Once back on earth they would realize that technology had progressed massively since their absence. They were slowly colonizing the solar system, setting up civilizations on mars, venus, and the moon.
The two of them would see the cooperation of society to try and better everyone. But it never changed the fact that wars would break out between the planets and still host civil wars on their own planets.
Delegations would happen as nothing ever got done. The two of them however would sit back and watch, absorbing the information between it all. It was not their business. He enjoyed each and every day, he learned more about himself, about technology. Learning how he can become a stronger individual. With each passing day he felt more ready to face him.
With each meditation session, he felt like he finally was free and empty deep down. Like he could finally live without any worries. Be free to experience life without the fear of being corrupted and turning into the monster he fears.
Centuries kept passing and Astral was running out of material to study. He sat back and relaxed as he could rejoin society. But he and Anders settled on their self isolation, they had what they needed from life, each other.
The world around them was slowly dying, so Astral made a capsule to store people in. Caring for Ander's long term safety he would make a cryo tube to keep her safe for long periods of time.
He went to social hot spots, where other humans have made civilizations. All of which were descendants of earth's initial colonies. With these colonies he would see how each one would take ideologies from the past.
Astral would note each and every one of these planets seeing them be completely devoid of all alien life as well. Either humans stayed evolved and were always power hungry and greedy murderers, or the alien races all would have wiped each other out. Leaving Astral in a circle.
Traveling through space he was looking for alien species to study, and found nothing new. He searched till the end of time, and all that existed in the universe was darkness. All of the stars were sniffed out. There was very little light outside of him.
Any planets not destroyed by the supernovae have been absorbed by black holes. Astral stood in the emptiness of space. He would look to the empty milky way and slowly drift back. Looking all around himself. Going to the point of deep meditation, not afraid of what comes next.
In this deep meditative state he would almost feel paralyzed by the density of nonexistence around him. He would be left to wonder what the future held. If there was any future for him in the first place he would be happy to find it.
The dark voice inside of him now would have been long gone as he flew around the empty space wanting to find the smallest hint of anything. It all would relate into nothing. He would just have to be patient. Forcing himself into a deep meditation.
Lucky for him, after a trillion years of self-meditation. He saw a small spark. He woke up, opening his eyes. Staring forward, the wave of energy from the big bang was coming directly toward him. Bracing for the impact. It slammed into him. Pushing him back into the corner of the universe.
He would travel back to the milky way, excited once more about the formation of Earth. The solidification of the other planets in the solar system with the creation of the sun. He felt a polarizing pull, feeling connected with the sun as a whole.
Waiting patiently he would stay adrift, Trying to have no effect on any outcome that dared happen to the planet's history. Wanting to get a baseline of what the universe has to offer. What earth's normal history was.
He felt so excited to learn many lost pieces of history. Astral grew anxious with this newfound excitement as he would fawn over the new knowledge he could learn. He would start from the formation of Earth. Watching as each biome changed and grew.
He wound tinker with a drone design. One design to be all across the planet and record any actions that happened. He would release it around the planet. Learning much about the past and how each animal species would live and thrive before flaring out. Each in it's own mass extinction event.
The prime example of this was the dinosaurs. Each era had its defining difference, but the one to bury the nail in the coffin would be the asteroid that the symbiote comes in. Astral watched as this one sought out earth and to clear out what was on the planet.
Watching the slow formation of the continents and of nature, the slow evolution of nature showed itself. Astral would be so self obsessed with each creature, and how it came to be even if the elements were surrounding him in snow and rain. He would hardly be bothered by it as the way the weather was, he would endure them any day of the week.
Astral took special measures to keep history intact. His drones would stay cloaked, looking like birds to keep them stealthed. He would be as far from humans as possible. Not wanting to expose himself one bit. Also avoiding to be hailed as a deity.
He would marvel on the many religions and how they all grew to be. Monitoring them on an individual basis. Making sure nothing goes awry. He wanted to note all of this history as his baseline. Seeing the cynical nature of the universe, he is happy to have as much to learn about his history as possible.
Sitting back he would learn from all of his drones. The plants they would harvest that have gone extinct. From different animal samples to the artifacts and materials from ancient times. These drones would do everything in their power to collect for Astral's personal museum and history collection.
This would be his excitement for the very far future, as humans wouldn't be evolved to keep their own history for another five hundred years at minimum. He would watch each and every aspect of their lives to learn more about humans as themselves.
Watching that the care of humans would slowly grow as they became more prosperous. The bonds between them weren't just for life, they were for all sorts of reasons. Each one being different than the last.
Wandering around the orbit he would be partially amused that the world indeed has not changed that much despite it being in theory, the past for him. Each person struggling to be the most powerful.
Occasionally joining in with the general populations. He would make sure to have himself blend in to make sure history would stay as normal as possible. Being able to walk around freely was a godsend compared to what normally used to happen. Where he was constantly hunted.
Each of these journey's would be its own staple. He got to learn and live from what societies that he had all the joy from studying when he was younger. Learning each path and fable coming into its own light.
He would first start at the mediterranean. The life of all of it came from here, he would start southward. Heading to Egypt and at this time they were building the pyramids. He would marvel at their dedication to detail. The math has to be just right.
He would study the stars with crystal clear vision without light pollution. Seeing how each one lined up by itself. Learning the exact math and coordinates to certain planets. Wanting to track them for his own reason and see how they move in the galaxy.
He was honored to read the library of Alexandria. The legendary library that he read all about and all of its lost knowledge. He would spend several days inside the library, and he found it fascinating.
When he walked out of the library, something was amiss. It was well past the date it normally burns down. Was the candle that he put out possibly the thing that let it spark ablaze?
He would enter the library one last time. Reading the works in there one last time before dropping a match on the floor, starting a fire before walking out and setting the building into a bonfire. He would head north.
He hung out with the Greeks, philosophizing away with many of the greats, each of them would have their own points of view on life in the world. Yet when disagreeing, none of them would hate each other. Just happy to learn a new idea.
He would be present for the battle of Troy, He would be fighting for Troy as a unstoppable force allowing for many to escape through the tunnels as he holds the chokepoint. Fighting alongside them, figuring out different tactics of war. Flanking strategies, seeing the trojan horse used in live action.
After his Greek adventures. He would head over to India. Meeting the Buddha.
"Sir, may I sit next to you and meditate?" Astral would be in his normal human clothes.
The Buddha would look at him and speak. "You may rest here, for you are a troubled person. You need to rest here for a moment."
"Thank you, Buddha." He would sit next to him and slow his breathing.
"You have the basics of meditation. What you must show yourself is the ability to let go of your surroundings." Buddha would speak and give Astral one final hint. With a quiet nod of his head. He zoned out and before he knew it. It became nineteen hundred.