Introduction: The Universe Blossoms
The cosmos hummed into existence on the first day, a symphony of nascent life. On the second, the heavens unfurled, studded with the glimmer of newborn stars. On the third day, planets and moons spun into being; on the fourth, the skies stretched wide above the boundless depths of the oceans. The fifth day filled the air with beating wings and the waters with flashing schools of fish. On the sixth day, humanity arose the culmination of God's creation. On the seventh day, God rested, His gaze lingering over all He had wrought. For countless centuries, God watched. Among all creation, His attention settled upon Adem, a man whose heart resonated with kindness, compassion, and unwavering devotion. God's love for Adem was profound. For him, a garden blossomed alive with color, heavy with fruit. At its heart stood a colossal camphor tree, from which hung a single golden apple: the forbidden Fruit of Life. Adem walked the garden with curiosity and an open heart. He named its creatures not as a master, but as a companion. His days were filled with wonder and quiet joy. Yet even in perfection, something was missing. From the highest branches, he would gaze toward the horizon, a deep loneliness settling in his chest.
Sensing this, God shaped Vee a woman to share Adem's existence. Together, they lived without fear or want. They laughed beneath the trees, shared the garden's fruits, and spoke with God beneath the open sky. Eden was harmony, untouched by hardship.
The Shadow of Jealousy
Among God's creations was Luci, the first of His sons. Shaped from divine fire and will, Luci was radiant and powerful. Yet as he watched Eden from afar, resentment took hold. God walked and laughed with Adem, granting favor to a fragile human while keeping His distance from His own son. Luci viewed humanity as fleeting and unworthy. What had been given to Adem, he believed, should have been his. Jealousy hardened into purpose. Luci descended into Eden not as a conqueror, but as a whisper. He did not lie; he questioned. At times he moved as the wind, at others as a serpent, speaking of choice, freedom, and knowledge. He spoke of the fruit from the Tree of Understanding the fruit God had forbidden.
"God claims to love you, Adem," Luci murmured. "Then why does He keep knowledge for Himself? Would a loving creator deny you truth?"
He placed the fruit into Adem's hands, and the world held its breath.
Adem felt its weight not the mass of the fruit, but the weight of disobedience. He cast the apple aside, refusing to betray his Creator.
The Shattering of Eden
Snarling in quiet malice, Luci found Vee alone beside a stream.
"My dear," he whispered, his voice both lure and threat,
"you are a herald of this world. Why does God deny you your birthright?"
He placed the fruit in her hands. "God hoards the wonders of the universe. Eat, and you will understand."
Vee thought of God's voice in the garden warm, patient. She hesitated. Then she bit into the fruit.
The world shifted. Colors deepened, light sharpened, and understanding flooded her mind. Ignorance fell away, replaced by something vast and terrifying.
"Now that you understand," Luci urged, "share this gift with Adem."
Believing his words held truth, Vee brought the fruit to Adem and spoke of what she had felt of a world newly revealed. Adem held the apple. Again, he felt its weight. This time, doubt took root. Adem chose. The instant his lips broke the fruit's skin, Eden shattered. Knowledge surged through him pain, loss, death, consequence. He saw not only what was, but what could be. The winds of Eden shifted, and sorrow filled the garden. God's voice echoed through the trees.
"Adem. Vee. What have you done?"
Shame drove them into hiding.
"Adem," God called, grief trembling beneath His words, "why do you hide from me?"
In fear, Adem tried to lie. Though anger stirred, God did not destroy them, nor did He strip them of love. Instead, He cast them from the sanctuary they had broken. In despair, Adem pleaded for a chance to prove humanity's worth. Because God loved him still, a pact was forged binding Adem's lineage to a curse that would shape all who followed. Humanity would live in hardship. They would struggle, suffer, and strive. Through that struggle, they would be tested again and again. And so the broken world was born a place where humanity carried both the burden of choice and the hope of redemption.
This was the Curse of Eden.