There was a tree that bore luscious fruit.
The fruit had large leaves, shaped like fingers, and they shimmered with green hues.
When the weather was warm, it bore fruits tinged with a faint red, looking temptingly delicious.
Behold, the beautiful form of the red and purple hues combined.
Though not overly large, its size was perfect for holding in one’s hand and eating. Taking a bite would surely reveal its wonderful taste.
However, the Lord commanded that you must not take this fruit. How could those who follow Him dare to defy His words? Thus, following His command faithfully, it was truly right to avoid the fruit and take something else instead.
This place is paradise.
A paradise without hunger or cold.
[Verene praecepit vobis Deus, ut non comederetis de omni ligno paradisi?]
Ah, among all the creatures that He had created, there was one beast of utmost cunning.
It had a long tail and was covered in scales. Appearing among the trees, it whispered to the woman. Its voice was cunning and chose the most opportune time to whisper in her ear. How could she refuse such whispers?
Thus, the cunning beast asks,
[Verene praecepit vobis Deus, ut non comederetis de omni ligno paradisi?]
Did God truly say that you should not eat the fruit from any tree in the garden? Is this truly what He said?
How could one not listen to such cunning?
How could one not have listened?
[De fructu lignorum, quae sunt in paradisi, vescimur—-de fructu vero ligni, quod est in medio paradisi, praecepit nobis Deus, ne comederemus et ne tangeremus illud, ne moriamur.]
We may eat from any fruit in the garden.
However, we must not eat or even touch the fruit in the center of the garden lest we die. That must never be touched.
Ah, her answer was truthful and sincere.
Yet intertwined in her voice were fear and curiosity.
Could one truly say she had not fallen to the serpent’s cunning?
Had you truly resisted its cunning whispers?
[Nequaquam morte moriemini!]
The serpent spoke,
“You will surely not die!”
[Scit enim Deus quod in quocumque die comederitis ex eo, aperientur oculi vestri, et eritis sicut Deus scientes bonum et malum.]
This fruit has the power to open the eyes of men. Eat it, and you will become like the Great Creator Himself, knowing good and evil.
Ah, how could one refuse such whispers?
How could such whispers be defied?
Thus, she picked the tempting and beautiful fruit, gave one to her husband, and took one for herself. The taste was sweet beyond measure.
This place is paradise,
A paradise flowing with milk and honey.
*
“Kkkkkkk!”
A cry erupted from Kenneth’s mouth.
His face was contorted with pain, and from various parts of his body arose sizzling sounds accompanied by smoke. The divine objects he carried began to heat up intensely, bringing him unbearable agony.
The clothes that enveloped his body spewed poison, threatening his life, and the symbols embroidered upon them attacked him like venom.
It is said that idolatry is evil.
So then, can those who embody idols and the symbols themselves be called anything but idols?
Thus, the symbols woven into his clothes brought not strength but excruciating pain, as if urging him to erase them and cast the clothes aside.
However, this was just the beginning.
The items associated with the Abrahamic faiths were also harming him.
The rosary hanging from his hand glowed red, searing his skin, and the cross hanging around his neck wasn’t merely heating the flesh—it was outright burning it.
It didn’t end there.
The crescent-marked dagger triggered an allergic reaction, and the ring forged from the bones of a saint constricted his finger as if trying to sever it.
This was nothing short of a nightmare.
That the divine objects he carried were now turning against him and causing such agony!
Kenneth gritted his teeth and began to recite an invocation, word by word, trying to dispel the magic cast upon him.
“…יִמְצָאֵהוּ בְּאֶרֶץ מִדְבָּר וּבְתֹהוּ יְלֵל יְשִׁמֹן יְסֹבְבֶנְהוּ יְבֹונְנֵהוּ יִצְּרֶנְהוּ כְּאִישֹׁן עֵינֹו׃…”
…In the wilderness, where He encountered Jacob amidst desolation, the cries of wild beasts, He protected and nurtured him, guarding him like the apple of His eye…
This invocation wasn’t the precise method to counteract the sorcery cast by the magician who had attacked him.
Since Kenneth couldn’t even determine what precise magic had been cast upon him,
he had to roughly guess how it was triggered and what symbols bound him. Thus, he tried to defend against the spell that sought to place the symbol of original sin upon him and label him as an “infidel,” by using a passage meant to highlight that Jehovah would still protect him.
Perhaps this wasn’t the most direct counterattack to the magic,
but it was a textbook defense against it.
What’s the downside of using textbook methods, though?
Isn’t it that they’re easy to predict?
“I turned into an ant to bring you the corn that ants had hidden in the mountains. I’ve slain terrible beasts, retrieved your bones from Mictlan, and given my blood to create you. I am the creator of calendars, art, and culture. I have given you grace so that you may live in this manner. I am your Creator.”
“I rule over life and arise from death. Even as I vanish behind the horizon in the darkness of night, I shall reappear in the east with light. I am Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli, Ehécatl, and my true name is Quetzalcoatl. I am your light, your abundance, and your beginning.”
“Prove yourselves to be my children by draping feathers upon your bodies. Prove your faith and loyalty to me.”
“Light, abundance, and life itself will dwell within you.”
“Even if darkness falls, from the east you shall rise again. Your resurrection is preordained by me.”
“I am your Creator, a god who cherishes you.”
As Jinseong had predicted, the magic applied seamlessly.
Just moments ago, it had acted like the serpent, cunning and tempting in its whisper, but now it transformed into a voice full of authority. Unlike before, when the serpent had leaned close to his ear, it now planted a feather from its tail on Kenneth’s head and coiled around his waist with its flexible length, reminiscent of an eel, its colors vibrant and dazzling like it had been dyed. Its form now appeared as if the snake’s figure had been engraved upon it.
Together with this, the magic rested upon Kenneth and bestowed its blessing.
In the name of Quetzalcoatl, light began to frost over his body, and the light of Venus, shimmering somewhere in the universe, faintly touched him. Wisdom, vitality, life force, and regenerative power were granted to him—what else could this be but a blessing?
Even if conducted in the night, with no stars to bear witness, if this had happened in daylight, the regenerative power would have been clearly visible. Where else could such a blessing be found?
This is the blessing of the Creator, Quetzalcoatl.
This is the blessing bestowed by the Feathered Serpent upon His creations.
Ah, truly a most wondrous and good event.
Except, it was a scene that did not please Him.
[The Lord alone led them, and there was no alien god with Him…]
Ah, His love has departed.
It has departed…
[END OF TRANSLATION]
