Chapter #7 — The First Murderer & Credit Scores

Listening to his Creator, Imhotep ran to a nearby river, where the ominous toxins that caused their people’s flesh to boil and blood vessels to explode could be found.

He’s not sure if his Creator told the truth, but he had no reason to believe otherwise.

After all, their Creator was the Almighty; if he had desired, he might have simply obliterated their species, what need was there for poison?

Imhotep dashed back, clutching a bowl made from the skull of one of the numerous dead. Their once healthy million-strong species were now on the verge of extinction, with only ten thousand living.

Thinking about the widespread famine, his heart wrenched for his people, despite his stomach churning.

Imhotep ordered that the liquid be boiled and consumed quickly.

His thoughts proved right.

With only a drink, their once emaciated bodies fill up in seconds. “Our Lord-Father has blessed us! All praise his merciful Eminence!” His people managed to say a few halfhearted thanks, but they were much too hungry to care as they fought over the remaining droplets, ‘till the inevitable eventually happened: Someone spilling the diluted Water of Life.

“It’s alright, people! There’s more where that came from!”

Unfortunately, nobody bothered to listen except a few as the panic grew amongst the Pleiguseans, and chaos reigned. During the intense fighting, a member of the Pleiguseans jumped upon a smaller one than her and, after a beatdown aided by a sharp rock nearby, bit down at his throat to commit the killing-blow.

The taste of raw blood, which should’ve tasted awful to anyone sane, proved immensely delicious to her, especially since the person murdered had just consumed the diluted Water of Life.

Previously, she was one of the first to falter in her resolve and resort to cannibalism, but her acts received little notice because she was far from the first, and given the circumstances, her crimes were understandable.

This… This, however, was different.

Lilianna had done the unforgivable.

Death had been a prevalent concept among Pleiguseans and Paradiseans in the last year, with the latter ruling over their Creations, but this was the first time a murder was performed, committed out of sheer rage and desperation.  

The Heavens thundered as First yelled in frustration at his Creations’ folly, before turning to look at the Sharrï, who’re making progress in every front—technologically, societally—which further improved their livelihoods.

While his people were scouring the earth for crumbs and scraps, spending their days in caves, and relying on what little natural resources granted by Paradis, the Sharrï had long learned to exploit nature to their own ends.

Coupled with the fact that unlike the Pleiguseans, the ‘favored’ species—in First’s eyes at least—were devoid of worries for a lot of… Mortally needs, they were hence free to devote more of their time to cultivate the fields, establish their cultures, and extend their tiny, yet majestic settlements out of marbles and glittering ores.

Their people were feasting on delicacies made from the undiluted Water of Life and local flora, which wasn’t even a need for them, more of a luxury since the Sharrï could survive centuries without eating or drinking, while the Pleigusean could barely survive such conditions for a few years.

The Pleiguseans inhabited the barren North of Paradis, while the Sharrï ruled the fertile Midlands.

The disparities in treatment and perceived favorability fueled First’s rage, but with nowhere to vent, knowing he couldn’t harm his Maker, the Paradisean turned to the defective lifeforms he had unleashed upon Paradise, bracing himself for their extinction, if only to appease his wounded ego.

‘Death is too kind to them after what they’ve done. But it is preferable they are gone forever than to remain a stain on my honor any longer.’ First thought viciously, but just as he was about to wipe them from the face of Paradis once and for all, those who were gifted with the capacity to observe and influence metaphysical currents suddenly shuddered collectively throughout the landmass of Paradis as a… Crushing pressure was applied to their backs, reducing them all to trembling messes on the ground.

It did not take long a new Law to be added under their fearful gazes—the Law of Murder, they noted, which explained why their Creator was so unhappy.

The Paradiseans hadn’t even known it’s possible for one to end the life of another, not until Lilianna’s crime. “The punishment must fit the crime, and it shall only be visited upon the criminals, not the innocent.”

The words resonated in their minds, forcing First to withdraw his hand.

Realizing what he had to do, the Paradisean lifted his hand to kill the First Murderer instead, but his mind process abruptly veered. ‘What if Father thinks this punishment is too light?’ For him it was, and as the eldest, First’s the closest to their Creator, or so he believed.

‘If I believe such a sentence is too low, Father will surely think the same!’ And thus First’s intellect began to work overtime until he came up with a novel concept never seen before within the confines of Paradis: ‘Ironic justice’, the eldest of the Paradiseans named it.

“If you wished to behave like a lesser lifeform, you shall be regarded as such from hereon forth! I curse thee, so thou may only survive by devouring the flesh of your people!”

And so, the First of the Flesh-Flayer was made… Designed to forever be tormented by the guilt of their existences.

“I curse thee, so thou may never walk under the light of day again!”

For the Sun was a Gift from their Creator, it’s only right beasts like her never got to see the light of day.

“I curse thou with Eternity!”

Thus, the hands of Death shall never touch them ever again, condemning them to an ever-lasting life of torture and loss. The essence of Paradis converged on the tip of his fingers, and he blasted the Pleigusean woman with all his Power, irrevocably changing her DNA.

Her wretched howls resonated throughout Paradis, enfused with endless anguish and sorrow over her Creator’s rejection, sending shivers down the spines of all. Crumbling to a ball on the ground, the Pleigusean grabbed at her own throat.

The distortion of her DNA was causing her unbearable anguish as her physiology and Soul both were completely rewritten.

The similarities to the race of Pleigus appearance-wise, Lilianna was a Pleigusean no longer.

By the time the anguish faded, she immediately hurried into the darkness, hurling her aching body under the shades as her skin and flesh began to blister.

Whereas her life had previously been painful yet still bearable, it was now pure agony as an insatiable hunger flooded her mind—A hunger she knew instinctively could only be quenched by raw flesh of her fellow Pleigus.

She wailed like a banshee, pleading eyes meeting her old family, but no one had the confidence to come and aid, save Imhotep, whose compassion was overflowing. “Are you alright?” He softly inquired, his gaze meeting her teary ones, but he overlooked the most vital detail: Her teeth… While all Pleiguseans had two sets of elongated fangs, the woman’s had all grown into razor-sharp teeth.

Innocent as she might appear, every single Pleiguseans felt a deep-seeded fear—a fear all preys naturally felt for their predators. “Don’t… Don’t come any closer!” She yelled—begged really, sensing her control slipping, overcome by the ravenous hunger that was causing her stomach to churn.

Nails—Nay, sharpened claws digging into the tough bark, Lilianna waved at Imhotep, hoping the latter’s self-preservation instinct would kick in, sooner rather than later.

Only, it never did… Or maybe his empathy had muted his fear.

“It’s alright! I shall ask the Lord to spare you this once. Our people have suffered too much for too long. We can’t afford to lose more of our people, not even one.”

Imhotep emphasized, arms held high as if to say he meant her no harm...

In spite of Lilianna’s demands, her fellow Pleigusean decided to close in on her still, which only seemed to drive her in a state of heightened emotions. “Argh—! You fucking asked for this!!!”

Lilianna, unable to contain her desire any longer, sprang and drove the sagely Imhotep to the ground, rendering him defenseless in short seconds.

Her fangs ripped violently into his skin, ripping his arm off with such ease that the Pleiguseans could only hang their heads in absolute fear.

Their species was strong enough to smash rock and roll boulders three times their size, but such strength required similar amounts of endurance; otherwise, their bodies would not have been able to withstand it. Yet, the Flesh-Flayer had pulled that arm neatly off with little to no difficulty.

They couldn’t believe it and backed away, hurdling together for comfort.

As Imhotep often said: There’s safety in numbers, but that didn’t dissuade the Flesh-Flayer, whose rubbery skin had stiffened due to the spike sprouting out of the back of her skull.

Still nibbling on the severed arm, Lilianna looked at the throng of terrified individuals, but all she saw was a swarm of bipedal objects glowing with ‘Life’—the only way to halt the burning itchiness spreading across her skin. Looking down at her palms, the First Murderer saw her skin peeling off in huge, flaky pieces, revealing the black, rotten flesh beneath.

And it wasn’t even the worst part…

That was reserved for the fact whatever foul disease that her Creator had cursed her with was beginning to creep all up her forearms.

Lilianna expected to resemble one of the deceased, if not worse, by the end of it. “Oh… No… No!!!” She screamed, dropping her arm, and attempted to approach the folks she was born with, but they avoided her like the plague. Given what she had done, the reaction was reasonable, but it was still upsetting. Imhotep writhed in anguish behind the First Murderer, gripping the bleeding stump that used to be his arm.

With a baleful, indignant gaze at Lilianna, he asked weakly, “W- Why?! I just wanted to help!”

“I—I didn’t… I’m sorry I couldn’t control it.”

She whispered beneath her breaths, but instead of her previously clear voice, Lilianna only heard a scratchy, breathy sound that was hardly louder than the light breezes that were making her exposed flesh itch. “I’m so sorry.”

Lilianna fled into the wilderness in tears, but no one pursued her, too preoccupied with helping towards the dying Imhotep.

However, few were pure or genuine in their intentions.

The majority were simply concerned with the solution to their widespread famine.

With his final breath, the Sage mumbled the simplistic method to start a fire to them–taught by their aloof Creator, and using the authority obtained, he decreed that all of Lilianna’s pitiful descendants would experience persecution ‘till the end of time. “Never shall those treacherous abominations be welcomed in our settlements ever—!”

Holding back a cough, he shed tears as he stared at the Pleigus, the last of his kind.

“May his Lordship have mercy on us all. Pray to him. Pray to him. Pray to him.”

Imhotep repeatedly echoed, before ultimately breathing his last, his carcass spread on the grounds, marking the death of the first leader of the young and immature Pleigus species…

“He is dead… He’s dead! Imhotep the Sage is dead!”

It took just seconds for panic to spread among their followers, and even less time for more to stand forward.

Although Imhotep was a compassionate man, he could hardly be described the wisest or strongest.

But, he was was probably the most fervent in his adoration of their Creator—the Eldest of the Paradisean, which’s the main reason the latter decided to assist him in the first place.

As for the rest of the Pleigus, their trust had long faltered after years of misery and sufferings. The majority had long realized they couldn’t place their confidence in such a fickle entity. Unfortunately, their ideas were not concealed from First, who bristled at the sight and lack of worship.

His father ignored them, and his younger siblings did not respect his authority—those were things out of his control… But even his own Creations were looking down on him now, which was simply, “Unacceptable.”

An unseen pressure pulled down on him once more as his Father’s voice entered First’s thoughts. “We’re in the Age of Creation, not Destruction. I have turned the other cheek once, and I won’t do it again.”

He had no option but to suppress his wrath, growling. “They are an insult to your glory, Father! Their- Their very presences mar the perfection of Existence! I regret creating them. I really do.”

“Regardless—"

— Godhood For Dummy —

I sighed as I gazed at the dejected Paradisean. I understood his displeasure, but wiping out the entire species was an overreaction.

If I were to allow that, I’d have opened Pandora’s Box, and the odds of that can of worms ever shutting again would be quite slim. “You made them. It is your obligation to look after and guide them to prosperity.”

I had heard stories about parents compelling their irresponsible son to keep a child rather than letting the hospital check it out. I’d never understood their plights before; was never able to relate, but now I got it.

Not to add that, in my opinion, the Pleiguseans were completely normal.

They were merely behaving the same way almost every mortal species I knew of would during this stage of their development.

“They’re imperfect… Too defective; how would I teach them? Where would I even start?”

I was not sure whether First recognized it, but the fractures in his ego were showing.

In his mind, he’s the only Paradisean who was bipedal— the closest to me—and the eldest, so he must be the best! He must be… Perfect.

Despite the absurdity of such thought process, First had never stopped to question it, until now.

Seeing his Creations so thoroughly defeated by his younger siblings’ produced fractures in his delusions, leading to a bizarre combination of inferior and superior complexes.

If I continued to resign to inaction, a meltdown would inevitably occur, rivaling Lucifer’s revolt in Heaven. “Your inventions may be flawed—they may be weak and feeble— but that does not mean they cannot turn their situation… If something is broken, you can’t just destroy it; instead, find a way to fix it… Improve it further. Start wherever you want.”

I replied. “But you have to start first.”

Who’d have believed that I had such wisdom within me?

I supposed there was a point to all those philosophical videos I watched when I should have been sleeping then.

Spirit uplifted, I added proudly. “But be careful, lest they become reliant on you. Guide, but don’t make decisions for them. Teach, but don’t think for them.”

He first looked to the sky curiously, his inhuman features flashing through a variety of expressions, then, “I see…” First murmured. “I understand now.”

‘I understand you.’ Was exactly what he wanted to say, but I didn’t have to go out of my way to disgrace him.

Which child would want to be teased by their parents? “Thank you for your instruction, Father. I’ll do my best to help the Pleigus. Their civilization will rise far beyond what’s currently thought possible, I swear it!”

‘Whew!’ I wiping the imaginary droplets trickling down my forehead, I pumped my fists. ‘Potential uprising quelled… Crisis averted.’

I hummed in approval, leaving First to his own devices to find the Paradis’ Cain— Lilianna the First Flesh-Flayer next.

Hers was a weird species.

They could only breed by passing on the decaying stuff rushing through their veins and performing a sophisticated ritual inscribed in their genetic memory. The enzymes in a Flesh-Flayer’s stomach couldn’t break down anything other than living, organic matters, not that they needed to, since their biology didn’t require any sustenance, instead feasting on all the Ambient Energy(Mana) the Universal Will’s producing.

Theirs was a hunger of the mind,

Similar to drug-addicts, the unquenchable desire would drive them into a feeding-frenzy until their stomach would inevitably burst then mend all over again.

‘Such… Diseased creature you’ve created, First.’ Despite their looks, the Flesh-Flayer created by First was not your typical vampire. The First Murderer was alive, not just another undead. She’s actually pretty healthy, healthier than the strongest and most physically capable of the Pleigus. With such an endless supply of Life-Force, she’d never get sick, though I would suppose the continual skin and flesh necrosis was horrible enough of a curse.

The gluttonous desire, coupled with the pain they’re constantly under due to necrosis would drive them to lose all rationality and sentience, forced to resort to their basest instincts.

It's not a matter of ‘If’, but ‘When’. “Such bleak fates First has bestowed upon you.”

Observing the crying lady below, I turned into an ordinary Pleigusean before donning a coarse, black robe that was finer than the shrubs and branches First’s Creations were employing to maintain the pretense of modesty. “Oh, help me, my Lord.” Lilianna pleaded, hands cupped as she prayed loudly in hope her Maker would answer and take pity on her.

Sadly, First’s now completely enchanted with planning his species’ development.

Lilianna’s prayers were bound to go unanswered, for her Maker had already forgotten her.

“Please! Allow me to atone for my actions!”

She violently scratched a patch of skin falling from her cheek.

Arms carrying the napping Goddess, I silently approached the Flesh-Flayer, only to notice an angry crimson hue surrounding her, caused by none other than the Universal Will.

Cheeks twitching, I checked with the Will to ask what the hue was, I was shocked to realize it had been working on a credit system.

In order to promote endless growth and behaviors that would benefit the whole of Paradis, the Will had taken a page out of the books of us ‘evil capitalists’, and decided to give every member of each species an unseen credit score. Upon Death, when their Souls were reabsorbed by Paradis—their knowledge and wisdom obtained by the Universal Will and I—then sent to enter the Reincarnation Cycle so they may serve us again, they would get to choose their background and even talents.

There were many to choose from, kind of like Traits in those RPG games.

There was an option to retain certain memories of one’s prior lifetime, but it’s so expensive I reckoned it’d take millions, if not billions of lifetimes to raise one’s credit score that high.

There’s even an option to gain the so-called [Protagonist’s Halo], which was just an endlessly depleting get-out-of-jail free meter in dangerous situations… And then there was, “Motherfucker… Is that a goddamn slot machine?”

I felt the Universal Will shiver, and interpreted it as, ‘It’s a Gacha, dummy!’

“Who’s there?!”

The First Murderer’s angry voice snapped me out of my daydreaming. Like a manic beast, she launched herself at me the instance she saw me who, in her eyes, was just another of the Pleigus species. Snarling, Lilianna sat on top of me, fangs bared menacingly. “Why have you attacked me?”

“I’m hungry!” She hissed, “I’m so HUNGRY!”

“Are you?”

I asked, levitating off the grounds, and throwing her away from me.

Believing me a Paradisean masquerading as a Pleigusean, she instantly fell to her knees.

“Help me, I beg of you! It hurts… And itches so much. I’ve forgotten how many times I’ve scratched my skin off! Help me! Help me!” Again and again, she pleaded, but I did not waver. Accidentally or not, she had brought Murder into my Garden, and that was not a crime I could forgive easily. “I cannot help you,” Anger, despair and fear flicked across her face as I continued. “But I know who can. Move South… There resides a Paradisean who may help you.”

Gracefully, I pressed a chaste kiss on her forehead.

“If you succeed in your endeavor, know that you may rise again brighter.”

With that, I disappeared into the folds between the Dimensions, putting her desperate cries out of my ears.

“Your Path’s long and arduous, but what hardships have you not been through?”

I encouraged, chuckling as I spied on the First Murderer.

“South… South… South. I have to set South!”

And thus, she ran.