“God is creating a new world for the life form to inhabit, since many of you did not desire them to reside with us.” Michael stood to address her. “This is the reason this event shall take so long to be completed. And none of us know exactly how much time or energy God expended in making us.”
Lilith pouted to find the surrounding angels nodding in agreement. She glared at Michael. He turned and left. The crowd began to disperse and go their separate ways.
“We should leave the atrium now,” she told Lucifer. “We have much to discuss.”
“I plan to go to Guidance Park and refine my fighting skills farther.” Lucifer flapped his large wings. “My six wings have magnificent strength and abilities I have yet to master. I need much training, and I do not plan to spend my time discussing anything.”
It was time to be wise. She would give him his space, and soon he would miss her attentions and come crawling to her once more.
“You’re right. You do need much training.” She smirked. “I’ll leave you to it.” With an enchanting smile, she left him behind. She glanced back at him, noting that his eyes followed her for a while, and then he sighed and shuffled away to Guidance Park.
You shall miss me more than you know for I am in your lifeblood and you cannot exist without me. I see how you long for me. I have you right where I desire you––in the palm of my hand.
Chapter 13
Creation
All the angels assembled in the atrium, excited to witness God in action while he gave rise to the new life form and the world it would inhabit. The event Creation was set in motion, and every celestial creature observed in amazement as God began to fashion a brand new galaxy.
On the first day of Creation, an immense, resplendent rift appeared overhead. The dimensions and brilliance of this opening into the Metá realm was ineffable. God’s voice was heard and with divine reason, He made the vast expanse of the galaxy. In this galaxy, he formed many planets; a small planet he named Earth was among them. God chose Earth for his new creatures to live on, but Earth was a dark and cold planet, as yet devoid of life.
Let there be light.
God spoke, and dim stars illuminated, brightly filling the galaxy and Earth with light.
Many angels clapped and cheered. Michael praised God, Gabriel played his trumpet, and Gadreel sang praises to Him for His incredible light show. Lilith glanced at Lucifer’s excited face and frowned.
On the second day of Creation, God gazed at the well-lit Earth and decided to create air and sky to encompass the planet. He drew moisture from the enormous body of water occupying the Earth and formed clouds in the sky. When He finished, He was pleased.
The majority of angels applauded while they perceived the sights.
Lilith scowled. A myriad of angels were enthusiastic, but why? One might have believed they were going to inhabit this planet.
“Something is amiss.” She touched Lucifer’s shoulder, but he stared at the spectacle and disregarded her. She sulked and raked her hair with her fingers. Lucifer refused to see what was happening before his very eyes. God was creating wonders because his new life form would be a work of art. When He was done, He would no longer see the angels as His masterpieces. Then it would not be long before they were set aside and superseded.
She had to convince Lucifer and the others that this was so. They had to overthrow God and begin a new Floraison with new laws—their laws. Once they reigned in Floraison, they could destroy the new being God deemed fitting to dote on and with whom He planned to replace them.
On the third day of Creation, God commanded the waters covering the Earth to separate and allow dry ground to appear between them. Mountains rose from the seas toward the heavens, and valleys were formed. The angels watched as rolling hills formed in the boundless stretch of land. Volcanoes rose from the water and erupted to create islands.
God formed lakes and rivers across the land. The angels gasped at the magnificence of Creation.
Let the dry land bring forth plants of all kinds.
Great jungles and woodlands emerged. All manner of fruit trees came into being carrying seeds of their own kind. Tall and short grasses, bushes, and flowers covered the rolling hills and large areas of land. Soon, the Earth became an exquisite, fragrant, and colorful place. Most of the vegetation was different from what the angels had in Floraison but still quite lovely. God was pleased.
Gabriel sang and his apprentices played divine instruments conceived and made by him. Gadreel joined him in song.
Once again, Lilith was in Lucifer’s ear. “It seems excessive, all the preparations for this new mortal. God bestows this being reward after reward, but has he earned them?”
Other angels heard her remarks and nodded.
“God is disappointed in us,” Fornues said in his usual whiny way. “He no longer loves us, for we have conducted ourselves badly. We fight each other often. We constantly question His word. We have broken His rules more than once. We have disrupted the peace in Floraison on many occasions.” His last three words dropped to a grumble.
“God has given us life,” Michael said. “He has allowed us to reside near him in Floraison, and we have the opportunity to join Him in Heaven Most High in the future if we become worthy. This is the biggest gift of all.”
“Let us sit and continue to gaze upon the miracle of Creation,” Raquel said. “We must be grateful to God, for he has allowed us to witness this great event.”
Michael and Raquel shifted their eyes to Earth and its transformation.
“Where is Beelzebub?” Lilith pulled on Lucifer’s garment. “I have not seen him in so long. He would have supported me if he were here.”
Lucifer looked at her sideways and frowned. “He is probably still in isolation in his quarters due to the incident with Gabriel. Now, be silent for I wish to watch the event in peace.” He turned his face toward Earth. She rolled her eyes.
She saw Gadreel making music with Gabriel and she turned to consider Samael, who was staring in her direction. “You understood what I spoke, did you not?”
“Naturally, I agree with you.” Samael’s excessive blinking betrayed the lie.
“Have we become second best in God’s eyes?” Fornues asked.
“I believe we soon shall be.” Lilith nodded with a brooding expression.
On the fourth day of Creation, God divided every twenty-four hour period into day and night, using the sun and the moon to create the margin between them.
God assigned Gabriel, as the lead Virtue angel, the task of ensuring the sun would shine on the Earth during the daytime, creating brightness and warmth with its rays. At night, he would furnish the skies with gentle luminosity with the moon’s reflective light and the stars.
Most angels enjoyed the beauty and marvels God crafted. But Lilith grew more and more perturbed with each new miracle, and her affliction was contagious. Many were soon aggravated by the entire concept of Creation, and they made comments, which pestered Lucifer and disrupted his peace of mind.
On the fifth day of Creation, God decided to produce other forms of life distinct from the trees and plants he had made. He filled the skies with all kinds of winged animals. Eagles, bats, bees, storks, and many more species flew through the air in various ways as the angels’ eyes bounced and zigzagged, trying to follow them in flight.
Gadreel and Raquel jumped off their seats and ran to get a closer look at the birds swooping here and there. The flying creatures were unique to planet Earth and fascinating to the angels. Gadreel giggled with excitement as she watched the winged animals soar. Raquel threw her head back and laughed with glee, enjoying their liveliness.
Lilith glared at them with a sour expression. “We have flying creatures in Floraison. These species were different in many ways, but what is so exciting? Why are they enjoying this so much? Am I the only one capable of reason?”
“You must be the only one incapable of enjoying God’s magnificence.” Michael gazed at her. “Yes, we have flying creat
ures in Floraison but these are different and we did not have the opportunity to watch the creatures on Floraison being created by God!”
Lilith turned away from him and sulked. Michael frowned and watched her for a little while before focusing on Creation again.
God also created life forms to live in the vast bodies of water He called oceans. He spoke, and the Earth’s waters were occupied with whales, dolphins, octopi, lobsters, starfish, and many other aquatic species. God blessed the sky and sea creatures and told them to be fruitful and multiply.
Most angels marveled at God’s magnificence. Many formed ebullient choirs that sang lilt songs of praise. Dagon was fascinated with the sea creatures, especially the enormous variety of fish. He focused on the little gilled vertebrates swooshing around in the vast sea. Openmouthed, he watched dolphins erupt from the ocean and dance above it. He marveled at the sheer size of the whales and beamed when they spouted water from a hole on their heads.
Nearby, Lilith captivated a growing audience. “God must really hold these new creatures in high regard. Witness all the companions he has granted them. Yet we are not allowed companions.”
Lucifer’s attention shifted to Lilith upon hearing her last remarks. He nodded in agreement. Lilith beamed and continued her rhetoric.
“Why are we not worthy of having darlings?”
Raquel hurried toward Lilith and the attentive crowd. “God gave us free will and desires so that our virtue could be tested. Perhaps this is your proof that God does indeed hold us at a much higher standard than these new creatures.”
Lucifer sighed deeply and leered at Lilith. Lilith possessed qualities that gave him great pleasure to look upon, and he longed for her company on countless occasions. But the kind of love he craved was forbidden to them in Floraison. He sucked his teeth and slumped in his seat. Raquel glanced at him, her prominent, hooded green eyes filled with concern.
Lilith also got Gadreel’s attention; she believed her love for Samael ran deeper than the oceans she gazed upon with excitement.
Gadreel stole a glimpse of Samael and then glanced Lilith’s way, biting the corner of her lip.
Raquel scanned the expressions on the surrounding angels’ faces, and her eyes locked with Dagon’s piercing gray-blue eyes. She quickly lowered her head and returned to her seat.
Raquel glanced at Michael. “As much as I hate to agree with anything that comes out of Lilith’s mouth, I do sometimes think about what it would be like if angels were allowed companions.” She lowered her head and stared at her shifting feet. Michael looked at her with a sympathetic expression.
Raquel looked toward Dagon again. He met her gaze and smiled as if he could read her mind. She turned away, and her cheeks flushed a bright pink.
God created all sorts of animals to fill the land. Some of the animals had similarities to the ones in Floraison, but others were unique to Earth. He made monkeys, which swung through the trees in the forests, causing the angels to point and laugh at their funny ways. Esar chortled and a long tail sprang from his rear. His head became the head of a monkey. He began to chatter and jump up and down, imitating the creature’s behavior. The atrium shook with laughter.
God created massive elephants––which roamed the vast plains and left behind deep footprints––and lions, their golden manes flowing in the wind and their majestic roars heard for miles.
Reptiles and spiders crawled everywhere. Lilith was quite taken with the snakes, which slithered to and fro.
The angels spotted a group of mammals that displayed many angel-like behaviors and emotions. The gorillas were covered in hair, but they laughed, communicated with each other, walked on two legs, possessed hands similar to their own, and had small lively eyes set into hairless faces.
“Are these the new species we had anticipated?” Dagon asked, laughing. “I believe they are!” The angels erupted with cheers and praises to God for his incredible designs.
Lucifer sighed with relief and grinned at Lilith. However, they were mistaken, for God was not yet done.
In conclusion, I shall create the life form ye so awaited.
The celestial beings glanced at each other. Lucifer whisked his head in Lilith’s direction, his face etched with trepidation.
God proceeded to make an extraordinary being, as only the finest and most unique artist in all of existence is capable. He formed out of the earth a beautiful new creature He called man.
The atrium grew silent. Not a creature budged—not even Lilith.
God breathed into the man and made a human being for the first time.
The angels gaped at the man as he rose from the ground and were awestruck upon the realization that God had made the human wingless in His own image.
Lilith gasped. The wingless angels she had seen in her visions for so long were human beings. Her hand flew to cover her mouth. She stood to get a better look at the new creature. She could not take her eyes off him. She licked her lips and grinned.
Lucifer watched her as she played with her hair, her interest in the man expanding. He glared at the human. God created this human in His own image. Lucifer clutched his heart and gasped for air. His pulse became so loud in his ears he no longer heard the cheering crowd. He plopped in his seat as if a massive load tied to his six wings pulled him down. He grabbed Lilith’s hand. “I feel an enormous void in my heart––nothing shall ever be the same.”
Lilith observed his reaction to the new creature. His eyes glinted with exasperation. She sensed his moment of weakness and pounced.
“He is a magnificent creature, this human.” Her voice was alluring. “He is beautiful and makes my heart swell with fascination.”
“We are God’s beloved creations. We have always been near Him,” Lucifer said in a hoarse voice. “Why would He shape another being in His own image, and not us? Are we not worthy?”
“I forewarned you!” Lilith pointed at him and others who sat nearby. “I cautioned all of you this would happen. He grows bored with us.” She faced God’s light. “God desires to replace us with the glorious human being He calls man, which He created wingless, in His own image.”
Lucifer held his head in his hands and shook it.
Michael, Raquel, Hashmal, and Jetrel heard Lilith’s ranting and hurried to intervene.
“Please be silent. Your every word offends God.” Michael’s face was bleak, as if he had lost all hope for her.
Hashmal’s eyes glowed orange-red. “Listen to Michael.”
Lilith dodged the flames spurting from his mouth. She expected Lucifer to come at once to her aid, but he still sat clutching his head. She glowered at Hashmal. “I have the right to speak my mind. Did we not receive the gift of free will, or are you authorized to take it away from me?”
Michael approached her and spoke gently but firmly. “Lilith, this is a great moment in time. Please do not degrade this occasion with your pessimism.”
“The truth of this moment is cause for disdain.” Lilith pointed at the crowd. “Many of you have wondered what my abilities are, or if in fact I had received any. I have the gift of sight and have visions that show me what is yet to come. I have seen the future of man, and I do not believe it is what God intended.”
“Silence! What you speak is blasphemy.” Jetrel took a step toward her but Michael was quick to stop his fierce friend from advancing any farther.
Jetrel’s hands curved into fists. “I detest the way you always stir trouble between us.” She glared at her, rocking her body.
Lilith noticed her closed fists and white knuckles and recoiled from her, for she was a Power angel and formidable warrior. She also dreaded Hashmal’s fiery breath. Thus she returned to her seat beside Lucifer, who was still slumped forward head in hands. She did not utter another word, but simply stared forward, ignoring all of them.
She would choose her battles wisely. This was not the right moment, for she had yet a plethora of angels to convert to the idea of a new Floraison.
Michael, Jetrel, Hashmal,
and Raquel watched her and after a short while, regained their seats.
As Raquel passed Dagon on the way to her chair, they exchanged longing glances. Lilith caught the exchange between them and left her seat to sit next to Dagon.
“I understand how you feel,” Lilith whispered. “I have seen the way you look at Raquel.”
“What is your meaning?” Dagon grew pale.
“Please do not deny it. I have seen that expression before, and I know what it means. I have also seen the way Raquel stares at you.” Lilith sat back on her seat, back straight and spoke with confidence. Dagon lowered his head and sighed.
She swept behind his ear the strands of long, flaxen hair covering his face.
“You do not have to worry about me knowing this truth, for I too, share similar feelings with someone.”
Dagon examined Lilith’s misleadingly sweet and honest face. “I do have certain sentiments for Raquel that perhaps I should not have.”
“Did you decide to have these feelings for Raquel?”
“No. One brillante these emotions flourished in my heart. I had no choice in the matter.” He looked at the floor and squirmed in his seat.
“That is exactly my line of reasoning. These sentiments come naturally to us. We do not have a choice. So why should we be punished for having them?” She looked into his eyes. “I have affections for Lucifer. According to the laws of Floraison, these sensations are wrong and carry harsh punishments, but they come not by my choosing. Why allow us to have feelings and desires we cannot act upon? It is entirely cruel, in my opinion.”
He continued to stare at the ground, grinding his teeth as he often did when anguished.
“Imagine a world where we can act upon our senses. A realm where we can love whosoever we choose in whatever way we desire to express it. Would this domain not be the perfect Floraison?”
“A dwelling where Raquel and I may express what we feel for one another would be a perfect home indeed.” He chuckled and fidgeted.
The Fall of Lilith Page 13
