Pet: Revelations - Chapter Fourteen (Patreon)

Iris

I remember vividly having an inhibitor removed after being under it for months. Remus placed it on me after he found out that Jude and I shared a kiss. It was torture, acclimating to my own body, and separating my actions. I was on Earth when that occurred, so I at least had familiar surroundings to guide me. But Sky is not only waking to a new home, but it looks nothing like anything either of us has ever seen. And I feel even worse that Remus is the one who did this to her.

But there is nothing I can do but try to make her life easier in my own way. After all, Remus has proven multiple times that I cannot win against him.

Sky pulls in a sharp breath as she slowly comes to, and I gently rub her back to help her feel grounded. I made sure to bring her to the garden Remus created. At least here, she will be surrounded by beautiful scenery and warm air.

“Sky,” I say her name gently, and she slowly looks at me. I can see the gears turning behind her gaze as she tries to decipher her own thoughts. I try to smile as I comfort her.

“You’re okay,” I say.

She slowly nods, tears forming as she continues to do so. They spill over, but she doesn’t make a sound. So, I pull her into me, wrapping my arms around her as I comfort her.

“You’re okay. We’re safe. Ezra is okay,” I say, letting her know everything important that she needs to know in this moment. I’m sure it is extremely disorienting for her, especially since the last thing she remembers is being on a dark ship with no sense of time.

She sucks in a shuddering breath.

“He…he was hurt?” she whispers, looking at me.

I nod, and she looks away, furrowing her brow.

“How long has it been?” she asks.

I am at a loss for words. I don’t know how long it’s been. This place has a strange sense of time, and now that I’ve been forced to acknowledge it, it feels like I’ve been asleep for most of it. More anger towards myself forms as I recall Remus lying to me, telling me Sky was resting. All that time, I was sulking, and she was suffering under an inhibitor.

“What do you last remember?” I ask.

She shakes her head, rubbing her temples.

“I fell asleep…and ended up here,” she says.

I don’t respond. But my anger towards Remus intensifies. He has no regard for human life, that much is clear. Sky has been in distress the entire trip, worrying about Ezra. And he placed an inhibitor on her in her sleep, with no regard for her mental state.

“I’m sorry, Sky. I didn’t know,” I say.

“It doesn’t matter. You said Ezra is okay?” she asks, looking at me, her eyes hopeful.

I nod.

“He woke up a few hours ago. Remus said he is disoriented, but once we get you acclimated, you can see him,” I say.

“Acclimated?” Sky asks, her attention shifting past me. Her eyes widen and her mouth opens slightly as she takes in our surroundings. “Oh,” she whispers.

I laugh softly. “Yeah. Acclimated. I guess this is your new home too.”

I watch her quietly as she takes in the view. I wish I could give her more time to adjust. I wish there was a place just for humans that me and her could remain in. Honestly, part of me wants to go back to Xyrannis. But I know Remus would never allow it. And as I said before, I can’t fight him.

So, I do as he asked, helping Sky to acclimate to this new world.

Remus

I’ve run out of time. Trying to settle things with my family has gone to shit within hours of opening my mouth, and I am lost to who I am now. I know that who I am now makes Iris uncomfortable. I can see it in her expression whenever I say something wrong, or if I move too close.

As I watch her now, in the garden I created for her, I can see the comfort in her body language as she speaks to the human Ezra cares for. She smiles easily and looks directly into her eyes, having no issue touching her as she rubs her back.

I push down the jealousy that I feel brewing within me. It is an ugly thing, especially when it befalls me. Besides, it’s not as if she isn’t trying. She’s been content with my answers, even this morning, she held her tongue when I went back on my word against Ezra. I may be different, but she is as well, putting us in a better place than we were when we first arrived on Xyrannis.

I realize I am smiling, as I shift my attention to the human Ezra cares for, because my smile drops instantly. Just like Xion, Ezra is not handling the news very well. He has shut down and refuses to speak to me. Not out of anger, however, but out of shame. Shame for learning his true place in all of this—what his existence has robbed us of.

In another life, I would have threatened the woman, Sky. I would have made sure she knew what would happen if she didn’t do her best to help Ezra calm down mentally. But I have Iris now. And just as I asked, she speaks to her. It’s all I can think of to do for my brother. Though the initial shock of seeing him awake has worn off, I can better analyze my feelings. I am happy that he is alive, but I am still a little wary of him. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s the Celestivine in me, now that my mind has opened up.

Or maybe it’s the fact that so much of my life was taken because of him, regardless of his knowledge.

“I was wondering where that surge came from. It’s nice to see the garden back,” Kuron says, pulling me out of my thoughts. I turn away from Iris to watch his approach, and I note he is dressed in important clothing.

Today, he is reintroducing me to the council before I am re-entered into our society. They consist of some of the oldest living Celestivine, their word not a matter of power, but respect. I am sure they will be pleased that I have returned. But they will not be pleased with the lower life forms I have brought with me.

Not only that, but I must convince them of a proper punishment for my mother.

Celestivine views life differently because of how long we live, and what kind of world we live in. Death of another Celestivine is not something taken lightly.

“You let it die,” I say, looking away from him to Iris. Watching her enjoy something that I created has always calmed me. And now, as she shows her friend what lies in the garden, I feel even more relaxed, Kuron’s presence a small annoyance.

“There was no point in keeping it alive when you and your sister were taken. I haven’t been on this side of the palace in centuries,” he says, standing next to me.

He slowly realizes what it is I am looking at, laughing.

“Though I see now you didn’t bring it back for nostalgia,” he says.

Now I laugh. The concept of nostalgia is foreign to me.

“You mixed your energy in,” he says, noticing the little details.

“I had to,” I say.

As she moves through the garden, it will give her the source of energy she needs to remain at a healthy state. If she’s noticed, she hasn’t said anything about her body’s deterioration. She’s more than likely getting tired quicker; the drink I give her is only able to do so much. In the past, I gave it to her so that I had room to feed. Now, it barely sustains her a days time here. With the garden, it will help settle in her bloodstream better, keeping her levels decent for a few days at least.

Even still, it is a short-term solution. 

“Your hesitation astounds me. If you care so much for her, why not—”

“Don’t,” I snap. “I told you I would do as you asked if you granted my requests. You don’t need to insert yourself in my personal life.”

Kuron doesn’t respond immediately. But after a moment, he speaks.

“Do not forget that you were my children before Me’Rite took you,” he says.

“Your children, whom you gave up on. I know that the only reason I am here is because you couldn’t make a replacement,” I say.

I turn to look at him.

“Do us both a favor, and stop pretending that I am the son you lost. We both know you have already accepted that he died the night my mother took us,” I say.

Kuron’s gaze darkens, and he briefly looks past me to Iris.

“Then let us depart. The council is eager to meet you.”