The Esoteric Design: Civilization Lost

by A. R. Crebs

  She closed her eyes. “Everything is hazy. Like a dark film or smoke is covering everything. The lights are dim and orange. It’s like I’m looking through a piece of cloth. I can hear the screams and the gunshots. I see the silhouettes of the bodies. Sometimes, I can clearly see their faces. I can…I can see the blood soaking the carpet.” Tears lined her eyes. Her hands trembled. “But, uh, other than that, nothing out of the ordinary. I see Dovian, but he’s shrouded. His face is covered in shadow, but his blue eyes are glowing. He always looks over his shoulder at me right before he disappears.”

  “Does he ever say anything to you?”

  Frustrated, she shook her head. “No. I don’t think so. But…I sometimes hear this awful laughter.”

  “Laughter?” Orin stroked Kitara’s feathers, making sure she was paying attention.

  Ivan shivered. “Yeah. It’s a cruel, evil laugh. Cackling. It doesn’t seem to fit.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, it just doesn’t seem to be Dovian’s laugh. This laugh seems to come from someone else.”

  “Do you recognize it?”

  “No. It just sounds evil. Not normal. Sometimes I wake up, and it’s still echoing in my ears. That and the smell.”

  “Smell? You can smell things in your dream?” Orin’s eyes widened.

  “Yeah, smells vaguely like cinnamon. Uh, whiskey. Maybe cigar smoke. It smells like a bar. Perhaps I just remember the location. Is that important?”

  Orin nodded slowly, tearing his gaze away. “Yeah. Sounds like someone I know.”

  “Euclid.” Ivan’s expression turned into one of shock. “He would sometimes smoke these thin cigars. They were hand rolled by him. Smelled a bit like cinnamon.”

  “His favorite.”

  “And he would always drink—”

  “Whiskey,” Orin interrupted.

  “Right.” She covered her mouth, her heart rate increasing. “Do you think it’s possible? Do you really think it was Euclid?”

  “He had been seen hanging around Teresa. Enough to insinuate he had sexual relations with her. Euclid had plenty of motive. Any bit of evidence I can gather against him will eventually pile up against the crimes he’s already committed.”

  “Wait…he’s wanted…for other crimes?”

  Orin sighed as the woman’s fear engulfed the room, nearly suffocating him.

  “Listen, will you allow me to try something?” Orin’s fingers curled in and out. Her expression told him she wasn’t sure. “I’ve been delving into the arts of Azure status for a while now. With my keen sight, I can see things that many Sorcēarians can’t. Pairing my skills with those that I know of the illusionary spell, I may be able to see through your memory. I’d like to try looking at these visions. Perhaps I can see if your mind has been manipulated.”

  Ivan sighed. “The man in the gold armor who was with Sir Gaius already tried that.”

  “Azera.” Orin nodded. “He is one of our best Truthseers.”

  She shrugged. “I suppose. Always best to have a second opinion, I guess.”

  Orin smirked. “I promise, it won’t hurt.”

  The Sorcēarian moved to the couch and sat beside the woman. He gently placed his fingertips on either side of her forehead, his sandstone eyes spiraling as he looked into hers. “Try not to move. Relax.”

  She swallowed, giving a tiny nod. The man’s eyes attracted her, much like the way a moth moved toward the light. It was entrancing.

  Orin’s sight fled deep into the woman’s pupils, reaching into her mind, passing by the flickers of neurons.

  “Go back to that night. Allow me to see the memory,” Orin’s voice echoed in the woman’s ears.

  From there, a scene unfolded. He watched as Ivan finished washing a dirty glass. Soon, she heard a loud noise from upstairs and something that sounded like an argument. The event unfolded with her walking up the stairs, heading to her co-worker's apartment, to opening the door at the sound of the scream and gunshot. Orin focused on that precise moment. At first, he saw Dovian standing over the corpses. Next, he replayed the memory, moving backward and forward, taking in every detail possible. Over and over she opened the door until Orin caught just enough to see a flicker of blue.

  “There,” he whispered.

  Squinting, he focused as well as he could, slowing the memory to a near halt as soon as her eyes fled to the Sorcēarian from her memory. The fog cleared, and the red robes faded to a rich blue. Dovian’s eyes darkened slightly; his hair grew long and black. The man morphed, and Orin could finally see, it was indeed Euclid in the room.

  “Got ya,” the man triumphantly stated. He pointed toward Kitara, his eyes never leaving the woman’s. “Kitara, take note of this.”

  The owl shrieked.

  “Did…you find something?”

  “Oh yeah,” he chuckled. Orin’s vision quickly faded. Groaning, he leaned back against the couch as he rubbed his eyes.

  “Are you alright?” Ivan gently tapped his shoulder.

  “Just a bit tired. That took a lot of juice, but I’ll be fine.” He dropped his hands and gave the woman a charming grin. “I think I caught some key evidence.”

  Ivan, for the first time, genuinely smiled. “It was him, wasn’t it?”

  Orin opened his mouth to speak, but there came a knock at the door. Ivan jumped at the sound and clutched her chest, exhaling anxiously.

  “Better be the movers. They misplaced a couple of my boxes. Had some of my souvenirs from Russia.” She stepped over one of her boxes to get to the front door. Carefully, she looked through the peephole. Every hair on her body stood on end.

  Orin was outside her apartment in the hall. Carefully, he ran his jeweled fingers through the long side of his hair and then smoothed over the shaven side. He straightened his robes and looked directly into the hole, his sandstone eyes swirling with a hint of blue. Ivan dropped the cover to the peephole and slowly took a step away from the door. Her body remained rigid.

  “Orin?” she whispered.

  “What is it?” He raised from the chair. Her reaction put him into a state of alert.

  As she looked over her shoulder, she pointed toward the door. “There’s another you outside,” she shakily whispered. Tears of fear surfaced. “Which one is the real you?” she squeaked.

  Orin swiftly drew his saber from the sheath tied at his hip. The weapon shimmered with green inlaid gems, magic humming from the blade. “Get away from the door!”

  The entry swiftly caved in, folding in half. A dark mist whirled around Ivan, capturing her. The vapors plumed to form a man’s silhouette. From the darkness came a hand, golden claws digging deep into the woman’s throat. She gasped, unable to move, as the metal points pushed further into her flesh, blood seeping down her chest. The shadows faded, revealing Euclid’s form. He whispered nightmarish tales into the woman’s ear, sending her into a spell of horrible dreams, locked for a countless time within her mind to live through her most feared moments as she took her final breaths.

  “Euclid! Release her!” Orin teleported behind the intruder, swiping his blade.

  Euclid darted out of the way with ease within a cloud of smoke. Ivan collided with the floor, lifeless.

  “You thought you could gather some evidence against me, Orin?” Euclid clucked as he apparated in the corner of the room.

  Orin hissed behind his teeth. His clammy grip tightened around the saber. “You didn’t have to kill her!”

  “Oh, yes, I did.” Euclid held out a palm, sending a wave of blackness toward the other man.

  Orin dove to the side, the shadows followed, snatching him. He choked on the thick air, his heart pounding. “Kitara! Fly!” he cried between strangled breaths.

  The owl fled, but Euclid’s power overtook her as well. The Azure man tossed the creature into the window, shattering it. Kitara plummeted over the side of the apartment complex.

  “Really? Relying on a bird to relay your information? Any other ideas?” Euclid raised his hand. The s
hadows flung Orin into a wall, his weight pushing into the plaster.

  “I have a few,” Orin grunted.

  Euclid stepped forward, his hand clamping around Orin’s neck. “Do tell.”

  Orin’s eyes swirled. “Tell me about that night, Euclid. About how you killed those two humans.”

  “I was at home, reading,” he dryly responded.

  “That’s not what I see,” Orin whispered.

  Euclid’s eyes narrowed. “You can’t see anything.”

  “I can see plenty. You’re a liar. You may have fooled Azera, but you can’t fool me. I know you. I have been reading your energy my entire life. I know your mind and powers better than anyone else. And how powerful you’ve become. Did Gaius’ book help with that?” His eyes shifted to Euclid’s chest where he kept the book hidden in his robes.

  Euclid made a sound of disapproval.

  “You have enough power to shroud yourself from the eyes of the Elders.”

  “You always talked too much.” The Azure man tightened his grip.

  Orin quickly lifted his hands, prying Euclid’s fingers away. “Just answer my question.”

  “What?” Euclid huffed.

  “I understand your distaste for humanity, but was it truly your intention to start killing your own kind?”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “If you wanted to kill Walten, why didn’t you do it yourself? Why did you have to take it out on Quentin? He never wronged you.”

  The look of anger that crossed Euclid’s face was nearly laughable.

  “And, of all people, your own father?” Orin quipped.

  “You have no idea what you’re talking about!”

  “You couldn’t even be original about it. Strangling him just the way you did to that woman, the way you are to me,” Orin taunted. “What man kills his own family and friends?”

  Euclid’s eyes shifted from side to side.

  “I can see everything, Euclid. Your memories, your fears. You killed Sarkov…and…God, did it really start that long ago? Sir Bayerd? All because he wanted to allow human refugees onto our land?”

  Euclid grit his teeth, breathing heavily. “Who do you think you are? Some kind of Truthseer?”

  “And I can see right through your lies!” Orin’s sandstone eyes eddied into a blur. “You let Dovian take the blame. You’re too sloppy. Do you really think you’re going to get away with this?”

  Euclid threw the man against the opposite wall. Orin crashed through, smashing sideways into the kitchen island and the sink cabinets on the other side. Struggling to his feet, Orin searched for his sword.

  “I was going to let you live!” Euclid slammed into him from behind.

  The Emerald man stumbled forward, steadying himself against the counter. Euclid palmed the back of Orin’s head, shoving his face against the cabinet.

  “I was going to give you the same proposal I gave Dovian!”

  With a grunt, Orin pushed back and teleported to the farthest side of the room, taking his saber. The dark smog made it difficult for him to search for Euclid. His vision caught a sparkling silhouette darting from side to side all around him. It was nearly impossible to track, even with his keen sight.

  “As if Dovian would fall for your tricks, Euclid. We all can plainly see what you’re up to!”

  He locked onto a clear vision of Euclid soaring forward. Orin swiped, but his blade screeched against a protective barrier. Euclid grasped the other man’s wrist. With one swift movement, he twisted Orin’s arm and forced the man’s blade into his own torso right beneath his rib cage. Orin’s spiraling eyes came to a halt, sparkling in silver; a dribble of blood trickled past his lips. Euclid harshly removed the blade, teleported behind the man, and spun, slicing clean across Orin’s neck.

  Leaning forward, the wicked man whispered, “Bet ya didn’t see that one coming.”

  Euclid gently pushed against Orin’s back, sending his body forward and his head rolling on the floor beside their feet.

  In an instant, all of Euclid’s anger dispersed, filling him with emptiness. As his black wings unfurled, he casually stepped over Orin’s corpse. He thrust a palm forward, and all the windows shattered, spilling onto the streets below. Euclid placed a boot on the windowsill. Staring into the morning sun, he felt numb to the cool breeze that tousled his hair and feathers. He ignored the chatters of the voices outdoors and those coming from the hallway outside the destroyed apartment. They would all be dead soon anyway.

  Euclid slipped out the window, his wings carrying him higher into the air. Behind him spread a cloud of smoke. He turned and threw Orin’s saber directly into the gas line outside the complex. The vapors caught onto his black trail. With a snap, his metallic claws ignited the air. The entire complex caught fire and exploded in succession from room to room. The disaster spread to numerous other buildings as the gas lines ignited throughout the city. Soon, the fire spread as far as he could see, black smoke smothering the morning sky.

  The dancing flames reflected in the irises of the dark man. It was only the beginning. This would be the start of his war against humanity. He wasn’t going to let anyone stand in his way.

  ***

  Mr. Hampden stood at the head of the table. The rest of the World Council sat with unease, chewing their nails, hiding their faces, fidgeting anxiously. A television covered one entire wall, flashing with news of the destruction of the city Euclid had just terrorized. The remains blazed uncontrollably. Rumors had spread through media outlets all around the globe that a Sorcēarian was responsible for the attack. Some stations claimed a small angelic militia premeditated the occurrence as a threat of war. Regardless of the reason why, if a Sorcēarian indeed caused the event, it merely showed how easy it was for the race to end so many innocent lives without any warning or detection.

  “We can’t just rush in head on. We have to plan this better.” Hampden ran his hands through his hair, heaving a heavy sigh. The council had their corresponding nation’s militaries on board, ready to deploy at any given moment.

  “Don’t you think we’ve already rushed it?” Another responded.

  “It’s clear they are a danger to our society, but how much of this was provoked by our own kind?” Someone else added.

  “Our own kind? What have we done to deserve a random attack such as this? THIS is precisely why we need to go to war. We must manage the Sorcēarians. They are far too powerful!” Hampden argued.

  “I think we’ve been played.”

  Hampden eyed the councilmember. “Played?”

  “Should we have trusted Euclid, to begin with? Am I truly the only one who finds him eerily suspicious? The Sorcēarians have been part of our council since its founding. They’ve been here for so long, why would they try to overrun us now? They’ve done nothing but serve humanity’s cause to ensure our safety. Without any thought, we abandoned Sir Gaius’ input to take on the opinion and methods of an unknown Sorcēarian. And one who is of a status known for espionage and manipulation. Was that so wise?”

  Hampden glowered. “Euclid fitted us with technology to protect our minds. He led us to the missing artifacts. He proved Sir Gaius’ unethical methods. If we can’t hold confidence in Sir Gaius, whom shall we trust?”

  The room creaked as a dark cloud seeped from beneath a crack in the entry door. The haze spiraled throughout the auditorium, resting in a seat at the end opposite of Hampden. Euclid materialized from the shadows. “You should trust the one who has opened your eyes to the falsities of the Sorcēarian race. Believe in a man—yes, I am a man, no different than you—who wishes to make things right in the world. Our differences aren’t much more than a bit of added strength.”

  “A bit of added strength?” Hampden scoffed. He waved toward the television. “You call that a bit of added strength? I assume that amount of destruction was caused without needing any form of weaponry!”

  Euclid rolled his eyes and shrugged. “Well, perhaps a little bit of weaponry was used.
”

  “Don’t take this lightly!” Hampden slapped the table surface.

  Euclid pounded the table in return. “Why aren’t you at war? I thought you were going to send the fleets as soon as possible?”

  “Why does this concern you so much?” Hampden snapped. “I find your humor during the time of this disaster disheartening. What diplomatic solutions have you made with your people?”

  “I’ve done plenty!”

  “Where is Elder Gaius? I think it’s best we have another meeting with the Elders,” one of the councilmen interrupted.

  Hampden hissed a sigh but then nodded. “I’m going to have to agree. I’ve had no progress report from you these past couple days.”

  Euclid poked his own chest. “Progress report? You want a progress report? Do you want to know what I’ve been doing these past few days?”

  Hampden uneasily eyeballed the others. Half the members shook their heads in disgust, the others looked fearful. Euclid’s blazing eyes sent a chill of worry down Hampden’s spine. “What have you been up to, Euclid?”

  “Doing everything I can to start your ridiculous war!” Euclid threw the chair across the room. The item cracked to pieces. “Sacrificing everything that’s been well and good in my life for the betterment of the planet!”

  The council quickly moved from their seats, gathering on the opposite side of the table away from the estranged Sorcēarian.

  “I told you this was a bad idea,” someone whispered.

  “No.” Euclid looked over his shoulder at the cowering humans. “You know what the bad idea was? Trusting humanity to do my bidding. I’ve had enough,” he laughed, the sound hollow. “My family, my friends…I’ve put an end to anyone who would stand in my way. I thought I could manipulate the situation, but I was wrong. Humans are pathetic, cowardly creatures. You rely on machinery and technology to kill one another. You hide behind tools, behind your children, to save your precious companies and wealth. Though I had a plan for you, apparently, you all are unworthy.”