The Broken Beginning – Made in His Image
In a quiet village, the kind that looked forgotten by time, a fire danced in the center of a small room. Smoke curled toward the rafters, and shadows flickered with the flame. The voice of an old man rose above the crackling logs deep and slow, like a tale passed down through generations.
"In the beginning… God made everything.
The stars, the rivers, the animals.
And at the very end of creation, He made one final thing—man.
In His own image. Exactly like Him.
He gave man dominion over the whole world. Everything He had created."
A child's voice broke the silence.
"I already know this story, Lucy," Ben said with a sigh.
Next to him, Lucy narrowed her eyes. "Shhh! Or you'll wake Grandpa."
Ben frowned. "Why do you always sound fake when you say it?"
Lucy didn't answer right away. Her eyes flicked toward the glowing embers. "Maybe you're not ready for the truth," she whispered.
Suddenly, a voice came from the shadows rough and thunderous.
"Lucy... why don't you want me to wake up?"
Ben froze.
Lucy turned around slowly. Standing by the hearth, eyes gleaming in the firelight, was their grandfather.
Lucy tried to smile. "Because you always turn it into something serious," she said carefully. "I was just trying to entertain Ben."
Grandpa's face was unreadable. "This isn't just a story to entertain," he said. "This is our history."
He looked straight at Ben.
"Come closer."
Ben hesitated, but something in the old man's voice pulled him forward.
"You say you know the story of the beginning," Grandpa said. "But tell me something… why do you think Satan came himself to tempt Adam and Eve? Why didn't he send a servant?"
Ben's mouth opened, but no words came.
"You don't know, do you?" the old man continued. "Let me tell you."
He paused, his voice heavy with something ancient.
"Adam was made exactly like God. Not just in shape in power, in glory, in essence. A servant couldn't handle that. Satan had to come himself, because Adam wasn't just the first man. He was something more."
Grandpa stepped closer. His voice dropped to a whisper.
"Remember that, Ben. And remember your blood. Our family is not what it seems."
The fire snapped. The room darkened. The shadows swallowed his final words.
"Ben. Ben, wake up. Wake up!"
Ben jerked upright, blinking into the harsh white glare of fluorescent lights. The buzzing hum overhead drilled into his skull. His heart still pounded with the echoes of fire and shadows.
Graffiti-covered desks surrounded him. Laughter erupted from the back of the class. His notebook lay open, the faint imprint of his cheek smeared across a doodled page.
"Sleeping in my class again, Ben?" Ms. Charlotte's voice sliced through the air like a whip. Her arms were crossed, her glare sharp.
Ben rubbed his eyes. The fire, the question, the voice it had all felt so real.
But now? Just chalk dust and cold linoleum.
"Principal's office. Now."
As he stood, the screech of his chair scraping against the tile sounded louder than thunder. In the hallway, lockers slammed. Conversations blurred into background noise. Students passed by like ghosts.
Rafael appeared at his side, grinning. "Man, you're gonna get banned from English class."
Ben forced a smile, but it was weak. The world felt… off. Like a dream pretending to be real.
"I don't know. I had that dream again," he muttered.
Rafael raised an eyebrow. "The one you keep talking about? Man, you gotta stop skipping sleep."
"Yeah, she told me that. But you know me."
"Your mom's gonna kill you when she hears this."
Ben's smile faded. "She's not my real mom."
Rafael blinked. "Wait, what?"
"She's my adoptive mom," Ben said quietly. "She wants me to see a therapist. Says the dreams might mean something especially since I lost my memories when I was little."
Rafael's grin softened. "That's rough, bro. Hope you're alright."
Before Ben could answer, the school intercom crackled.
"Ben, you are needed in the principal's office. Please come immediately."
Ben glanced at Rafael, who gave him a thumbs-up. Taking a deep breath, Ben headed down the hall unaware this was only the beginning.
Ben pushed open the principal's office door.
A man in a gray suit sat behind the desk, posture rigid, hands folded. His face was calm too calm. The principal stood nearby, unmoving. His eyes were glassy, and his head tilted at an unnatural angle. He looked like a puppet waiting for strings.
"Ben," the suited man said with eerie politeness, "we've been monitoring your… condition."
Ben's brows furrowed. "What condition?"
The man ignored him. "May I see your hands?"
Ben hesitated, then slowly extended his palms.
The man studied them with cold interest. "Good. The marks haven't surfaced yet."
"Marks?" Ben echoed, confused.
The principal's voice rang out in a flat, robotic tone.
"You may live as he lives."
Ben's blood turned to ice. His breath hitched.
What was this? Who were they?
Outside the window, Rafael stood in the distance. He wasn't moving. Just watching.
Ben turned and bolted out the door.
The walk home was heavy. He moved like he was underwater, weighed down by questions.
When he opened the door, something was wrong. The lights were off. Furniture was upended. Dust floated like ghosts in the stale air.
"Mom? Mom!" Panic clutched his chest.
He found her in the bedroom collapsed, pale, barely breathing.
Her eyes fluttered open. "Ben…"
Tears stung his vision. "Hold on! I'll call the ambulance!"
"No," she whispered. "Come closer."
Ben knelt beside her.
"You are special," she said. "Not like the others."
His throat tightened. "Mom, please don't talk, just rest
She took his hand, pressing it to her chest. "Your mother your real mother she asked me to protect you. I adopted you because I loved you. From the moment I saw you, you were mine."
"Please don't " Ben's voice cracked.
Her breathing slowed.
"My name is Ruth. You'll understand later."
She squeezed his hand weakly.
"Rafael will help you. And… Belzebit."
Ben blinked. "Who?"
Her eyes filled with a strange light. She leaned in close, her final breath a whisper against his ear.
"The dreams are true… but some are lies.
Trust no one except Rafael… and Belzebit."
Her eyes closed.
Silence.
Ben sat frozen, heart pounding, mind unraveling.
The dreams were real.
But not all of them.
Some of it was a lie.