Adam and the Shade sat across from each other in the dimly lit room, their postures mirroring a solemn reflection of the weighty conversation they had just shared. The flickering lights from outside cast dancing shadows across the walls. The Shade's hands were clenched into tight fists, his shoulders slightly hunched forward Adam, on the other hand, sat with a thoughtful expression, his brow furrowed in deep contemplation.
Adam broke the silence first, his voice measured. "Consumed by that Thing," he echoed. "You mean...?"
The Shade nodded silently.
Adam furrowed his brows as he pondered the Shade's words, trying to grasp the full implications of what he had just heard.
"What exactly is that Thing?" Adam's question lingered in the air, its weight underscoring the seriousness of their situation. Leaning in slightly, he fixed his gaze on the Shade, hoping for clarity about whatever the creature he faced was. "It's clear that it's not a regular demon."
The Shade's eyes flickered with sorrow. "The Root of All Evil," he began, his voice low and filled with bitterness. "It's more than just a corrupted entity. It's the embodiment of all the darkness, sin, and evil in the world. It's the Antithesis of God, the very opposite of everything pure and holy."
Adam's expression grew more serious, the weight of the Shade's words sinking in. "So, it's not just a creature. It's a force of nature, driven by the worst parts of creation."
"Exactly," the Shade replied, his tone growing more intense. "It existed before all else, split from the Almighty when creation began. While God created order and light, It was the darkness and chaos, the counterbalance to everything good. But unlike God, it was powerless on its own. It had no form, no direction..... At least, not until I named it."
Adam's eyes widened with realization. "You named it?"
Despite how much he tried to downplay his duty in the Garden to his children, bestowing a name to an object was a powerful act. It is not merely about assigning a label. Names have the ability to transform perception, shaping the essence and influence of objects in profound ways. A name gave identity, purpose, and sometimes, power.
It made things more.
"Yeah," the Shade grumbled, his voice low and bitter, punctuated by a weary sigh. "I thought I was just doing what I was supposed to—naming shit, categorizing, trying to make sense of it all. Didn't think it'd turn out like this. Was supposed to be harmless. it seemed harmless until it wasn't. Gave it a name, a purpose: Roo whose roots spread through all creation."
"After I named it, nothing much happened at first," the Shade explained with a shrug. "Roo got more lively, its roots spread faster through the garden. It was like everything got a bit better—the air smelled sweeter, the flowers looked prettier, and even the critters seemed happier. It was clingy too, always wrapping its roots, and followed around me like some damn puppy. Didn't talk, but I felt its vibe, ya know? kept filling my head with how much it loved me and shit... and I believed it."
He let out a sigh, his expression clouding with regret. " Made me think it was harmless, maybe even a buddy. Guess I was a sucker, bought into its act. Thought it was innocent, but turns out it was playing me."
Adam nodded thoughtfully, absorbing the Shade's words. "So it laid low?" he asked, seeking clarification.
The Shade scoffed, spitting to the side "Yeah, fuckin' laid low. Even after I named the bastard and turned it into less of a concept and into a proper creature, it was still fuckin' stuck," he grumbled, frustration evident in his voice. "Trapped in that damn Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil."
Adam listened intently, his brow furrowing deeper. It always came back to that damn tree. He leaned back, crossing his arms, and looked hard at the Shade. Not just a glance—he peered into him, eyes glowing slightly as he examined the core of his soul, or at least what was left of it. A faint taint was present, but there wasn't a trace of it.
His nose confirmed it too—no smell of the First Sin.
"All with little differences here and there."
"Most likely, she is in Hell. As a punishment for accepting the Fruit of Knowledge of Good and Evil from the Prince of Lies."
"You never ate the apple," Adam said. "Eve did."
The Shade nodded, looking far older than his face showed. "I told her not to... I fucking told her not to, but..." His voice broke, barely a whisper. His eyes were filled with a deep, aching sorrow. His shoulders slumped, and his gaze fell to the ground. "But she... she didn't listen. She chose to ignore me and listen to those fucking backstabbing pieces of shit!"
Adam let out a heavy sigh, the weight of the revelation settling over him. "So, Roo's power, its corruption... it all came from Eve eating the apple."
"Yeah," the Shade muttered, his voice tinged with regret. "After she ate it, everything changed. Roo wasn't just some harmless entity anymore. It became something more... something dangerous. It was no longer a chained concept. It had a vessel."
"...You said 'those,' as in plural," Adam asked, trying to veer off the painful memories. It was clear that the Shade in front of him desperately wished not to recall what happened, and Adam had already heard the biased recounting of the Serpent. The conclusion he reached back in his frenzied rage hadn't changed. It was all the Serpent's fault. "I take it this means that the 'Lilith' woman is not just a figment of the Serpent's imagination."
The Shade's jaw clenched at the mention of the name, and his nose flared. "That's who 'and his whore' was referring to. That fucking bitch wasn't satisfied by stabbing me in the back, she just had to fucking ruin Eve too." His fists tightened, the anger and betrayal evident in his voice. "Lilith... she was there, whispering in Eve's ear, feeding her lies, pushing her to take the apple. It wasn't enough for her to leave me; she had to drag Eve down with her."
Adam's expression darkened as he listened to the Shade's words. "So, Lilith was working with the Serpent? They both manipulated Eve?"
"Yeah, they were in it together. The Serpent tempted Eve, and Lilith was there to reinforce the lies, to twist the truth. She made Eve believe that eating the apple would set her free, and make her more." Angry and sorrowful, the Shade nodded." They played her, and she fell for it."
Adam's fists clenched at his sides. He asked again."So, Eve's action... it wasn't just a moment of weakness. She was manipulated by those two. They turned her against you?"
"Fucking yes! They used her! They told her that... that she wasn't good enough for me. That she was gonna get replaced when I got bored of her." The Shade's face hardened, his voice trembling with anger. "Fucking pieces of shit, playing with her mind, twisting everything."
Adam grits his teeth hard enough that they threaten to crack, and his gums begin to bleed. It wasn't him. It wasn't his Eve. Yet, it was hard to disassociate.
Adam's eyes widened in disbelief, then narrowed in a fury so intense it seemed to darken the very air around him.
'Adam growing bored with Eve?'
'Eve not being good enough for him?'
The thought alone was blasphemous. How dare they even insinuate that he, Adam, would ever consider Eve anything less than his equal? His partner? His other half? The notion was an insult of the highest order.
'The Serpent and His Whore'—what an apt nickname.
They were no different from the gods. No; not even the gods dared to insinuate such a thing. Even when hating them, the gods always made sure to specify 'Adam and Eve.' They despised them equally.
No, these two were far worse.
Adam's rage grew crueler, more consuming. The ground beneath them began to tremble, cracks spreading like spiderwebs. The air grew thick, and heavy with the force of his anger, and his soul burned with a fury that seemed to set the very atmosphere alight. The Shade could feel the heat, the intensity of Adam's rage as if it might tear the world apart.
"I don't know if Roo was working with them, or if they just get off on ruining my life, but.." The Shade addressed Adam, his tone almost pleading. "Make them suffer."
Not trusting his words, Adam nodded.
Little by little, Adam started to breathe slowly, attempting to control his emotions. The time for rage was not yet. He still had the rest of the story to hear. Then, he would rage.
He opened his mouth, temper slowly dissipating, and words slowly forming. "After she bit the apple... what happened?"
"It went to shit, the garden was ground zero, and turned to rubble," the Shade continued, his voice rough with the memory. "Eve's body was ripped apart and recreated over and over, Roo's core merging with her into... that Thing." The Shade's face twisted. "When I saw it, I nearly shit myself. But... Eve was suffering inside of it, calling out to me... I tried to help, and that thing went fucking ballistic."
Adam's fists clenched, his knuckles white as he fought to keep his emotions in check. The ground still trembled slightly, but the violent shaking had eased. He focused on the Shade's words.
"The moment I fucking touched her, it tried to rip me apart," the Shade explained, yanking back his robe sleeves. He thrust his scarred arms forward for Adam to see, the twisted scars running from wrist to upper arm. "Not out of hate or anger, but because it thought I was its other half."
Adam gently grasped the Shade's scarred limbs in his hands. He flared his [Eyes of the Lord] and inspected the jagged scars. There was a faint taint of the Thing, which must have been what he felt earlier. However, it was different from the stench of the Apple. It seemed almost... pacified.
"It fucking tried to consume me... Sera later told me that with the merging, Eve's love for me might have twisted its mind into thinking I was part of it. Makes twisted sense, I guess."
"So, it tried to devour you out of desire?" Adam inquired, letting go of the limbs.
"Yeah," the Shade nodded grimly. He quickly covered his arms. Too quickly, Adam noticed but kept quiet."Eve's love got tangled up in that fucking abomination. Roo thought I was supposed to be part of it, part of that nightmare."
"What happened next?" Adam asked, his voice barely controlled.
"The fucking Angels arrived," the Shade said, his voice a mix of bitterness and grudging respect. "Michael barreled into that thing to get it away from me. Raphael took me away, and Sera and Uriel beat the shit out of Lucifuck and his bitch. I don't know... the whole thing kinda happened fast, and at that point, I was just wallowing in self-pity."
Adam's eyes remained locked on the Shade, his fury simmering just below the surface. "And then?"
"And then Big G showed up," the Shade said, his tone shifting to one of reverence and awe. "The Almighty Himself. Perfect timing, as always. He looked at the whole mess and decided to clean the house. I was too busy feeling sorry for myself to really grasp it all, but it was like watching a divine janitor scrub away the filth we'd made."
Adam's jaw tightened, his eyes flaring. "What did He do?"
The Shade laughed bitterly. "What do you think He did? He looked at Lucibitch like he was the biggest disappointment in the history of existence. Which, he definitely was. Then, He went and put that fucking thing down. Sealed it up tight. Roo got torn from Eve and shoved into the abyss or whatever, and Eve... Eve was restored to the best possible degree without scrapping her and creating her again."
Adam's fists clenched at his sides, his knuckles white. The ground beneath them continued to tremble slightly, a testament to the barely restrained fury within him. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to focus. "So He cleaned up the mess and left you to deal with the aftermath?"
"Ease it with the hate boner," the Shade said, giving Adam a sidelong glance. "But nah, He didn't just leave me hanging. After Raphael healed me and made sure that Roo wouldn't just spawn from my flesh, He took me aside and explained what happened."
Adam's anger wavered, curiosity piqued. "He did?"
The Shade nodded a hint of reverence in his voice. "Yeah, He wasn't angry at me. Far from it. He understood the shitstorm we got caught up in. He explained the whole mess—how Roo's corruption took root, how Eve got tangled in it, and how it all spiraled out of control."
Adam's brow furrowed, his rage momentarily overshadowed by confusion. "What did He say?"
"He told me that Roo wasn't supposed to be evil," the Shade said, his voice softening. "It was a concept twisted by circumstances. It was confused. He said Eve's love for me and Roo's arrogance and envy influenced the Thing and made it see me as its other half. It was a fucked-up situation, but He didn't blame me. He just wanted me to understand."
Adam's face twisted in bemusement and bewilderment. Is a god acting responsibly? Nah, he wouldn't believe it. Clearly, the Shade had been too emotionally deprived to notice.
"And Eve?" he asked.
"The next day," the Shade continued, his voice shaking a bit, "He told me that Eve couldn't stay in the Garden since she committed the ultimate Sin. She was no longer fit to be the Mother of all humanity. But since she was deceived, eternal damnation would be too cruel a punishment. So, she was going to be... unmade, and a new woman created. One that would be absolutely obedient to me, and would only exist to serve me."
Adam knew it. The damn gods were a bunch of arrogant bastards after all.
Adam's heart clenched at the thought. Eve unmade? The woman he loved, erased from existence? A growl bubbled in his throat, but it was silenced when the Shade raised his hand.
"Obviously, I refused. Whatever doubts I had were gone when I realized that Eve was deceived and not betrayed willingly." The Shade shook his head, a pained expression crossing his face. "I fought it. I pleaded, I begged. But His decision was final. He couldn't let the corruption linger. He couldn't risk it spreading. I was given no choice. Eve was to be unmade."
The Shade took a deep breath."So sometime later, when Big G was somewhere else, and the angels were busy cleaning shit up, I ran back to the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, or at least what was left of it. I thought that maybe if I ate it too... Eve would be spared. Of course, the other possibility was either death or eternal damnation, but we'd be together." The Shade finished, his cheeks heating up.
Adam's breath hitched at the Shade's words. "And?"
"I couldn't find any apples to eat," the Shade looked away with embarrassment on his face, his face red. "So I bit... the bark of the tree."
Adam stared at the Shade, trying to process the absurdity of what he had just heard. "You bit the bark of the tree?"
The Shade nodded, his expression a mix of shame and defiance. "Yeah, I did. Desperate times call for desperate measures, right? I didn't know if it would work, but I had to try something. I couldn't just stand by and let Eve be unmade."
"And what happened?" Adam asked, his voice barely a whisper.
"Choked on a piece of it and nearly killed myself," the Shade admitted, a hint of embarrassment coloring his tone.
Adam blinked, the tension momentarily broken by the absurdity of the image. "For real?"
The Shade shrugged, his cheeks flushing slightly. "Yeah, it wasn't my finest moment. I was desperate and stupid, I know. But I had to do something, anything. It was either that or stand by and watch Eve get erased from existence. And... it did save her."
Adam's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"
The Shade nodded, a grim smirk crossing his lips. "So there I was, making a total ass of myself, and bam! God and Eve catch me in the act. Turns out, it was some friggin' test from the Almighty Himself. Had to prove I wasn't just another dumb piece of shit."
"So your God lied," Adam said with crossed arms.
"Yeah," the Shade continued gruffly. "Eve's the one who came up with the brilliant idea to unmake herself and start fresh. Even the damn Angels were on board. So Big G decides to dump the choice in my lap."
Adam's mind spun with this revelation. "Eve wanted to... unmake herself? Why would she think that?"
"Because those two dickwads filled her head with all types of shit! She thought I wanted nothing to do with her."The Shade let out a rough sigh, his tone roughening. "She felt responsible, full of guilt for screwing everything up. Thought wiping herself out was the only way to fix the mess, to yank out the damn corruption. Didn't want any more suffering on her conscience."
Adam stared at the Shade, a mix of emotions swirling within him. "And God... He accepted that?"
"He already did, being omniscient and shit," the Shade replied, his voice tinged with resignation and a hint of bitterness, shaking his head in a dismissive gesture. "He did it to convince Eve and the Angels. Made 'em see my desperation, my willingness to fight for Eve, even in the most ridiculous fuckin' way. It was enough to show 'em our bond's worth preserving. Plus, the Garden was fucked beyond repair anyway, and I was gonna leave it anyway."
"It's like he set you up," Adam mused aloud, more to himself than to the Shade. "Testing your limits, seeing how far you'd go."
The Shade shrugged, a bitter smile playing on his lips. "Maybe. But in the end, it bought us another shot. And for that, I'm fuckin' grateful."
Adam nodded slowly, processing the Shade's words. Despite the rough exterior and crude language, there was a raw honesty in his tale. Despite his hatred for the shade, his love for his Eve was true. That he could respect.
"I guess that's something," Adam finally replied, his voice softening with understanding.
"Yeah," the Shade agreed, his tone quieter now, more contemplative. "Something."
"After that, Eve and I got our asses gently dumped by Jophiel onto Earth," the Shade continued, a wry grin spreading across his face as he recounted the next chapter of their journey. "We landed in some backwater place, a far cry from the paradise we once knew. No more pristine gardens or heavenly choirs—just mud, dust, and uncertainty."
Adam listened intently, a small smile on his face as he remembered his own expulsion. He could almost picture the scene: Eve, with her sky-blue eyes and flowing hair, and him, rough around the edges, navigating a world so different from the one they had known.
"Let's go." Adam had told her. "Together, we'll make a new paradise of our own."
"It wasn't easy," the Shade admitted, his grin fading into a more somber expression. "We struggled, scraped by. Eve blamed herself for everything, and carried that guilt like a weight on her shoulders. And me? I just tried to keep her safe, keep us both alive."
Adam nodded empathetically, understanding the weight of guilt and responsibility all too well. "But you made it," he encouraged, wanting to hear the rest of their story.
The Shade nodded a hint of pride flickering in his eyes. "Yeah, we did. We found a way to survive, to make a life for ourselves in this new world. It wasn't what we expected, but it was ours."
"The Shade nodded, a hint of pride flickering in his eyes. "Yeah, we did. We found a way to survive, to make a life for ourselves in this new world. It wasn't what we expected, but it was ours. And before long... we had our children. Twins—a son, Cain, and a daughter, Aclima."
Adam nodded, a sense of familiarity washing over him as he listened to the Shade's recounting. "Children," he echoed with a knowing smile. "Cain and Aclima."
The Shade returned his smile, recognizing the understanding in Adam's eyes. "Yeah, they were our pride and joy," he continued. "Raised them in a world where we had to fend for ourselves, teach them right from wrong, survival skills, and the importance of family."
Adam nodded thoughtfully. "It must have been... challenging," he ventured, reflecting on his own experiences as a father.
The Shade chuckled softly, a touch of wistfulness in his expression. "Oh, it was. Nearly had a fuckin' heart attack when Eve's water broke. Thought she was dyin'."
Adam raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What happened?"
The Shade took a deep breath, preparing to dive into the memory. "Well, we were just gettin' settled in, tryin' to make sense of our new life on Earth. Everything was still so new, so fuckin' different. One night, outta nowhere, Eve started screamin'. At first, I thought it was another goddamn nightmare. She had a lot of those, haunted by the memories of the Garden and all the shit that had happened."
Adam nodded, understanding the weight of those memories.
"But this was different," the Shade continued, his eyes distant as he recalled the events. "I rushed over, and she was clutchin' her stomach, her face twisted in pain. I had no fuckin' clue what was goin' on. All I could think was that somethin' was terribly wrong. My mind went to the worst places. I thought maybe some remnant of Roo was actin' up, that somethin' from the Garden had followed us and was now hurtin' her. I grabbed a rock, ready to fuck up whatever it was, but I had no clue how to help her."
Adam listened intently, feeling the Shade's panic as if it were his own.
"I tried to calm her down, but nothin' worked. Her screams got louder, and I felt more helpless by the second. I could see the fear in her eyes, and it mirrored my own. Then, she said somethin' about her stomach splittin' open. I was stunned, not sure if I heard her right. I mean, we knew she was pregnant, but we didn't expect it to happen so soon, and definitely not like this. We thought it'd be like how Eve was made: some light, a puff from her stomach, and boom, a human."
"The realization hit me like a ton of bricks," the Shade said, shaking his head with a rueful smile. "She wasn't dyin'; she was givin' birth. But I didn't know what the fuck to do. There were no midwives, no doctors, just us. I remembered some of the animals we had watched in the Garden giving birth, but this was Eve. This was my wife, and I had to help her. So I did the only thing I could think of. I held her hand, whispered whatever fuckin' reassurances I could think of, and prayed to God that we'd both survive the night."
Adam's eyes widened as he imagined the chaos. Till now, it was mostly the same. His Eve was much calmer though. Instinctively, she knew what to do. Adam, on the other hand, well, his behavior that night had been used to tease him many times.
The Shade noticed Adam's expression and grinned. "Yeah, I bet your Eve handled it better, huh? Mine was tough as nails, but that night... fuck, it was something else. Your Eve, she just... knew what to do?"
Adam looked at him in confusion.
The Shade chuckled. "It's a two-way street, shorty. You get my emotional baggage shit, and I got a glimpse at your highlight reels."
Adam frowned, trying to process the idea. "You mean you...?"
"Yeah," the Shade interrupted, shaking his head. "I saw how your Eve handled it. Calm as fuck, like she had a goddamn manual for childbirth. Meanwhile, you were over there freakin' out like an idiot. You were even more twitchy than me."
Adam nodded, chuckling softly. "Yeah, she did. She was calm, and collected. Me? I was a mess. She loves to remind me about how I was running around like a headless chicken, panicking over every little thing."
The Shade snorted, shaking his head before continuing his story. "Luckily, before either of us did somethin' stupid, Raphael and Jophiel showed up. Saved our asses, honestly."
"Thank God for that. What happened next?" Adam let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. Then his words hit him. Why the hell did he thank a god? He hated them. Must've been the influence of the Shade. Thoughts for later. He turned his attention back to the Shade.
The Shade's eyes glinted as he looked at Adam. He noticed it too. "Well, Raphael took one look at us, shook his head, and got to work. Jophiel was there to help keep Eve calm. They handled it like it was nothin'. Meanwhile, I was a fuckin' mess. My hands were shakin', my mind was racin'. I kept thinkin' I'd lose her, that we'd fuck up somehow."
"Sounds about right. I was convinced something would go wrong, that I wouldn't be able to help her." Adam nodded, feeling the shared panic.
"Yeah, it's a fuckin' miracle we didn't screw everything up. But Raphael and Jophiel? They were like, 'Relax, we got this.' And they did. They guided Eve through it, kept me from losing my shit. The next thing I knew, there was this tiny, screaming life in my hands. Cain. And then, Aclima."
Adam couldn't help but feel a swell of pride at the thought of his children thriving in this new world. "They sound wonderful," he remarked genuinely.
"Oh, it was a shitshow, blondie." the shade laughed loudly, slapping his knee." But we fuckin' survived. Eve and I, we did our damnedest. Cain, he was a stubborn little shit, just like his old man. Aclima, bless her, had her mother's spirit—always nosy as fuck, asking questions about everything under the sun."
Leaning back, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Raising 'em was like trying to navigate a minefield blindfolded. We had no fuckin' clue what we were doin'. Survivin' ourselves was hard enough, let alone raisin' kids. Cain was always pushin' boundaries, gettin' into trouble. And Aclima, she was like a sponge, soaking up every bit of chaos and curiosity."
"Eve tried teachin' 'em what she remembered from the Garden, the old stories. But shit, it all felt like ancient history, barely relevant. We were makin' it up as we went along, prayin' we weren't totally screwing 'em up." The Shade shook his head, a grizzled smile on his face.
Glancing at Adam, he gave a rough laugh. "You ever feel like you were just flyin' by the seat of your pants, hopin' to hell you weren't makin' a complete mess of it?"
Adam nodded empathetically, a wry smile forming on his lips. "Every day," he admitted, shaking his head. "I thought I was the only one stumbling through fatherhood."
The Shade snorted, a rough sound that carried both amusement and a hint of resignation. "Nah, man, you ain't alone in that. We were all just tryin' to figure it out as we went. Hell, half the time I felt like I was makin' it up to the kids as I went along."
"Yeah, it's like they absorb everything, even when we're not sure what we're doing ourselves." Adam nodded thoughtfully.
"Damn right. Kids are like sponges, takin' in every little thing, even when you think they ain't payin' attention." The Shade leaned forward, his eyes gleaming with the fire of old memories. He gestured animatedly with his hands, emphasizing every word with broad, sweeping motions. " So, like I was sayin', next, we had another set of twins. Abel, the quiet one, is always thoughtful and observant. The kid had this calmness about him that could soothe even the most chaotic shit. Azura, on the other hand, was a little firecracker. Full of energy, always movin', always talkin', and always gettin' into somethin'. She had a spark that made her the life of our little family."
The Shade's eyes lit up as he waved his hands around, gesturing wildly. "This time, it was a bit easier. We had some idea of what to do and what to avoid. Wasn't a walk in the park, but it was less hectic than with Cain and Aclima. We learned from our fuck-ups, figured out a few tricks, and got into a rhythm. Still, those kids kept us on our toes. Abel's quiet nature and Azura's fiery spirit balanced each other out, and they made our family complete."
He leaned in, his face animated, eyes wide with the memories. "The kids grew up fast and began helping out with everything. Cain took charge of planting and all the farming shit. Stubborn as a mule, but damn if he didn't get things done. Abel, on the other hand, took to raising the cattle. He had this way with animals, always patient and gentle, which worked out perfectly."
The Shade mimicked milking a cow with exaggerated motions, laughing. "Aclima and Eve handled all the home stuff. Aclima was just like her mother—strong, organized, and always making sure things ran smoothly. They were the backbone of our home, keeping everything in order. But Azura? She wanted none of that shit. Too restless, too wild for domestic life. She wanted to be like her old man, so she hunted with me. Every chance she got, she was out there by my side, learning the ropes. That girl had the heart of a warrior, always eager for adventure. It wasn't Eden, but it was...." The Shade gestured uncertainly with his arms.
"Our very own Paradise," Adam whispered with a soft voice, looking down at his hand.
"...Yeah," the Shade agreed, his voice softer. He stared off into the distance for a moment, a wistful look in his eyes. "We had our own little piece of heaven. Worked our asses off for it, too. Every day was a struggle, but it was worth it, y'know? Seeing those kids grow, learning from our mistakes, building something real."
Adam nodded, feeling a connection to the Shade's story. He knew the struggles, the joys, the heartbreaks. It was like looking into a mirror, seeing his own life reflected back at him.
The Shade sighed deeply, his expression darkening. "But then, shit went bad after a certain night. We told them about Eden and what happened. How we got kicked out. Abel, Aclima, and Azura were angry, but a bit accepting. Cain... well, I did say he took after his old man."
He closed his eyes, rubbing his temples. "That kid had a temper, just like me. Couldn't stand the thought of us bein' betrayed, thrown out like garbage. It ate at him, man. 'We denied him Heaven,' he yelled at us. Fucked him up really good. I tried to talk to him, to explain, but he wouldn't hear it. Just kept getting angrier. I could see it in his eyes, that fire, that rage. It scared the shit outta me."
He sighed, his hands running through his hair. "Then he started yelling at his siblings, asking how they could be okay with it. They tried to calm him, but he kept getting angrier. He turned to Eve and started yelling, cursing at her. By then, Eve's nightmares had started getting less and less, but him saying those things brought it all back. I got angry..."
"You struck him." Adam finished, his hands covering his face in regret. He remembered that night.
The Shade's voice dropped, filled with regret. " I didn't mean to, but I was so pissed off, so protective of Eve. She was crying, and suddenly I was back in the Garden. It was like a switch flipped in my head. One minute I'm trying to reason with him, the next, my hand is flying through the air. The look on his face... fuck, I'll never forget it. Shock, betrayal, all mixed up. It broke something in him, something I couldn't fix."
He sighed, shaking his head as he continued, "After I struck him, Cain just stood there, stunned. Then he broke down and cried. It wasn't just anger anymore; it was hurt, deep and raw. Seeing him like that... damn, it shattered me. I realized how badly I'd fucked up. I went to him, put my arms around him, and apologized. Told him I was sorry for losing my shit, for not being a better father. I told him I loved him and that we'd get through it together."
The Shade's expression softened a hint of vulnerability in his eyes. "He cried into my shoulder, and I held him, just hoping that somehow, we'd be able to mend what was broken. For a moment, it felt like we could. But... that moment didn't last. The anger was still there, lurking under the surface, waiting to erupt again."
"We tried to move on, tried to patch things up. But some wounds, they don't heal easily." the Shade whispered, rubbing his wrists as he spoke." Eve began to close off again. The kids became afraid of me. Cain's rage didn't just disappear. It simmered, and it affected all of us. We all walked on eggshells around him, hoping not to set him off again."
The Shade continued, his voice growing more somber. "For a while, it seemed like things settled into a rhythm. We were all just trying to keep our heads down, and keep the peace. But then Cain and Abel got into an argument. They wouldn't tell me what it was about. I asked them to talk to me, to let me help, to arbitrate between them. But they refused. Cain, in his usual stubborn way, said, 'I'll fuck it up like I did everything else.'"
The Shade's face twisted with pain and frustration. "That hit me hard, you know? Hearing my own son say that, knowing he blamed me for everything. I tried to reach out to him, to make him see reason, but he wouldn't have it. Just kept pushing me away, getting angrier and angrier. It was like watching a storm brew, knowing it was only a matter of time before it tore everything apart."
His shoulders sagged as he continued, "I tried to talk to Abel too, but he was just as tight-lipped. Said it was between him and Cain, that I'd only make it more complicated. It felt like I was losing them both, and I didn't know how to stop it. Every day, the tension grew thicker, and I could see the rift forming right before my eyes."
"So I wasn't good enough," the Shade said, frustration coloring his voice as he recounted the distant memory to Adam. Leaning back, he ran a hand through his hair, trying to recollect the details. "Fine, I told them, Present your case to God." They agreed, and sought counsel from the Almighty. He instructed them to present offerings as a sign of their devotion and respect."
"I had no idea what their offerings should be," he continued, a hint of bewilderment in his tone. "But I tried to help them figure it out. Cain was stubborn in his choice, and Abel, equally steadfast, made his own selection. I did my best to guide them, to ensure they understood the significance of their actions."
"The day came, and God chose Abel's sacrifice," the Shade continued, his voice tinged with resignation. "And Cain... well, he didn't go off the deep end, surprisingly. He slapped Abel on the back and laughed with him. He admitted defeat and seemed to take it well."
He paused, his eyes distant as he recalled the scene. "For a moment, it seemed like everything might be okay. That night, we had dinner together as a family for the first time in a long while. There was laughter, stories shared, and for a brief moment, the tension that had been building seemed to dissipate."
"That night, over dinner, it was all laughs and stories. Cain spoke about trying to mix some plants. Abel talked about his plans for the crops, and how he was gonna expand the herd. Aclima was tellin' us about some new clothing she was workin' on, and Azura was makin' us all laugh with her antics. Eve, bless her soul, was beamin' with pride, seeing her kids together like that."
The Shade stopped, his expression pained.
"The next day, Cain killed Abel."
Adam shut his eyes close with a frown.
The Shade stopped for a second to gather his thoughts. With a tired voice The Shade cotinued, "I was coming back from a hunt when I felt it—the presence of the Lord. I ran as fast as I could to the place. When I got there, I found Eve screaming over Abel's unmoving body , her hands shaking as she cradled his lifeless form. Tears streaked down her face, mingling with the dirt and blood that stained her hands, and Cain laughing and cursing at the Almighty."
"I tried to intervene," the Shade gritted out, his voice tightening with the weight of the memory. "I tried to reason with Cain, asked him why the fuck he had done it. But he was beyond reason, consumed by rage and confusion. Eve... she was shattered, holding onto Abel like she could bring him back with her love alone. It was... chaos."
He paused, his breath catching as he relived the anguish of that moment. "I begged the Lord for mercy, hoping against hope there would be some understanding. But Cain... he was defiant, unrepentant. He couldn't see past his own damn anger and pride. The Almighty's judgment was swift and brutal."
"Cain hadn't just killed Abel," the Shade's voice grew more urgent, his eyes widening with the horror of the memory. "He cursed him. Abel's soul was shattered."
"Shattered?" Adam repeated, confused.
"Gone! After the shit with Roo, the whole of creation was fucked beyond repair. Abel's soul was cut before its time. He didn't go to Heaven. He didn't slip into Hell. He was just...gone." The Shade's expression darkened, his fists clenching involuntarily. "The mark of Cain, it wasn't just a physical thing. It was a stain on his very soul. And Abel... he was gone. The innocence and goodness in him, shattered by his own brother's hand."
Adam dropped disbelief crossing his features. To imagine losing a son like that... and for him to just vanish. No closure, no peace... just emptiness.
The thought that his Abel could have ended up the same, broke his heart.
The Shade looked at Adam, his eyes full of pain. "I lost both of my sons that day, Adam. Abel to murder, and Cain to his own damn pride."
"That night, after I buried my son, I prayed," the Shade said, his voice heavy with grief and bitterness. "I prayed to the Lord for some damn understanding, for a glimpse of why this shit had happened. I begged for peace, for some way to patch up what had been broken. But all I got was emptiness, silence... and the weight of that goddamn loss."
He let out a deep sigh, his eyes filled with the raw pain of that moment. "And Eve, she was torn to shreds. Blamed herself, blamed the whole damn universe. Her grief was beyond words, beyond comfort. I tried to console her, to be there, but how could I when my own heart was ripped to pieces?"
"I prayed for my two sons," the Shade continued, his voice thick with emotion. "For Abel, whose innocence got snatched away so damn cruelly, and for Cain, who was swallowed by his own goddamn rage and pride."
He paused, the weight of the tragedy heavy on his shoulders. "That night, my prayers felt like a joke, unanswered. No solace, no comfort in the silence that engulfed us. Just me, grappling with reality."
The Shade looked down, his fists tight with sorrow. "Yet, I kept praying. faced with such a fucked-up loss, prayer was all I had left."
"I prayed to the Lord.
Eve prayed to Something else.