She led him to a small room with a medical bed in the center, motioning for him to sit down. "We'll need to run some tests," she said, "to make sure you're not infected."
"Infect... what do you mean?" Asher asked, his heart beginning to race.
"The devourers," she said, her expression serious. "They've evolved since your time. They're smarter, more cunning. And they've developed ways of infiltrating our bloodlines."
Asher felt a cold sweat break out on his forehead. He had heard rumors of the devourers' abilities, but he had never encountered them himself. The idea that he could be infected with their DNA was terrifying.
The woman saw the fear in his eyes and took a step closer, laying a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry," she said. "We'll take care of you. We have ways of purging the infection, and your bloodline will be tested to ensure that there's no trace of their DNA."
Asher nodded, grateful for her reassurance. He knew that he was in good hands, but he couldn't shake the feeling of unease that was growing inside him.
As the woman prepared the medical equipment, Asher couldn't help but think back on the battle that had led him here. He had been fighting alongside Lyra and the Ulysses, trying to fend off an invasion of the devourers. They had been winning at first, but then something had happened. Asher had used the artifact, and everything had gone black.
He couldn't remember anything else after that. It was like he had been transported to another dimension, or another time.
And now he was here, being tested for an infection that he didn't even know he had.
The woman finished preparing the equipment and motioned for Asher to lie down on the bed. He complied, feeling the cold metal against his skin.
She inserted a small needle into his arm and began to draw blood, the vials filling up with a deep red liquid.
Asher watched in silence, his mind racing with questions. What was happening to him? How was he going to get back to his own time? And what was the artifact, and why had it transported him here?
But for now, he had no answers. All he could do was wait, and trust that the woman and her team would find a way to help him.
As they continued talking, Asher noticed that the woman's expression had shifted. She was no longer looking at him with suspicion or curiosity, but with a strange mixture of awe and concern.
"What is it?" he asked, noticing the change in her demeanor.
"It's your bloodline," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "It's... unusual."
Asher frowned. "What do you mean?"
The woman took a deep breath, as if gathering her thoughts.
"Your bloodline is... special," she said. "There are certain traits that run in your family line. Traits that have been passed down for generations. Traits that could be very valuable to our cause."
Asher felt a jolt of alarm. He had never heard anything about his bloodline being special before. He had always assumed that he was just a regular guy, born to regular parents.
"What traits?" he asked, his voice low.
The woman hesitated, as if unsure whether to reveal more.
"I can't say for certain," she said finally. "But there are legends... stories of a bloodline that possesses great power. Power that could turn the tide of a war."
Asher's mind raced. This was all so unexpected, so unbelievable. But he couldn't deny the feeling of excitement that was building within him. The idea that he might be part of something bigger, something greater than himself... it was exhilarating.
"What do you need me to do?" he asked, his voice steady.
The woman smiled, a glint of excitement in her eyes.
"We need to test your blood," she said. "To see if you have the traits we're looking for. It won't take long, and it's completely painless."
Asher nodded, feeling a sense of determination wash over him. He was ready to do whatever it took to help this cause, to find out the truth about his bloodline, and to get back to Lyra and the Ulysses.
The woman led him to a small room, where a technician was waiting with a strange-looking device. The device looked like a small, handheld scanner, and the technician explained that it would analyze Asher's blood and check for certain genetic markers.
Asher sat down in a chair, feeling a sense of anticipation and nervousness. The technician pricked his finger with a small needle, drawing a tiny droplet of blood.
The scanner beeped and whirred, and then the technician looked up, a look of surprise on her face.
"What is it?" Asher asked, feeling a sense of foreboding.
The technician hesitated for a moment, then turned to the woman who had brought Asher here.
"It's true," she said. "He has the markers."
The woman's eyes widened, and she looked at Asher with a mixture of awe and concern.
"You are one of them," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "One of the chosen."
Asher felt a surge of excitement and fear. He didn't know what this meant, or what kind of power he might possess, but he knew that his life would never be the same again.