And so, as if it were always meant to be, Man came forward, in truth
more of himself than by any action of mine. He was by far the most
gifted of Earth's children, with hands freed to toil and mind free to
think. He was a wonder of perception and dexterity.
'But man possessed a terrible flaw, a fault unforeseen in any of my
eager, nuptial thought. Because of his greater intelligence, man
perceived that he would one day grow old and die, a certainty unknown to
his animal brothers, only guessed at by the wisest. Realizing this, he
could also foresee the inevitable sorrows of sickness and despair, along
with a host of imagined terrors his mind could not even give names to.
It was from this knowledge that the Demon was born: the Demon of Fear.
'And this fear eventually destroyed man. Through all his generations
he could not overcome it. Great men rose up, and some who were more
than men, to challenge the demon and cast it aside. Victories were won,
but they were not lasting. Always the fear would change shape and rise
again, equally hideous, and often more powerful than before.
'It was in its way a glorious struggle, and at times it seemed that
Eternity held its very breath, as ten thousand eyes from above looked
down to see the forces of good and evil do battle in such broad and
sweeping strokes.
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