The Esoteric Design: Civilization Lost

by A. R. Crebs

Euclid gave a short scoff. “Mostly.”

  “It’s been an hour.”

  Euclid sighed. “Only an hour? It felt longer.”

  “Outside time, Euclid…that must have felt like years to you.”

  “Time is irrelevant to Sorcēarians is it not?” Euclid’s eyes glazed as he stared at the corner of the room, his focus set on nothing. “What does it matter where I spend it?”

  “Where did you go?” Rhondin fought to control the trembling of his hands.

  “Oh, I paid a little visit to the past. It was momentary before I spent....” He paused, his hands clenching and unclenching a few times. “It doesn’t really matter. I’ve got something else on my mind.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I ran into Azera while on my journey.” His eyes set upon his father once again.

  Rhondin remained silent for a while, his anxiety rising. “Oh? You could have put everything at risk Euclid. Did you interact with him?”

  A low laugh erupted from Euclid, his hand clutching his chest. “Oh, you could say that.” His humored demeanor rapidly subsided, a frown settling on his face. “Tell me, father, how Azera found me?”

  “Azera has extraordinary capabilities, Euclid. His sight is not limited by time.”

  “Yes, but why was he looking for me?”

  “I…uh,” Rhondin shrugged, “I’ve been here waiting for you.”

  “Why are you waiting?” Euclid asked. “Why am I being sought out?”

  “You’ve been up to many questionable things, Euclid. The council is onto you.”

  “Why would they be? Unless someone has betrayed me, which I wouldn’t be surprised.”

  “With the number of attendants at your meeting and your haunting plan, it’s no wonder if any of them stepped forward.” Rhondin struggled with some words. His nervousness remained uncontained.

  “But to be betrayed by my own father…” Euclid whispered.

  “Wh-what?” Rhondin gasped.

  “For Azera to even know to look for me outside time, within an hour of my departure….” Euclid tapped a golden claw against his opposite arm. “Do you know where he found me?”

  Rhondin barely shook his head.

  “Elysia’s bedroom. Not long after she birthed Dovian.”

  Rhondin choked. “You, you didn’t.”

  “Didn’t what? Harm her? Or the child?”

  “Either one.”

  “You loved her, didn’t you?” Euclid asked.

  Rhondin was taken aback by the question. “What on earth are you talking about?”

  “Why would you care so much for her?”

  “She was a close friend! Wife of my best friend! She was like a mother to you, Euclid! If you so much as touched her—”

  Instantly, Euclid appeared directly in front of his father, his hands gripping the man’s coat. He shook Rhondin, yelling. “She was not my mother!”

  “Euclid!” Rhondin gasped for air. Darkness swirled around them, filling the older man’s lungs.

  “You let her die! You let her die! They killed her, and you stand by their side! You betrayed me! You betrayed us both!” Euclid wrapped his clawed hand around his father’s throat.

  Rhondin gurgled, the lights in his eyes fading, filling with black smoke.

  “Euclid…” Rhondin stammered, “I…love you.”

  Euclid’s face contorted, twisting in anguish. “Mother loved me.”

  “I love you…my boy.”

  “Love…is weakness. It’s what killed you both.” Euclid breathed in heavily through his nose, his lips tightening, his eyes burning with light.

  Rhondin gripped Euclid’s shoulders. “Lo…ve.”

  Euclid squeezed, his claws digging into his father’s flesh. Hot blood pooled between his hands, staining the older man’s robes. Tighter and tighter he clasped his hands around the man’s neck, pain and anger flooding the room until a loud crack sounded. The noise caused Euclid to release his father abruptly. Tears slipped from the corners of Rhondin’s eyes, the light dimming to white, as his body dropped to the floor.

  A locket slid from Rhondin’s robes. It clacked against the stone floor, gathering Euclid’s attention. He dropped to his knees, his black wings folding around him and his father. Timidly, he reached for the necklace. It was the one his mother always wore. Euclid expected it to remain with her. Had his father been wearing it all these years? Euclid opened the locket, recognizing an old photo of himself as a young boy.

  “This was mother’s,” Euclid whispered. On the opposite side was an image Iophiel. His heart ached. Rhondin’s blood covered her face.

  Euclid dropped the necklace and cringed, his fingers pulling at his hair as he scanned over the body. The man was dead. Reality finally sank in; he murdered his father. Euclid quickly grasped Rhondin’s neck, blue light shining over the wounds. A haggard hiss rumbled in his throat as he focused on his healing power. Nothing. No movement, no sound came from Rhondin. Time crept by, Euclid’s empty gaze set on his father’s still face.

  “No. I…I can fix this. I can fix all of this.” He stood, gripping his tuner. One last trip. He had enough energy to make the trip to the day his mother died. If he could save her, perhaps he could prevent all of this from happening. Life could be like it used to be. When he was happy.

  Euclid began hyperventilating. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. He wanted to kill humanity, not his kind, not his father. His saddened gaze set on Rhondin once more as he twisted the dial. Time swirled, churning at an unreadable speed. Years passed, and when Euclid opened his eyes, his entire world covered in sand and fire.

  “Hey! Get back! Do you want to get yourself killed?” a male voice shouted.

  Euclid turned, jumping to the side just as a missile collided with the building directly beside him. He cast a shield to protect himself, but a second engulfed his.

  “Terrible place to teleport, don’t you think?” another voice called out, this time female. “Med tent is over here. That’s where the reinforcements are supposed to meet up. You may want to have your tuner calibrated.”

  Behind him stood the woman with long, rich midnight hair tangled with beads and ribbons. Dirt and dried blood covered her white and red medic gown. She smelled like death mixed with sanitizer. Altogether she was beautiful yet ghastly.

  “Ma…” Euclid gasped. The woman eyed him strangely. “Iophiel?”

  “That’s correct. Are you here for me?” she asked. “What’s the casualty status of the enemy lines?”

  Iophiel didn’t await an answer. Instead, she led the way into her area of the medic tent. Euclid stumbled, quickly following behind her.

  He gaped at the horizon, grasping the numbers from his optical viewer. “I, uh, I just arrived.”

  “Azures aren’t even supposed to be on this side of the compound. I’ve been waiting for additional medics, but they haven’t arrived yet. It seems they got ambushed down the road. If you’re not busy, I can use some help.” She pointed to a team of beds. “Please tell me you have some form of healing capabilities.”

  Euclid numbly bobbed his head.

  “Good, take care of those two over there. Minor injuries.”

  “I, uh, I can fight. Retrieve your medics for you.”

  “I’ve got a team of Scarlets on the recovery as we speak.” Her tone was cold and focused.

  “I’ve not much experience healing humans. My abilities are best suited for—”

  “Listen, I need medics, not fighters. If you’re not going to help, then get out of my way. You’ve wasted enough time standing there talking.”

  Euclid’s hands lit up. Against his wishes, he healed the two men and made quick work of it, not wanting to waste too much energy on those he thought were undeserving. But even then, their minds thanked him and praised the powers that be for his help. He grimaced, swiftly turning away.

  Iophiel noticed his quick work, a soft smile etching along her face. It was an expression that Euclid was most familiar. “So you can heal…and qui
te well. I could use someone like you on my team.” She made her way to another table. An enemy soldier occupied it.

  “You heal the enemy?” Euclid questioned.

  “Of course. I’m not going to let him die. Besides, we can gather some valuable intel from him. He’s a higher-up.” She pointed at the man’s badge. “Special weapons division.”

  Euclid narrowed his eyes. “Isn’t it strange for him to be this close to our front? How did he get here?”

  Iophiel shrugged. “Some soldiers brought him in about ten minutes ago.”

  “Did you get those soldier’s names?” Euclid asked.

  “I don’t ask questions. I heal. Protocols such as that are up to you and the Scarlets.” She leaned down pressing her hands against the man’s chest and stomach. She frowned. “That’s odd.”

  “What is it?”

  Iophiel lifted her head. “He’s dead. Has been for a long time.”

  Euclid inspected the room, feeling a tense air. He noticed one soldier standing in the doorway. A second whispered in the man’s ear. Slowly, the first soldier put his hand inside his pocket, his thumb running over something.

  “Get down!” Euclid turned toward Iophiel, his hands reaching for her shoulders.

  The two soldiers jumped into the tent, each pressing against the detonators hidden inside their clothing. They simultaneously blew—suicide bombers. The explosions were atypical, giving a loud whistle, a shimmering white light blasting outward in multiple rings. Euclid dove, pulling Iophiel with him. His palm thrust toward the explosions; a barrier unfolded, protecting them from the front. Another strange click alerted him to the danger from behind.

  “Watch out!” Iophiel cast a stronger shield around him.

  Euclid tried to grab her just as the body on the table also detonated. The blast splintered Iophiel’s shield which took the brunt of the force, but the shockwave sent Euclid to the other side of the room, his fingers tearing away an article of her clothing. Tumbling, he slid into a row of medical trays.

  With a hand reaching out, he shouted, “Mother!”

  Iophiel lay crouched on her hands and knees, fire eating away at her clothing, blackening her pale skin. Fear and confusion filled her eyes as she looked upon the Azure man.

  “Eu…clid?” she squeaked.

  The blasts took out half of the buildings on either side of the tent. A loud rumble came, and part of a building crashed through the tent’s top and down toward Iophiel. A jagged piece of metal snapped from the rubble and flung toward her, hitting her in the back of the neck. Iophiel fell beneath the debris, her eyes remaining focused on Euclid. The steel burrowed halfway into her neck, blood seeping around her. Euclid stared in disbelief. It was true. Time travel was forbidden for a reason. A past already written could not be changed. By being there, Euclid risked splitting time. He could create paradoxes and parallel timelines. Nothing he did could change the past.

  “It…was me,” he whispered, looking at the item clenched tightly between his fingers—his mother’s locket. “I killed her. If I wasn’t a distraction….”

  A ringing stung his ears as the room began to spin. He collapsed just as a series of hands gripped him.

  “Who is that?”

  “I don’t know. Never seen him before.”

  “Rhondin? You recognize him?”

  Euclid’s glassy eyes widened at the mention of his father’s name. A younger form of his father stood over him. Euclid thrust his hand forward, pressing Iophiel’s necklace against the man’s chest.

  “It’s…my fault. All of it,” Euclid whispered. “I’m…sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

  A baffled expression crossed Rhondin’s face. Timidly, he retrieved the necklace Euclid offered him. He recognized it immediately.

  “I-Iophiel?!” Rhondin abruptly stood, looking over the debris.

  Euclid closed his eyes, cringing at the sound of his father’s screams as he discovered his wife. The other men ran to Rhondin’s aid, only one stayed by Euclid’s side. Slowly, Euclid reached into his pocket, trying to block out his father’s turmoil, and twisted his frequency tuner.

  "Forbidden Power"

  Chapter 26

  Icy rain soaked through Dovian’s clothing. He shivered as his eyes set upon a horizon painted with destruction. Charcoal smoke licked the edges of his vision. Blood mixed with the muddy puddles; footsteps embedded in the earth surrounded the obliterated ashen remains of those around him. A vibration tickled the inside of his ears, an echoing distortion of laughter. A flicker of light bounced toward him from his furthest sight, blinding him. Within it was a pair of deep blue eyes. The ominous cackle grew in volume; it was slightly familiar yet unnerving. The world splintered, falling outside time. One by one, the stars and colors of the universe smothered out until all was black. A soft whisper called his name, and Dovian jerked, tumbling back into the abyss.

  “Dovian?” his name came again.

  A quick groan sounded as Dovian lifted his head, his tired eyes adjusting.

  “I’m sorry, I woke you.”

  “I’Lanthe,” he whispered as he stood, rubbing his eyes.

  “I’ve tried to visit, I really did.” She reached for the bars.

  “No! Don’t touch…” he halted, staring in disbelief as the woman wrapped her fingers around the metal.

  She giggled. “I’m well trained in the elements, you know. Lightning is infused within the bars. These gloves help protect me.” I’Lanthe bashfully lowered her eyes to the thick leather gauntlets, giving the gate a tug. “I’d break you out if I could, but I haven’t the strength to. The spells containing you are far too strong.”

  “I don’t need you to try something so risky.”

  “I can at least touch you.” Her hand supinated, awaiting his. “It’s okay. You won’t get shocked.” She laughed at his hesitation.

  Timidly, he tapped the palm of her hand and eased into her grasp, her fingers lightly tickling the underside of his hand.

  “Oh, how I wish I could hold you.” His eyebrows knitted.

  “In time.”

  “What’s happening out there?”

  The question was one that she wasn’t best equipped to answer.

  “Dovian…it’s Euclid,” she sighed, trying to formulate the correct response.

  He frowned, more frustrated than surprised. “What about him?”

  “We have good reason to believe he’s responsible for the death of Quentin’s family.”

  “Family?” Dovian sputtered. “You mean to say that more than Quentin died that night?”

  “They didn’t tell you?”

  “Nobody has told me anything! I’ve been thrown in this cage, and within days everything seems to have fallen into chaos! What is going on out there? What happened to Quentin and his family?”

  “Do you remember the criminal, Walten, who was proven guilty of the murder of his own family?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  “Somehow, he escaped his cell, made it to Quentin’s home, and killed Homier and then Valeria. Quentin walked in on the scene and murdered Walten.” She paused. “He then took his own life. Antron was away on a mission.”

  Dovian’s head drooped. “Valeria and Homier…are dead. And…Quentin…took his own life?” He struggled to process the information. “You think Euclid had something to do with it?”

  “Lita’s having visions. Rhondin confirmed her suspicions. He caught Euclid holding a private meeting with Antron and some others. Euclid’s distaste for humanity has clouded his role as a Sorcēarian. He craves their demise. And with them, the vanquishing of the Elders.”

  Dovian’s hands tightly gripped I’Lanthe’s. She frowned, and he quickly released, pulling away. Tense, he fisted his hair. “I wish I could say I was surprised by all of this, but it’s troubling that I am not. Euclid has given me multiple signs. I shouldn’t have been so blind to them. I…I had hoped for the better.”

  “I know you did, Dovian. We all did.”

  “There has to be
a reason. Perhaps I can do something about this.”

  I’Lanthe shook her head. “By Gaius’ order, you are to remain here.”

  “But it’s a mistake. I’m not supposed to be here.”

  “Perhaps…you are.”

  Dovian’s heart ached. “You…you think I murdered those people?”

  “No! Not in the slightest,” she quickly corrected herself. “There are other reasons.”

  He threw his hands in the air. “What other reason would I need to be here?”

  “Trust me, Dovian. Trust Elder Gaius.”

  “Why all the secrecy?”

  “I cannot tell you everything, Dovian. I don’t like it any more than you do, but it’s as Gaius wishes for now.” I’Lanthe rubbed her hands together. “It’s for your own safety.”

  “Preposterous. What kind of danger could I be in?”

  “Euclid.” The word was like poison from her lips.

  “You believe Euclid is going to hurt me?”

  “I have no doubt he’ll try something.”

  Dovian thought upon his visit to the police precinct. The cryptic words from Euclid had been enough evidence at the time for Dovian to know he was the one responsible for the deaths of the two humans. He allowed Dovian to take the blame.

  “Oh, Euclid. What terrible things are you capable of?” Dovian mumbled.

  “Plenty.”

  “I’Lanthe, please be careful. If Euclid has plans for me, he without a doubt has strategies for anyone who is close to me. That’s how he operates.”

  She shook her head. “I’ll be fine. I’m more worried about you.”

  “Don’t take him lightly.”

  “Likewise, he shouldn’t take me lightly.”

  “This is no game.”

  “Do you think I’m playing?” her voice turned cold. “Do you think I jest about my concern for you? For the Elders? For humanity?”

  “No, I know you very well. I just can’t help but dread the coming days. Of all, I need to know you’ll be safe.”

  “I’ll keep myself safe. And, in the meantime, you as well.”

  “Some hero I’ve turned out to be,” he scoffed. “Behind these bars with the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known standing guard.”