The Guardian Angel (The Guardians of Nine Heavens #1)

Chapter 25: Eve's Downfall

"Greetings, Eve".

Eve started and looked around, confused as she couldn't see anyone near her. Who was it that had called? She shrugged and got back to picking mushrooms - she probably thought it was just her imagination.

"I am up here, young one".

She now raised her head in clear fright. She looked up at the Tree of Knowledge and stared at me, the green snake. 

"Oh, so you've finally noticed me, Eve," I hissed in my snake voice.

She cried out in fear and the mushrooms she was holding fell off her hands:

"You can talk?!" 

It was unnatural for such low-level earthly creatures as animals to talk, so her reaction didn't surprise me. 

"Yesss, I can," I smiled. I coiled around the branch of the Tree of Knowledge and gazed upon her with my captivating yellow eyes.

"But... But how's that possible? Animals don't talk! They're earthly creatures, of a lower level than us humans! They just give out sound signals to each other, but they can't speak the human language!"

"It is true, young one. However, after eating one of these apples here," I pointed her on the Tree of Knowledge fruits with my tail, "I suddenly began to not only understand your language like I did before, but also speak with you. You see, we animals greet you every day, without your noticing or understanding what we say. We are happy to live with you and share our habitats, so we greet you as our neighbours. But only today, at this specific moment after I ate one of the apples of this tree, my greeting reached your ears and startled you. So, I guess I somehow gained the power to speak with you".

"But, that is so unnatural..." Eve stepped back, "Are you perchance... a demon?!"

"No, I'm not. I am a simple snake who's gained superior abilities," I gave her a gentle smile, "To persuade you: you do not sense any black energy inside me, do you?"

"Um, no... But if you are indeed a snake, how can you speak? Why in all of a sudden?"

"I don't know either, to be sincere. I just ate an apple of this tree and was able to speak with you".

I became concerned. Eve didn't act as she was instructed by angels. They had clearly ordered her and Adam that if any animal or inanimate object (such as a stone or a tree) spoke with them or did something unnatural, they should immediately report to the terrestrial angels - the guards of the Garden of Eden. Instead, she was asking the suspicious animal how it had got its power! It was nonsense - what if, as she said, it was a demon? It would surely not tell her it was. What's more, what was with that attitude that she firmly believed she could sense any demon's black energy? There were a lot of powerful demons even I had a hard time to handle! Who did she think she was? My fears grew - it looked like my suspicions were turning out to be right, after all. These humans' ambitions and pride had grown a lot since Lilith's downfall and Eve's creation.

"But... that is the Tree of Knowledge! We are forbidden to eat its fruit!"

I decided to continue with my test - if the situation was even graver than I previously thought, I must immediately take measures.

"Ah! I did not know. You see, I am still a youngling".

"Oh, that's indeed bad!" Eve covered her mouth with hands, worried for me - the little snake. She wanted to run off to get help so that I'd return to my primal snake state. Just when I was about to sigh with relief thinking she had passed my test, she halted and looked back at me: "But, if you ate that fruit and now you talk, it means it does give knowledge superior to what we already have?"

This last sentence drove me shocked - she said what?!

"I... I guess so..." I mumbled, almost forgetting I was a tester now. She had already caught the bait without letting me realize! I thought my detection skills were better than that.

Yes, she is indeed good at burying her feelings inside her heart... But no, not only feelings but her thoughts and ideas too. Maybe that is why she can endure Adam's current arrogance issues.

"It's interesting..." I heard her murmur. She had already picked off one of the Knowledge apples and was staring at it.

What have I done?! 

I believed she wouldn't go that far, I had hope! But she was breaking all my hopes piece by piece at every new step of hers.

"If you ate it and gained an ability to talk the human language, then I wonder, what will happen to us? I mean, if we humans eat it..." she brought the sweet apple closer to her lips, but hesitated, "Is it a good idea? I mean, it is forbidden, after all".

I fell into my thoughts - what should I answer? Cease my test and scold her before it was too late, or..? But before I would even react, I heard her voice again, which shattered all of my hopes at once:

"Well, I guess I'll just eat it and see what happens. I'm too intrigued not to try. If anything happens, I won't tell anybody I ate this".

She bit it. She munched the apple and swallowed it. In an instant, the glimpse of the light aura that shed around her before vanished all at once. She really did it, she tasted the forbidden fruit! Her eyes changed from the innocent to the expressive ones, as if she had suddenly realised a lot.

"This apple... I can see it all now..." she took a deep breath of fresh air, "To just imagine, I've been a queen of this wonderful place all along, without even realising. You, snake..." she pointed her finger at me. I coiled on the branch. Her cold gaze made me worry - it looked bestial. "I realise it all now - you let me eat this apple so no one would punish only you afterwards. You've dragged me into your sin. But do not fear. I am glad you've done so. You've opened my eyes. I see so many opportunities around me now, which I couldn't even dream of before".

Goodness, she looks even worse than Layla...

Whoops, forget what I said just now. You don't need to know who Layla is.

Anyway, as I watched Eve turn from an innocent woman into a dirtied soul, we both heard a frightful cry:

"Eve! What have you done?!"

It was Adam, trembling as he watched the bitten Knowledge apple in Eve's hands.