Spiritual Fiction Disclaimer for TRUE & LIE:
Disclaimer:This story is a work of fiction. TRUE & LIE is inspired by spiritual, biblical, and mythological ideas, but it is not meant to represent any specific religion or belief system. The characters, visions, and events are fictional and created for storytelling purposes.
I am not trying to target, criticize, or offend any person, group, or faith. This story is written with respect for spiritual themes and is meant to explore deep questions through imagination and creativity.
Please read with an open mind — and always seek truth through your own beliefs, study, and prayer.
Previously on TRUE & LIE:
Ben thought he knew the truth about creation.
A dream told him otherwise.
"Adam was made exactly like God."
"Satan came himself… because Adam was more."
But it wasn't just a dream.
His teacher sent him to the principal who spoke like a robot.
An official checked Ben's hands looking for "marks."
And Rafael, his best friend, knew too much.
At home, Ben found his adoptive mother dying.
"You are not like the others."
"Your real mother asked me to protect you."
"Rafael will help you… and someone named Belzebit."
"The dreams are true… but some are lies."
Now Ben is left in the wreckage afraid, grieving, and questioning everything.
Two days had passed.
Two long, silent days since Ruth died in Ben's arms.
The house still smelled like her lavender and old wood. But the warmth was gone.
So was she.
Ben sat on the edge of his bed, shoulders hunched, face blank. The world outside kept moving, but inside… he had stopped.
"What is my life even about?" he whispered. "I always lose the people I love. More than anyone. Always."
He stared at the floor. His fists clenched.
Ruth's last words echoed in his mind like a curse:
"Don't trust anyone. Just Rafael…"
He let out a bitter breath.
"Rafael… he disappeared. He didn't even come to the house. He didn't care."
Ben stood and paced, jaw tight.
"And Belzebit? I don't even know who that is."
Suddenly—
Ding-dong.
The front bell rang.
Ben froze. His heart jumped in his chest.
He walked to the door slowly, unsure if he should be angry or relieved.
He opened it.
Rafael stood there, his eyes heavy with guilt.
"Hey…" Rafael said quietly. "Ben… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I didn't come sooner. As soon as I heard… I just didn't know what to do. I was afraid."
Ben's lips trembled. He shook his head.
"How could you not come, Rafael?"
His voice cracked. The anger crumbled.
"She died. And you knew. She trusted you. I trusted you."
Tears welled in his eyes. His knees gave way.
Rafael stepped forward and caught him, wrapping his arms around him.
"I'm here now," he whispered. "I'm not leaving again."
Inside, the air was thick. Memories hung in every corner.
Ben slumped onto the couch, eyes red, hands in his lap.
Rafael sat across from him and reached into his coat pocket.
"My mom… Ruth… she wanted me to tell you something before she died. Her real name was Ruth — and she asked me to give you this."
He opened a small pouch and pulled out a silver bracelet. It shimmered faintly, glowing in the dim light.
The moment Ben saw it, everything changed.
His body went rigid. His eyes widened. His chest tightened—
Then everything went black.
Light. Silence. Wind.
Ben stood in a place that wasn't Earth.
The sky was made of gold and stars.
Everything glowed, including the woman standing before him.
It was Ruth — but not the woman he knew.
She wore flowing white robes. Her eyes burned like suns. From her back spread vast angelic wings, brilliant and impossible.
"Rafael…" she said.
He was there too. But not as Rafael. His face had changed — older, stronger, unfamiliar. She looked at him with pride.
"You've heard the call. You've lived in silence long enough. It's time to awaken. Time to remember who you are."
She turned toward Ben.
"He must remember as well. He cannot fight what's coming if he does not know who he is.
Awaken Nathaniel. It's been long enough."
Rafael gasped and jolted upright.
He was lying on the floor of Ben's house. The bracelet lay beside him. Sweat beaded on his forehead.
"Are you okay?" Ben asked, kneeling beside him. "You passed out when you touched it."
Rafael sat up slowly. His head throbbed, but his eyes were clear.
"Yeah… I'm okay."
"It's you I should be worried about."
Ben forced a dry laugh, but his face said everything. He was still broken.
"I'll stay the night," Rafael said. "You shouldn't be alone. And after this… maybe you can come stay with me and my uncle. At least until things feel normal again."
Ben nodded. He was too exhausted to think.
That night…
Ben fell asleep on the couch, curled under a blanket.
Rafael stood in the hallway, staring at the bracelet.
He touched it again.
The golden light returned.
Ruth stood before him — glowing, eternal.
"Hello… Nathaniel."
Rafael flinched.
"Why do you keep calling me that?" he asked.
"Because that's who you are," she replied softly. "You've just forgotten."
Rafael looked at her, stunned.
"Before the universe, there was Heaven," she said.
"God created it first — and the angels. Among them were the Varikuriel, the closest of all. The keepers. The watchers. The ones who never left His side."
Her eyes burned brighter.
"But when Adam sinned… when the first betrayal happened…
God gave a mission to the Varikuriel.
To protect those who would one day carry the spark.
The ones separated from others.
The ones Satan feared."
She stepped closer.
"You, Nathaniel… were one of them.
You were never human.
You chose to descend, to walk among them.
And when you did… Satan made sure you forgot."
Rafael staggered back.
"Ben… what is he?"
"Someone marked," Ruth said. "He doesn't know it yet. But when he does… Heaven and Hell will both notice."
Rafael opened his eyes.
He was still holding the bracelet. The hallway was dark. Only the moon watched him.
He whispered the name that now felt like truth:
"Nathaniel…"
Rafael stood still, breathing hard.
Nathaniel…
Varikuriel…
The ones who never left His side…
He looked down at the bracelet again. It pulsed not softly this time, but with intense light, like a flame bursting from within.
Suddenly
FWOOM.
A surge of light shot from the bracelet. Rafael's body stiffened, and the golden world slammed back into view.
Ruth stood before him once more, wings unfurled, her expression grave.
"I thought I had more time to explain," she said. "But I don't."
"The Dravior — servants of the Devoir, the dark one — they are coming."
"They've already sensed the awakening."
Rafael's breathing became shallow.
"I don't understand—Ben, he needs me. He's alone—"
Ruth shook her head.
"No, Nathaniel. You are no longer meant to protect him. Not yet."
"You must find Belzebit. He holds what was taken from you."
"But you cannot help Ben anymore… because in your current state…"
"You. Know. Nothing."
Her voice trembled.
"And I'm sorry."
"What—?"
Suddenly, pain like fire ripped through Rafael's chest.
He fell to his knees, gripping the bracelet, screaming.
"Ruth…! What are you—"
"You must remember, Nathaniel," she said through tears. "Even if it breaks you."
The pain tore into him — his mind, his soul.
Visions flashed in his eyes:
A battlefield of burning angels.
A sword made of light.
A sigil glowing on his forehead.
A name being shouted in a forgotten tongue: Nathaniel!
Rafael's mouth opened — and a language not of Earth poured out.
Then, darkness.
Then, breath.
He woke up, gasping, on the floor of the hallway, the bracelet still gripped in his hand.
Ben was kneeling beside him.
"You're scaring me, man. Are you okay?"
Rafael's eyes were wild.
"It's been a long time…"
Ben leaned closer. "What?"
From the shadows, a whisper rose.
"Ruth…"
"Yes," Rafael said slowly, looking into the air like he could still see her. "But I have no time left."
Ben backed away a little. "What do you mean?"
Rafael stood.
"The prophecy has begun."
Ben's blood ran cold. "What prophecy?"
Rafael's gaze locked on him, deeper than before. Like someone else was looking through his eyes.
"You must go to Merioria."
"Merio-what?"
But Rafael wasn't hearing him anymore.
He looked to the sky through the window.
And somewhere in the stars…
The war had already begun.