Gabriel smiled softly as he passed through the trees. Earth was a vast place, so full of land and water and creatures, but this was his favorite place. Eden. When he came to Earth, this was where he liked to stay. The grass felt softer beneath his bare feet, the scent of blossoms sweeter than anywhere else on the planet. To Gabriel, Eden was his heaven.
One day as he passed through a new part of the garden, he came across an unnatural clearing. In the middle of it stood a tree, tall and proud with apples ready to be plucked littering its every bough. Gabriel walked forward, somehow fascinated with the tree. The closer he got, however, the more wrong it felt. It was only when he was an arm's length away that he could explain the unease that had been growing: This tree was evil. If he squinted he could see through the mirage to the dark, twisted thing beneath.
The tree was tall and black, as if singed. Its branches were twisted and gnarled. What once were apples could now be seen as glowing black orbs visible only out of the corner of his eye. A giant crack ran through the trunk of the tree. A bright green snake was barely visible through a wider part of the crack. Gabriel stepped back, mind reeling. This tree was wrong in every sense of the word. It did not belong in Eden, could not be left to spread its poison. Adam and Eve were in another part of the garden, far from the tree and far enough away that Gabriel did not hesitate to show his true form. He was composed of light and energy and purpose. With a thought, he smote the tree, sending every weapon in his arsenal to light its dead branches. But the tree did not burn.
Gabriel fought and fought with it, a few times almost losing control and setting the entirety of Eden ablaze. Still the tree did not burn. At last, when Gabriel lay exhausted on the dead grass around the tree, he realized why he had no power over this malignant blemish: This was the work of a stronger angel, meaning either Michael or Lucifer had set the tree in Eden. With a thought, Gabriel ascended to Heaven.
"BROTHERS!" he bellowed as he alit in heaven. Michael appeared in one corner, Lucifer in the other. Both were surprised at the sight of their younger brother. Never before had Gabriel been possessed with so much rage. He pointed down at Eden,
"Who set this tree in Eden?"
"What tree?" asked Michael.
"Oh that tree." said Lucifer, at which both Michael and Gabriel turned to him. Gabriel burned brighter with rage,
"You put that eyesore in Eden?"
"Yeah." said Lucifer with a shrug.
"Why?" asked Michael, curious.
"Let's call it a test."
"A test of what?" asked Michael warily. Lucifer turned to him,
"A test of our father's wisdom."
"Our Father is wise and all-knowing, Lucifer. Do not test that." warned Michael.
"We'll see." said Lucifer and he disappeared. Gabriel was fuming, returning to Eden in a blink. He again walked his familiar garden, far from Lucifer's Tree. Instead of finding peace, all he did was pace restlessly, forgetting to admire the grass or blossoms. What could Lucifer mean, a test? He could not truly mean to question God. Though Lucifer's disdain for humans was no secret in Heaven, he had not yet truly questioned. And how did an evil tree fit into it all?
Gabriel stopped. To humans, it wasn't an evil tree. It was the ripest tree with the most succulent fruit in all of Eden. Even he, an archangel, had barely stopped himself from feasting. No human could resist. He had to warn Adam and Eve. Gabriel took flight, quickly finding the couple alarmingly close to Lucifer's tree. Gabriel landed, hiding himself in the bushes nearby. Adam and Eve did not notice him; too busy marveling at the nearby river. Someone else, however, did see him. Lucifer sat beneath his poisonous tree, lounging on the newly repaired grass. He looked over at Gabriel, frowning,
"Brother, why do you care if my tree is here?"
"Because what you're doing is blasphemy. Test God? Why?"
"He set those things above us, Gabriel. These weak flickers of life above us, the enduring creations. I need to know why."
"Lucifer, who must you question our Father? Do you not love him?" In a flash, Lucifer went from beneath the tree to in front of Gabriel, a hand at the younger angel's throat,
"Do not ever question my love for our father. I love him more than all of you, but I am not blind to his faults. God has made a mistake, Gabriel."
"Impossible," whispered Gabriel.
"Do you think so?" he asked. Lucifer pointed at the ground and a ring of holy fire erupted around Gabriel. Lucifer walked to Adam and Eve. They were too far to hear what was said, but Lucifer gestured to the tree.
Adam and Eve followed him like puppies after a master to the tree. Gabriel tried to step forward to shout a warning, but he was trapped. In horror, he watched as Eve bit into an apple. Though humans could not see it, Gabriel watched as a darkness spread through her. She offered the apple to Adam, who ate greedily from it. The two became wild, devouring all the apples they could reach. The juice ran between their fingers, down their chin, but they did not stop. Both lay on the ground, bellies slightly distended before the holy fire around Gabriel suddenly went out. By then, the humans that had once glowed bright with purity had taken on a greyish-black color, their aura forever tainted. Gabriel ran to them, trying to purify them with his touch. Nothing worked. He could only step back in horror as he watched these beings slowly be consumed with the evil poison of the tree. Lucifer suddenly stood beside him. Gabriel turned to him,
"Brother, what have you done?" he asked quietly. Lucifer looked down at the humans, as if not able to believe what he saw.
"I…I did it."
"You corrupted the rules of this planet, the parents of a species. You have doomed mankind."
"I proved our Father wrong," he turned excitedly to Gabriel, "Do you see what this means? I was right! Humans are weak, below even the lowest angel. Our Father was wrong to set them above us. God was wrong." By now Lucifer was almost giddy with victory. Gabriel could only step back slowly, tears in his eyes,
"No, brother. No." And he was gone. Gabriel would never return to Eden again.