Pet: Revelations - Chapter Seven (Patreon)

Iris

I’m afraid to open my eyes. I know that once I do, the new challenges will begin. Nothing will be the same, and Remus will have embraced this new side of himself that scares me more than anything. But I cannot hide in my dreams forever. I know that, and Remus knows that.

His touch is gentle and warm as he strokes my cheek.

“I know you are awake,” he says.

I can hear the smile in his voice. And I pull in a trembling breath as a result, opening my eyes. I am not the same person I was when Remus first brought me into his life. Then, I was impulsive and desperate to free my people. I had no idea what Remus was capable of, and still, I jumped headfirst into everything that I did.

I don’t know the situation, and Remus is changing so fast that he has the intention of not telling me. And now that we are on his homeworld, his true homeworld, I am officially out of my element. He so much as proved that to me by allowing me to see what it took to get here—to feel. And as I open my eyes, blinking so that they adjust, I am not met with Remus. I am met with…clouds?

It takes me a moment to realize I am facing an arch that opens up to a balcony, revealing what looks like clouds. It is night, and the sky glitters with more stars than I have ever seen in my life. I even see the patterns of galaxies as I slowly sit up, my eyes wide. On the horizon is what looks like a moon. It is so massive that only a quarter of it shines above the cloud line.

The curtains billow softly around the edges of the balcony, adding to the ethereal feel of this place, and I can’t catch my breath to acknowledge that it is real. If there is a heaven, this has to be what it looks like.

Remus laughs, pulling me out of my thoughts. I slowly look away from the archway, taking in the room. It’s massive, the ceiling vaulting much higher than any museum I’ve been in. There is an intricate painting on the ceiling of a tree that radiates purple from its leaves, with what I assume are the people of this world kneeling at its roots, their eyes closed as they hold a light in their hands. I look away from the ceiling to the walls, the columns stretching high to meet the ceiling. And each column has a warm light that surrounds it with a cloud-like texture, and yet it almost looks solid.

“Welcome to my home,” Remus says.

I finally look at him, his eyes illuminating like the stars outside of the archway. They shift and move, with only purple visible to me. His hair is much shorter than it’s ever been from the battle, falling to his shoulders, and yet it is still pulled away from his face, allowing me to take in his perfect features.

He suddenly makes so much sense surrounded by this place. He’s always stood out in every world he’s been in. But this one complements him in a way that makes it hard to speak.

“H-how…” I trail off, looking back to the archway. The clouds move so slowly, and they are so defined, almost as if I could set foot in them. It’s so quiet, so peaceful. I could sit here for hours and forget everything that bothers me. My fears, the people I love, the future that I am uncertain about, all of it feels like it doesn’t matter in this moment.

“Space is…complex. My people have had billions of years to study it, and its inner workings,” Remus says. 

“But this place. It can’t be real,” I whisper.

Remus laughs, his grip tightening as he pulls me from the bed. I note that I’ve been dressed in a thin nightgown that drags the floor as he leads me to the balcony. I can hear my breath in my ear the closer we get, and as we step out into the night, my breath is taken away.

Remus comes behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. He places a kiss on my head before pointing to the right.

“Oh…” I can’t form words. In the distance, the clouds have formed a slow-rotating circle that opens up. I can barely see land beyond it.

“How is this possible?” I whisper.

Remus releases me, moving to the edge of the balcony. My eyes widen slightly as his hair floats. It’s not the wind that makes it move. It’s as if he has some kind of energy around himself. It reminds me of the time I caught him meditating when he had a force field around himself. I slowly reach for him, my fingers hesitating inches away from him as fear halts me.

“You see this world as beautiful, but I see it for what it is. It is broken and fractured. And it is my birthright to fix it,” he says.

I scoff in disbelief. “What?” I ask.

Remus looks down before turning to face me. His expression is gentle as he looks into my eyes.

“The Celestivine who attacked us is my father. He traveled across galaxies to find Xion and me, and bring us home. Where we belong,” he says.

I blink in confusion, but I don’t speak. Remus is sharing this information all on his own, but I can’t be thrilled about it. Remus never does anything for my personal feelings. He does what he needs to do to protect me. And his revealing this to me is placing me on edge. I do notice that he excludes Ezra from the category of his father’s children.

“I am not a fool. I have been missing for over five hundred years. I know he has tried and failed to replace me during that time. As it turns out, I am the only one capable of following his footsteps,” Remus says.

I narrow my gaze, his words forcing me to finally ground myself at this new bout of information. Remus has hinted that he has been around for a long time, but he's never given his age. It throws me for a moment, trying to understand this alien before me. But I have to ignore the shock as I realize he has been dragged into another situation by a parent who has convinced him it is his purpose.

“Wasn’t protecting Xyrannis your birthright? Building your mother’s empire? And now, you’ve just accepted this new role for a place you’ve never even seen? What about Xyrannis? What about all of the Leviathan who looked to you for guidance and—” I ask.

Remus laughs softly, looking over the railing.

“They are lucky I don’t consume them all. They live, because you asked,” he says.

Silence fills the air, and I shiver. Not because it’s cold, but because of his tone. He is so direct, no hesitation.

"And Earth? All the planets you conquered in your mother's name? Planets with their own lives?" I ask.

"The answer is the same," Remus says. He doesn't even attempt to reassure me of the world I came from, or my brother, who still remains a prisoner there. In his mind, these places are no longer a priority, and lucky to be alive.

“I don’t understand. Why do you hate them so much? What did they do to deserve your wrath?” I ask.

Remus’s gaze remains distant as he thinks about his answer.

“They earned my mother’s love,” he says, looking at me. “Everything she loves needs to be destroyed.”

I shake my head, wrapping my arms around myself.

“Remus…” I trail off. I don’t know what to say. He is being so cruel right now. I’ve never seen him so serious about something like this. Not since we were on Earth. But even still, the way he handled the invasion was to battle with us on our level, not wipe us out completely.

“Will you tell me what happened? What she did to make you so angry?” I ask.

Remus watches me carefully, debating on giving me an answer. His expression shifts, and his eyes lower slightly, lingering around my stomach before shifting back to my face. Then, his anger returns, making me wonder if he is this angry because his mother stabbed me.

“No. It does not matter. What matters is that you understand why I’ve returned. And why this will be your new home,” he says.

"Remus, I am alive. Your mother did not succeed in killing me. You can't be angry with innocent lives because of her actions," I say. He's so still, it terrifies me. But I have to remind myself of what he's said to me everytime we've been around one another during our travels, especially this last time. He won't hurt me. He loves me.

"I am not telling you this to be convinced, Iris. My decision is final," he says, a little too harshly.

I take a step back, crossing my arms over my chest.

“…And if I ask to leave?” I ask.

Remus’s eyes darken, and he doesn’t move for a moment. I can see that he is trying to control himself.

I laugh bitterly. “I understand,” I say. I move away from the balcony, back into the room. And as I look around, I slowly feel insecurity creeping over me. I am the one who stands out in this place. I am just human. How does he expect me to adapt if there are more like him?

I hear his approach.

“You said the Celestivine who attacked is your father. Why would you return and do what he wants after what he did to Ezra?” I ask. “Why did he even attack Ezra? He is your brother, that would make him—”

“You ask questions you don’t need to know the answers to. I have told you why we are here, and that still isn’t enough for you,” he says.

“Enough for me? Remus, you’ve brought me somewhere that I almost died getting to. And you’re still keeping things from me!” I say.

Remus scoffs. “You did not almost die—”

“It felt like it. It felt like my bones were being ripped apart, before you let me pass out,” I snap.

Remus narrows his gaze, his eyes lighting up as he closes the distance between us. He stands over me, his voice steady as he speaks.

“And do you remember what I told you before you passed out?” he says.

“You have no knowledge of the world we are about to enter. You are as helpless as you were when I first came to your planet. I need you to understand that as I navigate this, and know that everything I do is to protect you and everyone that I care about.”

I clench my jaw in irritation, looking away. It’s all I can do to keep speaking to him.

“You said we would be equals,” I say.

“That was before,” Remus says. His words hurt, but I don’t show it. I’m done showing him that his words mean something to me. I wanted him back on Xyrannis, and I thought I had him, but I see now that I don’t. I just need to get used to this new Remus. It’s as I said before, I can’t be rash.

“So…this is my new prison then?” I ask

He places his fingers under my chin when I don’t respond, lifting my gaze to meet his.

“No. I told you before. This is your home.”