The second human and the first male human, Berko has wandered the world for most of its existences. When the world was young, he had a beautiful bride, Baako, the Human Manifest, and the two dwelled in the Gardens of Hope, amidst the flowers. One day, when Baako was heavy with their twelfth child, she was walking in the flower beds when she trod upon a serpent. The serpent angrily bit her, then slithered away. Baako called out for help, but Berko was away collecting fruits for her to eat. The other children had gone with him to give her some time to herself. She lie in the flowers, dying, and she prayed for someone to at least save her child.

She struggled to her feet and began to try to find someone, anyone, who could aid her, and she eventually came upon the serpent once more. She begged it to suck its venom out, apologizing for what she had done. The serpent was proud and cunning, though, and it demanded of her her child. Baako refused, and the serpent coldly told her, "Very well. Both you and the child will die, then." It began to slither away. Baako swallowed her pride and agreed. The serpent turned back and latched onto where it had bitten her, but it did not remove the poison. No serpent possibly could. It injected yet more venom into Baako, killing her faster, causing her to lose her child. In her agony, she lashed out and broke the serpent's neck.

Hours later, Berko found her and the serpent there, dead, and his child in her womb dead with them. He began to weep, filled with despair, and he called out for help. By this time, others had noticed what had happened, and many beings came to try to help. Eventually, the wise old elephant came and said, "You have within you the strength to rescue her, Berko Subsequent. Look to yourself."

And so Berko tried to clear his mind and meditate, but he could not, so deep was his grief. The gentle horse came and sat with him, speaking calming words, and the old, kindly mouse as well. Slowly, Berko found his center and fell into a trance. He walked the paths of his soul, and he found in it the spot where he made the decision to go with the children that morning. He altered it, and when he awoke, everything had changed.

He found that he had never left in the morning, that he had sent the children off to get the fruits. He was in the flower beds with his wife, who lie weeping in despair. His presence had saved her life, but not that of his child. Seeing his wife so deeply distressed, he slipped back into trance to fix reality once more. This time, he found where he distracted his wife and caused her to trod upon the snake, and he altered it. When he came out of trance, he found himself in the agony of a serpent-bite. Baako, in her despair, turned to the serpent and struck it with a stone. Injured, dying, the serpent spat a curse upon her, that she would be bound forever to the man she tried to avenge as a talisman to endure all his pains. All of Berko's agony filled her, and she began to shrivel away. Berko tried to return to the trance and change things once more, but he found he no longer had the strength of mind to do so, for too much of himself had gone into Baako.

Baako bid him relent in changing the past. She asked him to take her to her children, and so he did. She told each of them to leave the Gardens and spread humanity around the world. She later that night gave birth to her twelfth child, a daughter she named Lilac, and her she sent into the deserts, to bring hope everywhere. She then set out with Berko, seeking a way to break the curse. Eventually, the agony became so hard on her, her body so desiccated and weak, that she began to fall apart. For centuries, she held herself together, but eventually, she was nothing but bones, alive but not. Berko buried most of her remains in the Gardens, keeping only a rib bone with him.

His names include Berko, Hardfoot, Bone-Carrier. Her names include Baako, Eva.