The First One

In the early days of mankind and civilization, when the world knew this region as Kemet, there were many temples to honor many gods. 3000 BC on a clear full moon night in the South of Egypt, the doors of the Temple of Ra burst open, breaking the sanctuary silence with a woman crying for help. The clergy hustle to her aid only to witness to their surprise that she is pregnant. With the startled realization of her pregnancy, the flustered priests immediately try to remove her from the Temple, believing a child birth by an unwed woman would soil the sacred ground. They sought to restrain her. She kicked, screamed and fought against the priests but they were forceful in her removal. The priests’ hands grip her arms and shoulders moving her towards the door, tussling back and forth, shuffling and wrestling their way forward. Just as they approach the threshold and the moonlight casts a beaming glow at the entrance, the mother lets out a painful scream, clenching downward as her knees buckle and the clergyman hold her up. Another scream, another painful push.

The echoes of her screams fill the hollow temple. The newborn child falls on the temple doorway and everyone goes eerily still. The priests, bewildered, wince as they are not sure if it is the pale moonlight that adorns the infant’s skin. A child born with a gray complexion, the color of a white herring fish and lips as blue as lapis. They assumed him lifeless only for their fears to intensify as they have never seen a being or creature like this before. The newborn opens his eyes to reveal a light blue glow. Sensing the priests’ confusion and disdain, the mother swiftly bends to cradle her child. The infuriated priests chase the mother and her child out of the temple, cursing them as the curious mob fills the streets. She runs as best as she can to make it home, fatigued, terrified and bloody through the back alleys and shadowy streets. The young mother makes it to the safety of her domain in the slums of the city. Despite her own fear of this unrecognizable child and the anger of the priests, she grows to accept and believe this child is a gift from Ra, that he will change the world, and dives deeper into her faith.

She raises him up with this understanding that he is a sign and gift from Ra, keeping a low profile and avoiding outside contact throughout the years. Until one evening on a market run together, the boy’s gray skin is recognized under his cloak and in efforts to protect her son she tells him to “RUN!” The crowd consumes her space and she is stoned to death by the fanatic religious mob as the boy witnesses from afar. Emotionally distraught, the young boy runs as long as his legs can take him and into the desert sands. As he ran, he began to feel power flowing through his blood. He thought, “How could Ra allow this? How could his people murder and condemn a fellow follower?” Maybe his mother was wrong. The gray skinned boy knew he was different from everyone else but why? The more he questioned, the more his power and rage surmounted. Accepting that he was the first of his kind, he believed maybe he wasn’t a gift from Ra but a God himself. His disdain for humanity grew along with his abilities over the years as he remained in the shadows of the desert outside of the city limits. He saw people as mere followers and subjects of those who claimed power. Soon, he would not only take his revenge but make those who did not bend the knee, perish.

“The First One”

Concept Art and Story Written by Chuck Styles

January 2023

*these characters are in no way officially associated/affiliated with any brand or company and their stories are original to the creator