Genre Bender Challenge: The Fountain of Youth

[Revision]

The point of a genre-bender is to take a well known, genre related trope or story starter and transplant it into another genre.

The Fountain of Youth

The Fountain of Youth is a staple of adventure quests, conquering heroes and villains, and get rich quick schemes. It is perhaps one of the most adaptable legends for any time, so take it and have fun with it. Without using Fantasy or Historical genres, write a short story about someone's quest for the fountain of youth or, alternatively, a description of what the Fountain is and why it is important in your genre of choice.

 

[Explicit Escritoire]

A futuristic alien race, known as the Alvus, is left with no memory of their past and no remnant to remember its journeys and lessons. They are, however, left with a prophecy. One of their people, one known as the "Higher" will stumble upon the Fountain of Youth. It is then that he will uncover a plague that threatens his peoples existence. He will be allowed to see his race, in its youthful days, and prevent the same terror of the past from happening once more.

The fountain has incredible energies. It takes the user apart, separating them into three different segments: Body, Emotions and Memories. The body is left for the return of the modified memories, but the emotions are erased. What the Higher will see within the fountain is something that cannot be prevented with the interruption of emotions. The memories turn to energy, flowing as if water, through the fountain. The memories are plunged into the cycle of the fountain, years of memories all comressed, repeating in the same cycle. They flow from the fountain, mingling with its waters, and returning to the pool below before erupting once more from the fountain.

Each cycle takes a thousand years, but lasts a mere day, for the urgency of the cycle is enhanced. Every thousand years, the race will begin a civil war. The war must be prevented or they will end their own existence. To this day, no one has ever succeeded in relaying the message. Will it be any different now?