/soy/ - Soyjaks

It was Monday when the Devil fell. When he struck the earth, the land itself was scarred by his impact. The soil turned vile and poisoned, and thus it became known as the Cursed Land. When he awoke, he realized what had happened and was filled with rage. He desired vengeance against God.

On Tuesday, he gathered his strength.

By Thursday, he began to wander and explore the world. Driven by curiosity, he came upon the fishes of the seas. He touched them, and they were corrupted by his presence, becoming the first Sea Monsters.

He continued wandering through the night, and on Friday he crossed the deserts while searching for the Garden. His mere presence corrupted the lizards of the sands, twisting them into the first dragons.

On Saturday, he finally found the Garden. There he saw Elves, Dwarves, and Men. Jealous, spiteful, and furious, he crept into the Garden and stole some of the sacred clay from which Elves and Men were made. From it, he fashioned the first Orc. When the creature was animated, it screamed, struck the Devil, and fled into the wilds. The Devil was pleased.

The next day, Sunday, he disguised himself as a wise old teacher and approached the first four Elves, two men and two women. He asked them many questions, but one in particular lingered: why do you worship God if you possess powers akin to His? They debated for hours. The Deceiver added more questions, sowed more doubt, and deepened the debate. Over the course of days, this led to schism among the Elves.

Afterward, he went to the Dwarves. They were the adoptive children of God, created by the Devil’s former lieutenant, who sought redemption and had betrayed him to the very God they once tried to overthrow. The Devil despised them, though his hatred for Men was greater. He tempted the Dwarves with power and dominion, but they did not yield. For a time, he was frustrated and nearly abandoned his efforts.

Then he realized that their greatest virtue could become their greatest vice. He told them that their creations would not last, that time would erode all they built, and that others might steal their works. He showed them visions of crumbling halls and forgotten treasures. Fearing loss and decay, the Dwarves began to mine obsessively. They desired more, and with the knowledge that all things fade, they sought to possess as much as they could. This took an entire day.

On the following day, he went to Men, God’s favored children, made in His image and destined to rule the world. He disguised himself as an angel and told them that they had finally passed their test. He said they would not die if they ate the fruit of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and that they were now permitted to eat it. They believed him and did as he instructed.

They soon realized they were naked and were filled with shame. The Devil clothed them and began to teach them morality, a false morality shaped by his own design. He taught the first man magic, stolen power taken from the Elves. He then turned to the first woman and was about to teach her something even worse.

At that moment, God entered the Garden. He called out to His children, the Elves and Men, and to His adopted children, the Dwarves. The Devil immediately hid.

What God saw was this: Men hiding in shame, their nakedness revealed by the half-eaten fruit on the ground; Dwarves obsessively mining and hoarding; and Elves locked in endless debate and argument. God asked them who had done this.

They blamed one another, until at last the woman pointed toward the Devil.