Apocalypse Rising (Episode 1 of 4): A Christian Apocalyptic Sci-Fi Thriller (Ichthus Chronicles Book 5) by J. A. Bouma

Author:J. A. Bouma [Bouma, J. A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: EmmausWay Press
Published: 2021-05-31T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

Germania, Europa.

Martin Zarruq closed his eyes, tipped his head back, and stroked one end of his white handlebar mustache, his heart thudding expectantly in his chest even as his pulse raced into the gilded ceremonial vial resting on the white marble table, the reed protruding from his arm carefully channeling his life force out of his body and into a rising pool of crimson at the bottom. A pleasurable sigh escaped him, both from the exhumation of his life force and at the anticipation rising inside at what it would bring.

He settled into the plush, gilded chair at the glass table and heaved another pleasurable sigh, the vast, bright room of white marble veined with faint gray lining the floor and walls agreeing with another echoing reply. Easing his eyes open, one end of his mouth curled upward at the view of a ceiling vaulted by soaring Corinthian columns edged by gilt lines circling the white pillars like candy canes. High above, crystals clung to the corners and seams of the ceiling like clusters of grapes, a sort of celestial crown molding that refracted the light from the day with rainbow brilliance, although dimming now under the threat of rain.

“Like Heaven…”

He smiled knowingly at the tongue slip.

No, like the Republic of Heaven.

Martin had personally overseen the construction of the hall, patterning it after another that had been destroyed by an ancient enemy over a century ago. The Order of Thaddeus. He sourced the best materials the Universe had to offer, ones that had unfortunately gone by the wayside in ultramodern Solterra, with all of its gleaming glass and polished chrome. He shuddered at the thought, more beholden to the ancient, alchemic metals and stones to festoon his temple. But as brilliant as the gilded columns and refracting crystals were, the real center of attention was the mural of celestial beings locked in arms with recognizable figures peering down at him, witnessing his moment of self-pleasure.

The full range of scenery from across Solterra’s religious landscape was depicted, beginning with the Bible: From the Garden of Eden to Abraham sacrificing Isaac on Mount Moriah, Moses parting the Red Sea to the birth of Jesus, his feeding of the five thousand miracle to his crucifixion. But then it continued on in a way the in-the-know observer would have found confusing, depicting neither Christ’s resurrection nor ascension. Of course Martin had it designed that way, adding still other familiar religious depictions that would have seemed out of place in what one might have assumed was a place of Christian worship. There was Muhammad’s First Revelation, the event described in Islam where the prophet was visited by the angel Jibrīl and revealed to him the beginnings of what would later become the Qur'an. And then another: a familiar depiction of Siddhartha Gautama, Buddha, sitting cross-legged in a crimson sash, one hand raised with enlightenment. All combining into the tapestry of the movement he was building for the Republic to unify the polis into a singular religious affection.

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