The Esoteric Design Page 51

  “No!” Euclid cried.

  A massive force shot from the shadows and collided with Euclid, smashing and embedding him into a wall.

  “You forget one important thing, you bastard!” Dovian barked; his hands shoved into the other man’s back. Gripping the cloth, he pulled the broken and battered Euclid from his shelf and tossed him carelessly onto the floor.

  A loud, gasping breath erupted from Euclid as his frightened eyes gaped at the glowing silhouette of Dovian’s body. Flickers of light erupted from the Sorcēarian’s form, giving him a full halo effect as he glared down with white holes for eyes an empty stare of judgment. His red and black robes were now shimmering in gold and silver; giant white wings spread widely from his backside. The dark demonic wings twitched behind the others. His staff was clenched tightly in his fist as he looked down at the trembling Euclid.

  “While you were dead, I was alive, mastering all the arts!” Dovian shouted, his voice booming and commanding. “I have reached Gold status.”

  “N-no,” Euclid gasped, blood dripping from his nose and corner of his mouth. He stared into Dovian’s white eyes, feeling a terrible burning in his chest.

  “You’re going to die now, Euclid.” Dovian took a slow, deep breath and closed his eyes. “There isn’t a grains worth of forgiveness for you.”

  “You can’t judge me, Dovian!” he choked. “It’s not your place, remember?”

  Dovian’s pale orbs reopened, and he looked upon the wavering Sorcēarian at his feet. “No, but He has.”

  “Wait!” Euclid reached out, his head vaporizing into a trillion particles, misting to all directions of the room.

  Dovian stared at the body on the ground, Euclid’s dark-blue robes soaking up the crimson blood. It was over; Euclid was dead. And he wasn’t coming back.

  Feeling unease within the room, Dovian turned his blank stare to the standing soldiers in one corner. They looked in his direction, weapons at ease. To them, he was the most menacing creation they had ever seen. They watched in awe, their expressions hidden behind their helmets. Neither dared make a move.

  “Good show,” Sapphire’s tiny voice sounded within the chamber.

  Dovian was abruptly knocked off his feet. Suddenly, one of his arms twisted, pulling out of the socket. He let out a shout of pain, reaching for the joint with his other hand.

  “Nope.” Sapphire sat on her chair. An elbow was propped on an armrest, her fist supporting her chin. She gave a small wave with her free hand, and Dovian’s other arm pulled and twisted like the other, breaking out of place.

  “Stop it!” another voice interrupted.

  Sapphire turned her head, eyeing her prisoner. Ivory was awake again, watching Dovian with angry eyes. Returning her attention to the gold Sorcēarian, the little girl pulled her fingers toward herself. Instantly, Dovian’s fingers snapped in all directions as she broke his phalanges.

  “I said to stop it!” Ivory screeched. The blonde-haired beauty tried running to Dovian’s side, but the chains tugged against her arms, forcing her to her knees.

  “No, you stop it.” Sapphire glared at the disobedient woman. An invisible force violently slapped Ivory across the face, sending her crashing to the floor.

  “We have to do something,” Aria spoke to Troy.

  “Like what? We do anything, we’re dead.”

  Ivory’s body twitched, the chains tinkling as she began violently convulsing. With each cry that erupted from Dovian, her form lifted higher. Soon, the strange woman was levitating in the air, her body making a bizarre vibrating noise. With jittering movements, her head turned to look at Sapphire, the child matching her stare.

  “What are you doing?” the little girl asked.

  With a violent tug, Ivory’s arms wrenched free from the bindings around her wrists. Light ignited from each of her shoulder blades, forcing her body to go limp at the waist and fold in on herself. With an explosion of noise, two massive metallic constructions erupted from her dorsal side. They spread open, one blade after another, making an appearance of mechanized wings. Brilliant blue and yellow thrusters shot her body to the opposite side of the room, the woman raising her torso. Her face was void of emotion; her eyes had tiny dots for pupils in the center of baby-blue. She pointed in Sapphire’s direction. Her right arm twitched and began to bulge, tearing away her long satin glove. One by one, pieces of Ivory’s arm broke and separated from her body. The sections molded and pulled apart. From around the appendage swirled a visual distortion. A portal opened, and the pieces snapped together. Within a second or two, Ivory had a giant gun for an arm.

  “Target acquired,” a hollow voice droned from deep within the woman.

  The thrusters from her wings blasted outward, the heat turning the rock wall behind her red-hot. A low rumble sounded as the cave’s walls began to shake and crumble. At the force of the vibrant fire, her blonde hair blew wildly over her head. Tattooed on the woman’s neck were the words: Bio-Tech Military Corporation.

  “Oh, my God,” Aria gasped. “She’s one of Camery’s biomechanical androids from the clone project.”

  “I thought they were all disposed of.” Troy stared at the horrifying sight in front of him.

  “Were they?” Aria turned her head, Troy doing the same, and they stared at one another.

  Ivory lifted her normal arm and, with a spreading palm, sent an unseen shockwave that shoved Troy and Aria back into one of the cave’s tunnels. The wave crashed into the entryway, causing it to collapse and barricade the soldiers out of the room.

  With a deafening whine, Ivory’s weapon—an Amasser Particle Beam—readied to fire. Brilliant light flickered from her thrusters through her mechanized arm, sucking in particles of matter, amassing them into a high-density beam. With a blinding light, the solid ray shot out and sped toward the sitting Sapphire. Every sound in the room turned to a deafening silence as the light moved and collided with its target.

  Dovian rolled out of the way, instantly snapping his broken joints together, casting a healing light over himself as he pressed against the wall.

  The amasser’s light exploded against Sapphire’s tiny body, instantly crystallizing and turning everything in its path into glass. The following sound was atrocious, a crunching rumble that vibrated the whole tunnel system. One after another, the walls caved in on themselves. Shouting in Legacy, Dovian lifted his staff, creating a force field for the interior of the room. He held up the crumbling chamber, watching Ivory as she erupted in one continuous stream at her target. Any longer, and she’d annihilate everyone including herself.

  “Ivory!” Dovian shouted. His voice was unheard. “Ivory! Stop! You’ll kill us all!”

  The woman’s body jerked, her arm dropping to the side as the light immediately diminished. Sputtering, the thrusters on her back fizzled out as well, and the woman collided with the floor like a ragdoll, her puffy masquerade gown splayed around her. She was a beautiful and broken creation.

  Once the quaking halted, the room was left in an eerily displeasing silence. Dovian cautiously released his hold on the barrier surrounding the place. He looked over his shoulder, and his white eyes widened in shock. The whole chamber was encased in glass. With a shimmering sparkle, the oversized throne looked beautiful in the now glass-covered firelight. At least, it would have been beautiful if it weren't for the horrible little girl that sat atop it completely unscathed. Beside her tilted head was a large, perfectly-round hole that penetrated not only the throne but the whole system of tunnels, a small white dot of light shimmering through at the very end.

  “You know, I was indifferent about Euclid’s survival.” The girl vibrated from her throne, reappearing beside Euclid’s now crystallized, decapitated body. She kneeled, reaching into his coat. With a rough tug, she pulled out Euclid’s talisman, the source of his power. Squeezing, the amulet shattered into dust. “Didn’t like him to begin with, but his stupidity had its usefulness. He at least lured you out.”

  Dovian, shaking slightly, watched the l
ittle girl. His body continued flickering like a flame in his golden attire. “You wanted me?”

  “Of course. Why wouldn’t I want the one Sorcēarian who can withstand anything? The supposedly invincible Dovian…the one who annihilated the entire Sorcēarian race; the one who was personally denied death by his own Father. Funny, some would think that a truly magnificent gift.” She lifted her blue-grey eyes to the tall man. “But we all know how much of a curse that really is.”

  “Who are you?” Dovian asked.

  Sapphire giggled. “I think you know the answer to that.”

  “Then why are you doing this?”

  The child’s face distorted into an irate glare. “I’m tired of being denied what I rightfully deserve! I’m great! I’m wonderful! Why can’t I have what was originally promised?! Clearly, He and I are equals, yet He still thinks I enjoy playing these games. I’ve had enough. If He won’t let me return home, then I’ll make my own. I’ll create my own race! I’ll create my own world, one that will worship me, one that will love me!”

  “You cannot rule and force people to love you based on fear.”

  “What would you know?” she growled in her dual tones once again. Quickly regaining composure, she continued, “We can create our own race, Dovian. Wouldn’t that be nice? A whole, new world just for us, just for you and Ivory.”

  Dovian looked upon the woman’s thin body a couple meters away. “How do you plan on going about this?” he asked.

  “You see her? Isn’t she a marvelous creation? Humans, always trying so hard to be their own gods, create such monstrosities! He hates them, so I embrace them. Soulless clones used for war. They are the perfect vessels for the lost souls that wish to live again.” Sapphire walked toward Ivory, her white shoes clicking against the glass floor.

  “You’re housing the clones and androids with demon souls.” Dovian watched her carefully. She was kneeling beside Ivory, petting her hair.

  “But that’s not all. You see, Ivory’s special. She’s the only biomechanical android that still maintains some of her own vital organs. She was an ordinary human once. Camery stole her and many other bodies from the crematories. Funny what money can get you. Such a sick experiment. I love it.” Sapphire laughed.

  Dovian neared the girl and unconscious woman. He stood on the opposite side, watching Ivory with unreadable eyes. “She still has her reproductive system,” Sapphire said.

  Dovian’s mouth parted, stunned.

  “She can house soulless children for me. And, once again, those that were damned will be able to walk on this world. The original Fallen. We came to this earth looking for our own monarchy, our own system. We wanted the humans as slaves. Why not? They are cattle compared to us. Worthless, abominable creations. They are so much less than we are!” Sapphire spoke passionately, looking at Dovian with conviction. “Don’t you agree?”

  Dovian hesitated, feeling the pain and anger that the child was exuding.

  “You hesitate, Dovian, but you won’t for long. Obviously, you know about I’Lanthe, correct?”

  He was beginning to feel very dizzy. “What about her?”

  “Euclid told you about her, right? About how he found her at the beginning of our mission, curled up in the bottomless pit of Hell. That’s what He did for you. He threw her into the pit.”

  Dovian swallowed thickly, holding onto the glass wall beside him.

  “Now, how fair is that? After everything she did, He damned her. Why?”

  “I, I don’t know,” Dovian stuttered.

  “See? There’s no reason. There’s no sense to the things that He does. He only wants to punish you, Dovian, punish you for doing what you thought was right, what was right for those precious humans of His.” Sapphire watched him menacingly.

  “No, it can’t be true,” he mumbled.

  Dovian stumbled when he felt the child touch his arm.

  “But of course it is, silly. If she wasn’t in Hell, then why does she occupy the vessel?”

  Dovian lowered to his knees, staring at Ivory. His lower lip trembled as he thought about I’Lanthe being in Hell this whole time. How terrible it must’ve been.

  “Somehow, while we were crossing over into this plane, she inhabited one of the clones that we had stolen from Camery’s lab. How lucky for us that it happened to be the one vessel that could reproduce! Sadly, the original woman that lived in that body died from a bullet wound to the head. Half her brain is living, the other half is mechanized with organic computerization. This causes a terrible amnesiac effect. I think that’s why Ivory doesn’t know who she is, doesn’t know that she is I’Lanthe.”

  “This can’t be happening,” Dovian muttered.

  Sapphire smiled widely and clapped her hands together. “Want to know the best part?”

  The man looked at her with white eyes. Despite holding no normal resemblance to eyes; he still looked very worn and tired.

  “Far down Ivory’s human lineage is a Sorcēarian gene!” she exclaimed cheerfully.

  “Impossible,” he countered.

  “Is it? You said it yourself, you can’t die. Why can’t a human bear a Sorcēarian’s child?”

  “It’s too powerful. It would kill her and the fetus instantly during birth if the pregnancy even lasted that long.”

  “Maybe the mother did die during birth. Maybe someone removed the child from the womb and raised it as a Sorcēarian…or raised it in secret. You all were so good at genetics. Possibly created your own Nephilim? My, my, how history repeats itself.” Sapphire clasped her hands together, swaying back and forth on her toes.

  “You think Ivory can give birth to hybrid children,” Dovian said.

  “Precisely. I want the closest thing to a Sorcēarian I can get.”

  Dovian loosened the clasp on his armor, feeling suffocated in the surreal situation. “And how do you plan on impregnating her?” He already knew the answer, and the thought made him intensely nervous.

  “You, of course. You two will have at it and make me some beautiful babies!” Sapphire threw her hands into the air, giggling. “And then we can house them with the souls of those who have been waiting thousands upon thousands of years and create our own superior race. The humans will serve us. If not, we’ll destroy them all. Either way, I’ll be much happier.”

  Dovian placed his hands on the ground, resting on his knees. He closed his eyes, feeling sick. Slowly, he sat up as Sapphire put her tiny hand on his. She was so damned eerie and beautiful.

  She smiled. “You can be my father! And she will be my mother!”

  “Why not house her vessel yourself?” Dovian asked.

  Sapphire wrinkled her nose. “And go through the curse of endless childbirth?!” she scoffed. “I don’t think so. I’ll wait for you to make the perfect child, and then I will house it.”

  “I cannot let you do this.”

  Sapphire leaned down, cupping Dovian’s face. Her platinum hair fell over her shoulders. Her pale-pink lips twisted into a sweet smile. “Why not? Admit it, you like the idea. You said it yourself…the humans are weak and worthless. You are the only one that’s made a single difference in this war. To what purpose have they served you in return for all that you sacrificed? Was it worth watching I’Lanthe die? Was it worth watching every single friend and family member you loved disintegrate into oblivion?”

  Dovian frowned, his hands gripping at his robes tightly.

  “Say it, Dovian. Was it worth it?”

  It was a question he had pondered a million times over. Was his decision the right one? If it was, then why was he damned? Why had he been cut off from Him? Was Dovian’s endless devotion not enough? Was there something he had missed?

  He scowled, lowering his head and clenched his eyes tightly. All the humans did was proceeded to kill and rape each other senselessly. There was only a sliver of good left in the world, and it was quickly diminishing with each weaponized death.

  At the speed of light, memories flooded into the Sorcēarian’s mind–the fir
st day he met I’Lanthe, the sound of the rain and the touch of her skin while in her bed, the horror on her face the night before she died when he was imprisoned, the blank stare after the battle, the cold feel of her pallid flesh, and the terror of being alone forever. He thought of the hope he had for humanity that was so easily shattered when the small girl was raped and killed outside, the many times he should have died but was denied such a release, the anger, the pain, the sadness, the hopelessness and abandonment. He remembered meeting Aria and Troy, the fleeting hope of falling in love once again, the feel of Aria’s skin and sound of her voice, the church in the Underbelly which was easily destroyed along with the city by selfish humans, the endless wars, and the argument with Ivory that served as a painful reminder of all he had lost.

  Did any of it bring any hope to the Sorcēarian? Was this a world that he wanted? Was this what he had in mind when he disagreed with Euclid’s plan?

  “Say it, Dovian. Was any of it worth it?”

  Dovian groaned, his white teeth clenching together as he muttered, “No.”

  “Now is your chance to make things right, to make everything the way you want it to be. We can be among all the others like us, given a second chance. You can be with I’Lanthe once again. You two can have children together. You can live happy lives without another fret for all of eternity, the way it was supposed to be. All we’ve got to do is destroy the humans, the ones that ruined our precious love, ruined our divinity, cursed us just the same as they cursed themselves and continue to.”

  Sapphire watched as Dovian stood. He looked upon Ivory for a moment, staring at her serene face. She was so beautiful. He lifted his gaze and stared at nothing in particular as he listened to the child, absorbing her words.