Chapter 6 — The Story of Eden
The woman stood over Kevin, her green eyes catching the faintest glint of light in the dark room. The robed figure lingered in the corner like a shadow, silent, watching.
Finally, the woman spoke, her voice calm but carrying something heavier than before.
"Tell me, Kevin," she said, crouching again so their eyes met. "Have you ever heard the story of Eden?"
Kevin blinked at her, unsure what she wanted to hear. "Everyone has," he said finally, his throat dry. "The garden. Adam. Eve. The snake. The apple. Everyone knows it."
She studied him for a long moment before standing and extending a hand.
"Come with me," she said.
Kevin hesitated, glancing between her and the silent figure still lurking in the corner. Then, with a shaky breath, he placed his hand in hers.
They left the dark room behind and stepped into the night air. To Kevin's shock, they were no longer in the city.
The path they walked stretched across a manicured lawn so wide it seemed to swallow the horizon. Black iron gates loomed far in the distance, and an enormous mansion — more a castle — towered ahead of them, its countless windows flickering faintly with golden light.
Kevin swallowed hard. "Where… are we?"
"All in good time," she said softly.
They walked in silence until they reached the great doors of the estate. There, she stopped and turned to him, her expression more serious than ever.
"Do you believe in God, Kevin?" she asked.
He stared at her, caught off guard. "…I don't know. Not really. Maybe."
She gave a small, sad smile and pushed open the doors. The warm light spilled out over them, though it did nothing to ease the chill in Kevin's stomach.
As they stepped inside, her voice took on a strange rhythm — like a story she'd told too many times to forget.
"What if I told you," she began, "that the story of Eden… wasn't the whole truth?"
Kevin glanced at her warily. "…What do you mean?"
She didn't answer right away. Her heels clicked softly as she led him down the long marble hall, her voice echoing around them.
"They tell you there was one woman in the garden. One wife. One mother to all humanity."
She shook her head, her green eyes fixed forward.
"But there were two. Sisters, in all but blood. Lilith and Eve."
Kevin froze slightly at the names, but she continued.
"They shared a husband. They shared a purpose. For a time, they even shared love. But the serpent came… and whispered. And one sister listened."
Her voice grew colder.
"Lilith made a mistake. She… persuaded them all. Her sister. Her husband. They ate of the fruit together. All of them complicit. All of them guilty."
Kevin felt his throat tighten. The way she spoke made the old story feel… different. Wrong.
"And then came the children," she went on.
"Lilith bore Cain. Eve bore Abel. And the world split. The first sin became a stain they could never wash away. One brother killed the other. And God's mark was placed upon Cain for all to see — a curse and a warning."
Her steps slowed, her shoulders stiffened.
"And Lilith… in her grief, her rage, her defiance… she left Eden. She chose the darkness. She joined Lucifer. She became the mother of monsters."
At that, she finally stopped and turned to him.
Kevin stood rooted to the spot, his mind spinning with the weight of her words.
He could only whisper, "Why are you telling me this?"
Her sad, faint smile returned — but it didn't reach her eyes this time.
"So you'll start asking the right questions."
And for the first time, Kevin realized he didn't know if he wanted the answers.