Chapter 358: Chapter 358: Story [2] Chapter 358 – Story [2] "And with them... humans were born." At his words, behind him, the screen shifted and formed two beings. They were impossibly tall, in a way no human should be. Each of their steps made the earth beneath them crackle even though they held no power. They had the same brown skin and eyes as Evadam, but theirs were filled with curiosity and something naturally beautiful. They were naked, nothing covering their private parts, but none of them seemed to care. Noah and Virgo were awed. "This... this was the first human?" Virgo uttered, her red eyes slightly wide as she watched in surprise. Her mouth was full of popcorn she now chewed slowly, completely enamored by the sight in front of her. Noah too wasn’t spared from awe. For him, it went far beyond Virgo’s curiosity. For Virgo, this was simply an interesting story — the beginning of humanity in this universe. After all, her own world had humans too. But compared to this one, where the highest known pinnacle was the Progenitor, her own was different. Yet for Noah, this sight was more than just history. He was human, in the past, after all. And more importantly, he had been an inhabitant of Earth in his first life. He felt something akin to pride when he realized that Earth was the first cradle of humanity in the entire universe — the Womb of Humans, where the roots and beginning of mankind started. But this knowledge raised new questions. Leaving aside the fact that Earth had no mana — strange, but not the strangest thing in the universe he assumed — what puzzled him was how a world carrying the distinction of birthing humanity could be so... ordinary. It couldn’t be. The Records were always fair...as long as he wasn’t involved of course. So... "What happened?" he blurted out, impatience breaking through his confusion. Evadam smiled faintly, noticing the sudden seriousness in Noah’s face. "You seem very interested in my world, Third Abomination. You were even planning to go there. And that made me think..." His smile faltered slightly. "How do you know this world forgotten by the ashes of time? And How do you even know its location?" Noah didn’t respond. He just stared at him. Evadam shrugged. "You will answer those questions later. For now, let me tell you how things went after the birth of Adam and Eve." The scene behind him flickered, forming new images — humans working together, praying, farming... the first sparks of society. These humans were still tall, their frames radiant and powerful. "Adam and Eve conceived and had children. By some miracle, each of Eve’s pregnancies resulted in twins: a boy and a girl." "To continue and expand humanity, the boy of one pregnancy would marry the girl of another, and vice versa. In that way, humans began to multiply and spread... until the last pregnancy of Eve, when only one child was born...a boy." A boy appeared on the screen. He was small, harmless, with a smile that could light up the stars and make the sun dim just for him to feel at ease. Noah didn’t know why, but the image of this boy struck him with something he never thought he would feel for someone he had never met. A strange, instinctive duty to protect that purity. He frowned, brows tightening, not liking that feeling at all. He fixed his gaze on Evadam, his eyes asking the question his mouth refused to voice. Evadam only smiled mysteriously and ignored it, continuing his story. His voice flowed fluidly through the room, carrying a certain charm that compelled anyone to just listen for hours. He showed how humans grew, societies forming. In the beginning, they all worshipped one being...him. Adam and Eve had known and met him, after all. But as time passed, the descendants of Adam spread — taking the seas, the mountains, the lands — and things began to change. Murders began, the first committed by Cain. With that act, the first thing no other human had ever dared to do, he ushered in a new era...a harrowing one, where killing one’s own kind became a possibility. Then came cultures. Traditions sprouted. Societies grew more sophisticated. Religions changed, from worshiping one being to worshiping many. And thus, diversity bloomed. Humanity no longer worshiped one god but countless deities. A separation. Evadam didn’t react or involve himself. He liked to believe he was a fair creator. He had given them life and free will, what they did with it was theirs alone. Unlike his fellow Progenitors, he wasn’t interested in gathering power. Maybe that was why he made humans inherently weak, but with limitless potential that made them able to achieve anything they set their minds to with enough effort. He was simply curious. And then deeply satisfied when a new age came. The age of technology. Here, he felt proud. He had taught Adam and Eve the nature and knowledge of all things, knowledge some humans had inherited and expanded into wonders beyond imagination. They evolved step by step — discovering atoms, light, gravity, electricity, then computers, phones, and dreadful things like nuclear weapons... and countless others. Their architecture soared too, buildings rising so high he almost believed they might pierce the sky to meet him. His children were incredible. And indeed, they were, for soon they looked beyond their world. There was barely no challenge left on Earth, and space called to their curiosity. And humans were curious. They built ships to go beyond Earth’s sphere. And that was when humans finally left their birthplace and met the wider universe. Some stopped at the Moon, Mars, Jupiter, and other parts of their solar system. Others went farther... until they reached lands where mana flowed. Humans were no longer confined to Earth. The first beings to step into a mana zone awakened instantly, their power unlike anything seen before. They became High Humans. But they soon died, victims of the universe’s cruelty. Yet if humans were known for one thing, it was procreation. They were never wiped out, even as the legacy and memory of Earth vanished, dying with those first wanderers. Still, life on Earth continued. After conquering space, they became bolder, reckless even. And then they created something Evadam had never believed possible. Artificial Intelligence. It was such a vast concept that even his immortal mind couldn’t imagine mortals without mana achieving it. But they did. At first, he was proud. But soon, things began to deteriorate. The world had never been peaceful, but it was tolerable — until those in power began exploiting the weak. They forced children to work and mine in dangerous places to fuel their experiments. Wars erupted over resources. Millions died. Human life lost its worth as Artificial Intelligence became more advanced. And then one day, a country succeeded in creating life. A small metallic, malleable sphere said to birth a real human when touched by a drop of blood. At that moment, Noah’s eyes widened. One of his questions was finally answered...The origin of Lucie. His next question followed soon after, as Evadam showed the aftermath. The first life born by mortal hands through science ignited wars unlike any before in history. And with the level of weapons they had developed... Evadam chuckled softly. "They destroyed the world." He looked up, eyes distant. "These humans destroyed the very world they needed to survive." —End of Chapter 358—