Page 47 of Pet: Torment

“Something has been happening to me ever since I returned toXyrannis. I need answers before I harm someone close to me,” I say.

Her footsteps don’t falter as we approach her garden, which is filled with plants from different worlds. I smile to myself as I look at them. Iris would love these. I can easily imagine the way her eyes widen, and her mouth opens when she sees something new and exciting.

“What is it that is happening to you? Explain,” she says.

“I cannot control my power. I’ve broken things without trying, and even feeding has become a dangerous task,” I say. I hesitate to tell her about the visions. I don’t know why. It feels instinctual.

“And more recently, I’ve been having visions of a past I cannot remember,” I say.

My mother’s footsteps finally falter as we stand in the center of her garden, and she turns to face me with a neutral expression.

“What is in these visions?” she asks.

I look away, focusing on the vibrant colors of the flowers as I speak. “A world I don’t recognize…a language I don’t remember learning...and my past as a child, killing hundreds of Leviathan. I don’t remember this ever happening. I don’t remember anything from my childhood,” I say.

My mother laughs, pulling my attention, and I am suddenly aware of just how threatening she is becoming toward me. Her muscles are tense, and the energy flowing through her slowly continues to build, as if she’s trying to do it without me noticing.

I try not to react as she reaches for my face, holding my chin. Her eyes bore into mine as she sees me through a lens I can’t describe. Her eyes light up, and I feel the heat of the symbol on my chest pulsing.

“You bonded with someone,” she says, releasing me. “So that is why my block is no longer working. You’ve fused part of your essence into someone else,” she murmurs.

She looks back at me.

“Of all my children, I never expected you to bond. I didn’t think you were capable of that kind of emotion,” she says.

Her words make me think of Iris’s words to me when she was beside herself with rage.

“You are a heartless, emotionless being incapable of understanding anything, especially what a human feels being in your presence.”

Her words bothered me at the time, which is strange because I’ve never been bothered by her insults. Hearing my mother mimic the sentiment just proves that there is something happening that I am not seeing. I am confident she is about to reveal it to me.

“It was an accident,” I say.

My mother frowns, stepping closer to me. “Even worse, my son.”

I see desperation in her gaze as she tries to remain inconspicuous. It’s subtle, but it’s there. And I slowly build my own block with what little energy I have left.

“Has the person you’ve bonded with had any visions? Headaches, perhaps? Maybe her body is sickly overall?” she asks.

I shake my head. Iris has been feeling down, yes, but she hasn’t told me about any visions.

“She’s just been having difficulties adjusting toXyrannis’satmosphere,” I say.

“How so?” she asks, barely letting me finish my sentence.

“It started when we passed through the rings. She has these headaches that make it to where she can barely stand—”

“You weren’t supposed to bond, Remus. You are never supposed to bond. Especially to something so weak that it cannot conceal your essence. Did I not warn you? You have led him right to us! Right through my protection,” my mother says, whipping away from me.

Her panic is showing. Her fingers tremble slightly as she thinks to herself. She shifts her attention to the sky, taking a deep breath, and the sky slowly darkens with her will. She turns to face me, her eyes and form glowing.

“Do you know what we are, Remus? Me, you, and Xion?” she asks.

Confusion settles over me as she leaves Ezra out, but I respond anyway.

“Celestivine,” I say.

She nods. “And have you ever wondered why we are the only ones of our kind? Why you’ve never encountered any among the cosmos?” she asks.