I don't recall how many parts exactly the story had up to this point, prior to the ezboard hack, but there were definitely several that are gone forever. But nine were left unscathed. I'm such a fool for not having copies elsewhere. I wish I had a better memory, so I could at least try to rewrite some of what's missing. I'll try to recap as much as I can remember, though I fear I'll be forgetting plenty of stuff. Also it should be noted that on the board where this story originally appeared, after the hack I started a new thread, which I called volume 2. Now that I'm moving the story to this site, I'm changing that. Volume 2 is now the bit that started in the new Universe, so a few parts from the former volume 1 now comprise volume 2. Some of what's missing would also be in volume 2, but I think I'd like to have volume 3 be stuff that happened once civilization had begun anew. So a bit of what was lost would also figure into volume 3, as will, most likely, pretty much the rest of the story. We'll see....

I can say that at some point, Lucien met Dolores, the girl whose body God had been inhabiting, and he explained the situation to her. Some time later, God came to Lucien and asked him to relay messages to Dolores, as a mediary for a conversation. He wanted... hmmm, I think he wanted to apologize to her. And perhaps ask something of her, but now I can't imagine what. I think also Lucien said something that God might have called another victory for Lucien, but when Lucien said he'd enjoy his lead while it lasted, God said Lucien wasn't ahead, because he hadn't explained the point system properly. I think first of all he got alot of points just for calling God. But anyway, at the end of God's subsequent "conversation" with Dolores, he reluctantly agreed to leave her body for the remainder of her life, which meant he wouldn't be able to inhabit a sentient being again for a very long time. She spent the rest of her life with Lucien, as friends, but it was only like 3 years or something before she died of old age, despite still looking like a teenager. Then Lucien buried her, with the Template as a sort of unmarked headstone, while God looked on, perched on a tree in the body of a bird.

I'm sure there was also some point at which Lucien was drunk and talked to a sort of monkey thing, though I've no idea what he said to it, and of course it didn't comprehend or respond. I don't recall if this was before or after his time with Dolores, but I'd say most likely before.

Some time in the distant future, in the early days of civilization (and so now we're into volume 3), a member of a new cult brought a friend to listen to the leader, Lucien, speak. He told the listeners the complete truth. They already had an idea of a sort of devil who they called Shifter, who could move from being to being, human or animal, and who had been causing a great deal of trouble. Lucien convinced them Shifter was the one who called himself God, and that they both came from previous universes. I don't really remember what all he said, but he wanted to build up a religion to help guide the development of the world to oppose God. It then turned out that one of the people listening to his speech had been inhabited by God, who then had a bit of a conversation with Lucien. I don't really remember much of what they said to each other. I do recall that God said he might send people to Lucien who he thought might be receptive to his message, without letting them know that he himself was Shifter, or God, or whatever. And also that if Lucien thought he was getting an early start on the game, he was mistaken, because God had been putting plans into motion for thousands, or millions, of years, before there were even any evolved people on the planet.

Then God left the man's body, and Lucien took him into his tent to speak with some of his followers, including the two who had been listening to him. Well, it may have just been Lucien and these 3 people, I don't really remember, nor do I recall any of their names. I'll have to just randomly rename them, because I'll be talking about their descendants in future chapters. Um... let's call the one who was already a follower "Roj," I suppose. And let's call his friend "Larik." And the one God had inhabited, let's call "Tomas," just for the hell of it. Further, let's say there was another random person in the tent, though there may not have been. And let's call him "Gern." It seriously pisses me off that I don't remember any of their names nor what anyone said, and not even absolutely how many there were, but it doesn't really matter that much, I suppose. I mean, I'm sure Lucien already had more followers than that, and would continue to gain more. Anyway, one of the people at the meeting, let's say Larik, had come up with the concept of a written language, and Lucien said he would show him one, to make his work easier.

That's all I can remember, I'm afraid. And now... the story will pick up I suppose a few thousand years later, with volume 3, part one (or at least the first part that's actually... a part of the story, and not just notes)....

vol. 3, part one
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