Panic sets so fast in me that I move before I think. I absorb the molecules from my surroundings and readjust the cells in my body to transform my arm into a sharp claw then thrust it at Jackson who is still standing on top of the sleeping Slippy. My claw goes right through Jackson like he is air. The thrust right on top of Slippy’s head wakes Slippy up which, in turn, makes it shoot a devastating breath of water tower that would have crushed my ribs if Lilith isn’t there to freeze the water with her hand.

“No, Slippy!” Lilith says after readjusting her throat to make her voice the most beautiful melody on Earth and lulls Slippy back to sleep.

Lilith crushes the ice with her bare hand then helps me up. I put my hand on the ground and summon the metallic particles from the Earth to pull out a sword strong enough to cut through just about anything. I am ready to fight and die but turns out, I don’t have to do either.

Lilith holds my hand then smiles at Jackson.

“While I admire your perseverance and creativity, False Messiah,” Lilith’s smile turns so dark so fast that even I am taken aback by it, “I’d appreciate it if you stay out of my daughter’s mind.”

Jackson couldn’t even get a word in before Lilith waves her hand and destroys his mind tricks. For the first time in a long time, I feel like one of those slow-thinking, boring Daughters of Eve.

“The Devil seduces and cheats,” I point out my own mistake and whisper, “I should’ve known his son can project into my mind.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself. I’ve met the devil, and trust me when I say that there is no way anyone can guess what gifts have and have not been bestowed to the False Messiah,” Lilith is checking my arms as she speaks, “Are you hurt?”

“It’s water, mom,” I say and do my best not to roll my eyes… unsuccessfully.

“I know, I know, you’re a big girl now,” Lilith says the words but she still pats my head like I am a toddler. That makes me feel better.

I look up at the sky, and my precious gargoyles are circling above me; I look to my side, and Slippy is guarding my six; I look forward, and Lilith is holding my hand. I start walking to the lake, only to feel a strong, non-negotiable kind of tug coming from Lilith’s hand. That’s when I realized that I am still holding the sword I had made earlier when I thought that Jackson was actually standing on top of Slippy’s head.

“Oh, right,” I said.

I vibrate my hand so fast that the sword explodes with a boom. Slippy wakes up again, but as soon as she sees the metallic dust in my hand, she puffs an annoyed breath then goes back to sleep.

For those who didn’t already know, dragons are naturally majestic and graceful which is why they almost always grow up to be wiser than any other species. ‘Nature’ always wins the battle of ‘nature vs nurture’ inside a dragon because that is just how predisposed they are to grace but there are instances, VERY rare instances, when dragons are mistreated or misled so badly that they turn vindictive or, in Slippy’s case, bratty.

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As suspected, Lilith is giving me an expression that is mostly accusing with a smidge of ‘I-told-you-so’ when I turn around to face her.

“Okay, I may have spoiled Slippy a little,” I admit before Lilith says anything.

“I would say ‘I told you so’ but this is more important,” Lilith says as she reaches out for my right hand. A magnetic field forms around her hand and attracted all metallic specks of dusts that was left behind by my crushing of the sword.

“Really, mom?” I sigh, exasperated.

“Metal cuts the Forbidden Fruits,” Lilith reminds me, “And while we know that you are not affected by their appearance, we don’t know if you’re immune to the scent of the fruits.”

“That’s…,” I cross my arms in frustration, “the fruit’s skin has no scent. What are the chances there is a scent underneath?”

“I don’t know, I’ll ask your Aunty Eve the next time we go to Heaven, but until then, we’re not taking any chances,” Lilith waves her hand to summon winds to blow the metallic dust off my clothes.

“You worry too much, you know?” I rub her arms to calm her down.

“I’m a mother, it’s my job,” she turns me around then gives me a little nudge towards the lake, “now go do yours before the sun goes down.”

I change the density in my body so that I can walk on water. I walk to the center of the lake as I have always done then change the density in my body again to sink right down the lake.

The 20-meter dive is the easy part, the swirling glacier underneath it… much more challenging. Light cannot reach this part of the deep pond so there is no way to see the glaciers, not even if I adjust all the cells in my eyes to make them one big pupil. Nope, there is no way to avoid the cuts and the sting of the swirling glaciers to reach one of the most sacred, and perhaps, most important place on Earth – the Garden of Edeliah.

The Garden of Edeliah is one of the most beautiful gardens here on Earth, and according to Lilith, it is actually comparable to the inner part of the Garden of Eden, except Edeliah is much smaller and has less floral species. Roses, lavenders, tulips, lilies, daisies… any plant, aquatic or otherwise, with a maximum height of one meter or less can be found here. The only plant that is taller than me is the Forbidden Tree from which Uncle Adam and Aunty Eve took the Forbidden Fruit from all those years ago.

Standing 150 meters tall and 70 meters wide, the Forbidden Tree has a transparent, glittery trunk that allows everyone to see every drop of water and nutrient that passes between the stems and the leaves. Durians, bananas, pineapples, oranges… every species of fruits imaginable can be found growing from this tree, but they are all solid gold. Lilith, Uncle Adam, and Aunty Eve all said that the fruits are the sweetest-smelling, most appetizing thing they have ever seen and that resisting the desire to taste the fruit is difficult even when they use their ability to constrict their eyes and noses.

I never got that.

To me, the Forbidden Tree is just a colorful tree with a smooth, cool trunk that absorbs Sunlight and deep roots that sustains life on the physical plane. My theory is that God creates life on the spiritual plane then the Forbidden Tree’s roots sustains that life in the physical plane until it is strong and wise enough to return to the spiritual plane, but I don’t know for sure. God did seat me on his lap and gave me a proper explanation of how life is created and how it works, but I was WAY too young to really pay attention, and I snored off mid-lesson. I still get a stink eye from the angel Michael for that.

I didn’t care much about what Michael think of me though. I mean, even back then, I was the toddler who got lost in the huge Garden of Eden then cried so hard and so loud that God came all the way from his throne just to give me a piggyback ride out of there. Then, I grew up to be the child that ambushed god with a burnt cookie and WATCHED Him eat it before turning into the teenager who got an island for her 18th birthday… in my defense, I never actually asked for that last gift, I just happened to received it because God lied to me about my destiny.

Turns out, my whole reason for being is to protect the Forbidden Tree.