It's unclear to me whether it was a matter of evolution or awakening. That is to say, I'm not certain if the violet poison turned into the all consuming virus it is now, or if it always was that way. Either is possible.
Was it an infection, carried across the universe like interstellar pollen, or a remarkable resource, mutated into a monstrosity? Was our garden invaded, or twisted by the greed and ambition of its keepers? I don't know the answer. I'm not sure it matters.
What's clear is that it's merciless. Unfeeling. It's driven by base instincts and primal emotion - propagation, hunger, and hatred - and it spreads those to its shadows. Hatred most of all.