Pet: Revelations - Chapter Ten (Patreon)

Remus

The hatred I harbor for my mother is unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. All my life, I’ve respected her and kept my distance because we both knew it was best for us. But now, as my past and my present collide, looking upon the face of the woman who stripped everything from me, I feel like I could actually kill her in this moment, and enjoy every second of it.

“Ah…there he is. The Celestevine I tried to protect everyone from,” she says, smiling. She shifts, rising high on her knees as she closes the space between us, looking me in the eyes. She may look weak, but that is because Kuron is siphoning her energy. She is anything but in this moment.

“If you think you are protecting Ezra by trusting Kuron, you are way out of your—hck!” My grip is around her throat before I can think to myself of the consequences.

“Remus—” I hear Kuron’s warning, but I ignore him, enjoying the fear I see in my mother’s eyes as I lift her from the ground.

I release a breath, my voice calm as I speak.

“Is that all you can think of is Ezra? Not the lives of hundreds of empires you put in jeopardy? Not the lives of the two children you destroyed? Not the one you kept locked in a fucking vacuum his entire life?” I ask.

“Ngh!” she groans, but my grip tightens.

“You are no longer in a position to demand anything of me. I thought I wanted to come here to understand why you did everything you did, but I see now it does not matter. The only thing that matters is that you suffer in the way that I have suffered,” I say.

“Remus,” Kuron calls a little louder, but I tighten my grip, lifting her higher as I watch the little light she had left die behind her gaze. And I smile. Just as I thought, I am enjoying this.

“Ezra will be everything you hate. I will guide him to being a Celestivine that will destroy anything that is a threat to this world. And I will tell him everything about your past. Including his father. And if you think you will ever get a chance to speak to him, I will track you down and cut your throat myself—”

“Remus! Enough!” Kuron shouts.

I hold onto her just a little longer, so that she understands no one controls me. Not even Kuron can save her from my wrath if I so choose. Then, when her consciousness fails, and her eyelids flutter, I drop her.

She coughs, inhaling desperately as she clasps her throat. Because of this realm, she is as weak as a human, relying on the basics to survive. I can feel her terror at coming so close to death and being unable to do anything--unable to even lift a finger to protect herself. Just as Iris felt multiple times.

“Ezra is mine now. He lives because I decided it. Remember that, if you ever try to step out of line again,” I say.

I turn to Kuron, and he’s watching me with a worried expression but covers it up as he looks away from Me’Rite to me.

“Get me out of here,” I say, without looking back.

"Ezra will die if you keep him on our world! He is not a full Celestivine; he has years before he can even think about converting energy! He, along with that precious human, comes closer to death with every passing second they spend on our surface; don't be naive, Remus! I raised you smarter than that. Do not trust Kuron--"

My discontent manifests itself. It's not a decision I make out of rage. It's not even one I didn't think about. I suddenly know exactly what I need to do to make her feel pain. A beam of energy flows from my palm as I turn to face her. It hardens, forming a weapon, and shock appears on her features seconds before it penetrates her abdomen.

It's the exact place she stabbed Iris.

Pain contorts her features, and she falls over, clutching her side as blood spills. And I can't help but laugh as I pull my weapon from her flesh, kneeling in front of her.

"You know nothing about my precious human. Otherwise you would never have touched her. Would you like me to leave you here for three days to suffer in the same way she did?" I ask.

She chokes, looking me in the eyes. "So...brave while I'm...like this--ngh! While I'm weak and trapped," she says.

I laugh, standing.

"Says the woman who kept me weak and trapped my entire life," I say.

I look at Kuron, and he's watching the exchange with an unreadable expression.

"Heal her if you want," I say. I don't wait for him to take us out of here. I need to get away before I kill her. I didn't plan on letting him know that I had figured out how to travel between different planes so soon. All I need to understand is the makeup of this one and the one I need to get to. But I stay here, I will kill her.

I close my eyes, feeling the edges of this world. Once I get a good grasp, I reach further to find our plane. I take a deep breath before transporting myself home.

Iris

It’s getting harder and harder to stay awake. The drink Remus gave me earlier has already begun to wear off as night once again cascades over this strange new world. He left hours ago, and according to him, he went to see his mother.

I shiver at the thought of the woman who caused all of this.

She is the root of all of my nightmares. She single-handedly ripped the little life that I had apart—the life I was beginning to see as my own. Being here in the depths of space has made me realize how insignificant life on Earth was.

I quietly lift my mother’s necklace, opening it. My family’s picture was the only thing that kept me going at times. My father’s last words to me ring in my mind. It feels so distant at this point. So unimportant. I’m sure Cypress remains in the Leviathan prison, whatever that means for their world now that Remus has left it after almost destroying it.

All I have is Remus, Sky, Ezra, and even Xion. They are the people most important to me right now. In this strange world, they are my source of comfort, especially after Ezra took care of me on Xyrannis. I focus on Cypress’s picture, tears forming.

Ezra could have abandoned me and had an easier life for it on Xyrannis when Remus lost his memory. Cypress did it without hesitation. Even Xion considered it—letting me fade into the background and letting Remus live in his lie. It never crossed his mind, making me see him more as a brother than Cypress ever was. And now, I don’t even know if he’s alive or not.

I hastily wipe my eyes, closing the locket.

I look away from the room to the open balcony, my curiosity about this place mounting. Remus has always been one to show me the world I am living in. But this time, he is hesitant. I’ve rarely seen him, and when I do, he is so distant that I barely recognize him. I am beginning to feel alone again. And I hope he meant it this time when he said I could visit Ezra and Sky.

I gasp when I suddenly feel hands wrapping around my waist, pulling me into a warm body.

I quickly turn in his arms, coming face to face with Remus. It’s terrifying that I didn’t even hear him enter the room, let alone cross it. When we were bonded, I grew used to feeling him at least. Now, he's back to this silent figure that comes and goes as he pleases. His eyes glimmer in the moonlight as he smiles down at me, and I feel warmth pulsing from his palms as he eases the aches in my body.

“You’re back,” I whisper.

“I am,” he says, looking past me briefly to the balcony.

“How did it go?” I ask.

He seems lost in thought, but eventually looks back at me.

“Would you like to go for a walk?” he asks.

I blink in confusion, attempting to pull away from him, but his grip tightens.

“I asked you how it went—”

“And I asked you if you’d like to go for a walk,” Remus says.

I try not to react to his tone. It’s eerily demanding even though it’s gentle. I slowly place my hands over his, pushing his grip away, and he lets me, watching me steadily as I step back.

“No, I don’t want to go for a walk,” I say.

His expression shifts, and it’s so small that I almost don’t notice it in the moonlight as he quickly covers up whatever emotion he is feeling. But he takes my answer for what it is, his expression stoic as he grants my quiet request.

“It went great,” he says, suddenly.

My confusion deepens. I don’t see how visiting his mother could go anything but bad. He accompanies his confession with a grin, his eyes brightening. It's so confusing watching him like this. In the past, I could read him by his eyes. I knew when he was calm, when he was angry, when he was excited; but now, his eyes show me nothing. Only uncontained power.

“What? Did you think I would be a sniveling mess after seeing my mother? I am not like you, Iris. I can take care of myself,” he says. 

I am taken aback at his shift, but as I watch him, I can see he isn’t being malicious. He’s being genuine, which makes it all the more unsettling. So, I ignore his disregard for my feelings, and continue to press.

“I just wanted to make sure you were okay. The last time you spoke to me about her, you said she deserved to suffer by having Xyrannis destroyed. I didn’t think it would go too well seeing her,” I say.

“And why is that?” Remus asks.

“I don’t know… maybe the answers she had weren’t—”

“Answers?” Remus laughs again, and chills form on my arms as I realize I don’t like the sound. It’s so…emotionless.

“I didn’t go to get answers. I went to let her know where she stands, and what will happen if she tries to approach any of you,” Remus says.

My eyes widen as he moves across the room, removing his cloak. He moves so unnaturally, my body instinctually wants me to put distance between us. And I notice that in this state, his hair shifts even though there isn’t any wind. It’s like there’s an invisible field of energy surrounding him.

He gently lays his cloak on the back of a chair, shifting his attention to me. His gaze travels over my body, lingering over my heart before shifting back to my face. He’s checking my vitals. And when he frowns, I can’t help but wonder what could be wrong.

“Come sit,” he says.

I force my feet to move one in front of the other, and as I cross the room, he speaks, moving to a cabinet with symbols etched into it.

“I thought I wanted answers, but I realized looking at her that was the last thing I wanted. I want her dead. I tried it out for a little bit. I wanted to see how far I could get before I could see the same fear in your eyes reflected in hers…It was quicker than I thought, especially when I threatened her precious son,” Remus says.

I feel sick as I slowly lower myself into the chair. I can’t fight the shiver that forms as I watch him—emotionless as he pulls out a crystal pitcher and pours the pink liquid into the clear glass. This is not the Remus I know. I knew he had changed, but this isn’t any semblance of the Remus I know. The Remus I came to care about.

“You mean…Ezra?” I ask.

Remus doesn’t miss a beat as he turns to face me. “Of course.”

He closes the space between us, sitting across from me on the white couch. He looks so in place in this terrifying setting. And I feel even more out of place as I take the glass from him. His fingers brush over my own, the electricity rippling from him striking as I take the glass.

“But you would never hurt him, right?” I ask.

Remus laughs gently, angling his head as he studies me.

“Does my honesty make you uncomfortable?” he asks, studying me. It’s not just his honesty. It’s him. His eyes, his mannerisms, his aura. Everything about it makes me want to shrink away.

“Yes,” I say.

He reaches for me, placing his fingers under the bottom of the glass to lift the cup to my lips. The drowsiness I felt disappears instantly, and I feel much better than I did, much more cognizant as well, making his words land even scarier.

“Hm,” he says. He keeps his grip on the glass when I am finished, placing it on the end table as he watches me.

“I told you, I am not who I was. Remember that the next time you insist on answers you are not prepared for,” he says.

Silence drifts between us as he waits for my response, but I can only give him a nod as I am swallowed by the intimidating presence he displays. He stands, holding his hand out to me, his smile, though beautiful, unnerving.

“Now, shall we go on that walk?”