Infection

"It only takes 5 days for you to become like them. And you only have 3 days left. You better hurry, kid."

Elder Fool - Chapter 10

**The Infection** is the process, when Darkness slowly infects you and turns you into an Empty. It takes approximately 5 days until Darkness fully gains control over your body. If your spirit is stronger than usual and your conscience is more tough, Darkness might not be able to completely control you. The Empties like this are called Gainers, because sometimes they are able to remember their real identity and rule over Void for a little time.

## Source of **Infection**

The reason that most beings in the Void are part of the hive-mind, is because the fusion of Dust and Darkness claims their minds and bodies over time. It is not exactly known why this fusion causes this effect, but it is really effective. It is unknown if the **Infection** existed before The Shifting, because there were no living beings in the Ancestor Void to prove any theory. Solarity might play a role in it, but it is only a speculation.

## The Process

In the earlier times, this process took approximately 10 days or more. But as more inhabitants began to live here, Dust thrived, and more of it was created every second. It not only sped the process but also began to conquer other worlds, because the Rifts were unable to contain that much. Now it only takes 5 days until Darkness claims you and turns you into an Empty.

### Phase 1 (Day 1)

The first thing you notice is that Dust slowly begins to stick on you. "As my light was shining so bright on the dark, melancholic street, I noticed particles, some kind of powder that seemed to find my body a little to comfortable." On the first day you won't notice anything strange, because Dust is unable to fade trough the fabric of your clothes in this little time. It is only on your clothes, like a powder, nearly invisible.

### Phase 2 (Day 2)

"I felt a strange feeling on my back. I was itching, but the feeling was not the same. It was not like you are stabbed by soft thorns, like usually. It was like you are burned, but there was no pain, only a little annoying stimulus," On the second day, Dust reaches your skin, more precisely the epidermis. It slowly starts to spread, but on the second day, it is far from covering your whole body. By the end of the day, little black dots are visible in some places, where the most Dust have concentrated,

### Phase 3 (Day 3)

"And I stood there, after this trip trough the pale darkness, it felt I the process the Elder was talking about is true. I am slowly becoming one with my surroundings. And my skin, it is darker..." On the third day, Dust completely covers your body. More black dots appear and together they start to turn the tone of your skin darker. Know, you feel that itching feeling all around your body, and you feel cold all the time. The feeling of being numb is also described by Brighty. At the end of the day, Dust completes it's role in the **Infection** by creating a "black spot". A part on your body, usually on the back or on stomach, where the most Dust concentrated, and it is the point where Darkness can enter your body.

### Phase 4 (Day 4)

"Everything hurts. Every single part of my body that I move results in indescribable pain. And the world seems different, I feel different. I think there is no turning back." On the beginning of the fourth day, Darkness enters your body on the road Dust paved for it. It begins to spread all around your insides, causing horrible pain, slowly occupying everything, so when the time come, it will be able to gain total control. It aims for the brain, however on day four it only spreads out in the rest of your body. Your behavior also changes. You begin to lose your identity and feel everything around you as it is the part of you. You will see what others see, feels what other feel, think what others think. But yet only as visions, it didn't reach your head yet. You are beginning to turn empty, numb and negative. You will give up all hope, and from this point, there is no return.

### Phase 5 (Day 5)

"Slowly, Darkness took over me. But it was not me anymore, it was us. I felt them all, everyone around me. I was shocked for a moment, but then everything went away. A shade left my body, it carried colors. As I watched it fly away, and moments after, the blinking light in my chest stopped blinking, and faded forever." On day five, the **Infection** comes to an end. Before Darkness takes over completely, all your pain will go away. It should be a good sign, but by the time, you realized what will happen, and you are ready for it, because all your feelings have been drained from you by then. Darkness takes over your mind, resulting in a shade leaving your body. That shade is a part of Darkness which contains your conscience, memories, feelings. It flies to the Eternal Flame to add your former self into the Flame. Your light slowly fades, and your outside becomes dark and terrifying. You are now part of the hive-mind.

## Cure

There is nothing that can cure the **Infection**. However, there is a way to slow down the process or even wipe someone out from the hive for a short period of time. The process could be slowed down by the Bluelights. If these creatures are cooked the right way, it could make your skin brighter, shinier, which takes more time for Dust to infect. The other option is to splinter someone out from the hive-mind. It could only be done by one thing, The Red Blaze. The Red Blaze is a material from the Red World, in the Void it is found in the Lantern of the Moles, which is the property of the Lantern Hoarder. The Red Blaze, if you inhale it, can splinter you out for a short period of time (1 day). There is no constant cure in the Void to cure the **Infection** though.

## Resistance

There are also some creatures who are resistant to the **Infection**. All of them is resistant because Darkness has no effects on them, however Dust is on their skin. The prime example are the Baan'tuus. Their scales give natural protection against Darkness. Although, they need to be on the move all the time, because if they don't find enough food, their scales will fall out. They feed on coal mostly, which is mostly around asteroid fields, but in the Void, commonly floating coal ores are not a special thing. There are also the Firrgwala’r, who, unlike the Baan'tuus, are not protected by their skin. They were created trough the Shifting, and they were blessed with the ability to be resistant to Darkness. Some settlements are protected from Darkness with scales of Baan'tuus, after some people discovered that they protect them. The Facility is also resistant, because it's chains connect it to the other worlds and the two worlds' power are resistant to Darkness. However, one word's power alone is unable to hold back Darkness.