Revelation - Chapter 12 (Patreon)

Remus

I couldn’t do it. In the end, I couldn’t kill her. I was so close. So fucking close. Close to ending her life and being rid of her and the human race forever. But as her heartbeat slowly stopped beating, and her breaths stopped releasing, I couldn’t do it. At this point, I don’t know what I am going to do with her.

Iris

“Drink this.” Remus places a small cup in front of me and walks away. I slowly look down at the drink and a sense of déjà vu washes over me. It’s a bright pink liquid, like the one Remus would have me drink on Earth before he would feed on me. I narrow my gaze, flinching from the pounding headache that assaults my skull.

I only ever used to feel like this after Remus would take from me. But I don’t recall him doing so. I only remember Ezra showing me the kingdom, and when I woke up I was here with Remus. He comes back to the dining table, placing a bowl of fruit in front of me. His gaze travels to the cup and back to my face. Now his eyes narrow.

“Iris.” He warns. So I bring the cup to my lips, slowly sipping it down. Immediately I feel rejuvenated. Even my headache is gone. Remus takes a seat across from me, drawing my gaze. I eye him untrustingly, trying to figure out his game.

“Where are we?” I ask. He studies my face for a good minute before answering. His bright purple gaze shifts to the waves crashing to the shore.

“Nui.” He says. I furrow my brow repeating him.

“Nui?” He looks at me and a small smile ghosts on his lips.

“Precisely.” He says.

“Why are we here?”

“I have business to attend to that requires me to be away from the palace. I figured you would like to be away from it as well.” He says simply. He then looks to the bowl he sat in front of me.

“You should eat.” He says. I look down to the bowl and back to him. My stomach is growling, but for some reason, I don’t trust him right now. Remus is a master manipulator even if he won’t admit it. Even through the short time I’ve been awake he’s completely different than he was. Even if the differences are subtle.

He smiles, even if it’s barely there. He won’t stop staring at me. Not in the mocking, curious way, but as if he wants to make sure I’m actually here and ok. And he’s speaking to me. Not demanding me like usual, not being short with me and keeping his back to me as he does something else, but I have his full attention. Something I haven’t had in a while.

I decide to test the waters.

“What kind of business?” I ask.

“Business that doesn’t concern you.” He quips. Ah, there it is. So he is up to something. Something that I won’t like. I look down at the bowl of fruit and take note that they are fruit that I recognize. Strawberries, Blackberries, apples, mango, all chopped up and neatly placed in the bowl.

“Where did you get these?” I ask. I haven’t seen fruit from the Earth since leaving Earth.

“Earth.” He says. I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from giving a smart remark.

“How? I thought Earth was…” I trail off not wanting to confirm it out loud.

“The Earth is just how I left it. Thriving with more vegetation and wildlife than your people ever would have allowed.” He says. I look up at Remus.

“And the people?” I ask. He looks at me and I feel a slight chill ripple down my spine even though it’s warm.

“The people as well.” He says. I pick up a strawberry, taking a small bite and slowly chewing. It’s sweet and tangy at the same time. I close my eyes reveling in the taste for a moment. I haven’t had these kinds of fruits in a very long time. I open my eyes and Remus is watching me with a curious gaze. Like he doesn’t understand something. Maybe it’s me. But I feel a blush crawl up my cheeks from the intensity of his gaze.

He stands from his seat reaching across the table and placing his hand on my cheek. My skin immediately warms from his touch. I want to jerk away from him as everything he has done flashes through my mind, but I fight it. He runs his hand along my jaw, resting his fingers under my chin as his thumb hovers over my bottom lip. He isn’t looking me in the eye, rather studying my face. He doesn’t say anything more as he stands tall and turns towards the house.

It’s fascinating to me how open this place is. It reminds me of the house on Earth. The one that Remus was attacked by the resistance in. Only instead of rolling plains, there’s a beautiful vibrantly colored beach outside. I take a seat on the couch, immediately sinking from the plushness of it all. If there’s one thing I’ve grown accommodated to in my time here it’s the furniture. It always seems to shape my body just perfectly so. I stare out at the pinkish water as it splashes on the sand, thinking about that day. The day humanity first reared its true colors to me, but I ignored it.

They almost killed me and my brother trying to kill Remus. And even though their weapons had no effect, they never stopped firing. Not once. When they knew we were inside. I take a deep breath laying my head back on the couch. I can’t help but defend them though. They only did what was necessary. Even if it was my life that would have gotten in the way. But that just gave Remus all the more reason to hate them.

I will admit, I feel much better now that I’m away from that castle. Away from the constant prying eyes and the fear of the people surrounding me. But now I’m all alone with Remus. I’ve barely spoken to him in my time here. And honestly, I’ve been alone without him. I think back to Sky’s words.

What is there to understand about him? He’s a tyrant that doesn’t think anyone else matters because of their behaviors aren’t like his own. Even if he was a product of his parents making, he still made the decision to conquer and destroy. He’s the one that tortured me and countless others.

“Iris.” I jump, immediately whipping around to see Remus standing behind me. He has a blank expression on his face. He walks around the couch placing his hand over my forehead, and I can tell by his face he’s checking something inside of me. What it is I’m honestly unsure. Once he’s satisfied he steps back giving me space.

“How are you feeling?” He asks. I shrug.

“Fine.” I say. I can’t bring myself to say anymore. What do you say to an all-powerful being? Remus nods his head in understanding and stands to turn away from me. Something he has grown to do a lot in the recent time we’ve been together. And I know why. Because I always told him to go away. I always called him a monster and let him know how much I hate him.

“Wait.” The words are out of my mouth before I can even begin to examine them. Remus pauses turning around. His hair is slowly floating around him and he gives off an aura that intimidates the hell out of me. But I think back to how terrifying Ezra was that day I first met him. I think back to the times I saw him with Sky and he would have the same look his brother had in his eyes toward her. He even kept her in chains longer than Remus kept me in chains. But when I saw how worried he was about her, and how much he reveled in being close to her, it made me realize that some of what she said was right. So I swallow my pride, and I swallow my hatred.

I look Remus is in his vibrant purple gaze, and open my mouth.

“Can you…tell me about who you are?”

Remus immediately reacts. He narrows his gaze and shifts his body staring at me with an unreadable expression.

“Excuse me?” He asks. His tone is patient, but his demeanor gives off a whole other type of aura. I swallow the knot threatening to form in my throat as he stares at me. He’s so intimidating.

“I want you to tell me about you.” I say. I clear my throat, straightening my spine and lifting my chin to show confidence that I am not feeling at the moment.

“I… want to understand you.” I say. Now he raises a brow. He slowly walks back to the sitting area that I’m in and takes a seat on the cushions opposite of me. A playful smirk is playing at his lips. He tilts his head studying me for a moment. If he were normal, his hair may have fallen in his face. But he isn’t. And it continues its constant dance around him. Similar to his mothers. He looks satisfied with what he sees and leans back in the seat.

“Ok, I’ll play your game Iris.” He says. “What is it you’d like to know?” His words catch me off guard. I wasn’t prepared to ask him anything, and I never got around to even asking Sky how she and Ezra got to where they were at this point in their lives. I honestly just expected Remus to tell me whatever came to mind.

I look away unable to hold his gaze any longer. I’ve managed to capture his attention in a way that I haven’t in a long time. But now I have no idea what to do with it. So I just wing it. I take a deep breath and look back to him.

“What… are you?” I ask. His smile widens.

“I’m a celestivine.” He doesn’t elaborate and I can see he wants to full-on play now. So I play along.

“What’s that?” I ask. “Why does it make you so different from before?”

“I’m a celestial. A step above vessels, and a step below the angels.” He says. I try and comprehend what it is he’s saying exactly.

“Vessel meaning…” I trail off and he nods his head picking up what it is I am going o say.

“You.” He finishes for me.

“Oh.”

“I can create, and I can destroy. I can take the energy and convert into… life to put in simpler terms.” He says. My eyes widen as I take in his explanation. He takes in my expression and his smile softens. And I can see the Remus that was with me on Leviathar peaking through. The one that wanted to do nothing but show me the world and explain to me how it worked.

“See, life is made up of energy. Take the garden for example. My mother put her life essence into it when I was a child. It was how she taught me the transfer of energy. But once she left this world with me in tow, it had no more of her to feed it. So, like all things that no longer receive energy, it died.” I think back to the garden. I hadn’t seen it before he brought it back to life. But I do remember the process. Remus continues explaining.

“I brought it back. I gave it my essence to feed off of. Now, my energy runs through it. My life keeps it alive. It feeds from me.” He says.

“Like… a parasite?” I ask in confusion. He laughs softly shaking.

“No my naïve little human. Like a baby. It needs my nutrients to survive and thrive. As long as I’m alive and feeding it my life force, it will thrive.” He says. I take a deep breath trying to calm my heart down from this news.

“So… on Earth, when you would take my life force-“

“That was consumption. Not conversion. Those are separate occurrences.” He simply says.

“So then… why are you so different now?” I ask. He tilts his head, raising his brow at me, his whole face turning serious.

“Different? How?” He asks. My eyes widen and I realize he may not even know he’s different, but then he chuckles. A full blown smile appearing on his face. I can’t help myself. A gasp escapes my lips as I take in his smile. It’s beautiful. And I realize he’s joking with me. Remus the almighty energy being is joking with me. He’s slowly becoming a different person through the length of this conversation. And I can see exactly what it is Sky is talking about.

“My center has been awakened. My mother used her ability to keep my existence dormant, and the maturation of my power as well.” His smile slowly drops, and I can see him becoming his old self again. It’s like a switch has been flipped at the mention of his mother.

“She had quite a hold on me. Even now she is still more influential on me than any being in existence.” He says bitterly. He looks down at his hands, and his gaze slowly becomes void of emotion.

“Remus.” I whisper his name, but he hears me. His gaze meets mine, and a chill sweeps over me. He’s back to the person I came to this strange place with. Back to the being I fear more than anything. I open my mouth to say something, but I have no idea what I could possibly say. So I look away. He stands in from his seat, walking past me without a word. I turn to see him walking towards the ocean. I stare at him in fascination and complete confusion. He’s a more complex being than I originally thought. I thought he was all about rage and hatred, but it would seem that at this point, his life has nothing to do with his passed conquering of the Earth or Leviathar, or any of his conquests. He seems… lost.

The sun is slowly setting and I step outside as a slight chill sets in. I look towards the edge of the shoreline where Remus is seated. He has his back to me, facing the open water. The balls of light are slowly melding from his skin and floating around him like fireflies. I never thought this was possible, but for once I see Remus in a new light. I feel… pity.

Unknown POV

“The time to strike is now! The King is weak, and the prince has left the castle leaving him vulnerable!”

Shouts of agreement rise in the air. I shake my head holding my hand up to silence everyone. The light slowly flickers off the walls casting shadows over all of the people here. This is one of the rare meetings that we can even have especially since the prince arrived because he’s been monitoring everything like crazy.

“Hypothetically, yes this would be a good time to attack. But that was we knew the prince was still alive. The king has expended all of his energy keeping this world alive longer than he intended due to the Queen's actions. He is weaker, but not by any means weak. It would take all of us if not more to strike him down.” I say. Eyes of my people drop in disappointment. I feel my heart slowly breaking for them. They’re losing hope.

“The prince also brought the Queen's outside children who are just as powerful. Imagine if we tried this now, and the prince came back to find his father dead? He’d kill us all within a second. And he can do it.” I say. I think of the garden that he filled with life just to please the human. That takes a lot of energy. And even with him gone it still thrives. He can take life away just as fast. His siblings as well are residing in the castle, and his brother grows stronger every day he’s in this atmosphere.

“When will the right time be? We’ve been waiting patiently, and training for so long.” Someone says. I nod my head. But at this point, we’re outmatched. Even with my awakened power. One against four is very uneven odds.

“I understand. Trust me, I do. But now the prince has dropped our way out right in the palm of our hands.” I say. Eyes fall on me and ears are listening intently to what I'm about to say. I can’t help but smile as I think of that black hair and those exotic green eyes.

“Our invincible prince does indeed have a weakness. And it’s the human girl he brought with him.”