Chapter 5 - The Fall

Chaos fell through space, down from the Light of the Endless Palace, down, down till the Abyss was all he could feel. All he could know. All he was. Chaos... Abyss... Darkness... the Three combined, forming an unholy unity. The Lifespark that was left in the necklace that Chaos wore shattered, only to form again as a Deathspark, the first of its kind. With the evil power of the stone, Chaos made the first evil material appear before him. 

The framework of his kingdom. The stones on which he built his empire. Dark Matter is all we know it as, but it has another, older name. 

Traflicaz. 

The Devil's Flesh. We don't know how the name came into being, but we do know that those who have seen Dark Matter say that it looks like the flesh of a living Being. 

After the first Dark Matter came into being at Chaos' command, he began to form it into a palace. It was not endless, being made by a Being that was not omnipresent, omniscient, or all-powerful. However, it was vast. Past the Gates, made of the bones of unknown Beasts, there was a guardhouse. In days to come, burly Demons would sit there, ready to drive the dead to the Second Circle. 

There are Nine Circles in that palace, called Hell, each holding the souls of those who committed a different Sin. Only one knows who goes where, for only one being has made it down there and lived. But that part of the story comes later. 

Bones adorn every structure, the vast majority of which are temples to every god Man has ever created. All they are are Demons in the guise of Angels, promising power, but giving weakness. 

There are shrines, pagodas, houses, and statues beyond count, all tended by their Demon until Mankind moves on. Then, a new Demon takes over that spot, and the old Demon retires to taskmastery.

There were shrines to Lust, to Anger, to Pride and to Envy. All of the Shrines were massive, but there was one that rule over the empty city of Temples. War. The Temple to the Demon of War was bigger, more evil, and not only adorned with, but made out of Bones. It was the size of a mountain, with red fires burning in its gargantuan depths. 

As soon as Chaos regained his form, Demons began to solidify in the Abyss. They made their way to the Giant Being in the Darkness, standing on the steps of the Dark Palace. They crowded around, watching him. He raised his head, his fiery eyes burning towards the Endless Palace, endless miles time and space above him.

"Just wait, Craos. I'm coming for you." 

Turning to his minions, he said, "Wait here. I have some business to finish." His body changed into spirit form, and drifted away.

On Cortalia, Tu`il and Te`ara were walking with Craos in the cool of the evening. He was teaching them things that the human race has forgotten, how to give love without measure, mercy without end, and grace without ceasing. They both hung on his every word, adoring the Perfect Being that had created, sustained, and was nurturing them.

Finally, as He did every evening, Craos reached the top of Mount Holiness, from whence He had first taken Tu`il and Te`ara to Retalia. He turned towards them, smiled, and, in turn, embraced them both. "Stay strong and trust me, children. I will visit you tomorrow." 

He disappeared in a flash of white light. The two humans turned away, walking back down the mountain. They had found a place in a pleasant glade where they slept, though there was no reason to; their bodies were perfect, needing no refueling. 

The two of them lay down, side by side, his arm under her neck, gazing up at the stars. The air was quiet except for the hum of insects, and the soft tread of a tiger nearby. 

The silence prevailed until Te`ara turned and put her small, delicate on Tu`il's barrel chest. 

"I love you." 

Tu`il's sleepy eyes opened, blinked, and, turning, met hers. "I love you more." 

She snuggled close to him, her body warming his and he hers. The night closed in quietly. 

In the shadows, a faint light shone. A purple light. For a moment, it stood still. Then, it shook faintly. About five feet above it, two orbs of fury shone for a moment. Chaos had come to Cortalia. 

He shifted form, changing between bird and beast. Finally, he saw an animal that he liked better than the rest. A Snake.

Later that evening, Te`ara was awoken by a soft voice. 

"Te`ara!"

She rose, rubbing the sleepiness out of her eyes so she could see the speaker. For a moment, she could see nothing. Then, the form of a golden snake wove its way into her vision. 

"Yes?"

"Come with me." The snake turned, and slithered away, head held high. 

Te`ara rose, brushing the grass off her back. She followed, her soft feet making no noise. 

The Snake led to a tree. A lone tree, a great tree. The bark is black, the leaves are grey and silver. The fruit is golden. It is the Tree of Knowledge. The Snake turned to face Te`ara, who stood behind him, fingering her hair, curious of what the animal would do next. 

The Snake stood, examining her perfect form. As there was no evil in Cortalia as of yet, she felt no shame in the fact that she wore nothing, nor in the fact that someone was examining her body. 

After considering her for a moment, the Snake asked, "Do you know what this tree is?"

"It is the Tree of Knowledge; the only tree we may not eat of." 

"Who told you that, fair one?"

"The Maker."

"Did he now? Did He tell you why, fair one?"

Te`ara turned her head to the side, considering. "No, He just said to trust him."

Inside the snake's mind, Chaos' spirit smiled. His Plan was working beautifully. 

"Well, sweetheart, I'll tell you. It makes you wise- as wise as Craos."

Out of the corner of his eye, the Snake saw her eyes widen. A slow smile spread over his face. "My dear, why don't you try one for yourself?"

Te`ara considered for a moment. "I shouldn't..... But does it truly make you stronger?"

"Yes, my beauty, wise as Craos... or mayhap, wiser...."

For a moment, the internal struggle showed on Te`ara's face. Then, the conflict resolved, she reached out her hand and grabbed a fruit. For a moment, she stood looking at it. Then, her eyes rose to the Snake's eyes. Confusion lurked in the depths of the orbs she turned to him. 

An evil smile spread over the Snake's visage. "Eat it, beautiful. Become better than you are."

Te`ara gave a deep sigh, then seemed to be about to drop the fruit. However, some evil impulse emanating from the snake drove her mind to his side. She lifted the Golden Fruit to her mouth and took a bite. 

"I think your husband would like some, my dear." Te`ara nodded and walked back to the glade, where Tu`il, having awakened, was looking for her. He turned around as she entered the clearing, smiling at seeing his beloved. When he saw the beautiful fruit she held, he raised an eyebrow. 

"My darling, where did you get that?"

"The Tree of Knowledge."

He was taken aback.

"Darling, were we not commanded to... Did you eat of it?"

"Yes, my dear. Will you not partake with me?" 

Tu`il considered. On one hand, he had been ordered not to eat of the Tree, ordered by the Maker. On the other, this was his wife- his true love, his everything.... And, on the other hand.... Tu`il started with the realization that his wife was getting bigger! He walked over to her and placed his hands on her belly, which was slightly round. He felt nothing for a moment, then a tiny thump from inside made his heart flutter. A Child. Their Child. He looked up at Te`ara, who smiled faintly. 

Tu`il took the fruit without another thought. He bit it. 

The Snake Form Chaos had held fell from his mighty form. He towered over the two humans, who cowered in his shadow; feeling fear for the first time. 

"You have failed, Craos!" The Master Demon called to the stars. Turning to the humans, he simply said, "Welcome to Hell."

The two humans looked at each other. For the first time, Tu`il noticed that Te`ara was small and weak, easily dominated. Te`ara saw that Tu`il was dominated by his anger, easily nagged. The two began to draw away from each other, black hate blossoming between them. Te`ara felt shame as she felt the Man's peircing eyes on her. Tu`il felt shame as he saw the Woman's eyes sizing him up, mocking him with her stare. As they stood there, the top of Mount Holiness began to glow. 

"The Maker is coming!" Shame forgotten, Tu`il took Te`ara's hand and ran to a nearby clump of bushes. 

"Tu`il?" The Voice of the Maker made the ground quiver and the air shimmer. 

No response. 

"Tu`il?" The Voice was nearer. 

Tu`il, summoning his courage, stood up. "Here I am, Lord."

"Why did you not answer me the first time, First Man?"

"I... I was afraid, Lord."

"Why?"

"Because I was naked." 

"Who told you you were naked, First Man? Have you eaten of the Tree of Knowledge?"

"The Woman you gave me gave me the Fruit, and I ate."

"Woman, come forward." Craos was now standing before Tu`il, sad eyes locked with Tu`il's. Te`ara hesitantly rose and, blushing with shame, faced the Maker.

"This is true, Woman?"

"The Snake told me I would be as you, Lord, and I ate." 

Craos saw the form of Chaos, turning to Spirit, far in the distance. "I will pass judgement on him later. As for you two,"

Craos looked at them long and hard. "You, woman, shall have great pain in childbirth. You shall be servant to your husband, for you have deceived him." Turning to Tu`il, "You, man, shall labor all the days of your life. The Ground is cursed because of you, by the sweat of your brow shall you eat. Lastly, you two shall not stay here, but shall be driven far from this Paradise, which I will remove from this earth. You are not worthy of it. Farewell, First Man and First Woman."

Craos began to walk away. Then, He turned back to the two miserable humans. "Know that I still love you, very much. I must remove this so that you will not live forever in your sin. I want you to be with me. But, you must endure mortal life first, because of your choice." 

Tu`il and Te`ara looked up. The Maker smiled. They both mirrored the gesture as He vanished. Mount Holiness shone like a beacon, then the Earth darkened. Not for long, though. From the Heavens came a bright light. First it was a star, then it was a comet. Finally, it looked like what it was- an Angel. Not any angel, as a matter of fact, an Archangel. 

He landed on one knee, his hands on the ground, his wings touching the earth. He was a Fire Archangel; his entire being glowed with a red-orange radiance. His body was made of flame; his clothes were made of smoke. His name was Falior. 

He stood, his mighty twelve foot form towering over the two. "You two must leave this Garden."

Tu`il and Te`ara were about to resist when they saw the mighty weapon he carried- a greatsword. Sadly, they left the Garden, Falior following, never to return.