The Esoteric Design Read online

  “That I am,” Dovian replied.

  “Oh, Lord!” the old man wheezed again.

  A couple of shocked cries and murmurs filled the streets as the civilians whispered to one another, the alarming message quickly traveling through the streets that there was a Sorcēarian present.

  “I would like to sit in on your message if you don’t mind,” Dovian said.

  “M-m-my message?” the pastor laughed. “My boy, I don’t deserve a presence such as yours. Please, I would like to ask that you lead in today’s prayers.”

  Dovian gave a smirk. “It would be an honor.”

  “Oh, wonderful!” The pastor promptly stood. “Quickly! We must get ready! There has been a change in plans. Mr. uh, Sir,” he stuttered, looking for a proper title for the Sorcēarian.

  “Dovian,” he offered his name to the old man.

  “Dovian!” he shouted. “My good friend, Dovian, will be leading in the sermon today. And, please, allow his friends front row seats.”

  The pastor placed an arm on Dovian’s back, slowly leading him up the small flight of stairs toward the entrance. Together, two militants pulled on the massive doors, opening them in a majestic manner for the Sorcēarian and the pastor. The other soldiers guided the rest of the group in a similar fashion. Aria quickly looked over her shoulder, noticing that Troy was not following.

  “Are you coming?” she asked, pausing.

  “Naw.” He waved at her. “Go ahead, I’ll wait out here.”

  “Troy, you can’t be out here alone.” Aria descended the staircase and approached the man. He was staring at the church, his expression slightly distressed. “Come on. What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “Nothing. Just go ahead. I’m not really into this kind of thing.” He kicked at the cement with his boot, avoiding her stare.

  Aria looked back at the others; they were impatiently waiting. “I’m going to stay out here with him. I don’t want him to be alone out here. In case something happens, at least you’ll be safe in the church.”

  “Should I stay, too?” Ivory asked nervously.

  “No. Go ahead. Sit with James. It’ll be okay. I’ll be just outside the door watching on the screen,” Aria reassured the other woman.

  “Come on, my dear. You can sit with me.” James wrapped his arm around the blonde’s. “Those two will be alright.”

  “Okay,” Ivory said slowly.

  Quickly, the doors shut behind the small group. Aria shivered. The murmurs flooding the streets were a little overwhelming. She also could feel thousands of eyes upon her and Troy, the ones who were friends with the Sorcēarian.

  After a couple of minutes, the screens turned on. Modern-style music began playing through the loudspeakers surrounding the corners of the streets. The live band used ancient instruments and had no electronics to change their voices while they sang music with religious undertones. The songs were unlike anything Aria and Troy had ever heard before, but the townspeople knew them by heart as they sang along. It was more than a little strange. Aria felt like she had stepped onto another planet. Troy scoffed, folding his arms over his chest. He certainly thought this all was a joke.

  “My fellow people! I have glorious news today! As some of you have already noticed, God has graced us with an amazing gift! Today our sermon will be led by another. But not just any man, but a Sorcēarian! That’s right! The last remaining Sorcēarian from the forbidden land of Ives! He has come out of hiding during this time of turmoil that plagues our dreadful world to help out humanity! Only a kind and blessed soul such as his can save us from the demons that have infested our land!” the pastor spoke through a small microphone wrapped around his ear. “Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, Dovian!”

  The streets filled with cheers and shouts as Dovian walked on stage. He seemed entirely in his element as he stood in front of the massive stained-glass window at the pedestal.

  Troy wrinkled his nose. ‘They’re already idolizing him.’

  Dovian started. “It’s been a long time since I’ve preached to you. In fact, I must apologize. I have been lacking in my responsibilities the past few thousand years. You see, I once had given up hope on your race. It’s a terrible mistake that I should have never made, but at the time, I couldn’t see the light. Humanity has always been shrouded in darkness. When one goes looking for that light and can’t seem to find even one small flicker, like a candle, he tends to lose hope after a while.”

  The crowd was silent, eagerly looking upon the man in the scarlet robes. He watched them momentarily, his eyes showing uncertainty. “But now, being here today, I see that I was wrong. Underneath this city is a whole civilization covered in darkness, treated as outcasts. Seeing all of you here today reveals that you are even greater, shining brighter than the darkness that threatens to swallow you whole. My great-grandfather used to tell me, ‘if you can find one man who believes, then the city is worth saving.’ Believe is the keyword. You see? It isn’t about living a good life with good morals. Sure, it helps, but in the end, it doesn’t matter if you don’t believe. We are all sinners. Yes, I am included in that category. I was born on this earth just as you were. What you all need to understand is, it doesn’t matter how many rituals you partake in, they are useless. There are no loopholes. No one is any more deserving than the last. Only one thing matters…and that is whether or not you believe.” Dovian lifted his hand, pointing at the enormous cross hanging above him. “Have a little faith,” he said with a gentle expression.

  All around the outside, people surrounded the church. They gaped at the Sorcēarian on the vid screen, their eyes glittering with hope as he spoke. There wasn’t a single space left on the entire city block. It seemed that every civilian of the Underbelly was watching the live feed. It was history in the making.

  “You don’t really believe in this crap do you?” Troy finally spoke up, watching Dovian from the outside.

  Aria gave him a look of disbelief. “It’s not crap, Troy,” she said in an irritated tone. “It’s kinda hard not to believe when you have a living Sorcēarian on the stand!”

  “Oh, come on! Bullshit,” Troy said in a lucid tone. Aria was blown away. He was really going to argue with her in front of all these people while Dovian was preaching his sermon?

  “The fact that he’s thousands of years old is an anomaly. And what about those monsters out there? Explain those!” she said.

  “That’s exactly what they are–monsters! And yes, Dovian is an anomaly. He’s some crazy guy with some weird genetic anomaly that’s allowed him to live for a very long time without aging. Or, for all you know, he can just be a crazy man feeding us lies! We have no proof that he’s thousands of years old.”

  Aria gaped at Troy, shocked. Was he serious?

  “But what about his intelligence? His science…or magic-like abilities?” she asked.

  “Magic? It’s like he said, Aria, its science. He’s smart, sure, but still crazy! He’s had years to develop stuff like that. He could be from another military for all you know, infiltrating Bio-Tech. He could be a traitor, a spy.” Now he was just grasping at straws.

  “I can’t believe you’re questioning this,” Aria said, trying to keep her voice down. She grabbed Troy’s arm, leading him away from the crowd and toward a small alleyway that was unoccupied by any civilians. He didn’t struggle with her. He at least had the decency to argue with her in private, as if he hadn’t embarrassed her already.

  “I can’t believe you…believe this! Aria, the no bullshit kinda gal, falling for this man’s brainwashing!” he shouted once they were in the clear.

  “Brainwashing?! You sound like a conspiracy theorist, Troy!” she growled back irritably.

  “Conspiracy Theorist?” He raised his eyebrows, showing he was offended.

  “Yeah…like how the military brainwashed you? You sound like those people on the streets who are trying to shut the militaries down.”

  “And you sound like a gullible fanatic,” he retorted.

&nbs
p; Aria’s mouth twitched into a crooked smile. “You know what it is? You’re afraid of the truth, aren’t you?”

  He scoffed at her. “What truth?”

  “The possibility that there may be something more to all of this.”

  “Like what? That there’s a God? Something that no one’s believed in for thousands of years? If it were true, it wouldn’t have fallen through the cracks!”

  “Then explain all these people! You can believe in aliens, but you can’t believe in this?” she asked, her anger rising.

  “You want to know what happens when you’re dead? Nothing! Nothing happens! You just die!” he shouted at her, making her flinch. Aria had never seen him like this. Actually, it kind of frightened her.

  The truth was–Troy was scared. He was afraid of a lot of things, but none of them he would admit. In a matter of a couple weeks, his whole world had turned upside-down, and now everything in his happy little lifestyle was being questioned.

  “But where’s the harm in believing? I mean, if nothing happens, nothing happens. No harm done. But what if something does happen? I don’t want to think about what the rest of eternity would be like if I had the opportunity to simply believe in something and had forsaken it all for my own ego,” she said spitefully, her eyebrows narrowing closer together.

  Troy stepped forward, making the woman lean back against the wall. His eyes widened. “Ego? My ego?”

  Finally getting more than irritated with her partner, she stepped forward, matching his angry tone.

  “Yeah. You just don’t want to think that maybe you’re wrong about something.”

  “Damn it, Aria! Ever since Dovian showed up, you’ve been acting like a lunatic! You’re living in this crazy fantasy world! Not to mention, you’re sleeping with your priest!”

  Aria was blindsided by his last statement. “Excuse me?” she asked, dumbfounded.

  “Yeah. You’re going to believe that hypocrite?”

  “He’s just as guilty as you and I. He’s not perfect,” she defended Dovian.

  “No, but you sure do seem to think he is,” he sneered. Troy turned away, running his hands through his hair.

  “Is that what this is all about? Dovian? You’re jealous of Dovian?” she asked in amazement.

  He quickly spun back around to face her, his expression livid. “Jealous?! Aria, who you screw is your own damn business. I just don’t want to hear about these lies he’s putting into your head. And you know what? You’re the one who’s scared. You’re the one who’s afraid of dying. You can’t simply let go. People die. There’s nothing you can do about it. Stop holding onto the past. This stuff is idiotic and nothing but a huge waste of time. We should be out there stopping whatever those things are, not sitting in Bible study.” He turned again, beginning to walk away from the woman.

  ‘Oh, hell no is this argument over!’ Aria seethed mentally.

  She pushed away from the wall. “Idiotic? So, now I’m an idiot? Why? Cause I have an open mind? Because I read books? There’s so much more to life than killing people and watching TV!” she screamed, no longer caring if anyone overheard their shouts.

  Troy faced her, pointing a finger at her chest. “And you think you’re better than me? Cuz you read books? Cuz you sit there by yourself in your sad little apartment reading about things that don’t exist?” His tone was bitter and icy, cutting deep into Aria’s heart. “There’s a whole world out there full of people, Aria. And you’re missing it all because you feel so goddamn sorry for yourself. Maybe, if you weren’t such a know-it-all bitch all the time, you’d find something to live for. You wouldn’t have to worry about this life-after-death bullshit because you’d be living in the now.” He glared at her, unmoving, ready for her reply.

  Aria’s mouth gaped open, twitching as she tried to form her words. Her eyes began to glimmer. “And what about our parents? What about Gavin? You don’t want to think that there’s a possibility you’d see them again?”

  “Why worry about Gavin now? You never gave a damn when he was alive.” Troy halted and stared at the ground, avoiding the hurtful expression he just caused Aria to have. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. “Listen, you believe what you want to believe; just don’t try to drag me into your hypocritical, sad lifestyle.” He gave her one quick look, his eyes holding his own hateful expression. He turned away from her once again.

  “You asshole!” Aria shouted. Bending over, she picked up a soda can that lay on the ground. Crying out, she lugged the piece of trash at Troy, the item hitting him in the back of the head. She jumped as he spun around, his enraged expression like nothing she had ever seen. Glaring, he pointed at her again. She stared, matching his angry gaze the best she could.

  “You may not be a lady, but I’m still not going to hit you. But, if you do that shit again, I will punch you in the face, got it?” he said, his jaw clenched.

  “Fuck off,” she barely managed to utter as the tears began to fill her eyes.

  Giving a rough wave with his arm, Troy walked away into the thundering, cheering crowd. A small whimper erupted from Aria as she leaned back against the stone wall beside her. Slowly, she slid to the ground, her hands covering her face as she gave into her emotions. She sobbed aloud, the sound hidden by the constant cheers and praise given by the civilians.

  ‘He hates me. He really, truly hates me,’ Aria repeated to herself. Never in her life had she felt so alone. A small wail sounded as she cried, “Why am I such a fuckup?”

  "Waiting"

  Chapter 18

  Loud applause and conversation roared throughout the streets of the Underbelly, suffocating the sounds of Aria’s sobs and shaking breaths. During the celebration, she remained in the dark alleyway, hidden from any of the bystanders on the streets. Her knees were tucked against her chest as she covered her head, wishing she could disappear and go home back to a time where things were normal. Tiny hands gripped her black hair as she tried to stop the harsh cries heaving from her chest. Not only was she embarrassed, but she felt like a child. Her self-disgust only made her pain worse as her brain mercilessly flickered through every terrible memory she had where she lost someone she loved. It left her feeling empty and very alone. Her self-pity consumed her, and her more reasonable side cursed her for appearing so weak and helpless. It was time to grow up.

  ‘Stop feeling sorry for yourself,’ her mind lectured.

  “Aria?” It was Mr. Clarke. “Aria, my dear, what happened?”

  The woman quickly stopped her cries and lifted her head, wiping at her tear-streaked face.

  “N-nothing,” she replied harshly.

  Clarke chuckled. “You’re a terrible liar. Your face gives you away regardless.”

  Aria frowned, staring at her boots. James crouched beside the woman, placing a hand on her shoulder.

  “Something I need to know about?” he asked her.

  “No,” she replied meekly.

  “Tell me anyway,” he replied softly.

  Aria turned her head toward the older man, her face contorting as she sobbed again. “Troy hates me!” she squealed.

  Clarke gave her a look of shock. “What? My dear, whatever gave you that idea?”

  Taking a couple of shallow breaths, she replied, “We had a fight. We’ve been arguing a lot lately. I don’t know. Ever since Gavin…he’s just been different.”

  “I’m sure he’s only stressed just as you are. Neither one of you took Gavin’s death well. Truthfully, I was very shaken by the news as well. But to say that Troy hates you, that’s a bit of a stretch. He needs you now more than ever.”

  “How do you know? You didn’t see the way he yelled at me.” Aria folded her arms, still feeling quite childish and unprofessional talking about such a private matter to the president of Bio-Tech. But, then again, James was the closest thing to a father she had. Besides, he wouldn’t let her go quietly. The only solution was either to spill her guts now or wait in the alley all night until she gave in.

  Clarke sat
beside the woman, groaning a bit as he did so. Neither one of the two noticed the silhouette watching from the end of the alley.

  ‘You’re a damned asshole,’ Troy glared at Aria and Mr. Clarke. His anger, however, was directed at himself this time. He had returned a few minutes after the argument to apologize to his partner, but was too late as Mr. Clarke had beat him to her side. It was an understatement to say he felt awful about the things he had said to Aria. He had only taken his anger out on her, and her quiet sobs were like a stab to his own heart as he realized he had only caused her more unnecessary pain. Watching Clarke run his hand over the woman’s back as she quietly talked to him was more than enough. He’d have to just deal with her later. Clarke was better at comfort than he was anyway. Besides, being near Troy was probably the last thing Aria wanted.

  His expression faded to one of regret, and he slowly turned away from the alleyway, nearly running into Dovian’s chest as he did so. The two men stood awkwardly, staring at one another for a few moments. Dovian finally tore his eyes away to peer at the two sitting in the alley. As he returned his attention to Troy, the soldier stepped around the Sorcēarian, not saying anything. His expression and energy gave everything away. Dovian had a pretty good idea what happened between Aria and Troy. He also walked away from the scene, not wanting to interrupt the much-needed conversation.

  “I know because I watched you two grow from small children to the wonderful adults you are now,” Clarke replied. “Sometimes, the ones that are closest to you are the ones that can hurt you the most. I seriously doubt that Troy meant a single hurtful thing he said to you.”

  “I don’t know about that. I’ve never seen him like this before. I think I finally did it; I think I pushed him away for good this time.” Aria sniffled, her crying fit finally under control.

  “Ridiculous. He’s loved you since the day you both met,” James said humorously.

  Aria scoffed. “No, he hasn’t!”

  “It’s true! I’m not lying. Trust me; you’d know if I was.” He looked down at Aria; she was staring up at him, waiting for him to continue. “He asked me the first day he saw you, ‘who’s the girl with the pretty black hair?’ I told him, ‘that’s Aria; she’s new around here.’ He said that you were beautiful, that you didn’t look like you belonged here, and he would protect you. Then he said I couldn’t ever tell you that he said that, or he would shoot me. I think he was serious about it, too, but that was so long ago, I don’t think he’d worry about it now,” James chuckled.