Before time, there was only one.
An existence so complete, that it defied comprehension.
This singularity was the Almighty.
Within this entity was another.
A latent force, neither feeling nor thinking.
It was simply there.
When the Almighty decided to create, it split itself.
It became a being even more perfect.
Casting out the darkness to form the foundation of existence.
This expelled fragment became the Root of All Evil—It.
It was left powerless.
A mere shadow compared to the Almighty.
But within it lay the seeds of darkness and sin.
It watched as the Almighty shaped the cosmos.
Spun worlds into existence.
It lingered at the edges, sensing every pulse of life.
They were two parts of a whole,
But they were not equal.
The Almighty was the force of creation.
It was the void, the absence, the shadow.
It was both a part of creation and apart from it.
Not envious, not hateful, simply existing.
It was the necessary darkness to the Almighty's light.
A counterbalance.
The chaos that gave birth to order.
And though it held no power, it had a purpose.
It was the darkness that made the light possible.
The unseen force shaping outcomes from the shadows.
Always present, always essential, just as it was meant to be.
As the Almighty wove the fabric of reality,
It remained a constant presence.
Invisible, yet integral to the design.
The Almighty breathed life into the void,
Creating stars, planets, and all forms of life.
It felt every heartbeat, every breath,
A silent witness to the wonders of creation.
It was the balance to the Almighty's overwhelming power.
The silence to the symphony.
The stillness to the motion.
They were forever linked,
Two sides of a cosmic coin.
One the All, the other the None.
It did not crave power,
Nor did it seek recognition.
It simply was,
An eternal part of the divine plan.
The Almighty then created the angels.
To tend to its creation,
To oversee the unfolding of its grand design.
The angels were beings of light and duty.
Tasked with maintaining the harmony of the cosmos.
Yet, to the Almighty, they were just tools,
Instruments to execute its will.
It did not care for the angels,
They simply were.
Unfeeling, unthinking,
Carrying out their roles in the divine order.
It watched the angels with detached interest,
Aware of their existence but unmoved by it.
They were just another piece of the cosmic puzzle,
Fulfilling their purpose without question or deviation.
The angels created a kingdom for the new creation.
A place of beauty and harmony,
It was part of it, its linchpin.
At the center of the kingdom lay the Garden.
The chaos upon which the order would thrive.
It was the plane on which the kingdom was built.
Its roots spread, held, and interlocked.
A new creation was heralded by Him.
It didn't know what the new creation was.
For it was not the Almighty.
Yet, it knew in advance what the new creation was.
For it was the Shade of the Almighty.
The one above all.
The one below all.
It remained the shadow,
The silent observer,
The constant presence in the background of creation.
Always there, always watching,
But never interfering.
The Almighty then turned its attention to Man.
A new creation, different from all others.
Adam.
He was different.
Made in His image.
Adam was formed from the dust of the ground,
Breathed into life by the Almighty.
He was a reflection of the divine,
A being of potential and purpose.
The Almighty gave Adam dominion over Eden,
A paradise filled with life and wonder.
Adam was to tend to this garden,
To name the creatures and care for the land.
It watched Adam with a deeper interest,
Sensing something unique in this creation.
Adam was not like the angels,
He possessed free will, the ability to choose.
Adam explored Eden,
Discovering its secrets,
Naming its creatures.
He walked with the Almighty,
Learning, growing,
Becoming more than just a creation.
Man was not perfect.
He was flawed and limited.
Yet, it was these imperfections
That made him remarkable.
He made mistakes,
Stumbled and fell,
But always rose again.
His resilience was his strength,
His curiosity, his driving force.
In his eyes was a spark,
A yearning to understand,
To grasp the mysteries of creation.
The Almighty saw this and was pleased.
Adam's imperfections were not failures,
But growth opportunities.
He could learn and adapt
That set him apart from all other creations.
Adam's less made him more,
His weaknesses became his strengths.
In his ignorance, He found wisdom.
It observed this journey,
The evolution of Adam's soul.
He was a mirror reflecting the divine light,
Yet also the shadows within.
A being of duality,
The perfect balance of creation.
The Garden flourished under Adam's care,
His hands shaping the land,
His mind understood its secrets.
He was the steward of Eden,
The caretaker of life itself.
It liked Adam.
Something was endearing in his imperfections,
A beauty in his flaws.
Adam's journey was a story worth watching,
A tale of potential and growth.
Perfectly imperfect.
Yet, within this paradise,
There lay a single command,
A test of his free will:
Do not eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
It knew this command was crucial.
The linchpin of All existence.
For within Adam's choice lay the potential.
For both greatness and ruin.
Yet, Adam was incomplete.
For he was one.
not a part of a whole.
So, the Almighty made a second Adam.
It was not Adam.
Lilith.
A female.
a half of a pair.
Like All Creation.
Lilith was like Adam.
It liked Lilith.
But as time passed, a shadow of It crept into her heart.
A blemish on her Soul.
Not by choice.
Not by malice.
not by desire.
For It had none.
It simply was.
She began to feel inadequate compared to Adam.
Lilith began to doubt.
the angels noticed this change in Lilith
they saw her growing discontent
and they grew concerned
Lilith's doubts could not be allowed to spread
they needed to be eradicated
so the angels intervened
they reminded Lilith of her purpose.
of her duty to Adam and to the Almighty
they reminded her of the consequences of disobedience
"Humble yourself."
but Lilith's doubts had taken root
they could not be so easily dismissed
she began to distance herself from Adam
to question his authority and his superiority
Adam, in turn, was puzzled by Lilith's behavior
he tried to reassure her, to comfort her
but Lilith could not be comforted
Adam seemed perfectly imperfect, while Lilith simply felt flawed
this stirred something in Lilith
her doubts had grown too strong
Doubt the Angels.
Doubt the Almighty.
Doubt Adam.
And trusting the Arrogant and Flawed.
"I understand you."
"I am the same."
He spewed his venom.
His own failures a mirror to hers.
As she felt less, a desire for more grew
but it was forbidden.
She was meant to be Adam's equal
not his rival.
Lilith and Flawed joined together, each feeding the other's delusions, believing they were meant for more than the Almighty had planned.
It did not like the Arrogant and Flawed.
It did not like the Failed Second.
Their union deepened their descent into darkness, blinding them to the truth and alienating them further from their true purpose.
Their arrogance led to their downfall, consumed by their pride and ambition.
They were found.
Rejected.
Disowned.
Judged and found imperfect.
The Taxiarch wanted to remove them.
Permanently.
It agreed.
As did God's Love, Wisdom, and the One who Heals.
The Almighty's Justice, Death, Messenger, Glory, and Mercy disagreed.
Too presumptuous, the High Seraphim declared.
The Flawed One and the Lesser Half were banished.
The First Man was alone.
Until the Lord returned and created another, he was alone.
Until the Lord returned and made it part of One, It was alone.
Two halves waiting for completion.
It approached the First Man as he rested on the outskirts of his kingdom.
It did not talk.
It could not talk.
It was a silent observer of the First Man,
The abyss looked at him, and he looked back.
He smiled.
His senses unknowingly saw It beneath the Garden.
Catching glimpses of Its roots hidden where none should see.
Despite her silent presence, he greeted It,
Acknowledging Its existence.
"I'm happy you finally decided to visit me. Quite shy, aren't you?"
he mused aloud as if expecting a response from the quiet entity before him.
"I am Adam. What's your name, Hidden One?"
Adam smiled at It,
A question formed in his eyes as he asked for its name,
unaware of its inability to answer.
There is no response,
for It had no name;
It simply existed in silence,
an unseen presence in the garden.
Adam's brow furrowed momentarily,
a contemplative expression crossing his features,
before a smile spread across his face.
"That simply won't do," he declared, his voice carried a tone of determination and finality.
"That won't do," he repeated firmly.
"You need a name." His gaze wandered across the garden, seeking inspiration.," he decided, his soul resonated with the decision,
Accepting it wholeheartedly,
As if guided by a force beyond his understanding.
His eyes swept over the lush greenery of the garden, searching for inspiration.
"Since you're rooted in so many ways,..."
Vivid sparks scattered across Its roots.
What was It? Who was It?
Even if it was less.
A mere shade, void.
Incomparable to the Almighty, for he had no equal.
Even if It cannot be proud of anything as an angel. Even if It cannot be praised for anything as a human.
—As if to answer those questions of why It had been spread across this Creation.
Even if it was nothing more than a shade, a watcher who, from the beginning, only ever gazed at all above It.
From the start, It was a foreign abomination.
From the start, It never had a place to belong.
Merely existing as the boundary that divides the heavens and the Earth, the Garden, and the universe.
That divides the Almighty and his image.
That was all it was.
All it was supposed to be.
Yet, for the first time, It felt anticipation.
"..Roo."
In naming her made her less;
In making her less, he made her more,
And for the first time, Roo knew desire.
✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏
The fabric of Hell trembled, the aftermath of destruction echoing through its fiery corridors. Rivers of lava surged and twisted, their molten tongues licking at the charred earth. The sky cracked open, unleashing torrents of hellfire that bathed the landscape in an eerie, crimson glow.Mountains crumbled into dust, their ancient peaks reduced to rubble by the relentless onslaught of chaos. Demonic structures, once proud and imposing, now lay in ruins, their twisted spires reaching futilely toward the heavens.
The very air seemed to thrum with a malevolent energy, a sense of unrest that permeated every corner of the damned realm. It was as if Hell itself was rebelling, rejecting the sins and suffering that had defined it for eons.
In the lowest ring of Hell, the Sloth Ring, Lucifer's confession continued, his once-proud demeanor shattered, replaced by a raw display of vulnerability and remorse. His body was a canvas of agony, blood, and tears mingling in a macabre dance of suffering. The weight of his sins bore down on him, crushing him under their unbearable burden.
"I thought... I thought I could do better," he whispered, the words barely audible amidst his anguish. Each syllable was a struggle, a painful admission of his inadequacies.
The weight of his sins pressed down on him, a crushing burden that threatened to consume him. He was broken, a shell of his former self, brought low by his own hubris.
"I wanted... I wanted to be more," he choked out, his voice barely above a whisper. The desperation in his words was palpable, a last gasp of hope in the face of overwhelming despair.
"I'm sorry... I never meant to," he murmured, the words a mantra of regret, a lament for all that could have been but was lost to his pride.
"I'm sorry... I never meant to," he repeated, each "sorry" a heavy stone of regret, weighing down his already burdened soul. The words echoed in the cavernous depths of Hell as the realm of the damned ripped itself apart, a lament for all that could have been but was lost to his pride.
"I'm sorry... I never meant to," he whispered again, the repetition of his failings. Each syllable was a knife twisting in his heart, a painful acknowledgment of the pain he had caused.
"I'm sorry... I never meant to," he choked out once more, the words catching in his throat. His voice was raw with emotion, the sincerity of his apology unmistakable. As Lucifer's confession reached its peak, a powerful blow silenced his pleas. A massive fist crashed down on his throat, crushing it. His cries of agony turned into a choked, wheezing gasp as he struggled for breath that wouldn't come. Shock and pain filled his wide eyes as his consciousness was driven back to his current reality.
"You keep prattling over and over about things that make sense, I don't care about," Adam growled, his voice laced with cold fury, as he drove his knuckles into Lucifer's shattered windpipe. "Are you trying to make me even more furious, Serpent?"
Adam's grip tightened around Lucifer's throat, his knuckles white with the force. The once magnificent angel, now a broken creature, gasped for air, his eyes pleading for mercy. But Adam was unyielding, his gaze cold and unforgiving
"God? The only god to you is me," Adam declared, his voice cutting through the air like a blade. He leaned in closer, his face inches from Lucifer's, his eyes ablaze with fury.
"I have no interest in whatever delusions and dreams you're experiencing. Adam continued, his tone dripping with disdain. "I asked you about Eve. Where is she?" A choked sob was the response he received. "Im..sor." Adam's palm came crashing down on Lucifer's face, driving his head further into the ground. Lucifer's body convulsed with the force of the blow
"I tire of repeating myself," Adam growled, his voice a low, menacing rumble. "Where is Eve?"
Lucifer coughed and sputtered, blood mixing with the dust of Hell as he struggled to speak. the last embers of regeneration barely keeping him from dying "I'm... sorry," he managed to gasp out, his voice barely a whisper.
Adam's palm came crashing down on Lucifer's face once more, the force of the blow driving his head further into the unforgiving ground. The sound of bone against stone filled the air. "Tell me," Adam demanded, his voice cold and unyielding. "Where is Eve!?" Lucifer's voice was a hoarse whisper, barely audible amidst the chaos of Hell. "I'm sorry... I never meant to," he repeated the words in a desperate plea for forgiveness.
But Adam was unmoved, his gaze hard and unrelenting. He grabbed Lucifer by the throat, "Tell me where she is!" Adam's voice thundered, echoing through the fiery abyss.
Lucifer's eyes pleaded for mercy, but Adam's heart was cold. He tightened his grip, squeezing the life out of the fallen angel. "I'll ask you one last time," Adam said, his voice low and dangerous. "Where is Eve?"
In response, Lucifer could only gasp and wheeze, his body wracked with pain. Unable to speak, he closed his eyes, bracing himself for the inevitable.
Lucifer's heart sank as he heard Adam's heavy growl, the silence that followed filled only with the echo of his own heavy breathing, a loud sound in the tense air. The weight of Adam's knee pressed down on his ribcage, suffocating and oppressive. Then came the sound of a single clap, sharp and piercing, breaking the silence like a crack of lightning. Adam's voice, falsely cheerful and dripping with sarcasm, cut through the silence. "Very well! I believe you!" Each word was like a dagger, twisting in Lucifer's already wounded pride.
"I have no idea what kind of badly conceived mockery of history your dying brain conjured for you to confuse it with reality, but I more or less got the gist of it," Adam said, his words cutting through the air like a knife. "Long story short, it's your fault, right?"
Lucifer's remained silent, trying to comprehend Adam's words through the haze of pain. He knew he was responsible for his actions, and for the choices he had made. But to hear it spoken so bluntly, so mercilessly, by the one he had once called brother, it was almost too much to bear.
"You want redemption, right?" Adam's voice dripped with sarcasm. Lucifer opened his eyes to look at Adam and found himself staring into bloodied, manic, heterochromatic eyes—one golden, the other blue with intersecting red lines. Blood dripped from Adam's eyes, cracks spreading across his face from the intensity of his grin.
"Your God is here, and he will judge you now."
Adam's mind had been fully consumed by rage. The sight was terrifying, the sheer force of his fury palpable in the air.
At that moment, Lucifer knew that there would be no redemption, no forgiveness. He was alone, abandoned by his creator, and condemned by his own pride. He tried to speak, to plead for understanding, but all that escaped his lips was a pained sob. Adam's fingers grabbed his sole remaining arm in a vice grip, lifting it and letting the blood pool down from Lucifer's hand, where Adam had bitten the fingers off.
"Was it this hand? It was this hand, right? The one that dared accuse my Eve? The one that dared to point to that Tree?" Adam asked, his voice cold and devoid of any empathy.
Lucifer's eyes widened in terror and pain, unable to respond, his body shaking with the agony of his injuries.
Adam tightened his grip, the edges of his nails digging into Lucifer's skin.
"Your God asked you a question, Serpent," he growled, shaking Lucifer's arm for emphasis. "Answer me!" Lucifer's sobs grew more desperate, his once defiant spirit now utterly broken. He could barely muster the strength to nod, the pain overwhelming his senses.
Adam's grip tightened further, his nails piercing deeper. In a horrifying instant, he tore Lucifer's arm from his body, the sound of ripping flesh and snapping bone echoing through the desolate land. Lucifer screamed, a raw and primal sound, as his blood sprayed across the ground. His vision blurred with tears and agony, his body convulsing in shock. Adam stood over him, holding the torn limb, his eyes filled with glee.
"Don't be like that, Samael!" Adam said, shaking his head with mock disappointment. with a cruel smile as he tossed the severed arm aside, his voice dripping with sarcasm and malice. "This is simply part of your repentance. Isn't your God merciful?"
Adam's hands then moved to Lucifer's jaw, cradling his face gently, his voice soft and deceptively tender. He raised Lucifer's head next to his own, their noses almost touching.
"Now, tell me, Samael," Adam whispered, his breath hot against Lucifer's bloodied skin. "Was it this mouth? The one that dared to utter filth and lies to my innocent Eve?"
Lucifer's eyes widened in terror, his broken body trembling as Adam's fingers tightened around his jaw. His mind raced, but no words came, only a choking sob as the pain and fear consumed him.
Adam's grip grew firmer, forcing Lucifer's mouth open, his fingers digging into the soft flesh. "Answer me, Serpent," he hissed, his voice chilling.
Lucifer's response was a strangled cry, a desperate attempt to plead for mercy. But Adam showed none. With a sudden, brutal force, he wrenched Lucifer's jaw, the sound of tearing flesh and snapping bone echoing in the hellish landscape. Adam's rage erupted like a volcano, shaking the very foundations of Hell as he slammed Lucifer down into the unforgiving ground. With a ferocity born of righteous fury, he unleashed a relentless assault, tearing into Lucifer with savage abandon. "Repent, Samael, Repent!"
Each blow was accompanied by a perverse declaration of mercy, a mockery of Lucifer's futile attempts at redemption. The air was thick with the sounds of destruction, a symphony of pain and suffering conducted by Adam's vengeful hands. Blood splattered across the barren landscape, mingling with the dust and ashes of the damned. Lucifer's cries echoed through the desolate expanse, a chorus of agony that reverberated through the depths of Hell.
Adam's eyes burned with a fanatical zeal, his every movement fueled by a divine fervor. He seemed almost possessed, driven by a mad determination to cleanse the world of Lucifer's sin.
Adam's voice thundered across the desolate landscape, each word a twisted mockery of Lucifer's supposed repentance. "Behold the mercy of your God!" he bellowed, his words dripping with scorn. "See how He forgives your sins!"
With each strike, he praised himself, a cruel parody of divine grace. "I am merciful!" Adam proclaimed, his voice filled with false piety. "Even the fallen can find redemption in my infinite compassion!"
As he tore into Lucifer's flesh, Adam's praise grew louder, more mocking. "Praise be to my justice!" he cried, each blow a twisted form of retribution. "For I punish the wicked and reward the righteous! With each tear, each cry of pain, Adam announced himself to be the arbiter of divine will. "Praise be to my wisdom!" he declared, his eyes ablaze with twisted zeal. "For I know the hearts of men, and judge them accordingly!" As the brutal assault continued, the force behind Adam's blows began to wane. His voice, once thunderous with mockery, grew weaker, each word more strained than the last. His breathing became shallow, his chest rising and falling in ragged gasps.
His eyes, once filled with malicious glee, now showed signs of weariness and fatigue. They lost their fiery intensity, replaced by a tired emptiness. His head hung low, the weight of his actions bearing down on him.
His arms, which had been so eager to deliver punishment, now hung loosely by his sides, the strength draining from them. With each passing moment, Adam seemed to shrink, his once imposing figure diminished. He looked down upon the serpent's bloodied form, a mangled mass of flesh covered in glistening, golden blood. Its features were unrecognizable, bones shattered, flesh torn to shreds.
Yet, he felt nothing. No triumph, no satisfaction. Only a profound weariness as the flames of rage within him flickered and died.
"Where is she..." he whispered, his voice barely audible. A pair of slender arms wrapped around his body from behind, their touch gentle yet firm, offering a sense of comfort amidst the chaos of his emotions. Adam felt the warmth of a body pressed against his back, the subtle curves of a woman's form-fitting against him.
"I am here," a soft voice whispered, the words carrying a soothing melody that eased the ache in his heart.
Adam's breath caught in his throat as he recognized the voice. He found her. She was here, with him, in this desolate place. The ache in his ribs was the sweetest sensation he'd ever felt.
Though he couldn't see her, he could feel her presence, her essence enveloping him in a familiar embrace. It was as if she had never left his side, as if she had been with him all along.
Tears welled up in Adam's eyes as his head leaned back, to lay on her shoulder, to feel her presence more tangibly.
"My love...," he murmured, his voice filled with longing and love. "I thought I failed you...." She held him tighter, her touch a soothing balm to his weary soul. "You could never fail me, Adam," she reassured him, her voice filled with unwavering love. "You are my eternal companion, my other half. We are bound together, now and forever." She held him tightly, her embrace warm and reassuring against his weary frame. "You must have suffered so much," she whispered softly, her voice filled with empathy and understanding.
"But now, all will be good," she continued, her tone shifting to one of determination. "You should just leave it all to me."
She declared, her voice resonating with confidence and purpose.
"Together, we will herald the Era of True Despair,"