The man, the woman, and the beast then saw that the surrounding chaos subsided, and the decay of the universe slowed greatly, though it did not stop. Upon seeing this, the beast then roared and began to fly away, for it knew that the Creator was near. But before it was out of sight, a great hand appeared and grasped the beast by the neck and brought it back into the wood with the man and the woman, where it held the beast down against the ground.
They then heard the voice of the Creator.
"Why must I now restrain death from spreading in this universe? Darkness has been brought into it. Did you eat of the tree that was not meant for you?"
The man and the woman were trembling from fear, and they were unable to speak.
"Speak!" the Creator said. "Why is the darkness spreading?"
"It was the woman!" the man said. "She desired to deviate from our purpose, and she tricked me into eating the fruit. I did not know what it was!"
Upon hearing these words, the woman's fear increased, so that she was too overwhelmed to feel anger. Before she could respond, the Creator began to speak again.
"You foolish man! Do you think that I am blind, as you are? Do you think that I do not know already what has happened? You would give glory to her that was due to Me, but now you betray her to My wrath. Your love for her is weaker than you believed, for you must know that you could give her far greater glory by My strength.
"What glory would you give to her once you are separated from Me? What could you do apart from Me? You could do nothing. Your design would bring no glory to her or yourself.
"What love do you have for Me? Even less than you have for the woman, I fear! You were created to serve Me, and to love Me. You love the woman for her beauty? Look upon Me, and see He from whom you have separated!"
The Creator then revealed Himself to the three in the wood. The Sight caused the man and the woman to fall to the ground and lament. The man saw that the Creator was far more beautiful than the woman, and the woman saw that the Creator was far more beautiful than the man, yet they had both separated themselves from Him. The beast, upon seeing the Creator, made a horrible sound in its throat, a sound of revulsion.
"You two have separated yourselves from Me," the Creator said. "You have brought darkness into this world, and the darkness has touched your hearts. There is no good left in you, and you will no longer desire Me. You must create your own path by your own power, but you have no destination and no power! Your labor is now without hope, without meaning, and without cessation. Without Me, your race will be of no significance and unworthy even of pity."
The Creator then turned to the beast.
"And you, Wyrm! You and your descendants will continue to live on this world, forever enemies of the humans and a continual reminder to them of what has happened here on this day. They will fear you, they will hunt you, they will kill you, and they will crush you. Your wings and your arms and legs and even your great strength you will not have. You will crawl on your belly, and you will eat the dust on the ground. With only your mouth and the length of your body will you strike against them."
The great hand that held the beast down then lifted it up into the air, and its wings and its limbs were ripped out of its body. The beast then fell to the ground in great pain, and it began to wither until it was much smaller than the humans. It could no longer breathe fire from its mouth, and it could no longer speak.
"Oh, my God," the man said, "If our fate is as you say, then I beg you to destroy us now so that we will not endure such pain."
"I will not," said the Creator. "For I still have plans for you, and you will bring Me greater glory than you can comprehend. Listen to My words: I will take from your descendants a portion. I will be their God, and they will be My people. Without Me, you have no hope, but I will intervene. I will restore hope and purpose.
"And you will still labor for Me. You will conquer this world, and you will reach the stars. You will still be the father and mother of the human race. But it will be with great difficulty and pain that you will do these things. Many generations of humans will pass before this world is conquered, and many more before the stars are conquered. But it will not be until the restoration is complete that humans will reclaim their own hearts."
