As the first rays of sunlight crept over the horizon, bathing the garden in a golden glow, I awoke to Lilith shaking me urgently. How long had it been?
"What is it?" I groaned, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.
"Oh, thank the stars," she said, her voice filled with relief. "You've been asleep for over a month!"
A month? The weight of her words settled in my chest, but I shook it off and stood. Stretching stiff muscles, I stepped outside the cave, the morning air cool against my skin. That's when I saw Him.
God stood there, just beyond the treeline, His expression somber, his presence as suffocating as always. But this time, He wasn't alone. Beside Him was a woman.
She was... nothing like Lilith. Blonde hair cascaded down her shoulders, her eyes as blue and empty as the sky above. Her skin was pale, almost glowing in the sunlight. I stared at her for a moment, confusion settling in, before a strange ache drew my attention to my side.
Wait... am I missing a rib?
"Affirmative," Raphael spoke in my head. "God removed one of your ribs that night after your little duel with that angel. Lilith been taking care of you since then."
I blinked. Then it hit me. That little shit!
What the hell? He just took it? No asking, no warning—just stole a piece of me like it was His right. If He had asked, I would've gladly refused. Hell, I'd have flipped Him the bird for even suggesting it.
"Hello Adam. I must say... you have changed quite alot." God looked up at me, wow this feels so great. "Uhm, so it has come to my attention that Lilith here still refuses to submit to you."
"Yeah so what of it, It is her choice. We agreed to equals in this relationship." I responded.
"I see." God motioned to the woman." This here is, Eve. She is going to be your new wife, Lilith as of now you are banished from this Garden."
"I'm sorry, what?!" Lillith yelled, my eyes met Lilith's, and in that moment, I saw defiance tempered with rage. . That isn't fai-"
"Silence!" God boomed as Lilith stepped behind me. Without hesitation, I reached for her hand, to try and calm her down.
"Look, you got your damn facts wrong. Lilith and I are doing perfectly fine and you said yourself that I was in charge of our relationship and it was my choice to treat her like an equal." I spoke, fury surged within me, how dare he try and ruin everything!
God raised his hand and dropped a golden apple, bitten. Impossiable, there was no way that Lilith ate the apple, was God was trying to frame her?
"Lilith here had ate the forbidden fruit of knowledge, and your pet... well he killed one of my angels that was visiting to check up on the garden, so I killed him.
He killed Kovu.... why? I was the one that killed the angel, was he trying to tell me a message?
"Lilith did not eat-" Lillith stopped me and looked guilty.
"I... I didn't know what to do to help you while you were uncouncious and I thought the knowledge from the tree would help me."
"That settles it." God muttered. "Lilith for breaking my one law you shall be banished from the garden and Eve will replace you as Adams wife." With a final glance, he departed, leaving Eve behind. "In a month, I shall sent an Archangel to remove you."
"Lilith," I said softly, my voice carrying the weight of uncertainty and determination, "I need to go check up on Kovu, burry whatever remained. Can you get Eve settled in?"
Her eyes met mine, a flicker of sorrow. "Yeah I can," she nodded, her voice a whisper carried on the breeze. "Thank you, for standing up for me."
"You are my wife, I won't abandon you." I responded gently, getting some things ready just incase I found him.
A bitter smile touched her lips as she spoke, her words laced with regret. "You should be careful not to piss him off. I would hate to see you get killed for my sake."
"Lilith," I began, my voice steady yet laden with conflict, "I will do whatever I have to keep you safe, even if I have to kill that bastard." I turned to face Eve, "You are new, and I will be honest to say I don't trust you yet, but you are under my care and I will protect you just the same."
As I finished packing, I set out toward the cave where Kovu had made his home. After growing up, he had chosen to live nearby, carving out a life for himself in a hollow not far from mine. He shouldn't be far. I held onto the hope that he was still alive, still waiting.
But that hope shattered the moment I arrived.
The sight hit me like a blow, and my legs buckled beneath me. I collapsed to the ground, staring in horror. Kovu lay sprawled on the cave floor, his body still and lifeless. His eyes, once fierce and alive, were now cloudy and empty, their glossy sheen a mockery of what they once were. Flies buzzed incessantly around him, crawling over his face, his fur, his still-bared fangs frozen in a final snarl.
A deep, jagged wound ran from his jaw to his stomach, splitting him open. His innards spilled onto the cold stone, a grotesque and bloody mess. Smaller gashes crisscrossed his body, each a mark of a violent struggle. The cavern floor was soaked with blood, long dried into a dark, crusted stain. The air was thick with the cloying stench of decay, heavy and nauseating.
He had been dead for some time.
A single tear slipped down my cheek, and before I could stop myself, the dam broke.
I fell apart, my grief pouring out into the empty silence of the cave.
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When I returned home, I was limping, my body covered in blood, though none of it was mine. My mind was blank, yet racing at the same time, replaying every moment, every possibility. What could I have done differently? How could I have saved him?
"Adam!" Lilith's voice broke through my haze the moment she saw me. Her eyes widened in shock, her voice trembling. "What happened? Why are you covered in blood?"
I stopped in the doorway, my voice hollow and strained. "Kovu is dead," I muttered. "God left his body in the cave to rot… it wasn't a pretty sight." I paused, swallowing hard before continuing. "I buried him on the cliff, under the sakura tree. He loved that tree... more than anything."
The weight of the words dragged me down, and before I could stop myself, I reached out for Lilith. She pulled me into her arms, and I clung to her tightly, unable to hold back any longer.
The grief crashed over us as we held each other and sobbed in the fading light.
"I'm going to do it," I muttered, my voice shaking with barely contained rage as a hiccup broke through.
"W-what?" Lilith stammered, her eyes wide with unease. "What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to eat every last fucking fruit on those cursed trees," I growled, my words dripping with venom. "I don't care anymore. It's been far too long since we were cast into this forsaken place. If God wants us to stay here, then fine—let's send Him one final, resounding fuck you and leave on our terms."
Lilith glanced at Eve, hesitation flickering in her eyes. "And where will we go?" she asked, her voice quieter now. "Are we... taking her with us?"
I turned to face them, my fists clenched so tightly my knuckles turned white. The fire in my chest roared higher, consuming the last shreds of my patience. "Yes," I said, my voice sharp and unyielding. "All of us. We'll eat the fruit, every single one, and gain the wisdom of gods. And immortality? That will suit us perfectly as we excape these lands and if they so much try to get in our ways than I shall kill them myself."
The heat of my fury made the air around us feel charged, and for the first time in what felt like an eternity, I felt purpose in the fire burning within me. If this was defiance, then I would embrace it fully.