Revelation - Chapter 24 (Patreon)

Iris

I don’t want to move. I don’t want to get up. I want to lay in bed all day and pretend that nothing is wrong. I want to for once just enjoy the life that’s been given to me. I want to be at peace. But I should have known that with Remus, that isn’t an option let alone a possibility.

Braith’s words to me yesterday have put me completely on edge. The fact that his people aren’t allowed to wield the same power as Remus means Remus’ people have something to do with it. I slowly sit up in bed. I’ve been in it all day. Slowly waiting for the sun to go down. Once night falls over the castle, I will never be the same. Things between Remus and I will never be the same.

I know that once the truth is revealed to me, I won’t be able to do anything but become his pet once more. Because there is no way I can fight him. Not at all.

I take a deep breath as the sun dips below the horizon, and night falls over the land. The surge of lights stream across the night sky as proof that Remus is still occupied with his conversion. A knock sounds on the door, and in comes Sky.

Sky is already dressed in her night clothes. I smile as she enters and closes the door firmly behind her. In the past few weeks, we’ve become close. Friends if you will. And tonight, I need her more than ever. I went out on a limb asking for her help, but I remember what she told me before.

“If there’s a chance, I would help you.”

Sky pulls me in a hug.

“Ezra doesn’t suspect a thing. He told me to have fun.” She says. I nod my head. I need her to keep the chances of someone entering the room while I’m gone low. We told Ezra we wanted to do a slumber party with each other and he agreed after a stern lecture.

“Thank you for helping me out with this. I know it’s dangerous what I’m asking of you.” She shakes her head.

“Anything for the truth.” She says. I smile nodding my head.

“Ok, just keep the lights out and I put pillows in the bed to look like I’m in it. On the slim chance that Ezra comes in, just pretend to be asleep.” I say. She nods her head.

“Good luck.” She says with a smile. I stare at her, really stare.

“Sky… are you sure you want to help me with this? I and Remus don’t have what you and Ezra have.” I say. Remus on several occasions pointed that out to me. The love that Ezra and Sky share for each other. This could ruin things between them. She shakes her head.

“This is what’s right. They’ll never stop treating us like naïve children. We need to know the truth. And if what you say is true, then I would help you a thousand times over.” She smiles. I smile back giving her a hug.

“Thank you.” I whisper.

I make my way to the balcony, just as Sky turns out the light, delving the room into darkness. I push open the doors and the cool night air envelopes me immediately. My gaze shifts to the ledge that only weeks ago Remus was sitting on, contemplating something that made him go into tears when he finally let go of the raw emotion. I feel my heart sink.

I’m torn. But I know this is right.

I make my way to the ledge where Braith is waiting for me.

“Where are we going?” I ask. The silence has been deafening as anticipation crawls over me.

“I’m taking you to my hometown.” He says. I nod my head looking back out the window. The lights of the city grow dim as we make our way into the distance.

“What’s your hometown like?” I ask. He’s quiet for a moment.

“Dead. Barely surviving. It’s been that way for millennia. I was lucky to have been chosen by the royal family. Or so they drilled into my head. I showed promise they said. Potential.” He laughs softly.

“They just wanted to keep me away from my people. They didn’t want me giving them hope.” I look over to him. His knuckles are white from gripping the controls so hard. I don’t know how to respond, so I stay silent. After a while, Braith presses a button and lets go of the controls turning to me.

“Hold out your hand.” He says. I eye him untrustingly.

“Why?” I ask. He smiles.

“Where we’re going, with your body type it will kill you in seconds unless I give you some of my power.” My eyes widen at his words.

“You can do that?” I ask. He nods his head. So I slowly hold my hand out, and he grasps it. His hands are the complete opposite of Remus’. They’re cold. Cold, but soft. I gasp lightly from the contact and then I feel it. It isn’t warm like Remus when he heals me. It’s slightly chilly. But I watch in fascination as a blue hue travels up my hand and into my body. I also feel different. Like all of my exhaustion has evaporated. I can feel a surge through my veins.

I look up and Braith is watching me with a smile on his face and a tender expression.

“It’s ok.” He says. I nod my head reigning in my fear. I can’t help but wonder if it will mess with the bond that Remus and I share. I look out the window and the lights are still visible to me.

We finally reach our destination, and instead of being greeted by the hue of lights and advanced technology, I’m met with the devastating sight of a run-down village. Braith speaks next to me.

“Welcome to one of the dead zones.” He murmurs.

My heart is breaking all over again. The people here live in filth and poverty. The homes are barely standing, and the people look thin. We pass by a group of children huddled around a small fire, their eyes are empty. I can feel Braith’s gaze on me as I take it all in.

“What happened here?” I ask. He looks up at the sky.

“It’s a long story.” He says. He holds his hand out to me as we walk up the steps of what’s left of a house. I look around and see broken bowls and split wood on the floor. I turn around when I hear a scraping sound on the floor. Braith is picking up a chair. He has a grim look on his face.

“When there is dark, there is light. For every yin is yang. “ He says. He holds his hand out motioning for me to take a seat.

“I was raised here. This was my childhood home.” My eyes widen and I take it in. Something happened here. Something very bad.

“This world was once shared. Between Celestivine and my people. Yin and yang. Dark and Light.” He says. He looks at me.

“Just because it’s the opposite of light doesn’t make it evil. It makes it balanced. Everyone loves the light because they can see it. But they never appreciate what they see in the dark.” He says. He motions to the open hole in the ceiling, and I take in the view. The moon, the stars, the lights streaking across the

“The conversion used to be a dual job. A way of keeping everything in balance. But since the time of the great wars, only the prince’s bloodline does it. While my people wither away in slavery.” He murmurs. I immediately catch what he said.

“So… what you said when I asked-“

“All a lie. Something that’s drilled into us from the moment we are born. We are told that we were evil. We were what was making the world bad. We were killing it. Things got out of hand between the two races, and before we knew it, a war broke out. Millions died. And since we are energy beings, the world we live in suffered as well.” He takes a deep breath squeezing his fist.

“The celestivine say we are indebted to them because we struck the first blow in the war. It’s an honor to have been spared by them.” He says. With every word, he speaks my stomach grows more and more knotted. So many lies. So much pain and hurt.

“Are your people not born with power?” I ask. He looks up.

“My people are bred. Under the watchful eye of the royal family. Anytime one of us is born, the royals take our power, and cast us into slavery. For years my people have been oppressed and taken advantage of.” He says. I shake my head in disbelief.

“How did you keep your power?” I ask.

“My parents have the royal bloodline in them. They had me in secret. That is, until out of fear they were turned in. And I was taken and kept under the watchful eye of the royal family. I learned by watching the prince how to suppress my power.” He says. I nod my head but my mind is wandering.

I remember when Remus showed me the chamber that was filled with his family. How weak his mother looked and his father. He did that.

I slowly lean back in my seat, trying to catch my breath.

“Why are you telling me all this?” I ask.

“Because I want you to fight with me. I want you to help me gain my peoples freedom. And yours.” He says. My eyes widen and I’m out of my seat before I can think.

“Are you crazy?” I ask. His eyes widen in shock from my outburst.

“Remus is a monster. He’s a fucking monster! Mentally, physically, in every way, he is superior to me. I watched him kill a woman by touching her. Touching her!” I shout. I roughly run my fingers through my hair.

“He takes what he wants because he can and he has absolutely no remorse! None. Remus can drag me across a room without touching me. He can make a mountain of water by lifting his hand, what makes you think that I can do a damn thing about it?” I say. He opens his mouth to respond.

“You-“

“No. Don’t even think about trying to get me to use my feminine charm on him. I tried it to save Leviathar, and it had no effect. None! Remus owns me. He doesn’t see me as his equal. I want to end this more than anyone but I’m sorry but I can’t help you. I could barely help my own people.” I say. He sits back and stares at me for a moment.

He takes a deep breath standing and I take a step back as he reaches me.

“Your own people… are dead.” He says. My eyes widen. His pitch black gaze is serious. I shake my head.

“What? No… Remus said he-“

“Spared them?” He says. He laughs softly.

“Remus is a liar. He wiped out life on your planet the moment you left. What’s left of the human race is on this world, and lucky enough to be enslaved by what’s left of the Leviathin. He now uses the Earth as a resource planet. Nothing more.” He says.

Everything hurts. I hurt. I hate this. All of this. My mind is running at a pace I can’t keep up with. I can’t calm myself down.

“But Remus said…” I trail off.

“Remus is a liar.” He says. He grabs my hands holding them up to his lips and pressing a soft kiss on them.

“I can offer you freedom. A fighting chance. Equality. I would never treat you as a slave or some mistress.”

My ears are ringing from his words, and he realizes too late what he’s admitted.

“What…?” I ask. He looks away dropping my hands.

“Nothing…” I don’t buy it though I snatch his shirt by the collar bringing him level to my face.

“What the fuck did you just say to me.” I growl. His eyes widen and he slowly reaches up, prying my fingers from his shirt. He sighs in defeat.

“Remus… is set to marry once he returns. The woman that he is engaged to has been living in the castle for months. We were all instructed to keep you two apart and prevent you from running into each other on his orders. Once he returns, he’s going to keep you confined to the wing you’ve been living in.”

I step back from him. His dark gaze stays glued to me and he reaches for me but I immediately shrug away.

“Don’t…” I whisper. I feel all of my emotions spiraling until there is nothing but emptiness inside of me.

“Ezra knew?” I ask. He nods his head grimly. I said I wanted the truth, and this is what it got me. I don’t understand anything anymore. Everything I've known and become accustomed to has been a lie. All of it. Including Remus and his love for me. And just when I felt the same way about him.

I don’t know why, but I start laughing. I laugh and laugh and laugh until my stomach hurts and tears stream down my face, and I collapse.

I’m tired. Exhausted. Mentally. Physically. Emotionally.

But I can feel something. Something that’s pulling me out of my deep sleep. A familiar tickle across my back. I groan shifting into the warmth. I hear a soft chuckle, followed by a finger pushing my stray hair off my cheek.

I feel warm, soft lips pressing against my cheek, and moving down to my neck.

My eyes fly open, my breathing catching in my throat as I immediately see the strands of white hair surrounding me. Fear crushes me like a weight. Remus buries his nose in my hair taking in a deep breath. His hands wrap around my waist and he pulls me into him.

“How I missed you.”