Revelation - Chapter 3 (Patreon)

Remus

“The garden has come back to life.” I don’t look up as my father walks in the room. I don’t even bother responding. He’s been trying to get on my good side ever since I showed his ass who the one in control is.

“I haven’t seen it like that since you were a child,” he adds. I still don’t respond. I keep my gaze focused on the paper in front of me. It’s a map of the different provinces in this world and who controls them. If I am to rule this world someday, I must familiarize myself with its inhabitants. My eyes pause over the random dark spots on the map with only one word over it.

“Yelah”

I frown slightly. That means Dead.

“Would your human companion have anything to do with that?” I finally sit up, slamming the pages shut and standing from behind the desk.

“I’ll go,” I snap on the way out. I hear my father calling my name but I ignore him. I walk towards the doorway, but my father grabs ahold of my arm.

“I’m still your father Remus,” he growls as he looks into my eyes. I look back into his with equal intensity and let a laugh escape me. A small one that comes off more as a scoff. I yank my arm out of his grasp and continue down the hall not sparing him a word.

He and my mother seem to think that biological ties mean something to me. It doesn’t. Not anymore. I continue down the hall passing by the servants and ignoring them when they bow. I just have one thing on my mind at this moment. I need to be around someone that doesn’t anger my soul.

The number of people working thin out as I reach my wing of the castle, and make my way through the large doors made from solah wood. I walk down each hall until I finally reach my bedroom. The door is open. Like it has been every day since my mother left. Her words put things into perspective for me. As did Iris’ nightmares. She’s suffering as much as I am. I may not know how to express my feelings in a way she understands, but I can give her some freedom.

I know she can be trusted now. I’ve left the door open every day, and she has yet to leave the room. I slow my pace as I reach the open archway. The room is dim, meaning she’s asleep. I step into the room and sure enough, she is laying in the center of the bed with her eyes closed. I look around the room to see if anything has been moved out of place, but nothing has been moved. Not even the books in the bookcase.

I frown slightly. It’s a little unnerving to me seeing her curiosity gone, just like that. I miss the way her face would light up when she saw something fascinating. Or the way she would cry from something as simple as rain touching her skin. I miss the light that she used to carry inside of her.

With everything my family has done, I don’t see it anymore. It’s like she’s defeated. She still gets angry and upset, but nothing beyond that. A bitter laugh escapes me.

She’s lost all hope.

There was a time when that was all I wanted from her. To prove to me she was just like the rest of her race. But that day never came.

I think back to the look on her face when I revealed that horrible secret to her. I know now that wasn’t the best way to reveal that news to her. But I was angry. So angry. And I hated that she was defending them even though they had done everything. I wanted her to share my pain. But ended up breaking her in the process.

I don’t regret my decision to destroy the planet. But I do regret dragging her into my revenge. I look over her body and see nothing out of the ordinary with her heartbeat. I can tell her blood pressure is slightly elevated but that’s to be expected with the stress she’s been having. Her body is beginning to grow comfortable with the environment around her. I take a deep breath walking closer to where she is lying in the bed.

I can’t help but wonder what a family with her would have been like. What would our child have been like? Would it have been a boy or a girl? Would it have had my physical traits or hers? Could I have passed on my ability? My kingdom? A bitterness swells over me.

Now I will probably never know. I doubt Iris will ever willingly lay with me again. She’ll kill herself before that will happen. I lay down in the bed next to her facing her sleeping form. Her face looks peaceful for once. I reach out pushing a stray hair away from her cheek and she stirs slightly.

But her lips once again part and a small snore escapes her. I chuckle softly at the sound. Her sleep cycle is much better. Even if she’s reluctant to admit it, her health has improved since the garden. I do wish I could take her out of the castle, but I’m not sure how she would react to this world. Not yet anyway.

There are so many things in this world that she has yet to discover. I know I can’t shield her forever. I want her to be by my side when I take over the rule. But the way things are now, that won’t happen. And my father will try and push his agenda. His control over me. Now that my mother is out of the picture he knows it’s his time to move. And I know exactly how he plans to do it. It’s just a matter of time before he re-introduces us.

~

I walk down the halls to where my siblings are being held. I removed them from the prison cells a while ago. But I keep their freedom contained to a certain part of the castle. Can’t have the bastard children of the traitorous queen running around the palace.

The guards stand taller upon my approach. I made sure to have my kind guarding the door. White hair, crystal clear eyes, and the royal crest upon their body. They lean as I approach pulling open the doors and letting me step inside. I see Ezra sitting in the corner looking out the window. His mate is in his lap, and he strokes her hair lovingly. I can see the calming effect she has on him.

She was worse than Iris when I captured her from the hiding place Acacius had them in. She even managed to land a blow on me and bite me. For the sake of my brother, I didn’t kill her. Otherwise, she would have been dead the moment she struggled.

Ezra knows I’m here. Though he doesn’t say anything. I notice he stops stroking his mate, and his spine is rigid.

“Brother,” he says it so soft. As if it’s a forbidden thing to say in these halls. Maybe it is. I notice his mate tense and turn to look at me. Hatred burns in her eyes and her muscles tense. She’s going to try and attack me. She moves quick for a human, but Ezra grabs her before she can and pulls her into an unconscious state. Her body falls limp against him. He gently stands and lays her on the cushion, careful not to move her too much. I look at the expression on his face as he is so careful laying her down. He turns to me, looking me in the eyes. I can see the hint of fear along with wariness in his gaze as he looks upon me. It hurts my heart but I stuff the feeling deep down inside not letting it come to the surface. I don’t blame him.

I almost killed him with my bare hands. And I destroyed his home right in front of him. I’m surprised he can even stand to look at me.

“I’m moving you from the castle. You’ll be moving to the Salo province. It's land owned by the royal family. You’ll be free to roam there. And safe,” I say. He doesn’t say anything for a moment.

“Is that all?” e asks. I nod my head slowly then my eyes travel to his mate.

“I may send Iris to spend time among her own kind,” I say. He nods his head in understanding.

“What about Xion?” he asks.

“What about her?” I ask in response.

“You’re going to keep her here?” he says in disbelief. I shrug.

“She hasn’t proven to me that she can be trusted out of my sight,” I say. He scoffs and rolls his eyes. It’s the first time he hasn’t shown me outright fear. His gaze meets mine once again.

“I understand you’re in some fucked up sense of mourning right now, I know. But you can’t punish her for that,” he says. My eyes narrow.

“I know, what our parents did to you is terrible. But Xion and I had nothing to do with it. And her “proving” herself to you? She isn’t an animal Remus. She shouldn’t need your permission to be free,” he says. 

For a split second, he is my brother again. He has no fear of me, and he isn’t afraid to tell me what he’s feeling. It’s refreshing. I smile softly looking past him to his mate. I step across the room and I notice him tense as I get closer. But I’m not moving towards him. I keep my gaze focused on his mate.

I’m almost over her when I feel his hand on my shoulder.

“Remus,” he warns. 

His voice is strong. His gaze is hard. But his heartbeat. I can feel it through his palm. He’s terrified. I shift my gaze looking at him. He loves her. I look back to his mate. My brother and I are very different people. Even though he is far more manipulative than I, his mate still has some semblance of hope inside of her. I can tell by the way she was going to attack me although she is in the same boat as Iris. Even worse due to her relationship with my brother.

My thoughts run wild for a moment until I decide on a new path for my siblings. I turn away from him and his mate making my way to the door. I don’t speak as I head for the door.

~

“Sire?”

I hear a voice outside of the current plane I’m in. I open my eyes sitting up on the table I was laying on. Braith is standing next to me. I pull the glasses like tool designed for me to soak up knowledge of this world off my eyes. It’s a simple brain wave tool that can only be used by my family. If I tried to let Iris use this, she would possibly have a seizure from the amount of energy used with it. I look at Braith waiting for his reasoning behind his interruption.

“Your brother is here sir,” he says. I nod my head standing from the table and make my way to the throne room.

Once I arrive my brother is standing with his hands in energy cuffs. He’s calm. Collected. I walk past the throne looking him in the eyes.

“I want you to join my council,” I say. He eyes me untrustingly.

“Why?” he says. He seems to think for a moment before adding, “What makes you think I would join anything you have to offer after what you’ve done.” He snaps. I figured he would do this.

“I’m offering you a new life, Ezra. A chance to be acknowledged. Think about your mate. Do you think she wants to live out the rest of her days as a slave?” I say.

“Don’t drag her into this,”  he snaps. I raise a brow. Whenever his mate is involved, he grows bold.

I look past him nodding to my guard and he tilts his chin in understanding he quickly relays the message to the others.

“Ezra. I’m not asking you to do anything you haven’t done before. I just want you to join my empire,” I say. His gaze narrows.

“Why?” I shrug. I saw something in him today that I feel I need. With my father and his constant scheming and my mother gone, I need allies in the palace with me. I can’t be everywhere at once.

“Why not just kill me like you did the rest of my people,” he snaps. I laugh softly at his anger.

“Because you are not like them. Whether you want to admit it or not Ezra, half of your blood is of my blood. And my blood is of this world. This is where you belong.” I take in his eyes pausing for a moment.

“Even if you don’t look it,” I add. He looks away in irritation.

“You had no problem wiping out worlds before, I don’t understand why you feel this one was any different,” I say in irritation. I don’t understand his attachment.

“Because that was my home, Remus. And those were my people,” he growls.

“These are your people,” I say.

“These are your people. I’m just the bastard that your Queen bore out of spite,” he says in anger. I turn away from him taking a deep breath.

“While that may be true, you still share blood with me.”

“How do you know I won’t be against you,” he says. Right on cue the doors open and in comes my guards dragging his mate. She’s unconscious. He sees her and his cool demeanor disappears. He yanks against his chains and snarls at me.

“You fucking touch her and I swear!” He shouts a string of curses and threats at me all of which I ignore. I walk across the room to her, placing my hands on either side of her cheeks inspecting her face. She’s a pretty human. Definitely one of the rarer ones.

“Remus!” I look up and Ezra is desperate. His eyes are wild, and his heart is beating faster than it was when it was just me and him. He would do anything for her. I know he would because that’s how I felt when I watched my mother what I thought was killing Iris.

“I’m asking you to join my council. You will have a high position in our society. You will be given freedom and respect. And your mate will live out her days with the same freedoms as you,” I reiterate. 

I walk towards him, standing directly in front of him, daring him to try anything with me. I know he won’t. He knows too much is at stake. His eyes are filled with rage, but he looks to his unconscious mate and back to me.

“You won’t hurt her,” he says. I nod my head.

“I swear," I say. He drops his head in defeat. Silence washes over us.

“Sky."

I raise a brow at him in confusion. He raises his head and a new determination is on his face.

“You said I would be given freedom and respect, and she shares that too. She has a name, and her name is Sky,” he says. I nod my head in understanding. He wants me to acknowledge and respect her. This is a side of my brother I’ve never seen before.

“Ok. I’ll do it,” he says.

“What about Xion?” he asks. I shrug.

“The reason I chose you over Xion, is because you can filter out your rage and make the best decision. With her current state, she cannot.” I touch his hand lightly and release the hold I have on his power. He looks at me in shock as the energy cuffs disappear and his full-strength returns.

“I am a fair ruler brother. You will come to learn that as you adjust to your new life here,” I say. I turn away from him knowing he won’t attack me. He knows what will happen if he does. He has a scar on his back and chest as a reminder.

I look at the guard as I leave the room.

“Release her.”

~

I walk back to my wing with one thought in mind. Iris. I just need to be near her. Life for both of us is about to change drastically in the coming weeks. She has no idea of the world around her and how this society functions.

I make my way down the hall, and finally, reach the room I’ve been dreading to approach since I arrived at this place. The room I’ve kept Xion confined to. Xion has always been my best friend and confidant. She’s been glued to my hip since she was born and I realized I had someone like me. When she and her mate started sharing feelings, she fought me for his people. And when I bonded, I told her first.

I’ve never been so distant from her. Never. I open the door to her room and look around. I don’t see her for a moment until I finally spot her in the corner. I’ve kept her isolated and away from her mate because of the dangerous state she’s in. She’s unstable and could kill him out of anger.

She’s leaning against the wall with her back to me. Her energy cuffs are shining brightly in the dark room.

“What do you want,” she snaps. I pause. What did I want? Why did I come here? I know how she feels towards me. I know she won’t take my offer as Ezra has. But I find myself continuing into the room. I grab the nearest chair, placing it right next to her.

She lifts her gaze and looks at me. Her hair is falling in her face and the symbol on her face is pulsing slow. I take a deep breath.

“How are you?” I ask. Her gaze narrows.

“What do you want, Remus,” she repeats.

“I want to know how you would feel about leaving the castle. Going to a province owned by the royal family. You’d be free to do as you please,” I say. She glares at me.

“You want to send me away after destroying my home?” she says. I shake my head.

“That wasn’t your home,” I say. She laughs shaking her head.

“No, it wasn’t your home. It was my home. As it was Ezra’s. And you… destroyed it,” she says.

“Xion, this is your home. These are as much your people as were the Leviathin,” I say. She glares at me.

“I don’t know these people. I didn’t conquer whole empires for these people. I didn’t grow stronger every day to protect these people Remus!” she screams. I sit back in my seat.

“Why do you still care what happens to me, Remus. We’re only half-siblings.” 

I feel a pang in my chest. But I don’t let it show, and I bury it deep down not bothering to feel. I stand.

“I’ll have you and Christopher sent away tomorrow,” I say.

“What did you just say?” she asks in disbelief. I have to fight the irritation at having to repeat myself.

“You’ll be sent to the Salo Province tomorrow,” I say.

“No… you called him Christopher,” she says. I pause. I guess I did. My current emotional state and Ezra’s earlier pleas forced me to evaluate the way I refer to my siblings chosen life partners.

“What about Ezra,” she says. I hesitate, unsure of whether or not I should tell her what Ezra’s chosen path is.

“He’s staying here with me,” I say. She stands from her seat.

“No. You’re not keeping him.” Her voice is suddenly filled with life, and her eyes with fire.

“Why do you care? All you’ve cared about is what’s left of the Leviathin empire,” I snap. She shakes her head.

“Since when are you capable of caring for him?” she says.

“I’ve- always cared for him,” she laughs at my response.

“Remus you couldn’t begin to care for him,” she snaps.

“He’s not a child anymore Xion! He’s old enough to make his own decisions.”

“The same decisions that led to him being captured and tortured by one of the weakest races in existence?” she shouts.

“He will be fine here with me I will take care of him,” I say exasperatedly.

“Same way you took care of his people?” she throws at me.

“You will only manipulate him into following your orders.” I walk closer to her, glaring into her eyes.

“Don’t you try and take the high road on this one, Xion. You manipulated him into keeping the truth from me and Iris.”

“I did that to protect you!” she shouts. The room falls silent. She points at my chest, not an ounce of fear in her veins.

“I made that decision alone. I made that decision to keep you and Iris from feeling what you’re feeling now. Because I know you, Remus. I knew it would have killed you to know what you did.” She searches my face, and a laugh escapes her lips.

“And I was right. I watched the exchange between you and mother. I know that deep down in there somewhere, my brother is writhing in pain over what he did to his own child.” She steps back gesturing to my whole body, “This… being our mother and your father has turned you into is not you Remus. And I know that Iris is devastated over it. And she is probably suffering all on her own, because like I predicted, both of you couldn’t handle that truth.” She turns away from me.

“Ezra was just following my order… he isn’t matured enough to think for himself. And you don’t know how to be there for him. As much as I despise you for what you did, I can’t leave him here in your care. You’ll destroy him.”

~