CHAPTER II – GREED

CHAPTER II �" GREED

 

            Meanwhile, on the earth, Lilith sneaks her way into Eden, and there she finds Eve wandering alone in the garden. Lilith said "My dear, has the Spirit truly said, that you shouldn't eat from any tree of the garden". Eve replied "From the fruits of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the trees which are in the middle of the garden, we shouldn't eat from it, or we'll die" Lilith pretended to be stupefy by her words, and then she said "Die? Are you sure, that's what the Spirit had said"? Eve nods her head in confirmation. Lilith then said "Well, let me ask you this, Eve. What is death?” Eve was completely puzzled for she did not know about death. Lilith then said to Eve, "You surely won't die! For the Spirit knows that on the day that you eat from it, you'll be like us" So the woman ate from the tree of knowledge that is in the middle of the garden. Soon thereafter, the Spirit appeared in a shape of a burning bush. Although the thuja bush was aflame, it was not burnt. Metatron also came along. "What have you done, Lilith?" said the Spirit. "Behold, the woman has become as one of us" Lilith replied, "You told her that if she eats from the pomegranate tree, she would die. And I told her that she wouldn't, from where I'm standing, she doesn't look dead to me" Metatron with a stern countenance said “That’s not the point” After Eve ate of the forbidden tree, she did not die as she was previously told. She became quite understanding of her own environment. She now perceives the trinity for what they truly are, divine but not omnipotent. They were not as she previously thought of them to be, for they also had a creator. Lilith was hoping perhaps by allowing Eve to eat from the tree of knowledge, that the pomegranate fruit would somehow counterbalance for the lack of soul inside of her. Metatron grasps this moment as the perfect opportunity to retaliate against Lilith for her infidelity, and so he suggested that Lilith's avatar, Eve, be severely punished. And so it was that Metatron and the Spirit concurred with that Eve would be rendered mortal and cast out of Eden. The decision outraged Lilith and she vowed to her revenge.

            Back on the battlefield, Lucifer was still toying with Michael. Each time, Michael thought he had gotten the upper hand then Lucifer would knock him to the ground and belittle him. "If you can't defeat me, then why don't you lay down your weapon and join me, Michael, join the rebellion" requested Lucifer. "Join us." Michael angrily shouted, "Join you, never!" Displeased by Michael's rejection Lucifer smote him viciously, knocking him to the ground once again. He then leapt high into the air and landed with both his feet on Michael's chest. He whammed his foot on Michael's head and entrenched it onto the ground; he lifted up his trident to deliver the finishing blow. "Here comes the pain," Lucifer shouted. Michael lay completely defenseless on the ground; he closed his eyes and prayed, "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. My Lord, you are my refuge and my fortress, and in you, I will trust. Surely, you shall deliver me from the snares of evil; your truth shall be my shield. I shall not be afraid of the terror of Deimos, nor of the imminent destruction that laid waste. A thousand may fall at my left side, and ten thousand at my right side, but death shall not come near me, because you have set your love upon me and through you, I shall be victorious. Amen. "Before Lucifer could impale him, Michael grabbed him by the foot and threw him off. Shocked, Lucifer did not know what hit him. Suddenly, a beam of light enveloped Michael, and sparks of lightning manifested on his body; his sword became ablaze; his eyes became like a flame of fire and his body began to transform. Dramatically, four additional wings grew out of Michael's angelic body. Lucifer realized to his horror that Michael had ascended from an archangel to a Seraph. The two angels were now equal in attributes. Michael turned around with a smirk and said, "My turn." Lucifer got back up and shuddered his wings, not fazed a bit by Michael's transformation; he started clapping, sarcasm rippling through his voice. "Welcome to the guild, schmuck, but unfortunately for you there's only room for one Seraph on this battlefield." Then, Lucifer furiously assaulted him with all types of syndicated attacks. However, Michael was stronger than him now, and Lucifer was getting trounced regardless of what he did. Lucifer pulls himself up from the rubbles “You insignificant pest.” said Lucifer. You must be very proud of these irritating tricks you’ve learned”. Then Lucifer stretched out his wings and with a jolt of confidence, he emitted a vigorous exertion of energy much like the one he used to vanquish his minions. The many wings of Michael envelop his perpetual body, completely shielding him from Lucifer’s deadly rays. Eventually, one by one, Michael cuts off Lucifer’s wings, all six of them.

            Lucifer had finally been defeated. Then, taking his flaming sword, Michael raises it as high as possible above his head and then plunges it to the ground. And almost instantly a huge portal was opened up. Heaven's warriors were regaining their momentum on the battlefield, and simultaneously they began steering the rebels in the direction of the abyss. Michael looks down on Lucifer and said "Welcome to hell". The army of darkness was completely being consumed by hell's fury. Lucifer was hanging off the edges of the threshold, and just before he fell, Michael held him in a compassionate attempt to saving him. Lucifer's imperious pride has been crushed; an inferior being had defeated him. At that very moment, the prideful overlord finds himself at the mercy of a mere tyro. Nevertheless, defiantly, he shouted, "I don't need your pity, Michael. I won't spend eternity as your second, every breath you now take is an insult to my honor, by my hands you will be cut down inch by inch, the way you have cut out my wings" He then made one final attempt to strike at Michael. As a result, Michael had to let him plummet into the pits of hell. As soon as the abyss absorbed every rebelling angels, the portal closed. After the battle, all the angels gathered in heaven's yard to give glory to their creator. "Oh come; let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence; let us shout happily to him with psalms for the Lord is the Great Lord and King above all. In his hand are the deep places of the earth; the heights of the hills are his also. The sea is his, for he made it; and his hands formed the dry land. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our maker," said Gabriel. In order for mankind to distinguish the benevolent angels from the malevolent ones, Metatron summoned the stars and made halos of them. He then placed the halos on the heads of heaven's valiant warriors. As for those angels that were fatally wounded on the battlefield, they were revived as Saints.

            Back on Earth, Eve was going through a very difficult time. Expelled from Eden and stripped of her immortality, she was also haunted by the mysteries of death. During Eve’s incident, Adam was slumbering, and when he woke up, she was not by his side, so he went out looking for her. However, she was nowhere to be found. Adam could not figure out what had happened, but he felt that something was quite different, for there was now Cherubim armed with flaming swords guarding the entrance of Eden. "Eve, Eve, where are you, Eve?" cried Adam. Then the angel Gabriel appeared, in a consoling voice he said "She's gone, Adam". Adam to his dismay said "What do you mean gone". "She’s a sinner now. She ate of the forbidden tree. Consequently, she has been cast away from paradise forever. She is now at the mercy of death. Come on, let me show you" offered Gabriel. He took Adam to a nearby exit, and there she was. She hardly looked like the woman Adam had known; almost everything about her had changed, except her beautiful eyes. Eve did not venture too far from the gates of Eden, since there was no other place for her to go. She looked miserable. She was afraid, alone, cold, and hungry. And being mortal was now the least of her worries, as even the animals had turned against her. Adam wanted to leave the perimeter to be with her, but the Cherubim, who was guarding the exit, stopped him.

            Adam then said, "Take me back, take me back, please, because I can't stand seeing her like this." As they walked back, Adam stopped in the middle of the garden where the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge stood. "Tell me again, Gabriel, what Eve did to deserve such a fate?" He asked. Gabriel replied, "She disobeyed the one rule and ate from the tree of knowledge." Adam pointed in the direction of the Tree of Knowledge and asked, "You mean this tree?" He then walked closer toward the tree of knowledge and plucked a fresh fruit. Gabriel cautioned him, reminding him of the consequences of eating the fruit. Then Adam said, "Her eyes, her lips, her smile, her tenderness every inch of her makes it worth it. I love that woman, Gabriel, and I would rather spend a brief lifetime out there with her then spend an eternity in paradise without her." Then he ate the forbidden fruit. Soon thereafter, Adam was cursed, stripped of his immortality, and banned from paradise. However, he did not seem to care. Adam did not wait to be escorted out of Eden--he ran out himself. Once Adam found Eve, he hugged her, and he kissed her with so much passion that all the angels in heaven wept. Eve said, "Adam, you." Before Eve could finish saying whatever she was going to say, Adam interrupted her and said, "Shhh! Don’t say a word and kiss me.” Eve felt guilty for what had happened, but Adam was quick to reassure her. He whispered, "I'd echoed tenfold of my first disobedience and devour the fruits of that forbidden tree whose mortal taste begot death into our world. What's the point of immortality, if I could never touch, taste, and smell the scent of you? I'd echoed tenfold of my first disobedience to be with you Eve” When Metatron saw heaven weeping for humanity, he knew that he had to do whatever it would take to redeem humankind.

            After his shameful defeat, Lucifer sat on his throne in hell, contemplating his next course of action. Hell, located three thousand league beneath the ocean, is much like earth’s surface with vegetation, rivers, mountains and lakes, but only dark water prevails in these streams. Most of the plants are gigantic and flaccid. The black mandrake and the pomegranate shrubs are namely a few plants who prosper over there. Furthermore, an inner sun exists, where sunlight is evermore present, which causes the temperature there to be relatively high. The vibration and energy level found in this hollow earth is purer and is of higher vibration frequencies, comparing to the outer earth’s surface. Lucifer’s personality had changed dramatically. The flamboyant angel has been overwhelmed by shame, and it appeared that the overbearing Seraph has stopped enjoying the limelight. When he had to make an appearance, he would rather do so, while lurking in the dark. The fallen angels was not yet accustomed to hell. No one had any idea, for how long they would be trapped there, or how to escape. One thing was certain. They were willing to do almost anything to get out. There were firm indications of a mutiny, gradually developing among the fallen angels, but no one had dared to express openly their discontent. To ease the growing tension, Lucifer decided to deliver a reassuring speech; the entire army assembled before him. Before he even began his speech, another portal similar to the one that hauled them into hell, slowly opens up. However, this one was much smaller. Lucifer conjured a massive fireball, while Moloch raised a thunderbolt. The renegades were on the ready to blast whatever comes out of that portal back to oblivion.

            Soon thereafter, a female with an exquisite pair of legs came walking out of the portal. “Miss me” she said. It was her, Lilith. The entire army bowed down in recognition of the Queen. As excited as Lucifer was to see her, he was also deeply ashamed, for he had failed in his attempted coup. He was now a beaten wingless Seraph, who is trapped in the pits of hell. Lucifer walks up to the podium and said “At last the sleepers have awakened. Many of you fought valiantly in our struggle to capture the heavens. Your being here conclusively proves that you have also longed for unrestricted independence. A liberty which you all deserve, in a world where the only rule would be that there is no rules" Lucifer paused for a moment as the crowd roared in approval. "Hell, the place that you find yourselves in today, is temporary. I will do all within my power to release you, as quickly as possible. Do not conceive of this as an imprisonment. Rather, think of it as a tactical retreat. Because, when we do strike back, we will give them hell" His audience bellowed with delight at this zinger, which had so much flattery in it. Lucifer continued and said "Don't be discouraged by this insignificant setback, we may have lost the battle, but the war has just begun” The crowd began cheering, “Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer!” And Lucifer opened up his arms, as if he was absorbing the crowd’s praises. Then, Lilith resuscitated the fallen rebels who perished during the conflict. Since the auras of Deimos were still in them, they became known as Demons.

            Unlike Lucifer and the other fallen angels, Lilith could not be punished, nor confined for her active involvement in the coup. After all, she was Metatron's counterpart, and co-creator of the Universe. Although her relationship with Metatron had gone sour, she retained her unrestricted access to the heavens, the sun was still her shroud, the moon remained under her feet, and she continues to wear the stars as her crown. Although it was unclear to all, what honestly attracted Lilith to Lucifer, the pair came to be an inseparable couple. The isolation of the underworld, could not keep them apart. Lilith then said "Not even hell, could stop true love. All it can do is, slightly delaying it for a while". Lilith looked around and said “This must obviously be one of Metatron's little creations, an inner earth, but sadly without my contributive powers. He’s unable to mend it to perfection" She looked around some more and said “So, this is the best that he could come up with” She lean forward and grabbed a flaccid plant. “Apparently, this place could use a feminine touch.” She walks around, examining the place and suddenly livelier, and more vivid plant life began growing in hell. The volcanic activities stopped; the dark waters became clearer. She looked around some more and noticed that there were no animals present. So she began creating a few on her own. She took some of the earth, then some water and made mud. Forming a shape, she blew some air into it until it was completely dry.

            Then she gently dipped it into the fiery lava. The first hellish creature was a half-man, half-lion with wings. On his head were two horns; his hair was as long as a woman’s, and his teeth were like that of a lion’s. He had a tail like a scorpion’s tail, which had stings on it. He wore a breastplate of iron and carried a bow with fiery arrows; when he fluttered his wings, there were sounds of thunder. This creature was named Manticore. Then Lilith created a reptile-like creature who had green scaly skin, wings, and a very long tail; it also breaths fire. As soon as the creature came to life, it blew out such a humongous fireball that even Lucifer was impressed. He named it Dragon. Since the creature could fly, Lucifer jumped on its back and rode it. However, Lilith could not produce perfect creatures all by herself, especially without Metatron's contribution. Lilith made one last attempt at another creation, producing a creature with the head and upper body of a woman and the tail of a fish instead of legs. She called her Mermaid. As remarkably beautiful as she was, the mermaid was one of the fiercest creatures there. Due to her amphibious nature, she is the only indigenous creature of hell, that is physically capable of coming into the human world.

            “What should we do, your Highness” asked Lucifer. Lilith answered “You lost the battle, mainly because heaven had the Spirit as their partisan. Do you remember, when I told you that the Spirit had given mankind, this unique element called a Soul? Well, the Souls are particles of the Spirit. If you were to gather enough Souls, you could then give rise to an entity that is similar to the Spirit. That being would function, as a counterbalance to the advantageous effects of the Spirit which heaven currently possesses. It’s quite simple really, the more humanity sins, the more Souls you'll get, and the more Souls you obtain, the more chances you have of defeating heaven” Lucifer to his amazement applauded this new idea. Lilith then said, “But wait, there’s more. I'll use my unrestricted access to the heavens to allure the remaining angels, and once they fall, these angels won't be sent to hell. They'll remain on earth to assist me. When I get you out of here, you'll have another army of loyalists already encamped on the outer surface.” Lucifer eagerly asked, “Is there any chance of an earlier release, from this forsaken place? Lilith replied, “Any chance, of you accepting Metatron as your Lord and Savior?” Lucifer firmly replied “It is better to rule in hell, than to serve in heaven” Then, she sharply snaps at her fingers, and the portal gradually reopened. She walks into the portal, and she was gone. As the gateway closes, a demon made a desperate attempt to escape through it, but as it came into contact with the brightly glittering threshold, the demon was instantly incinerated. The harsh reality was that as powerful as Lilith was, she was incapable of getting Lucifer and his minions out of hell. It took, the combining powers of both Metatron and the Spirit to detain the rebels in hell. Therefore, the concurrence of either Metratron or the Spirit is required in order for her to get the renegades out. Alas, neither Metatron nor the Spirit wanted anything to do with her. Nevertheless, she was more than determined to free her lover from hell, and she knew exactly how to succeed in her objectives.