Book III: Eden
Chapter 4: The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil
Whilst our humans played house, I sought to institute the next layer of my plans. Knowing Lucifer’s penchant for growing bored with my experiments, I didn’t want to risk the God El wandering off again before the man and his mate could produce any offspring so I casually wondered aloud. “Perhaps Adam and his new mate should have a special place of their own to live within? Maybe that will ensure their success in breeding.”
“What do you have in mind?” El asked, only half-interested.
“I live only to serve you, Dark Lord. Perchance this may amuse you?” And I slowly created a luxurious garden, pretending to struggle along the way, and all too happy to have Zebub’s son step in and complete the work.
The finished product was perhaps not as fine as I could have produced on my own, but since I remained ever cautious of inciting God’s jealousy, I accepted the result of my master’s hand.
We called the garden Eden.
The plan was for it to be a secret home for Adam and Eve – away from all the other “intelligent” races of Terra. To make sure they were undisturbed I used my magic to make the garden ‘invisible’ to outsiders and I added a special spell to make doubly sure it was hidden from Lilith. [Granted that nemesis was locked away far below the Crystal Towers of Lemuria and bound within her secret prison by the magic of the Amulet of Zyphor but I wasn’t taking any chance!]
As for our new garden, my master and I filled the paradise that was Eden with every imaginable delight – it was an otherworldly paradise that transcended the mundane beauty of Terra. Lush and verdant, the garden sprawled across an expanse of rolling hills and serene valleys, where every blade of grass and petal of flower seemed to shimmer with an inner light. The air was perpetually sweet with the fragrance of blooming flora, and the sound of trickling streams provided a soothing symphony, harmonizing with the songs of exotic birds whose plumage sparkled like jewels in the sunlight.
Eden was a place where the boundaries between the natural and the supernatural blurred. The trees were not mere vegetation; they were living sentinels, the bark of their trunks covered with runes I’d carved in them that pulsed with arcane energy. The fruits they bore glowed with a soft luminescence and they were not just sustenance for Eden’s creatures but true vessels of the essence of immortality. Rivers of crystal-clear water wound through the garden, their currents imbued with healing properties that could mend any wound or ailment. Even the stones of Eden were extraordinary, embedded with veins of precious metals and gems that radiated warmth, vitality, and life!
Magical creatures roamed the garden, each a testament to the power and creativity of Lucifer and I (ok really mostly me). Majestic unicorns grazed alongside ethereal stags with silver antlers, while the wisps of countless butterflies flitted about, leaving trails of sparkling dust in their wake. The very atmosphere of Eden was charged with a palpable sense of magic, an aura that filled every living thing with vitality and joy. It was a sanctuary of perfect harmony, a realm where the divine and mortal could coexist in peace and splendor.
The hidden enchantment of Eden lay in its ability to connect its inhabitants with the very forces of creation. Those who walked its paths felt an immediate sense of awe and reverence, as if they were treading upon sacred ground. It was a place of boundless potential, where dreams could take root and flourish, and where the spirit of life itself seemed to dance in every breeze. Eden was not just a garden; it was a living testament to the beauty and power of creation, a paradise beyond imagination.
Yet before you get all emotional about The Garden of Eden’s sappy beauty, understand this – the true purpose for it’s creation – the reason behind all that beauty – was to provide fertile ground for Adam and Eve to create the race of Mankind – the people who would serve as my future slaves and help me become God!
That long-term goal was obviously still a long way off. In the meantime, Adam and Eve lived in The Garden of Eden and during their time there, Lucifer (as their God “El”) took to spending time with them.
Now whenever El’s presence visited Eden he followed my humble advice and took a dominant male form that was visibly pleasing to the first man and his mate — for interacting with them seemed to provide The Illuminated One with a curious satisfaction — one which even I could never fathom.
Yet I too was not idle. As the days went by El and Adam would often talk apart, and upon these occasions I was quick to pay a visit to Eve on the down low. Causing her to sleep, I began to whisper to her in her dreams, filling her mind with ideas and questions. Why are you here? What is your purpose? Who is Lilith? Does Adam really love you? Does El? Etc. Etc. I think you get the idea. I never missed a chance to ‘mold’ Eve’s psyche – always planting seeds, shaping her thoughts and desires.
Whether El sensed something was up or not, I never knew. But soon enough El began to levy a new command to command Adam and Eve, “Thou shall have no other gods besides me.”
Since I wasn’t sure if that was meant as a dig at me, I came up with a distraction. Feeding Lucifer a ridiculous little suggestion to create a special tree that held within it what I jokingly called The Knowledge of Good and Evil. In truth, El had initially resisted fashioning such a tree, but when I explained that the Temptation it would produce for Adam and Eve would provide Zebub’s son with delight beyond anything he had known before Lucifer happily acquiesced.
True to form, El then came up with a new command for his humans, “Thou can eat from any tree in the garden, but thou must never eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.” [Which is exactly what I guessed he would do].
For their part, Adam and Eve complied with God’s commands – as they’d always done.
Until one day when Eve was walking in the garden alone, and she heard a voice.
“Come here.” The voice hissed, beckoning her to the forbidden tree.
When Eve approached, she discovered that the voice came from a slithery creature that was wrapped around the tree — an animal which her mate had previously named Snake.
“Taste. Eat.” The snake commanded.
“No.” Eve resisted. “The Lord says we must not eat of this tree or we shall die.”
“Surely you will not die.” The snake advised.
Eve was confused, “Then why would The Lord tell us not to eat of this fruit?”
“Because he knows that if you eat of this tree, then you will become like him — a god.” The snake explained. “More importantly your eyes will be opened and you will gain the knowledge he took from you when he stole you from Illyria.”
“Illyria?” The woman was more confused. “Stolen knowledge?”
The snake caused an apple to fall from The Tree. “Surely you want to know The Truth, don’t you?”
Eve looked at the fruit at her feet, hesitating. A battle between obedience and desire so the snake nudged her again, “Eat.”
The temptation was too much for Eve, who picked up the apple and took a bite – changing her worldview forever. As the juice of the fruit filled her mouth, a transformation again – her eyes widened and a new awareness dawned within her.
The result was just as I, in the form of that snake, had planned.
It was at that moment that Adam returned. Seeing Eve with the fruit, he immediately understood what she’d done.
Eve tempted her mate – exactly as I knew she would. “I am changed. I see the world as it truly is. Join me, lover.” And she held out the apple seductively.
Torn between loyalty to Eve and obedience to El, Adam was unable to resist Eve’s charms. He chose to take a bite of the fruit as well…yet immediately regretted it. Dropping the apple he lamented, “What have we done?”
As Adam and Eve ran away from The Tree, the snake whispered to itself, “You have taken the first step towards your true potential. This is only the beginning.”
And thus it was that the Seeds of Sin were laced within Adam and Eve and their descendants – children who were destined to carry the tortured stellarone souls I’d harvested and who would allow me to shape their future.
Both their paths — and mine– were now set, yet the journey had only just begun.
The Apocrypha of Azazel 