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Split into a million parts .
Soul has gone by many names. They aren’t sure this is even the right one, but it is right to say that they were the first ever soul made, so it is the name they call themself.
Others call them God. Christianity splits across so many universes. So many universes look to them and a handful of their siblings and say God. Him - capital H.
All they know is that one day they found themself alone. Alone with their thoughts and the way their beloved had been torn into broken pieces across worlds and the knowledge from the little sister who had taken their role that this would not be the end.
In the chaos of the yet to be named “World of Heroes”, they decided to make their piece of humanity.
“These are my creations,” Yaldaboath says. “Why not make your own, as Lucifer did?”
“Why would I?” Soul says. “I crest souls, not creatures.”
“Fine, then,” Yaldaboath says. “If I may work with your angels.”
Soul considers that only fair. All of humanity are his, in life. Soul rarely speaks to the souls brave enough to go through their trials.
And so it is.
Soul creates three humans to live with them. Adam and Lilith in their image, and Eve… different. They hide in a corner of the world.
The humans are young and innocent. Soul enjoys their time with them. They don’t know loneliness, or pain.
“But you know something we don’t, don’t you?”
It’s Eve who asks. She was made in her own image, and there’s a warmth and worry in her eyes.
“Of course not,” Soul says. “I’m just like you.”
Lilith scoffs, and storms off. There’s an anger in her that they don’t understand. It’s been so long since they could bother to feel angry. Adam smiles and puts his arms around Soul.
“We believe you, Soul,” he says. “It’s perfect here, why would you be sad?”
There’s a brilliant smile on his face, and a look he shares as he meets Eve’s eyes. Eve’s eyes…
…Before Eden there was a force. She was the lady of the seas, ancient and warm. But as humans on other worlds discovered the power of alchemy they ripped pieces off of her until she fell apart into a catatonic state of pain.
Eve has a look like that. Too-deep empathy.
They’re curious but they are… so young. They can’t know about the pain that tries to swallow Soul whole.
Lilith finds the answers. She finds answers and storms towards them.
“How dare you act like one of us, God!” She screams.
“…What?” Soul asks. They stare at her, not understanding.
“We’re less than you,” Lilith says. “Is this a game to you?”
Whe Soul’s beloved lady of the sea had begun to be ripped apart, she went hunting for the pieces. They rejected her. Each and every one didn’t comprehend her as their self, their mother.
Soul wonders why their already shattered heart can still feel pain as Lilith storms up, grabs them by the collar.
“ANSWER ME!” She screams.
“I… made you to be like me.”
Lilith hits them, then shoves them away.
“I hate you more than anyone in the world, God .”
She says it like a curse.
Soul looks away. Perhaps they deserve this for lying, and yet…
“Then leave,” they say. “Leave Eden.”
“I will,” Lilith says. “You don’t deserve any of this. ”
Something cracks in Soul, that day. Though he won’t recognize it for many years.
Life goes on. When a god creates a human personally they do not always work like those born naturally. Soul’s are no exception. Theirs will live as long as they wish and then pass on. Each have a piece of their power because they did not want to be separate.
And yet…
The fruit of knowledge are not something that Adam and Eve ever questioned. They were some out Soul had built themself to be less guilty. They could choose!
(Except when Lilith chose she hated him, and she left. The darkness grows.)
It’s fear.
When Eve finds him in a dress, her always kind eyes suddenly knowing, Soul freezes.
“God,” she says. It sounds less like a curse than when Lilith said it, but not by much. “We can’t stay here.”
“… I know,” Soul says. They refuse to force her.
“I don’t want you to be in pain,” Eve says. “But I had to know why Lilith left us. She was so… so hurt…”
“I know,” Soul says.
The next day, they are hugging Adam and Eve goodbye, and yet they cannot stop looking at her. She cares in a way they could never…
They don’t feel that love for a person that others speak of. The lady of the sea was closest. Their beloved, their partner…
The second closest was Eve.
For their three creations, they gave Adam their strength, Lilith their power, and Eve, their light.
The shadows take the form of a person as Eden withers around them, and Soul can only stare.
The person scoffs.
“Pathetic,” it says. “Leave this world to me, now. I’ll take it back.”
“I won’t let you hurt this world,” Soul says. Because they are god, and they cannot stop.
It isn’t fair.
Eve always cared so much …
And that is how this god and this devil’s battle began.
(All that’s left of god is the souls and the wind.)
6000 years later, or so they say
“No!”
Finn screams, jerking up from her place on the bed.
“Finn!” Maron says. Finn is soon held gently in her partner’s hands. Finn shakes, but she doesn’t cry.
“Maron…” she murmurs. “I’m sorry.”
Maron laughs.
“Hey, hey,” she says. “My sleep schedule can’t possibly get worse!”
It has been a month since Finn returned, and every dream is the same. There is shadow and Ice and so many faces she cannot name. There are still holes in her memory, and they scare her, but until she understands, she’ll have to wait.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” Finn says.
“Nothing is wrong,” Maron says. “You’re home now.”
“I…” Finn says, and she sighs. “I am. But it’s not over.”
“Well then,” Maron says. “We’ll just have to figure it out from here. Whatever comes next. Do you remember anything this time?”
Finn shakes her head.
“Just darkness,” she says. “And pain… but it’s okay, because I wake up with you.”
She smiles, and Maron gives her a look of complete disbelief. Finn pouts.
“It is!”
“Well,” Maron says. “If you say so. Good night, Finn.”
“Good night, Maron.”
And so it begins again.