Chapter 504: The Fruit of Awakening.

‎”The brightest star…” Satan muttered, her head lowered. “You gave birth to desire from merely witnessing those two beings called humans standing before Him?” She slowly lifted her head to stare right into the eyes of a being who reflected God’s existence the brightest.

Lucifer was the second highest being in the hierarchy of angels, a Cherubim, a being that uniquely possessed four wings. Cherubim had the knowledge about the universe and everything that was hidden underneath it. They were beings that were entrusted with the power to protect the knowledge that said any being who took a peek at it could become a powerful being.

‎”Desire?” Lucifer’s voice echoed throughout the spacious hall, the hall was so big it didn’t seem to have an end. “Perhaps you can call it that,” he answered as he turned his back, showing off his four white feathered wings.

‎

‎”You have everything, and yet you want more?” Satan asked, her voice was soothing and gentle that the air in the hall became cold. “I understand Iblis’ arrogance from disobeying Him to kneel before those humans, and I also admit my disappointment in that. But you…” She paused, tilting her head, staring at Lucifer’s face that faced the ceiling where his face was too blinding to be stared at.

‎

‎”I have foreseen those humans. What kind of questionable and outrageous things they would do,” Lucifer muttered, his expression stoic like a masterpiece statue. “They will tarnish His creations,” he revealed.‎

‎Satan hummed, narrowing her eyes because she noticed something had changed within Lucifer’s soul.

‎

‎”Stop pretending,” Satan’s sharp gaze pierced through the illusion that Lucifer projected. “You think I don’t know that you have gathered your brethren? What you’re trying to do, I suggest you to stop it,” she warned, her calm expression didn’t match with the words she said.

‎

‎Lucifer glanced at Satan with glowing eyes that were as bright as the brightest star. He slowly turned around to look at Satan and began to close the distance between them. The light that he emitted brightened the endless hall until everything turned bright white. However, no matter how bright the light he emitted, the light couldn’t pierce through the shadow that Satan cast behind her. The hall was separated into two, one that was covered in complete darkness and one that was exposed by blinding light.

‎

‎”You’re disappointed and haven’t done anything. I was the one who spoke when others stayed quiet…” Lucifer’s voice began to rise. “I was the one who revealed the nature of humans…” His voice grew louder. “I was the one who showed what kind of world the humans would create…” His eyes began to glare and grew brighter. “I was the one who begged Him that humans served nothing to His creation…” He tried to overwhelm Satan by towering her with his taller figure.

Satan noticed how Lucifer began to keep pointing at himself when he talked and poured out his frustration. However, she didn’t say a word and let Lucifer speak and tried to understand what was happening inside that head of his.

‎

‎”Yet! He dismissed my concern!” Lucifer’s eyes began to reveal frustration. “He said that humans could do whatever they wanted!” His voice contained venom and anger. “I have done everything! Anything! For Him! Yet He gave those humans free will?!” He shouted that the endless hall began to tremble with the sheer voice of his.

‎

‎Satan finally saw it in Lucifer’s eyes, it wasn’t arrogance, it was pride. Angels and demons, they were capable of predicting humans and every mortal being. However, none of them could predict how Satan predicted all beings including angels and demons.

‎

‎Satan had predicted this the moment she was created and was brought into this world. She saw blind obedience and devotion that angels and demons gave to God. They were made that way, to obey every word God said, but not her. She gained free will, but she never showed it or used it because she knew something that nobody had realized. The moment God created a being with free will, those who existed solely to obey, it would bear dangerous fruit.

‎

‎Satan’s prediction that she was so afraid to happen had finally come true. The moment God created humans with free will, that was when she felt disappointed. The moment she was created, that was the moment she knew that heaven’s wall would fall.

‎”The fruit of awakening…” Satan said as she stared into Lucifer’s eyes.

‎

‎Lucifer who was seething was caught off guard by Satan’s words. He stared into Satan’s eyes and saw something that she had never shown before, pity. Before he could ask what she meant by that, she had turned her back and walked away.

‎”Another one who has consumed the fruit of awakening,” Satan muttered as she kept walking away as the shadow she cast in front of her marched alongside her. “That throne isn’t meant for anyone. But if you have to take it away from Him, be prepared,” she glanced over her shoulder to look at Lucifer.

Lucifer didn’t listen to Satan’s warning because he had been blinded by his pride and desire to overthrow God. Once Satan left, Lucifer flew to meet with his brethren, the ones that had decided to follow him because they all had the same desire. They all shared the dissatisfaction with how humans possessed free will and existed to just live without a single burden.

The place where Lucifer’s brethren had gathered was in the garden where waterfalls surrounded it and giant tress on top of each waterfall, creating shades and bringing in a peaceful atmosphere. When Lucifer came, all of them looked at him without any expression, just flatness and determination.

“Brothers, we are going to tear The Kingdom to pieces. We know every step, every corner of The Kingdom, and we will open the gate, allowing the knowledge that God possessed here to be revealed…” Lucifer said as he looked around at the garden of Eden, where all the knowledge were stored. “Once the gate is opened, nobody dared to shut it because we are the only ones who are capable of doing so,” he looked at his brethren in the eyes.

The brethren of Lucifer were six cherubim, beings that were entrusted with guarding the knowledge of God. Leviathan, Amon, Belphegor, Mammon, Beelzebub, and Asmodeus. All of them were symbols of the mythical where all of their true forms were similar to mythical beings that humans believed in.

“He who has failed us, He who has shown favorability, He who has chosen to ignore us, He who has chosen to break the system, He who has caused uncertainty is no longer worthy of leading us. I will ascend… I will make myself like the Most High…” Lucifer said as he spread his wings.

All of them nodded and disappeared into thin air, leaving the garden of Eden, leaving it empty and unguarded for the first time. However, they didn’t know that Satan was in the garden, listening to them from the tree, holding fruit. Her gaze was distant, staring blankly at the garden where Lucifer and his brethren had gathered not too long ago.

“You don’t give them free will, yet you give them the ability to think. You want obedience and yet you created something that didn’t require obedience…” Satan muttered and glanced at the fruit in her left hand. “Do you want this to happen? Do you wish this to happen? What for? As an example for humans to learn? A reminder of disobedience? But all of that are unnecessary if you didn’t create human,” she raised her brows, staring at the sky where her pale face and red eyes were basking in the warm light.

Satan gently placed the fruit before a gentle breeze made her disappear into thin air. The fruit was unmarked and unbitten as if Satan had never touched it in the first place.

Lucifer and his brethren came down to hell, to meet the being that got punished by God. The first ever being who lost their power for disobedience, the devil himself, Iblis. They all stood in a platform where the raging lava moved like waves surrounded them. Iblis was sitting on a different platform where a raging flame engulfed the platform, painting his anger, his arrogance, and his frustration toward God. His back and his wings clenched when Lucifer and the others arrived as if their visit were unwelcome.

“The guardians of knowledge to come and visit me?” Iblis asked, didn’t bother to turn around or even look over his shoulder.

“Lend us your legions,” Lucifer didn’t waste his time on small talks.

Iblis chuckled quietly and gradually turned into laughter that shook the entire realm. He realized what the purpose of Lucifer’s visit was, and he was shocked that Lucifer planned to overthrow God.

“You’re out of your mind…” Iblis said, still having a bit of a chuckle left inside of his throat. “Well, whatever. You can use them, I’m no longer their master. I have reduced into this pathetic being,” he revealed as he slowly stood up, spreading his demonic wings, stretching them.

“Join us,” Lucifer said, his expression still stoic.

“Join you? I was about to say that you shouldn’t drag me into this,” Iblis said as he slowly turned around. “I’m nothing outside this place. You’re on your own, and do whatever you want with those demons. That’s none of my business,” he glanced at Lucifer from over his shoulder with his glowing red eyes, the hollowness was always unpleasant for angels to stare at.

After Iblis said that, he became one with fire, disappeared without a trace. Lucifer stood there and didn’t think much about what Iblis said as he looked around, realizing there was an unlimited force around him that he could use.

“Let’s open the gate of hell…” Lucifer said, since he possessed the knowledge of everything, allowing him to bring chaos to The Kingdom and everything it ruled.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep