The Esoteric Design: Disbanding Hope

by A. R. Crebs

  Her head lowered, but she was finally recognizing that she was being held up by two sets of hands. Aria limply tilted her head, catching sight of two strangers on either side of her. They didn’t seem concerned for her. In fact, their faces were expressionless.

  “Who? Who the hell are you?” she moaned.

  Aria moved her sight toward the wreckage a couple meters away. The Hawk was completely demolished. It was a wonder how she survived the impact at all. That was when Aria’s awareness began to come forward.

  “T-Troy!” she tried to shout.

  Aria’s eyes darted, looking at the strangers around her and the awfully eerie sight of Sapphire glaring at her. She and the others were surrounded by a circling of Sapphire’s beasts. From the side, another two of Sapphire’s cronies drug Troy from the wreckage just the same as they had Aria. She tried to wrench free, her knees buckling beneath her weight. Still, the hands did not release her. Troy noticed Aria, his glazed eyes widening as he became aware.

  “And what of the pilot?” Sapphire asked, gathering Troy’s attention.

  “Dead,” one of the strangers responded.

  Aria’s eyes burned with tears as she looked over to the destroyed Hawk. The whole front of the craft was smashed. There was no way Aren had survived the impact. “Aren…” she whimpered.

  “Aria!” Troy called out to her. He was struggling, trying to push with his feet to gain leverage. Blood covered his uniform from a deep gash on his forehead. One of his hands was bent to hell, broken fingers splayed in all directions.

  “Troy!” Aria responded. The act of shouting took too much energy. Dark spots floated before her eyes as she struggled to keep consciousness. “Let him go,” she ground out.

  “Don’t waste your breath. I need you to be alert for the next few minutes.” Dovian’s voice invaded the woman’s ears.

  Aria rolled her eyes in his direction. “Help…help us, Dovian.” The sound was pathetic.

  Dovian cupped Aria’s face. He healed her just enough to bring her consciousness forward. The sensation was soothing, and Aria nearly begged for him to continue.

  “There’s no more help for you, Aria,” he whispered. “You’ve had plenty of opportunities. You have had many chances to live your life.”

  Aria’s lower lip trembled. “No,” she fought back her tears, comprehending her precarious situation.

  “Yes.” He nodded. “Time is now. Are you ready?” he asked in a calm, yet eerie tone.

  Aria looked between him and the others surrounding her. She assumed the other people were biomechanical androids housed by demon souls. Gaining some strength, she locked eyes with Troy. He was terrified; he appeared completely frightened out of his mind. Aria had never seen him like that before, and it alarmed her even more.

  She groaned, trying to free herself from the icy hands that held her in place. Dovian put a palm on her head. The woman gnashed her teeth together, trying not to show weakness, trying not to show Dovian that she was scared. She failed miserably.

  “Nice and quick. Just like Dr. Camery,” Dovian spoke in a calm tone. It did nothing to relieve her anxiety.

  “No!” Troy shouted.

  Dovian slowly pulled away from Aria, looking back toward Troy. The male soldier was squirming. His skin was nearly white from blood loss. The shaking of his hands had put his whole body into tremors. Shock was going to set in soon.

  “Don’t touch her. Kill me. Kill me first. Just…just don’t hurt her. She doesn’t need to die,” he choked on his words. “It’s all me. It was all my idea. She wanted to hide. She was going to hide, stay away from Ives; she was gonna stay away from Sapphire. She was going to give up, try to live a nice, quiet life.” He coughed, spitting out blood. “Ya know how she is. She cares too much, right? All I had to do was suggest the idea to her, and she was in. Just kill me. Send her back home, and it’ll be like she never existed.”

  Sapphire watched the spectacle, waiting to see what Dovian would do.

  Troy looked about uneasily, giving a nervous laugh. “Come on, man. What can one woman do, really? Look at her. She’s such…a weak, little thing. She can barely keep herself alive. I mean, how many times did you have to save her?”

  Dovian observed the male soldier. He didn’t say anything but kept staring in interest.

  “A lot, right?” Troy asked. “It’s not like she could do much on her own. I’m the one you want. I’m the one who has caused all the trouble for you.”

  Aria screamed, “Shut up, Troy!”

  Dovian turned to Aria, his mouth open in amusement. “You know…I think he’s right.”

  Aria shook her head. A metallic taste coated her tongue from a bloody cut on her lip.

  Dovian laughed, picking up an item from off the ground. Tugging off his hood, he gave Aria a cheerful smile as he waved an Air Force issued pistol in front of her face. “Maybe I should kill him first.” He winked.

  “Don’t you dare!” she spat.

  Dovian smirked at Troy’s fierce expression. “You know what, Aria, my dear? I think we have a hero in our midst. What do you think?” the Sorcēarian asked with delight.

  The gun in Dovian’s hand made her incredibly anxious. “Drop the weapon…” she weakly ordered.

  Dovian ignored her. “And I think the best heroes are always the ones who die, am I right? They’re the ones who have the courage to put themselves on the frontlines. They’re the type of people who wouldn’t think twice about courageously jumping in front of stray bullets to save their comrades. Don’t you agree? The best heroes are always the dead ones.”

  Dovian then turned and aimed the gun directly at Troy’s head. Aria screamed, and without much thought, kicked upwards and knocked Dovian’s aim off kilter. His arm moved to the side, and the weapon fired. Hard hands shoved Aria onto her knees. In all the commotion, she didn’t get a good look of how Troy was hit, but she didn’t need to see much to know that her efforts were futile. Blood spurt in all directions around his head, and then the man was lying on his back on the ground, motionless. She couldn’t see his face. She needed to see his face! Aria twisted, trying to gain sight of Troy’s head, but her position prevented a good view. However, the massive puddle of blood that poured around him was a harsh indicator. He’d bleed out soon if he didn’t receive medical attention. That is if he wasn’t dead already.

  “TROY!” Aria howled. She had been shouting his name repeatedly since Dovian shot the weapon. Pitching forward, she jumped to her feet and tried to pull away, but the enemy refused to release her. It all had happened so fast. One second Troy was looking at her with frightened eyes; the next, blood was pooling around his head. In a flash, Dovian was in front of her, grabbing her face roughly and threatening to tear her head off with his death-grip. Like a wildfire, his eyes pierced her soul.

  “You really are trying hard to screw things up, aren’t you?!” he roared.

  “Is he dead? Is he dead?!” she shrieked.

  “I’ve no clue! You knocked me off balance!”

  Aria’s face was stained with blood and tears. Her hair was matted with her own gore. Despite her weakened state, her eyes were nearly glowing from her hate and anger. Adrenaline. It was known to keep people alive much longer than considered normal.

  Aria stopped fighting as she watched Dovian shove away from her. Peering down at Troy, he kicked at the soldier’s boot. Troy gave a strangled cry, and his body began shaking. A gasp thrust from Aria’s throat, and she stared with dread as Dovian threw his hands into the air in exasperation.

  “Congratulations, Aria. You’ve caused him to suffer.” The robed man crouched beside Troy. Holding out a hand, Dovian sent a beam of light from his fingertips onto Troy’s body, starting with his head on down. In one burst, the soldier stopped moving.

  A loud wail erupted from Aria. “What did you do?! What did you do?!” she screamed.

  Dovian was near her in an instant, grabbing her by the back of her neck. “Killed him, Aria! What in the hell do you think?”
/>   The cry had come from her again only for a split-second before she composed herself. Aria went back and forth between having a complete breakdown and gaining self-control multiple times before she settled on forcing her eyes to lock onto Dovian’s.

  ‘I hate you,’ she hissed in her mind.

  “As you should.” Dovian’s eyes were cold. He wasn’t revealing anything to her. “I warned you….”

  Aria looked down at Troy once more. Her eyes turned to slits as giant tears fell down her face. Sobbing, she barely managed to form the question, “Is he really dead?”

  Dovian frowned, nodding slowly. “Yeah.”

  “No.” She refused to believe him.

  “Yeah. He is.” He reconfirmed.

  “No….No…” she cried. Finally, her ragged words became moans as Aria bawled.

  Dovian watched her cry. It was shocking how much he was intrigued by her tears, by her pain. Now she knew what it was like to see the world crumble around her. Not just her parents, not just Gavin, but Troy, too. He saw the hope drain from her eyes, felt it pour from her soul. Even if he allowed her to live, there’d be no life left for her. She’d be an empty shell. She was human, after all. Humans always had a breaking point.

  After an excruciating minute, Dovian gathered Aria’s face into his hands once again. “Aria…” he spoke slowly. She tried to pull away. “Aria!” he shouted.

  Giving a few short gasps and chokes, she finally gave him her attention.

  “You ready?” he asked her.

  She shook her head, trying to wring her wrists free. After another moment, she stopped moving. “You gonna make it fast?” she asked. It was a silly question. After all she had done in her life, killing men and women all around the world, fighting battles for bastards like Walten, the last thing she deserved was a quick death. Still, she didn’t make people suffer. She always made sure to eliminate her targets quickly. She had just hoped that her death would come the same way.

  Dovian shook his head. “No. No, Aria. Not now. I’m not going to make it fast.”

  “But you said…” she started.

  Dovian then nodded, placing his forehead against hers. “I know. I know I said I would, but after what you made me do to Troy, it’s only fair I do the same to you.”

  He was a maniac. Dovian had lost his mind. The way he talked to her, the way he seemed to enjoy the whole ordeal, made Aria want to vomit.

  “Then do it already!” she snarled, her glare returning in full force.

  Aria felt the barrel of the weapon press against her stomach right beneath the ribcage.

  Boom!

  The violent blast pushed all of the air out of her lungs. She felt like she was suffocating. A fierce vibration shuddered up and down her body. Finally, her hands were released, and she immediately moved them to Dovian’s shoulders, her fingers gathering up the scarlet cloth. Aria opened her mouth, trying to form words.

  “Hate me,” he whispered harshly. “Hate me with everything you’ve got.”

  A quiet croak sounded from the woman, and she began to sink. Dovian held onto her a moment longer.

  “Do me a favor, my dear…” he said in a soothing tone. Aria’s eyes struggled to focus on his face. She reached up, smearing her blood-soaked fingers across the tattoo on his face, her fingernails digging into his skin. Now he struggled, a small tremble crossing over his lips. Pulling her hands away, he suspended her. With his face nearly against hers, he whispered, “Stay down.”

  He released her. Aria’s body fell back with a weighty thud. A sputtering emitted from her, blood crawling past her teeth, dripping down the side of her chin. She was cold despite the heat of the desert. The dust that whirled around her didn’t bother her. She couldn’t feel it pelt against her face or worsen her failing intake of breath. This was it. She was dying, and it felt just as cold and lonely as she had always imagined it would be. Nails scratching against the dirt; she tried to reach for Troy. At least she had gotten part of what she always wanted. She had wanted to die by his side. Sounds churned around her–the clattering of flame from the wreckage, dust spiraling around her ears, and the gurgling noises of her suffering.

  “Quite the show,” Sapphire said. For the first time, the child sounded pleased.

  Dovian didn’t move. He stared at Aria, watching her shiver in the heat.

  “No, really. I’m impressed. I didn’t think you were that sadistic. To do something like that….I’ve come across countless murderers, rapists, pedophiles, anything and everything you can think of. That was pretty harsh. I loved it!” she cheered. “One of the best shows I’ve seen! I almost felt sorry for them.”

  “I’ve learned from the best,” Dovian murmured, watching Aria’s eyes flutter closed.

  Sapphire leaned forward, smiling and listening intently.

  “Humans. They are the worst of all evils,” he added.

  “See? I told you so!” Sapphire pointed and giggled. “Alright! Let’s bring in the dogs! We’ll let them snack on their bodies!” The various creatures that surrounded the scene lunged forward.

  Dovian lifted his head. “No.”

  Sapphire’s enthused expression fell. He raised a hand, easing her anger.

  “You said we could do things my way. This is how I want to do them. Leave them out here. Let the sun dry them out.” Dovian looked over the bodies. He noticed Sapphire still didn’t seem enthused by the idea. “What? You don’t get it?”

  “Get what?” she seethed.

  Dovian hummed a laugh. “In this harsh sunlight, their skin will turn into leather. I’ll use their hide…to form my new set of armor.”

  Sapphire gave a massive intake of breath, clapping her hands together. “What a fantastic idea!” The laughter that erupted from the child was ear-splitting.

  “If there’s anything left over, perhaps we can make you a new dress, hat, or shoes,” Dovian suggested with a sideways smile.

  Sapphire only applauded more.

  “For now, let’s leave them out here to dry.” He looked at Aria again.

  The little girl nodded her head energetically. She was ultimately pleased with the idea.

  Given permission, the bionics quickly dismissed themselves, teleporting back to the cave systems. The creatures followed their actions, and Sapphire twirled and danced around the bodies a couple of moments longer before finally deciding to return to her throne room to plan out the design of her new dress. She left Dovian to himself.

  The Sorcēarian stood for a while between Aria and Troy, staring at the wreckage. Finally, as if something snapped, he fell to his knees. His hands gripped the rocky dirt, his nails grinding against the hard stone beneath. A lingering moan resonated within his chest. Giving a quick shout, Dovian sent his hands to his hair. He tugged on the silver strands and fell forward, slamming his forehead against the ground. He remained motionless, fighting with all of his strength.

  “Father…forgive me,” he whispered. “Allow them all to forgive me.”

  "Unforgivable"

  Chapter 13

  As soon as Dovian made it back into his home he dropped to his knees with one hand clutching his frequency tuner and the other slapping against the stone floor. He let out a quaking breath, his stomach threatening to turn inside out. Shaking his head, he tried to erase the image of Troy and Aria from his mind. It took a few minutes for him to gather his bearings and calm himself enough to recognize the other presence in the room. Slowly turning his head to the side, he looked up at the fiery blonde whose eyes were radiating sparks. Ivory stood rigidly in the corner of the room. Dovian tore his eyes away, steadying his breath. For the first time, he was afraid of her.

  “What did you do?” she asked in a harsh tone. Her voice was low but still was her own.

  Dovian didn’t say anything. What could he say? What should he tell her? The truth? How could he possibly make her understand?

  “Tell me!” she screamed.

  He took in another haggard breath and held it.

  Ivory didn
’t need him to speak. She knew exactly what had happened, and the details would only break her heart even more.

  “You actually did it, didn’t you?” she asked. The silence was unbearable. “Dovian! The least you can do is stand and look in me in the eye after doing what you’ve done!”

  The Sorcēarian tightened his fists and abruptly pushed to his feet. As much as he tried to appear cold and collected, his wrinkled brow gave away all of his fears. He stared at Ivory; his mouth parted as his mind reeled for an explanation. He didn’t know where to start. No words came forth. In fact, the act of speaking threatened to cause him to vomit.

  He couldn’t handle the fierce look she gave him. It only spoke volumes of his character, the truth that he was a monster. All the faith she had held for the Sorcēarian was now shattered, falling to pieces around her like a glass wall. He had disappointed her. No, disappointed wasn’t a good enough word. Dovian had failed Ivory, had failed everyone. There wasn’t anything left to do or say. He had finally buried himself in a hole so deep the darkness would forever consume him. How could he think for one moment that she would ever forgive him if he were incapable of forgiving himself?

  She marched up to him, whipped her hand back as far as she could, and whipped it across Dovian’s face. It was one of the hardest hits he had ever taken, and despite trying his best to hold his ground, he toppled over onto the floor. A hit like that would have taken off a human head. It proved to Dovian that Ivory undoubtedly didn’t feel concerned about possibly killing him. She had seen him die and suffer a few times now, and the threat of injuring him at that moment was not on her list of things to be worried about. And it was then that Dovian wished he could die.

  Holding a hand to his red-streaked face, he didn’t bother healing his broken cheekbone. Instead, he gaped at the woman as she gripped the sides of her robes in anger. Tears bubbled out the corners of her eyes as she yelled as loud as she possibly could.

  “YOU ARE A MONSTER!”

  The words echoed in his mind, bouncing off the walls of his never-ending hole of darkness. His throat was parched; his eyes burned; his hands and body ached with pins and needles. He wasn’t sure what caused it–his fractured cheekbone and vertebrae or Ivory’s words. Images and sounds invaded his mind, telling stories of hate and pain, whispering cries of death from not just his world but Aria and Troy’s. The hiss of Ivory’s disgust filled his heart, and Dovian felt like dying. He simply wanted to die. It was all he had wanted for thousands of years, but he didn’t even deserve that, especially after what he had just done.