Revelation - Chapter 10 (Patreon)

Iris

I’m lost. I’m confused. I’m unsure.

Sky’s words ring in and out of my head constantly. The truth behind them punching me in the gut. Hard. I can’t even find fault with what she’s said because the proof is right there. Ezra has changed. The first time I ever met Ezra, he was rigid and terrifying just like his brother. Even the next few times after that. He led Sky around in chains. At one point he even put a muzzle over her mouth. He’s had inhibitors on her and dangled her freedom right in front of her. But somehow, she changed him. The question stands, is Remus capable of that change?

At this point, he is an entirely different being. His brother even said so.

I close my eyes breathing in the fresh air and sweet smells coming from the flowers. The garden has become my place of solace. My place to think and cry and just be. I’ve been here every day since Sky’s talk. I know where she is coming from. And at some point, I understand what she is saying. I grab another blue flower picking it off of its branch and placing it in my pile as I make my way back to the pond.

I don’t know if I could ever find comfort in Remus let alone love him. Not after everything he’s done. I take a seat on the ground and gather the flowers I’ve picked around me. I place some sticks on the grass, forming a center line.

I take one Red flower and one blue flower.

Remus and Ezra. The same but different. Both conquerors in their own ways. The difference between them is that Remus is straightforward with his intentions. There are no manipulations. He tells you what it is he needs and requires, and expects you to understand it. Otherwise, consequences will follow. I take a blue flower placing it on the right side of the stick signifying Ezra as the worst in that category.

Remus and Ezra both have killed mercilessly. Indiscriminately. But out of the two, Ezra seems to have more mercy depending on the situation. Though I don’t know for sure seeing as I’ve never really been around him for long. I think back to all the people Remus tortured in front of me and murdered. I place the purple flower on the left side of the stick.

I stare at the flowers.

A growl of frustration escapes my lips and I snatch up a fistful of flowers, throwing them the opposite direction. This is hopeless. No matter what she says or how I try and fix it, Remus is a killer. An evil, monstrous killer. What has he done to deserve the love of anyone let alone me? What about my people? My planet? What about the people in the Universes whose homes he took? What about the collection of planets he had destroyed and kept its inhabitants locked up for his viewing pleasure?

I don’t know why I even tried to compare the two. There’s no way Ezra is as awful as Remus.

“Are you alright?” I tense and look up when I hear an unfamiliar voice. There’s a man standing over me. He has a worried look on his face. I feel my muscles seize up and my heart speed up. Curiosity washes over me like water and I can’t look away.

It’s a man. Like the people that are here in the castle as servants. His hair pulled up and out of his face but even then it reaches his back. His hair is such an eerie black, no light can reflect from it. Even his eyes are dark as well. I can’t see his pupil in those depths.

“I…” I can’t form a coherent sentence. He gives me a soft smile as a laugh escapes his lips. His brows pull up and he tilts his head staring at me curiously. He seems to remember something and places his hand over his chest bowing to me.

“My apologies. I was sent to bring you to the prince.” He says. I blink on confusion and realize he’s talking about Remus. I shake my head, placing my hands out.

“Oh, no need for an apology.” I laugh softly. And he stands at his full height looking at me once again. He seems to be studying me. But maybe it’s just the way his strange eyes come off. I then remember what it is he said. I slowly stand, dusting the dirt off my dress and legs.

He walks ahead of me keeping his distance.

“If I may, what was it that upset you so that you were throwing the plant life?” He says. My cheeks burn with embarrassment. He saw my frustrations.

“Just… some inner thoughts plaguing me.” I say softly. He doesn’t respond. He seems very reserved. And focused. I do wonder what his relation is to Remus, and why Remus would send him to get me instead of the guards. We reach the edge of the gardens.

“Why did Remus send you to get me?” I ask. His response is immediate.

“I do anything the prince requires of me.” He says. I bite the inside of my cheek. He sounds brainwashed. And he completely avoided my question.

“Are you… a slave?” I ask.

“My people are indebted to the celestivine. It is my honor to serve the noble race.” He says. I almost choke on my saliva. I take in his features. He doesn’t seem to emanate like Remus. If anything, he almost looks normal. Almost.

We walk through the castle, followed closely by the guards that didn’t bother to stop him once we exited the gardens. I’m not familiar with this part of the castle. I look around once again in amazement. There are servants everywhere, and some people that look like Remus and his family. All except the color of their eyes.

The man leading me pauses in front of me, bowing as someone passes. I look around his shoulder and freeze as my blood runs cold. Remus’ father is walking by us. He has his gaze locked forward, not even bothering to acknowledge the man bowing before him. He’s almost passed us when he pauses midstride and looks our way.

My eyes widen but I don’t bow. Or move for that matter. He turns and makes his way past the man in front of me. His gaze narrows as he takes me in. I suddenly feel a jolt through my body, and my muscles are moving on their own. I feel my back bending, and before I know it, I’m bowing to him as well.

“In our culture, those that aren’t of any power bow before their superiors. Even if my son is smitten by you, I am your superior.” He snaps. I let out a moan of pain. I can feel my muscles spasming.

I feel his finger under my chin and he lifts it to meet his gaze. His eyes are bright and intense, but not as terrifying as his son’s. He lets go of me, and I can feel his hold on my body releasing. My legs give out under me, and I fall to the ground in a heap. I feel weak.

“I don't understand what it is about you that has my son in your hold.” He sighs in disappointment and just walks away. I don’t know how long I sit there looking at the polished floor beneath me. So many emotions are running through my head right now. I feel hands on me and look up to see one of the guards Remus assigned to me.

“Are you alright?” He asks worriedly. I nod my head looking beyond him to see the man that was sent for me staring at me with a blank expression. I notice his hands aren’t relaxed. Even though they are by his sides, his hands are balled up in a fist.

“Thank you, Braith.” Remus says with his back to me. The man, Braith, simply bows and moves to stand near the corner of the room. I follow him with my gaze until he is standing silently facing straight ahead. The guards move to stand near the door, and one of them walks up to Remus. He says something in a foreign language to Remus.

Remus immediately looks away from the map, eyeing him. He says something back in a clipped tone, and the guard bows immediately. My eyes travel to the map. It takes up most of the wall, and the land masses on it look strange, to say the least. I’m assuming this is a map of his world. Remus turns to face me. He’s once again wearing his signature white. Though not as many layers. His hair is pulled back into a loose ponytail. His purple eyes are so intense I can feel my teeth beginning to grind from my nerves. His father is nowhere near as terrifying. And that’s saying a lot.

I try and remember Sky’s words to me, but looking at him now, in this state is nerve-wracking. I feel how I felt the first time I laid eyes on him though I’m unsure why I’m so nervous this time. Maybe because now that all of my blind rage has dissipated I can actually see the monster I’ve been provoking. He’s not the same. Not even close. He's changed.

“Iris you look as though you’ve seen a ghost.” He says. My mouth drops a fraction when I realize he’s teasing me. He’s standing over me smiling softly.

“I…” I trail off not knowing what to say. Everything about him is off. And it’s screaming at my most basic instinct. I’m not sure what has changed in him the past few days or even weeks, but he’s a different person entirely. I recall how he was before that dinner. Something in him changed. At this point, I could be too late in trying to convince him of anything.

He places his hand over the lower half of my right side. I gasp lightly from the warmth I feel.

“Your liver seems to be doing fine.” He mumbles.

“How are you feeling?” He asks looking up at me.

“Fine.” My voice comes out in a hoarse whisper. His eyes harden as he looks at me.

“You should never take any food or drink from anyone here without my say so, Iris. I’m not doing this to punish you or make you seem inferior to me, I’m doing it to protect you. That one sip you took was enough to kill you. Your body-“

Remus goes into a deep lecture explaining to me why what I did was stupid. But I already know. Ezra already apologized to me for being careless. Before my conversation with Sky, I would have gotten angry with him for even taking me to the dinner in the first place. But that was before. This is now.

“I know.” I say. His eyes narrow.

“You do?” He sounds not at all convinced. I just nod my head.

“Thank you… for taking care of me the past few days...” I say. Remus immediately tenses and turns to look at me. He’s obviously confused and untrusting of me at this point, but he does a good job of hiding it. He let’s out a sigh.

“I’ve told you before. You’re my responsibility now, Iris. It’s my job to take care of you.” He says. I nod my head once again. He searches my face for something. I can tell he’s confused by my sudden lack of hatred at everything that he does. He stands up tall and walks away from me back to the map.

“You’re free to leave.” He calls over his shoulder. I’m unsure of what to say or do, so I just turn around and leave. I feel a deep sense of guilt in my chest. Remus no longer speaks to me like he used to. He doesn’t even keep me around.

I wish I had never run into Sky. I wish she had never opened her damn mouth.

Remus

Deep Breath In. Deep Breath out. Feel the world around you. Feel the life. The energy that powers it. Pull it all in. Convert it. Push it back out.

I’ve mastered conversion at this point. Now it all comes down to my trial and whether or not I can sustain the conversion for a long period of time. I open my eyes when I hear footsteps. My father rounds the corner and I immediately feel anger. Enough that I can feel the rattling of my bones and remember to stop pulling in energy before I break something again.

Gyro told me earlier about my fathers encounter with Iris. As soon as I see him, I reach inside his soul and control his body. His muscles tense and his face grows irritated. I stand, walking over to him. He’s unable to move. Unable to speak without my say so. I stop right in front of him.

“For someone trying to get on my good side, you’ve really been pushing your luck lately.” I growl. His gaze narrows and I can feel him trying to fight against my hold, but he can’t.

“This feeling you have right now? That’s the feeling you gave Iris when you took her control from her.” I growl. Thinking of it again makes my blood boil.

“Don’t ever do that again.” I look him in the eyes, and when I feel he’s had enough, I release my hold. My father drops to his knees clutching his chest. I turn my back to him making my way back to my seat.

“What do you want?” I snap. He slowly stands. When I’m sure he isn’t a threat, I visibly relax. He eyes me angrily but speaks.

“I’ve arranged for your engagement.” He says. I don’t respond. I know he’s expecting me to. He wants some kind of reaction out of me. I look over the gardens, my eyes passing over the marble bench.

“Why do you want me so badly.” I ask.

“Why did you never just remarry and have another heir? Someone who would’ve been ready to take over your throne by now.” I say. My father laughs at my words. He walks past me looking out over the garden.

“What have you been doing since you’ve gotten here, son?” He asks. I narrow my gaze.

“Cleaning up your kingdom.” I snap. He shakes his head.

“Remus, since you stepped into this world, you have taken charge. You have learned your history, increased your power far beyond what I could have ever imagined, and even now you are solving the crisis with the kuroque. Even when you were young you showed exceptional promise in every area you dabbled in.” He takes a deep breath.

“Creating another heir would have been a waste of time. I already had the perfect one. It was a matter of finding you. No one can match you, or even come close, Remus. You are… far above any of your predecessors. And it will be a long time before someone else can come along and surpass you.” He says.

“I won’t marry any woman you choose.” I say. He looks at me smiling.

“Yes, you will. Because inside of you, duty is before anything.” He says. He walks away from me and it takes everything in me not to strike him where he stands. But he knows I won’t. Because he knows what he just said is true.

Iris is fast asleep. The bed itself swallows her up. Just another reminder of how fragile she is. With each day that passes, I find myself growing further and further away from moments like these. I find myself losing touch with reason and emotion. And latching onto logic and probability. And that scares me. I think back to all the times Iris and I have had together. Even the good times. But when I think of those, I feel… nothing.

I know mentally that Iris is important to me. But at this point, I’m having a hard time understanding why. She rolls over in the bed pulling me out of my thoughts. I push myself off the wall and walk over to the bed, standing over her small form. She has no idea in her dreamless state of what I could do to her at this moment. I could kill her.

I should kill her.

It would be mercy. For her sake. She wouldn’t have to endure the pain and suffering that is sure to come her way. She wouldn’t worry about her planet any longer, and she wouldn’t mourn the loss of life within her. She wouldn't have to deal with the politics of this world and the pain that comes with being attached to me. She wouldn’t be living with all that hatred and rage inside of her anymore. She just wouldn’t be.

One touch and I could end it all. Just one touch.

My fingers hover over her flesh, and an idea forms. I was planning on leaving the castle for a few days to grasp a better understanding of certain areas on the map. I take a deep breath. Tomorrow. I will take her with me. I will take her away from the castle. I’ll show her the land, bring her one last bout of joy.

I walk towards the door pausing in the doorway and looking back to her. Her soft flesh. Her black hair. Her green eyes. That fiery spirit. All of that will be gone after tomorrow.

Tomorrow I will end it all. Tomorrow, I will kill her.