Regarding the origin of the Flood in Halo’s deep lore. They’re stemming from the ancient Precursor dust in those jars.
I imagine the flood didn’t show up immediately after that.
I like to think it took time.
At least several centuries. Maybe even a millennia or two.
Or more.
But not while the ancient humans and San’Shyuum were discovering the stuff and the Pheru incidents happened.
Not initially.
I imagine the earliest forms of the infection were mostly harmless. Seemingly innocuous and perhaps even seemingly (key word!) benign.
That at first the dust caused enhancement of the senses, hyper-awareness and stimulation of the brain.
Enhancing everything down to the microscopic level. Internal bodily bacteria and the like.
Accompanied later on (generationally speaking) by slow physical mutations and growths. Barely noticeable at first.
Before eventually slowly turning those infected over to madness at a later stage.
Followed then by cannibalism, enhanced prominence of the growths and deformities, monstrous births, and so on.
After which, THAT eventually became what we now know as the Flood.
I’m just speculating but this is how I imagine it went.
Especially after reading Blood Music and Darwin’s Radio.
