Pet: Torment - Chapter Forty (Patreon)

Remus

Usually, at this point in the evening, I have already left the celebration. I have no interest in socializing. I only ever show for the sake of the Leviathan, knowing that I am very real and have an interest in the well-being of society. But this night, I feel hesitancy in leaving. And it’s all because of the strange human who floats around in my dreams.

I quietly watch her from across the room. She’s visibly defeated as she fights tears of frustration. I’d find it amusing if it weren’t so confusing. From the first time I laid eyes on her, she has looked at me with familiarity. I didn’t think anything of it our first meeting. As a matter of fact, I didn’t even think of her again until Iriel mentioned her in his desperate plea of me not to take his life. Then, the day I sensed my essence faintly floating through the building, I discovered her in our records room wearing the hairpin I infused with my essence.

If not for my sibling's strange obsession with protecting her, I would have killed her on the spot for stealing something so valuable to me. According to her, however, she didn’t steal it. She claimed I gave it to her—something I don’t recall ever doing. It was a lie she fiercely believed enough that her body was giving off signs that she was telling the truth. She was willing to endure the pain I put her through to hold onto that lie—even when more outlandish lies tumbled from her lips.

Then, the dreams came. They were vivid and intense, ranging from times in my childhood that I don’t recall to things that have never occurred on other worlds. But among these dreams, she appeared in small bursts. As did a more vivid recollection of moments on Earth that I can’t think of when I am awake. 

The most vivid being saving her life on Earth. I pulled her from burning rubble when I should have left her for dead. And though she should have died that night from her injuries, I took a chance by infusing her with my essence to save her. The memory was brief, but with it came feelings I never thought I was capable of feeling—desperation for her survival being the most intense. It felt so real, waking up in a panicked sweat, leading me to her for answers.

But her answers were so enraging, so filled with obvious lies that even now, I can’t understand how she seems to be telling the truth each time she utters them. What’s even more irritating is my sibling's reaction to it all. They each expressed anger at me for punishing her. At first, I thought it was because one of them wanted her. But as I watch them once again flocking to their chosen partners, I see that they only seek to protect her. And that protection has fallen to my brother more so than my sister in recent days.

It is obvious they are keeping things from me as well, making me curious about the human's lies.

I shift my attention away from the party toward the sky. The new set of rings I put in place dazzles more brightly than the ones my mother had around our planet. I destroyed hers, curious about the effects since what the human said to me made sense at the time. And though my anger initially was due to there not being a change in my mental state, the more time that passed, the more my mind is flooded with visions I can’t understand. Some feel like memories, while others come with a voice that feels familiar, but I do not recognize calling to me.

Only a rare few involve the human, making me wonder why she feels so desperately that she was so important to me. I slowly look back at her across the room. Her back is to me at this point as she moves to a corner where she thinks no one will notice her let her tears out. She’s a beautiful woman, and while I wouldn’t mind spending a few nights with her, I can’t bring myself to believe that we were bonded. That can’t be possible. Her body should still carry my essence, but it doesn’t. And removing a bond should be impossible. Or at least, that’s what our mother told us.

But with all of the uncertainty surrounding her, I wonder if that too is a lie.

“Remus, there’s a problem.” I look away from the human to see Xion standing next to me. Her expression is troubled. I’ve remained distant from my siblings since the human appeared. But knowing that they are lying to me as well shows me that I cannot trust them. Especially if what I sensed in Iris is real. 

“What now?” I ask.

“The entity that entered the star system is approaching Xyrannis at a speed we can barely keep up with,” she says.

I scoff. “I am aware.”

Xion is silent for a moment, surprised by my response.

I’ve known for a while. When I removed the rings, its trajectory changed. As did our mother’s location. For a moment, she was traveling between dimensions, jumping from planet to planet, lingering on the edge of the star system. Now, she has disappeared altogether, her essence completely undetectable. At this point, I am assuming it has something to do with the entity and my memory. It all seems to be connected, just like Iris said.

But I’ve kept this information to myself, not knowing who I can trust. 

“You knew and you didn’t think to tell us? Maybe even the council?” she snaps.

I laugh at her accusatory tone. She’s been willingly keeping the truth from me. Her and Ezra. I’m not sure if it’s the amount of overwhelming information I’ve been receiving since the rings, or if it's the tension between me and the human from across the room, but my usual reserved demeanor melts away as my anger boils over.

“The same way you didn’t think to tell me that our mother wiped my mind?” I say in a calm voice.

Xion hides her shock extremely well.

“What are you talking about?” she asks.

My gaze narrows, and with it comes the slip of my control as my anger intensifies. The ground shudders, cracking slightly, and her mask of deceit finally falls away as she realizes the danger everyone is in.

I ignore the gasps of the surrounding Leviathan as I step closer to her, speaking in a foreign language so that no one but her can understand me.

“Who is she to me?” I growl out.

For the first time, my sister is without a response. She’s been caught in her own lies, and she knows that with this, our bond has been damaged. I won’t trust her ever again. I note that Xion’s companion tries to move in our direction, but I place a field around us, preventing him from going any further. He crashes into it, and I use the opportunity to latch onto his life force, the pressure visibly settling over him as he releases a panicked grunt.

Xion’s panic intensifies as she tries to stop me, but I step closer, my rage settling over my skin.

“You’ve watched me on several occasions come close to killing her. Do not think I will spare your human the same courtesy. Who is she, Xion?” I ask.

“Remus!” I hear Ezra, but I ignore him, my gaze remaining on my sister. I intensify the pressure on her lover, his groan of pain the push she needs. She lowers her head, clenching her fists.

“She’s…the human you bonded with on Earth,” she says.

My ears ring as my rage intensifies.

“Why don’t I know who she is?” I growl out. She looks up at me, tears in her eyes.

“Remus… you don’t want to know,” she says.

“Agh!” Her lover’s pained groan echoes over the party that has now fallen silent to watch this unfold.

“It was our mother! You left and came back different, that’s all I know!” she shouts, shifting her attention to the human who writhes in pain under the invisible force of gravity crushing his bones.

“You lied to me. You both lied to me,” I say, shifting my attention to Ezra. He’s standing with his companion and Iris protectively behind him, his expression blank. And as I shift my attention to Iris, I see fear mingled with disbelief in her eyes as she looks at me.

It doesn’t affect me in the least. And according to everyone here, it’s because of our mother. I want to confront her and find out if this is true. But I can’t even locate her at this point.

Ezra steps forward. “Remus, we—”

I sense it before I see it. A bolt of energy rips through the rings, sending a chill up my spine at the power behind it. I’ve never felt anything like it before. It travels faster than even I can comprehend, and it heads straight for Ezra. I hold my hand out in an attempt to better control stopping it, but I can’t even attach to its source. And I watch in horror as the beam of blue rips through the sky, slicing right through my brother from behind. It tears through his back, resembling a harpoon. But it’s pure energy as it pulls him off his feet, crashing into the ground to anchor him there.

The aftershock of the blast sends a violent wind that blows everyone except for me and Xion back, sending debris and smoke everywhere.

“Ezra!” I shout, terror ripping through me as I move across the room. His head hangs limp as his arms dangle in front of him. And I am reaching for his body when an entity appears in front of me, a powerful force field sending bolts of energy through me, forcing my body to fly back. I vaguely register Xion’s scream as I crash into a column.

I am conscious enough to prevent the debris from crumbling on top of me. I stand just in time to see our attacker yanking Xion by her throat, holding her high above the ground as he simultaneously drains her energy. A weapon of pure energy forms in his free hand as he looks at me, his eyes resembling ours. Yet, they gleam like our mothers. His hair is white, like ours, held from his face in a braid. And his clothing is transparent in parts over his chest, revealing the exact symbol each of us has. He grins, but it’s taunting as the light from his symbol illuminates the veins beneath his skin.

“My son… how you’ve grown.”