who can use such power responsibly as a part of the life cycle and not in defiance of it. As much as Again has no concern for singular humans, it sees the species as having a right to exist as much as any other but that has taken a tragic misstep in evolution that needs to be fixed. Although its claim to be the planet's will given form is an outright lie, it feels such a thing is necessary and seeks to essentially make that the truth by force. But in a way Again refuses to acknowledge, hindering humans is a way to preserve itself by preventing the rise of a dangerous rival.
Many of Again's flaws arise from the fact it has never had anyone it considered an equal to relate to. Whilst it feels itself innately superior to other forms of life it's largely not hateful in this regard. It simply thinks of itself as the superior to mankind in the same way that mankind assumes a superiority to animals. In the same way it has no qualm with altering the very nature of a species for its benefit or using them as a food source, but would kindly protect one in distress so long as that was not counter to its overall plans.
Abilities:
Again is essentially a jungle that consists of a singular gigantic organism that has adapted different aspects of itself to suit its needs. The core of the jungle is in the exact centre of an enormous volcanic basin with an area of approximately 120 square miles, in which the only native life is Again itself in a myriad of forms. For another 10 miles surrounding the crater Again is intermingled less densely. Whenever a part of its body is separated from the rest it experiences extreme shock and pain before entering a state of dormancy, appearing for all intents and purposes dead after thrashing about. However each of these 'clippings' contains Again's will and memories, able to recover when it absorbs sufficient nutrients. On rare occasions, small segments of Again are separated purposefully and then sent out, returning and being reintegrated into the main body when their missions are done.
Although Again does not posses any other psychic powers it is extremely skilled at psychometry, the ability to read an object's history by making contact with it. It is able to read into any object's past up until the point that its atomic structure underwent a radical, irreversible change. Though the range and clarity of its ability to read the past is unrivaled, Again has the unique limitation amongst users of psychometry that it cannot read information from living matter- though previously living matter is no problem. It is through psychometry that Again's own memories are stored and recovered rather than using a brain.
Its unique biology stores the DNA and absorbed information from other lifeforms it feeds on. These aspects are often used in adapting its body and as such strictly speaking calling it a plant is merely a matter of convenience due to the strange physicality it possesses. If a small enough piece of Again is still alive when it embeds itself into a lifeform, it can parasitically feed on it and slowly steal control of the body.
Again's true strength lies in its total mastery of Vitae Sanguis, the powerful mutagen material that produces the powerful creatures known as Vitas, granting life to lifeless material or new life to organisms, or even combining lives and objects into one. Again alone can take this a step further and grow entirely new lifeforms to its specifications. Although Again favours plant based Vitas, amongst these there is a great deal of variety of abilities. Again has further advantage over other Vitas users in that it requires no control device, as its body itself is the control device that sends orders to its thralls. With access to the absorbed DNA and preserved corpses of creatures from all periods of life on Earth, it can produce incomparable and powerful Vitas. Further it is uniquely capable of reanimating the dead and using a form of reversed psychometry to restore their conciousness (to various degrees of awareness), often using the dead as its personal guard dogs. A corpse of a strong human is often the base of an avatar, surrounded in plant matter.
Not too shabby in direct combat, typically when dealing with invaders it will put together a squad of Vitas or a singular strong one which it will command directly. Once that is defeated it will use the avatar controlling it in combat too. If that is defeated, this will repeat as it attempts to prevent approach to its core. If the core is destroyed, the entire body will experience the 'clipping' experience and be rendered dormant. The avatars are weaker than its Vitas, but are remarkably resistant to most forms of attack with a high rate of regeneration, but possesses a very low rate of mobility and agility. Up close it fights using slicing leaves, in mid-range vines and at long range it uses its signature attack, a powerful light beam from its eye. It is also capable of producing a variety of chemicals to induce harmful effects on its opponents or to bolster its Vitas.
Aliases: Originally referred to by an ancient civilisation as Bahhyu, the word can mean to repeat, return or renew and is commonly translated as 'again.'
Setting:
Within this world, abiogenesis was not relegated to the ancient past but could be replicated through a strange process now scientifically known as Bioiterum, caused by Vitae Sanguis, a fluid that emerges from the Earth in seemingly random pools. Causing organisms to undergo radical transformations and gain bizarre abilities as well as animating inorganic material similarly, known as Vitas. Vitae Sanguis was originally nothing more than a menace to humanity until the emergence of Naturals. Naturals were people that possessed the ability to gain control of the creation process of the lifeforms made by Bioiterum and became, for lack of a better term, monster tamers that placed humanity on the top of the food chain. Although the chances of being a Natural are altered by genetics, it is not entirely heredity and the ability cannot be obtained artificially.
Humanity's population is significantly lower than on the real Earth and with less but larger settlements due to the presence of the wild Vitas making it dangerous to be in unprotected communities.
Things changed when in the modern era artificial devices capable of replicating the powers of Naturals were created. This quickly resulted in modern warfare changing drastically as the various city states scrambled to claim newly available land. Naturals were still highly valued and often drafted into armed forces.
When the war came to an end the remaining nations agreed to pool their resources and form unified organisations to ensure it could not occur again. Artificial Bioiterum equipment remained widely available and most people on the planet have a few Vitas of their own and they are commonly used in competitive sport and combat. Though only a few generations passed, the world largely enjoys peace and prosperity.
Or at least, it appeared so until Again's plans came to fruition.
Personal History:
Again's existence is unique, similar to a Vitas but certainly not one. A one of a kind life form from the start, Again was originally a prehistoric plant that developed a particularly hardy nature and an expansive body. It did not reproduce but instead spread itself out, with individual areas of its biology adapting until it essentially became a one organism ecosystem. Capable of migrating and even developing reactions and senses otherwise only found in animals, it competed with other lifeforms violently. Whenever other lifeforms entered its jungle body, it always successfully devoured them. Surviving endless climate changes, outlasting the dinosaurs and everything that came after it was repeatedly exposed to Vitae Sanguis. Its large body and adaptable biology allowed it to survive this otherwise toxic amount of exposure, which resulted in a mutation never replicated- Again gained the capability to produce Vitae Sanguis.
Following an ecological change that forced it into a stationary life for some time, Again remained in its isolated area of the world inside of a large volcanic crater. Eventually it began to seek sustenance outside of its environment, after most species in the immediate area had an evolutionary fear of its territory. Mingling with the local flora, the area soon began to contain a great number of Vitas due to Again's influence. Again was essentially the first Natural, albeit in a crude way, producing Vitas that followed its 'orders' to bring it further food. With this change Again ceased to spread and operated in this manner for some time.
When the human race developed another stage of its life began. A human civilisation formed around it, as its unique biology allowed for fascinating effects. Ingesting Again's body ensured the development of Naturals and properly prepared it could renew the waning life of the dying, earning it the name Bahhyu- meaning recovery or rebirth, renewal or repetition. Producing a tribe of advanced Naturals that remained hidden in the jungles for millennia, it was fed sacrifices as well as those that no longer wished to live their unnaturally long lives. With each human eaten Again mutated to replicate a fraction of its food. The civilisation, the Nayrun (simply meaning 'the people'), remained for thousands of years as Again became a sentient, guiding force and operated as their home, their guardian and god.
It was when the global war broke out that this changed. Entire armies entered Again's crater and were all devoured in short order, by a combination of the Vitas, the Nayrun, Again's efforts and each other. Absorbing their memories and encountering their artificial Bioiterum technology, Again hated the idea of others possessing a similar degree of control over Vitas creation as itself. It began its plan to undo their advancements and bring the world under its guidance.
First they selected the extremely talented Natural David Samuels Jr, a reluctant solider who had proven to be an excellent survivor. Samuels had only wanted to be a musician but had been drafted into the military due to his status as a Natural. His band had joined him as a sign of solidarity, all of whom had been killed. The injured and AWOL Samuels was taken in by the Nayrun under Again's orders, who taught him secrets of Vitas unknown in the wider world and passed the false idea that the world's spirit was manifest in Again. Convincing Samuels to spread the gospel without revealing their existence, Again also created a proxy to act in the wider world- an artificially created baby, branded as a 'chosen one' of the Earth. By all accounts, Samuels did not buy into the belief that the world itself had a consciousness but all the same saw an opportunity. He returned to civilisation and founded a religion, the Way of Life that preached that only Naturals should have Vitas alongside the secrets taught by the Nayrun. His charisma, musical talent and combat ability with Vitas gathered a large following of Naturals, though his true identity was kept secret and he called himself simply Daddy Earth. He in particular gathered a great deal of support when he easily defeated several Vitas warriors considered to be amongst the world's best in friendly matches.
As planned by Again, Samuels' teachings lead to violence as members who truly believed his preaching began to work against the artificial Vitas factions, something Samuels' controlled behind the scene to garner more publicity for the movement. Although the activism was mostly peaceful, small groups performed more extreme acts. The organisation could not be proven to be responsible, but was still under scrutiny. Whilst Samuels only used the activity to bring attention to the group, his followers truly believed in their goal of eradicating Artificial Bioiterum. In particular, four followers became the heads of extremist activity- Martin Dean, Sinclair Frank, Minnie Liza and Masters Williams. These four were deeply devoted to the cause and possessed exceptional talent as Vitas controllers. Again called for them to be specially trained as Samuels had been and like him, granted them each special pieces of equipment crafted from its own body.
Again's goal was not to directly bring people into worshipping it via the Way of Life, but to cause more conflict amongst humans. Eventually it intended to escalate aggression and encourage hatred between Naturals and other humans to the point that they would war against one another. In the meantime, it sought to develop a complicated multi-part Vitas that would possess phenomenal power. Using it to win the war and destroy all humans that were not Naturals, it would bring the new human race under its wing and spread out to replicate its success with the Nayrun, becoming a global presence.
Fortunately its plans hit many snags. A special task force was put together to deal with anti-artificial terrorism, but it was not until incidental interference by a young man named Lock Chamber that they began to experience serious troubles. Lock was travelling the world to train themselves in Vitas handling but by happenstance was constantly brought into conflict with the Way of Life's operations, defeating them repeatedly. Due to this interference, Lock was made a part of the task force shortly after he became a Vitas League Championship finals qualifier, unknowingly defeating Again's proxy- the psuedo-human named New. New was also recruited into the task force, acting as a double agent.
With New's assistance, the Way of Life's operations became radically more successful and none were the wiser. The finals of the Vitas League Championship were in fact a part of their plans, to obtain the many high class Vitas there and their owners to operate as a portion of the super Vitas. This ultimately failed, but New went ahead with it anyway by instead using the four heads of the Will of Life extremism. Now in possession of an insurmountably powerful Vitas, New revealed they had no interest in the Way of Life's goals and instead had their own plans. These plans began with destroying the entire island the finals took place on.
Now fully aware that the Way of Life was behind it all, the remaining task force attacked their headquarters to capture Samuels and hopefully get all the information they required. An avatar of Again with a number of Nayrun arrived shortly after them, sent to try and discover what had gone wrong with New and how to salvage the plan. They turned up just in time to see the defeated Samuels reveal the truth behind the religion and in a fit of rage Again killed him, but too late. Due to the gruelling battle they had been through the task force could not stop Again from leaving, passing the task of ending their interference to the Nayrun, who were narrowly defeated.
The task force now armed with the knowledge to create their own super Vitas set out to do just that. One of the items they required was a control device created from Again's core. Mounting an assault on Again's crater, Again attempted to convert the members as they progressed through its jungle, facing off against the various obstacles it placed in their way. Lock in particular conversed with Again, but the two could not convince the other to stop and in the end it was he that faced the core. Unable to defeat Lock, Again lost a segment of its core but enacted one last plan. Separating itself from the rest of the jungle, it revealed the enormously powerful volcano it had settled on was still active and merely suppressed by it. Inducing a gigantic eruption, Again vowed to return as the task force escaped.
This would be one of the factors that resulted in the world changing forever. The battle between the two super Vitas caused many electromagnetic pulses that disrupted technology as well as the sheer destructive might demolishing many locations world wide. Mankind could easily have recovered from this in a few years. However the eruption spread fragments of Again across the globe. In microscopic portions it induced an unprecedented amount of Bioiterum across the world, as well as causing new and stranger mutations especially in humans. Humanity was overrun and forced from its position as the dominant species.
Larger pieces of Again retained the memories and personality of the original, but unaware of others each began their own efforts to recover and continue their goals. Due to the apparent loss of Again's core, they were all relatively unimpressive entities that lacked the core's vast DNA library or the ability to create Vitae Sanguis. Each individual was however as crafty as the original and as skilled at Vitas creation once they had a source of Vitae Sanguis. Too weak to establish themselves in the rapidly evolving world, most Again fragments either went into hiding or attached themselves to developing groups, of humans or the newly emerging intelligent species.
During the fifty years that followed, Again was forgotten due to the loss of communication. The only people aware of Again were the surviving invaders of its home and the Nayrun themselves, who had split into three groups. The Bahrun (meaning Bahhyu's People or the Return People) believed Again's goals fell to them to achieve and roamed the world violently attempted to convert others to Again's teachings. The Yehrun (meaning Free People) saw Again's apparent demise as a positive thing and believed humanity should flourish without them, spreading out to help the newly weakened human race. Finally retaining the name Nayrun were those that believed Again was impossible to truly destroy and awaited their return at the site of their god's traditional home. However, Again remained wary of revealing itself to even them- as Lock Chamber was still alive and still in possession of the the Super Vitas. If made aware of Again's presence, they would surely be hunted down and destroyed.
A number of Again fragments went to unusual places and over the centuries developed into strange, specialised versions. Two pieces were taken in as samples to underground scientific research stations, that would be nicknamed Techno-Palaces in the future. The weaker fragment hid its sentience and allowed itself to be researched in depth, with the goal of improving itself. This fragment is known as Bio-Again. The other, stronger fragment did the opposite and took control of the station to use the humans for experimentation, with the goal of producing a trump card to retake the Earth. This one is called Techno-Again. Another piece contracted a disease that limited its strength for some time, forcing it to rely on a small tribe of humans for survival as nothing more than a talking head. This one is Sage-Again. Although several pieces fell into the ocean, one in particular became attached in an emerging undersea civilisation caused by the developing sentience of various life- it essentially recreated its success with the Nayrun with a race of undersea creatures called Rogons. Called Sea-Again. When several small pieces were blasted out of orbit to be drawn to the moon, they combined into one and partially terraformed the satellite, eventually establishing long range contact with the remaining Again fragments to act as a relay to unite them. This one is Lunar-Again. When one fell into the especially dangerous Vitas filled area known as the Cauldron of Death, it was unable to rely on underlings and instead became an especially dangerous direct combatant itself, crawling to the top of the food chain and becoming the most powerful combat incarnation of Again- War-Again.
(in progress)
Personality:
Again is, except under the most exceptional circumstances, patience itself. It is nearly impossible to rile up and retains a calm, even approach to everything it deals with. Largely detached from anyone it talks to, Again is extremely aware and accepting of its uniqueness and alien nature to other lifeforms. It chooses no name because it has no need to differentiate itself from others of its kind, is perfectly comfortable with being called an it or a monster. As the oldest living being on Earth by tens of millions of years, it assigns very little value to individuals (aside from itself of course) but essentially thinks of a species as a benchmark for importance. Not surprising, perhaps, as it is both its entire species and an individual.
Again speaks in a slow, deliberate manner represented by never using commas, instead always splitting what could easily be one sentence into two and rarely using contractions. This is purposeful as Again has absorbed the knowledge and skills of a huge number of modern language speaking humans- occasionally, it drops the method of speech and is much more direct. In particular, whenever defeated it says 'I'll be back. I'll always be back.'
Despite mostly being a very collected individual, Again has a gigantic amount of pride that if wounded induces intense, explosive anger. Although this is nearly impossible to do with words alone, somehow belittling Again through action can result in sudden rages that burn brightly for a short period before subsiding.
Again's focus is always on 'the greater good' and has absolutely no qualms about any method used to achieve it. As a being utterly alien to the human perspective it's unfair to apply such concepts as good or evil to it, but by most human standards it is evil as they come with no problem performing horrific acts and if not enjoying them, finding satisfaction in a job well done. That said depending on ones perspective Again could be considered either humanity's greatest ally or worst enemy. It will stop at nothing to protect the species from extinction and keep them in good health, but the cost is oppression and the loss of individuals for the greater whole.
Most of all, as befits the names given to it, Again is persistence personified and weathers every storm with an iron determination. Always ready to lose everything and start from scratch even if such a thing rarely occurs. Again is a survivor that has faced up against everything the world has thrown at it since before the dinosaurs.
In that regard its desire to be the gardener of mankind, to guide them and control their development (and prune what is undesirable) comes from many aspects of itself. Its pride refuses to be allow others to usurp its place as the master of Vitae Sanguis, but at the same time this is because it also believes it is the only one who can use such power responsibly as a part of the life cycle and not in defiance of it. As much as Again has no concern for singular humans, it sees the species as having a right to exist as much as any other but that has taken a tragic misstep in evolution that needs to be fixed. Although its claim to be the planet's will given form is an outright lie, it feels such a thing is necessary and seeks to essentially make that the truth by force. But in a way Again refuses to acknowledge, hindering humans is a way to preserve itself by preventing the rise of a dangerous rival.
Many of Again's flaws arise from the fact it has never had anyone it considered an equal to relate to. Whilst it feels itself innately superior to other forms of life it's largely not hateful in this regard. It simply thinks of itself as the superior to mankind in the same way that mankind assumes a superiority to animals. In the same way it has no qualm with altering the very nature of a species for its benefit or using them as a food source, but would kindly protect one in distress so long as that was not counter to its overall plans.
Abilities:
Again is essentially a jungle that consists of a singular gigantic organism that has adapted different aspects of itself to suit its needs. The core of the jungle is in the exact centre of an enormous volcanic basin with an area of approximately 120 square miles, in which the only native life is Again itself in a myriad of forms. For another 10 miles surrounding the crater Again is intermingled less densely. Whenever a part of its body is separated from the rest it experiences extreme shock and pain before entering a state of dormancy, appearing for all intents and purposes dead after thrashing about. However each of these 'clippings' contains Again's will and memories, able to recover when it absorbs sufficient nutrients. On rare occasions, small segments of Again are separated purposefully and then sent out, returning and being reintegrated into the main body when their missions are done.
Although Again does not posses any other psychic powers it is extremely skilled at psychometry, the ability to read an object's history by making contact with it. It is able to read into any object's past up until the point that its atomic structure underwent a radical, irreversible change. Though the range and clarity of its ability to read the past is unrivaled, Again has the unique limitation amongst users of psychometry that it cannot read information from living matter- though previously living matter is no problem. It is through psychometry that Again's own memories are stored and recovered rather than using a brain.
Its unique biology stores the DNA and absorbed information from other lifeforms it feeds on. These aspects are often used in adapting its body and as such strictly speaking calling it a plant is merely a matter of convenience due to the strange physicality it possesses. If a small enough piece of Again is still alive when it embeds itself into a lifeform, it can parasitically feed on it and slowly steal control of the body.
Again's true strength lies in its total mastery of Vitae Sanguis, the powerful mutagen material that produces the powerful creatures known as Vitas, granting life to lifeless material or new life to organisms, or even combining lives and objects into one. Again alone can take this a step further and grow entirely new lifeforms to its specifications. Although Again favours plant based Vitas, amongst these there is a great deal of variety of abilities. Again has further advantage over other Vitas users in that it requires no control device, as its body itself is the control device that sends orders to its thralls. With access to the absorbed DNA and preserved corpses of creatures from all periods of life on Earth, it can produce incomparable and powerful Vitas. Further it is uniquely capable of reanimating the dead and using a form of reversed psychometry to restore their conciousness (to various degrees of awareness), often using the dead as its personal guard dogs. A corpse of a strong human is often the base of an avatar, surrounded in plant matter.
Not too shabby in direct combat, typically when dealing with invaders it will put together a squad of Vitas or a singular strong one which it will command directly. Once that is defeated it will use the avatar controlling it in combat too. If that is defeated, this will repeat as it attempts to prevent approach to its core. If the core is destroyed, the entire body will experience the 'clipping' experience and be rendered dormant. The avatars are weaker than its Vitas, but are remarkably resistant to most forms of attack with a high rate of regeneration, but possesses a very low rate of mobility and agility. Up close it fights using slicing leaves, in mid-range vines and at long range it uses its signature attack, a powerful light beam from its eye. It is also capable of producing a variety of chemicals to induce harmful effects on its opponents or to bolster its Vitas.