Eden
Tyrus looked down the path. The Metatron was speaking to the humans. Tyrus made himself invisible and stood closer to hear.
"This is the tree of life. It is a living extension of the one in heaven with our Father. You may eat of the fruit of this tree and any tree in the garden... Except for one. The tree of knowledge of good and evil. Eat the fruit of that, you will surely die."
Tyrus smiled. He'd never been so happy in the many years he'd been alive. "He's letting them choose to die! Influence always helps choice."
Azrael stood with Metatron, out of view of Tyrus, but he saw him. Obviously Tyrus was up to no good. Adom and Chava looked at Metatron and him so innocently. They especially loved staring at him. His hair resembled theirs, and they often wondered what the other angels were like.
"Every tree except the one over there?" Adom asked.
"Yes. Touch it and you will die. Eat it, you will die. This is a very serious matter. Consequences come with disobedience. But, I have a feeling you will do well in the eyes of the Creator." Metatron smiled warmly at them.
Chava smiled and ran to the lake. She definitely resembled a virtue, but wingless. "Adom, look at this fish! It's... Blue?"
Azrael smiled. They knew almost next to nothing being on earth for such a little time. He looked about their age, but he was at least a millennia sharper in education. They knew nothing of the war in heaven, and nothing of Tyrus, the one who caused it all.
Metatron said adieu to the humans and went to speak to Azrael before he left. "Watch out for Tyrus. He's capable of shape shifting and manipulation. You'll do well." He smiled majestically and took flight.
Tyrus smiled as Metatron left Gaia. He leaned against the tree of knowledge. He chuckled as Chava bent over and kissed Adom as he sat under a fruit tree. She really did resemble a virtue. Ari'el actually. Or even Zipporah...
Tyrus saw a serpent crawl past his feet. It was beautiful. Sparkly. Blue. Perfect. Tyrus assumed the position, burying the now dead serpent beneath the tree. He crawled through the branches. The leaves had thorns, scratching but not injuring his newfound scales.
Days passed. Months passed. Tyrus crawled through the tree's branches remorseful. They didn't even notice the fucking tree they passed every single day. It was in the middle of the garden. They had to have thought of it at least once...
Adom went for a walk. Without Chava. She was still sleeping beneath their favourite tree. Adom walked slowly and steadily, away from Chava and towards the tree of knowledge. When he came to stand beneath it, he stared at it. He seemed to take in every detail and flaw of its very being. Then he smiled, looking straight into Tyrus' eyes. He scoffed and turned, walking back to where Chava was sleeping. He lay next to her, stroking her long curly hair. She awoke and looked up at him smiling. He spoke something inaudible and she looked towards the tree. She spotted Tyrus among the thorny leaves.
Azrael stood near the gate of the garden. Adom and Chava seemed to be doing well without him. They hadn't encountered Tyrus as of yet, so his worries were minuscule. He began to think of heaven, the Creator, his birth mother and father, the other archangels and Sophia. He hadn't seen her in what felt like forever. He missed her so often; it conflicted with his watching of Tyrus. Today would haunt him for the rest of his servitude on Gaia.
Adom was searching for a new kind of vegetable to try for a meal that day. Chava mingled with the animals and picked flowers she thought were pretty. She came across a line of lavender-like flowers that seemed to be creating a path. She traveled along it, petting a little
hedgehog as she passed. The path ended and she was looking straight at the tree of knowledge. She gasped and turned to run.
"Wait!" Tyrus called. "Wait!"
Chava turned and looked at the serpent. "Who are you?"
"Cobra." He crawled down a branch and slithered his tongue out and in. "You're the famous Eve."
"Chava. My name is Chava." She combed her waist length in front of her, covering her breasts and private parts. "What are you?"
"A serpent." He smiled gingerly.
"What are you doing on the tree?" She asked quietly.
"I live on it," he replied quickly. "You don't
die
from the fruit. It's called fear. He instils it in every creature He creates. You're no different. No higher, no lower. But technically, you know nothing. This is why He'll threaten to punish you if you eat the fruit of this
tree. It's called a scare-tactic. If I say you'll die if you eat something, you will avoid it. Who knows, it could be the thing that saves your life."
"He wouldn't do that," Chava said smiling sneakily. "You think you know
everything
. It's a trick."
"Ah, you must be the smart one," Tyrus hissed. "What's something you've always wanted?"
"Nothing. I've never needed--"
"Not need. Want. It's something that you can do. 'Ask and it shall be given', no?" Tyrus began heading closer to the trunk of the tree. Chava looked around and carefully stepped beneath the tree, avoiding the many thorns.
"He actually
wants
you to know. You have the choice to know." Tyrus engulfed a fruit in his serpent-like mouth. He devoured it with ease. "The more you eat, the more you'll know. And the more you'll
want
to know." The fruit resembled the large grapes that were located near the waterfall. "Try one. Just one. What is something that you want?"
She pulled a fruit from the tree and quickly ate it. It was sweet. Too sweet. "I want other people to love. Like I love Adom, but more. Like him."
Tyrus smiled. "Go. Tell him about it. He may be able to help you." Chava smiled and left the tree. Azrael stood ten feet away from the tree as Chava walked away from it. Her lips were stained by the red juices of the fruit. He saw a serpent crawling on the branches. It quickly morphed into Tyrus. He smiled gleefully at Azrael as he walked away.
"The end has begun," he said triumphantly.