Garden of Eden

The trees blew in the wind of the holy place infront of her, fruits blossomed in the trees as the songs of beautiful birds sang in the sky. Eve felt at peace...but so too did his place bring back the pain of Adam's cruel touch. She was happy for a time here....she had to come for hopes of a better future. What a silly notion but in truth, what was she to do? Let the world her Father created with Hs own two hands be left for naught? After all...she had the direct hand that made the world fall to sin

So she walked through the forest, clothed in only a simple garment to cover herself. In this place, clothes were irrelevant and she so missed the feeling of grass on her bare feet. This place was Paradise...a Paradise Lost to the tests of time. As she walked, she felt the trees both welcome and shun her...as she made her way to the site of a small, broken dwelling and just looked at it, seeing the memories of Adam and herself rush by in her mind with a gentle tear going down her face "Why were you so cruel? We could have been happy...and the Earth would never have remained so impure"

A woman with a semi dead features and one side decaying, while the other side lived, would be sitting near a pool of water, sighing heavily, Hel was always to be alone apparently, even Gaia who had not spoken to her in a while was gone, keeping things from cracking, but Hel, Hel realm was merely just dead bodies and cold, and the empty girl would just keep staring into the water, maybe trying to divine some meaning to her perpetual state of loneliness.

Eve heard the sigh and moved her head off towards the left, looking out towards the pool near the small cottage that was her home. With a gentle walk towards the pool and the girl she stopped while moving her hand to her flaming orb of an eye to use a little illusion magics to appear normal with no scars or signs of Hell's Influence

"Why do you come to this place? Do you come to seek Salvation or to pray young one?" She asked her before go

going to her and sitting down by the pool and went to run her fingers through the clear water "All of us should feel humble that the Father has opened this place"

Peering up the young Goddess would stare up and gently nod, shaking her head, and then thinking, before glaring, "My father is Loki hell-fiend you can't fool me, show your true face." with that she would turn away until the person chose to quit playing games, she was lived most her life in a freezing cold wasteland with her throne and only reason she came here, was because Gaia had said she could, nonetheless she was beginning to grow angry at this life, her other half a decaying husk, while her beautiful half would be forever tarnished by how she was born.

Eve sighed softly and turned to stare at the water with both eyes closed for the briefest of glances "I like to keep my face as it is...it is a face I wish to remember for it has not been to this place in many an eon....I am Eve and this was once my home" She said while her form shifted back into how it was normally now with Eve's red eye looking down at herself

"It would seem that the Father has deemed it necessary to torture me by these pools. Once I was proud...now look at me. I may love Lucifer...He might have saved me but now I feel such shame for just coming back here. This place would never accept me again after what I have done..." She said to stand gently and turned from the woman "I apologies for distrubing you...Ill go if you wish it" She said, on the verge of tears.

Returning her attention she said something strange, "What would you do if you were found to be the source of the end of the world, that your whole birth was based on a prophecy ages old and that you and your siblings would destroy Gods? What would you do? That is my existence, I had no Eden, I had no respite, I was merely disfigured to begin with and meant to wonder why my birth must be symbol of such strife." sighing heavily she went on, "If I know Gaia, she would never refuse company of any sort in her garden, and the imagination is cruel and malevonent force in the world, you percieve realities that are just not true. Eden was corrupted by the hatred of man, not to sound all Feminist, but it was, it was a project that failed, now what remains is merely a memory."

"I damned the Earth to such pain by having my sons Cain and Able...so in that right, I have been the symbol of destruction. But If I were to the source of the End of the World, I would feel pain...but also hope. Hope that from the ashes of apparent defeat and death, that Life would begin anew and better then the one before as the new world would grow. Even now, Caprica City on Lagara burns...hope is rekindled now in the ashes of Anarchy. The world of Terra at least has one less enemy to deal with" Eve said, turning her head back to the small hut behind her

"My home...my Garden...was soiled by Adam's will for control and domination. It left him with a hole in his heart, a hole that could not ever be filled...and his arrogance cost him everything. A part of me, even now, wishes that the past could be repeated and that I could change it for the better...but I know that this is an impossible task..." She said sadly and sighs softly.

The Goddess interrupted her mid-way inbetween her last sentence, replying, "You wish Lilith had never been corrupted and instead had just been you and her? True it's not ideal in Christian dogma, but I think you wish that Lilith never chose to fall because she was your sister and her selfishness cost you a friend, one you needed in a living hell, am I right with this understanding?"

Eve just looked down at her feet for a moment as she nodded once "Lilith was my only companion in this place...the only one who ever cared for me. She made life bearable and when God cast her away, I was so alone...Adam's assaults on my body were so painful and his words dripped in poison. His member always pained me like on the first night...part of me wishes that she had stayed with me. That kiss...that one simple sign of affection cost me everything. I wish she was a better parent...I wish she was not the Ruler of Hell...I wish I could have held my son and daughter in my arms as babies...not children on the cusp of adulthood..."

She sighed with tears on her voice and on her face as she turned back to Hel slowly "But I learned also that Wishes are meaningless...God never answered my prayers to hope and salvation from Adam. He ignored me...and let his Daughter become deflowered an devolved into a fuck toy for a cruel man...wishes do not mean anything anymore...hollow words to a hollow Father who should have loved me like a Daughter..."

The Goddess nodded, some of this hitting home, but trying to ignore it, "You resent her, but you love her, you resent her because she's so happy-go-lucky and rarely considers implications of what she does. You do realize, I can see much, and you know why she became so heartless, it's because she always desired acceptance and never got it, eventually she just stopped caring and instead lived in a a state of madness and limbo. This is Lilith she plays dangerous games, because no one will trust her with anything, she tries actively to improve herself and no one notices. You know why she is such a lustful being, because in truth she lives for seconds, not days, but seconds."

The Goddess shrugged, "She does love you, more than you could probably know, I wish I could explain better, but everything she does is merely cry for help, one that given up, she does things for hell of it, no pun intended because this is only way she knows how to live. Lilith was made into what she was, the memories you remember, she was far kinder, assertive, but more gentle."

"I want to answer those cries...those pleas for help and I try to show her the errors of her ways as best as I can. I want things to change...I want things to be like they were here in Eden. I want Lilith happy again....because she deserves to be happy. I bring what respite to her broken mind as best as I can...." She said before sobbing a little then falling to the ground on her rear end.

"It feels so hopeless....I feel like I am dying inside from trying. I feel like I take one step forward then five steps back. I want to help her but I cant....it hurts so much everytime I look around me as all I can see is her pain. Her soul burns..." She said before beginning to sob into her hands, her tears falling into the grass "I want my Lilith to know her cries...her pleas and screams are being answered....and that my love for her will never ever die....but I feel like my words fall on deaf ears sometimes....as I only wish for one thing. Faith"

Hel smiled slightly responding, "She knows, that much is true, but..." her voice lowered once more, "A sociopath or psychopath can understand emotions but still find it hard to exhibit them. You have to consider she actually hates being called Lilith, she hates her past, only time she felt happiness and she was ostracized all because she was different, she was Adam's leftovers, why you think she resented you so long? You survived, she died when she fell, she died because she had nothing left to believe in, she gave into darkness and that's how she fell. She probably never told you this, but she did this."

The Goddess went on, "I actually asked Gaia a lot about her, and Gaia often looks sad when speaking of her, Gaia in truth consider Lilith on her lost children, who never quite made it home, all because only person who she loved, only person who could have saved her, she was..." Hel stopped short, "No, I won't say."

"Who Hel?" She said while turning her head, her only eye red with tears as she stood gently "Who Hel?" She said again while looking up at the sky "Because I want to hear the name of the person who led the Ultimate failure of human kind..." She said while looking Hel in the eye, dead in the eye "Who....failed.......Hel?" She just said again, her form quivering as Hel spoke

"You don't want to know, because even I think it's harsh, but Gaia has a dark side, a dark side like the planet's earthquakes, the only person who have could have saved her in Eden is sitting right here, she was just young and unable be anything but submissive, it was how she was created, but Lilith still loved her, desired her, she had already hurt Adam she would have done anything for her, but in the end she saw only walls and gave up Lilith chose to fall because she was heartbroken."

Eve said nothing as she started to walk towards the overgrown cottage gently, the beating of her heart slowed to barely a quiver as the life around her pulsated and began to wither away. The broken heart and soul of Eve screamed in pain as her fingers pushed away the cloth that covered the doorway and let the light of the sun behind her in. All that was there was an unused firepit, a bed of fur and stone and all of the pain within it

The Goddess sighed and merely whispered, "I warned her..." trying to undo her damage she yelled out, "But don't you see Eve, she never stopped loving you, even though she figured it was resentment, it was not, it was love, she loved you more than anything, so much she could never lose all her humanity that love she feels for you is the fragment left from Eden, it's the last piece within man and she wears it, this is a story of love, not of sadness, she found you, yes she no longer the same, but she stilll really loves you. She risking her existence for you, she gave the one way to kill her, all because she knows it what you want, she wants to be there for ya, she wants to do right."

The words would fall on deaf ears as Eve's pain only increased with each passing moment, the life around the cottage withered further as it slowly began to rot, decay and die. It spread over the land, air and water as the pool beside Hel began to turn black as the night with disease. The trees turned black and withered and the earth ran dry as Eve simply sobbed alone in the Darkness

There was a sudden burst of light as a woman elderly in appearance and smiling sadly would gradually bring forth life once more, appearing next to Eve and embracing her close and whispering, "Eve, the past is meant for the past, you can't undo events, you can't blame yourself for how you were born. Hel did not fully understand what I said, you are both my lost children, her being lost was a tragedy that could have been averted, but sadly nothing can be undone, do you believe saving her in time will somehow undo all this? But Eve just think of the happiness she gives you, the way she looks at you, and tries to do right by you? In the end Yahweh word overruled all I had to simply accept this was his plan."

Eve said nothing as she sobbed hard into the air, the scent of the area now reeked with Death as the woodlands north soon began to rot and fester with the sun slowly being blotted out by the Darkness that was Eve's grief "I failed her.....Its all my fault. I wasnt strong enough.......I wasnt GOOD enough...." She said and punched the ground, the brittle earth cracking under her fist as she looked back at Gaia and reached out to hug her tightly, sobbing into her shoulder while the outer areas of Eden were still rotting

"How can I make it like it was Gaia? How can I right what I have wronged? How can I show her that I answer her call day in and day out?"

Gaia would turn to her sadly and reply, "There is no fix Eve, I myself should have told Yahweh he was going too far, but I hoped his plan would fix things. Instead he turned one of his own creations into a hateful loathing being, who only source of humanity left is her love for her sister."

The Goddess would walk on over, and reply in turn, "Gaia is right, it's done Eve, don't live for the past, you could do nothing, this was all set in place and love requires accepting the person for who they are, you of all people should know that."

Eve sniffed gently and looked up at the two of them while moving her head closer to Gaia's shoulder as she just sat crying for a good long while. Slowly but surely, the Death and Darkness stopped...but the scars on the land remained from Eve's sorrow. Finally, she replied

"Yahweh is a Cruel Man...like Adam he thought he was right in all things. He turned us into puppets...I want to do to him what I did to Adam...." She said and from under the bed, a large stone knife levitated into the air, covered in dried blood "Gaia...I know you do not believe in Violence...and I have learned things. Things I must share...and plans we must lay. But I ask......no Beg.......I beg you.....do not let go of me......I dont want to be alone......Mother......."

"What gave you any idea I would Eve, I love all my children, even the ones lost in darkness and unable to return, Hel is my child you all are. I would not let my children suffer, but I shall share with you the day Lilith chose to fall, I think you should know, you may understand just how much she loves you then, you ready?"

She nodded slowly and squeezed the woman tighter in her embrace, not speaking but remembering to tell Gaia what must be said about the state of Heaven "I am ready Mother...tell me everything"

The area would morph over as window into the past, was formed and there sitting where Hel had been near the River, was the naked red haired woman crying incessantly into the pool, her a rock in her hands as she dragged it across her flesh. The view would change, so you were looking up to her and you could see the hurt and pain in her eyes, blood shot and soaking with saline tears.

Words could be heard, "No one... not Adam, not Eve they all use, they all abuse me, no one not Adam, not Eve they use, they all abuse me. Don't you see Eve, I love you, and yet Yahweh tells it's wrong, he tells me that kissing you was wrong, yet..." she dragged the rock over her bare flesh roughly in her arm, watching the blood flow, "Yet how can something so wrong and impure feel so right, Adam never even once confused me, it was all simply a process, but Eve, Eve why have you forsaken me?" she screamed angerily and ripped the flesh watching it heal over, "Not even able to have freedom, to live, I must see her live hell, live nightmares and do nothing. I know she feels for me, why won't she say, I would snap his neck everyday for her."

Another loud scream and lifted her head staring in fury at the sky, "You claim to be all wise, why do desire her so much, you claim it's wrong, yet you created me so does that not make you wrong Yahweh." her fury was tangible and she seemed livid, "Each scar I rip along my body is living example of what you have done, you used us, we are not life, we are dying."

Standing up she yelled out, "Well I choose death over constant undying, I choose oblivion over your facade of life. I choose..." with that she gripped the rock and ripped her face roughly with it, "I choose reality over your fiction, this is what we are mere puppets to your show Yahweh, so hear this and hear it now. I love Eve I want make love to her, I will actually go over there and break Adam's neck will you dare stop me or will you instead just watch in voyeuristic joy."

There was no reply and she replied a noticible snark in her voice, "I thought so."

With that she walked away and vanished out of Eden, not yet damned but pursuing the route to end her torment.

The memory ended and Gaia replied, "She pursued the Arch Angel Samael and took him in lust, to fall. It took some more time but after that she went into Eden to kill Adam, but when it was revealed what she had done, she fell and thus Lilith's tragic life begun to destroy her."

Eve just watched...in horror as she lowered her head and was silent. The world around them fell on deaf ears, the wind stopped blowing, the birds stopped singing and the sunlight above turned from Light to Blood in a matter of seconds

"Yahweh....destroyed us. He claimed to love all of his Creations....he planned for everything. Gaia...I have plans to make this all right again. I have many plans....but....I must tell you things. Things no one else but I and Sirad know. I beg you...listen to me now. Amudiaus has Fallen. He has turned to the path of Armagius and turned to a Path of Destruction. I know better....but I have also learned things which are vital to the Universe. Will you hear my proposal? Will you listen to your Lost Daughter now returned home? Please.....do not turn a deaf ear Mother....dont be like Father"

She paused and appeared solemn, "I see, that is troubling. I don't know what you expect me to do Eve, last I heard your wife destroyed Hell and then rebuilt it, are you expecting me to ignore this? Did not once claim to be for balance?" the titan seemed stricter than usual, Hel noticing this would reply, "Gaia, I know you are hurting because Terra is hurting, but Eve came here expecting love and affection, don't guilt her away even though you are angry at the treatment of your planet."

"Sirad felt betrayed....that no one cared for the Balance but her as we have all seen that both sides of this conflict seek to gain power over another. It is natural in this straits and times for one to try and subdue another. But...their can be no Balance in this or any life with the way things are. I have a plan...but it would require your cooperation" She said and hugged Gaia tighter

"We must be rid of the old system of governing and begin anew. Heaven and Hell united under a common goal. To end War and Strife our riders would ride with yours to bring about a new Universal Order in which instead of middle men and 'miracles' govern people...that direct intervention at an early stage would settle disputes. Angels and Demons would work side by side for the betterment of all. Think of it Gaia...the implications of it. Of course...it would not stop every War for power but it would solve all of our problems. You would have Hell's standing Army which dwarfs yours ten to one and we would gain your Guidance and Love as all in Hell so desperately desire. Many Souls who are Damned repent their evil yet their call is unanswered because Yahweh turns a blind eye and a deaf ear to them. Torture and Pain should be for no one...and most of all, It would heal the World. All we would need....is one last Great Purge to clean our Holy and Unholy Houses of all who would resist this Order. Then......we could have Peace"

Eve finished and reached into her shift and pulled out a large Amulet with a huge inlaid Ruby while handing it to Gaia "Mother....squeeze it. Please....before you speak your mind...I ask that you do this. I will show you the Maker of this Plan....I believe you know her too well"

Listening carefully Gaia sighed heavily, taking the amulet, but replying, "I will grant your wish about the amulet, but Eve I am not something who could purge a whole group of people evil or good, it's not in my nature, I am pained by even the loss elsewhere. I would need to think on this, but... there is something, and I am not trying to split you and Lilith up but, I have a request. But first you shall reply."

"Ask Mother...please it is the least I can do..." She said while looking up at her gently and closed her eyes softly "But here is a question after yours is spoken. Is the term good and evil not Mortal mechanisms? How and why do they apply to us? Their is no Good or Evil...their is only Balance. Those who threaten it, threaten all...not because they are evil but because they are Corrupted....."

The Creator slowly nodded and said, "They are all my children, whether they are lost or not. But yes, my request, Hel is likely never to become a woman in the most mortal sense, her touch actually is lethal to most mortals, but I know how lonely she is, so I your Mother implore you to give her one time of absolute pleasure just so she knows, she does not feel loved and even though she is from someone diabolical, I will not let her fathers sins speak for her."

Pausing she took a breath, "As for this amulet, I am ready to learn what it is, but I am sorry Eve, but purging something, makes me as bad as Yahweh, I am not a destroyer I bring life, I don't snuff it out because situation calls for it."

Eve looked back at Hel gently with a kind look on her face then looked down at the amulet in Gaia's hand with a slow nod "Yes Mother...I will do it. It will be kindness and pleasure she would feel for this one time. For you...and if my Lover finds out, It is in my Nature as the Lord of Lust to engage in such fruitful affairs..." She said and kissed her mother's cheek softly and headed outside "Go ahead...squeeze. I will leave you two alone for this" She said and headed outside to Hel and sat next to her, reaching out to hug her and to kiss her tenderly on the lips

The Amulet hummed softly and pulsated with a very foreign, very ancient magic, ancient enough to be as old as Gaia and even the very roots of the Tree of Knowledge...all it awaited was the right touch

Gaia gently nodded and vanished back to her area and smiled, Hel was going to be given a chance.

The Woman had returned...from the Sodom below the girl raised herself up from the lowest pits to this lofty place, this Eden but she did not know why. To her, this place represented so much light...and yet so much fear and doubt and hate. How she loathed the grass she walked on and the pain each step made her feel yet she walked on none the less.

The ground was stained by her overwhelming sorrow a few days past, the thoughts of her Sister becoming bitter and angry at Eve's own silence. How it tortured her very soul and forced her back to this place. Though Gaia told her the truth...of how much pain her sister was in, she refused to let go of the past. Something inside of her very soul couldnt let it go. It clung to her like death to a dying man...the pain was so excrutiating...but perhaps above the Sodom and Sin, she might find what she sought so desperately...

A way to Peace...to end the bitterness...to end the Hate. A way...to rekindle the fires of old and forge a world in true harmony...

So she walked...endlessly through the one grand forests of Eden, of Paradise lost until, by fate, she found herself at a Tree...the tree that God commanded not to eat from, the Tree of Knowledge. She remembered the night it had happened...as if suddenly playing infront of her eyes

Adam's hand striking her cheek...his roughness holding her and demanding access. She denied and fought but failed in her pleas of mercy. Man was made weak will to pleasure...to Sodom...

She ran after he had lapsed to sleep...she cried, and cried and hid near the mighty Tree's roots. She had prayed to Him for Deliverance...but found it only in the form of a Serpent. It told her to be free and to eat..for it knew she was hungry. She said that God said not to eat the Fruit for He would hate her and cast her from His home. But as she spoke these words, the pain of Adam's abuse rocked her...until she, in anger bade the Serpent's words and ate. As the Corruption took hold, she snapped back to the present and looked up at the tree with a sniff

"Were You trying to help me...Father? Did you answer my Prayer?" She said towards the silent sky

As time flowed stagnantly in the eternal garden, a powerful yet serene presence wandered the rolling plains. The grass flowed like water around his strong furred paws. Eyes, brighter than the vainest star and deeper than the longest eternity, looked upon the wilderness with both pride and melancholy. A rumble escaped from his throat that cascaded across the hills like a chorus of thunder in the distance. He shook the thick golden mane that adorned his face and sighed.

Leolik, the Lion God, walked the Garden of Eden with an aura of unmatched sovereignty.

The wind blew softly across the plains of the Eternal Garden as an abnormally bright light filled the area near a lake, a Winged man sitting beside a pool with his hand dipped into the waters. Nearby was a stone hut that had stood the test of time, but the man took no heed to this structure as he sighed heavily

"So misguided these humans are. This world, this Universe is far worse then I ever could concieve. Our Creations now rival themselves in bitter War....such thought should not be even fathomable" He said

His hand swirled in the water before his golden white eyes turned towards the Lion God with a small bow of his head in polite etiquite "These Worlds are crumbling.."

"Remember, Paragon." Leolik replied. His voice was deep and powerful, yet kind and reserved. "They are only children. Since the day of their Fall they have been corrupt and prone to wickedness, but they are not irredeemable. Their infighting is disheartening, but not unfathomable. I had forseen it. Since its birth Creation has been crumbling - from Order into Chaos. Such is the Grand Design, the notes of the Song of Creation. All will eventually fall into their proper place. Even you, Forerunner." he smiled.

"There is more then we wish to see bold King. I have been watching for a time as the worlds tear eachother apart. Hell stands weakened, it's leader dominated by fear and hatred. Heavem's own Angels becoming corrupted and Yahweh, our Keeper, has fled to lands unknown. This has not been seen since long before we Created them all" He frown and turned to look back into the pool, stirring the waters gently with his hand before raising himself up, opening his wings to their full length

"I fear for the Balance your Grace...I fear the Primes are involved. Have you visited their prisons? Have you seen them in their cells?" He asked him, watching in the water: A Mushroom cloud over many cities on a fertile green world. A pained look came to his eyes as he sighed heavily

"Chaos must also come to Order...I fear it falls further then we deemed it in the Songs of Creation"

A smirk spread across Leolik's maw. "I am aware of everything you speak of, Paragon. Hell has always been filled by fear and hatred, for that is what it was founded upon, but I know what you attest to. You also state that the Creator has vanished, but is that so? Perhaps He has merely hid His face... The time is coming when the Tides of Darkness will be unleashed upon Creation. They must be exposed to shadow before they can realize why they need the light. The Primes are most likely involved, but are they not part of Creation as well? Even they have a purpose - a purpose that may be drawing near."

"Forgive me my King but you know the Kingdom of Man is not yet strong enough to obtain such knowledge. They know Right and Wrong yet they constantly blur the lines for their own ends. If the Primes are involved, they will stop at nothing to end Creation in it's entirety and bring us out. If we are to face them, we must intervene and save our Creations from certain annialation"

He looked at the King and took an agressive stance, not towards the King but to show his own strength, fist outstretched "Just give me the word Sire and I shall bring Heaven's Legions into the fray and eliminate the Primes. They must not threaten the Creation we have worked tirelessly for...I will rally the people to fight the Darkness. She has been growing all too strong my Lord. If not properly sealed again, Darkness will once again consume us all. Do you not see this?"

"Yes, I know more than anyone that Man is not yet ready for such advanced knowledge of the divine. I have know doubt that you could face the Dark Legion in battle and safeguard Existence against destruction like so many eons ago." he turned to the Forerunner and pierced him with a stern gaze that could shatter galaxies. "I see all. I know exactly what they are capable of. I have seen their birth, their existence, and their deaths. Their temporary reign will only serve the glory of the Creator... You must have faith, Paragon. All is going according to plan."

"I have my own doubts about a Plan such as this. If one thing goes awry and their is a deviation of this plan oh mighty King, then we will all surely perish and the cycle of rebirth will happen once again" He said with a clearly worried tone, his golden eyes turning towards the clouds of Heaven

"My heart grieves for those lost. I created the Angels from my own Feathers...gave them life and watch them grow. It hangs heavy on my heart to see the Creations of Life suffer so needlessly. No one should have to face the Primes alone...." He said with a heavy sigh

"Forgive me oh Noble King...I have just seen too many of my beloved children fall to the Darkness's reign"

"Your sympathy is commendable, Paragon," Leolik replied, "and understandable. However, even Heaven and Hell must come to an end when all is accomplished. When the Harvest comes, the wheat shall be separated from the tears, even among the reapers and servants of the one who sows the seeds. Both demons and angels will face a final judgement and tribulation before the final hour."

Leolik dipped his paw into the water and the surface shimmered. It revealed a half-leveled city. In the center was a massive crystal. Blackened claws and ebony wings beat against the inside as a ferocious maw snarled and heaved. The ground around the crystal was withered, dead, and blackened from the dark power that resonated from the crystal.

"It shall come to pass that the Destroyer shall be set free from his prison, along with his malevolent siblings." he said. "A host of worlds shall fall to his hand - to his legion. Universes, heavens, and hells. Seemingly indiscriminate destruction and death, but guided by an even greater power... A power that caused Fear to quake in awe, and Death to flee in terror."

"By the Heavens..." He said as he looked into the water as the Lion King stirred the surface of the water then looked out to his beloved city and then to his own feathers "Today marks a Day of Firsts...the Paragon, the Forerunner, felt a spot of Fear. Not fear of my own life...but for that of my children"

He said white reaching to the Lion King and set a hand upon his Golden Mane in a friendly gesture "Tell me Old Friend...wise one of the Mystics...how does one prevent such devestation?" He asked him and watched the water once more, taken aback by the horrors befalling his Creations

"It is as sure as the day the stars will flicker into darkness..." he said. "One can only delay and divert it. The Emperor constantly searches for the power that was confiscated from him. He tirelessly searches for a way to break from his bonds. When he does, he will set upon a dark crusade against the whole of Existence - such as he has done since before Creation... Such as he is meant to do."

"However..." his paw stirred again. It revealed a light slowly being surrounded and crushed by infinite and eternal darkness and void. From the shadows emerged smaller lights that joined the larger. As the darkness drew closer to the light its advance grew slower and more labored. It reached for the light greedily with long murderous fingers. "Even as the last star flickers out and the last world is devoured by the All Consuming Darkness, there shall be a safe haven for those whose faith has persevered. Untouched and unreachable by the Darkness - a harbor in the storm. Such is the fate of those claimed by salvation. A Heaven of Heavens surrounded by the Hell of Hells - the purest light buried in the purest darkness."

Leolik again looked at Paragon. "This is the ultimate fate of Creation - the pivoting point of the Cycle. It is from here that it begins anew. Thus, the only alternative is delay. There is currently one mortal people in this cycle that has successfully restrained the Emperor and his Legion..."

"Our people...was it not?" He asked him and watched the water more quietly now while his eyes moved towards the City before Eden with a sigh "I built that city...perhaps it would be best to be torn down eventually...but tell me King of Kings...how much longer must I sit idle?" He asked the Golden King, clearly seeking answers to the questions gnawing at him

"Yes and no..." he began "Though we imprisoned him the first time, eons later he escaped and sought to cover the world in shadow once more. It was then that a single kingdom of scholars, farmers, and craftsmen said no to his tyranny. The stood against the Dark Legion and, with my blessing, pushed them back."

Leolik disturbed the water once more, and a third image revealed itself. In the image was the mighty Dark Emperor in all his terrible glory locked blade-to-blade with a tall lion-man clad in shining plate armor. His hand gripped an enormous runeblade adorned with runes of light, righteousness, and courage. A storm of holy golden flame burned around him as he faced the dark lord.

"King Neodin Shadowslayer. He is the High Priest of my Chosen, and my prophet. I lent him my blessings of courage and wisdom and, through his leadership, the Aryites defeated the Dark Legion. The Priest-King and the Arch-mage - two brothers against the greatest evil known in Creation - and they won. The Emperor was again cast into chains deep within his mountain fortress where he continues to plot."

"He will escape again, but only briefly, to reveal to Existence his power and presence. Several worlds will fall to him before he is again put in chains. However, in this case he will outlast his prison..."

The image changed again, revealing a crimson star drifting in the cosmos. A few planets circled the red giant. It suddenly erupted in a blinding light, snuffing out the worlds like specks of dust. A single shadow stood against the onslaught of the cosmic storm - a shadow that feasted on the light until it all but vanished.

"The world that acts as his prison is dying, and the Aryites, his jailors, are aware of this. As we speak they make plans to flee their ancient home before it is consumed by star fire. In this climax of destruction the chains of the Emperor will be sundered, and his conquest begun anew."

"The time will come when the Children of God will be tested. The Kingdom will divide after the light disappears and their hearts are revealed. Brother will rise against brother and a new war of Heaven will ensue. At the height of this conflict, Paragon, you will join my servants and put the defiant angels to the sword."

Shi Zhen Li has left the area, heading north towards Temple of Eden.