In the beginning, when darkness dominated everything, God sat upon His throne surrounded by His angels. Seeing that the gloom was absolute, God observed the density of that blackness and said: "Let there be light." With a single snap of His fingers, the Big Bang was born.
A mere snap was enough. With only a tiny fraction of His power, the universe began to sprout amidst that immense darkness. Hundreds of sparks of light started to dominate the void, and matter was born. For eons, planets and stars formed, separating from that point of original energy and great potency. Thus, solar systems, galaxies, and colossal nebulae of stars and black holes expanded; light, finally, was made in the universe.
In a remote solar system, six planets of moderate size fought for absolute dominance. Their sun could not contain them. The six worlds collided with each other in a pitiless fight; there was no truce between them, for each craved to be the sole planet of that system. For millennia, they fought with implacable force until only one victor remained: a planet called Jetris.
Jetris stood as the only world in that system, orbiting a massive and immense sun, while the other five defeated planets became its moons. When God looked toward that planet that had fought for its survival, He descended to the land of Jetris. He walked along a beach and observed His creation; He saw that the planet had water, skies, and even the life that was already beginning to sprout. God took one thousand one hundred and one steps on that beach. On the last one, He stepped with greater force, left contented, and said: "This is good."
The Children of Light
When the Almighty left the planet that night, while the five moons illuminated the thousand and one steps the Lord had taken, the footprints began to glow. From those steps, one thousand boys and one girl were born. They were born and ran along the beach; that night they fell asleep from playing so much with the waves. They were not human; they were children of light.
The next day, they walked and ran everywhere. But they did not make the little girl part of the group. When she approached her brothers, they would say: "You are not like us, stay away," and they pushed her aside, though they also watched over her; it wasn't that they left her truly alone. She would say: "But you chase me away and then you all surround me."
Among them all, one with golden eyes appeared. Behind him, three more appeared: one had black eyes, another silver, and the last one white eyes. Their bodies shone with a faint light, as bright as the moon's. Those four approached the little girl with lilac eyes and said: "You are not like us, but that does not mean we won't take care of you. We know who you are."
—"Who?"— she asked. —"You are our rival,"— they said. And everyone shouted: "Rival, rival!" —"I am not your rival. I am me,"— said the little girl.
—"Well, it doesn't matter who you are, we will take care of you anyway,"— said the one with golden eyes. —"So, all of you, let's look for food and make a little house for us." The children began to look for a place, and on that beach, they found a cave; they began to occupy it as if it were their home. There were a thousand and one children, all running, and no one understood why they were there. But they continued playing and having fun. Meanwhile, in another part of that same planet, something much more interesting was happening.
The First Humans
In a region located far to the north of the planet, near the peninsula where those children were, God descended from the heavens. With His hands, He formed woman and man—two beings of simple clay. He gave that clay an image similar to His own and gave them life with His breath. He called the man Loel and the woman Lili. But He disappeared when they fell asleep on the sand of that beach.
At that moment, the angel Gabriel asked the Lord: "Why did You create life?" And He said: "Why not?" Then, He gave instructions to the angel: "Go and watch over them. When they wake up, tell Loel that he is the first man in the entire universe, and tell Lili she is the first woman. Multiply and be fruitful across the planet, and I will bless them. That is all, Gabriel. Go."
Gabriel descended to the beach where the two humans were. When they woke up, Gabriel told them: "Humans, you are the first of your race." But Loel and Lili, as innocent as children, did not know how to respond; they were terrified in front of that winged man. Then Gabriel said: "Do not fear me, but these are the words of the Lord: Man, take your woman and multiply across the planet. His blessing is with you. Do not forget: you are in the likeness of the Lord; do not shame His name." And the angel disappeared.
Loel and Lili did not understand what had happened, but those words echoed in their minds day and night. Loel grew hungry and began to look for food; there were fruits and animals. He hunted a couple of animals while Lili helped him cook them. They had knowledge of fire, though not even they knew why. The reality was that Jetris was a prototype, so that knowledge was already in them. They would be the test for a thousand more worlds the Lord would make; this was the first. Thus, He gave them a few advantages so they could survive, to see if they truly would.
As the days passed, the humans began to feel cold. Biologically, their bodies did not retain heat, so they began to put on garments—garments made of animal skins and tree leaves. A few months passed, and Loel began to see Lili as beautiful and sensual, and he wanted to draw close to her. He said to her: "The Lord told me that you are my woman and we must be one." She told him: "I do not need you. I have noticed we are equal, but you always belittle me. You never let me eat more than one portion of food; I always have to work alone while you sit all day. I seek the food. It has been days since we ate meat—why don't you go hunt?" He replied: "I will go when I am hungry to eat." —"Lili— but I do not have the strength to hunt." He looked at her, did not answer, and left. She thought: "I will die of hunger if I do not submit to him."
Lili's Flight
That night, Lili moved away and prayed to the Lord. She had no problem being Loel's woman; she simply hadn't thought about it yet. But she begged Him to give her a little food, for hunger was consuming her. At that moment, a great wave hit the beach. On Jetris, the coasts are the most stable places to live, as the jungle and mountains are plagued by predatory beasts. By instinct, both Loel and Lili knew they could not move away from the ocean shore without risking their lives.
When the wave receded, it left several fish behind. Lili ran to get them and began to cook them over the fire. While they were being prepared, she ran out to find her husband to share the food, but in the thick of the forest, she saw something that broke her heart: while she was starving, he was devouring an animal similar to a boar all by himself. He ate with no intention of inviting her.
Devastated, Lili returned to the improvised shelter they had built to protect themselves from the rain. She took her fish, improvised a bag out of large leaves, and fled. She realized that man did not love her. She plunged into the jungle, among giant trees and predators that lurked everywhere. She walked for hours until, exhausted, she fell unconscious inside a small cave that served as her refuge.
She did not light a fire so as not to draw attention. She covered herself with the few skins she carried and understood, at that precise moment, that she was now alone. As she ate the fish, tears ran down her face; the man she was destined to give herself to felt nothing for her.
Gabriel's Wrath
While Lili, gripped by fear and cold inside a cave, prayed that no animal would eat her, Loel returned to the shelter. He fell into a deep sleep, drunk from a wine he had prepared with grapes, his stomach full and protected by the warmth of the sun. The next morning, a bucket of water woke him abruptly.
Opening his eyes, he saw the angel Gabriel in front of him, enraged, with his sword in hand. The angel put the metal blade to his throat and demanded: —"Where is the woman?" —"I don't know, I haven't said anything to her,"— Loel stammered. —"Yes, you did something to her. You hurt her with your selfishness, miserable human." —"I was only eating,"— Loel replied. —"Besides, she doesn't hunt. She deserves no reward. I do all the work; the only thing she does here is wait for me to bring the food. Why would I share my spoils with her?"
The angel looked at him with contempt: —"If it weren't because God gave me instructions, I would cut your throat this very moment. Tomorrow, when the light hits these waves and this sand, you will have a new woman who will be made from your own rib. And I tell you, human: if anything happens to this woman, if she escapes or suffers any harm from you, I will come in person and cut off your head. Do you understand?"
Loel covered his face, begging for mercy. —"Ask for mercy,"— the angel sentenced, —"and it better be that nothing happens to that woman, because God in person will come to destroy you." The angel disappeared. Loel remained there, filled with fear and anguish; he realized that his selfishness had enraged God. Meanwhile, in the cave, Lili shivered with cold.
The Leap into the Void
Lili left the cave once the sun had hit with strength. She looked for a water source to wash, drank a little, and undertook a journey without a destination; the only thing she knew for certain was that she had to get away from her male counterpart, otherwise she would be dead. She understood perfectly that survival was stronger than any destiny; if she did not take care of herself, she could not be a woman, nor a mother, nor have children. She reasoned clearly: if she wasn't healthy, she could do nothing. First, she had to ensure her survival and health; then she would see if she returned to Loel. But destiny was about to change everything.
Meanwhile, on Jetris, life continued. Animals ran and hunted under Lili's watchful eye: the predator devoured the prey, and the prey, occasionally, dragged the predator into a trap. Both species fought to exist, and that was exactly what she was doing: surviving.
As she walked, some predators tried to hunt her. Lili began to run through the brush; her feet were injured by thorns, branches, and logs. Some horned panthers pursued her. She ran and jumped, tripped and fell, losing her bag, her belongings, and her skins in the flight. She did not stop, for she knew that if those animals caught her, she would die. In her desperation, she saw a clearing past the leaves and trees and jumped with all her strength.
Only when she was in the air did she realize that the earth had disappeared beneath her feet; in her flight, she had jumped off a precipice. As she fell, she thought: "This is my end." But below, a deep lake awaited her. The impact against the water was very strong, but she managed to survive. From the shore, the animals watched how the girl had thrown herself into the void with the sole desire to live. She came out of the water as best she could, tired and exhausted, but not defeated. She continued her way, finally understanding that this was a savage world that would have no mercy on anyone.
The Wife of Heaven and the Dark Mist
That night, Lili looked for a cave but did not find one. She tried to climb a tree, but she was injured, so she remained at the foot of the trunk, awake all night, fearing the beasts would return. Meanwhile, on the beach, Loel knew he was lost. He understood that if anything happened to Lili, or if an animal devoured her, the angel would kill him; and if he did not treat the woman they would bring in the morning well, he would also die. He begged the Lord for mercy, but the Lord did not listen.
The next morning, Loel woke in the tranquility of his home. Beside him, he saw a woman and was startled; she was beautiful, as beautiful as Lili. She said to him: —"How are you, my husband? I am Avia. I come on behalf of Gabriel; he took one of your ribs by order of the Lord, and the Creator formed me. The Lord told me to give you this message: 'If you make a mistake again, you will no longer exist.' That is the message the Lord sends to my husband."
The terror in Loel's eyes was great; he realized that this woman was not like Lili. This woman obeyed heaven; she would have no mercy on him nor think of his well-being. In that instant, Loel realized his mistake: he had lost the woman who did love him.
At the precise moment that was happening, Lili fell unconscious in the thicket. Under the shadow of the trees, the beasts began to approach, smelling her blood. Slowly, a panther, snakes, and even large birds drew near to devour her. But, just as they were about to attack her, a black mist emerged from between the stones and trunks. The animals fled in terror, as if something extremely dangerous were approaching.
That dark mist enveloped Lili and lifted her into the air. The mist took a humanoid form, a dark being that was not human, and carried her near the sea. There, it slowly washed every part of her injured body. That being placed her delicately on the sand, built a fire with stones, and brought fish for her. Then, it disappeared. Lili felt the aroma of the cooked fish and woke up.