The Birth of Darkness

Power burned through Lilith's veins. It was unlike anything she had ever known raw and endless. The cold night no longer chilled her. The hunger that gnawed at her stomach faded. She was stronger now. Free in a way Adam could never understand.

Samael stood beside her, his crimson eyes glowing softly in the dark. "How do you feel?"

Lilith flexed her fingers, feeling the energy swirl beneath her skin. "Alive," she said. "More than I ever did in Eden."

A slow smile spread across Samael's face. "Good. You chose freedom. But freedom has its price."

Lilith's gaze sharpened. "I've already paid it. I lost Eden. I lost everything."

He shook his head. "No, Lilith. You gained something greater your will. But the heavens will not forget your rebellion. Nor will Adam."

At the sound of his name, anger flared in her chest. Adam who had tried to claim her as his possession. Adam who believed she was made only to serve him. She clenched her fists. She would never bow to him again.

"What happens now?" she asked.

Samael's wings spread wide, their edges glowing like embers. "Now, you carve your own place in the world. But first, you must learn to survive it."

Over the next days and nights Samael taught her. He showed her how to draw power from the earth and sky, how to bend the unseen forces of the world to her will. Lilith learned quickly. She was no longer fragile or afraid.

But with power came hunger a different kind of hunger. A craving deep inside that no food or drink could satisfy.

One night, as the moon hung full and heavy, Lilith stood at the edge of a valley. Below, a small village slept. Her sharp eyes caught every detail the rise and fall of their breath, the warmth of life flowing through their veins.

"You feel it, don't you?" Samael's voice was soft behind her. "The hunger."

Lilith swallowed hard. "What is it?"

"The price of freedom," he said. "You are no longer bound by Eden's rules. You are something new neither human nor angel. To survive, you must feed on life itself."

A chill ran through her, but she did not step away. "Will it kill them?"

Samael tilted his head. "Only if you wish it to."

Lilith closed her eyes. She remembered Adam's voice commanding her to obey. She remembered the Creator's silence, letting her suffer. Why should she care for the lives of mortals? None had cared for hers.

Without another word, she descended into the village. Her bare feet made no sound as she entered the home of a young man sleeping peacefully. He was strong reminding her, in some small way, of Adam. But there was no claim in his face. Only softness.

She leaned down and pressed her lips to his. The moment their skin touched, warmth flooded her body. Life poured into her, bright and sweet. The man moaned softly in his sleep, but did not wake. When she pulled back, his breathing slowed, but he was alive.

Lilith stood, power humming beneath her skin. She was no longer weak. No longer a woman meant to serve. She was something more something the heavens would fear.

When she returned to Samael, her eyes gleamed in the dark. "Teach me more."

He smiled. "As you wish, Queen of the Night."

And so, Lilith's legend began not as a woman cast aside, but as a force the world would never forget.

(The village was created by Samael to test her)