Book III: Eden
Chapter 2: The Return of Lilith
Fresh off our creation of Eve, El and I observed Adam and his new mate closely. It was clear that Adam was interested in breeding with Eve and the woman seemed amenable to this. Eyes wide with wonder, Eve face reflected a simple joy, as if welcoming her partner. Adam watched her with a mixture of awe and anticipation, then moved towards her – unfortunately, that’s when an unwelcome guest showed up – Lilith!
Since the dawn of their individual creations, Adam and Lilith had never mated. Neither Lucifer nor myself stopped them from doing so – in fact I’d always wanted them to – but it was always Lilith who rebuffed Adam whenever the man tried. In the millennia that followed, Lilith, mother of the Mylar race, had taken a top station in the pantheon of her people’s gods. To wit, Lilith was worshiped as a goddess on earth and she lived a life of luxury in Lemuria. How she discovered Eve’s creation I never knew [surely the Mylar’s magic had something to do with it] and how she got to our locale so fast was another mystery [which also smelled of Mu Men interference], yet regardless of the how, the fact was that Lilith’s unexpected arrival ruined the special moment Lucifer and I had planned for Adam and Eve.
Knowing all eyes were upon her, Lilith moved with a grace that was both mesmerizing and menacing. Her own eyes were dark and filled with fire as she locked her gaze onto Eve with an intensity that made the newly formed woman step back in fear.
“Lilith,” Adam breathed, his voice a mixture of uncertainty and caution.
Lilith’s gaze flicked to Adam for a moment before returning to Eve. “So, this is your new creation,” she said, her voice dripping with disdain. “Your replacement for me?”
Eve, sensing the tension, took a step closer to Adam as she addressed the newcomer. “Who are you?” she asked, her voice trembling.
“I am Lilith, the first woman,” Lilith replied, her eyes narrowing. “I was created for Adam.”
“But you rejected me,” Adam’s voice was tight with frustration. “You refused to be my partner – many times over”
Lilith’s lips curled into a bitter smile. “I refused to be your subordinate, Adam. There is a difference.”
Eve looked between them, confusion written on her face. “I don’t understand.”
Lilith moved closer, her presence intimidating as she slithered to her rival, “You were created from Adam’s rib, to be his obedient companion. I was created as his equal, and I will not be replaced so easily.”
Then it was that Lilith reached her hands towards Eve’s neck, yet before anyone could do any harm, it was I who flicked a finger and froze the mortals in their place. Turning to Lucifer I said, “What’s the play, boss?”
I had some ideas in mind, but I want to see what my master would say. I’d noticed that he’d showed no concern when Lilith first showed up and that he made no move to stop Lilith from harming Eve. This made me curious about a possible connection between Lucifer and Lilith that I might not be aware of. I filed that question away to ponder later.
“Banish her.” Was all El commanded me.
His command pretty much assured me that there WAS something between them because otherwise God would have had no reason to keep Lilith around – after all in the many millennia of her existence, what purpose had she ever served Lucifer? Clearly there was something I didn’t know. Yet rather than question God’s command, I simply did as I was told.
With Adam, Eve, and Lilith still frozen from my spell, I spoke to the form of the problem child, “Lilith, you have no place here. You chose to defy us.” I didn’t have to say any of this, but I wanted to injure Lilith’s psyche for daring to meddle in my affairs so I continued, “Eve is our new creation, and she will fulfill the purpose you rejected. While you will be cast away like the worthless trash that you are.”
For the briefest of moments, I thought I saw Lilith’s eyes flicker. Knowing that I’d hit the mark, I happily raised a hand – dark energy began to swirl around Lilith, enveloping her in a vortex of darkness.
Before she flickered away, I allowed Lilith’s body to unfreeze, rejoicing in her screams of pain, yet before she was completely pulled into the abyss, Lilith let out one final defiant laugh – and then vanished!
At least that’s the official story – the one I hoped Lucifer believed. The true story is a bit more complex. I’ll tell you about in the next chapter…
The Apocrypha of Azazel 