This originally was meant to be for the Unnatural Writer's club but I loved the idea so I wrote it without a word limit (the 500 word limit one will be on my Ao3 by Monday). I'm home sick and it's a rainy day so I'm trying to catch up on my writing.
Any who, i really wanted to write about Lucifer tempting Eve because I haven't read many fics about that. Also, if the lore doesn't match up with that of the show, whatever. If anyone catches the Good Omens reference in here, good on you! I kinda used that first chapter (where Zira and Crawly are talking) to help set how I wanted the story to go.
Let me know if you guys like it and leave a review if you have an requests or particular characters you wanna read more of!
Prompt: Catalyst
Dark grey storm clouds covered the sky, casting darkness over Eden. Thunder rumbled nearby, signalling a storm would soon be on its way. The two humans in the Garden looked up at the dark sky in wonder and fear, having experienced only one story before but never had there been thunder as well. Had any other beings been paying attention, they might think this were an ominous sign the earth were giving that something bad were to unfold but most of Heaven wasn't paying attention. They were busy with their own tasks, soldiers fighting, healers training, Archangels leading and keeping order. Even God wasn't watching, instead locked away in His workshop, already beginning to create more creatures to fill the earth.
Only one being was paying attention, watching from on top of a dark storm cloud. Red eyes watched as critters in the Garden fled as the first rain drops fell, a light drizzle so far, choosing to not be foolish and get caught in the downpour that would soon happen. Even the two humans hurried to find shelter from the rain.
The Archangel watched with fascination, having never felt rain before. He didn't understand why these creatures fled, after all, it was merely water droplets. What was so terrifying about them? He had faced beings much more terrifying than water, ones not even the lesser angels could imagine, so to see lesser creatures fleeing from such a small thing was amusing (and a bit confusing truthfully). When his eyes rested on the humans though, they narrowed and a bitter taste grew in his mouth. The Archangel had been one of the first in the Garden. He had been there when his Father had created it, and truly Eden was beautiful. It was almost an exact replica of the garden that resided in the Archangels' corner of Heaven, a sight very few celestial beings were granted the chance to see. So to have the beauty and purity of it tainted by these apes crawling in the mud, it was insulting.
He had helped care for that garden, for Eden as well. He had helped with raising the creatures that lived in that small chunk of Paradise and to see his Father's newest creation wreck it was something he couldn't get over. The Garden in Heaven had been a gift to them from their Father, showing His love for them, and there was nothing these apes did that deserved God's love. They hadn't fought the Darkness, a being of destruction, nor had they destroyed the Leviathans, monsters of never ending hunger and chaos, and yet they were gifted with Paradise. The Morning Star shifted, leaning closer.
They were disgusting, similar in shape and form to them and yet not at all. Humans were pitiful, dirty and nowhere near deserving of anything God provided them. When created, there had been a buzz in Heaven, every celestial being curious about these "humans" interested in what was their purpose. What they did. And truthfully, Lucifer had been curious as well. It was a hesitant curiosity, worried he might no longer be apple of his Parent's eye, but it seemed he had no need to worry. They were small and not at all close to them. But then their Father commanded that all angels were to love these humans, to protect them and love them, and he saw no problem with that. He would love his Father's creations, no matter how odd or weak they were in power. The issue had been though to love them above God.
His Father had commanded all of Heaven to love these little mud monkeys about Him and somehow the Morning Star couldn't. He could see nothing that made them better than their Father. They didn't deserve love to that degree and thus decided not to love them at all. He wasn't the only angel to not love humans, but he was one of the rare few that made it public about his hatred for them.
In his free time, Lucifer observed them, trying to find a reason to love them, because he didn't like going against his Father. He didn't want to upset his Parent but they had nothing special about them. And the longer he watched them, the more the bitterness in his grace grew. On his skin, the Mark burned brightly, as red as his eyes and he bit his lip, hissing softly at the pain it caused him. It hurt, even after having it for decades, tearing slowly away at his grace. The light in him tried to fight the darkness within the Mark, but it was struggling, growing weaker as She became stronger. Her taunting words echoed through his mind, murmuring about how he was right with his bitterness and beliefs. The humans didn't deserve the love of Heaven, especially the love and protection of the Archangels. Humans were small bags of flesh and bone, brittle and so easily breakable. Archangels were fierce, weapons, warriors.
She whispered how they were ants, and that he was the Morning Star, the brightest and most beautiful of all of God's creations. He shouldn't have to bow down, submit to them and as much as Lucifer didn't want to disobey his Father further, he found himself agreeing with Her. She was right.
There had been a time, long ago, when he would have resisted Her words, fighting back but now he welcomed the darkness. An idea began to form in his mind, half guided by Her words, as to how he'd prove humanity was not deserving of their love. Of His love. Unfurling his wings, he rose to his feet and then took off, mind set, heading towards earth.
Rain drops hit his skin as he flew downwards, stopping just above the heights of the trees, pausing. He knew he'd have to be smart about this, choosing which entrance to use. The guards that stood at the entrances were each an angel chosen from one of the Archangels' garrisons, some of the best in all of Heaven and raising an alarm for a certain guard would end up causing suspicion and both Michael and Father becoming aware of what he was doing. He was closest to Jophiel's gate, the south gate, but knew that Jophiel had been trained by Michael and Lucifer wasn't willing to take the risk. Any other time he'd enjoy the challenge, but should he say the wrong thing by mistake, Michael would be here in seconds, hauling him back upstairs and punishing for his crimes. Samael was out of the question, the indigo winged angel much too stern and strict to the rules. It would be impossible to charm his way into the north gate, leaving only Aziraphale at the east gate and Gadreel at the west.
Aziraphale was a stickler for rules as well, though he was much easier to persuade if need be to bend the rules - it would take a bit of effort and the cream winged angel might get suspicious as to why he cared so much all of a sudden for these humans, even with an excuse - but Lucifer wasn't too sure he could take the chance with Zira. He had raised his little brother well, but knowing Aziraphale, it would be easier to go through Gadreel's gate than it would to go through the Principality's. Plus, from where he was hovering, he could see him preoccupied with another and Lucifer didn't need another being having knowledge of his plans.
So he flew to the west gate, landing on the soft earth. He shook the water from his wings, folding them on his back and walking closer to the spot where Gadreel sat, dark grey wings arched above his head.
"Hello Gadreel," he called out, alerting the guard of his presence and Gadreel turned his head to face the Morning Star, looking down from his perch. The hand on his blade relaxed, though he did raise an eyebrow at the Archangel.
"Brother? What brings you to Eden?" Gadreel asked voice loud enough to be heard over the thunder. "I remember you telling me you were not fond of the being s that lived in the Garden, and yet, you are here. Has Michael sent you with a message?" He said, peering down at Lucifer.
Lucifer could see the curiosity forming in the younger one's grace, and shook his head. "Do you really think I'd be the one Michael would send if there were a message to be delivered?" He stated, humour evident in his voice and Gadreel's eyes fell to the sword on his lap, embarrassed for not realizing the foolishness of his question.
Of course the Morning Star would not be the one who would deliver messages. It would most likely be Gabriel, or should Gabriel be busy, his second in command.
"Don't worry brother," he began, waving it off causally. "I'm here to visit the humans. While you are right about not being fond of them, I wish to understand them better. To see up close what makes them so special. I'm starting to understand the answer to my questions but I fear that not all can be answered from a distance."
This was where he started to use his silver tongue, weaving together words to make an explanation the younger angel would buy. After speaking, he waited, watching Gadreel carefully, searching for any signs that perhaps would reveal nervousness or hesitance.
Gadreel tilted his head to meet his brother's gaze. "Though why this gate brother? I had heard they dwelled closer to the eastern gate. Aziraphale's gate would be better than mine," he said, brow furrowed and Lucifer chuckled.
"You're right. But Aziraphale is a stickler for rules; he wouldn't let me in, despite my willingness to understand."
"And I should?"
"I know no angels are allowed in, but you can trust me Gadreel. I won't tell anyone." Lucifer gave him a small smile. "May I enter?" He asked, and his little brother was silent, thinking carefully about whether or not he should allow Lucifer to enter.
It would be breaking the rules and should he get caught, the punishment would be grand. On the other hand though, he trusted the Morning Star's willingness to change. "I suppose," Gadreel eventually said, nervously waving a hand at the gate, chanting softly the password.
"Thank you brother." Lucifer flashed him a bright grin which helped remove some of the nervousness Gadreel had. "It was nice seeing you again Gad."
He started to walk past the guard, slipping through the open gate and into the Garden when Gadreel called out, "You'll visit again, right? It gets a bit lonely here all by myself." Gadreel looked a bit embarrassed once more and Lucifer nodded.
"Any time I have free time I'll visit. Promise."
And he then vanished deeper into the Garden, gates closing behind him. A small seed of regret buried itself in the Morning Star's grace as he left Gadreel, knowing a good chunk of the blame would be pushed on Gadreel's shoulders for allowing him entrance into the Garden. It was wrong to hurt the kid like that, especially since Gadreel trusted him, and that almost made him stop and turn around. Perhaps this wasn't worth it. Already he had done quite enough to prove humans weren't as great as they were said to be - twisting and corrupting Lilith's soul had gotten him in a huge amount of trouble - and he was walking a thin line. His punishment for this would be enormous and as much as he wanted to prove his Father wrong, he didn't want to anger Him.
'Then bow down to them, Morning Star,' the voice taunts mockingly. 'Get on your knees and love them like you do with God. They are stronger than Archangels, it seems. Perhaps you are the pathetic ones, not them.'
He grits his teeth, narrowing his red eyes. The Mark taunts him, and he gives in to it, his pride far too great.
"I will not bow to them. I am not pathetic," he growls and there is laughter in his head.
'Are you sure? Then what stops you?' The Mark whispers. 'Show Him they are flawed, imperfect compared to you. Prove they are all wrong.'
He forgets about Gadreel, about his love for his Father. Instead, he remembers only his mission and marches on, deeper into the Garden. He hates he is prideful, and perhaps, this is why he is doing this in the first place. Perhaps it is jealousy and pride that drives him, not the need for justice and proof. His grace reaches out, searching for the humans and he follows it until he reaches the Tree of Knowledge.
The rain is coming down harder, thunder booming loudly overhead. He's sure lightning will arrive soon. Lucifer spots the male fixing the sheltered they stayed in while the other human is picking berries in the rain, glancing up at the sky with every roll of thunder.
Lucifer sits on one of the tree branches she is picking berries from, changing his shape until he is that of a serpent, with dark red eyes and golden scales. He coils his body around the branch before calling out to her, looking down. "Eve," he hisses, fairly sure he has gotten the right name. He, although watching them, only heard bits and pieces of their words and they hardly said one another's names.
But it appeared he had gotten the name right as Eve stopped what she was doing and looked around, confusion on her features. She couldn't see the Archangel turned serpent hidden in the tree and at first believed it were her husband. But Adam didn't sound like that.
"Eve, why do you not take?"
Again she looked around, trying to find the voice. "Who said that?" she asked voice soft and almost lost as thunder rumbled loudly above her.
"I did." Lucifer lowered part of his body out into the open to allow her to see him, forked tongue darting out. She took a step back, surprised, eyes focusing on Lucifer's red unblinking ones. "You want to pick that fruit, I sssee you longing to try it and yet, what ssstopss you?" He hissed, tilting his head, appearing innocent. It would be much like tricking Gadreel, lure the creature into false security, and convince them all will be fine.
She turned to look at the Tree of Knowledge, knowing that was the tree that bared fruit of which the serpent was referring to, before shaking her head at the reptile. "God commanded for us not to," Eve explained. "He said we can eat from any tree and bush in this garden except for that one."
"He did? Why?" Lucifer knew that if he convinced her it was okay, she'd take the fruit. Her mind was easy to bend and mold, reshape with just a few words. She was already longing for the fruit, to taste it and receive the knowledge that the tree gave. All she needed was a gentle nudge and that was exactly what he planned on doing. "He allowss every other being to eat from that tree, except you. Do you not dessserve knowledge like everyone elsse?"
A streak of lightning lit up the sky and Eve jumped eyes wide. Lucifer watched her curiously. After she recovered from the fright, she asked, "All creatures except Adam and I?"
The serpent bobbed his head and he could sense the spark of doubt growing in her, the thoughts of disobedience forming.
"All except you two. Sssurely a little of Hisss knowledge is not bad. Would one bite truly be ssso horrible? Thiss must be a tesst. After all, He givesss you free will to do as you please and yet He confinesss you with rules." Lucifer leaned down until they were eye to eye.
His red eyes seemed to put her in a bit of a trance and she stared at them, before a frown appeared on her face. She took a step back once more, putting a bit of distance between herself and the Archangel in disguise. The human glanced over at one of the branches of the Tree of Knowledge, eyeing the fruit hanging from it before focusing back on the serpent before her. "How do I know you are telling the truth?" she says and Lucifer narrowed his eyes slightly.
He wanted to smite her for speaking to him like that, doubting his words but steeled himself, instead saying, "Why would I lie? If you do not believe me then do not take the fruit. I am merely pointing out that it isss unfair how you are treated and wisshed for you to know that." Should he have shoulders he would have shrugged but in this form it were impossible. Instead, he lay back on the branch, moving away from her and further into the tree's leaves.
She stood eyes flinting from the serpent to the fruit hanging from one of the Tree's branches and after a few moments of silence, said, "You say all creatures except us are allowed to have the fruit?"
Lucifer grinned sharply, forked tongue darting out quickly, no longer worried that his plan would fail. He nodded, watching her fall completely into his trap.
"Then surely one bite would do no harm."
She walks over to the Tree of Knowledge, hesitantly reaching towards one of the fruits, as if still worried about the warning she had received about touching its fruit. The rain was beating down harder and harder, but neither being minded, and Lucifer watched gleefully as she plucked the fruit, holding it in her hand.
Both beings waited for a sign that would make it known God knew of her touching, showing He was angry for her disobedience but other than the storm nothing seemed supernatural about the weather. Eve looked at the fruit in her hand, noticing there was nothing different about it compared to the other fruits in the Garden. But when she took a bite of the fruit, she could easily tell the difference of taste from the others. It was sweeter than anything she had ever tasted, and instantly everything around her seemed different. Turning to where her husband was, she walked over to him, offering him the fruit to try.
It was only fair to share the knowledge with Adam and Lucifer grinned from where he hid everything exactly how he wanted it to be. It wasn't until Adam took a bite though did a loud rumble sound, the earth shaking below them. Lucifer's eyes grew along with the humans and they jumped at the lightning that lit up everything. Rain poured down twice as hard, like blades slicing the skin and the two humans fled to their shelter, fearful to face God's wrath.
'They're coming for you, Morning Star.'
Another crack of lightning appeared.
He could hear the wing beats of angels, the guards flying towards the tree.
'They're coming for you Morning Star. It is too late to flee. You will be punished alongside those pathetic humans,' the voice purred gleefully and Lucifer felt his grace buzz nervously.
The Archangel shifted his form back, opening his wings, and fleeing quickly, wings beating fast. He swerved between trees, water weighing down his feathers, trying to escape through one of the abandoned gates before his Father came. Slipping through the north gate, Lucifer made his way quickly to Heaven, not bothering to look back at the mess left behind.
It was funny, how a bite so small could do so much damage. It was considered the catalyst for all of humanities depravities, the first sin that would soon bring hundreds more to the earth.
But that bite didn't only damn humanity.
That was the moment Lucifer had gone too far and fallen from grace. The Morning Star would be found guilty decades later once Gadreel would admit Lucifer entered the Garden from his gate, with his permission and tempted Eve in the form of a serpent.
Adam and Eve and all their descendants would forever be banished from Eden, suffering for their sins, unable to return. Gadreel would remain locked away in the deepest of Heaven's jail, punished and tortured for his mistakes, for falling for the Morning Star's silver tongue and silky words, and Lucifer, he would be stripped of his title, locked away in a cage in Hell until Judgement day, never to be allowed to step foot in Heaven once more. These actions would lead to the departure of God, Gabriel running away, a civil war, Cain killing his brother, and so many other countless actions.
And all this would happen because of one little bite.